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Aretha Franklin was once asked what her greatest creative challenge was and her answer was surprising. "Trying to figure out what to cook for dinner... nightly." The interviewer, Larry London, paused and laughed. Her honesty was refreshing and at the same time endearing because it made you realize that even the queen of soul had to think about dinner. That's the problem with dinner; it's so nightly. Even if you love to cook it's easy to hit a creative challenge when planning...
This mandarin orange salad is the kind of dish that has you wanting seconds from the first bite. My aunt is the one who first made it for us at a family gathering, and she graciously shared the recipe she had gotten from a friend. Since then, this festive salad has become one of my go-to sides for brunch or spring celebrations. Shared recipes are some of my favorites, because I know a recipe that has been passed along for years between family and friends is usually going to...
Our first date might not have happened if my husband had known I could cook. I had gone to a concert with a small group of friends. As I was getting in my car, my friend Mark invited me to an impromptu dinner at his apartment. Thrilled but now nervous, I fumbled my car keys. I watched as they went flying and managed to wedge themselves in the seat. At this point, I had lost all hope of looking graceful. But he was kind and patient as I finally managed to fish them out....
When the snowflakes swirl and the cold wind blows, I welcome the chance to slow down. Gray winter days have me craving something warm and comforting. So, when I have time at home, I like to a make a winter pub inspired dinner, my British braised beef and mashed potatoes. This wine braised beef is like beef bourguignon, but simpler to make. Just brown the meat, add the wine and stock and the oven will do all the work while your kitchen is filled with a delicious aroma. Finish...
The first glimmers of the holiday season are here. So let the festivities and planning begin. I love the thought of twinkly lights, celebrations and time with family and friends. However, this abundantly splendid season can sometimes leave me with little time to cook. So, a few years ago, when my holiday calendar was over flowing, I had an epiphany. What if I had a cheese and charcuterie night instead of the traditional meal I had planned? I could make it ahead and it would...
I love a good cooking challenge. So, I had no reservations when I agreed to write a 150th village anniversary column featuring a historic Hinsdale recipe. That was until I found myself in the basement of Immanuel Hall - in the archives of the historical society - talking about hospital food. As it turns out, the oldest known cookbook in Hinsdale is a collection of vegetarian recipes from Hinsdale Hospital called "The Sanitarium Cook Book." The book dates back to 1921 and was...
Homemade cake is one of life's great joys - something that should be enjoyed on more than just special occasions. Making time to bake is a wonderful way to celebrate the everyday. Cake in my mind is a gift to be shared. This is one of the reasons that I love cupcakes. They are every bit as delicious as a large frosted cake and much easier to decorate and share. Mention the word cupcake and my daughters will run to the kitchen. All the measuring and mixing is worth it for a...
Years ago, when I first moved to Hinsdale from Texas, I was curious to know what my new friends loved to eat. I would often ask people what they thought was best "Chicago food." The most popular answers were deep-dish pizza, Italian beef and hot dogs. But if I were to ask myself that question after living here for seven years, I would say that I love Chicago's family style Italian dishes. One of my favorites is chicken Vesuvio. I first tasted it a Paul Virant's Vistro and...
I know a good biscuit when I taste one, but baking them at home was always disappointing. That is, until the pandemic flour shortage changed everything. Suddenly, like a great silver lining to my empty shelf sadness, Pete's Fresh Market miraculously had a bag of White Lily flour. White Lily is the unicorn of flours. It's often talked about as being the key ingredient to the quintessential southern biscuit, but it's scarcely seen outside a small pocket of the South. Alas,...
Food is a fleeting experience. Yet, the taste and the thrill of its discovery captures our hearts. A cherished dish or restaurant can uniquely become a part of the fabric of our family's celebrations and who we are. A few years ago, when my daughters were in first grade, they each had an assignment called "pieces of my heart." The project was a large construction paper heart whose interior was divided into squiggly boxes. Inside each box my daughters wrote what they loved....
The sweet smell of ginger, cinnamon and cloves fills the air as I open our back door. My girls quickly drop their school bags and coats as they scramble in the house. Joyful grins light up their faces as they catch a whiff. The familiar spicy fragrance means something wonderful is coming - gingerbread. Baking gingerbread cookies with my daughters is one our family's most beloved holiday traditions. It doesn't matter how many things I have left to do on my holiday list or how m...
Great cooking feeds the soul. There is nothing like hearing the sizzle of a skillet, watching a biscuit rise, smelling the spicy aroma of gingerbread or tasting a spoonful of buttery mashed potatoes. As I learned from my mother, cooking is all about love. One of life's greatest luxuries is sharing a meal that is so good that you want to linger at the table with the people you love - laughing and sharing stories. I believe in the power of a home-cooked meal and its unique...
Life is best lived with the confidence of a 6-year-old in a princess costume. Let me explain. My oldest daughter Gabriella has always been one for costumes, crowns and princesses. Born with an imaginative mind, she is an expert in magical thinking and storytelling. However, there was a time when I began to worry that her zealous love of princesses might have become too much. A few years ago, she brought home a "what I want to be when I grow up" project. As we began to work on...
It's never too late to write a new beginning A few years ago, in a strange turn of events, my law school mistakenly published that I had died. I had not seen that edition of the alumni magazine. So, I was surprised when I suddenly began receiving urgent text messages from thoughtful colleagues and friends. Yikes! I moved and suddenly others thought the worst had happened. I was grateful to everyone who looked into the matter and found me alive and well. Nevertheless, it was...
Waist deep in a flowerbed full of colorful zinnias, I stopped weeding. I looked up and saw a monarch butterfly and then it hit me - I was wonderstruck. Its beauty was so captivating that it filled me with awe. I often feel this way when I experience the presence of something bigger than myself. Perhaps you have felt it, too. It's easy to get lost in a nature's great splendor - a starry sky, a technicolor sunset, a summer garden in full bloom. Have you ever observed the way...
For as long as I can remember, my mom has been the queen of Christmas. Perhaps your family has its own Christmas queen or king? Someone whose love for the holidays is so effervescent that it brings happiness to everyone around them. Each year well before December, my mom is already thinking about Christmas. Her unbridled joy for the holiday season has her planning new decorations, recipes and special handmade gifts. She spends months on end hand-stitching beautiful...
The happy frenzy of the holiday cooking season is coming. It would seem that Thanksgiving is all about the traditional turkey, but in our house I know better. Everything I make is just a lead-in to arguably the best part of our holiday meal - pie! Every year I make multiple pies for just four people, because choosing one pie is far too difficult. It's a delicious dilemma because there are so many wonderful possibilities. Last year, our usual holiday plans were suddenly...
Every home has a story to tell. We live in an orange brick 1960s colonial revival. Our Realtor affectionately called it the "Leave It to Beaver House." Our house was well-loved, but it took time for it to really feel like it was ours. A few months after we moved in, I realized I had severely underestimated how long my painting projects would take with two preschoolers in tow. My house dreams were beginning feel a bit deflated. I was worried that my daughters might never nap...
These days, I find myself waking up to what sometimes feels like one long day on repeat. As our routines have changed, the days have a way of blending together. Occasionally, I have to remind myself what day of the week it actually is. I watched the movie "Groundhog Day" recently, which, in light of the COVID 19 quarantine, has taken on a slightly new meaning to me. This classic old movie imagines a moment when a cynical local weatherman, Phil Connors, gets caught in a time...
"Will the Corona virus be over tomorrow?" my two young daughters asked. "When will we be able to go somewhere again?" I struggle to find an answer that satisfies my inquisitive 5-year-old. As the weeks stretch on, I yearn for a sense of normal. When will we go to back the office and school? Will grocery shopping ever feel ordinary again? So much about our lives has suddenly changed. It's habit. We tend to define our days by what we have going on and where we are going. So,...
Midwestern winters require more than just the recommended fur-trimmed puffy coat. Dressing in warm layers is helpful. But, sometimes it's simply not enough. I have learned over the last few years that it takes a certain amount of outrageous optimistic thinking to face a particularly cold and gray forecast. I used to think news reports of people wearing flip flops while Christmas shopping in the snow and nearly naked people running into Lake Michigan for the polar bear plunge...
Each January after the holidays are over, there seems to be a renewed obligation or duty to reorganize. Everywhere you look there are articles, books and news stories that promise to help you tidy up and embrace your inner minimalist. However, for those of us who despite our best efforts can't fully commit to the minimalist movement, there may scientific validation. If you too have a beloved collection of books or a permanent stack of paperwork on the corner of your desk then...
No matter how much you prepare or plan for it, parenthood has a way of writing its own story. Its love has a strength that is greater than I could have ever known. My own journey to become a mother looks nothing like I thought it would, but looking back I am grateful for that. My struggle with infertility meant that having a family the way I had imagined needed to change. Determined that my diagnosis would not be the end of my dream for a family, we immediately began to think...
Have you ever longed for a flavor? A favorite food you remember from childhood or a particular dish? A little over three years ago, my family made an unexpected cross-country move from Texas to Chicago. After years of training, my husband was offered a job as a cardiologist and medical professor at UIC. It was a great position but it meant moving nearly 1,000 miles away from our friends and family. Suddenly my familiar life changed. Our old home sold in days. I left my job as...
