Foodie Wannabe

Strawberry Swirl Angel Food Cupcakes

Time for some desserts! I don't know how it happened, but I have a backlog of photos and recipes of desserts I've made. They all meet the two main criteria for a good dessert - tasty and pretty. I'll start with these angel food cupcakes, which were good, but I learned that I should have followed the angel food cake rules, no paper liners, flip the pan upside down as they cool. Even though they sunk a lot during the cooling process, they were still pretty great!

 

Pastoral Artisan - Cheese 101 Class

My dad likes cheese (and so do I, really) so I "gave" him a cheese class last year for Father's Day. Unfortunately, it took until March to find a weekend class that would fit into my dad's busy retirement schedule (he knows I'm kidding). We finally attended Pastoral's Cheese 101 class at their Lake Street location, and it was worth the wait.

 

Praline French Toast

Baby showers aren't my favorite thing in the entire world, but I will endure if they involve dear friends. And if they include food like the kind my friend Lisa served at a baby shower last weekend, I can certainly handle myself. It was a brunch for my wonderful friend Colleen who will be welcoming a son into the world, little brother to her three-year-old. The food mirrored the day, bright, fresh, and sweet; fruits, eggs, juice, and the best thing in the world, this Praline French Toast. It is so good that you know the instant it touches your lips that it isn't good for you. And reviewing the recipe below, you'll see that's true. But it is so. darn. good.

Peninsula Afternoon Tea: Happy Mother's Day

Since I moved out of my parent’s house after high school, Mother’s Day had consisted of spotty visits back to Michigan, and usually just some lovely spring flowers sent to my mom that (usually) get there on the correct day.

This year, it gave me great pleasure to host my mom, aunt, and cousin in Chicago. We spent the day touring the city with the highlight being Afternoon Tea at the Peninsula.

Chicken with Tomato-Saffron Vinaigrette with Mixed Greens

It's summer now, right? I guess it is because we were suffering through the 30s and the 40s, and this week it's hit 80. And knowing how Chicago does seasons, we'll be here until October 10th (the day after the Chicago Marathon), and then we'll be back to winter.

But for now, let's celebrate summer! And eat a salad! This salad was really great, but I bet it would be even better if, now that we have our grill out and primed for cooking, grill the chicken. Yum!

Blue Sky Bakery & Cafe: (More) cupcakes with a cause

I know cupcakes have calories and sugar and gobs of delicious frosting, but I've never really felt the need to make up excuses to have a special treat once in awhile. However, I get that some people feel like a good reason is necessary for a small sugar binge. How about this one: your purchase helps provide homeless and at-risk youth with employment, gaining valuable experience in cooking, baking, customer service and cash-handling. That's the case at Blue Sky Bakery & Cafe.

Savory Morel Mushroom Bread Pudding: Mushroom-O-Rama Day Two

Yesterday I posted the recipe that I entered into Marx Foods Morel Recipe Challenge, and for those of you who know me, you know that one is never enough. So I made another.

And since I still have two dozen eggs from my failure to decorate Easter Eggs, I thought a delicious bread pudding was in order. I pretended this was an appetizer, but this would make a yummy breakfast/brunch dish.

Morel Mushroom and Black Forest Ham Crème on Toast: A contest-winning recipe!

I have this great ambition of being a top-notch hostess, throwing lovely parties with the best wines and, of course, the best foods.

Practice makes perfect so I was delighted when the fine folk at Marx Foods contacted me and asked if I would like to be part of their 2011 Morel Recipe Challenge.