“God invented Christmas as a trial for women,” a friend said to me many years ago. I laughed — it was funny — but I also felt a little sad that she was so cynical. Every year since then, however, her words have come to mind as I begin to prepare for the holiday season. […]
Food Features
Posted inFood & Drink
Books for kid cooks
Say what you will about the Food Network (and I can say plenty), the cable channel has gotten many children interested in cooking. With any luck, some youngsters are able to look beyond the glitz and hype to discover the pleasures of cooking and eating real food. Food and cooking can provide a way for […]
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The best and worst Thanksgiving – ever
It was the best of Thanksgivings; it was the worst of Thanksgivings. It was two years ago. A couple of months before, my family had realized that we all were dreading Thanksgiving a bit. Our family is very close but very small. I’m an only child, as is my mother. With little extended family, the […]
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Books for cooks
Untitled Document There are literally hundreds of cookbooks in our house. The bookshelves in the pantry are packed so tightly that it’d be impossible to squeeze in an extra sheet of paper, so we’ve ended up jamming some of them horizontally wherever there’s space on the top of the rows. There’s another row lined up […]
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Bistro on the prairie
We lost a good friend last month. Harry Radwine lived in Taylorville and, in his later years, Springfield. He was active in Temple B’rith Shalom and civic organizations, but Harry also made an important contribution to the culinary life of central Illinois. Not because he was a chef, professional, or amateur. His wife, Leila, an […]
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The real bad thing
I read something shocking recently: A study revealed that soft drinks provide 14 percent of an average American’s calories. An Internet search turned up other studies with numbers that varied somewhat, but the conclusions were the same: American consumption of soft drinks is at a historically high level, and it’s having a major impact on […]
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Apples of gold
Remember Johnny Appleseed? Most of us learned about this American legend in grade school: the eccentric kindly loner who roamed the wilderness frontier in ragged clothes and a tin-pot hat with which he cooked his meals. Johnny planted seeds wherever he went so that pioneers moving west would have fresh apples — and cider, apple […]
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Manna from heaven
They say you always remember your first time. I remember our first time with crystal clarity, even though it was long ago. I’m not sure exactly how long, but probably at least 15 years. My husband, Peter, and I had been hearing good things about a little coffee shop in Chicago’s Loop. There’d been an […]
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Flavors of fall
As welcome as the first warm spring breeze after a frigid winter, crisp fall temperatures have arrived. Even when daytime temperatures rival those in mid-August, the heat isn’t as oppressive. The humidity is lower, and the cool evenings come quickly. The foods and flavors of autumn are also a welcome shift. Suddenly a steaming bowl […]
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Ready for ravioli?
“What’s your favorite cuisine?” It’s a question I’m occasionally asked in my cooking classes — and one I’m never comfortable answering. Do I have to choose? My answer at any given moment may depend on the season, a cookbook I’ve been reading, a restaurant at which I’ve recently eaten, recipes I’ve been developing, a trip […]
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To eat or not to eat
Popeye must be bummed. Even though in the old cartoons he was always gulping down canned spinach, I like to think he would have moved on with the times and would now be eating it fresh. My only exposure to canned spinach was in my elementary-school cafeteria, where it was a regularly featured item on […]
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Gooey, messy, and gorgeous
OK, I’ll admit that the place won’t win any awards for décor. The glass storefront window doesn’t let in enough natural light to brighten up the narrow, deep space, and the dark paneling that’s been there since the place opened 29 years ago doesn’t help, either. The chairs and the booths and tables with their […]
