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 to the Fulton Street seafood markets …no manila clams so I substituted three pounds of fresh mussels that I bought for …
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 particular was really tasty …I guess that’s the secret of starting with a stick of real butter. Ingredients: Cookies Sugar cookie …
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 Glass Mold Water Vodka Club soda Blueberry juice or other fruit juice (Mango is good too) Lemon rimming sugar (optional) Pour …
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. I made personalized pot pies for St. Patrick’s Day so I had the idea to break out my mini alphabet and …
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 place for years. I love seafood. My first Chicago job many moons ago was at Fulton and Jefferson. So I’m a …
Want to learn the best way how to make s’mores inside the house? I’ll show you how to replicate that ooey gooey campfire goodness indoors at home. So it’s pouring outside right now and I’m craving a s’more. Luckily, living in a locale with nine long months of winter has allowed me to perfect the …
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 evolved this recipe that she uses “all the time” (thanks, Jen!). And if you’re not into mustard, try Shane’s famous grilled …
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 oil 1 large onion, sliced (about 1 1/2 cups) 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth 3/4 teaspoon dried tarragon (I subbed …
This easy chicken pot pie recipe is my favorite way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. I started making this homemade chicken pot pie recipe as a St. Patrick’s Day dinner tradition but it tasted so good that I ended up adding it into our winter dinner rotation. I like making individual mini chicken pot pies …
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 she baked with her daughter Vivian. I think this is such a cute idea not only for engagement parties and couple’s …
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 you put a lot of effort into it. It’s one of those perfect weekend treat-myself-and-clean-the-fridge brunches that lets you be creative …
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 was full of ad libbed tips and Shane got a spiffy Le Creuset 6.75-qt. Enameled Oval Dutch Oven soup pot. Our …
So I was pretty excited about the success of the campfire coffee insulator wrap and decided to make a monogrammed coffee insulator wrap for my sister Krista. Perfect for coffee/tea/cocoa drinkers and the eco-friendly, monogrammed insulator wraps are personal and practical. And not only is it a great way to cut down on waste but …
++ 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 of a girl. I’m more into dark chocolate and cookies. But once we saw cakes on the Cakegirls website and then …