When it comes to buying produce, most shoppers pick through dozens of pieces, turning, squeezing and unfortunately bruising many of them until they find the most perfect looking, blemish-free pieces leaving mounds of picked-through, roughly handled and damaged produce that ultimately goes to waste. I’m guilty of this myself, but this behavior pressures grocery managers […]
Hard to believe last Tuesday was the first day of Spring, with some parts of the country still getting pounded by record snowstorms. While I’m anxious for the arrival of warm spring days, I fully intend to savor the last of the cold weather with the help of a few more pots of soup. With […]
One of my earliest food memories was the discovery of a pear tree in the schoolyard way back in kindergarten. It was a sunny late fall day and as I ran through the leaves, the strangely shaped brown apples caught my eye. The sweet aroma of wet leaves and fallen fruit was too much to […]
It is winter once again in Chicago. The harsh winds and short grey days call for comfort food and quiet reflection as we prepare ourselves for the chaos of the coming holiday season. This time of year will always make me think of the time we spent living in southern Germany; the winters there were […]
A Cook's Canvas 