Featured – In Good Taste

Where to Get the Best Fried Chicken in Chicago

Maris Callahan — Thu, 12 Jan 2017 03:52:22 +0000

This past fall, I began writing for Chef Magazine, a trade publication for chefs and foodservice professionals. My most recent story ‘Let’s Play Chicken‘ was about some the ways that chefs across the country are putting their own spin on the ubiquitous bird (hint: a lot of them are partial to fried chicken). I interviewed a lot of chefs and researched a lot of cooking techniques and two things were very apparent: even though chicken is one of the easiest things to cook at home, people love to order it in restaurants, and wow do people really love chicken when it’s fried. Growing up, there was a fast food joint in my hometown called Chicken Holiday, where you could order chicken to feed a family of four for under $10. I’m pretty sure that Chicken Holiday would fry anything that could be fried — shrimp, clams, scallops — but my family was usually partial to the blue and white striped buckets with chicken breasts, thighs and drumsticks. There was also a robust side dish menu that in retrospect, was a fat kid’s dream: crinkle-cut French fries, corn fritters, cheesy broccoli, macaroni and cheese, dinner rolls. If my current preferences are any indication, […]

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Baked Caprese Pasta

Maris Callahan — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 04:00:58 +0000

Some people start the New Year with resolutions and green smoothies and exercise. That’s all nice. We like green smoothies. Others start the new year with traditions like black eyed peas or hoppin’ John. We’re kicking off 2015 with carbs and cheese and baked caprese pasta.If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to cook more it might be difficult to muddle through the propaganda available in a lot of books and websites that vilify all prepackaged and prepared foods. We’re busy people and there is no reason to avoid certain convenience foods that are meant to make life easier, like roasted or rotisserie chickens, jarred sauce and boxed pasta. Cooking from scratch is great when you enjoy it and in most cases, tastes better, a perfect fit for special occasions. On a busy weeknight though, you can easily cook a delicious dinner by doctoring up some of your favorite staple ingredients, just purchase the highest quality that you can afford and read the labels so you know what you’re putting in your body. This recipe takes one of my favorite types of boxed pasta Fusilli, plus a simple marinara sauce with added chicken, mozzarella cheese and basil for a […]

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How to Host Brunch and Still Sleep ’til Noon

Guest Post — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 05:00:52 +0000

If there is one thing I could change about my apartment it would be my kitchen. My small kitchen, to be more specific. So you can imagine why I was pleased to discover that I’m not the only one who struggles with semi-adequate counter space and less-than-desirable storage for my kitchen gadgets and ingredients. Today I am very excited to bring you a simple, informative guide on how to host a brunch party (and you can still sleep in!) from Cara Eisenpress and Phoebe Lapine. On Big Girls Small Kitchen, they offer user-friendly, affordable ways to navigate their kitchens. Not only are they clearly as food-obsessed as I am, but they share my penchant for throwing parties with their great party menus and simple entertaining tips. By Cara Eisenpress and Phoebe Lapine Brunch is one of the best meals to host, since there is a lot more flexibility than at a Friday or Saturday night dinner. For one, brunches can last as long or as short as you like. Most of the time, friends will have plans for the afternoon and won’t stay all day, but sometimes they’ll have nothing to do, and some of our best brunches have lasted almost […]

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Grilled Cheese with Cheddar & Apple

Maris Callahan — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 09:00:00 +0000

Most college towns have a well-known haunt that its students frequent for post-bar, late-night dining. In some cases, it’s pizza delivery at four a.m. In some cases, Cheese Whiz-smothered cheesesteaks chased down with an order of waffle fries. For me, it was bagel sandwiches. During my junior and senior year at Susquehanna University, my two roommates and I lived directly across the street from the Campus Cafe, the only diner or sandwich shop within walking distance of our campus – which was basically comprised the entire town. The bagel shop is probably the location of some of my most hilarious college memories, but really, when you’re partying every weekend, you get pretty tired of sandwiches with names like “The Roast Beast” or “The Crackerjack.” Not that they were bad, but really, who actually craves bagels and cream cheese after a long night of thirty-five cent draught beer? Even worse, if you showed up at the end of the night, the only bagel left would be blueberry. So being the budding culinary genius that I was, I would work magic with my George Foreman and construct some of the best late-night grilled cheese sandwiches that my friends and I had ever […]

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