Foodie Wannabe

Sono Wood Fired: Lincoln Park, Chicago

Anyone who knows me knows that I love a sampler. Specifically, I love getting to try a lot of different things, especially when it comes to food. If you weren't aware, the classy version of the sampler is a flight. And up until now, I've only had flights of wine and cheese (and actually tacos, if you can believe that). Sono Wood Fired, a pizzeria in Lincoln Park, takes the idea of flights across their menu. Because I'm such a lucky duck, I was invited to dinner where Chef John treated me and a group of other Chicago-area food-focused social media peeps to a generous dinner of all kinds of flights!

Afternoon Tea at Lockwood

As I was reviewing photos from the lovely afternoon tea at Lockwood in the Palmer House Hilton, I giggled when I saw that I took zero photos of the tea. I took no photos of tea at a tea. What is wrong with me? Nothing. Because the best part of a tea is the scones, sandwiches, and pastries, not the tea, of course!

Parmenters Cider Mill: Northville, Michigan

Now that it's fall, the chilly weekend afternoons make me thing of one thing, apple cider. Specifically, homemade doughnuts. Lucky for my family, my brother, sister-in-law, and very special little nephew live very close to a great Michigan cider mill, Parmenters in Northville. Prior to the big Michigan v. Notre Dame game (GO BLUE!), we visted with them and also grabbed some freshly made cider and doughnuts for a game day snack.

Moo-Approved Chili: Spicy vegetarian fare

UPDATE: Vote for me here! (please)

You all must know by now that Foodie Wannabe loves some good, healthy competition, and this time it's a contest to use chilies (as in chile peppers!)! The fine folks over at MarxFoods.com invited me to participate in this recipe contest that required including some of the many varieties of chilies that you can get from them. To get me started they sent me sample of six different kinds of dried chile peppers! What should I make with my chilies?  Of course, chili! I knew I needed a recipe to stand out, and since I'm trying to find ways to be healthier, I decided on this doozy. I present the Moo-Approved Chili.

If you scroll down to the recipe, you'll see why it's "moo-approved." The protein comes from other sources, including those soy crumbles that you can find in the freezer section. I was going to trick Husband, but I told him prior to dinner. Despite his grumbling, he had some nice complements.

I love a lot of veggies in my dishes, but I think the reason for the great taste of this chili was the chilies. Usually when we make chili, it's either too bland and we have to throw a bunch of sriracha in the bowl, or we go overboard and have to tone it down with milk, cheese, or sour cream. This was the perfect heat. And it's a good thing too because we have a lot of leftovers! Want to come over for dinner?

Maple Cinnamon Cereal Snack Mix

I've hosted a few gatherings lately, and I've found that nothing aids in social togetherness quite like sugar, lots and lots of sugar. Before a recent low-key party, I made a batch of this wonderfully addictive sweet cereal snack mix, and it was truly the hit of the party. The thing about it is, as great and pretty as M&Ms are, they are simply not necessary in this recipe. Try it and see. And get a little sugar rush.

Food Tour of Romania: More than cooked food

As I mentioned in a previous post, we recently returned from a vacation, and like any good food blogger, I took lots of photos to share with my readers. We were in Romania (and took the trip) because our dear Romanian friends got married. Adrian, the groom of the couple, was Husband's roommate in grad school, and Husband likes to tell the story of the day he asked Adrian about the food in Romania.

Saigon Sisters: The Phonatics get classy

Hi, I'm Liz, and I'm a phonatic. Meaning, I'm member of a group of people called The Phonatics that like to get together every so often and eat pho (Vietnamese beefy, brothy soup). Lead by our fearless leader Felicia (@FeliciaCago), we meet at a cost effective but good Vietnamese restaurants and down spring rolls and slurp pho for hours. Breaking tradition, Felicia hooked us up with upscale and award-winning Saigon Sisters in the West Loop for a discounted four-course extravanganza food and drinks! We all started with Saigon Sisters Signature Pho (Beef, Chicken, or Vegetable).

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.