If you’ve ever met me in person, you’ll quickly learn that I’m a walking contradiction between all things fancy candlelit rooftops vs grungy alleyway eats. Both sides of food and dining are fascinating to me. That’s why I’m enamored with this quirky Date Kebab dish so much- she is a walking contradiction. I fell in love with a version of this dish at a swanky rooftop restaurant in downtown Chicago, and I knew I had to recreate it. If you are looking to make a whole cooking experience out of this meal, consider adding on my sweet corn hummus as…
vegan european recipes
-
Continue ReadingEvery so often I get an idea for a dish that drives me to the point of going out to buy new presentation plates. That’s how you know it’s going to make it on the blog. I have filled this dish with humble ingredients and as all the cooking reality show hosts say “elevated’ them. That’s half the fun of cooking! Turning simple ingredients into beautiful little works of art. Ever Heard of a Sunchoke? Hang around me too long and I am sure to start asking you about food. I won’t tell you how many people I have interrogated…
-
Continue ReadingOccasionally I pop out of bed at 7am with an insane desire to cook a certain dish. I have an agreement with Dream Courtney… if she wants to cook a vegan risotto at 7am… then who am I to stop her? Besides, I am forever a believer in doing the things that make you happy. Even if they means I am uncorking a bottle of white wine while the sun rises for the maitake mushrooms. The “Dancing” Mushroom Speaking of maitake mushrooms. If you have never heard of these gems, have no shame. I urge you to add these to…
-
Continue ReadingFresh bread baking in the oven while summer fades to fall… the thing dreams are made of. When I was a kid, my mom used to make this beer bread with this exact dip. At thirty-three years old, I still lounge in my Chicago kitchen daydreaming about those fresh loaves. I think we call those our nostalgia foods. The ones that take us back in time. If you’re anything like me, you’ll try to ration how often you make them, afraid that they will lose their time traveling powers if you bring them back too often. 3 Minute Beer Bread…
-
Continue ReadingMaking your own hummus is one of the simple pleasures in life. The inspiration for this dish came after I hit downtown Chicago with rooftop reservations at the posh Mediterranean tapa’s restaurant- Aba. It was love at first bite with their sweet corn hummus and I knew I had to attempt a recreation. That’s one of my favorite parts of hummus, there is so much room to be creative with it. I have made everything from pink beet hummus to a chocolate hummus. There are just no rules… at least not in my kitchen. What is Hummus? Hummus is a…
-
Continue ReadingWhen I was a kid, my dad used to always make us his famous grilled cheese with a can of peaches on top. To this day, I can’t imagine eating grilled cheese without peaches. But back then I remember all my friends being completely baffled by the idea of peaches on a grilled cheese. “That’s what poor people do,” I recall one child critically saying… clearly that kid didn’t end up following the wild adventures of anything Anthony Bourdain. Have fun in your boring existence, kid. I decided to take one of my favorite childhood meals and turn it into…
-
Continue ReadingSomeone once told me that what is meant for me will come for me. Next thing I know, this German schnitzel showed up over and over again in my dreams and here we are. I think that’s how ideas work. They come for you like little messenger fairies from the sky, and you can grab them or you can let them float on by. More often than not, we let them float on by… but if they are truly meant for us then they will come again and again until you have no choice but to grab them. Places, ideas,…
-
Continue ReadingTartare takes me back to France, and lets be honest… I’m always trying to go back to France. Anyone that tells you France is overrated has a cynical view on the world- a superiority complex that you should run fast and far from. I can’t get enough of the broken down alleyways (yes, I’m talking about alleys again) contrasted with posh arched doorways hanging open. France is one of those places that I don’t have to do anything in, I just need to be there. It’s like a drug, simply being in its presence gives me enough life to keep…
-
Continue ReadingEvery so often you get a dish that picks you up and takes you away from where you are. For me, it probably happens more often than it should. One minute I’m casually watching what kind of nonsense Jerry and George are getting into on the tv, and suddenly I’m transported seaside to a nordic fishing village overwhelmed by the sound of delicate waves. That is the magic of eating a spread of carrot lox over a fatty open-faced danish sandwich sprinkled in fresh dill. It’s not just eating a sandwich, it’s getting lost on a rickety pier starring out…
-
Continue ReadingOh, Budapest, you whimsical, eerie wonderland. Arriving in Budapest is like stumbling through a rabbit hole and stepping out into a confusing alternate dimension. An electric trance of haunted bliss- if you will. Days in Budapest are meant to dive into the other worldly things. It would be a sin not to spend the day floating through ancient bath houses in hot springs and thermal steam. Granted, you may be floating next to rather large Greek men in a speedos… but that’s just the weirdness that is Budapest. The Perfect Hungarian Meal While in Hungary, head down your nearest…