Category — Uncategorized

Mayfest Chicago
The annual German festival features live music and maypole dancing. Bring cash for plates of German food and steins of beer.

May 28: 5 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
May 29: 5 p.m. – 11 p.m.
May 30: 12 p.m. – 11 p.m.
May 31: 12 p.m. – 10 p.m.

Price: Free

Event Phone Number: 773-728-3890

Neighborhood: Lincoln Square
Lincoln and Leland Avenues
4700 N. Lincoln Ave
http://www.mayfestchicago.com

Chicago Blues Festival
The 26th annual Chicago Blues Festival takes place in Grant Park on June 12th through June 14th on five stages spread out around the Petrillo Bandshell on the corner of Jackson and Columbus. It is the world’s largest free blues festival, providing music each day from noon until 9:30PM. Refreshments can be purchased on the grounds. The festival is easily accessible by public transportation.
www.chicagobluesfestival.org/

Lake Michigan Shore Wine Festival at Weko Beach – Bridgman Michigan
Sample great local wines of the Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail and enjoy
great music & food, right on the beautiful shore of Lake Michigan! 1.5 hours from Chicago!

Saturday, June 20th 2009
1pm -10pm
http://www.miwinetrail.com/Our_Events.html

1. DO NOT BURN YOUR GARLIC!  Once you’ve burnt your garlic, you’re done, throw it away and start over.  Burnt garlic had a very unappealing bitter taste.
2. If your garlic sprouts before you use it, its ok, it just won’t be as aromatic or full of flavor.  It will just be slightly milder.
3. To get the smell of garlic off of your hands, rub your hands on something stainless steel, like your kitchen sink.
4. Fresh garlic or dried garlic is way better than that minced stuff in a jar.
5. Most importantly…Garlic is Good for You!

As of recent, I’ve begun working with Laszlo Marton of the Galena Garlic Company. One little trip to Galena, IL has opened up an opportunity to exercise my creativity in the kitchen. The best part of it all is that the primary ingredient is GARLIC! Garlic has many health benefits, but its one stigma is the odor. Once you get past the odor, you will come to realize its heavenly taste and health benefits. Garlic is said to lower your cholesterol and to prevent heart disease and cancer. I’ve also heard that is wards off Vampire too!

Stay tuned over the next few months. I’ll be posting some delightful recipes for the products that Laszlo has at the Galena Garlic Company. Anyone can become and instant chef with these affordable, easy-to-use, garlic products!

Chicken and Dumplings

(video)

So some of you were asking for a chicken and dumpling recipe.  Well above is a clip from Chef Scott Peacock showing you how to make a delicious, decadant chicken and dumpling.  I originally asked my mom for the family recipe, but once I saw this, I realized our recipe was no secret.   Check it out!

Ingredients  (Serves 6)

1 large chicken (4 to 4 1/2 pounds), cut into quarters
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
8 cups Scott’s Chicken Stock (or regular chicken stock)
1 medium onion, halved lengthwise
2 ribs celery, preferably inner ribs with leaves attached
1 large egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions

Generously season chicken with salt. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.
In a large Dutch oven, combine chicken stock, 4 cups water, onion, celery, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat Add the leg portions and the backbone of the chicken to the Dutch oven. Place the breasts, skin side down, on top of the legs. Reduce heat to just below a simmer. Cover partially, and cook, making sure the stock mixture does not come to a simmer, until breasts are cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove breasts, and set aside. Continue cooking legs until very tender and meat begins to pull away from the bone, 30 to 40 minutes more. Remove chicken and vegetables, reserving liquid. Discard vegetables and set chicken aside until cool enough to handle.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together egg, oil, 3 tablespoons cold water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir in flour until well combined. Cover and refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
When chicken has cooled, remove skin and discard. Remove meat from bones and tear into 1 1/2- to 2-inch pieces; set aside.

Turn dough out onto a generously floured work surface. Roll out dough until it is about 1/16-inch thick. Cut dough into 1 1/2-by-2 1/2-inch rectangles. Bring reserved stock mixture to a boil over high heat, and season with salt. Add dough rectangles to boiling liquid, shaking pot as necessary, but not stirring. Cook until, dough is cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Add reserved chicken and reduce to a simmer. Add sliced egg, butter, and heavy cream; season with pepper. Continue cooking 2 to 3 minutes more; season with salt and pepper.
Remove from heat and cover; let stand 10 to 15 minutes before serving in shallow bowl.

Greek Chicken

(video)

So above is a You Tube video with instructions on how to cook a chicken in the oven.  It is a very short, easy to follow video.  But I want you to scratch the Lawrey’s seasoning and try rubbing it with Greek Garlic blend from the Galena Garlic Company.  Rub about a tablespoon on the outside and additional teaspoon on the inside.  When rubbing the bird on the outside, lift up the skin (without tearing it) and rub under the skin too.   On the inside of the bird, cut a lemon in half and place it on the inside along with a half of and onion and about 3 large garlic cloves.   Place the bird on the cooking rack with about a cup of chicken stock on the bottom.  Cover with foil and cook as instructed in the video.   For the last 25 minutes of cooking, drizzle a little butter over the top of the chicken and keep the foil off.  This will make your chicken delicious and crispy.  Be sure to let your chicken rest for about 20- 30 minutes before cutting into it.  This will prevent it from drying out.

With the dripping that are left over, skim as much of the fat off as possible and serve on the side.  You may need to add a little more chicken stock if it is too salty.

 I absolutely cannot wait for this cold weather to go away!  I am so ready for spring; better yet summer to get here.  I love the springtime.  Spring to me means that we get to start planting our herbs.  For those of you who have a heightened sense of smell like I do, we can really appreciate the aromatic scents that tickle our noses in the summer time.  But now is the time to get all of those fresh herbs potted.  I do not have a green thumb, however,  The Herb Gardener does.  The Herb Gardener has some helpful hints on getting your herbs potted.  Check it out!

So Ryan and I made a trip to Galena, IL a few months ago. It was our first time there, so we didn’t know what to expect. First and foremost, it was COLD! Secondly, we found the coziest inn called Le Fevre Inn to help keep us warm. It was warm and our room had a large whirlpool tub big enough for two. The fireplace in our room gave the entire vacation a romantic ambience. Le Fevre Inn is about a 5-minute drive from the downtown area, which is sprawling with little artsy shops, boutiques, inns, novelty shops, tasting rooms and restaurants. Amongst the shops, we stumbled across the Galena Garlic Company. We were just going to keep going past the shop, but it was so cold (and it smelled so good), we couldn’t resist going it. There was so much to choose from, it was almost overwhelming (in a good way). I narrowed it down to the Greek Garlic blend and the Galena Garlic blend. They are nothing short of amazing. The Greek Blend is amazing to rub on chicken and bake until crispy. All you have to do is add a little chicken stock and a dash of white wine and viola! Perfection! If you are going to make a trek to Galena, definitely check out Le Fevre Inn as well as the Galena Garlic Company. You won’t be disappointed.

Looking for something to make you sweat?  Looking for a condiment to put on just about everything?  Check is Chili Garlic Sauce out.  It’s one of Ryan and I’s favorite condiments.  We put it on pizza, we put it in chicken soup, we eat it with pot stickers or egg rolls.  The options are endless.  This tiny little jar is packed with some heat!  You can find it in any oriental store or at your local grocery store.  Its usually in the Asian section.  Check it out, try it and let me know your thoughts!

2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed  (russet potatoes preferred)

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 egg yolk

½ cup cream

Salt and pepper

1-tablespoon olive oil

1-¾ pounds ground beef or ground lamb

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1-cup beef stock or broth

2 teaspoons Worcestershire

½ cup frozen peas

1-teaspoon paprika

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain potatoes and pour them into a bowl. Combine sour cream, egg yolk and cream. Add the cream mixture into potatoes and mash until smooth.

Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to hot pan with beef or lamb. Season with salt and pepper. Brown meat for 3 or 4 minutes. If you are using lamb and the pan is fatty, drain the meat. Add the carrots and onions to the meat. Cook for 5 minutes, frequently stirring. In a small skillet over medium heat cook butter and flour together 2 minutes. Whisk in broth and Worcestershire sauce. Thicken gravy 1 minute. Add gravy to meat and vegetables. Stir in peas.

Preheat broiler to high. Fill a small rectangular casserole with meat and vegetable mixture. Spoon potatoes over meat evenly. Top potatoes with paprika and broil 6 to 8 inches from the heat until potatoes are evenly browned. Top casserole dish with chopped parsley and serve.

1- 14oz can of artichoke hearts
1 cup grated Romano cheese
1 6 oz crab meat (fresh lump preferred, but can works just as good)
½ to ¾ cup Hellmann’s mayonnaise

Combine all ingredients together. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees