Chicago summer has turned out quite nice. Given the warmer weather, I have been inspired to eat more salads lately. My favorite homemade dressing also happens to be clean eating. This cashew ranch ...
Scapes are here! Many are unaware of this wonderful vegetable, but if you know where to look for them during this brief season, you are in for a treat. Scapes are only around in late spring - early ...
Fresh tarragon, beloved herb, French staple, is in full swing. With an extensive early spring through early fall harvest, this hardy perennial is here and taking over our culinary tool belts. ...
Ramps: Not Just a Plane With a Constant Slope Between Two Points
Spring is home to a class of plants that are perhaps the most magical we get all year: the ephemerals. These are plants that appear briefly as the weather begins to warm, then disappear into dormancy ...
I’m fortunate enough to live near a grocery store that has many interesting and exciting ingredients that inspire my culinary creativity. When I make my weekly shopping list, I typically don’t have ...
The spring rain makes everything so lively and exciting. It invigorates me almost as much as the sun. With every raindrop, I start to anticipate all the lovely things that will hopefully grow from my ...
I first heard about black garlic a few years ago when a chef friend gave me a few cloves to try. I thought it was interesting, but I didn't really do a deep dive into the product because you couldn't ...
Even though Chicago has stayed stubbornly chilly over the last few days, the buds on the trees and the sun in the sky are hopeful reminders that someday, summer will be here. With farmers’ market ...
My first exposure to preserved lemons was when I worked at Café du Midi some 25 years ago. Café du Midi was a very special place to work, not just because of its amazing Mediterranean-influenced ...
I remember as a kid, my grandmother would make us drink sauerkraut juice, or she would use it to flavor a soup, and I absolutely loved it. I always have preferred a sour pickle flavor over something ...
