As part of the Valentine’s Day dinner I made for Lisa and Emma (yes, there was an empty chair at the table this year…) I made this awesome Chocolate Bundt Cake for dessert. It’s a very simple recipe, and really doesn’t need a glaze or frosting, although the fresh whipped cream and fresh blackberries added …
Continue reading Chocolate Cake for Valentine’s Day (or any other day)
Our next-door neighbors just got back from Palermo, Sicily and dropped off a little something from the hometown: fresh cannoli. This is the way to start a new year. š
Yes, it’s that time again: the air is crisp, the leaves crunch underfoot, and the patio furniture is stored for another season. Oh, and that wonderful young wine known as Beaujolais Nouveau is released on the third Thursday of November. I made the trek to our usual favorite shops to pick up a few bottles …
The annual Apple Butter event was held this past weekend at Lisa’s parents’ home in the cornfields of Indiana. The group was up at the crack of dawn to start the process, and this year’s batch turned out wonderfully. Emma’s swim team had their conference finals on Saturday morning, so while Lisa and the rest …
We were back in the test kitchen this weekend, and this time we tried a recipe we found in the Daily Herald’s Food section: S’mores Pie. I know, I know: Why make things all complicated and messy– not to mention heating up the house on a 95-degree August afternoon– when all you need is a …
We had our first harvest of jalapeƱos last week, and we decided to use the first batch to make JalapeƱo Jelly. It was very easy, and turned out delicious! Here’s the recipe: Ingredients: 3/4 lb jalapeno peppers 2 cups cider vinegar, divided 6 cups sugar 6 ounces liquid pectin 1. Remove the stems and seeds …
On Saturday morning, we visited the Arlington Heights Farmers’ Market in its new home at the village parking lot on the northwest corner of Vail Avenue and Fremont Street, near the Historical Museum campus. The market is open from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. every Saturday from June 19 through October 23. As expected, there …
Among the souvenirs I brought back from Tokyo were these Kit Kat bars. They’re not your standard bars, like the ones you’d get at your local 7-11. (That is, all of them except the one on top, which is a regular Kit Kat.) Clockwise from the top, we have: a standard small chocolate Kit Kat …
Valentine’s Day dinner was my doing this year. I made Chicken Parmesan (a modified version of the too-complicated Cook’s Illustrated version) and this awesome dessert: Flourless Chocolate Cake. I got this recipe from Les Nomades, a wonderful restaurant in Chicago that we reviewed on an episode of our Cheap Date podcast. What you see above …
It’s that time of year again– the third Thursday in November brings the annual release of Beaujolais Nouveau. We always sample several wines and select the one we’ll serve at Thanksgiving dinner. Beaujolais Nouveau is a simple, young, and unpretentious wine which is perfect for the holidays. It goes well with just about anything, including …