Yellow Cake

Isn't this cake so pretty?!? It is Martha Stewart (of course). The pattern is such a perfect take on the architectural patterns that are so popular right now. The butter yellow color actually invites me to eat it...I wonder what flavor is inside...

Friday Fun Day

{via Audrey Hepburn Complex}

It is Friday! Also, I want some ice cream.

What I Ate (drank): Hot Toddy

{photo via The Dinner Files}

I have officially come down with my first full-on cold of the year. My nose is stuffy and the sneezing won't stop. Tonight Ed made me a delicious and healing Hot Toddy. We made it with steaming hot black tea, a shot of bourbon, a teaspoon of honey, and squeeze of fresh lemon. I think I will sleep well tonight.

What I Ate: Belly Shack

After going to the dentist today for the first time in (eek) years (!), Ed and I decided that if we did not have any cavities, we would treat ourselves to the hip new neighborhood eatery in Chicago called Belly Shack. So guess what mom - No Cavities! The decor is skater chic. The music is dj-riffic. The food is delish.




The cuisine is an unusual combination of Latin and Asian. I indulged in seasoned fries served with curried mayo, hot and sour soup (make with chicken, cilantro, and hominy - a steal at $4.00), and finished with the tilapia 'sammich' (my favorite).

It is conveniently located under the blue line stop at Western Ave - which makes this a perfect quick bite after a long day of work. The center of the space features a single over sized communal table of rich dark wood surrounded by industrial backless stools. You order at the counter, and they quickly bring the food out to your table. Lots of layers of flavor is the name of the game here.

Check out their sister spot Urban Belly on north California Ave for satisfying bowls of noodles!

What I Ate: Treat Restaurant

Last night I went out for a lovely evening with all of mine and Ed's best friends. We were celebrating both of our birthdays that took place earlier this week. We ate at a small place called Treat in Logan Square here in Chicago. It is a unique contemporary joint with heavy Indian influences in all the dishes.


I had the curried gnocchi (served with gingered raisins, mint, and spinach), but I had more than my share of bites from a friend's plate who had the special - tandoori Cornish hen served with couscous, fava beans, and cranberry chutney. Many guests at the party got the lamb burger (which comes dressed in roasted red peppers, cilantro chutney, and herb aioli). Best part - it is BYOB, which makes the price point just perfect! And, I can't wait to go back on a Saturday or Sunday to try their brunch (half orders of French toast is the most genius thing I have ever heard). They do a great job here, and I would definitely recommend it to someone looking to try something a little off the beaten path.

What I Ate: French Lentil Soup

Last night for dinner I made French Lentil Soup! I always love lentils (and especially love how healthy they are for you), but sometimes I think they are too dry. Soup is a perfect solution to that.



1 Med-Lg Onion
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Lg Carrot
1 Turnip
1 Lg Potato
1 Stalk of Celery
1 Lg Handful of Spinach
1 Bay Leaf
1.5 Cups Lentils
1 Cup Tomato Sauce (or diced canned tomatoes)
3 Quarts Water
Salt and Pepper

(Finely) Dice all vegetables. Saute onion and garlic with a couple tablespoons of olive oil in bottom of pot for a couple minutes. Add the rest of the veggies, the lentils, the bay leaf, the tomatoes, and the water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer for one hour. Finish with salt and pepper to taste.

-You can choose to blend a portion of the soup to give it a thicker base.
-A cup of cooked rice is an optional addition (making it more of a complete meal).
-A splash of balsamic vinegar and chopped parsley (or celery leaves) make nice garnishes.

What I Ate: Salsa Verde

I just made Salsa Verde for the first time, and I think it came out pretty great. I am making cheese stuffed poblano peppers and black bean tacos tonight to go with it! Everything in my version is fresh, but the addition of roasting the ingredients would certainly add a nice depth of flavor. Below is a summery of how I made it.



First of all, I don't have a food processor (yet), so I used my blender on the lowest setting. It still came out the right consistency (nice and chunky, but even throughout). This recipe is so easy (I mean really - just blend) and is worth the effort. Compared to a store-bought salsa verde, this version is so much brighter in color and flavor - so fresh!

4-6 medium Tomotillos
1 Sm Clove of Garlic
1 Small White Onion
1 Handful of Fresh Cilantro
1/2 Fresh Jalapeno (use more to make it spicier)
1 Lime
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil (small drizzle)

Peal the paper-y skin off the fresh tomotillos, wash, and chop roughly. Add a couple of the tomotillos and the juice of the lime to the blender and blend (this is just to get it going as not to clog the blender blades). Add the rest of the ingredients (all chopped roughly) to the blender and blend (only for 30 seconds or so). Serve!

What I Ate: Chocolate Cookies

We went to a friends' house yesterday for the Superbowl festivities, and I decided to make Chewy Chocolate Cookies. They were chewy and chocolate-y and really easy to make - truly anyone can do this recipe. See below:



4oz Unsweetened Chocolate
1.5 sticks Butter
2 C Sugar
3 Eggs
1 pinch Salt
1 tsp Vanilla
2.5 C Flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Microwave the chocolate and butter in a large bowl for 2 minutes (until butter fully melted. Stir the two together until the chocolate is melted. Add sugar and mix well. Blend in eggs and vanilla and salt. Add flour; mix well.

Cover the dough and refrigerate for an hour.

Shape the dough into balls (about 3/4 inch). Place on a baking sheet (about two inches). They don't spread out too much. Bake for 7-8 minutes (until just barely set). Cool on the pan for one minute then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Once cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Enjoy.

What I Ate: Roasted Eggplant Dip

Tonight I made a recipe I found on Martha's website - Roasted eggplant dip and herb rubbed pita chips.



The pita chips were super easy. You just split the pita bread horizontally, brush them with a paste made of finely chopped fresh and dry herbs and olive oil, and bake them until crispy.

The dip was also easy and honestly more delicious than I thought it would be! Roast the eggplant like you would a bell pepper (over the flame of your gas stove burner until soft and charred). Peel the black skin off, chop, drain some of the liquid off, chop finely, mix with yogurt, fresh chopped garlic, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Top with a drizzle of olive oil.

Find the complete recipes here.

Cutie Cakes

Valentines Day definitely makes me crave sweets...heck - waking up brings on my craving for sugar too, but regardless...Who wouldn't want a loved one to present some tasty treats to you in these more than adorable cupcake liners from the etsy store Cupcake Social!?! I know I would.



She has a ton of different prints (along with all of your other cupcake needs), so definitely check them out!

What I Ate: Bechemel

Since food tends to be my favorite subject, I though I would start a new series of posts called What I Ate' (inspired by my friend Melissa's posts on her blog called 'What I Wore'.)

photograph via Taste.com

So, tonight I ventured into my newly obtained copy of 'Mastering' (thanks to my sister) for the first time. I poached filets of fish in white wine and topped them with a delicious bechemel sauce. I served it with a healthy combination of brown rice and spinach salad. Of course I consumed the rest of the tasty white wine I used in the cooking with it to drink. This was not one of my absolute all time favorites, but it is a classic recipe that I am glad to have conquered.

All I Want To Do...

is eat rock shrimp all day every day. Rock shrimp is in the shrimp family but has a hard shell (like a rock) and tastes much more like lobster. My dear friend David took me to lunch at Sunda yesterday, and their rock shrimp appetizer is one of the best thing I have ever eaten. They are battered and fried, tossed in a creamy sauce, and served with walnuts and frisee. So So So yummy.


Old Oak Tap here in Chicago also has an absolutely delicious rock shrimp dish that is a bit spicy. Yum!

Indulgence

Ed and I are headed out to my mother's today. We will be making pasta from scratch for dinner. Then dessert. Ahhh dessert. My mother makes the most delicious pastries, cookies, cakes, etc. I can't wait to hear what she has in store for today - and I can't wait to feel disgustingly full afterward.

Yumzies

There is a new company called Macaron Chicago baking up some delectable sounding varieties of the traditional French merinque cookie - Macarons. Currently, they are only selling them at the Logan Square Farmers Market or through mail order. I can't wait to try them, what with flavors like apple cider, pecan honey, chocolate orange, and caramel fleur de sel - my mouth is watering!



On a similar (but separate) note - apparently Starbucks carried this adorable package of French macarons throughout December. The location nearest me still has a couple boxes on its shelf, but from what I have read they are just so-so. I can't imagine a mass produced and shipped package of this type of cookie would work so well, as they are fairly delicate and stale quickly. Maybe if they go on sale, I will try them...



Check out my previous post about Laduree that made these cookies famous.

Happy Monday

I just went to the market, and got some delicious treats for the week including a beautiful golden apple like this one! For dinner tonight: Black bean and cheese stuffed poblano peppers. After three longs days of work this weekend, I look forward to relaxing at home at getting organized today!

The Snow Is Coming Down

It is a 'Winter Storm' here in Chicago today. We are expected to get eight to twelve inches of snow! I am not leaving the house. Actually - the only way I would leave the house today would be to sit in a warm cafe to have a big glass of red wine and a bowl of French onion soup. Yum. Maybe that will be my plan for the day.

Wine Recommendation

One of my very favorite wines is a Casel Garcia from Portugal. It is probably a better summer wine than winter, so my timing is a bit off (but hey - the sun is shining somewhere right?!).


My friend Alex and I used to drink this out on the patio under the sun while grilling up some delicious foods. It is light enough to go with just about everything, and it has a nice effervescence to it - and it is under $10!

The best part of all (for all you suckers like me) is the gorgeous label - it is dark blue with a delicate lace pattern covering it. Two thumbs up from me!

MmmmmManhattans

I have recently started becoming a 'connoisseur' of delicious Manhattans (well...and by that I mean I drink a lot of them). I love the way the harsh edge of bourboun is rounded off by the addition of vermouth (plus a dash of sweetness from a cherry or cherry bitters). I am planning on setting up a little bar area in my apartment this week, so I can't wait to get my hands dirty trying to perfect my own blend. In perusing the ever beautiful gourmet magazine's website (tear), I came across this recipe for the classic concoction:

Perfect Bourbon Manhattans
Makes2 drinks

* Active time:5 min
* Start to finish:5 min

When this classic cocktail was invented, in the late 1800s, it called for rye. Here, bourbon gets to be the star, and the combination of sweet and dry vermouth makes our version “perfect.”

* 4 oz (1/2 cup) bourbon
* 1 oz (2 tablespoons) sweet vermouth
* 1 oz (2 tablespoons) dry vermouth
* 2 dashes Angostura bitters

*
Garnish:
maraschino cherries

*
Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with cracked ice, then add all ingredients and shake or stir well. Strain into 2 chilled Martini glasses.

Quince Paste

YUM! I just found this recipe on the Delicious Days blog for quince paste/jam. I have been served petite wedges of this at wine bars with plates of cheese and have loved it, but I never thought about actually making it. I cannot believe how easy it is, and what a great thing to serve at a get-together with some stinky manchego or goat cheese. It would also make a great little gift for a wine or cheese lover in your life! The recipe is below (only two ingredients!):




Wash, peel, core quinces, then chop coarsely and place in a large pot. Add enough water to cover the quinces and boil covered for about 30 minutes or until fruit is very soft. Remove excess water and weight.

Process the fruit until very smooth either with a regular or a handheld blender. Add an equal amount (see step 1) of sugar and combine with fruit pulp in the same pot.

Cook, stirring over a low heat until the sugar dissolves. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the quince paste thickens and has a deep orange color. This will take round about 60-90 minutes.

Transfer cooked paste to a parchment paper lined and lightly greased pan (mine was about 20×20cm/8×8″) and spread paste flat. Place in oven at low heat (50°C/120°F) with the fan on for an hour or so to aid the drying process.

To serve (with cheese): Cut into small wedges or squares. To store: Wrap in foil and keep in fridge.

Chicago French Market!

I am so excited for the new year-round indoor French Market that opened here in Chicago yesterday!!! It sounds like there are a ton of great vendors participating. I can't wait to check it out!