Category Archives: General

Welcome! I Made a “Best of” List? How’d that Happen?

Hello to all the new readers clicking through or coming to my little piece of internet real estate from Chicago Rants.  Hopefully you’ll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. And a big Thank You to Chicago Rants for deeming me worthy of any Top 10 list!  It’s always nice to beContinue reading “Welcome! I Made a “Best of” List? How’d that Happen?”

Change it up for Valentine’s Day, Apple-Almond Tart

What, no chocolate?  That’s right no chocolate.  Why?  I’ll tell you why.  Because everyone always expects chocolate and if you really want to make an impression you should think outside the box.  Apples fit in perfectly on Valentine’s Day.  Folkore, mythology, legends are full of stories where the fruit represents both good and evil.  WeContinue reading “Change it up for Valentine’s Day, Apple-Almond Tart”

Our Burns Night Supper in Wrigleyville

It all started off simply enough, “Robert Burns Night is Wednesday.  Are you going to make some haggis?  I think you should.  Oh look, here’s a recipe.”  It was at this moment I realized I am in trouble for the rest of my life.  For the most part I am able to whip things up,Continue reading “Our Burns Night Supper in Wrigleyville”

Top Chef Episode 10 – Restaurant Wars!

Yay!  Restaurant Wars!  This is always my favorite episode on each Top Chef season.  It’s the halfway point.  Everyone who makes it past this show is in the top half and we’re getting down to the nitty gritty.  Restaurant Wars is also a very risky episode.  Many a chef who’s taken the reins to runContinue reading “Top Chef Episode 10 – Restaurant Wars!”

A day wandering around Zurich

Had a lot of fun on our first full day in Zurich with a good night’s sleep in us.  It rained most of the night but cleared up and we had a beautiful sunshine filled day to work with.  We started off at a place called Markethalle, a food stall gallery underneath/inside a viaduct, soContinue reading “A day wandering around Zurich”

What’s for Sunday Dinner – Braised Leg of Lamb with White Beans

With all the turkey, stews, soups, and pork we’ve been eating lately I decided to change it up a bit and make a leg of lamb.  I saw there was a boneless one on sale at the market so I grabbed it.  A boneless leg of lamb is nice because you can stuff it withContinue reading “What’s for Sunday Dinner – Braised Leg of Lamb with White Beans”

Ora Sushi – Restaurant Review

Sushi.  I find that you’re either a sushi person or you’re not.  You can never convince someone to like sushi who isn’t down with eating raw fish.  And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.  In fact I like it that way.  Because of this, sushi is never a “trendy” thing like cupcakes orContinue reading “Ora Sushi – Restaurant Review”

Turkey Noodle Soup

So we come to the last bits of the big bird.  You’ve got some meat left and the carcass.  What to do?  Of course, you know what to do…make soup!  Making any soup from scratch is easy, especially turkey/chicken when you have the leftover bones.  The most important step (in my opinion) is starting withContinue reading “Turkey Noodle Soup”