Looking for an alternative to classic guacamole? This bacon blue cheese guacamole is unabashedly full-flavored. And it has bacon in it! (Which, of course, means this guac is definitely not for vegetarians.) I know blue cheese is a little controversial. There are haters out there. You can have your traditional guacamole while those of us …
Winter
Most Wednesdays during the growing season I go to the Green City Market in Lincoln Park. It is, of course, where I shop for fruits and vegetables. But I also like to go to the free chef demonstrations that the market hosts. Because these take place on Wednesday mornings, the crowd tends to be mostly retirees, …
It may not seem like it, what with all the cakes and cookies and bars and brownies and pots de creme and cocktails, but I spend a lot of time thinking about wellness. I haven’t always been that way. I was a habitual lunch-skipper in high school (who occasionally pooled fries with friends). I subsisted mostly on grilled cheese for …
When the folks at Carpano asked if I’d like to try a bottle of their newest vermouth–Carpano Dry–I jumped at the opportunity. I’ve long been a fan of their sweet vermouths, Carpano Antica and Punt e Mes (Carpano Antica has been a staple in my Manhattans for years). I was curious to see what their …
It is officially spring. But official spring never feels like the spring that exists in my imagination. The mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful spring with green shoots and sun peaking through rain and warm breezes and new beginnings. Official spring in Chicago is something altogether different. It is one day in a series of false starts. It is …
Winter arrived here with a vengeance last week. The temperature dipped below zero, the winds blustered, the schools closed for a couple of days. Snow came a few days ago and covered the sidewalks and rooftops along with the cars parked on the street. As I look out my window now, the wind blows disintegrating …