Peter – The Roaming GastroGnome – Page 27

First Attempt at Making Bacon – Part 1

For the longest time I’ve been wanting to try my hand at curing meat and making sausages. I’ve been following a couple of charcuterie bloggers and have been fascinated by what they’re turning out. Since I spend less time in the kitchen during the summer I figured now would be a good time to crossContinue reading “First Attempt at Making Bacon – Part 1”

White Bean Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

I warned you there’d be more than a few cold salads during the summer. This is one I’ve been cultivating for a few years and it’s getting very near perfect (for me at least). Many different kinds of bean salads can be found on picnic tables throughout the summer; sweet ones, vinegary ones, baked beansContinue reading “White Bean Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes”

Strawberry Ice Cream – Another Easy Ratio

Having celebrated our wedding anniversary this week (the cotton one) I decided to dust off one of our wedding gifts and whip up a batch of strawberry ice cream. Strawberries are really coming into season now and I was further encouraged by a posting I saw about how the strawberry picking season has arrived earlyContinue reading “Strawberry Ice Cream – Another Easy Ratio”

Summer Lentil Salad

Hot summer days require something cool to go with whatever you’re grilling. Cold salads fit the bill nicely. As you’ll see, I like making a lot of different salads in the summer. They can be made ahead in bulk and chilled in the fridge, ready to be served or packed up and taken on aContinue reading “Summer Lentil Salad”

Decadent Truffle Deviled Eggs for a Movies in the Parks Picnic!

We’ve had Memorial Day, the official summer kick-off. Here in Chicago another summertime favorite starts on Monday, June 11 : “Movies in the Parks”. Dinner and a movie outside! These are a fun way to get together with some friends (or a romantic evening for two), have a picnic, and watch a movie. Chicagoans areContinue reading “Decadent Truffle Deviled Eggs for a Movies in the Parks Picnic!”

Awesome Summer Dessert – Strawberry Rhubarb Pie!

A little more than a week ago Artizone, an online artisanal food shopping and delivery service here in Chicago (and Dallas) hosted a quiz on Twitter where you could win a small bag of food from them, sourced from local shops like Gepperth’s Meat Market and Green Grocer Chicago. It wasn’t a very difficult quizContinue reading “Awesome Summer Dessert – Strawberry Rhubarb Pie!”

Night at the Field Museum! Wine Enthusiast Toast of the Town on June 8

Recently, I received a postcard from Wine Enthusiast alerting me to their upcoming event at the Field Museum: Toast of the Town. They sponsor the event in three cities: New York, Chicago and Washington, DC. Chicago’s the second stop on the tour and while we don’t get as many wineries/distributors as New York we haveContinue reading “Night at the Field Museum! Wine Enthusiast Toast of the Town on June 8”

Get Ready for Summer Salads! Potato Salad with Eggs and Dill

Lately I’ve been talking about refreshing your grilling skills as we get closer to Memorial Day and the official start of summer. Very important of course, but one area you shouldn’t neglect in your preparation are salads. I was inspired to make the first potato salad of the summer since we had absolutely gorgeous ChicagoContinue reading “Get Ready for Summer Salads! Potato Salad with Eggs and Dill”

Mixed Berry Custard Tart – Simple Ratios

On Mother’s Day we went over to our friends Erik and Jen’s for some grilling. It was a beautiful, sunny day in Chicago and we offered to bring some dessert. No idea why since I’m not much of a baker. Well not much of cake baker at least. If I had to rank my dessertContinue reading “Mixed Berry Custard Tart – Simple Ratios”

Sopa de Tomate! Tomato Soup Recipe Learned in Barcelona

A couple of weekends ago Cheryl and I traveled back to Washington DC to see some friends and ended up having Sunday Brunch at Taberna del Alabardero. Normally brunch is brunch but this particular Sunday they were hosting a Feria del Abril event. Dancers, food, drink. Lots and lots of them. One small bite offeredContinue reading “Sopa de Tomate! Tomato Soup Recipe Learned in Barcelona”