Chicago Foodies

Grill Envy... Fuego the Anti-Weber

I'll admit when I hear Fuego I think Renault. It was the first 80s sports car that, as far as I knew then, used a turbo. It was cool when you were in 3rd grade. Super cool actually. So now I can think "grills" when I think Fuego. They might not stick, the Renault didn't, but they look good and, honestly, I find paying big bucks for a big old grill kind of pointless in the first place.

My mental-mansion has a giant steel oil drum torch-cut into a long silly grill. But these are at least neat looking. The Vikings, Webers, Aussies, etc. all kind of look the same.

Organic Gardening How-To

Scott Meyer, editor of Organic Gardening magazine.
Thanks to

Mint Ice Cubes

This one is really easy... You have lots of mint but not sure what to do with it? Grab an ice cube tray, put a leaf in each section and cover with water... done. Now you have pretty mint ice cubes. For a more minty flavor soak the mint in the water overnight and then fill. The trick is to cover the leaf as much as you can to keep it from turning brown/black. If it turns it should still taste good but aesthetically... not so pretty.
I feel like Martha Stewart.

Matzo Pizza – Not Just for Passover

There comes a time at every Weight Watchers meeting where the moderator asks, “What foods do you miss the most.” Unanimously the group will shout pizza and a discussion will follow as to ways to enjoy a lower fat version. Most of the suggestions however tend to be unappealing like leaving off the cheese, using an English muffin as the crust or just having one small slice.

Sephardic Charoset / Haroset

A traditional offering is Charoset or Haroset (phonetic spelling depending). It's representative of the mortar Jews, as slaves, used to make bricks. But it also represents sweetness and more often than not has apples as a key ingredient. Stay with me... there are two traditions within historical Judaism. Ashkenozic and Sephardic. For more info read "Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jews".

A traditional offering is Charoset or Haroset (phonetic spelling depending). It's representative of the mortar Jews, as slaves, used to make bricks. But it also represents sweetness and more often than not has apples as a key ingredient. Stay with me... there are two traditions within historical Judaism. Ashkenozic and Sephardic. For more info read "Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jews".

Meat Sushi – Or Mooshi!?

Mooshi... that's right meat-sushi. Meat-maki too. It was over a year ago that we mentioned nyotamori (naked sushi), so it's time for another bizarro-sushi incarnation.

This time around we're leaving it up to the young folks at Cheffervescence. A nice bacon lattice in lieu of wakame and some beef and potato and look out. Although the prosciutto roll looked like it had the best chance, most of it seemed kind of nasty. I guess it's all about the plating.
 

Burr Grinders and French Press

I've been using a Braun burr grinder for a couple of years. I bought it for a dollar at a church rummage sale and have always wondered why the course grind never was uniform. There were always large chips and a clumpy powder mixed in which led to grit in the mug, see the pic.

One upside to the french press is the crema you'd get was really nice and espresso-like.  The flavor is also great and mellow but the fine powder seeps through the mesh in the plunger. I prefer the press, small pots are quick and the machine's easier to clean than a drip.

Since I really only drink french press coffee, I figured it was time to get a better grinder.

The Un-Holiday Brunch

After a month of roasting, stuffing, and gravy-ing, it is about time to switch gears and start the post-Holiday slimming down. But before we get there, let's cook up a quick and easy brunch without the lines (think Lula, Over Easy, Flo, etc). 

'Wicked-Tasty' Tomatillo & Green Olive Salsa

I don't know about everyone else but I am in some wicked need of a little "brightness" in my food to help ease the transition to winter. On a side note, how is it not officially winter yet?

Nothing says summer to me like salsa--and no salsa screams "bright" more than something tomatillo-based. The recipe I make has some tomatillo, a little red onion, and some manzanilla olives--tangy, some bite, and salty.  On Saturday, I threw a kicking "ugly sweater" party and the following salsa was successfully devoured.

Flat Bottom Taco Shells

Growing up my favorite thing for dinner was Mexican taco night and it still is one of my favorites, especially in the wintertime.  If I’m enjoying a taco and margarita I start to feel warm and sunny, even though it is 20 degrees outside.  I saw a commercial on TV recently for a flat-bottomed taco shell and commented, "Genius." 

One of the major issues for hard-shell taco lovers is that they fall over and spill out their contents, usually turning your meal into a taco salad.  Being 10 cents cheaper then the other taco dinner brands I had no excuse not to try the Old El Paso Stand ‘N Stuff Taco Dinner Kit.

True to its name, the shells stood perfectly vertical on the plate and were extremely easy to stuff.  Being wider than traditional shells they could really hold more of everything so I didn’t have to eat so many to feel full.  That’s really where the differences to traditional shells ended and actually the design became more problematic.  Because of the flat bottom it is an uncomfortable shape to get your mouth around.  More importantly, once you bite into it the bottom immediately cracks down the middle.  Although they did stand, they didn’t hold their shape once I started eating.  I think it was a great marketing attempt. It got me intrigued enough to try it, but in the end I’m going back to my traditional taco shells.