Now that summer is over, I have been at a bit of a loss. When the weather report recently called for an overnight frost, I found myself at midnight in my back yard with a flashlight and four garbage bags, clumsily trying to cover up my precious tomato plants. This was my first summer of […]
Food & Drink
Posted inFood & Drink
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 […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Bad news calls for good apples
It’s been a rough autumn for the food chain. First it was the nationwide supermarket spinach scare, then (albeit to a lesser degree) it was lettuce and carrot juice. Next came the FDA’s announced plans to approve the sale of meat and milk from cloned livestock. Rounding things out was the release of two major […]
Posted inFood & Drink
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 […]
Posted inFood & Drink
The real old spice
Autumn is tricky; although beautiful (golden harvest colors, crimson leaves), delicious (apples, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes), and eventful (Halloween, Thanksgiving), it’s our cue to bundle up and hunker down. Every year at this time I go through a major mood adjustment, ever searching for ways to help brace myself for the darkest parts of the […]
Posted inFood & Drink
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 […]
Posted inFood & Drink
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 […]
Posted inFood & Drink
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 […]
Posted inFood & Drink
The bread ambassador
For a long time, the words “Food is everything” donned my refrigerator, torn from the pages of a magazine lost and forgotten. Although I remember smiling in acknowledgment, I doubt that I gave much thought to “everything.” Is everything every thing? And do we all agree on everything? We might all agree that food is […]
Posted inFood & Drink
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 […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Spinach plan B begins with a C
By the time you read this column, will the Escherichia coli spinach mystery involving 23 states be solved? Who knows? Regardless of the spinachy state of America, life must go on, and we gotta keep eating our vegetables. Consider the spinach hiatus an opportunity; after all, it’s not the only big green name in town. […]
Posted inFood & Drink
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 […]
