I have been in a salad state of mind for the last few weeks. I haven’t been home much to have access to my little grill and I just can’t bring myself to heat up the house with a hot stove or oven. This is why I have been making mostly no cook salads for dinner like this Seven Layer Salad I made today for dinner. This Seven Layer Salad is a salad I used to have to make when I worked in the deli of a local grocery store. This was one of the most popular recipes we sold…
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Continue ReadingSeveral years ago on a trip to Mexico, a bartender made me The Chelada one morning after a fun night out the evening before. He promised me The Chelada would cure my hangover. I watched him make the the chelada using beer, clamato juice, lime and a few other of his secret ingredients. When he brought it to me it looked suspiciously like a bloody mary but not as thick as a bloody mary and not decorated with a salad bar of garnishes. I wasn’t sure about it when I first saw it because a bloody mary isn’t my favorite…
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Continue ReadingI had an idea for this Asian Inspired Pasta Salad for a few weeks now and I spent some time sorting out the recipe in my head before actually creating it. I knew I wanted this pasta salad to be slightly sweet and have super crunchy vegetables, but I wasn’t sure about the rest. I didn’t decide all the ingredients for this recipe until I was actually in the store. I spotted the creamy poppy seed dressing that I used in this and built the rest of the pasta salad around it. I also had the idea to add mini…
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Continue ReadingAs you may or may not know depending on how long you have followed me, I am a brand ambassador for a local Chicago, 92 year old, family business called Chateau Dumplings. I work closely with them to develop recipes using their products, photographing them and managing their social media and marketing events. The partnership was a natural one, as I grew up eating these delicious Czech inspired dumplings most of my life. Traditionally, the bread dumplings were served steamed with a Czech recipe for roast pork. You also served gravy and red cabbage or sauerkraut with this dish. If…
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Continue ReadingI think it is safe to say that every family has their own Potato Salad recipe that they think is the best. They aren’t wrong. To them, their recipe is THE BEST! When discussing the topic of Potato Salad with my friend Mandee, who blogs over at The Kitchen Wife We spoke about how every person has their own special ingredients they add to their potato salad that make it unique. Often times the recipe is passed down from a favorite Aunt or a Grandmother and little things are changed or added along the way. Along with those recipes come…
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Continue ReadingOriginal Tipsy and I are back up in the Northwoods for the Summer and we decided to do some experimenting in the kitchen. We decided for Memorial Day weekend we would try our hand at perfecting a fried chicken recipe. I was shocked to learn that she had purchased a deep fryer and was hiding it from me. I would have been frying everything all this time! To start we did some research on making the BEST Fried Chicken. We learned three important things were a must: Good quality chicken. Brining is key. The chicken needs to be dry when…
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This year I was given the privilege of a Media Pass to attend Chicago Gourmet presented by Bon Appetit. This incredible festival has been taking place in Chicago’s iconic Millenium Park for ten years! If you aren’t familiar, it is a food fest like no other. Famous Chef’s, upscale food samples, cocktails, and the wine, oh my gosh, the wine. Besides the food and booze, there is live entertainment, photo booths, giveaways and plenty of comfortable places to sit, relax and enjoy the scene. Chef Demos from Celebrity Chefs like Chicago favorites, Stephanie Izard and Rick Bayless . Who are…
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Continue ReadingSo the official end of Summer is drawing near. In the fashion world this means the end of wearing white and in the world of debauchery it’s the end of frozen drinks. I enjoyed MANY a “Cold Frozen” in my Garden of Eatin” this Summer. I experimented with some old favorites and came up with a few new ones. It was fun to use the herbs from my Cocktail Garden! Here are my Top Five Favorite Summer Drinks, make them before its unseasonable to do so! Strawberry & Mango Frosé 1 bag frozen (about 2 cups) strawberries 1 bag frozen…