Vienna Beef's 2-pound, 22-inch hot dogs are out of scale with most edibles on earth. Their size renders them less credible as food than as a feast for the eyes. Even so, Vienna delivered 160 of these freakish sausages to Cookers Red Hots in Deerfield.• Photos: Cookers Red Hots
• Megabites: Tell us your food tale
• Catlow Theater: A meal (or two)
• Little Island: Big eats
Food is the fuel of your child's development, so naturally you want him to eat well -- and not be too fussy. What are some of the ways you can accomplish this worthwhile goal?
Consider, if you will, the contents of a 16-ounce bottle of Wishbone Italian salad dressing: Water, soybean oil, distilled vinegar, high fructose corn syrup, salt, dehydrated onion, dehydrated red bell peppers, xantham gum, spices, natural flavor, calcium disodium EDTA, lemon juice concentrate, soybean lecithin, caramel color and annatto extract. All that for $3.59. • Photos: DIY groceries
• Cranberry-almond granola
• Peach salsa
• Digging in: Blog for foodies
Hien Ngo, chef/owner of Hai Yen Vietnamese Cuisine, 2723 N. Clark and 1055 W. Argyle, shares easy recipes for two of her outstanding dishes -- Lemongrass Chicken and Caramelized Shrimp.
Frozen desserts are a great way to beat the summer heat, but all the fat in ice cream makes it more suitable for an occasional treat than a daily cooler.
Week Three in my adventures with fruits and vegetables from my CSA farm and there was yet another unfamiliar ingredient within.
Mixologist Victor Beheza holds a caipirinha class at 6:30 p.m. July 15; $25. Chef Mark Mendez will create appetizers to complement the Brazilian drink. (312) 850-5005.
I love dessert but who can wait until the end of the day to have it? Not me. I refuse to live that way.
When I was a child at summer camp in northern Wisconsin, I made the astonishing discovery that there were plants throughout the forests with fruit on them. Even though my family was keen on buying from local farmers, you had to drive to the farm, and you had to pay someone for the fruit.
I belong to a Community Supported Agriculture program. Last summer, I asked my fellow members which vegetables in their weekly box of farm-fresh produce regularly left them stumped.
McDonald's Corp. will begin selling its new line of bigger burgers priced at about $4 each on Thursday to bring in customers looking for a beefy alternative to pricier burgers at sit-down restaurants. The new Angus burgers are made with one-third pound of Angus beef and come in three varieties.
That hard-earned beach vacation? It isn't in the cards. The trip to
Europe? It's indefinitely on hold. Don't fret. It's time to embrace a
different kind of getaway, one where the forest floor is dappled with
sun, smoky-sweet applewood perfumes the air and foods -- be it garlicky
fingerlings or corn slathered with mayo, Parmesan and lime -- sizzle
over an open fire.• Photos: Making campfire fish
• Fish en papillote
• Tin foil peach pie with shortcake crust
• Campfire chicken cooked in hay
• Digging in: Blog for foodies
Just five years ago, one-time Chicagoan Stephanie Andersen-Samayoa didn't speak Spanish. She didn't know a thing about farming coffee in Central America, much less about the arduous task of removing the pits -- that is, the beans -- from the cherries of a coffee plant.
DOG DEALS
All month: Brasserie Jo, 59 W. Hubbard, dishes up $1 French-style dogs in its lounge from 5 to 7 p.m. daily. Harry Caray's Tavern, 3551 N. Sheffield, offers a rotating weekly special (from July 12 to 18, it's a Wagyu beef hot dog with glazed onions, mushrooms and truffle oil).
Reporter Misha Davenport is taking his maiden voyage in a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program this summer. He'll provide periodic updates on what he finds in his weekly produce box -- and what he does with it.
Babies and even toddlers have naturally sweet smelling breath. Baby's breath, as it were.
With so many fruits in peak season by July Fourth, summery desserts almost make themselves. Fruits are always a treat when eaten unadorned and out of hand, but they're also the perfect starting place for an impressive variety of pies, cakes, bars, tarts and crumbles. "This is not the time to be mucking about with complicated recipes," says cookbook author Barbara Kafka.
Grilled skewers of marinated meat and vegetables make a savory treat for a barbecue. They also are great for eating on a budget.
The Fourth of July can become salad-special thanks to recipes for Bean Bonanza, in response to a request from L.W. of Romeoville, and Grilled Pesto Potato Salad and Coleman's Spicy Egg and Potato Salad, both in response to a request for unusual potato salads from S.S. of Chicago.
Dear Lynne: Do you know how to make those fruit waters that you can get in some Hispanic restaurants? They make mango and watermelon and a pretty red one. They seem pretty simple, but I expect they are harder than I think.
If you didn't think you'd see 1980s-era wine-in-a-box become hip again in your lifetime, you might be quite surprised by the popularity of the alternative packaging movement. That's right -- boxed wine is back and coming on full force.
The "Disaster Sandwich" is coming to Lincoln Park. Sarkis Grill, the tiny-but-beloved Evanston breakfast spot that modestly boasts the "World's Best Omelette," is opening its first satellite location, at 444 W. Fullerton, on July 11. The new place will be called Sarks in the Park. (The 'i' in Sarkis was left out to make the name rhyme better, franchisee Josh Alomia explains.)
Taste of Chicago is known primarily as an excuse to pig out on every
kind of food imaginable. But one long, drawn-out walk through the crowd
surrounding the festival's main stage at the Petrillo Music Shell will
prove that the music is a pretty big draw, too.It's tough to care about counting calories when you walk among the booths at Taste of Chicago, with ribs, pizza and cheesecake all around. But if you want to enjoy the Taste -- which opens Friday -- without a side of guilt, there are a few healthful choices on the menu, according to a panel of Chicago area doctors consulted by Humana Inc. Each appetizer or dessert had to be less than 250 calories a serving, while main entrees could be no more than 500 calories.
If any event has the power to bring locals and tourists together, it's the city's annual Taste of Chicago. This year's culinary festival promises to be an even bigger hit with its celebrity lineup, including Food Network's Emeril Lagasse, who will appear at 4 this afternoon at Dominick's Cooking Corner with a cooking demonstration and book signing.
Saucy baby backs, corn on the cob and deep-dish pies. Jus-soused Italian beef. Meat -- and more meat -- served on a stick (or left clinging to bones). The Taste of Chicago -- a feeding frenzy of possibilities or your worst nightmare, depending on how you stomach it -- is upon us, scenting the city with Chicago-style classics.
If you're looking for a way to kick back and relax at Taste of Chicago -- and pick up great culinary tips from some of the country's most renowned chefs -- take a load off at the Dominick's Cooking Corner. Here are highlights:
You may have just thought Taste of Chicago was about eating assorted fried food on sticks, but this year's food fest will again feature a sports pavilion where you can get your heart rate up and burn a few calories.
Original Rainbow Cone Inc., a South Side tradition, is stepping out on State Street. The ice cream store, a popular stop at 9233 S. Western since 1923, has leased 1,000 square feet at 177 N. State. The plan is to start selling its signature dessert, the five-layer rainbow cone, to the downtown crowd sometime in August, said Jason Berngard, an associate with Baum Realty Group LLC.
Megabites: If you like to put away a day's calories while sitting in front of the TV, the Catlow Theater is your kind of night out. The Barrington movie house has a diner off the lobby called Boloney's where you can buy a sandwich. And these are no ordinary sandwiches. These are sandwiches that could choke a horse.
Free health screenings by a dietician and wellness tips and information provided by the milk industry are on tap beginning next week in the Chicago area.
If man truly had to live on bread alone, especially bread he'd baked himself, I'd starve to death. Like many cooks, I pride myself on improvisational skills. I revel in transforming an aimless romp through the farmers market into a grand feast. I live in the moments between stoking a bland chili and rescuing an insipid soup. The lore of baking, however, suggests that making bread and pastry is no place for such slapdashery. • Basic pate a choux
• Rip's spice cookies
• Digging in: Blog for foodies
Go figure. One of the more talked about items to be had at this year's Taste of Chicago is on a stick. The popcornsicle -- a popcorn ball put on a stick and flash-frozen in liquid nitrogen -- will be among the offerings at the Garrett Popcorn booth.
Restaurants make a big deal out of anniversaries, and can you blame them? An estimated 60 percent of restaurants fail within three years. Making it past that mark -- heck, making it past a year these days -- is something to celebrate. Hence the $295, 10-course, 10-chef gala on Sunday at Tru, the jewel in the Lettuce Entertain You crown that turns 10 this year.
When I signed up for a weekly half-share in a Community Supported Agriculture food drop, I had been hoping it would force me to try new fruits and vegetables.
Attention, home entertainers. Farmers markets are open and ready to be harvested!
Sour Cream Blueberry Pie and Blueberry Upside-Down Cake are delicious creations for M.R. of Fox Lake, who requested easy blueberry pie and cake recipes for a Fourth of July family gathering (she's responsible for providing the blue of a red-white-and-blue color scheme).
Unlike many vegetables, onions are pleasingly edible throughout their life cycle, and even beyond. From the slender scallion to the yellow storage onion, there is culinary opportunity at each stage of the onion's development.
This easy and intense rethinking of pepper jelly cream cheese is a sweet and savory way to start any summer festivity.
Q: I am wondering how to use pastry flour. Can I substitute it for all-purpose flour to make pie crust or cookies? Would I need to adjust the ingredients such as eggs or water?
SCARBOROUGH, Maine — Lobsterman Greg Turner keeps a sandwich-board sign at the end of his driveway that advertises fresh lobster for sale from his garage, an attempt to claw for a few extra dollars by reaching buyers directly.
SCARBOROUGH, Maine — Lobsterman Greg Turner keeps a sandwich-board sign at the end of his driveway that advertises fresh lobster for sale from his garage, an attempt to claw for a few extra dollars by reaching buyers directly.
Organic was the flavor for the last few days at McCormick Place, which hosted the annual All Things Organic trade show Tuesday through Thursday. About 400 organic, specialty and multicultural food and beverage makers showed off their latest to attract retailers.• Photos: All Things Organic
A day in the life of Roeser's Bakery recalls the dawn of another era. The Humboldt Park bakery at 3216 W. North is on the fringe of the park. But it was the sweetheart of bakery row when John Roeser Jr. installed the 20-foot-long Roeser's neon sign in 1946 to illuminate his father's dream. Established in 1911, Roeser's is the city's oldest family-owned retail bakery. • Photos: Family-operated Roeser's Bakery
• Bakery's brushes with fame
• A history of firsts
• Roeser's butter cookies
• Digging In: Blog for foodies
SALT LAKE CITY -- Forget that this is the Jell-O capital of the nation. An old standard in these parts, where the Mormons meet the mountains, is a burger topped with pastrami.
I'm officially smitten. After meeting at a big party, I was impressed by my darling's breadth, support of local producers and environmental commitment. I'm just a little concerned that this new love doesn't quite fit my image.
Father's Day can be made special with Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Mango Barbecue Sauce, requested by J.G. of Montgomery; Pepper-Cheese Muffins from Jeannine Konopacki of Chicago for S.N. of Chicago, or Coffee Pot Roast from Marlene Olson of Hawthorn Woods for W.S. of Chicago.
While fashion editors vie to declare the upcoming season's new "It Bag," I live to spot the next up-and-coming wine region where consumers are bound to come up with value as well as drink fashionably. And this season, Portugal is the latest and greatest.
Roeser's Bakery is baked in tradition, but the 98-year-old business has broken barriers.
Dear Lynne: I stopped at a country store to buy local strawberries. I bought some fresh onions as well. As I checked out, I joked about making a dish of onions and fresh strawberries. Many times since I have wondered if I could actually make that dish. What do you think, Lynne?
Roeser's Bakery made a colorful six-foot tall cake for the 25th anniversary episode of the popular "Bozo's Circus" television show.
Q. My family eats a lot of tuna fish, but I worry about the mercury in it. Is there a better fish for us?
Little Island's Kevin Craig sells a double cheeseburger that stands almost a half-foot tall, and for his taste, is too much of a good thing. "I had one once, and I got lockjaw trying to eat it," he said. He's surprised that any of the customers of his Evanston fast-food stand actually want to tackle it. But he sells upward of six a day.• Tell us your megabite
