Food & Drink

When I was 20, I crossed the burning border / I came to find the good life / And brought my daughter here … We came for democracy and hope / Now all we have is hope … My daughter is a Dreamer … The rapturous applause at Rockford’s historic Coronado Performing Arts Center had […]

Last month Governor Rauner signed a bill that will allow Illinois farmers to begin growing and processing industrial hemp. This is exciting news for farmers like Chad Wallace of Oak Tree Organics, a small family farm in Ashland. Wallace sells pasture-raised pork and organic produce to local restaurants and at the Old State Capitol Farmers […]

It is 7:30 on a Saturday evening and I’m at Vele, an upscale restaurant in downtown Springfield. It’s a busy night and the dining room is nearly full. I, however, am not among the diners. I’m working in the kitchen, trying to keep up with all the orders coming in. I’ve been on my feet […]

“What should I make for dinner?” This seems to be a question that plagues working families everywhere. Not long ago, I was waiting to pick up my daughter when I overheard some other moms discussing this very topic. “Ugh. I’ve got to go home and figure out what to make for dinner.  I’m so tired […]

I recently had to spend an unanticipated couple of days in Memorial Medical Center. Aside from the unpleasant and painful circumstances that precipitated my visit to the ER, my experience was actually quite pleasant. In contrast to the pale, green sterile drabness of my hospital rotation in dental school 40 years ago, Memorial felt more […]

It’s been a good year for cucumbers. I planted six plants in a raised bed earlier this spring and for the past three weeks I’ve been picking anywhere from 10-20 pounds of the juicy, delicious cucurbits every other day. In spite of the fact that I’ve been eating them literally with three meals a day […]

I’ve always wondered how the large, pendulous purple orb, called an aubergine, melanzana or brinjal in other languages, came to be known as an “eggplant.” It turns out that the variety grown in Europe during the 18th century was off-white and resembled goose eggs. The first plants to reach the American colonies were grown as […]

If some zucchini randomly appeared on your porch this week, you weren’t being punked. August 8th was “Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Day,” a silly holiday that has been embraced by overzealous gardeners everywhere. As anyone who has grown zucchini knows, they can be incredibly prolific producers this time of year. Zucchini is […]

When I was growing up Sunday dinner at home was nothing special, just a bit fancier than the TV dinners in compartmented foil pans that we had on most weeknights. Sunday dinner at my wife’s grandmother’s house, on the other hand, was always like a scaled-down version of Thanksgiving. At the center of the meal […]

Few beverages look more enticing at a summer soiree than a big pitcher of sangria. Ripe fruits suspended in a concoction of dry wine, seltzer, a bit of sugar and liqueur make up this traditional Spanish punch that is as beautiful to look at as it is delicious. In addition to being attractive and quaffable, […]

Despite our president’s suspicion that global warming is a hoax, all-time high temperatures are being recorded across the world, from Denver to Montreal to Scotland to Oman to Pakistan. Temperatures in Northern Siberia have been soaring 40 degrees above normal. As I write this, the temperature outside is 96 degrees. On days like these, I […]

Memory is a funny thing. As easily as you can forget what you ate for lunch yesterday, a single whiff of an aroma from the past can transport you back in time. Every time I make a batch of my great-grandmother’s beef and dumplings, its savory smells fill the house and odd details of her […]