CupCakes and CrabLegs: Recipes

Catch Up On What You've Missed:

5/2 Road Food
4/26 Confessions of a Foodie
4/21 Breakfast at Maxwell Street Market and Chicago Street Vendors- videos
4/13 Smoking Pork Shoulder
4/5 Cub's Opener 2012 - Video
4/3 Cooking The Perfect Steak
3/25 The Girl and The Goat
3/14 International Home + Housewares Show
3/4 World's Best Street Food
3/1 Video - World's Best Street Food
2/21 Minneapolis Restaurants
2/8 Chicago's Best Brunch Dishes
2/8 Honey Nut Cheerios Infused Rum
1/31 Video: Chinese New Years - Before the Parade
1/31 Sourcing Global Ingredients: McCormick's 2012 Flavor Pairings
1/24 Bo Ssam
1/17 Pink Margaritas
1/8 The Simple Joy of A Southern Christmas
1/1 2011: Video: The Year In Pictures

The Chicago Office of Tourism + Motorola

Cupcakes and Crablegs Featured On Bon Appetit.com

Imagine my surprise when I googled my blog and found out that I was featured on Bon Appetit.com.

I had a big spike in readership and wondered why. Since then I found out that I have a following at Bon Appetit.

They update this often so go to http://www.bonappetit.com/ and press The Feed. On the right hand side near the bottom is View By Date. Press September 2010 and it is a September 17th post (page 2) on Peach Snickerdoodle Milk Shakes. Press to read more. It is the second part of the post on Lamb Spareribs, a recipe from Bon Appetit that was so delicious that I ate them for breakfast!

Where The Locals Eat

EXCITED to be listed on Where The Locals Eat:

“Where the Locals Eat spotlights the best restaurants in America. We prefer to highlight local restaurants that contribute to the dining culture of a city, striving to avoid chain restaurants in our selections (with a few notable exceptions - like smaller regional chains). Both WhereTheLocalsEat.com and our LocalEats iPhone App includes thousands of listings, from pizza parlors and delis to the finest steakhouses and sushi bars. Each listing includes price range, maps, directions, user feedback, menus and more.”

Find us at:
http://blogs.wherethelocalseat.com/Foodies/Chicago-Food-and-Dining-Blogs.aspx

We LOVE Where The Locals Eat. Gives you insight into all of the choices that are available at local restaurants when you hit a new town or are looking for a new spot in your very own neighborhood.

Why We Love 2006 Cupcake Vineyards Merlot

Cupcake Merlot is a flavorful yet soft merlot. This merlot is silky with a fine balance of oak and fruit. Red cherries progress into cocoa and espresso and then fuse into a smooth mocha finish. Cupcake Vineyards say that “This wine pairs well with pork tenderloin with a port-fig reduction sauce or a decadent chocolate molten cupcake.” It was the chocolate molten cupcake that got me and prompted me to try it.

CUPCAKES AND CRABLEGS loves this wine (not because of our common name) and at $10 a bottle, is a great buy.

Cesar Mascorro Perez - Tequila Expert

I am delighted that my dear friend, César Mascorro Pérez has agreed to be the resident Tequila expert on CupCakesandCrabLegs.

Tequila and Cesar are two words I always pair together!

As a former Regional Manager at Bancomext (The Mexican Trade Commission – Guadalajara) he was in charge of exports for tequila and worked with the US, Central America, South America, Japan. Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Russia, United Kingdom, Germany and Holland. Also as a consultant to Tequilas Del Señor he implemented and developed new tequila markets especially in the European Union.

He has been an advisor to many international companies on Tequila including my former school, the Universidad de Guadalajara Pro Tequila Industry in collaboration with the University of Notre Dame.

Ask any question about tequila and he has an answer... except maybe the morning after cure which we are all still looking for!

Salud and Bienvenido! Fun posts on tequila and its pairing with magnificent food to follow!

Reading Food Labels

Here are some things to look for when evaluating foods for their health benefits:

How many calories does it have per serving and what is the serving size ?
Do I get one twinkie or two? It’s all about portion control.

Look to see what kind of fat the product contains. Manage saturated fat, look for monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats and steer clear of Tran’s fats. I have for years counted my fat grams instead of my calories.

Look for nutrient content You Should be adding Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Calcium and Iron.

Check the sodium content. Limit Keep sodium intake to less than 2500 milligrams per day.

Check to see how many grams of fiber are in each serving.

You need 25 and 30 grams a day.

The Kerryman

We have stopped by this restaurant often since we first discovered it this past summer. The outdoor patio was filled with stunning plants and populated by plenty of people and a super friendly staff. The inside is warm and comfy. We always split the hamburger and fries because the portions are huge. It gets my vote for one of the best hamburgers in Chicago. They have a wide selection of beers and my favorite is Blue Moon. You can get in and out rather quickly. 661 North Clark Street, Chicago 312-335-8121

Cookbooks We Love

The Pleasures of Cooking for One and What We Eat When We Eat Alone:

As a single, I watch a lot of my other single friends opt for a dinner out with a friend or get takeout. Two cookbooks, Judith Jones' "The Pleasures of Cooking for One" and Deborah Madison and Patrick McFarlin’s "What We Eat When We Eat Alone" remind us that cooking solo can be really fun.

Sweetness
Sarah Levy shows how anyone can make tasty desserts and sweet snacks regardless of cooking knowledge or lack of it. Geared to those who may not have a lot of kitchen training, but want to have a few recipes for events, gifts, or that special occasion.

Martha Stewart's Cooking School: Lessons and Recipes for the Home Cook

Beautifully illustrated, skillfully written, and essentially useful for the cook who is a beginner or who wants to take it to the next level. This cookbook is wonderfully parallel to the old standard, "Joy of Cooking." The cookbook is 580 pages with over 200 recipes and everything you ever wanted to know about cooking.

You are either a Martha Stewart fan or you’re not. Me – I am and this is why - every Martha recipe that I have ever made has turned out incredible. All of the recipes in this book are step-by-step so you can’t miss. We will be featuring some of them in upcoming posts.

Muffuletta

A typical muffuletta sandwich consists of a loaf of Sicilian bread covered with a marinated olive salad, then layers of capicola, salami, mortadella, emmentaler and provolone. The olive salad is considered the main stay of the sandwich. The ingredients are tossed in seasonings and olive oil and will sit for at least 24 hours before serving.

I put these ingredients together today for a quick muffuletta salad: Black Olives, Green Olives, Hot Italian Giardiniera, Celery, Sun Dried Tomatoes. Green Bell Pepper, Red Onions, Salami, Ham, Provolone. Toss on a dressing of Red Wine Vinegar, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Salt and Pepper.

Served with a few slices of Italian bread and it was a quick and easy meal for a Saturday lunch. Skip the Salami if you are counting calories.

MAINE

My brother Mic and his wife Bobbie love Maine. They love it so much, they are planning to move there when they retire. Jealous!

Here is the I Love Maine Facebook Page.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Maine-I-Love-Maine/51505315158

I am pretty sure that Mic and Bobbi are on this page somewhere and I know that, given a few months to settle in, I will be there for a visit.

The prospect of $6-a-pound lobster? On any given day I can do Maine Lobster and Kennebec River Whitewater Rafting. This is a really fun memory from my past!

LOVE MAINE!

Healthy Eating

Now that you got my 1,2,3 on Indulgences, it's almost Monday again and I am back to eating healthy.

During the week, I often do a quick stir fry to get my daily dose of veggies. I can put a great tasting, healthy meal together in under 30 minutes. Under 30 minutes is good when you get home late and have a few hours to eat, study and go to bed so you can do it all over again.

In additional to a variety of vegtables, I add chicken, shrimp or tofu. Can't tell you how many times I have served tofu in my stir fry and nobody knew it.

Rice: As far as I am concerned, there is only one brand - Botan's Calrose Rice. I have eaten it for years and this sticky white rice is a compliment to stir frys and a long list of other great Asian dishes.

Why I Run...

I must admit that one of the reasons I run is because I love to eat.
I run for ice cream and chocolate.
I also run for the medals and the t-shirts.
I run to discover how far I can push myself.
I love to run on Saturday morning and go up the tunnel across the street from the Drake Hotel and see the Chicago skyline. It never fails to take my breath away and remind me why I live in and love Chicago.

After 10 miles I am pretty sure I ran for steak and eggs at the Breakfast Club (1381 W Hubbard St Chicago, IL 60642
(312) 666-2372).

The best recovery food ever!

Evanston Davis Street Farmers Market

I have passed by this market on Saturday mornings for years on my way downtown Chicago to do a long run. Today, I skipped my run (so fun to do something so unpredictable) and got in on the late end of one of the best markets that I have ever been to. Can’t tell you how BEAUTIFUL the produce was. Quite frankly, I have never seen produce this good at any Farmers Market in the city of Chicago.With 33 vendors, many here over 30 years, it has my vote as being the best Farmers Market in the city of Chicago. You be the judge. Tell me any other market that can beat the quality of the produce because you will have a hard time convincing me.

Yep...Guilty As Charged. I Love McDonalds French Fries

I am the healthiest eater in the world but tell me that McDonalds French fries are bad for me and I will challenge you on that. I have for years tried to make great tasting French fries at home. Fresh potatoes, cut thin, fried and even double fried like my mom’s.
Drat – no chance that I can even come close to this perfection.
Find me a French fry recipe that is better and I will declare you Master of the Kitchen. It’s as simple as that!

P.S. Pretty sure that this is one challenge that will take forever. I did find a recipe this past weekend that looks good so I will let you know if I beat you to the punch! Not double fried and cooked with the oil cold.