Park Ridge Herald-Advocate

A Spanish delight

Fri, 25 May 2012 10:58:24 -0500

My husband had the good fortune of hosting Luis, a Spanish exchange student, during high school, and his family had the good sense to preserve their relationship for decades. As a result, I found myself in the kitchen years ago with Luis’s mother, Carmen Lucy. Clad in an American flag apron, she taught me how to make Tortilla Española; working together we sliced potatoes and simmered them gently in olive oil. While I had never cooked anything in such copious amounts of oil, I was delighted to discover the resulting dish is not at all greasy. Ever since Carmen Lucy …

New book brings top chefs’ food to any table

Wed, 23 May 2012 13:00:31 -0500

Plenty of folks would shy away from coaxing even just one recipe out of their favorite restaurant chef, but Chicago food writer Amelia Levin collected 59 such recipes for her first cookbook, Chicago Chef’s Table (Lyon’s Press, 2012). “I started by reaching out to as many chefs as I could, assuming that not everyone would be able or would want to contribute. But actually, most did,” Levin explained. In her kitchen in Chicago, the Highland Park native edited each recipe, ensuring the order of ingredients matched the instructions. In some cases, measurements had to be changed. “Restaurants use a lot …

Chef stays true to red, white and blue

Wed, 23 May 2012 14:06:00 -0500

When the American flag flies proudly on days like Memorial Day, Chef John Lane weaves the nation’s favorite color combination into many of the foods he makes. For his Memorial Day weekend menu at The Perfect Dinner in Oak Park, Lane will make plenty of pies and tarts colored by fresh red raspberries, blueberries and white cream cheese mousse. But he’ll also make something more out of the ordinary for the special day: red, white and blue pulled barbecue pork sandwiches. Patriotic eats “Memorial Day is a super American holiday,” Lane said. “Hard-working people are given a chance to relax …

Foods of the 28 NATO countries: Go Hungary

Fri, 18 May 2012 10:04:29 -0500

In the same way I’d hope summit participants will be able to enjoy a Chicago-style hot dog or quintessential Italian beef sandwich while they are in the Windy City, I want to embrace the spirit of NATO in my home kitchen. Here’s how.

Thank Mom with breakfast in bed

Sun, 06 May 2012 10:44:01 -0500

Even in the hands of the most capable chefs, a perfectly balanced dish can be elusive. Sour, bitter, salty and sweet are in constant opposition, but these basic elements of flavor can work in unison to elevate the essence of a dish to new heights. Motherhood is a little like finding the harmony between divergent flavors in a single dish. Children are complicated little creatures and mothers channel their inner chef every day in their attempt to create a sense of balance at home. Children can quickly become bitter, but deft mothers know just how much acid and sweetness are …

Easy dishes kids can make for moms

Thu, 17 May 2012 10:36:39 -0500

She’s one hot mama. But cookbook author Beth Aldrich thinks all moms are hot moms. The Wilmette-based lifestyles coach believes every mom can stay healthy while enjoying food, and she provides helpful recipes to do so in her new cookbook, Real Moms Love to Eat: How to Conduct a Love Affair with Food, Lose Weight and Feel Fabulous (New American Library, 2012). The cookbook was released in January. Two of the featured recipes, No-bake Brownies and Hot Moms Quesadillas, are simple enough for kids to make. “These recipes have very few ingredients and are easy to prepare. They are almost …

Club marks 100 years with songs of past

Thu, 10 May 2012 05:46:47 -0500

Two hundred women lunched and sang tunes of the past 10 decades at the Park Ridge County Club April 25 to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the city’s 20th Century Club and Foundation. The club was formed in 1912 by 33 women to improve conditions in the city through philanthropy and the cultural arts. It has since grown its membership to include more than 300 residents and given hundreds of thousands of dollars to local charities. In the words of William Shakespeare: “How far that little candle throws its beams!” “It’s one of the largest, if not the largest, women’s …

Derby delight fuses with Cinco de Mayo

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:32:02 -0500

For years, I’ve helped dear friends pull together Kentucky Derby-inspired fare for a party celebrating the annual run for the roses. Benedictine tea sandwiches, Henry Bain sauce, Burgoo burgers, and pimento cheese toasts are standard fare at any derby party, but this year’s race — on May 5 — is more than hats and horses. Cinco de Mayo is a day to celebrate all things Mexican in the United States; it is a day when tortas and guacamole and margaritas reign supreme. What is a cook to do? Culinary conundrums can befall the most fearless cooks, but cilantro does not …

‘A hearty appetite’ from Hadassah

Wed, 09 May 2012 14:50:47 -0500

With two successful cookbooks in its past, the North Boundary chapter of Hadassah has published a third, B’te Avon III, Tasteful Treasures from North Boundary Hadassah. The book, which took three years to produce, was officially introduced at the Fall Fashion Show in November. “This one is geared for young singles, brides who want traditional Jewish recipes as well as modern ones,” said Jan Katz of Deerfield, who co-edited the book along with Judi Steinberg of Northbrook and Sharon Rosenstein of Morton Grove. “We tried to make this one more modern,” added Steinberg. “With fewer ingredients and recipes with quinoa …

Antiques+ Modernism Winnetka Show Kick-Off

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:10:01 -0500

On March 13, The Woman’s Board of Winnetka Community House launched its celebration of the highly anticipated Antiques+ Modernism Winnetka show with a private party at JPMorgan Chase in Chicago. Hor’doeuvres and cocktails were served as Committee Members, Sustainers and Members of the Board of Governors from Winnetka Community House viewed the JPMorgan Chase Art Collection, one of the oldest and most extensive corporate art collections in the world. Antiques + Modernism Winnetka commences with a Preview Party featuring a cocktail buffet reception from 6:30-9:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 18 at Winnetka Community House. Admission is $125 if purchased in …

Extra virgin olive oil — nectar of the gods

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:05:43 -0500

With olive oil stores sprouting like daffodils in spring and a plethora of online sources, food aficionados in the Chicago area have been discovering the exquisite taste of genuine extra virgin olive oils.

Herb bouquet: Plan now to season food year-round

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 10:36:02 -0500

Rather than carry a traditional wedding bouquet made up of roses or lilies, I carried an armload of culinary herbs down the aisle with me. No, I wasn’t worried that the chicken at our reception would need a little last-minute herbal addition. I was simply delighted by the symbolic meanings behind fresh herbs. My bouquet contained yarrow, lavender, sage and thyme; these common garden herbs signify a love to last, luck, wisdom and courage. I armed myself with a garden metaphor on my wedding day and today I line the front steps of my bungalow with colorful pots filled with …

Volley for the Foundation scores $1,400

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:48:48 -0500

The Volley for the Foundation scored $1,400 on Feb. 3 at Glenview’s Maple School to keep “children connected through computing,” a catchy slogan. The event raised money to fund the Northbrook/Glenview School District 30 Education Foundation’s Children Connected through Computing campaign, which aims to enhance the district’s technological resources. And what better to help motivate volunteers than catchy music? Not missing a beat was the Glenbrook South High School rock group Subject to Change, which included Malcolm Engel, Josh Schwartz-Dodek, Jameson Brenner, Mike Jang, Kris Hansen and Aaron “Gama” Gamalinda. They kept the tunes going while volleyball enthusiasts took a …

‘Mama’ serves up allergen-free savory dishes

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:30:06 -0500

Food Allergy Mama will switch from sweets to savories in newest cookbook She’s all about food allergies. Kelly Rudnicki, the self-proclaimed “Food Allergy Mama,” is at it again. The former Wilmette resident earlier this month submitted to her publisher, Avery/Penguin, the manuscript for her third cookbook, which features more of her food allergen-free recipes. Unlike her first two cookbooks, Vegan Baking Classics (Surrey Books, 2010) and The Food Allergy Mama’s Baking Book (Surrey, 2009), which debuted her allergen-free recipes for baked treats like Zucchini Bread and Chocolate Chip Pancakes, Rudnicki’s forthcoming collection will highlight savory foods. The Food Allergy Mama’s …

Earth Day crafts: Reuse, recycle, reinvent, revive

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 13:58:34 -0500

Recycle T-shirt to create a necklace Not only are layered necklaces one of spring’s most talked about accessories, but they also add pops of color to plain tank tops and shirts. You need: 1 large T-shirt Scissors 1-2 safety pins Small decorative beads Directions: Lay T-shirt flat on a table. Cut off and discard hem. Going up the body of the shirt, snip 1-inch rings until you have 10-15 rings. Stretch each “ring” of material until the material starts to curl under. Place seams together and wrap rings twice to double the thickness of the necklace. Bring necklace together with …

Hard boiled eggs made easy

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 13:12:02 -0500

A tall white chef’s hat features exactly one hundred pleats to symbolize the one hundred ways a trained chef should know how to cook an egg. As a student, I cooked hundreds of eggs during my garde manager classes at the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago and probably gave my husband a nice cholesterol spike by forcing him to eat all of my mistakes. As much as I take pride in knowing how to whip up coddled, shirred and scotch eggs, I still rely on egg cookery basics at home and nothing is more basic than a hard boiled …