PHOTO COURTESY SANGAMON VALLEY COLLECTION It was the lodestone of my childhood summers. The Illinois State Fair was something I looked forward to almost as soon as the previous year’s fair ended. But after our annual Fourth of July picnic, I could think of little else, planning for it carefully as the fair inched closer […]
Food & Drink
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More recipes for my visiting veg-heads
These tuiles will be a welcome treat for olive and cookie lovers of all ages PHOTO BY DAVID HINE It’s been a wonderful few days with my visiting veg-heads, oldest daughter Anne and grandson Robbie. Their visit is half over, and already I’m thinking about how much I’ll miss them. Truthfully, I haven’t done as […]
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Vegetarian dishes for summer visitors
Chilled curried carrot soup PHOTO BY JOSEPH COPLEY By the time you read this, they’ll be here, my oldest daughter, Anne, and 3 1/2-year-old grandson Robbie. Since Robbie came into our lives, we’ve visited back and forth frequently. But for the last 11 months for a variety of reasons both legitimate and unavoidable, planned visits […]
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Saving summer’s bounty
Summer’s harvest brings an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables. Freezing and canning can preserve the bounty well into the winter months. PHOTO BY TODD SUMLIN/MCT Not so long ago, almost every family – rich and poor, country and city dwellers – preserved much of their own food. From late summer until first frost, kitchens […]
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Sweet on sweet corn
Are there any sights, sounds and smells more evocative of a Midwest summer than those of fresh corn on the cob waiting to be shucked? The leaves are still crisp and green; the aroma’s corny and delicious; the husks squeak when they’re ripped away to reveal the tender kernels. For anyone who’s ever grown and […]
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Easy peasy pie for the Fourth of July
Strawberry Pie with chocolate crust and a slice of Beach Pie with pretzel crust. PHOTO BY JOSEPH COPLEY Back when I gave cooking classes, one of the most popular was “Demystifying Pie.” While it explored different fillings from savory to sweet, the main emphasis was the crust: pie pastry, aka pâte brisée. I’ve been making […]
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Cheap food I: illegal immigrants
“It kills me that the folks who freak out over ‘illegal immigrants streaming over the border to steal American jobs’ are often the same folks who love $0.99 boxes of strawberries …. Don’t want illegals coming over here to work? Get ready to pay fair, American wages to the workers who produce your food. Just […]
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A squid by any other name
Fried calamari are fantastic: crunchy, with just the right amount of chew, amenable to all sorts of dipping sauces. PHOTO BY METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION They’re cheap. They’re ecologically sustainable. They’re über-nutritious: low in calories, but high in protein, antioxidant minerals and several B vitamins. They take only minutes – sometimes just seconds – to cook. […]
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A fresh Mexican summer feast
Fiesta salad makes a great summer Mexican meal. PHOTO BY DAVID HINE This menu bursts with bright flavors showcasing seasonal summer vegetables. The tangy orange-based chicken marinade hails from the Mexican state of Sinaloa. The chicken can be eaten in pieces or shredded to use in soft tacos along with the grilled vegetables. The salad […]
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Schutte headed for Aspen – again!
Central Illinois Organic Farmer Stan Schutte with Chicago Chef Tim Graham. PHOTO COURTESY TIM GRAHAM Two years ago, I wrote about Stan Schutte, the central Illinois farmer whose heritage breed Tamworth pig won the national Cochon 555 competition against other regional winners in cities all around America with pork dishes created by Chicago chef Jason […]
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Horseradish Festival
The International Horseradish Festival is June 6-8 in Collinsville. Some folks say Small Town America is dying. And in some cases, that’s true. But other small towns, such Homer, Illinois, have found ways to celebrate their uniqueness. For Homer, it’s their SodaFest featuring Homer Soda Company’s incredible variety of vintage and artisanal sodas. Chatham has […]
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Homer Soda Company
Homer Soda Company storefront in downtown Homer. PHOTO COURTESY HOMER SODA COMPANY Regular readers of this space know that I’ve railed against the American habit of constant soda consumption more than once. But truthfully I like soda. I like it a lot. If it weren’t for the problems – medical and dental – excessive soda […]
