Once upon a time there was nice young (age is relative) blogger who started a vegetable garden in her yard. It wasn’t a big garden but it was enough to keep her away from her computer for the last week. She looked at her calendar and said, “Oh my, I need to write a blog.” …
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Barb
Foodie Fun Day #18: Season’s 52 Oakbrook
Surprises. They happen every day and are around every corner. I think surprises are one of the most exciting parts about food. You can take one ingredient and prepare it many different ways. It can taste completely unique even if it is something that has been around for years. So when I was invited to …
Grrrr-r-reat French Toast (Plus Some Mother’s Day Hotspots)
There are a lot of things I like about going out to breakfast. Most restaurants have some sort of fun dish that I wouldn’t take time to make at home. Or maybe they carry a unique ingredient that is hard to find. But what really gets me excited is when I see something absolutely BONKERS …
Foodie Fun #17: The Olive Branch
You walk into the grocery store and go down the aisles. You buy the items you need. You aren’t given the option to taste everything you buy or in some cases know where it is made. You do it because, in most cases, that is your only option. But let’s say you could go into …
Pork Tinga: Cinco de Mayo Part Dos
There is nothing more exciting in a small town than the opening of a new restaurant. (If you read the headlines on our front page you will realize the truth in that statement!) It can be anything from a small independent sandwich shop to a larger franchise coming to the area. If it involves new …
Foodie Fun: Green Acres and Farmer’s Markets
Happy May, Everyone! Besides the obvious weather advantages, there is something else about May that I love and that is the re-opening of many Farmer’s Markets. Are you familiar with them? (And no ladies, it is not a place to shop for hot looking farmers.) Farmer’s Markets are market places set up with stalls or …
Cinco de Mayo: The Battle of Guacamole
As promised earlier this year, I was going to try to be better at putting up my recipes BEFORE holiday celebrations are over. So when I looked at my calendar and saw that May was around the corner, I knew I had better start thinking about a couple of recipes for Cinco de Mayo. Contrary …
Bibimbap or BibimBarb?
One of the most challenging parts about cooking in a small town is staying “authentic” in ethnic recipes. It may be something you grew up eating or a flavor you only tried once but trying to recreate it with limited resources may be just enough of a hitch to keep you from attempting the creation …
Sushi 102: Foodie Fun Day #15
As someone who loves to spend time in the kitchen, I am always challenging myself to learn new techniques or to finesse some old ones. So when I found out that RA Sushi in Lombard, Illinois was offering a Sushi 102 class, I was ecstatic at the thought of learning a few new tricks. (And …
Tweaked Leeks
When a gal gets married, there are a lot of wonderful benefits that come along with the husband. You have a partner. You have a friend. You have in-laws!!!!!! In-laws, the little secret no one warns you about before you marry. (I did warn one of my brother in laws but he didn’t listen to …