Korean comfort with variations: Kimchi Fried Rice with (or without) Scallops

Kimchi Fried Rice, a lively, tangy, slightly spicy traditional Korean dish, is topped here with scallops. Recipe and variations below.

TO MANY KOREANS, KIMCHI FRIED RICE IS PURE COMFORT FOOD. Usually topped with a sunny side up fried egg, Kimchi Bokkeumbap (its name in Korean) is a traditional dish—which means it comes with many, many variations. Including adding seafood, which we discovered when we were looking for something new to do with scallops. Continue reading “Korean comfort with variations: Kimchi Fried Rice with (or without) Scallops” →

Inspirations from Detroit and Mexico: Beet Elote Salad

Based on two words from a restaurant menu and Mexican street food, Beet Elote Salad replaces corn with diced beets. Recipe below.

THE OTHER NIGHT I WAS POKING AROUND ON VARIOUS DETROIT WEBSITES and I thought to check out the website of Selden Standard. Several years ago, when we were spending most of our time in Detroit, Selden Standard became a place where I would go when I had a free evening and an appetite for a well-made, kind of rustic, kind of wonderful Midwestern-American dinner. Continue reading “Inspirations from Detroit and Mexico: Beet Elote Salad” →

Because sometimes you just need cake: Blueberry Lemon Rosemary Bundt Cake

Fresh fruit, lemon juice and rosemary flavor this homey, comforting bundt cake. Recipe below.

EVERYBODY, EVERYBODY LOVES CAKE. When you want to celebrate, when you need to celebrate, when you’re feeling festive or dejected or delighted, the answer is cake. When you need excitement and soothing: cake. When your spirits need lifting: cake. Continue reading “Because sometimes you just need cake: Blueberry Lemon Rosemary Bundt Cake” →

Savory with a fresh, light finish: Belgian Chicken with Juniper Berries

Juniper berries and genever (or regular gin) give simple pan-roasted chicken a sharp, clean flavor. Recipe below.

WE ARE ESPECIALLY MISSING LIBRARIES THESE DAYS, wanting to just go in and browse the shelves and find unexpected treasures. The Chicago public libraries have reopened, but we don’t yet feel safe going in buildings that aren’t our house. The upside, if there is one, is that the library just keeps renewing things we currently have checked out. So we keep getting to enjoy a live Miles Davis double album on vinyl. And a wonderfully comforting Belgian cookbook. Continue reading “Savory with a fresh, light finish: Belgian Chicken with Juniper Berries” →

A simple pantry-staples marinade delivers: Chili Lime Grilled Chicken

A mix of basic ingredients you probably already have creates a marinade that produces flavorful, tender grilled chicken. Recipe below.

THIS ISN’T THE FIRST TIME WE’VE SAID THIS HERE and I’m sure it won’t be the last. Like most of you, we’re relying heavily on things we have on hand when we cook these days. Instead of chasing down trending esoteric ingredients, we’re looking for new ways to use the tried and true staples in our pantry and fridge. This make-it-again flavorful grilled chicken is the happy outcome of just such an adventure. Continue reading “A simple pantry-staples marinade delivers: Chili Lime Grilled Chicken” →

A traditional favorite still impresses: Chicken Paprikash

Genuine Hungarian paprika—and lots of it—drives this popular old world chicken dish. Recipe below.

WHEN I WAS A KID, THERE WAS A HUNGARIAN RESTAURANT IN DETROIT that was one of my favorites. I am not sure of the name (Hungarian Village?); I am not sure where it was (near the river?). I very dimly remember my family driving there, in the dark, riding in the back seat and peering out the window as we rattled across train tracks and past solemn, squat warehouses, their loading docks illuminated by a single low light, and past obscure low factories and empty lots, and after this confusing ride in the dark, finally arriving and bustling into the inviting restaurant. Continue reading “A traditional favorite still impresses: Chicken Paprikash” →

Like the weather, soup runs hot and cold: three soups for all seasons

AS I WRITE THIS, THERE IS SNOW IN COLORADO AND RECORD HEAT IN CALIFORNIA. And here in Chicago, unseasonably cool temperatures are having us hauling out blankets and thinking of soup. Here are three recipes we like, for whatever weather you’re facing. Continue reading “Like the weather, soup runs hot and cold: three soups for all seasons” →

“Yes, and…” one-pan(demic) improv cooking: White Beans with Sausage and Kale

White Beans with Sausage and Kale is the perfect pandemic dish—easy to make, infinitely adjustable based on what you have on hand and comfortingly delicious. Recipe and variations below.

THE FIRST THING THEY TEACH YOU IN IMPROV is the “yes, and” rule. When someone puts an idea out there, you don’t refute it. You agree and build on it. “Boy, it’s a beautiful day today.” “Yes, and as we continue to approach the sun, it just keeps getting brighter!” We’re applying “yes, and” thinking a lot in the kitchen these days. Continue reading ““Yes, and…” one-pan(demic) improv cooking: White Beans with Sausage and Kale” →

A much needed taste of home: Detroit-style Pizza

A Detroit favorite, this pan-baked pizza is versatile, easy to make and delicious. Recipe below.

I MISS DETROIT SO MUCH. Since the pandemic started, we have not been anywhere that is not here. We have not been outside the city limits. No one except one of our kids has been in our house, and we have not been in anyone’s house, or in a restaurant, or a store, or a bar, or a hotel, or the office. Our offices are entirely remote (some people at my workplace think we will not reopen for five years). Our usual frequent road trips and train trips and lazy weekends spent wandering around Wisconsin or Michigan and quick drop-ins to see the kids—that has not happened. We miss the kids so much. We miss our familiar places so much. We miss Detroit so much. Continue reading “A much needed taste of home: Detroit-style Pizza” →

Yogurt adds tang, tenderness to Greek Grilled Chicken

Olive oil, lemons, garlic, oregano, paprika and Greek yogurt create a delicious, tenderizing marinade for grilled chicken thighs. Recipe below.

ONE THING THAT’S BEEN KEEPING US SANE during all of everything has been nightly walks in our neighborhood. Or sometimes drives to other neighborhoods for new places to walk. One favorite destination is downtown. To get there, we often cut through Chicago’s Greektown on South Halsted Street. Continue reading “Yogurt adds tang, tenderness to Greek Grilled Chicken” →