Archive for March, 2010
The Cupcake Gallery
Mar 12th
The area of Chicago that we live in is called Uptown, in the heart of the north side of Chicago just a mile north of Wrigley Field. It’s a gentrifying neighborhood, or “up-and-coming” as some put it, and as such has a very diverse population in a small area ranging from the homeless to the working class to young professionals to insanely wealthy mansion owners. Many business have come and go, trying to fulfill the needs of this wide clientele. One newcomer to the game filling up an empty storefront along a stretch of Wilson Avenue is The Cupcake Gallery. Everybody, both rich and poor, loves cupcakes so it’s a welcome and refreshing addition to the neighborhood!
Ancho Chili Lemonade
Mar 10th
Katrina and I can’t quite remember how this drink came to be. We had talked about making this Chipotle Cream Sauce, and somehow leftover peas led to our leftover lemons which led to the creation of this sweet and spicy lemonade. We couldn’t find dried chipotle, so we ended up using ancho chiles. I think we really lucked out from this last minute decision at a local grocer, and created an Ancho Chili Lemonade which starts sweet and earthy, lightens up with some sour citrus notes, and then finishes with a mild heat that creeps up on the palette.
Fettucini with Chipotle Cream Sauce and Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
Mar 10th
There’s a Mexican restaurant in our neighborhood called Fiesta Mexicana that Katrina and I like to go to whenever we are craving good food and cheap margaritas. No seriously… the half-pitchers of margaritas and sangria average $15, and hold enough drink for six to eight full glasses, enough to make two adults feel pretty good. To top it all off, they give you free after dinner shots with the check. Anyways, recently they added a supplemental menu of specials to the regular menu. One of these is a creamy chipotle pasta topped with bacon wrapped shrimp, with some tomatoes and a rainbow of bell peppers mixed in. Katrina hates bell peppers, so without ever seeing or trying the dish we decided to make our own version at home. Read on to see how you can make your own Fettucini with Chipotle Cream Sauce and Bacon Wrapped Shrimp.
The Cupcake Counter
Mar 4th
The next time you find yourself in the heart of the Chicago Loop with the desire to taste something sweet, walk on over to The Cupcake Counter for a delicious treat. With an assortment of rotating cupcake flavors, cookies, frosting shots, and fresh brewed Intelligentsia coffee, you’re sure to find something to tickle your taste buds.
Mutter Paneer
Mar 2nd
We love Indian food. One of Katrina’s favorite meals when we are getting delivery or going out to an Indian restaurant like Marigold is Mutter Paneer. She likes this dish because it is full of Indian flavor, but has a mild spiciness that is balanced out with a creamy tomato base. She made this at home after stocking up on some essential spices, and the resulting dish was far better than any Mutter Paneer we’ve ordered at restaurants. Try it out!
Tiramisu
Mar 1st
The Daring Bakers Challenge for the month of February, as hosted by The Daring Kitchen, was Tiramisu. It’s one of my favorite desserts to order after a hearty Italian meal. It comes in a close second to Chocolate Mousse Cake. This was a fairly complex recipe, so now I understand the big price tags that restaurants put on Tiramisu. It will take at least two days and your whole collection of mixing bowls to put this recipe together, but the mouthwatering end result is well worth the effort.
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