Grandma Beulah’s Rice Pancakes from Leftover Chinese Takeout Food & Drink Along with homemade egg noodles, chocolate pie and fresh-off-the-vine concord grape juice, rice pancakes were my Grandma Beulah's specialty. My parents were in town to help us take care of new baby Elise and...Grandma Beulah’s Rice Pancakes from Leftover Chinese Takeout... »

Posted by Kathy on November 21, 2009  | Permalink  | Comments (2)  | 

Australian Weet-Bix Banana Chocolate Chunk Muffins Food & Drink It’s been 10 years now since I lived in Sydney, Australia. Recently we received a gift box (yay!) filled with heaps of Australian beer and food – including my favorite biscuits, Arnott’s shortbreads -...Australian Weet-Bix Banana Chocolate Chunk Muffins... »

Posted by Kathy on October 6, 2009  | Permalink  | Comments (2)  | 

Canning label template Food & Drink, Gifts & Favors Canning has been a theme the past few weeks so I'm excited to share these free canning labels with you inspired by A Sonoma Garden. It all started with a canning night from iheartcrafting,...Canning label template... »

Posted by Kathy on August 23, 2009  | Permalink  | Comments (30)  | 

Spinach, Ham and Parmesan Quiche Food & Drink I'm not sure what it is about spring but I go into quiche mode. I noticed the other day at Lovely Bakery that quiche was on the menu, so I decided to make one...Spinach, Ham and Parmesan Quiche... »

Posted by Kathy on May 21, 2009  | Permalink  | Comments (8)  | 

Peanut Butter & Jelly Mac and Cheese – 4th Place!! Baby & Kids, Food & Drink, Press Updated: I found out that I got 4th place beating not only Stephanie Izard, Top Chef winner, but also Roger Herring, chef and owner of Socca in Chicago. Hip hip! Peanut butter & jelly...Peanut Butter & Jelly Mac and Cheese – 4th Place!!... »

Posted by Kathy on March 25, 2009  | Permalink  | Comments (4)  | 

Bacon pancakes Food & Drink Lucky for me that magazines in my doctor's office are hopelessly out-of-date. I hit a goldmine during a recent appointment by seeing this bacon pancake idea in an old issue of Martha Stewart Living....Bacon pancakes... »

Posted by Kathy on February 17, 2009  | Permalink  | Comments (9)  | 

Toasted Coconut Chocolate Valentine Dessert with Cacoa Nibs Food & Drink, Holidays While I've never been much of a Valentine's Day girl, I've always been a big fan of coconut and chocolate. I made these special treats by modifying a recipe from an Australian cookbook. Ingredients...Toasted Coconut Chocolate Valentine Dessert with Cacoa Nibs... »

Posted by Kathy on February 1, 2009  | Permalink  | Comments (7)  | 

Seared scallop on parmesan crisps appetizer Food & Drink I'm a shameless sucker for all things seafood. So when I stumbled upon this recipe in an old cookbook of mine when looking for easy appetizers for guests, I had to give this tasty...Seared scallop on parmesan crisps appetizer... »

Posted by Kathy on January 23, 2009  | Permalink  | Comments (1)  | 

Homemade marshmallows Food & Drink, Holidays Lately I've developed a bit of a hot chocolate habit during the mid-afternoon workday at the day job. After spotting a box of "homemade" marshmallows at Williams-Sonoma over the holidays my sisters and I...Homemade marshmallows... »

Posted by Kathy on December 31, 2008  | Permalink  | Comments (4)  | 

Pumpkin banana bread Food & Drink Shane and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary with an autumn weekend in Wisconsin. Along with the pumpkins, colorful leaves, fresh apple cider and antiques, I picked up this tasty recipe for pumpkin banana...Pumpkin banana bread... »

Posted by Kathy on November 13, 2008  | Permalink  | Comments (4)  | 

Eyeball lychee ice cubes for Halloween martinis Food & Drink, Holidays In the past five years or so, it seems like Halloween has gone bonkers in the DIY area. From costumes to cupcakes to candy, it's a holiday ripe for creepy crafting. The always stylish...Eyeball lychee ice cubes for Halloween martinis... »

Posted by Kathy on October 30, 2008  | Permalink  | Comments (0)  | 

Mac and cheese bacon cups Food & Drink The Fulton Market area of Chicago where I work is filled with food wholesale companies - fish, meat, eggs, butter, ...and (xoxo) bacon. This week I walked into Meadow Brook Egg Company and walked...Mac and cheese bacon cups... »

Posted by Kathy on October 10, 2008  | Permalink  | Comments (21)  | 

Chocolate tasting tour of Chicago Everyday, Food & Drink Anyone who works in the Fulton Market area on a windy day can attest that Chicago's long standing candy and chocolate history is still thriving. For his sister's recent Chicago weekend visit Joseph Dombroski...Chocolate tasting tour of Chicago... »

Posted by Kathy on September 23, 2008  | Permalink  | Comments (1)  | 

“Summer to Fall” Berry Cider Smoothie Food & Drink While Monday is the official first day of fall the best thing about Chicago is that summer days usually extend way into September. It's 80 degrees today and I just spent the afternoon at...“Summer to Fall” Berry Cider Smoothie... »

Posted by Kathy on September 20, 2008  | Permalink  | Comments (3)  | 

Campfire cookies Food & Drink Hot Indiana summers spent at Camp Na Wa Kwa seeded my campfire obsession. The idea for this one has been in my head for a while, and I couldn't stop thinking about it while...Campfire cookies... »

Posted by Kathy on August 5, 2008  | Permalink  | Comments (4)  | 

Mussels in Broth Food & Drink Inspired by our recent trip to Seattle I've been waiting for the right night to try to replicate the fantastic manila clams in broth that we ate there. I took a lunchtime walk over...Mussels in Broth... »

Posted by Kathy on July 31, 2008  | Permalink  | Comments (0)  | 

Star Sugar Cookies Food & Drink It could have been the yummy flavor, the scraggly homemade cuteness or the cold beer that made these star cookies fly off the platters at Shane's Fourth of July birthday BBQ. The icing in...Star Sugar Cookies... »

Posted by Kathy on July 10, 2008  | Permalink  | Comments (3)  | 

Ice cube shot glasses Food & Drink So I had a semi-bad day at work today. What better time than now to try out my super classy silicone ice cube shot glass mold for the first time. Supplies: Ice Cube Shot...Ice cube shot glasses... »

Posted by Kathy on July 9, 2008  | Permalink  | Comments (1)  | 

Personalized birthday rhubarb berry pie Birthdays, Food & Drink Growing up in upstate New York, Shane loved his grandmother Myrtle's rhubarb and berry pies in the summertime. So this year for his birthday I decided to make a pie instead of a cake....Personalized birthday rhubarb berry pie... »

Posted by Kathy on July 6, 2008  | Permalink  | Comments (5)  | 

Friday Inspiration: Fulton Seafood and Meat Markets Food & Drink Who says there's no good fresh seafood in Chicago? Stepping inside L Isaacson & Stein Fish Market to buy ingredients for Shane's Fourth of July birthday BBQ was a revelation. I've heard about this...Friday Inspiration: Fulton Seafood and Meat Markets... »

Posted by Kathy on July 3, 2008  | Permalink  | Comments (3)  | 

Indoor Smores Food & Drink So it's pouring outside right now and I'm craving a smore. Luckily, living in a locale with nine long months of winter has allowed me to perfect the art of indoor smores. And the...Indoor Smores... »

Posted by Kathy on June 21, 2008  | Permalink  | Comments (5)  | 

Tasty marinade recipe for grilling chicken, pork, fish or veggie kabobs Food & Drink Memorial Day in Chicago means one thing: grilling! Here's an easy, very tasty and relatively healthy marinade recipe for chicken, pork, fish or veggie kabobs, courtesy of Merriment reader Jen Martensen who created and...Tasty marinade recipe for grilling chicken, pork, fish or veggie kabobs... »

Posted by Kathy on May 18, 2008  | Permalink  | Comments (0)  | 

Custom, personalized cookbooks Food & Drink, Gifts & Favors Mother's Day is quickly coming up and so I thought I'd post a unique idea: custom, personalized cookbooks with all your family's favorite recipes from Tastebook.com. Build a cookbook using recipes from Simply Recipes...Custom, personalized cookbooks... »

Posted by Kathy on May 3, 2008  | Permalink  | Comments (0)  | 

Rainy Day Green Pea Soup Food & Drink Here's one of my favorite it's-a-rainy-day-and-I-am-low-on-groceries recipe: Green pea soup with toasted baguette slices. It's a healthy, low fat, non-dairy recipe from Ellie Krieger, one of my favorite Food Network chefs. 1 teaspoon olive...Rainy Day Green Pea Soup... »

Posted by Kathy on April 12, 2008  | Permalink  | Comments (2)  | 

St. Patrick’s Day Personalized Pot Pies Food & Drink, Holidays So I thought of something to do with my mini alphabet cookie cutters. I simplified a more intensive version that Simply Recipes adapted from a Marshall Field's cookbook. Chicago *knows* St. Patrick's Day. Ingredients:...St. Patrick’s Day Personalized Pot Pies... »

Posted by Kathy on March 16, 2008  | Permalink  | Comments (3)  | 

Engagement Party Alphabet Cookies Food & Drink, Showers We co-hosted a couple's BBQ last July to celebrate the engagement of my friend Heather (H) and her fiance Noah (N). Our co-hostess Michelle Platts scored by bringing these festive romantic sugar cookies that...Engagement Party Alphabet Cookies... »

Posted by Kathy on February 28, 2008  | Permalink  | Comments (0)  | 

Kitchen Sink Frittata Food & Drink I first saw the frittata concept at Simply Recipes. The great thing about a frittata is you can really throw pretty much anything into it and it will still taste good and look like...Kitchen Sink Frittata... »

Posted by Kathy on February 17, 2008  | Permalink  | Comments (0)  | 

Hearty Soups for Cold Winter Days Food & Drink To celebrate Valentine's Day, Shane and I took a cooking class at Sur La Table. While the classes there aren't as hands-on as our beloved, defunct Calphalon Culinary Center Cooking Classes, the personable instructor...Hearty Soups for Cold Winter Days... »

Posted by Kathy on February 12, 2008  | Permalink  | Comments (0)  | 

Monogrammed coffee insulator wrap Everyday, Food & Drink, Gifts & Favors So I was pretty excited about the success of the campfire coffee insulator wrap and decided to make a monogrammed one for my sister Krista. Supplies: Cardboard coffee insulator to use as a pattern...Monogrammed coffee insulator wrap... »

Posted by Kathy on November 25, 2007  | Permalink  | Comments (2)  | 

Poppy Fall Themed Wedding Cake Food & Drink, Weddings ++ UPDATED: See our retro poppy wedding cake featured on an episode of 'Amazing Wedding Cakes Season 2' on WeTV!! Part of We Go Bridal Night. ++ Honestly, I'm not typically a cake type...Poppy Fall Themed Wedding Cake... »

Posted by Kathy on October 9, 2007  | Permalink  | Comments (4)  | 

Gourmet Popcorn Bar Birthdays, Food & Drink As part of a rooftop movie night for my 35th birthday I created a gourmet popcorn bar. It was a big hit! Supplies: 8.5"x11" red and yellow paper Admit One tickets (at Party City)...Gourmet Popcorn Bar... »

Posted by Kathy on August 17, 2007  | Permalink  | Comments (0)  |