Mojito Popsicles

Remember when we met Rick Bayless?

That was a good day.

If you don't know Rick "personally" like we do, you should really try to get to know him. He makes freakishly good Mexican food, has three crazy-awesome restaurants, and is quite the entertainer on his PBS show.

What I'm about to show you is possibly the best-kept dessert secret around. Is it a secret, really? Yes, yes it is. Trust me, you'll want to make sure you're the one that brought these popsicles to a party, not your friend. They're that good.



Not to mention they have a super easy ingredient list: frozen fruit, sparkling water, lime juice, sugar, and mint. That's it! They're crazy! Pour them into popsicle molds (or Dixie cups if you're us), freeze, and die happy. They are so ridiculously good you won't know what hit you. I think this is my favorite popsicle I've ever eaten--I'll even go that far.

Now we just need summer back so we can eat these every night! (Or you could just store them in your freezer and eat them all year. That's my next plan...)



Mojito Popsicles
From Rick Bayless' Fiesta at Rick's

3/4 cup sugar (we used a little less)
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves
2/3 cup fresh lime juice
2 cups sparkling water
2 10-ounce bags frozen fruit pieces (we used mango and raspberries)

Place sugar and whole mint leaves in a food processor and pulse until mint is finely chopped and combined with the sugar. Pour mint/sugar into a large bowl and add lime juice and sparkling water. Stir until sugar is dissolved.

Divide frozen fruit amongst 20 molds or Dixie cups, then pour lime mixture over the top. Make sure to leave about 1/4-inch of space at the top for expansion in the freezer. Secure popsicle sticks between fruit if you're using Dixie cups, and put cups into the freezer.

When ready to serve, take popsicles out of freezer, making sure they're completely set, and gently squeeze the sides of the cup until popsicle comes free.

Sunday Among the Foodie Famous

(From Rick Bayless of Frontera Grill, Topolobampo, XOCO: Corn Masa Tamale, Guajillo and Tomato Braised Short-rib, Queso Añejo)

This weekend at the Spence Farm Foundation Harvest Feast was beyond cool.

We spent our Sunday afternoon sampling the most amazing food from some of the greatest chefs in Chicago, with family around us and wine flowing. And to talk face-to-face with the chefs themselves?! Rad. It was so fun to be a part of such a great event supporting small sustainable family farms.



Each chef's booth had a small plate made completely of food from dozens of small family farms across central Illinois. All of the dishes were very unique and really interesting--some maybe a little bit outside my comfort zone (see below), but all were delicious nonetheless.

(From Paul Virant of Vie and Perennial Virant: Turkey Scrapple with Smothered Turkey Sausage Gravy, Green Oaxacan Corn Grits, Late Summer Pickle Salad)

(From Stephanie Izard of Girl and The Goat: Goat-Peanut Stew)

Speaking of... here she is! The nicest chef around.

(From Manny Martinez of Destihl: Green chili and beer brined Red Wattle Pork, Pickled Red Onion, Micro Cilantro, Pickled Tomatoes, Roasted Marzen Applesauce, Roasted Apples, Chimichurri Sauce)

(From Bruce Sherman of North Pond: Chicken Bratwurst with Bell Pepper Ketchup, Charred Onions Cucumber Salad)

Of course E was there, hanging out with her aunts and The Uncle.

Looking at The Uncle with complete adoration. Melts my heart.

The famous Rick Bayless!

Auctioning off a 6-person dinner in his home garden under the stars--went for $5600, drat.

Christmas picture 2011??

We got Stephanie Izard's new book a whole week early! And look:

She signed it. :)

Next year if we go back to Spence Farm we'll have to bring an extra $10,000 with us so we can win that dinner with Rick. Anyone want to give me a raise??

Some really exciting news coming up in the next few days, stay tuned!

Spence Sneak Peak

Here's a sneak peak of our Sunday at Spence Farm (we may have been a little starry-eyed while standing next to her)...



More coming soon!

Spence Farms Fundraiser

You guys, I am FREAKING OUT about our amazing day coming up on Sunday.

We are are attending the Spence Farm Foundation Harvest Feast fundraiser, and I am about ready to lose my marbles over who's going to be there. Check this list:

Stephanie Izard from Girl and the Goat
Paul Virant from Vie and Perennial Virant
Chris Pandel from The Bristol
Rick Bayless from Frontera Grill, Topolobampo and XOCO

Just to name a few! These incredible chefs will be holding tastings to support small family farms like Spence in Fairbury, Illinois. Lucky for us, Husband's dad grew up in Fairbury and has some connections. Bah! I can't wait to eat this food!!!

I hope we can get some pictures with these guys and chat with them about their food secrets. Maybe I'll even try to name-drop Le Man and Wife....haha just kidding.

Wish us luck and great food-tasting!!

The Bento Box

When Wife and I went to Hope together, we loved going out to eat whenever we could. Holland is a charming small town, and though we love it for its cute and idyllic personality, its list of excellent eateries is a tad on the short side. It wasn't long before our foodie appetites had eaten through every delicious dish these restaurants had to offer. Visiting there recently made me nostalgic for the all the great meals we had eaten but also made me appreciate the variety of dining options we have in Chicago.

Just last weekend we had the opportunity to sit down at one of the newer additions to our neighborhood, The Bento Box.  The restaurant turned out to be very charming, with just twelve seats and only two employees. Best of all: it's BYOB!  Let me just stop right here and tell you that this place is delicious.  Serving up a pan-Asian style cuisine, it seems to have a slight favoritism toward Korean dishes; fine with me because the beef bulgogi and kimchi were excellent.  

(Lime Leaf Curry Mussels)

(Tempura Scallops)

If you're ever in our area, make sure to check out The Bento Box (and if you're feeling generous, grab us an order of scallops and stop on by).

P.S. Did you notice any difference in our pictures? We got a new lens. More on that later.

Photo Field Trip and Ragu Bolognese

Recently Wife and I decided that we could benefit from a little dose of culture. I had been hearing about this exhibit at The Chicago Cultural Center which featured work from an accomplished street photographer named Vivian Maier, whose prints and negatives had just been found at a public auction. We were inspired by her work so we decided to try out a little street photography of our own.





While photography has been one of my hobbies for quite awhile, Wife has hardly any photo experience so it was a perfect opportunity for her to hone her photography skills. Check out her photo below.



As you can see it was a beautiful day out, but don't be fooled by the sunshine--it was actually quite cold!

With that in mind, we would like to present you with a recipe that will stick to your ribs and warm you up. Because let's face it, spring is just not here yet.

Ragu Bolognese
Adapted slightly from Mario Batali

5 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 carrot, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 rib celery, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1/4 pound bacon, diced
1/2 tube tomato paste
1 cup milk
1 cup dry white wine
Salt and pepper to taste



Heat olive oil and butter in a Dutch Oven over medium heat.  Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic and cook until vegetables are soft and translucent. Add beef, pork, and bacon and cook until browned, stirring often.*  Stir in the tomato paste, milk, and wine and simmer on medium-low for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until sauce reaches your desired thickness.



When sauce is ready, toss with cooked pasta and coat evenly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

*Consider taking the veggies out of the pot before cooking the meat--this will give you the opportunity to drain the fat from the meat before putting the vegetables back in. If you don't mind a fatty sauce, keep on cooking!

Valentine's Day

Well, ok. I'll be honest. I had this great plan to make some sort of delicious confection for Valentine's Day--caramels, heart-shaped cookies with pink icing, brownie bites--but it just didn't happen. I had my Kindergarten and First Grade performance this week on Wednesday, so my life has been completely consumed with Raffi songs, kazoos, and cardboard cutouts of busses and trains. Baking just hasn't been at the top of my list.

So instead of discussing my lack of heart-shaped sweets, let's just talk about things that we love on this here Valentine's Day.

First, I love Husband. He is my favorite.


Second, I love my niece. She is the cutest niece.


Third, I love the fact that Husband and I get to go see Les Misérables in a few weeks. Bon!

Fourth, I love this.

Fifth, I love Chicago.


That is all.

Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours! ♥

Perfect Winter Corn Chowder

Blizzaster, Snowpocalypse, SnOMG. Whatever you want to call the storm last night, it was quite intense. Which prompts the question: what do you do when you're snowed in? Simple answer: make soup.



Wife was stuck in blizzard traffic for two hours, which of course gave her plenty of time to think about what we should have for dinner. Meanwhile, I was getting blinded by 50-mph gusts of snow to the face as I walked home from the train. Luckily for both of us, Diane (Wife's mom) came through with our recipe for the evening.

This recipe was quick, hearty, and easy to put together (as we didn't have the option of going to the store). Perfect for the Blizzaster.



Corn Chowder
Adapted from Cooking Light, August 2006

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 cup half-and-half*
1 cup skim milk*
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen
2 pounds cubed Yukon gold potatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

*The original recipe called for 2 cups whole milk; we didn't have any, so we used milk and half-and-half. Turned out great!



Heat butter and olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and bell pepper and cook until softened (about 4 minutes). Combine milk, half-and-half, and flour in a small bowl and whisk together. Slowly pour the mixture into the Dutch oven, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth, corn, potatoes, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Stir in parsley and chives. Add more salt and pepper if needed.

Voila! The perfect blizzard meal.

Birthday and a Wreath

Wednesday was my 24th birthday. Huzzah!

Poor Husband had to work late, so my lovely parents came out and had dinner with me at Big Star. Yep, still obsessed with the Tinga De Pollo. Luckily Husband got home in time for cake. Speaking of....

Check out this amazing chocolate cake my mom made for me. Amazing, right?  It was totally delicious and a great birthday treat.



On another note--in case you need some sort of decoration to fill a large space, here's an idea. I found the frame by the curb on trash day and used it for my wedding as a place-card board, and the wreath I made myself. I don't even know where I saw it first, but look here, here, and here for some help on how to make one.

(Looks lopsided, but it's really just the floor...)

Finally, our bedroom is complete!

(I like to craft.)

The Chopping Block

For Christmas, Wife gave me one of the best gifts I've ever gotten: a place in a cooking class at the local school called The Chopping Block. The class was called Simple French Food, which was perfect for me because as she has already explained to you, I love butter.

We started out the morning (yes, it was a morning class) with some truffle popcorn and our mugs of coffee as we trekked up to the humungous kitchen on the second floor of the shop. The kitchen was outfitted with appliances, knives, and utensils that only exist in your kitchen dreams. Chef Nick was our fearless leader for the morning, and he officially has the most kick-ass garlic mincing technique in the world (perhaps I'll post a video, but don't count on it).

We got cooking right away with another couple our age who were also taking their first class at The Chopping Block. Our menu consisted of a frisee salad with hazelnuts, goat cheese, and a dijon vinaigrette; cobia en papillote with leeks and an herbed compound butter; endive and fennel gratin; fig and thyme bread pudding. We had lots of fun putting together this awesome menu while learning a little bit more about our favorite hobby.

Take a look at the pictures below and you'll see what a delicious time we had!

They had plenty of steel to go around and some of the coolest knives we've ever seen.

The gratin being prepared by our partners, about to go in the oven.

The term "en papillote", or "in parchment", is a French technique that utilizes parchment paper to steam the ingredients inside to avoid losing the nutrients in the oven. This is me prepping my pouch with butter before putting the fish inside.

The cobia and the rest of the ingredients are assembled and ready to be sealed in the pouch (check out that compound butter on the top)!

Bad picture, but that's the finished product. I was too excited to eat this to care about the picture. Sorry...

The frisee salad

Fig and thyme bread pudding! This was not at all soggy and had just the right amount of sweetness. I think I've converted Wife to another dish!

We'll put up recipes as soon as we can. Until then, feast on these images.