I’m a purist when it comes to chocolate and this principle applies especially to brownies. Some people like peanut butter, nuts or marbled cheesecake swirls in their brownies. I like chocolate, straight up, with a side of chocolate. Being my grandmother’s favorite brownie recipe, the card this recipe was written on has yellowed with age and is so faded you can barely read the loopy cursive handwriting, but it’s still clear: these are brownies with no nuts, no frills. …
In one of my favorite episodes of Friends, Monica and Rachel bet that they know Chandler and Joey better than Chandler and Joey know them, with Chandler’s pet duck as the wager. Ross writes the questions and delivers them game-show style, and it’s soon revealed that while Rachel claims her favorite movie is Dangerous Liaisons, her actual favorite movie is Weekend at Bernie’s. While some us have “favorite” and an actual favorite movie, I have a favorite breakfast food (eggs), and…
Classic Italian Beef Meatballs
Cooking for a Crowd, Recipes, Weekend Cooking, Worknight Dinners April 15, 2014
There’s a fantastic restaurant in the River North neighborhood of Chicago called J. Rocco Italian Table. Known for it’s unassuming “honest Italian food” the menu offers everything you would expect from a neighborhood Italian eatery in one of the best culinary cities in the United States. Oh, yes, I’m biased.…
One of the most thrilling parts of life is also the scariest. Each day, we wake up not knowing what’s going to happen next. While most people have a fairly good idea if their immediate future includes working nine to five or backpacking through Europe, it seems frequent that the best laid plans have a tendency to fall through. No matter how much you do or don’t plan your life, chances are things won’t turn out the way you expected.…
Miniature Quiche with Pancetta and Chives
Breakfast & Brunch, Cooking for a Crowd, Cooking for One or Two, Recipes March 5, 2014
One of the most difficult things about starting your career isn’t the long hours or the challenges of navigating office politics. It’s figuring out what to eat and when. You’re getting home too late to cook a proper dinner, you’re working through lunch hour at your desk and breakfast? When it comes to drying your hair, eating a balanced meal and showing up at the office at some point before 9:00 a.m., there’s really only time for two out of…