Archive | December, 2010

The Best Things I Ate in 2010

31 Dec

I’ve never been one to pick favorites. I don’t have a favorite food, a favorite restaurant, or a favorite recipe. Choosing one just seems too hard.

However, over the past 365 days, among all the meals, snacks, desserts and drinks I’ve enjoyed, a few rose to the top. What separates these few from the rest is that they did more than just satisfy a craving — they became memories. Each a unique culinary experience that left a thumbprint on my mind.

Below, in no particular order, are the best things I ate in 2010.

Chef’s Collection — Tru, Chicago

My husband and I dined at Tru to celebrate my 29th birthday. We each enjoyed the Chef’s Collection — 9 courses of pure heaven. It’s difficult to summarize a restaurant that has been so widely praised in the culinary world, but if I had to choose one word to summarize my experience at Tru it would be inspirational. Truly a life-changing culinary adventure that I’m so grateful to have experienced. To view my photoset from Tru, click here.

Grilled Cheese — Sprout, Chicago

Who would have thought that my favorite dish from Top Chef Dale Levitski would be a sandwich? But don’t get it twisted — this is no ordinary sandwich. Aged cheddar, granny smith apples and carmelized onions on a super thin bread, grilled in such a way that the edges of the cheese become crispy. And oddly enough, it’s not even on the menu — it’s the surprise cheese course that accompanies their prix fixe. 

Momofuku Signature Ramen — Momofuku Noodle Bar, NYC

There’s ramen and then there’s RAMEN. This is the latter. No other ramen even comes close to David Chang’s Momofuku Signature, complete with pork shoulder, pork belly and a poached egg. Without a doubt, one of the best meals I’ve ever had. The worst part? Momofuku is in NYC and I’m in Chicago. Sigh…

Vanilla Soft Serve with Bariani Olive Oil and Sea Salt — Big Gay Ice Cream Truck, NYC

Who doesn’t love a food truck? Especially one run by two of the nicest guys around who are serving some of the best ice cream around. Thick, creamy, vanilla bean soft serve topped with a healthy glug of olive oil (not extra virgin, mind you) and flakes of sea salt. Sounds so wrong, but it’s so, so right. The perfect blend of sweet and savory, and one of my fondest memories of New York City.

Honorable mentions:

Not the best of the best, but pretty darn close.

And just for fun, here’s a list — as pulled from my former blog — of the best things I ate in 2009:

Here’s to more good eatin’ in 2011! What are some of the best things you ate this year?

(Over)stuffed Peppers

29 Dec

As I write this, wind is lashing at the window next to my desk. Football is on in the background; drowning out the sound of shovels scraping against the sidewalk outside. Winter is officially upon us, people — and here in Chicago, it’s cold. The perfect weather for stuffed peppers — savory, satisfying, and most importantly, piping hot.

This is another great recipe to have in your arsenal because you can mix it up any way you want. Try orzo instead of rice, pancetta instead of sausage, or Parmesan instead of feta. Don’t like peppers? Use zucchini instead. But this is my favorite way to make this winter favorite.

(Over)stuffed Peppers (serves 4)


What you need:

  • 4 bell peppers (preferably red, yellow or orange), tops removed and chopped for filling
  • 2 raw sausage links (I used chorizo) or veggie sausage
  • 1 large shallot, minced
  • 4oz mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 1 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes, including juice (any variety you like)
  • 1 cup cooked brown rice
  • 1 handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • Feta cheese
  • Olive oil

How you do it:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Cut the top off of each pepper and remove the ribs and seeds to form a bowl. Put peppers cut side down in an 8″ x 8″ baking dish, cover with plastic wrap and microwave until slightly soft — approximately 4 minutes. Set aside.
  3. In a large skillet, cook sausage (removed from casing) over medium heat until crumbly and brown. Remove from pan and set aside.
  4. In the same skillet, cook chopped peppers, shallots and mushrooms in fat leftover from the sausage (add some olive oil if needed) until soft, approximately 3 minutes. Add garlic, paprika, salt and pepper and cook 3 minutes more.
  5. Add tomatoes with juice and cook for 3 additional minutes. Add rice and chorizo and cook for 3 minutes, or until a majority of the liquid in the pan has been absorbed. Remove from heat and stir in parsley.
  6. Season the inside of each pepper with salt and freshly ground pepper, then fill each one with a quarter of the filling (don’t be shy!). Return stuffed peppers to baking dish, top with a sprinkle of feta cheese and a drizzle of olive oil, and bake uncovered for approximately 15 minutes or until tops are brown.

Lemon Berry Cornmeal Muffins

27 Dec
If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a million times — “breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” And when it comes to breakfast foods, I much prefer savory over sweet (aside from the occasional Nutella crepe, of course). My sweet tooth doesn’t wake up until much later in the day, which means I’m slightly picky about what I choose to eat for my first meal. I’m usually a plain oatmeal (loaded with ground flax seeds, walnuts and dried cranberries) or eggs kind of girl, but occasionally I like to mix it up with something special. What’s your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?
I find these muffins to be the perfect mix of sweet and savory, and I like how the cornmeal gives them a hearty texture. Plus they’re super convenient during the week when I’m often running late (stupid snooze button) and need something grab-and-go.
Lemon Berry Cornmeal Muffins (makes 12-14 muffins)

What you need:
     

  • 1 1/2 cups AP flour
  • 3/4 cup cornmeal
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Zest of one lemon
  • 1 pint fresh blackberries, or any berry you like
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/4 canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

How you do it:

     

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin tin with muffin cups, or spray with non-stick spray.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon zest.
  3. In a separate bowl or large liquid measuring cup, combine egg, milk, oil and
    vanilla.
  4. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry using a rubber spatula. Stir only until combined — do not over mix. Add berries and fold gently into the mixture.
  5. Fill each muffin cup approximately 3/4 of the way. Bake for approximately 18 minutes or when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack.

The PERFECT Cookie

24 Dec

Merry Christmas Eve, everyone! I hope your holiday is filled with family, friends, and delicious food. And if you’re still scrambling to find the perfect cookie recipe, look no further. This is it. The one. I promise.

Everyone has a favorite recipe. A go-to, never fail, crowd pleaser. This is mine. I’ve made these cookies so many times that I have the recipe memorized. And to date, they’ve never let anyone down.

The best part about this recipe is that it’s customizable. Like more chocolate? Add it. Peanut butter chips? Add them. Nuts? No problem. Coconut? Sure, why not. You could add pretty much anything to this cookie (well, within reason, or course) and it’d be delicious.

The PERFECT Cookie (makes approximately 24 cookies)

Adapted from Real Simple

What you need:

  • 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup AP flour
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup of any combination of mix-ins you like (in this batch I used semi-sweet chocolate chips and white chocolate chunks that I cut from a bar of white chocolate)

How you do it:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Cream the butter and sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed. Lower to medium speed and add the egg and vanilla.
  3. Whisk together the flours, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. On low speed, add the dry mixture to the butter mixture. Beat until fully incorporated. Fold in your mix-ins.
  4. Place cookies on a cookie sheet, approximately 2 inches apart. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until the centers are set. Let cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

What’s your favorite cookie mix-in?

Weeknight Wonton Soup

22 Dec

I’m a busy gal. And as much as I love to cook, sometimes I flat out don’t want to — especially after a long day at work. And since I get home late more often than not, I like having go-to dinner options that I can make relatively quickly…without feeling like I threw my concept of healthy eating right out the window the second I walked in the door.

This soup is a super easy meal to make during the week, especially if you chop all the veggies beforehand like I did. In literally 15 minutes, you’ll have a warm, filling, delicious soup that’ll blow any frozen meal (blech) out of the water. And come on — it doesn’t get much simpler than throwing everything in a pot, people!

Weeknight Wonton Soup (serves 4)

Adapted from Real Simple

What you need:

  • 2 32-ounce containers of low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
  • 1 heaping tablespoon of jarred minced ginger
  • 1 16-ounce bag of frozen potstickers in whatever variety you like
  • 2 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
  • 8 ounces sliced mushrooms, whatever variety you like
  • 2 cups frozen shelled edamame
  • 2 cups baby spinach
  • 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 4 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup salted peanuts
  • Sriracha (optional)
  • A drizzle of sesame oil (optional)

How you do it:

  1. In a large pot, bring the broth and ginger to a boil. Add the pot stickers and carrots and simmer until just tender, about 8 to 10 minutes
  2. Add the mushrooms and edamame and simmer until heated through, about 3 minutes.
  3. Stir in the spinach, soy sauce, salt and pepper.
  4. Serve and garnish with scallions, peanuts, Sriracha and sesame oil.

Foodie Around Town – On Photon, an Event at Half Acre Beer

20 Dec

Half Acre Beer Company (North Center, Chicago — 4257 N. Lincoln)

If the Gods of craft beer got together and had a party, this is what it would be like.

Oh, wait. They DID get together and this is what it WAS like.

The craft beer scene in Chicago is alive and well, and as a beer-lover, I couldn’t be happier. In fact, just the other day, the Chicago Tribune wrote a column about this very topic. Many of the breweries mentioned in the article were present at On Photon.

However, while I’m very much into supporting local businesses as much as possible, it’s safe to say that when it comes to beer, my house is a Half Acre house. My husband has been on the Half Acre cycling team for the past few years, and its been exciting to watch the brewery and the brand grow into what it is today. I’m so thrilled to have been a part of this awesome event. Gabriel, Matt and the rest of the Half Acre crew really know how to throw a party.

The beer:

The food:

The favorites:

  • Double Daisy Cutter, Half Acre
  • Freedom 0f ’78, Half Acre
  • Hell’s Black Intelligencer, made with Intelligentsia coffee, Three Floyds
  • Pullman Brown, Flossmoor Station
  • Grandma’s Sleigh Ride, Flossmor Station
  • Urban Belly’s Belly Dog with spicy curry mustard, crispy shallots and slaw
  • Nice Cream’s delicious burnt caramel ice cream
  • My Half Acre wool cycling jersey, which was a big hit with the guys at the party

The fun:

(Yes, that’s a marching band. Mucca Pazza!)

Can’t wait until the next party!

Make Friends with Salad

17 Dec

Over the past few months, I’ve had this really unusual craving for beets. I couldn’t tell you where it came from, but I can tell you that I often satisfy it at the Whole Foods salad bar. They have these balsamic roasted beets that are just delicious (of course there are a few of them in the picture). Anyway…

There’s something to be said about a good salad bar.

Sure, it’s a great, healthy meal, but the plethora of choices also gives you the opportunity to try new things and experiment with different flavor combinations.  It was at the salad bar where I discovered that I liked kale — so much so that I rarely eat lettuce salads anymore. I also discovered that I dislike combining blueberries and balsamic vinegar. You win some, you lose some.

The salad bar can also be a great source of inspiration for new recipe ideas. I recently tried mixing sweet potatoes, apples and fennel, which sparked a new recipe idea that I’m currently work on.

If you find that your food situation is in a rut, I encourage you to try mixing it up at the salad bar. If you look hard enough, you’ll find an endless number of delicious possibilities hidden amongst the iceberg, cucumbers and ranch dressing. I promise.

Where do you find your foodie inspiration?

Mahi Mahi with Pork-Happy Brussels Sprouts

15 Dec

I’m fortunate to have a ton of friends who are as into food as I am. A special clan of food obsessed junkies who are always searching out the newest spot, the most talked-about recipe or the hottest ingredient. Speaking of hot ingredients, pork belly is one that has gotten a lot of action over the past year or so. But can you blame it? It’s so good!

So when my friend Helge, a personal chef, offered me a slab of some of his home-cured pork belly, I jumped at it. Who doesn’t love cured pork?! I used some of it right away to make e a delicious pork belly, caramelized onion and goat cheese pizza, and put the rest of it in the freezer for a later date. It’s a pretty nice ingredient to have around, especially when inspiration strikes. Or when you wanna get pork-happy.

Mahi Mahi with Pork Belly Brussels Sprouts (serves 2)


What you need:

  • 2 6-ounce mahi mahi fillets
  • 16 ounces of Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved (or quartered, depending on how large they are)
  • 2 ounces of cured pork belly, cut in half lengthwise to create two thick slabs
  • 1 very large shallot, thinly sliced
  • 1 lemon
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

How you do it:

  1. Add pork belly slabs to a (cold) large pan. Turn on heat to medium-high and cook until crispy, approximately 2 minutes. Flip and cook on other side until crispy, approximately 2 minutes more. Remove from pan and dice into chunks. Set aside.
  2. Add Brussels sprouts and shallots to the same pan, cooking them in the leftover pork fat. Add the juice of half a lemon, and season with salt and pepper. Toss occasionally until browned, approximately 2 or 3 minutes. Once brown, add white wine and cover, steaming the Brussels sprouts until cooked through, approximately 8 minutes more.
  3. While Brussels sprouts are steaming, heat a grill pan (or a large skillet) over high heat. Lightly drizzle the mahi mahi with olive oil and season it with salt and pepper on both sides. Cook until flaky; approximately 4 minutes per side (depending on the thickness of your fish, of course).
  4. Just before serving, add the crispy pork belly and the remaining lemon juice to the sprouts, and toss to combine. Plate by serving mahi mahi on top of the Brussels sprout mixture.

Mrs. Santa’s Butter Cookies

13 Dec

**I’m excited to announce my first guest blogger! This is a post written (and photographed!) by my BFF Mer, specifically for Fresh and Foodie. Not only has she made these “Mrs. Santa’s” cookies for me several times, but we’ve also made them together. I asked her to write up an entry to share with all of you, and I’m excited that she did. Not only that, but she sent me a batch. Score!**

For reasons unexplained, this sugar cookie recipe goes by the name “Mrs. Santa” rather than “Mrs. Claus.” Kind of like Pacman and Ms. Pacman, I guess. The 2:1 butter to sugar ratio explains why these sugar cookies are instead called “Butter Cookies.” They are by no means healthy, but if you’re looking for cookie recipes that really shouldn’t matter.

These are simple, humble cookies of the recipe card generation. But if you want to get foodie on it, throw in some grated lemon peel, use sea salt, scrape a vanilla bean and toss that in, bake them on a Silpat (the butter will mock you), and serve them with a shot of organic milk.

Mrs. Santa’s Butter Cookies
Recipe found in my mom’s recipe collection, passed on to her from my great-grandmother. True origins unknown.

What you need:

  • 1 cup softened butter
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon lemon juice (I use more like ½ teaspoon)

How you do it:

For the cookies:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Using a mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add in eggs and vanilla.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.  Slowly add this to the butter/sugar/egg mixture and mix well.
  4. Add the lemon juice and mix to incorporate.  The dough will be very thick and somewhat crumbly but not dry.
  5. Form the dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.  (You can make the dough well ahead of when you actually bake it, but the dough may need to rest for a few minutes before rolling if it is too cold).
  6. When the dough is cool, roll out to ¼” thickness on a floured surface.  Cut into desired shapes and place on a cookie sheet.  Bake for approximately for 8 minutes.  The cookies should be very light with next to no color.  Allow cookies to cool to room temperature on a wire rack.  Frost and decorate to taste.

For the frosting:

  1. For a simple, glaze-like frosting, mix about 2 cups of powdered sugar with a small amount of milk (orange or cranberry juice works, too) until a spreadable, not runny consistency is reached.  Add more sugar or milk as needed to reach desired consistency.

Cats love ‘em, too!

Sweet and Savory Pesto

10 Dec

Pesto. It’s always a winner. But when my plan to make traditional pesto was foiled by a bad batch of basil, I needed to improvise. That’s how I came up with this sundried tomato version — a sweeter take on the original. Delicious with pasta (or spread on crostini), this recipe gets a lot of action at my house.

Sweet and Savory Pesto Pasta with Feta Cheese (serves 4)


What you need:

Note: Pesto isn’t really a measuring-type recipe since it’s literally impossible to mess up. Hence no exact measurements.

  • Approximately 9 ounces of your favorite pasta
  • 15 to 20 oil-packed sundried tomato halves, drained
  • A handful (about one small clamshell if you’re buying it at the store) of basil leaves removed from their stems, plus a few additional leaves chiffonade for garnish
  • A handful of raw pine nuts, almonds or walnuts, whichever you like
  • A generous spoonful (or two!) of Parmesan cheese  (I was out of fresh! So embarrassing. Please forgive me.)
  • A healthy glug of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 or 2 cloves garlic, peeled
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup feta cheese

How you do it:

  1. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserving about 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Return pasta to pan.
  2. While pasta cooks, put remaining ingredients (excluding feta cheese) in a food processor and blend until finely chopped. Transfer tomato mixture to a medium bowl.
  3. Slowly combine reserved pasta water with tomato mixture, stirring with a whisk until you achieve the consistency you want. Add to pasta and toss well to coat. Top with feta and remaining basil.

To make the spreadable crostini version, simply forgo adding the pasta water. Spread on toasts and top with some fresh Parmesan. Delicioso.


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