The mere mention of oatmeal makes some people wrinkle their noses as though they just took a mouthful of something bad-tasting. But I truly believe you can’t go wrong with oatmeal, as both a good-for-you breakfast, and as a delight to your tastebuds. I’m not talking about that gooey, pastey stuff you had in your…
I was a fat girl once. Not anymore, but I was. No, really, I was. That was about eight years, 100 pounds, and five sizes ago, not to mention about 25 points on my cholesterol score. In my closet, I have one remaining pair of size 20 jeans to prove it. I take them out…
The only cookbook I remember my mother using while I was growing up was a stained, dog-eared copy of the Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook, circa 1972. You know, the one with the red-and-white gingham-checked cover. By the time I became interested in cooking, most of the tabs had either worn off or been…
Fall has always been my favorite season, even though it doesn’t last long enough and means that the cold and snow of Michigan winter are on their way. I love the vivid colors of the changing trees; the crisp, frosty mornings when I can see my breath floating on the air in front of me….
In late fall, when I’ve given up on salad and the farmers’ market pickings are growing slimmer, I turn to my oven for everything – meat, baked goods, and even vegetables. I like nothing better than pulling a pan of mouth-wateringly aromatic roasted vegetables from the oven – they are so good, I could eat…
I first tasted huevos rancheros at Hot Spot, a breakfast eaterie in Chicago’s west side Humboldt Park neighborhood. My friend Laura was my breakfast partner that morning, and she was the one who ordered the huevos, and who ended up threatening to slap my wrist when I wanted to keep stealing bites. Hot Spot serves…