New Year’s Eve is only a few days away. Do you have reservations somewhere fabulous? Come to think of it, neither do I. We were actually supposed to be out of (...)
Chocolate orange truffles made with Divine Chocolate dark chocolate and Stonyfield yogurt instead of cream? These may be decadent but I feel no guilt (...)
So much of my Rosh Hashanah menu is set in stone. We have to start the meal with kreplach in chicken soup. The main course is brisket obviously. And a (...)
I recently visited The Chopping Block, Chicago’s premier recreational cooking school, to scout the location for the November 10 Chicago Food Swap. Next to the (...)
This is a story about what it is like to be the child of a food blogger. The other day, at the grocery store, Zuzu spied a jar of edible cookie dough from The (...)
It’s high strawberry season in the Midwest. Farmers market tables display row upon row of ruby-red berries capped with jolly green stems. At my house, we’ve (...)
Who has time to make dessert on a weeknight? No one. But sometimes a special occasion, be it a birthday, anniversary, or national holiday, falls on a (...)
Are you starting to think about Thanksgiving? I am. I am spending the afternoon making cranberry sauce for our holiday table. Here are my thoughts on (...)
Spiced Parsnip Cake with Maple Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting
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Move over, carrot cake. This parsnip cake is moist and spicy and topped with an irresistible maple ginger cream cheese frosting. Oh yes, parsnip cake is most (...)
Garlic and herb roast beef sandwiches and no-mayo potato salad for picnic
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JR is on the swim team this summer. That means that, in addition to daily practice after camp, he has weekly meets that start around 5 pm and end, well, end (...)
When I learned that January 23 is National Pie Day, that was all the excuse I needed to plan to bake a pie. I am not an expert pie baker by any means. But pie (...)
Why make regular old chocolate chip cookies when you can make dazzling, flavorful harlequin-checked Malted Chocolate Chip and Reverse Chip Cookies with only a (...)
Whenever my mom comes to visit, we make a point to visit Todd & Holland, an adorable tea shop and boutique in Forest Park. Todd & Holland carries an impressive (...)
Summer gazpacho recipe for a cool and healthy dinner
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I am reposting this recipe from last July because it is gazpacho season once again and summer cooking just doesn’t get better than this. Gazpacho is so simple (...)
I am not trying to freak you out, but do you realize that the High Holidays are right around the corner? Rosh Hashanah is a week from Monday. A week from (...)
It’s okay to snack. Really. Snacks are part of a healthy diet. No one should be expected to go from lunch until dinner without some fuel. What do you think (...)
Maybe I should start calling this blog West of the Rhubarb. I’m clearly obsessed with this old-fashioned fruit-that-is-really-a-vegetable. It’s tart! It’s (...)
In my view, the best reason to make brownies from scratch is so that you can add cheesecake to them. I’d turn down the chocolatiest, fudgiest brownie any day (...)
One of my favorite items from May’s Chicago Food Swap were Swedish Cinnamon Buns by veteran swapper Rachel. These yeasty sweet buns sprinkled with pearl sugar (...)
One of the benefits — or drawbacks — of entertaining is being left with extra food at the end of the night. Some party leftovers are easy to repurpose: raw (...)
This is a recipe and post from a few years back, but the story is so classically me and the cookies are so tasty and seasonal, I just had to bring it up from (...)
