Thursdays Thought

If you are suppose to be on a liquid diet the day before for one of  those 'necessary medical tests', why can't it be flavored with gatorade or vodka? Maybe it can and they just don't want to tell you!

Surf and Turf

I recently catered a birthday party for 40. Ok, photography is not my best hobby but at least it's in focus! It was a birthday celebration and I realized I catered another birthday milestone for this client, 10 years ago! THAT party was really awesome. I'll never forget my husband lugging100 pounds of ice if not more, in the trunk of his car for the 'raw bar' we created with a plastic swimming pool. Those were the days when I was so nervous about having everything ready and photography was the very last thing on my mind. If it was even in my mind!

MENU:

TUNA TARTARE ON CRISPY  HOMEMADE CHIP

SHRIMP SPRING ROLL WITH DIPPING SAUCE

MEXICAN RUMAKI

SWEET POTATO SQUARE

TEX-MEX CAESAR SALAD

BREAD (client provides bread, caterer provides 3 baskets)

ORZO WITH CORN, TOMATOES, BASIL

SURF AND TURF

DESSERTS: 

Cheesecake Bar

Lemon Bar

Tiramisu Bar

Friday's Foto Wilde and Greene

Old Orchard ( as it's affectionately known to us locals) has a new restaurant that boasts 18 food stations and locally grown food. Note the second to the last picture- 'Product of USA'- so, they can say it's locally grown. Old Orchard is a shopping mall in Skokie on Skokie Blvd. Here are a few pics I snapped with my new smart phone ( I've never had one) and it took me all afternoon to figure out how to do this!

These HUGE muffins- were really just baked in a regular looking muffin tin...

Thursday's Thought

You can get most husbands to do anything if you suggest that perhaps they are too old to do it.

Corn Soups around Chicago

Now, these corn soups are truly upscale! I think I'd rather have these chefs make any one of these than try them myself. I guess it's my mood today--cloudy, chilly, blah.

Corn is piled high on market tables, sweeter than its early summer counterparts. And across the city, chefs are turning to the stockpot to highlight the season's abundance of ears. At The Drawing Room, Nick Lacasse's corn soup ($11) holds a triple corn threat. Lacasse roasts the cobs with fennel, onion and marjoram as a base for stock, which is puréed with raw kernels. The soup is poured tableside over fried kale, tomatoes and bacon-fat-fried potatoes, and topped with corn-spiked mascarpone. James Toland of The Black Sheep infuses his organic white corn soup ($8) with the scent of the grill, burning and grinding husks and sprinkling them like pepper. Blueberries and peppercress color the bowl; their accompaniments, pearls of bourbon and pickled kernels, create sharp, lively bites. Naha's Carrie Nahabedian cooks her sweet yellow corn slowly, until the kernels release their milk. Her corn soup ($13) is studded with Sungold tomatoes and basil and punctuated by an island of corn flan, with a dip-worthy oxtail-and-bandaged-cheddar sandwich on the side. For the simplest iteration ($9), visit Ceres' Table, where Guiseppe Scurato cooks stock with corncobs and thyme, thickening it with corn kernels, cream and onions. In it bob agnolotti for all seasons, rich with ricotta and truffles.

Garden Surprise

So, we have been on our new abode for two weeks. And it has taken so long to post much. With some big events, in addition to the move, behind us, I wanted to post some pictures of the lovely things we found growing in our back yard.

 These peppers were too hot for the hot tongues in this family. Darn.

I don't know much about gardening and vegetables. My friend Charlotte told me the cucumbers were curling because they haven't had enough water. Oh. I thought I had been checking on them...we did get 3 cucs from the garden- such a delicious texture! We're hoping we can still get some more.

And, tomatoes- they are so good and there are at least two different kinds. They needed my help in staking and I made some makeshift stakes. We'll see if it works.

Monday's Mention

A restaurant in our hood called, The Noodle, has the best cream of Tomato and Basil soup. I have attached a picture of it with their garlic toast. BUT, ALAS! We found another place that serves up an equally delicious Tomato Basil Soup: Baker's Square! Clientele is different but when you crave the soup so much, get a carry out!

Monday's Mention

Monday's Mentiontakes us to a pig roast! Our church is having all sorts of events to mark our 75th anniversary and two weeks ago, it was a block party with Mr. Pig!