We’re always looking for interesting chicken recipes, but we find most are either incredibly bland or mouth-numbingly dry. We prefer whole roast or rotisserie chickens, but often boneless skinless chicken breasts are the only convenient option on a weekday night. This is an easy dish with a nice Thai twist and you can finish it in less than thirty minutes. It’s also got a nice spicy, citrus flavor for a summer dinner out on the......

The awesome holidays are coming one after another this August. Today is the 100th anniversary of the Root Beer Float, one of our favorite summer treats. Originally called a “black cow” (or a “brown cow, depending on who you believe), it was created by Frank Wisner in Cripple Creek, Colorado. Try out this Root Beer Float inspired cocktail, perfect for tonight’s dessert. Root Beer Float Practically all the root beer float cocktail recipes we could......

Tomorrow is National Rum Day. Normally we make fun of silly, profit-driven holidays designed by PR flacks, but in this case we’re totally on board. It may have something to do with the fact that we love drinking rum cocktails on mild summer days like this one. Here are a couple of drinks to try out on your friends this weekend! Cuba Libre The Cuba Libre is our favorite, simple rum-based cocktail. Invented during the......

Read an interesting article in Malt Advocate over the weekend. The theme of the story was about whisky (natch); specifically, the rise of "testosterone overload" in today's whisky drinker. A well-crafted whisky-based cocktail — or even cutting a dram with some water — has been largely pushed aside in favor of straight shots these days. There was once a time when sweeter, whisky-based cocktails were commonplace. We were sorely reminded of the article when we......

Today is National Piña Colada Day. Naturally it makes sense to focus on the Colada for this installment of "Properly Sauced." Originally, the piña colada was nothing more than ripe pineapple juice, either strained (colada) or unstrained (sin colar). Visitors to Pilsen's Fiesta del Sol sample it in this version annually. According to Wikipedia, the earliest known reference to the piña colada as a rum-based cocktail was in a Travel magazine article about Cuba from......

Everyone around us is frantically grilling their way into summer, and, as usual, big chunks of meat seem to rule the day. In our search for alternatives to steaks and chicken breasts, we ran across an article that suggested grilling clams. After doing a little research, we found out that this wasn’t as far-fetched as it sounds and decided to try it out. After a couple of attempts, we can whole-heartedly say that clam-grilling is......

Summer has hit us with a vengeance, and we’re on the lookout for drinks that taste good very cold and with lots of ice. Lillet Blanc is a French aperitif, based on white wine with various fruits and herbs added. It’s fairly sweet and is usually served by itself, on the rocks, with a large slice of orange – the citrus perfectly compliments the sweet, alcoholic drink. Speaking of alcohol, Lillet Blanc packs more of......

Rhubarb is everywhere in farmer’s markets at this time of the year, but many home cooks have no idea what to do with it. Someone who knew nothing about it and took it home would get a nasty surprise if they cooked it without a recipe – it’s mind-bogglingly sour. But, with plenty of sugar and care, it is the base for some excellent baked goods. Try this quick and easy crisp, which is fool-proof......

While browsing at O’Gara and Wilson in Hyde Park, we stumbled across a copy of Trader Vic’s Book of Food and Drink – a first edition from 1946, signed by the Trader himself. As lovers of classic cocktails, we couldn’t let this one go, and we’ve had fun making the various 1940s rum-based cocktails and reading the dated and sarcastic prose. One recipe for “Pondo Punch” was named after “Our Filipino Boy” who apparently used......

Within the last year or so, Brussels sprouts seem to be popping up as a side dish on every restaurant menu we lay eyes on. As we happen to love this oft-reviled vegetable, we consider this true progress, but we know a lot of people are skeptical. If mistreated, the Brussels sprout is a uniquely disgusting vegetable, but in the right hands, it can be so scrumptious that you forget you’re eating something healthy. Below......

Even though this recipe for "crabmeat in skillet" is pretty much "put crabmeat in a skillet," we still dig the look of this page from the Ford Treasury of Favorite Recipes from Famous Eating Places, published in 1950. Oh, and any recipe that calls for half a cup of softened lard and a cup of cooked prune pulp is destined to be a classic. click to embiggen......

Recently, during our visit to RL Restaurant, we came across two old favorites that aren’t often found (at least in non-fusionized form) on restaurant cocktail menus: the Sidecar and the Champagne Cocktail. RL’s cocktail list is filled with old favorites, but any good bar should be able to make either of these drinks. Both drinks are slightly sweet but not cloying, and both are based on brandy, a liquor not often seen in modern cocktails.......

We might eat much more pasta than the average person. While we have a lot of great recipes in our arsenal, most of them follow the same basic pattern: make tasty sauce, boil pasta, put tab A in slot B and serve. This pasta recipe takes on a slightly different pattern, as the pasta finishes boiling in the wine sauce. This turns the pasta a deep burgundy and gives it a rich, slightly bitter flavor,......

Welcome to the second installment of Qu'est-ce que c'est? In our first showing, we tackled duck confit. This week, we're going to take a look at ceviche. Ceviche (seh-vee-chay or seh-vee-chee) is raw fish which has been marinated in lemon and/or lime juice. The fish is typically cut into small cubes. The proteins in the fish are broken down by the acid in the juice marinade just as heat would have, had the fish been......

It is not an uncommon experience to look at a restaurant menu, have a general idea what an item is but not recognize all of the ingredients or methods used in the description of that item. We’re going to look at some Chicago restaurant menus and discuss both common and uncommon terms that will help you become a more knowledgeable consumer at the table. Today, we’ll start with a common ingredient and see where the......

Good, healthy appetizers that impress guests can be hard to come by – everything seems to be either wrapped in bacon or filled with expensive ingredients! Plus, your vegetarian guests are getting tired of veggies and dip. Here’s a recipe for the best tomato-based bruschetta you’ll ever make. Your guests will love you, but you’ll never be able to order it at a restaurant again without being disappointed. You may even end up eating......

A pound and a half filet of cod in the freezer and all out of ideas for what to do with it. Sure, we could grill it or pan fry it, or even bake it, but we've done all those things before. They're all delicious, but not new or exciting. And then along to the rescue comes Elise Bauer at one of our favorite food blogs Simply Recipes. For Lent Elise reposted a recipe......

Healthy, tasty meals with few ingredients are the name of the game here at Chicagoist. Next time you’re looking for a new fish dish, or you find yourself with salmon in the freezer and no idea what to do, try this simple recipe! It’s impressively tasty, and takes under an hour. Garlic and Lemon Marinated Salmon 2 6 oz salmon steaks (or filets) 1/3 cup olive oil 4 cloves of garlic, chopped Juice of ½......

Here at Chicagoist, we like to keep it simple. On a freezing cold night like the ones we’ve been having lately, that means making tasty meals out of what you have in your refrigerator and your pantry. We don’t know about all of our readers, but if our pantry is any example, we don’t have quail eggs, fresh tarragon and homemade pasta sitting around after a week of avoiding grocery shopping. We usually do have......

First things first: If you haven't read about it elsewhere, Anthony Bourdain taped an appearance on Sound Opinions when he was in town in November. The episode airs this evening at 8 p.m. The Artisan Cellar in the Merchandise Mart is hosting an appearance by Evert Nijzink, head winemaker of Paritua winery, makers of Stone Paddock wines. The meet-and-greet runs from 3-6 this afternoon. ChicaGourmets and the local chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier is......

The Dill Pickle Co-Op's benefit concert goes down tomorrow night at the Av-Aerie, 2000 W. Fulton. Bands scheduled to perform include Reds and Blue, Pit er Pat, and Detholz. Things kick off at 8 p.m. and the cost is a suggested $15 donation. Professor Bruce Kraig of the Culinary Historians of Chicago will be at Kendall College Saturday morning hosting a seminar on "Changes in Food Consumption Patterns After the Civil War." The seminar......

This classic peanut butter and chocolate combination is simple to make and will impress your friends because who doesn't like chocolate and peanut butter together? More than one Chicagoist has made this recipe and we all give it the thumbs up. Try it for yourself. Chocolate Peanut Buddy Bars 1 c. peanut butter 3/4 stick butter 1 1/4 c. sugar 3 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla 1 c. flour 1/4 tsp. salt 3 c. chocolate......

For many of us the holiday season is marked by a weight gain that makes the freshman fifteen seem like a case of simple water retention, spurred on by the flood of baked goods that appear in homes and offices everywhere. But with the huge range of fresh vegetables, herbs, and great cuts of meat available year round in Chicago, the wind chill shouldn't keep you from enjoying some healthy foods. While grilling out may......

Where protein is concerned, chicken is easily the biggest mainstay in our diet. It's affordable, lean, and easy to prepare; it provides us with the flexibility for a wide array of recipes; and we're never bored with eating it. On the other side of the spectrum is mayonnaise. We don't mean satiny emulsions like aioli fragrant with garlic or dill, mind you. We're talking about the white man's poison, Hellman's ca-ca. Our aversion to straight......

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,......

Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh, best known as local culinary mavens the Hearty Boys, have done it again. Not content with everything else they have going on (the catering and restaurant business and the burgeoning media career, for instance), McDonagh and Smith have created a fruitcake recipe that they say will change our perception on how we view this holiday monstrosity. Additionally, McDonagh reveals some of his family's fruitcake traditions in an accompanying article in......

It's easy to forget that, with all the hype recently bestowed to the Violet Hour since it opened months ago (much of it warranted, we'll preface), that this city was already teeming with master mixologists before Toby Maloney blew back into town. Case in point, at the recent "Chicago Iron Bartender" competition, Sepia's Peter Vestinos beat out a packed field including Nacional 27's Adam Seger, Tim Lacey of Spring Restaurant Group, and Otom's James Macknyk......

Last week we had a hankering for some lamb. We get this craving with some frequency, most often while in nice restaurants. But we have a problem with cooking certain kinds of meat at home. When at a restaurant we don't hesitate in ordering something medium rare and - when the cut of meat warrants it - even straight up rare. However, we have a hard time recreating those meat conditions when in the comfort......

Some of you foodies may have heard that Alice Waters, the godmother of the American localvore and slow food movements, is in town this week. If you don't have reservations to Saturday's sold-out farm-to-table brunch at North Pond Restaurant, you can still catch Chef Waters at Green City Market at 9 a.m. Saturday, where she'll be signing copies of her book The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution. She'll......

Chicagoist isn't really big on celebrating Easter, usually Easter is just another Sunday for us. But this year it falls on the same weekend as two of our family member's birthdays, so celebration is in order. In preparation for tomorrow's party, we prepared a kind of traditional Easter dish, deviled eggs. But let's be honest. We'd eat the shit out of these things any day of the year! They're so good. The problem was......