Special Sandwiches for Dad

My father was an inspired and talented maker of sandwiches. Dad would never think of doing a “Dagwood”, piling anything and everything sky-high onto the bread.

A seafood stir fry

One recent morning, while making my grocery list, I peered into the fridge to see what was what, veggie-wise. Spying a few leftover red carrots and a bunch of green onions from the Farmers' Market, an untouched box of shittake mushrooms and, in a little plastic bag, some fresh ginger that ha…

Quick and easy for spring

Now that Mother Nature has finally made up her mind, we can all get out and plant our patio flowers and the annuals in our herb garden. What we want more than anything else is time outdoors in the sunshine and nothing labor-intensive in the kitchen.

Spring Lunch

When spring won't settle down, I comfort myself by planning menus for meals I'd like to make when we're finished with all this nonsense. Here's a lunch I will definitely serve some spring weekend when there are friends or family here for lunch.

The noble fruit

Olives are as old as the history of man. As Mort Rosenblum mentions in his book, "Olives" (North Park Press, 1998), Greek athletes lubricated their bodies with olive oil and the first Olympic flame was a burning oil bough. The Romans even had a separate stock market and merchant marine for o…

HASH

A couple of days ago I made hash with some corned beef left over from St. Patrick's Day. My hash is good, but doesn't touch my brother's who makes the best I've ever tasted, hands down. I also recall the red flannel hash from my New England childhood - not a favorite - (the hash, not the chi…

SWEET IRELAND

Saint Patrick's Day again - incredibly fast it seems. As always I've given a nod here to my favorite Irish author, the late Moira Laverty, who wrote so lovingly of the people and the goings-on in her small village, Ballyderrig.

SAVORY SUPPERS FOR THE HOME STRETCH

Mornings are brighter, sunsets are later and, in spite of the rash of snowstorms, I like to think of this time of year as the "home stretch". Within a couple of weeks we'll be turning our clocks ahead in anticipation of spring. Meanwhile, more hibernation is fine with me, especially when sha…

COLD WEATHER SALADS

The meteorologists tell us we are more than half-way through winter. I'm sure those on the east coast would bitterly scoff at that as they continue to dig themselves out. We Chicagoans, however, have had it easy and find such weather statements believable. I'm getting bored with so much hear…

JANUARY THAW

Writer, Bellamy Partridge, the father of one of my school friends, wrote a novel when I was about 14 entitled "January Thaw". I thought about that book this morning...not just because it was one of the first truly grown-up books I'd ever read, but because of how Januarys were back then.

Butchering trends bring fresh, meaty opportunities

Some recent trends on the butchering side of things are offering whole new ways to up your meat game, so to speak.

WINTER VEGETABLE SOUPS

January, I've been told, is soup month, but I don't need a special month in which to make a pot of soup in the winter. I adore soup - especially heart-warming, soul-soothing Ribollita which could very well be my favorite, as it is Mario Batali's. The second soup, Golden Vegetable, is suppose…

BREAKFAST BISCUIT BUFFET

I was lucky enough one weekend this Fall to be a houseguest of a true (and fellow) biscuit lover. Nothing frozen out of a can for that lady; biscuits were from scratch and heavenly, reminding me very much of those my paternal grandmother used to make.

BREAKFAST BISCUIT BUFFET

I was lucky enough one weekend this Fall to be a houseguest of a true (and fellow) biscuit lover. Nothing frozen out of a can for that lady; biscuits were from scratch and heavenly, reminding me very much of those my paternal grandmother used to make.

Old Porter jail renovation finally ready to start

VALPARAISO | After years of waiting for the economy to improve and the right project to come along, the next chapter in the former Porter County Jail building is about four months from beginning.

A salted fish produces a very savory dinner

It actually sounds like something you spread on an icy walkway to keep people from slipping. But salt cod actually has a rich history, especially in Portuguese and Spanish cuisines, which treat this simple ingredient with near reverence.

ELEGANT EGGS

Could you imagine cutting into the puff of a savory cheese soufflé only to find a warm poached egg on a bed of spinach?

ELEGANT EGGS

Could you imagine cutting into the puff of a savory cheese soufflé only to find a warm poached egg on a bed of spinach?

POTATO LADY

Years ago, when I was writing a weekly cooking column for an Indiana newspaper, I apparently wrote more about potatoes than I realized. I still love them to this day but back then, they were kind of a passion. “A Passion for Potatoes” was even the title of one of my columns. As my photo ran …

POTATO LADY

Years ago, when I was writing a weekly cooking column for an Indiana newspaper, I apparently wrote more about potatoes than I realized. I still love them to this day but back then, they were kind of a passion. “A Passion for Potatoes” was even the title of one of my columns. As my photo ran …