Monthly Archives: March 2006

Menu Database

Perhaps I simply overlooked this resource in the past, however I was thrilled to stumble upon the Los Angeles Public Library Menu Collection today.  I am attending a murder mystery party this Saturday night set in a 1920s speakeasy and the guests were asked to bring a small dish.  This has opened up a multitude […]

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Ivonne - What a great resource! Thanks for sharing the link.
Let us know how the murder mystery dinner goes!

gemma - Your welcome Ivonne, I was pretty happy to find it. The murder mystery party went great. I was the murderer! It was a really fun night and everyone had fantastic costumes.

Fry me up!

Mindy and I decided to pull out her deep fryer and spend a night turning healthy things into greasy delicacies. We started off with your standard tortilla chips.  We used both corn and flour tortillas. Simply cut a tortilla into your desired triangular sizes and add to the hot oil.  We used safflower oil for […]

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Adrienne - Yum, all that fried food is making my arteries clog, and making me wish that I had a deep fat frier.

mumu - yup, a syringe is always a handy tool to have in the kitchen :-)

lee - Wow! I’ve fried some weird stuff (deep fried avocado is a BAD idea) but I think I can safely say that I never would have come up with the strawberry idea. Good work.

purple_kangaroo - It sounds like you had so much fun experimenting with frying things.

gemma - Yep, we were feeling pretty unhealthy by the time the night was over Adrienne, but it is so good!
Hi mumu, it is so handy!
Thanks lee. It is so sad to hear that avocados do not work. I was tempted to try.
Hi purple_kangaroo, yes it was a great time. Mindy is a fun cooking partner.

Upcoming Chicago Area Food Event

I was recently informed about these delicious events: Caveny Wine Dinners with Caveny Farms and Candid Wines. "a celebration of sustainable food and wine featuring two of Chicago’s best chefs – Paul Virant of Vie and Michael Lachowitz of Michael.     Vie – March 30th, 2006 – 7pm Western Springs, IL.  Call 708/246-2082 to […]

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Tana - Oh, this makes me ache with longing. I visited Chicago for a farming conference earlier this month, and it stole my heart. I love your city. (Ask Paul! Ask Vital Information! Ask the cab drivers I had! Ask the clerk at the Sheraton Towers, who put me on the 28th floor!)
Farms and wine and sustainable stuff. I’m all over that.
BTW, I’ll be adding some places to my Chefs and Farms map at Platial, making the jump from California, where I started, to Chicago. Everyone else can just wait!
: D

mindy - This week/weekend is also supposedly when the whiskey vendors come to Chicago. So many a local pub/bar may have free samples. If the rumor is true, it seems worth checking out.

gemma - I am glad you had such a great experience in Chicago Tana! There is a refreshing number of people involved in these wonderful movements here.

South Side St. Patrick’s Parade

Last weekend we went down to the South Side Irish Parade.  Beginning at 101st and Western, this is the parade to be at in Chicago.  I can’t say I have necessarily watched the parade in years, but the general mayhem of Beverly and the surrounding area is always a great way to spend a Sunday. […]

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Pistachio Browned Butter Crisps

Last night while making Cauliflower and Broccoli Flan with Spinach Béchamel for dinner, I accidentally added twice the amount of flour to the melted butter in the first stage of the béchamel sauce.  I certainly didn’t want to waste nearly a stick of butter so I quickly transferred it to a container before starting the […]

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mumu - that looks absolutely delicious. ever trying to be the consummate home economist — plus the fact that a lot of mishaps happen in my kitchen — i feel an enormous sense of accomplishment whenever i manage to “save” and “recycle” ingredients. 8-)

Bea at La Tartine Gourmande - All those flavors are really attractive to me. This looks really a nice success!

genevieve - I love pistachios and I love cardamom! They are a perfect addition to any baked good. And the green is so pretty.

Emily - haha whoa! it’s always exciting to me to know when people make the recipes that i put on my blog. i’m glad i could help provide the recipe for you! and that the cookies turned out so well. :) they look awesome.

kasia - I was also immediately drawn in by the cookie recipe. I love spicy, chewy cookies, so I couldn’t resist trying these. I innovated a bit and added some almond extract, which gave them a really interesting flavor, though I think it muted the spiciness a bit. I think next time, I’ll cut down on the sugar – they’re really, really sweet – and up the spices, but I do like the hint of almond.

gemma - Thanks Mumu. I agree, it is so nice to save a downhill situation, especially when it becomes dessert!
Thanks Bea, they sure were tasty.
Yes, they are two of my favorite flavors as well genevieve. I knew right away that I would enjoy these.
Hi Emily, they turned out great. Thanks again for the recipe.
Hi Kasia. I am glad you tried them. I would agree with you, they were too sweet for me too. The almond extract is an interesting idea. I will test that out next time I make these. I hope you are feeling better!

kasia - Hmmm. So they were all soft and chewy when they came out of the oven, but an hour later, they were hard as rocks. not so ideal. perhaps it would be better to actually make them crisp-like, ie, shaped as flat little discs?

gemma - hrm. That is no good. I have to say that mine did not stick around long enough for me to experience that. (No, I didn’t eat them all, I gave them to my family.) That seems like it might be a good idea Kasia. . .