With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I'm sure you're making a list and checking the refrigerator twice before heading out to the grocery store in preparation for your turkey dinner. But before you run out the door, check and make sure you have the ingredients to this power breakfast treat - Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti along side a cup of Earl Grey tea.
— Shanna Quinn / Comments (0)
The newly hatched Chicago News Cooperative profiles a few of the customers at a food bank in Ravenswood.
— Robyn Nisi / Comments (0)
News broke this week that Woodridge-based Pabst Brewing Co., the company that produces Pabst Blue Ribbon, Schlitz, Old Style and other old-school brands, is putting itself up for sale. Apparently, the move is being forced by the IRS because the company is owned by a charitable foundation, which is against federal tax law.
A grassroots effort to buy Pabst through crowdsourcing is underway: if you want a piece of the theoretical action -- the asking price is $300 million, and less than $6 million has been pledged so far -- go to BuyABeerCompany.com and pitch in. (Thanks, Tankboy!)
— Andrew Huff / Comments (0)
Nacional 27 runs a special called "Nearly Free Fridays" from 5 to 7pm each week: for $2.27 per person, you get access to a tasting table of tapas and paella in the bar and lounge. That's a pretty great after-work deal that helps keep you from getting overly sloshed on their incredible cocktails. And with holiday season upon us, it's a good incentive to get together with colleagues or friends for some cheap holiday cheer.
As an added bonus, Nacional 27 is sweetening the deal just for Drive-Thru readers: Mention Drive-Thru or Gapers Block when you order the $2.27 tasting and you'll receive a complimentary seasonal mojito! The offer is good until the end of November -- so essentially Nov. 20 and 27. Enjoy!
— Andrew Huff / Comments (0)
This week I would like to introduce Rebecca of Homemaker's Habitat.
What brought you to Chicago?
I've lived in downtown Chicago for about 8 years but grew up in Rockford, IL, which is about 90 minutes northwest of the city. After college there was no question in my mind that I would move to downtown Chicago because I love the pace of the city, the eclectic neighborhoods and, of course, the amazing food!
What do you do when you aren't blogging?
I work in public relations, so my day job keeps me pretty busy. At the end of a long week though, my husband and I love nothing more than spending a quiet night at home, creating an amazing meal and enjoying a glass of wine.
— Whitney Merritt / Comments (2)
Since May 2007, Dani Albers has worked as a baker for Floriole, the Green City Market fixture of French-inspired pastry and soon-to-be Lincoln Park cafe started by Sandra Holl. Albers lives with celiac disease, an incurable condition whereby gluten triggers one's immune system to attack the small intestine, preventing the proper absorption of food. All forms of wheat and related grains like barley and rye contain gluten proteins. In a traditional pastry kitchen, gluten is as prevalent as butter and sugar. I emailed with Albers to find out what it is like to have celiac disease in her line of work.
Sharon Bautista: Were you an avid baker before your celiac diagnosis five years ago?
Dani Albers: I was. But the need for a cookie (among other things) that didn't taste like sawdust kicked my baking hobby into a higher gear. It was really the catalyst for going to pastry school.
SB: What was your professional experience prior to joining Floriole?
DA: I graduated from the French Pastry School in Chicago in 2006. I joined Floriole as a part-timer just a few months out of pastry school, and now I'm working full-time. I've had some brief experience working in a handful of kitchens around the city.
SB: How, if at all, does having celiac affect your work day-to-day?
DA: A part of working in any kitchen is taste-testing. I obviously can't taste everything we make and have to rely on other cues to know that my product is turning out the way it ought to: color, texture, aroma, feel, etc. Sometimes I just have to ask someone to check something for me. I probably gravitate towards working on the flourless products because I know I can be fully involved in their development.
— Sharon Bautista / Comments (0)
Most gardeners in Chicago have readied their vegetable plots for a long winter sleep. However, students from Near North Montessori School (1434 W. Division) will be busy this winter revitalizing a nearby half-acre parcel of land at 1102 N. Wood St. to create a dynamic year-round garden and outdoor classroom.
The project started a year and a half ago, when administrators from the school approached the Chicago Botanic Garden to explore the feasibility of an edible garden on school property. Anna Viertel, the Botanic Garden's School Garden Coordinator, worked closely with Near North Montessori staff to develop plans and identify possible sites. The vision for a garden quickly grew to that of a student-driven vehicle for interdisciplinary, experiential learning and civic engagement that would ultimately be a replicable model for other schools and communities.
Despite significant help from the Chicago Park District, locating and securing a parcel of land viable for food production proved challenging until the fortuitous loan of the vacant Wood Street lot by the Rappe family, whose grandchildren attended Near North Montessori. The school secured permission from the Rappes to build the garden in the open space and promptly began consulting neighborhood residents about the project this past summer. In September, Viertel transitioned from the Chicago Botanic Garden to assume the new full-time position with Near North Montessori of Urban Farm Manager. Clearing of weeds and diseased trees from the site will begin this Friday.
— Sharon Bautista / Comments (1)
Coffee isn't cheap anymore.
— Robyn Nisi / Comments (0)
— Robyn Nisi / Comments (0)
Kellogg's announced a shortage today in the supply of its Eggo Waffle. The company promises on its web site that, "Eggo is working around the clock to bring everyone's favorite waffles back to store shelves as quickly as possible. We hope to regain full distribution of Eggo products by the middle of 2010." 2010?! This might not be big news for some, but for others, who rely on a steady supply of frozen waffles and Nutella to get their kids off to school, this sounds a little worrisome. If you are such a person, fear not: the freezer aisle still holds frozen waffles from Van's Natural Foods, which come in healthy organic, wheat-free and hearty-oats versions. There are in-house organic waffles sold by Jewel, Dominick's and Whole Foods. But the truth is, these other waffles don't toast to the same golden hue. And the kids pining away for Eggos say the pictures on boxes of other waffles just don't look as appetizing.
— Lori Barrett / Comments (0)
L2O (2300 N. Lincoln) is hosting a three course plus dessert dinner at 6:30pm on Thursday the 19th of November. Presented by ChicaGourmets!, diners can experience James Beard nominee Laurent Gras' offerings paired with fine sake selections.
Dinner is $112 per person, all inclusive. Reservations can be made here for this and other ChicaGourmets! events.
— Cliff Etters / Comments (0)
With creations like Bacon Salt and Baconnaise, it's no surprise the brains behind J&D's continue to push the envelope with their bacon-y creations...literally. Mmmvelopes are now available for purchase - yes, a mmmvelope is a bacon-flavored envelope. Why lick paste when you have savor the smokey taste of bacon? Kosher. No refrigeration necessary. Wow.
— Shanna Quinn / Comments (0)
Ree, the Pioneer Woman, has become a household name in the food blogging community. A city girl that fell in love with an Oklahoma cowboy and now tells the story about living on a cattle ranch in the middle of nowhere, raising her 4 punks. I started reading her blog 2 years ago and fell in love with her humor, her pictures and her recipes. Ironically, Ree was planning to move to Chicago, with an apartment rented on Goethe in the Gold Coast to attend law school. Then she met the man who is now her husband and stayed in Oklahoma. I'm telling you this story because Ree will be in town (at the Barnes & Noble at Old Orchard in Skokie, to be exact) at 7:30pm Thursday to sign copies of her new New York Times best-selling cookbookThe Pioneer Woman Cooks.
— Whitney Merritt / Comments (1)
Remember Urbis Orbis? The seminal Wicker Park coffeeshop and "third place" closed a little over a decade ago, but you can revisit it and its colorful staff and clientele through this short documentary just posted on YouTube.
(Thanks, Anna!)
— Andrew Huff / Comments (3)
The New Yorker's latest food issue gives Chicago's Lutz Cafe a shout-out in an article on "spit cake," or Baumkuchen. To make this "king of cakes," a baker must brush layer upon layer of batter onto a spit, creating an elaborate ring of cake that looks like the inside of a tree trunk when sliced. According to the New Yorker article, the cake is so hard to make that it is only sold during the holidays at Lutz, and it sure isn't cheap.
— Dana Currier / Comments (0)
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