Tastes of Chicago

Soon after the New Years on a sunny winter afternoon, I booked a weekend trip to the Windy City for the first weekend in March.  The mission: to visit one of my closest friends, Lindsay.  As it turns out, winter arrived late this year and I was greeted back to the Midwest with blowing snow gusts and freezing temperatures.  Ah, yes, home!  But that didn't stop us from getting out and soaking up the city, including some great food to fuel our fun.  This post highlights some of my favorite tastes of Chicago, in chronological order.

The Signature Room 

Located at the tippy top (the 96th floor) of the John Hancock Building, we kicked off our Saturday afternoon with a happy hour and a view.  On the menu, a "Chicago" Manhatten for me, a Blueberry Margarita for Lindsay, and a fancy cheese plate to share.  Honestly, a place like that makes a girl feel reeeallly classy! 

Our view of the Chicago skyline looking east,
including the great Lake Michigan.

Yikes! Makes my stomach drop just looking down at the
bustling Michigan Avenue and the Old Water Tower castle below.

Want to know a local secret?  The best view from the top is located in the women's restroom.  Sorry guys, your view apparently stinks (no pun intended)!  We made sure to use the power room before leaving to check it out.

Lindsay looking out towards the Navy Pier. 

Giordano's Pizzeria 

After returning to ground level on Michigan Ave, we both decided that all of that altitude aroused serious cravings for Chicago pizza.  So, instead of shopping for material goods we went pizza shopping instead!  The final descision was Giordano's on North Rush Street.  I was so thrilled to have found a mutual fan.  Call me nuts, but I still haven't tried Gino's or the other Chicago favorites because I fell in love with this place at first bite years ago.  The only downside of eating here is that there is always a long wait.  We put our name in, pre-ordered one of their famous deep-dish pies (veggie supreme, yum!), and grabbed a few frosty Goose Island 312s to pass the time. 

Watching the cooks play with dough was quite the entertainment.  They twirled and tossed raw crust dough saucers all over the kitchen!  Too bad my camera couldn't capture the details, but you get the idea by the dough blur...  And once got our table, our pizza was plopped in front of us a few minutes later (the longest minutes of my life I might add).  After such a beguiling wait including much slobbering over other people's tables adorned in melted cheese and doughy crust, we may or may not have eaten this entire pizza before leaving... ha!

Pheobe's Cupcakes
On Sunday morning, we woke up by taking a refreshing (chilly) morning jog along the coasts of Lake Michigan in Lindsay's Lakeview nieghborhood. The lake was curiously blue. Swap out the snow flurries for some sun and the blue horizon could pass for a tropical ocean.  Upon grabbing some steaming hot Caribou coffees, we ended up sampling the suductive sweets at nearby cupcake shop. I wish I had carried my camera with me that morning because our Giant Turtle Cupcake was to die for. Just picture a chocolate cupcake the size of your hand, topped with a fluffy caramel frosting hat, drizzeled with caramel and chocolate, and sprinkled with crushed pecans.  We grabbed two forks and sat by the window like trying to suppress our inner-child urges to smear our faces in cake crumbs and frosting. It was decidedly the perfect begining to our final day together. 

Garrett's Popcorn
Before we knew it, we were back stolling the busy sidewalks of Michigan Ave. Since I had traveled with luggage size of a small hiking backpack, my suvieners included a sassy pair of colorful earrings (for me) and a bag of Garrett's popcorn (for my hubby back home).  This was my first time ever hearing about Garrett's and I'm so happy to know that flavored popcorn shops are still alive and well... in Chicago, at least!  I knew this place was good when we took our place at the back of line that twisted out the door. The smells of hot butter and caramel took me back to Christmases of the past, when my family would pull open a fresh tin of gourmet popcorn. My hands were always in the bright red cinnemon flavor, but I remember my Dad mixing the chedder and caramel together. Yuck! I had once thought, but that combo is exactly what Garrett's is famous for. They dubbed it "The Chicago Mix" and I can't believe it took me until now to finally realize that my dad had been right all along... sweet and salty is a very tasty (and addictive) combo.

This small shopped produced seemingly endless supplies popcorn. Once we reached the counter we are rewarded with small sample cups of their many varieties to munch on as your bag is being hand mixed. Now that's what I call service.

Sampling the popular, "Chicago Mix."
Each bag gets mixed fresh on demand. 

Indian Garden

Our last stop before beginning the dreaded journey back to Midway Airport was to a second floor Indian restaurant tucked away near Ohio Street in the "foodie district" of downtown.  We caught the tail end of their special Brunch Buffet, but had just the right amount of time to sample nearly everything this restaurant had to offer.  There were two long buffet tables topped with hot sterling silver dishes piled high in salads, fruits, chutney's, and curries of every kind!  The best part, they kept our table supplied with warm naan to help soak up the rich curry sauces.   

Plate #2 following a nice Indian salad.

I went curry crazy!! On this plate is a fish curry, goat curry, chicken tikka masala, tandoori chicken, curried cabbage, and then others I don't know the names of but included peas and cheese, dal, or other combinations of veggies and sauce.  This meal made me realize that Indian cuisine just may be my favorite ethnic food of choice. 

Dessert!

Dessert included two types of milk flour balls. One was simply soaked in simple syrup (the white one on the left), and the other was stuffed with pistachios, deep fried and also soaked in a simple syrup (the brown one on the right).  I didn't much like the white ball, but the fried one was doughy and so tasty.  To balance out the palate, I tried their fruit salad which resembles ambrosia salad but is in actuality much different.  Lindsay and I tried to figure out what types of fruit it contained and we guessed pears, pineapple and papaya?  Whatever they were they were perfectly sweet when mixed with that coconut cream sauce.  

Indian Garden's waiting area was embellished in fine fabrics
and plush pillows that simply made us want to sit and stay a while.  

With full bellies once again, we slowly made our way to the train station so that I could make my evening flight back to Denver.  As with any trip, especially those including good company, the departure is so terribly difficult.  Since returning back to Denver, I've flipped through these pictures at least a dozen times. Every time I do, I'm back with Lindsay eating cereal out of mugs on her apartment floor and laughing about life.  Thank you, Linds, for such a wonderful (and flavor-packed) weekend. I can't wait to see where we meet next!

The Evolution of Elk Supper

Ever since Joe brought back a gargantuan helping of fresh elk meat from his October hunting trip, I have taken on the formidable task of cooking up novel elk-inspired dishes. Having never hunted, consumed, or prepared elk (or any game meat for that matter) in my life, I found this challenge to be particularly intriguing.  If you remember, my first attempt of cooking elk was letting it slow-cook into a Hearty Hunter Stew.  We ended up freezing most of that stew, in part because I made enough to feed a squadron of elk hunters, but also because our appetites quickly grew weary of the dish.  After the New Year, once the last of the stew leftovers had been thawed and consumed, I decided it was time to really get serious about chipping away at our elk reserve. And so, the evolution of our elk suppers began.

My first elk experiment, so to speak,  was to throw a big hunk of meat into the food processor for some ground elk to be used in a savory meatball recipe.  The ingredients consisted of bread crumbs, fresh garlic, and dried herbs.  The balls were generously slathered and baked in a sweet tomato and onion sauce. 

This was one curious cooking experiment that resulted in a mediocre meal.  Despite the garlic, salt and seasonings, the meatballs tasted like elk.  That was when I blurted out, "Why on earth do you people spend all of this time and money on hunting big game animals for their meat if you hate the taste of it?!"   I realized then that cooking game is a game in itself:  the better disguised the taste of the game, the better the taste!   We grabbed a bottle of hot sauce from the fridge and managed to eat four measly meatballs.  Great... I had made over a dozen. What were we going to do with the rest? 

The following night I tried breaking them up and letting them slowly simmer  with a jar of marinara sauce.  Spaghetti a la Elk, anyone?   It was better than meatballs, but we both decided that the taste of game was still lingering.

Maybe, I thought, I could make the elk a minor ingredient instead of the main ingredient? I boiled up some lasagna noodles and baked some lasagna - heavy on the spices and cheese.  The verdict? Better than the meatballs and spaghetti, but still a bit gamey.  

After my unintended Italian cooking series of elk dinners and leftovers, we needed a break from all things game for a while. It wasn't until a month or so later when I was preparing to fry up some Slovakian Schnitzel for a quick meal that I realized we were out of pork.   Might elk be a decent substitute?  

Yes, yes!  A salty batter accompanied by a hot oil bath might be just the thing it needs for disguising the gamey taste!  I made sure to pound the elk steaks thin so that there would be maximal surface area for the batter and oil to cover.  The smell was intoxicating.  Perhaps I was getting somewhere?

We garnished our hot elk schnitzels with fresh green onions and dished up toasted goat cheese crostini.  This dish reminded me of a Texas favorite... chicken fried steak!  However, it still wasn't quiet as good as when made with tender beef.   In addition, we both agreed that pork meat makes better Schnitzels.

By early February, our freezer was finally looking a bit less crowded.  The inventory of freezer bags containing elk had decreased from seven to a mere two.  I sensed that the opportunities for finding the perfect elk recipe were becoming limited.  Oh, how I wish I had a food dehydrator!  Elk jerky is quite delicious and could fuel my protein-hungry husband well into the hiking season (Joe always carries jerky in his pockets when hiking as his preferred energy snack).   

After I pulled one of the remaining bags of elk from the freezer to thaw, I went online to browse the internet for ideas for my next cooking venture.  I was about ready to scratch down directions on how to make yet another stew when I stumbled upon a recipe that caught my eye.  It was a crock pot recipe that listed only two ingredients:  elk + condensed cream of mushroom soup.  No way that is going to taste good!, was my first reaction.  Here I go putting all of my energy into combining many different ingredients and cooking techniques to chase away the game flavor, and then this recipe comes along with glaring simplicity!  The deciding factor steamed from the fact that the reader reviews were fervently positive.  Hmm... O.K. Why not? 

In addition to this recipe, I decided to follow some advice from a hunter that I met who seemed to sympathize with my cooking experiments.  He advised me to try marinading my elk meat overnight before cooking.  He noted that he prefers his elk grilled.  That could be an experiment for future hunting seasons since I currently don't own a grill.  But the concept of marinating the meat before cooking stuck.  I sliced the elk steaks thin (again to increase the surface area) and whipped up a marinade of Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, a squeeze of lemon juice, and shake of garlic powder.  The steaks marinaded in this potent concoction overnight. When the time came to put them into the crock, they actually resembled beef steaks.  They even smelled like beef steaks!  Could that mean that they would even taste like beef?

Fast forward eight hours of crock potting and it was time to taste test.  All I did was spoon condensed cream of mushroom soup over the steaks, as the recipe called for, and set the cooking setting to low while I was at work.  As the crock pot cooled down, I prepared some garlic mashed potatoes as a starchy base, and green beans for a vegetable.  Amazingly, the elk was so tender that it fell apart upon dishing up. The condensed soup had soaked up the elk juices and had transformed into a decadent, thick gravy.  That was easy! And...

We gobbled it up!! This elk dish was so good, in fact, that we barely had any leftovers.  That was a first.    

As I write this I am able to breath in the seductive aromas of our crock pot as it nears its final hours of cooking yet another round of this favorite.   The evolution of our elk-inspired dinners have finally come full circle.  They began with a familiar hunter stew, then morphed into various Italian and Slovakian renditions, and finally back to another old hunter's favorite (which has now become one of our favorites)!  

Elk and Creamy Mushroom Gravy

Serves 4

1 lb. elk, sliced into think steaks

1-2 cans of cream of mushroom soup (2 cans if you like gravy)

Salt and pepper to taste

Handful of sliced mushrooms (optional)

1/4 onion, thinly sliced (optional)

Marinade:
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar
1/2 Tbsp. salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder


Mix all of the ingredients of the marinade well and pour over elk steaks in a gallon-sized plastic bag.  Toss well to coat all surfaces of the elk.  Lie into an edged roasting pan or large bowl and refrigerate overnight to marinade.  Drain the steaks.  Set crock pot setting to low and layer with the marinaded steaks, then dump the can of soup over the top.  If you would like to add more texture, add a fresh mushrooms and onions into the crock pot dish before the steaks (that way they can soak up the meat juices and caramelize on the bottom of the dish as it cooks).  Cook 8-10 hours including 1 hour on high setting (or about 5 hours on high setting).  This dish goes very well over mashed potatoes or buttered egg noodles!

Roasted Cod in No Thyme

It is nights like these where all I want to do is slip into my pajamas, pour myself a glass of red wine, and retire to my bed with a novel.  In fact, this is what I usually fantasize about doing most weekday evenings!  After a full day of work, dinner becomes more of an after thought than something I look forward to.  How can I make dinner something that is special, beautiful and wholesome amidst the hustle and bustle of the dreaded work week?  


Next time your family or significant other rolls their eyes at the thought of another crock-pot creation, consider your oven as your new secret supper weapon!  Roasting is a quick and easy way to prepare a wide variety of foods. Here is something I threw together in a hurry.  It did, indeed, transform a weary Wednesday into a fresh dining experience worthy of a slow Sunday!

Roasted Cod in "No Thyme"

Another firm white fish can be used, such as halibut or haddock.
Garnishing with lemon wedges adds flavor and decoration.

As the oven was preheating, I threw in a roasting pan full of chopped winter-inspired vegetables. Make sure to cover the veggies with some tin foil to give them a bit of steaming time. After about 20-30 minutes, remove the foil and let roast for another 15-20, or until the tops get a bit caramelized and crunchy. This equates to about the same amount of time that the fish requires for baking as well. Therefore, the veggies and fish will finish roasting at the same time!  Clean up? No problem. Just line your baking sheets or roasting pans with tin foil.  There is time for that book in bed after all!

My mix: Carrots, cauliflower, frozen brussels, squash.
Toss with olive oil and spices that you enjoy.
I recommend nutmeg and ginger for tasty twist!

Roasted Cod in No Thyme
Serves 4

4 cod fillets, fresh or thawed
4 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lemon, washed, sliced thinly
Dried thyme (about 1 teaspoon)
Salt and pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees F.  Line a roasting pan with tin foil. Coat each fish fillet with a Tablespoon of olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper and dried thyme leaves (about 1/4 teaspoon of each spice per fillet). Garnish with thinly sliced lemon slices, or squirt with lemon juice. Place into the oven, uncovered, and roast for about 15 minutes or until fish is tender but cooked through. Accompany with a chilled white wine and roasted seasonal vegetables. 

Cabbage Stew

Yesterday the offices where I work were all abuzz with hopes of heavy snow fall starting in the evening and continuing through Friday.  Sure enough, my boss called me this morning at 6:20 AM to confirm that the offices were "most definitely" closed today! Not two minutes later, Joe's phone started ringing and he too was off the hook for the day!  I tried to lay in bed and fall back a sleep, however, I couldn't help but slip on my winter boots to survey last night's snow fall. This is what our apartment's court yard looked like just before 7:00 AM:

Since we can't travel to the mountains due to hazardous travel conditions, I chose to work from home through the day while Joe reclines on the couch with a computer game.  NPR steams on the radio and I feel content watching the snow flakes continue to fall outside our frosty windows.  For lunch we needed something hearty and warm. I prepared the following cabbage soup, similar to what my mother used to make on cold winter evenings. I modified the recipe a bit to accommodate the contents of our pantry, and as a result, I believe I have discovered a healthier version of an old favorite!  See recipe below.

Cabbage Soup

Serves 6-8

Half head of cabbage, thinly sliced

2 slices bacon or pancetta, diced

1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken broth

4 cups whole milk

1 large potato, finely diced

1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon caraway seeds, crushed

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 Tbsp. salt

Fresh cracked pepper to taste

Dried dill (optional garnish)

Boil enough water in a large pot to cover the cabbage. Once boiling, add cabbage, cook for 1 minute and drain. Set cabbage aside. Rinse and dry the large pot and then cook bacon over medium heat unter rendered of fat. Add the onion continue cooking until transparent. Sprinkle the flour over everything and stir until well mixed and slightly browned. Add the broth, stirring rapidly with a whisk. Once the mixture simmers, add the cabbage, potatoes, salt and pepper and caraway seeds. Then stir in the sugar and vinegar and cook, stirring often from the bottom up, until the vegetables are just tender (about 30 minutes). Add the milk half-way through the cooking time and continue to add more milk if the soup becomes too thick. Serve the hot soup with a pinch of dill (optional) or more salt and cracked pepper. Note: Soup will thicken as it cools.  

Denver is expected to receive another 8 inches today and up to 4 more overnight.  Schools, universities, and just about every other business has closed their doors today.  Highways are closed and flights have been canceled through the afternoon. Although the snowfall is heavy and the road conditions are icy, I can't help but notice the absence of the sound of snowplows and snowblowers. These sounds are very familiar in Minnesota (where snow falls regularly in the feet).  In fact, I don't hear anything outside except the occasional crunching of boots from people letting their dogs out for a bathroom break.  Perhaps by mid-afternoon us lazy hibernators will be begging for an outdoor break as well!

Minnesota Memories

Playing in the snow with brother and old puppy

December 2010

Minnesota received record snow fall in 2011,
but nearly none this year.
It appears that Denver is stealing it all!

Golden Risotto

Whether or not you like squash, chances are you would adore this rich, golden risotto. With over 200 positive reviews from self-proclaimed Food Network critics, I couldn't resist trying this recipe for myself.  Next to Arborio rice, this risotto calls for roasted butternut squash, parmesan, saffron (giving the dish an added color boost), and a few splashes of white wine. As we continue to endure the winter weather, risotto embodies an ideal one-pot remedy to warming up... from the inside out!

Golden Risotto Recipe 

Roasted Butternut Squash. 

For easy squash preparation, I suggest washing your squash, stabbing it with a fork a few times and then microwaving the entire thing for 5-8 minutes. This will make the flesh a bit softer and easier to cut. I prefer to cut it in half, scoop out the seeds, then cut it into 1-inch slices. To cook, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove the peel, and then chop. I prefer this way much better than trying to peel and cube a raw, hard squash! You might save a finger using my method... just sayin' I know my limits as an accident-prone cook!

Now onto risotto bliss. I think it is easier to read visually in this case. Remember, the trick to a creamy risotto is to add your liquid (broth and wine) over time, little by little, waiting for your rice to ask you for more. Be generous with adding parmesan and salt.  The last thing you want is a flavorless pile of rice and squash!  And remember, if you feel like tossing in a few other vegetables or seafood or whatever, well go for it! That is one the beautiful thing about risottos, they allow generous room for culinary creativity.

Variations: Bacon instead of pancetta (I forgot to add
the special Italian bacon to my grocery list... in retrospect,
the flavor was still delicious for a lot less cost).

Another Variation:  I tossed a few mushrooms into the pot. 

Be sure to drink the rest of your opened
bottle of white wine (hopefully you have company).
It pairs so nicely with the finished dish! 

The first of many scoops of hot, sticky Golden Risotto.

Viola!  

You are now warmed and satisfied. 

Brazen Brussels

Brussels sprouts are such a lovely variety of cruciferous.  I feel as if each petite bud represents a gift wrapped in multiple layers of bright green wrapping. Although named after the capital of Belgium, few historians believe it that the plant originated there. Some believe they were more likely to have been birthed out of ancient Rome, then spread across Europe, and eventually North Americas embraced them, too.  Regardless, I'm just happy when they make an appearance on my dinner plate!  

Brussels sprouts grow off of long, fibrous stalks.
Many farmers markets sell them by the stalk.
I bought them at the grocery store by the pound. 

Put some brussels sprouts on your dinner menu this week! Using the recipe below, your brussels will be ready to eat in about 30 minutes. Such a simple (and nutritious) way to escape the dreaded monotony of side-dish repeats. 

These brussels sprouts pair handsomely with pork chops.

Brazen Brussels Sprouts

Serves 4-6

1/4 cup raisins
1lb brussels sprouts
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 slice bacon (no added nitrates/nitrites)
1 handful (about 3 Tbsps) sliced almonds, toasted
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Place raisins in a small bowl and soak with hot water. Meanwhile, prepare brussels sprouts. Wash them, trim the stems from the bottom, and remove outer leaves. Slice each brussels sprout in half and set aside.  Heat sliced almonds over medium heat in a skillet for about 10 minutes, shaking the pan often to prevent burning. Set toasted almonds aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Place bacon strip into the oil and let sizzle for about 2 minutes. Add the onions in the skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring often, until softened and beginning to brown. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add the brussels sprouts, increase heat to medium-high, and cook for about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. The brussels sprouts should be crisp-tender and browned in spots. Take out the cooked bacon and dice. Add the bacon and toasted almonds to the pan. Then drain the raisins and add to the skillet. Mix everything well and cook, stirring, 3 minutes more, or until mixture is heated through. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

Skiers Delight: The Casserole

What do hungry skiers eat after a long day on the slopes with no energy to cook and a barren condo kitchen?  Frozen pizzas, Taco Bell, and Coors Light definitely fill stomachs in a hurry, but a strong craving for home-cooked food always remains in the hollowest pits.  As Joe and I began making more and more trips out west to ski, I decided to put an end to our preservative-laden noshing habits. The solution? 

The Casserole!

One of my go-to casseroles:
lovely lasagnas!

No wonder these one-dish wonders were so ravenously popular in the past. They can be assembled the night before, baked and stored in the same dish, and contain one very important ingredient: love. Or do I mean cheese?  May I also add that casseroles can be transported without sloshing or spilling... 

"Nesting" your casserole in your lap can
prevent saucy spills in the car.

Casseroles can be baked before a trip departure and microwaved on-demand, or transported "raw" and baked at the final destination.  I usually bake mine the night before as to minimize potential messes. Sometimes this requires nesting a casserole in my lap during the tumultuous journey along I-70 West.  And man, oh man, can the smell of a cooked casserole sure can ignite cravings within the tight confinements of a car! 

As our ski outings became more frequent, our consumption of casseroles did too. Joe and I recently tried a casserole that put all previous noodle-based dishes to shame. Slow-cooked beans and corn-laden cornbread constituted the main ingredients. Something a cowboy's wife might prepare, I imagine (hehe). This lovely dish was called:

Pinto Bean Corn Pone

A vegetarian version to the American classic,  Tamale Pie.

The foundation of this dish, literally, were slow-cooked beans. I prepared my pintos using a crock pot (see recipe below) and then further stewed them with caramelized onions and spices.

Beans, beans, the wonderful fruit!

The beans were poured into the bottom of the casserole dish, then an uncooked cornbread mixture was layered gently on top.  After the bean and corns were allowed to cook slightly, the casserole was removed from the oven and garnished with spicy shredded cheese. With all of my casserole experimentation, I've realized the common denominator... cheese!  After more oven time, a crust-like cheese layer is achieved. And this blanket of golden, crispy cheese is absolutely wonderful.

Contrasting tri-layers of spicy beans, savory cornbread, and
crispy queso crust.  Pinto Bean Corn Pone is skiers' delight.

Consider making a casserole this week.  Whether you are coming home from a long day of work, or returning from a day in the mountains, you too will realize how nice it is to build up an appetite knowing that dinner will be ready whenever you are!

Pinto Bean and Corn Pone

Recipe found on Culinate's website HERE.

Slow-Cooked Pinto Beans

Recipe found on Culinate's website HERE.

Note: I used a crock pot on high heat for 8-10 hours to cook my beans.