We love doing something unexpected to a standard dish to make it rise above the norm and salads are no exception. We recently served a simple spring salad with sliced dates, a yellow heirloom tomato and goat cheese. The dressing was no more than a pear infused white balsamic (available at Whole Foods for about $3.50), salt, pepper, and a good olive oil. What elevated the salad was the final topping: candied walnuts. Don't buy......

The temperatures dipping back down again this week has put us in the mood to cook some classic comfort food. On Presidents' Day we had off but our main squeeze didn't so we were nice and spent the day making pot roast, calico bell pepper muffins and cowboy cookies. Whatever your plans this week, you need to go dust off your slow cooker and make a roast. We know everyone has their own way......

Certain holiday cookies evoke memories of childhood. Chocolate Crinkles are one particular cookie that does that for Chicagoist. They're kind of like a cookie brownie, if you can imagine. [Ed note: Oh, can I.] Join us, won't you, as we whip up a batch. What You Need 1 cup cocoa 1/2 cup vegetable oil 2 cups granulated sugar 4 eggs 2 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons vanilla 1/2 teaspoon salt Combine ingredients,......

There's a new absinthe on the market called Lucid that's catching on at places like the Violet Hour, Lumen, and Delilah's, namely because Lucid is the first Grande wormwood-based absinthe available in the States since before Prohibition. Now, we've tried the "green fairy" and it was an experience we'll never forget, so we researched Lucid for details on how much thujone (the active ingredient from wormwood) it carries. Turns out, not much at all: under......

In what's become an annual feature here at Chicagoist and a personal favorite, we canvassed the staff for some of their best recipes and put together a potluck of amazing proportions to fascinate your taste buds, amaze your family (even the ones entranced by the football games), and bring about peace on earth - or at least in your family - for a few hours through the miracle of tryptophan, simple starches, and sugar......

There are a lot of rules at Viet Hoa Plaza, which really isn’t a plaza but an Oriental market on Argyle. The signs posted throughout the store inform shoppers that since there are no refunds, returns or exchanges — exceptions are made for defective rice cookers, and thermo and hot pots — they should inspect all items before leaving. Just in case you didn’t get that, rule No. 4 states that “All sales final.” Are......

How Do I Get Lucky in the New Year?...

Chicagoist, that's who. Or, that's what we thought. As a kid, we refused to eat squash. Really? Squash. Ew! But a few weeks ago we saw it at the supermarket and decided what the hell. The recipe we made is pretty classic, and surprisingly, we loved it. We made the squash as a side to a main entree. Our friend brought over a French loaf, and let us tell you how delicious it was......

If you’re like Chicagoist, summer is usually a time for a renewed effort to eat better and exercise more, mostly to offset our time spent at various drunkfests. We usually find inspiration for healthy, or at least more wholesome, eats at local farmers markets, which are now in full swing around the city. Green City Market in Lincoln Park is the city’s only all-organic, all-sustainable market, and it offers a variety of programs and......

Tickets are now available for Recipe For Relief, the Jimmy Banos-led culinary benefit for the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. On Oct. 6 from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. at The Grand Ballroom at McCormick Place South, 2301 S. Martin Luther King Dr., the event includes music, a silent auction and cookbook signing with Rick Bayless. To be clear, Chicagoist is heartbroken than such an event is necessary but we have to tell you that as......