[su_dropcap style=”flat”]W[/su_dropcap]e were in Mexico City recently. Ciudad de México, CDMX. On our return, a colleague asked me what we’d done. I said, “We drank mezcal and ate bugs.” Totally true. We also did other things. Continue reading “Eating, drinking, walking and museuming our way through Mexico City”
[su_dropcap style=”flat”]W[/su_dropcap]e’re here because we like to cook. So are you. But sometimes cooking is less about fun recipes or new techniques, and more about getting a healthyish dinner on the table quickly and with minimal effort. Here are three store-bought foods that help us do just that. Continue reading “Three get-dinner-done-now helpers we love”
[su_dropcap style=”flat”]L[/su_dropcap]ast week’s scone recipe left us with a surplus of dried tart cherries—and a reminder of how deliciously versatile they are. Here are five ways you can use dried cherries, some sweet, some savory. Continue reading “Dessert? Dinner? Five recipes show how dried tart cherries do both”
Dried tart cherries are plumped in bourbon, then baked into easy-to-make, not-too-sweet scones. Recipe below.
[su_dropcap style=”flat”]S[/su_dropcap]cones are the perfect baked dessert for someone who doesn’t bake much and prefers baked goods that aren’t too overly sweet. In other words, me. Continue reading “Autumnal, rustic and offhandedly impressive: Walnut and Boozy Cherry Scones”
Duck legs are braised in a mix of sauerkraut, apples and shallots for a rustic, satisfying, cold weather meal. Recipe below.
THE FRANCOPHILE IS AT IT AGAIN. This recipe is not authentically French or even French-inspired, but built from French longing. It started when my colleague Brian brought some chocolate confections back from Paris. Continue reading “Not French, but sort of French: Braised Duck Legs with Sauerkraut and Apple”
The traditional bowl of red turns green and lightens up, as tomatillos replace tomatoes and chicken and turkey stand in for beef. Recipe below.
[su_dropcap style=”flat”]C[/su_dropcap]hili. For many, it’s over-the-top flavor pyrotechnics. Or “I dare you” fiery hot. To us, chili is comfort food. Like a good stew or soup. Subtle complexity rather than giant flavors, heartily satisfying. You know, comforting. This tomatillo-based turkey/chicken chili checks all those boxes and then some. Continue reading “Big on comfort, easy on the heat: Tomatillo Chicken/Turkey Chili”
Two woman-owned companies are making reusable, compostable beeswax-infused fabric food wraps to replace plastic wrap.
[su_dropcap style=”flat”]L[/su_dropcap]ike many people, we’re trying to reduce our use of single-use plastics. We’re shopping with reusable bags, carrying refillable water bottles and avoiding straws when possible, for instance. So when we heard (belatedly, perhaps) about beeswax fabric food wraps, we were excited. Continue reading “Reducing plastic usage in the kitchen with fabric beeswax food wraps”
Lemon juice and zest, and toasted hazelnuts make these flaky scones a delicious, not-too-sweet treat for dessert or with tea or your morning coffee—or anytime. Recipe below.
FOR ME, SCONES HIT THAT SWEET SPOT OF NOT BEING TOO SWEET. In coffee shops, I find myself looking for these substantial, only-slightly-sweet treats instead the usual sugary, fluffy suspects. So as weather started cooling off here in Chicago, I thought about baking some scones. I’m still thinking about it. In the meantime, here are some lemony, nutty, not-too-sweet scones from our archives. We hope you enjoy them.
PESTO IS A NOBLE USE OF FRESH BASIL, NO ARGUMENT HERE. But there are lots of other things basil does well. Here are seven recipes to use up the last of this season’s bounty in your garden. Continue reading “Seven recipes show basil does more than pesto”
The classic margarita gets a smoky, spicy makeover, swapping mezcal for tequila, muddling in some jalapeño and firing up the traditional salt rim with chile powder and cayenne pepper. Recipe below.
NO BIG ORIGIN STORY FOR THIS COCKTAIL. I saw an article somewhere about quickly infusing tequila with the heat and pepper flavor of jalapeño, just by muddling it—no setting it aside for days. Then we were at La Mejikãna, a fun bar/restaurant that combines “the authenticity of the traditional Mexican kitchen with a modern flair,” according to their website (apparently part of the flair includes using the tilde over the letter A in their name as a design element). Our drinks featured mezcal and had spicy chile salt rims. Synapses fired. A drink idea happened—this one, to be exact. Continue reading “Smoke and fire: Spicy Mezcal Margarita”