Chicago Restauranr Paradise

 Chicago has always been known as a foodie's city.It has a wide variety of eateries from stands to fancy restaurants.It also has a wide variety of cusiines from downhome American to the best of the world. Luckily there's a guide to help you eat through the Windy City

The New York Tmes wednesday section highlighted the best of this interesting city. If you want down home Chicago food them stop at Johnnies; where the quintessential Chicago sandwich is being made< Beef is roasted and laded with different soices.It's shaved thin and piled onto a roll and topped with giardinaria, pickled veggies. The place is also known for its' hot dogs and lemon Italian ice.It';s located outside the city in a charming town called ELmwood Parl. Then there is Superdawg where everyone goes for a "dragged through the garden " dog.This is a hot dog laden with diced onions, neon green relish peppers,tomatoes and tomato slices.Celery salt is sprinkled on and a dill pickle spear is added. Add their fries and a shake or malted for truly blissful eating.CHicago is also the home of the Midwest beef market. Try Uncle John's Bar-B-Q on the South Side where ribs and smoked turkey reign supreme.

Of course there are fancy restaurants, as in any other big city. Avec has a variety of good Mediterreneam starters like labneh along with chorizo stuffed and bacon wrapped Medjool dates. Chicago has always had a large Italian population so both pizza and pasta thrive here. There is Monteverde in the west Loop,This features freshly made pasta and a rich Neopolitan sauce that is made up of a variety of different meats. Kim's Uncle Pizza, in nearby Westmont offers CHicago tavern style pizza, ones with crackly crusts cuts into squares.They're topped with tangy sauce and nubs of crackly sausage. Shanghai  Terrace offers a wide range of CHinese dishes from SHanghai to Scechuan. Try their fried rice with Wagyu beef and taro. The city has a burgeoning Mexican population so Mexican eateries are also big on Chicagoans dining lists. Many go to Mi Tocaya Antojeria for the steak burritos and the wedding day special a while mole called mole de novia.Al Bawadi Grill is for those who love good Middle Eastern fare in a luxurious setting. They offer the usual hummus,keftka and shish kebabs.

These are just some of the eateries CHicago has. Visit this fascinating city for Lake Michigan and the town history. Stay for the amazing array of restaurants.

Spring Veggie Time

 It's Spring and that means a plethora of fresh spring veggies to eat. We're curious here.What's your favorite? Do you love fresh peas that can be made into everything from soups to salads? Are you big on asparagus dishes (I am! It's just my favorite vegetable of all time!) Do you love artichokes steamed or stuffed?

Let us know what you like as you transition from heavy winter dishes to lighter warmer weather ones.Is there a recipe that features them that you'd like to share?

Kitchen Myths Busted

 Everyone has grown up with at least one kitchen myth. These could be old wives tales,family lore or just lies that somehow become truth. There are certain stories and suggestions that do have a base in science and truth .It's just hard to discern what's good to follow and what's not.

Regular contributor Julia Moskin wrote about this in todays' New York Times Wednesday Food section.Everyone has grown up with  all sorts of kitchen mysths. Some are grounded in reality like the old chestnut "Only eat seafood in miths that have an "r" in the." This comes out from when their was a lack of refrigeration and seafood could only keep during the colder months.Then there's the one that  has against washing mushrooms. This is a restaurant based myth that's actually a truth . Just rinse them off only when you ready to use them. There's also tbrown eggs that are healthier than white. An egg is an egg.The color has to do with the ehn's feather color , not if the brown eggs have more protein. She also explores the myth of not using soap on a cast iron pan. This comes from over a c entury ago when most household soaps contained lye which could erode the top layers.Some tales include wetting the pans. then scrubbing them burying in sand. You can just wash it with warm water.If there are stuck pieces like bacon or steak then add a few drops of dish detergent to clean it.

Other myths include that old chestnut pasta water should be salty as the ocean.Here Ms. Moskin tried out this , using salinity levels from one to the Pacific Ocean and Mediterenean Sea. She prefers a saltiness that's similar to chicken both. Anything too powerful, and the pasta loses its' flavor.What about washing rice until it runs clear before cooking.Years ago , rice did have to be washed to remove everything from chaff and dust to vermin! She also experimneted with this and it turns out washing the rice does nothing to it. Besides most rice is bought clean anyways. Then there's the fairy tale of having your ingredients prepared and your're cooking oil heated befiore starting to cook.Is this true?No. you can start the oil cooking and add the ingredients at the same time.I always do this and everything tastes just fine. I think it's adds to a dish, give such -proteins as mushroom, tofu and meat extra flavor.What about browning meat at the start of the cooking process  to seal in the juices. This is a falsity too. Brown only steaks and roasts. Stew meat doesn't;t need to be browned It can be cooked with other ingredients .The same applies to meats cooked for soups too. 

Myths abound everywhere. They're especially prevalent in the kitchen, Yet there's a lot of truth in these sayings. It does pay to experiment

Spring Soups A Lighter Flavor

 Even though the weather is becoming warmer there's still a need for homemade soup. Yet Spring soups are not only easy to make but light.They're also burst with fresh green flavor, perfect for welcoming a season of growth and renewel.

MInestrone is the obvious choice for a Spring potage.It's a vegetable soup that's full of garden goodness. For Spring swap out the heavy beans and pasta for Spring greens, kale and asparagus. If you want some protein add chickpeas but the soup can taste just as good without them.Also add in a couple of fresh garlic stalks which should be growing depending on where you live. Two Spring staples - peas and artichokes are added.Dandelions are starting to show right now. You can add these although they can sometimes have a bitter taste.Be prudent with them.If you want to add artichoke hearts you can. Remember to keep the bones of the soup.A good broth whether chicken or vegetable and a can of diced tomatoes. For the last try the fire roasted ones for some complexity. sprinkle of grated Parmesan will finish it off before serving. Since this is a vegetable soup, you can nix the side serving of salad. Crusty French bread with butter is good with it or even the extra thin bread sticks - grissini from Torino.

Surprisingly enough onion soup can be tailored to fit the Spring. Instead of regular onions try verdant scallions enhanced with the addition of soy sauce. Potatoes give the soup it's creaminess. You can use water as a base for a lighter flavor or vegetable broth for a more flavorful one. The onions and potatoes are sauteed first in olive oil with a bit of butter or butter substitute. The broth or water is then added in a long with the soy sauce.Oregano is added for more flavor if you want to. Everything is them simmered for a few minutes and can be blended with an immersion blender or poured into a traditional one. Another warm weather idea is foraging for your soup's ingredients. You can easily make a dandelion leaf one or one that is rich with nettles. Dandelion is good paired with spinach so you can add some leaves to the broth . Carrots give this all green potage bright pops of color and some sweetness too.Nettles taste like spinach  but with a peppery aftertaste. Again , these can be combined with spinach and cooked in a vegetable broth for a refreshing soup.

It's Spring yet don't put away that stockpot! You can create tasty light bowls of a flavorful soup. Try them for a light Spring supper.

An Eclipse With Oreos

 If you cou;dn't see today's solar eclipse, then take a look ar this Oreo eclipse.It's sort of the same but the Oreo is tastier. 

I;ve just discovered their Java Chip ones These are pretty good and have a cappuccino flavor. Although my favorite cookie is Lidly's Sondey ones. Theirs is the most flavorful without being overwhelmingly sweet.

 

Watch the videos below .Make your own eclipse with your favorite sandwich cookie>Do you like the Traditonal Oreo?Or Lidl's Double Stuffed Ones? Let us know.

https://youtu.be/ZpHTgMtgXsQ?si=h8G78MfAguaJ1SkI

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Wendy's Creamsicle Is it A Dreamsicle

 Wendy's has brought back this Creamsicle Forsty for a short while, replacing its' famed vanilla Frosty. Is it just has tasty as a real Creamsicle, a mix of orange and vanilla ice cream?Is it just tasty as the chocolate Frosty?

I had to try it to see. To be honest I 'm not a big Creamsicle fan but I do like a good orange sherbet.However  was reminiscent of baby aspirin.It was a little too sweet. There was the citrus and vanilla flavor but it was overpowered by a sugary sweetness.There could be one solution to cut this - freezing it.

I put it in the fridge for two hours .It did have a nice ice cream consistency , but the flavor was still the same. Freezing it didn't cut the sugariness.I think for it to work is if Wendy's' added unsweetened orange juice to this. The juice's tartness would work equally well with vanilla ice cream. It's something for them to consider.

Is the Frosty Creamsicle worth it.? If you;re a big fan of Frosty's, yes. If not try Wendy's Frosty's sodas. These are cool and refreshing without a lot of sweetness.

An EAsy Spring Party

 What works for a Spring party? Light dishes that are still tasty and filling.They could be seafood or a salad? It could lead off withh chicken.Any would make a memorable presentation.

First time contributor  and cookbook author Kidey Heuck gave three interesting dishes in wednesday's New York Times Food section. To start off the season you could easily make her littlemech clams with cherry tomatoes.They're served over peark couscous for a light take on the upcoming seafood season, She recommends chopping the tomatoes ahead of time. The littlemeck clams are first soaked as the tomatoes are cooked with dry white wine and red Chiles. This makes for a spicy sauce that would go well with crusty bread for dipping. It should be served with a simple green salad as Ms Heuck suggests. You could also experiment with grape tomatoes too for a sweetr taste.If your guest prefer chicken then try her whole milk yogurt with sharma spices such as ginger, turmeric and allspice along with cinnamon, coridandr and cumin. Roast veggies work great here.

The third dish is a taverna salad. This sia perfect dish for vegan and vegetarian guests. CHickpeas provide the protein . Tomatoes, yellow peppers, and English cucumber give it color and flavor while Kalamara olives and chopped red onion provide the taverna flavor.Parsley and shallots are chopped and added too. It's topped with toasted pita and halloumi cheese. This is a Cypriot based cheese often used in many Greek dishes. THese are slightly toasted and then cut into  two to three inch cubes and tiossed into the salad. A variation on this is serving it with stuffed grape leaves or subbing in feta cheese for the halloumi. Remember to get good Greek olive oil for this. It has a much  richer flavor than Italian olive oiil. Ouzo would work with this as well. Serve with more pita and tahini dip if you want. This is also a good salad to make ahead , especially for Spring barbecues.

These three dishes are perfect for Spting dinners. Make them and enjoy their rich flavor. They're full of spices and herbs, which bring a warm weather freshness to them