Scrambled CAKE

Gimbal's Sour Lovers

2011-05-17T07:09:00.000-05:00

Gimbal's comes so close to getting it right for today's discerning parent- they use real sugar and natural fruit juices in their gummies and jelly candies and their sweets are free of 8 major allergens, but I really wish they would lose the artificial food dyes in favor of natural ones.

Image borrowed from the Gimbal's website

I received a sample of Gimbal's new Sour Lovers, which are tasty enough. They offer a tart zap of one of 12 flavors, and hooray for the natural fruit juice flavors, but those too bright colors and the dyes that make them are a turn-off.

This year as I head to the Sweets and Snacks Expo, I'm on the lookout for items that are made with real sugar and use natural food dyes. I'll be sharing my thoughts about the best of them over at Feed Our Families.

Disclosure: Gimbal's sent me three bags of Sour Lovers, but did not ask for or require a product review.

Gamer Grub Performance Snacks

2011-05-09T13:03:00.000-05:00

With the Sweets and Snacks Expo just weeks away, I'm receiving all sort of interesting notices. I found an intriguing postcard in my mailbox this morning for Gamer Grub. It doesn't say much about the product other than these lines, which are sure to excite as many moms as gamers:

No keyboard crumbs

No greasy fingers

Could it be true?!

According to their site, Gamer Grub snack foods are also fortified with vitamins and neurotransmitters to keep gamers sharp. Though, ironically, their snail mail piece has a typo.

Still, the lack of crumbs and promise of clean fingers intrigues me; I'll have to look for them at the Show.

Cricut Cake Decorator

2010-09-08T08:55:00.004-05:00

The Cricut folks now offer personal cutting machines that help you design fabulous cakes.

This looks amazing! Many years ago when I worked in an ice cream shop, my favorite task was decorating cakes. I even bought myself a lovely set of Wilton tips when I finished graduate school, though, they've sat mostly unused. But this Cricut Cake Machine. Oh. My.

Campfire Marshmallows Giant Roasters

2010-08-30T11:02:00.003-05:00

These giant marshmallows are sure to elicit squeals of excitement. They are huge! And fluffy! And not listed on Campfire's website. Huh?

I was at a BBQ last weekend where the host broke these out and OMG did everyone go wild. I'd love to give the full scoop on the product size and such, but that info isn't available online at the moment.

So you'll have to trust me they are big! And fun!

But the Giant Roaster are the kind of thing I'd only buy once.

Although they are a great novelty, roasting marshmallows over a camp fire is half the fun of eating them. And with a Giant Roaster Marshmallow, you kind of blow the whole wad with one roasting, unless you do what I did, which was to gently brown the outside and peel it off and eat it, and then re-toast the remains and so on until your fingers are impossibly sticky and your hair is matted with gooey marshmallow guts. But that method doesn't work well with kids.

I also found that the Giant Roaster threw off the marshmallow:chocolate:graham cracker ratio in my s'more. The marshmallow overwhelmed everything.

And I also worry about a young child (or even an older one) choking to death on one of the giant beasts of a marshmallow. (Really, click the link.)

So I guess it's regular ole' marshmallows for us from now on.

Breyer's YoCrunch Fruit Parfait

2010-08-30T10:39:00.005-05:00

Knowing how much my preteen son's Starbucks granola yogurt parfait habit cost me over the summer, I happily accepted when the folks at Breyer's offered to send me a sample pack of their granola-topped Yo Crunch Fruit Parfait.

The four-pack they sent me was gobbled up before I could say, "Yo!" Seriously, I did even get to try it.

I like that the product is HFCS-free and lowfat, though I'm not pleased about the artificial dyes. Still, these are a good size for him and easy to tote along. I'm happy that he's eager to bring these as part of his lunch.

Purple Asparagus Corks and Crayons Fundraiser

2010-08-02T08:03:00.002-05:00

From the press release with a bit of editing:

Purple Asparagus, Chicago’s non-profit organization at the forefront of promoting healthful eating for children at home and at school, holds its Sixth Annual Corks & Crayons Benefit at Uncommon Ground, 1401 W Devon Ave, Chicago, on Sunday, August 29th from 4-7pm. Foodies old and young will come together once again to celebrate the joys of family meals and healthy eating.

The event, run by Pivotal Chicago, will include a mini farmers’ market sponsored by Harvest Moon Organics farm, kids fun on the Dolores Kohl Education Foundation's StoryBus, music from Old Town School of Folk Music artists, a raffle, and a silent auction for bidding on gourmet treats, getaways, and more.

Guests will enjoy selections from Uncommon Ground’s kitchen (ed. note: Yum!), Candid Wines, Templeton Rye cocktails and craft beers from Three Floyds. Attendees will also be able to tour the certified-organic green roof atop Uncommon Ground where the restaurant grows some of the produce on its menu.

Tickets for “Corks & Crayons” are $55 for member adults (non members $60), $22 for young adults ages 13 through 21 (non members $25) and $12 for ages 5-12 (non members $15). Kids under 5 are free.

Tickets can be purchased via credit card at www.brownpapertickets.com or by check payable to Purple Asparagus sent in care of Melissa Graham, 1824 W Newport Ave, Chicago, IL 60657.

Purple Asparagus is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization at the forefront of promoting healthful eating for children at home and at school. Founded in 2005 to bring families back to the table by promoting all the things associated with good eating, Purple Asparagus is currently leading “Growing Healthy Kids,” a consortium of 30 plus organizations working in the schools to improve child wellness. The organization is also a key partner with Share our Strength and Healthy Schools Campaign to effectively implement the Chefs “Move to Schools” program of the White House's “Let's Move” initiative. For more information about the event and Purple Asparagus membership, visit www.purpleasparagus.com.

Morton Grove Farmer's Market

2010-07-22T23:09:00.004-05:00

It's no the Green City Market, but there's plenty of nearby parking.

Check out this video featuring vendors and producers at the Morton Grove Farmer's Market, the North Shore's newest market. Video courtesy of our friends at Spatulatta.

Moto Restaurant with My Mom

2010-06-22T11:29:00.041-05:00

As I mentioned, I recently enjoyed a fantastical dinner at Moto restaurant with my mom, courtesy of chef and mastermind of molecular gastronomy, Homaro Cantu.
When our 10s, or ten course meal, began with the words, "You may now eat your menu," it was clear we were in for an unusual evening. Had we been more strategic, we would have eaten a large breakfast and then nibbled lightly, very lightly during the day in order to prepare our bodies for this marathon of meals, ten courses at Moto.

Each staff person we encountered at Moto was either a culinary student or graduate of such a school. Take for instance, the dapper Trevor Hamblin, who gave us thorough descriptions of each course (twice), each drink, patiently answered our many questions and chatted more amicably with my mother than I did (kidding!).

After noshing on our menus, we were eager for the first course: chicaqua ("shee-cah-gwa") onions, the city's namesake. Cute, tiny, pink onions with a bulb the size of my 10 year-old son’s pinky nail served with flat bread. Delightful.
It could take as long to blog this meal as it did to eat eat--2.5 hours(!), so I'll share highlights.

The chef works with trained sommeliers to come up with pleasing combinations. The most interesting pairing was this German rauche bier or smoked beer. Mmm. tastes like bacon...and beer. Interesting.

The "Reuben lasagna," looked like the latter, but tasted like the former. Consisting of brisket, Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut, the sandwich, I mean lasagna, smelled like a childhood memory, but I'm not sure which one. Trying to place that elusive scent, I kept sniffing, deeply inhaling to no avail, but fortunately did not draw attention from curious onlookers.
The Cuban pork sandwich was a definite win and the presentation was brilliant.
The cigar-sandwich consisted of braised pork confit and (something else), mixed with in house pickles and white bread, deep friend, wrapped in braised collard greens then in smoked red pepper puree sitting atop a bed of ash made of black and white sesame seed ground with Cuban spices. The presentation is wonderful. It was a bit salty, but overall crisp, chewy, and satisfying.

Bubble Tea?No, watermelon soup! This got points for originality, but then again so did every other course of the evening. Dig if you will this picture, watermelon consomme with ginger and lemon, “scallop sous vide in lemon oil” with citrus peel for flavor and a bit of mint. The broth itself was intriguing, but the fish combo didn't work for my Mom or me. For what it's worth, I'm not a huge fan of Bubble Tea, either.

How about rabbit maki risotto? Looks like sushi, but it's not. This mouthful was made with rabbit loin and brussels sprouts wrapped in mushroom paper and rolled in rice, as well as sesame and poppy seeds. It was served with aoli with allspice, and daikon marinated in beet juice instead of ginger and freeze dies peas instead of wasabi. Tasty as long I could keep thoughts of cute little bunnies out of my head.

Remember our patient waiter? He must have thought I was hard of hearing I asked him to describe this next dish over and over again. Broccoli rabe and pork belly braised in stock that starts with caramel and is flavored with lemon grass, chili and like five other things that boil down into the glaze.

The dish was too complicated for me to transcribe (did I mention the many glasses of wine?) no matter how many times Trevor repeated it. Mushroom stems pureed blah blah and made into what sounds like a meringue version of the original mushroom. WTH? But, oh, look how lovely!
Delicious course; I especially like the sweet and delicious glaze that had just a hint of spice.

Not quite, but close to dessert, we enjoyed this classic Italian dessert morphed into a savory Mexican one.

The actual dessert courses included Pad Thai-esque, featuring sorbet "pad thai," mango cream, vanilla rice pudding, coconut sorbet and lime slice made out of thai basil, cilantro and lime juice Mom told me she'll never look at pad thai the same way.

We ended the meal, which felt like more of an event, really, with a root beer float Moto-style. That is, a beaker of locally brewed root beer topped with a vanilla infused packing peanut dipped in liquid nitrogen, for a magical effect.

Our dinner at Moto was an unforgettable mother-daughter experience, but heck, dining partners aside, a dinner at Moto is just plain memorable.

Click here for more Moto photos from the launch party of their Planet Green Show, Future Food.

Hershey's Milk Chocolate Drops

2010-05-18T08:12:00.001-05:00

At first glimpse, we thought Hershey's came out with an M&M wannabe snack. In reality, these drops are about twice the size of M&M's without the colorful coatings. According to the packaging, there is no candy shell, but rather a "light shiny finish" that keep them from melting in your hands.

The melt occurs much more quickly than with M&Ms resulting in immediately chocolate satisfaction. The sweet taste is similar to a Hershey's Kiss.

My .6 oz sample pack had 5 large drops, but from a psychological standpoint, 10 M&Ms might feel like a more satisfying indulgence.

Sweets and Snacks Expo: Icee Lollipop

2010-05-11T07:20:00.001-05:00

My ten year-old son thinks this will be a hit because he likes Icees. The sample we received is blue raspberry, which is his favorite lollipop flavor.

Compared to a DumDum pop, this one is larger (.6 oz) and tastes better, according to our expert, "It's tastes more like blue raspberry. I think it has more sugar."

The big surprise came when he cracked it open (I hate when they bite their lollipops!), the center is filled with a tart, sour powdery center. And it fizzes in your mouth!

On a scale of 1 to 4, with 4 being the best, our tiny taster ranks this treat a 3.

By the end of the taste test, my boy's lips. teeth and tongue were bright blue, much to his delight and my disgust. Have I mentioned my disdain for artificial food dyes?

At any rate, I'm thinking the sealants we had applied to his molars during his last dental check-up are going to be a worthwhile investment.

Sweets and Snacks: Mars takes the Lead on Nutritional Labeling

2010-05-03T07:43:00.000-05:00

One standout I noticed digging through the huge pile of samples I received from the National Confectioner's Association is the new nutritional labeling on Mars candies.

Interestingly, according to their website, Mars was the first food company to globally commit to not market to children under the age of 12.Mars is living up to their commitment to help consumer make informed choices with their new labeling (photo below) which clearly outlines, in large, visible type, calorie content, total fat and sat fat, sugars and sodium.
It's a bold move for a confectioner.

As a consumer, I can easily see avoiding that impulse purchase at the checkout line when it's clear how many fat grams are in a given candy bar. On the other hand, nothing gets between this girl and her PMS chocolate cravings, so the labeling makes it easier to find the best (least worst or perhaps "most satisfying per grams of fat") snack.

Mrs. Prindable's Gourmet Jumbo Caramel Apples

2010-05-01T08:54:00.007-05:00

Take a peek at the highlights from a MomImpact (my company) blogger tour at Mrs. Prindable's. The factory is located just outside of Chicago in Niles, in the same facility that produces Affy Tapple taffy apples. However, Mrs. Prindable's features its own production line and a more labor-intensive process. Each hand-dipped is apple is an individual work of edible art. With layers of caramel and chocolate smothering a ginormous, tart apple, Mrs. Prindable's apples are delicious treats that can be shared with up to ten people.

More check-ins at Mrs. Prindable's

Sweets and Snacks: Licensed Character Fun

2010-05-01T07:30:00.006-05:00

Items with licensed items = fun! Treats emblazoned with or molded into the shape of a favorite character are a natural choice for well-themed party goody bags. Hello Kitty is apparently irresistible on any item. The Hello Kitty Pez I received in my media kit will make a nice addition to my collection (which presently sits in a box in storage like most of my other worldly possessions right now).

What Hello Kitty is to girls, Mario is to boys. The One-up Mushroom candy tin based on the uber-popular Mario videogames and filled with sour hard candies is like a boy magnet.

Future Food and Moto

2010-03-22T23:45:00.013-05:00

Ironically, just hours after my post about April Fools Day food, I found myself eating at Moto to celebrate the premiere of Homaro Cantu and Ben Roche's new Planet Green TV series, Future Food. Moto is on the cutting edge, or rather the liquid nitrogen-fueled extremely cold edge of the innovative molecular gastronomy food movement.

We nibbled Cuban sandwiches that looked like Cuban cigars, cupcakes covered in foie gras with pistachio flake sprinkles, and s'mores bombs. Take a look below at some of the delightful eats at the event.

More check-ins at Moto Restaurant

Molecular gastronomy goes beyond simply cooking and focuses on the chemical reactions that happen when food is modified and when it hits our taste buds. It's an art form that aims to transform ingredients and combine cuisine with splashes of aesthetic and technical flair to impress the senses.

I watched one episode of Future Food at the event and another one at home. The show is full of foodie + geeky fun, which in my world is a very good thing.

Another aspect I like about Future Food is the creativity and the enthusiasm of Moto's kitchen staff. Having met them, it seems very genuine. They are a very playful and energetic bunch, to put it mildly.

There was talk about the staff at Moto from Cantu and Roche on down (this from Roche, himself) as kind of outliers or more bluntly, sort of a ragtag group of misfits who have come together to create something wonderful and exceptional. This adds an endearing aspect to the show.

I like that Cantu and Roche take their food to the streets of Chicago to test out some of their dishes. That adds a fun element and a chance to highlight the city.

So I'm cheering for the Moto staff and the future of Future Foods, however, the environmental theme is a bit specious. I'm not sure the wacky set-ups which lead to a tenuous "green" connection are necessary because what the team does with their food is really cool and I sense some big personalities just waiting to unfold. From idea to plate, the food is unique and exciting; I think the food and the staff could hold their own without such contrived plot structures.

Along those lines, the team shares some of the science behind their work, but I would have liked to have learned more. Cooking is all about chemistry and these guys take it to the extreme with their liquid nitrogen and beakers (I see a whole new cooking line based on this show), surely they have a thing or two to teach us.

I think my boys ages, 9 and 11, will get a kick out of this show, but I'd like to see some precautions taken, or at least advised, i.e. don't stick your hand in the -370 degree F liquid nitrogen.

Cantu has been taking risks ever since he opened up Moto (long before, no doubt) and and I'd love to see this one pay off. We'll definitely be tuning in to future episodes of Future Food, and I hope the show gets renewed for a second season, so it has a chance to come into its own.

Edited to add: See what my friends at Gaper's Block had to say about this extravaganza.

Food for April Fools Day

2010-03-22T10:34:00.004-05:00

There's always room for foodie fun on April Fools Day!

One year, I took salad plates and covered them in vanilla yogurt and topped each one with a half of a bright yellow-orange canned peach and told the boys I was serving up giant eggs. They totally fell for the surprise, much to my delight--and theirs.

Another time, we made faux sushi with Froot by the Foot to substitute for the nori (seaweed wrapper) and coconut flakes instead of rice. We didn't fool anyone, but we did have a lot of fun making it.

Last year, my boys created a lot of fun/disgusting treats with the Spatulatta girls. Click through to the videos to learn how to make a Moldy Sandwich and Kitty Litter Cake, among other delights. Did I say delights? Ewwww!

And I just received a fun new suggestion for April Fools Day "Bacon and Eggs" from the folks at Family Fun magazine

For the eggs:
• 3 tablespoons white chocolate chips
• 12 yellow M&MS

For the bacon:
• 1 square caramel
• 1 Tootsie Roll Midgee

Instructions
1. For the eggs: Melt the white chocolate chips according to the package directions. Transfer the melted chocolate to a ziplock bag and snip off a corner.
2. Squeeze nickel-size portions of the chocolate onto a sheet of waxed paper, then gently press a yellow M&M, letter side down, into the center of each. Let the candies cool. Makes 12 eggs.
3. For the bacon: Remove the wrapping from a square caramel and a Tootsie Roll Midgee. Microwave the candies for 4 seconds to make them soft. Use your thumb and forefinger to slightly flatten each candy piece, then press them together.
4. Halve the candy, then stack and press the pieces into alternating layers.
5. Slice a 1/4-inch-wide piece from the stack. Pinch and stretch the piece lengthwise into a flat bacon strip, then cut it in half. Add ripples to each half by gently bending the edges. Makes 3 strips (6 pieces).

Check out Family Fun for more cute and harmless April Fools tips and treats.

I did not receive any compensation for this piece. I'm just sharing it for the fun of it.

The Housewares Show

2010-03-16T20:13:00.004-05:00

I feel like I walked many of the reported 13 miles of aisles at the International Housewares Show earlier this week, but I only saw a fraction of the latest and greatest gizmos and gadget.

I went to the Housewares Show looking for items that were new and different. Here's a quick summary of what I saw. I will share a few product demos and more fully describe a handful of intriguing items in the coming weeks.

Here is the second of my Whrrl stories, look for the first on Hormone-colored Days.

More check-ins at Mccormick Place Convention Complex

Sahale Snacks Gourmet Nut Blends and Glazed Nuts

2010-02-07T10:36:00.007-05:00

If you've stepped into a Starbucks recently (and what mom hasn't?), you've probably been blown away by their impressive new selection* of grab and go snacks. This is not your typical convenience store selection. This assortment contains some swanky snacks, HFCS-free, organic, fair trade and/or "better for you" items, like Sahale Snacks Glazed Nuts.

I picked up a bag of Sahale's Cashews with Pomegranate and Vanilla, thinking it would offer a tasty and sweet, but reasonably healthy afternoon snack. You're body doesn't burn through proteins the way it does for carbs, so protein-based snacks can really get you through the day better.

The cashews are likely the most gourmet convenience snack I've ever had. The unique blend offered a subtle salty taste balanced with an original sweet combo.

At last week's Blissdom conference, my roommate, Cara, offered me a sample pack of Sahale's Glazed Almonds with Cranberries, Honey and Sea Salt (and though not listed in the name, but clearly an integral part of the exotic taste, sesame seeds). I really enjoyed this flavor combo and I liked the .75 ounce just over 100 calorie pack, though I imagine it would be quite expensive to purchase them in this form. (I believe the Starbucks back is roughly two ounces, meaning a bit a self-control is required for single-serving snacking.)

I love that these glazes are sweet, but light. They are not the kind of super sticky glaze that leaves you wondering when your next dental visit is scheduled. The unusual glazes and blends make this product worth a try. I know those Starbucks pastries can be tempting, oh do I know it! But if you're up for a healthy change of pace, give the nuts a try on your next trip.

*Thanks to Jennifer at Savor The Thyme for sharing her Whrrl story.

Exciting news about Blissdom and a conference pass giveaway!

2009-12-24T13:22:00.002-05:00

First, the exciting news:

My client ConAgra Foods, a client, is the title sponsor and another client of mine, Steaz, is sponsoring a conference pass giveaway. Click for details on the Blissdom pass.

Good luck!

Pirate Booty New York Pizza Flavor

2009-12-24T09:17:00.006-05:00

I'm a sucker for clever packaging, so I was won over when I saw the packaging for the review samples the Pirate Brands (formerly Robert's American Gourmet) folks sent me for New York Pizza, their newest flavor.

The flavor was not as big of a hit as the packaging. The pizza booty wasn't bad; it had the typical and satisfying corn and rice puff crunchiness, it just didn't have a whole lot of pizza flavor.

I can see the essence of pizza in the ingredient list- tomato powder, mozzarella cheese, but neither my tween boys nor I tasted that pizza essence.

If you're a Booty fan, it's worth a try, but I think we'll stick with the classics- Veggie Booty and Aged White Cheddar.

Read our thought on some of the other recent additions to the pirate booty line.

One ounce packages retail for $1.49.

Disclosure: I received a free sample pack, but was not paid to post this review.

CTA Santa Train Tweet-up on the Yellow Line

2009-12-14T12:34:00.007-05:00

I was so taken when I first set eyes on the CTA's Holiday Train that instead of pondering whether taxpayer money funds this delightfully extravagant ode to Santa, I found myself wondering if the train would make it out to the Yellow Line, the Skokie Swift.

Yes it does and I'm planning a Tweet-up in its honor! (And also my four-year blogaversary.) Please RSVP here.

Local bloggers and their little ones (keep a close eye on them please!) can join in the fun at 3:00 on December 23!

We'll meet up at the Skokie Swift Starbucks and about 3:15 head over near the tracks for ride on the train or a photo op. You'll have to buy your own train tickets, but Starbucks will provide tweet-up guests with drinks and treats afterward. Guests on the RSVP list will be the first priority for the Starbucks goodies.

The wonderful folks at Edelman are providing me with a gift card for the event, so you'll need to check in with me, not the baristas.

World War III

2009-12-12T10:52:00.002-05:00

Is this the final battle that will end the world as we know it?

From the gift shop at Lynn's Paradise Cafe in Louisville, Kentucky.

Bonefish Grill Gift Card Giveaway!

2009-12-09T23:17:00.002-05:00

Check out my post at The Full Mommy and enter to win a $25 gift certificate to Bonefish Grill. Hurry, the contest ends 12/13!

Whole Foods Chicago, Lincoln Park

2009-11-29T10:09:00.003-05:00

And I thought the Northbrook store was large! The new Whole Foods in Lincoln Park, which is located just across the street from where the old and impressive for its time Lincoln Park Whole Foods, is huge and fantastic.

It's the kind of place that makes you forget that part of living a "green" lifestyle is limiting consumption. The store is packed with hormone-free, additive-free, dye-free, organic, vegetarian, vegan and local goodness.

And the food court...ZOMG. They're got everything--at $7.99 a pound. The store also has a quite wine bar, fresh sushi and noodle soups, as well as a diner. In terms of size and variety, the store's food court rivals that of any shopping mall circa 1986.

I was there for a blog event with Underwriter's Lab, but I'm definitely bringing the family back for a field trip and a meal.

First Blush: Wine Without Alcohol

2009-11-27T12:43:00.001-05:00

Wine without alcohol? What's the point?

Well, we're always up for something new, so when I saw First Blush "grape juice all grown up" on the shelf at Whole Foods, I wanted to give it a try. No, I'm lying. My 11 year-old son spotted it first and since we'd seen the product on TV (Food Network? How Things Are Made? I don't recall), he begged me for it.

As someone who can't stand the taste of wine, I was curious to see what this would taste like. Like wine? Grape juice?

I purchased the merlot juice and the general consensus was that it didn't taste like either one. And that we probably won't be buying this product again. At least not this flavor. There are other flavors, erm, varietals, to try as well.

Have you tried this? What do you think?

Shopping Safeway for the Local Food Pantry

2009-11-24T12:21:00.009-05:00

Though I do most of my grocery shopping at Jewel and the local green grocer, when I was offered a $25 gift card from the folks at Safeway (known in California as Von's and as Dominick's here in my Chicago suburb) I decided to pay the store a visit.

I used my windfall for good and dedicated my shopping trip to a local food pantry.

I went slightly over the card amount because my oldest son brought a bit of tzedakkah money along. But as you can see, For about $31.00 we got a good deal of food. There's a mix of name-brand and store-brand items.

We bought two 2-pound bags of spaghetti and two large cans of Hunts sauce, many packs of ramen, a jar of peanut butter, two large containers of chicken broth, canned vegetables and more. We didn't have any coupons with us, but we did take advantage of the in-store discounts and if I was more organized, we could have saved with a trip to the Safeway website.

The Dominick's I visited has a full-service pharmacy that provides things like immunizations at a low-cost, without an appointment. In fact, the last time I'd been in the store was to get my flu shot a few weeks ago.

Given how tight our family budget is right now, I appreciated the opportunity to do good with the Safeway gift card. Please note, I was not sent any other type of compensation beyond the gift card for this post. Also, I was free to use the gift card as I chose.

Artisan Chocolates from Sucre New Orleans

2009-11-14T20:40:00.007-05:00

As if the offer to receive a sample pack of artisan chocolates wasn't enough, the folks at Sucre added a few tempting details about their business when they reached out to me. Not only are they in New Orleans (who doesn't want to support small businesses in that city?), they are donating a portion of their online sales this holiday season to the New Orleans SPCA.

Chocolate, charity and a city on the mend? What's not to like?

I was so taken by the lovely presentation and the unique confections in Sucre's holiday collection, that I devoted a Whrrl story to it.

I've never seen a chocolate bar quite like the pistachio rose petal milk chocolate bar Sucre sent me. Its appearance was striking and unusual as was the bar's scent. Though the presentation was dramatic, and the taste was sweet, I'd like to see smaller bits of both the pistachio and the rose petals scattered evenly throughout the bar and maybe even a dark chocolate version to temper the sweet rose petals.

Of the three chocolates in the Sugar and Spice Holiday Collection, Candy Cane, Ginger Bread, and Eggnog, the Candy Cane was the clear winner. Filled with white chocolate ganache and bits of peppermint candy, they were smooth and creamy with just the right touch of mintiness. I'd love to see Candy Cane truffles offered in their own box next year (or next week- in which case, I promise to order some).

If you're looking for a unique hostess gift, something that goes beyond the typical bottle of wine or box of drug store chocolates, let your fingers do the clicking and consider Sucre. I've even got a discount code to share:
$5 off of shipping on Sucre confections (or shipping for $4.95) with code: SPCA

Good through November 30, 2009.

Disclosure: The folks at Sucre sent me a product sample for review. I was not compensated for this post or the Whrrl story beyond the complimentary samples noted above. Yeah, I'm easy when it comes to chocolate. It's better than being paid in gum, though, if you ask me.

Free Steaz Zero Calorie

2009-11-13T11:52:00.007-05:00

Steaz, maker of tasty organic, fair trade, vegan iced teas, is my newest client. These bottle caps are from their Zero Calorie Sparkling Green Tea. It's like each bottle comes with a bonus mantra.

Am I Grateful? Yes, and you should be, too. Use this coupon and pick up a free bottle of Steaz at Whole Foods or your nearest natural foods store.

Am I Balanced? Not even close. But maybe if I fashion that bottle cap into a necklace or charm and keep in close at hand, I'll be making a step in the right direction.

If you're an old fan of Steaz, check out their new look below.

Pampered Chef's New Cookie Press

2009-10-27T05:00:00.000-05:00

The attendees at last week's Pampered Chef event were given a cookie press to take home and try out. Always up for an excuse to bake cookies, I put it to the test the day after I received it. Watch as my son demonstrates the press.

I followed the Pampered Chef's spritz cookie recipe, but I think my butter was not softened enough and as a result I mixed the batter more than I should have. This resulted in a dough that was a bit stickier than we used at the Pampered Chef demo, and as you can see, there is a bit of a learning curve.

Everyone who ate one of the cookies raved about the taste. They were delicious.

My Afternoon at Pampered Chef

2009-10-23T08:33:00.004-05:00

I spent yesterday afternoon with a wonderful group of bloggers at The Pampered Chef's headquarters in Addison, Illinois. It was like going to a Pampered Chef party, or cooking show as they call them, only I didn't need to open my wallet. This was not a recruitment event; they focused on the products, the company, and the food and it was all very interesting.

We met with various representatives of the company and learned about the recipe development process, all while sipping a delicious cranberry fizz and nibbling delectable butter cookies.

Pampered Chef's recipe developers love their jobs. Truly, they get to follow their passions and foodie dreams with the added bonus of keeping typical office hours, something that's nearly impossible to do in many restaurant and hospitality jobs.

Office hours aside, even the developers are PC consultants and are required to host cooking shows a few times a year. This keeps them in touch with their network of consultants and makes them more aware of what they are asking those consultants to do when they host shows.

The Pampered Chef folks are especially proud of their redesigned cookie press, which (and this jazzes me perhaps more than it should) is also a potato ricer. It can also be used make crackers, too, which is something I'm excited to try. (Sounds very gourmet, no?)

In addition to the aforementioned cookies, as you will see in the photos below, we made and devoured honey-apple brie bites (yum!) and turkey tetrazzini (not quite my thing).

Our gracious hosts allowed us to create a wish list of Pampered Chef products we'd like to try. Though, indeed, I can look longingly through the PC catalog, we're in such a state of paring down that I only requested a few simple ones that I know will I will use like bamboo salad tongs and as cheese grater that I think the boys will like to use.

They gave us a few goodies for the road, as well--including said cookie press. I already have a cookie date night set with my boys.

The Conscious Cook by Tal Ronnen

2009-10-18T08:50:00.004-05:00

Though a dedicated carnivore, I was tempted by the offer of a review copy of The Conscious Cook: Delicious Meatless recipes that will change the way you eat.

According the book jacket, cookbook author Tal Ronnen is among the most celebrated vegan chefs around. A glimpse at his full-color cookbook confirms why. Ronnen is renown for applying traditional French culinary techniques to vegan food and this book shows the results. His original recipes for hearty corn chowder (thickened with cashew cream), a satisfying salad (with tofu ricotta), Gardein "chicken" scaloppini, are all pictured in tempting glory.

The book contains a primer of the vegan lifestyle and includes commentary from guest chefs like Chad Sarno, as well as seasonal menus and a listing of Ronnen's favorite vegan restaurants.

I have no doubt if Chef Tal were to cook nearly any of these meals for me, he'd have a good chance of turning me on to a vegan lifestyle. As for getting it on myself, well, I'm not quite ready. Many of the recipes called for ingredients we didn't have on hand like nutritional yeast flakes, the aforementioned cashew cream, or seitan. We could easily pick these on a trip to Whole Foods, but we're lazy like that sometimes.

Ultimately, this book is little more than vegan food porn for me. I'm going to pass it along to a vegetarian or vegan-curious friend who will surely be intrigued by the stunning photos, the gourmet recipes and the encouraging words related to a vegan lifestyle.

Ninja Master Blender and Starbucks VIA: A Video Review and Giveaway

2009-10-03T17:06:00.012-05:00

When I received samples of Starbucks VIA and my Ninja Master Blender (turn down your sound before click) for review in the same week, I was inspired to try them out together in one tasty review.

Watch as I mix up a fancypants homemade coffee drink in my Ninja.

I enjoyed my iced mocha-like drink and the Ninja cleanup was simple.

I'm not one for drinking coffee straight, that is without a bit of mocha and topped with whipped cream, but I brought a few samples of VIA home from BlogHer09 courtesy of SoCal Vacation Gal Jennifer Miner, anyway. I gave them to my mom and she's now a huge fan of it. Gosh, I feel kind of like a drug dealer. The woman is now hooked.

Don't tell mom, but now I've got a few extra VIA samples to share with you along with a coupon for a can of Reddi-Wip whipped cream, so you can make your own fru-fru coffee drink.

US residents only, leave a comment by Sunday, October 12 at 1:00 PM CST . For extra entries, tweet or blog about the contest and come back to let me know in a new comment. Winner will be chosen at random.

Edited to add: After making the coffee drinks, my crew couldn't wait to try making other items with the Ninja Blender, so we followed up with guacamole and deliciously smooth mashed potatoes. The blender is a hit and I can tell we're going to be putting it to the test over the coming weeks.

Kids Eat Free at Boston Market

2009-09-21T11:30:00.005-05:00

Just in time for my trip to New York City, Boston Market is offering a kids meal deal. This is a great one, because it only requires the purchase of one adult meal ($6 minimum) to receive two children's meals. DH is set for my first night out of town.

According to their website kids meals are for those 10 and under. A meal with a drumstick, roasted turkey or meatloaf comes with milk or a soft drink, a kid's size side and cornbread would normally set you back over $4, so this sounds like a great deal.

Children must be present to claim their meals. This budget-friendly special runs through October 31. See full details on Boston Market's Kids Eat Free promo

Hat tip to Jessica Smith.

Edited to add: This offer is good for children up to age 14 see the link in the comments. Whew, my oldest son is 11.

Taste This! A Cookbook Review

2009-09-14T05:30:00.001-05:00

What happens when you begin posting again on a blog you've ignored for a wee bit? Oh, you realize that you have more than a few dusty draft posts, sitting and waiting for review and the glory of being published.

Take Gina Von Esmarch's cookbook, Taste This! I received a copy in...let's just say it was in 2009.

This book is full of simple recipes. In fact, they're so simple, it makes me wonder why I don't cook a fresh meal every night* of the week.

I made the White Bean Casserole. Because it will be months before we can harvest tomatoes from our garden, I used canned ones. (*Cough* I warned you this post was a bit dusty.) A can of tomatoes, a few white beans and spices was all it called for.

I admit I was skeptical. How can it possibly be that easy to cook a decent meal? But within minutes my family had a delicious casserole which, served alongside a loaf of crusty bread, made an easy, healthy and filling meal. It was like magic!

My friends Ana at Bonggamom and Ilina at Dirt and Noise tried out other Taste This! recipes with equally delicious results. Go read and see for yourself.

*Oh yeah, because I'm disorganized and have a wicked Twitter addiction. Speaking of which, follow Taste This! author @ginavon.

Pirate Booty: My Boys are Hooked

2009-09-09T06:00:00.003-05:00

I planned to share a treasure chest full of Pirate Booty products that the company sent me with a group of tween boys. As I imagined it, we'd do a an organized, if not sophisticated, tasting, working our way through the product line.

What was I thinking? They snarfed up the snacks right away; they practically inhaled one bag as I turned my back to open the next. I was tempted to serve up a bowl of packing peanuts topped with garlic salt just to make sure they were paying attention.

I managed to take a few quick notes during this process, though.

Veggie Booty was an old hit in our house. It was a favorite snack when my boys were toddlers during the early days of this millennium. It turns out the product isn't quite as healthy as it claimed to be back in the day, but labeling adjustments have been made. Because I had a bit of proverbial egg on my face for having been a vocal word-of-mouth promoter of the unbelievably healthy snack I wasn't a paid advocate-after all this was in the days before momblogs- but all my friends served Booty to their kids; I had talked it up as an amazing way to get some veggies and fiber into their little bodies.

Sooo, I guess I'm more unresolved about that then I realized.

Anyway, after the salmonella scare had cleared (in early 2007) we returned to the brand because damn it, my kids love the stuff.

I thought we'd sampled all of their product line- puffy rice snacks and crunchy corn creations- until I received the pack.

Sea salt and vinegar? ("Delicious, but a bit sour, but not as strong as most chips. Goes well with the puffiness," according to my boys.)

Barbeque? ("So good! Yum!")

Onion? ("So good! Tastes like onion rings, but smells like blah.")

Who knew about all these newfangled flavors?

The Tings are crispy, like a certain "rhymes with feetos" snack, but come without the seemingly toxic bright orange gunk. In fact they are just naked, crispy goodness. Tings are way better than "feetos" to serve to a basement full of videogaming boys. And by better, I mean less damaging to the house and Wii remotes.

That said, I take issue with the "nutritious" on the front of the bag. To me nutritious suggests a food loaded with vitamins and fiber (think, a tangerine). I mean, you could do worse than Tings or Booty puffs for a snack and I like my boys to enjoy a "chippy" starch in their lunches or as part of an after school snack, so I do buy these for my family, but let's not pretend they're nutritious.

Overall, the new flavors were a hit with the kids. With a little more truth in labelling (especially considering their--our-- history), they'll be a hit with mom, too.

Oh, and based on experience, the Booty products go stale quickly; you'll want to finish the bag within a day or two---fortunately this is rarely a problem in our house. If you're serving them at a party it's best to wait until the last minute to empty them into a serving bowl.

Photo: the Pirate Booty folks send me samples in an adorable treasure chest. Pressed for a last-minute birthday gift for a boy, I hacked the chest into a birthday present by tossing in a bunch of coins and bandanna. Argh, matey; it was a hit.

Kim Moldofsky who muses on parenting gifted children and life at Hormone-colored Days and writes about marketing to mom bloggers at Positive Impact, Inc.

All Candy Expo now with Snacks!

2009-06-06T08:26:00.005-05:00

In 2010 the All Candy Expo will change its name to the All Candy and Snack Expo. I really enjoy two of the salty snacks I sampled at the Expo this year.

First up, Sensible Portions MultiGrain Crisps. I tried the Sea Salt flavor and couldn't get enough of them. Literally. All I took home was a small 90 calorie, .75 oz. snack pack.

The Sensible Portions chips were salty, and crispy. They were comparable to, but much thinner and tastier than rice cakes. Nutrition-wise, the 90-calorie bag had only 2.5 grams of fat and 220 mg of sodium. The smallish snack pack might have satisfied my snack, but there were several little hands dipping into the bag to grab chips.

Thumbs-up all around for these chips.

Another salty snack that left me salivating for more was Joseph Banks Cassava Chips. These are not diet-friendly, but they are satisfyingly crunchy. And how often do I get to eat cassava root? Pretty much never. I hope these Javanese crisps will be widely available here in the US. They're an interesting change from the plain old potato.

Now I'm craving a salty snack. Gotta run. I hear Orville Redenbacher calling my name!

(Disclosure- I am ConAgra's Social Media Mom and my pantry is packed with their popcorn right now.)

Candy Expo Round-up: Nonchocolate sweets

2009-05-19T15:51:00.023-05:00

Candy without chocolate? What's the point? I can easily pass up confections that are made without chocolate, so I had my boys, Smartypants age 11 and Pikachu age 9, share their feedback on a few sweet treats.

GUD FUD Gud Fud is the name of a tiny marshmallow with filling in it. The flavors of the fillings are grape, strawberry, orange, or chocolate.
Smartypants: I think they are good but very sweet. They mush in your mouth. Pikachu said he hated them before he tried it, but he put it in his mouth and spit it out anyway.
Pikachu: Yuck.I spit it out.

Toxic Waste hard candies:
SP: Too sour to describe. Probably as sour as Warheads.
P: Awesome!!!!!Even though they are VERY sour. I had to drink water. I finished it. My brother spit his out even though he had my favorite flavor.

Tung Toos
Tattoos that get put on your tongue.
SP: It does not taste good when you put it in your mouth. It also makes you gag because your mouth stays open with something big on your tongue for a long time.
P: They're sour. (And, full of food dyes, mom adds). But fun!

Chewy Lemonhead and Friends Like regular Lemonheads, but chewy. The"friends" are the other flavors: apple, cherry, grape, and orange.
P: They are good. I think that they are better than the original Lemonheads. (My brother can't eat them because he has braces.)

C. Howard's Fine Mints and Gum
P: The flavors are: spearmint (really good), peppermint (I didn't get to try it), lemon (even better than spearmint,and it tastes like lemonheads), and violet (violet tastes bad!)

Mom: We'll be back with more reviews of sweets and treats in the coming week. Unfortunately, we had a problem with one of the above reviewers sneaking a bit of candy and then lying to me about it. I can forgive the sneaking- heck, I've been known to sneak a bit of chocolate now and again, but the lying is unacceptable, so we're down a taste-tester.

I know; such a sad ending to such a sweet post.

Hammond's Candies

2009-05-19T11:02:00.003-05:00

Live from the All Candy Expo, a big shout out to Hammond's Candies. This Denver-based family-owned business makes the most beautiful handcrafted candy canes and lollipops I have ever seen. And they give free factory tours. Best excuse ever to visit the Mile High City.

Aunt Sally's Pralines

2009-05-19T06:16:00.004-05:00

Make that pralines *lite.* The Aunt Sally's folks had the brilliant idea to send me a sample of the lite praline before I'd ever stepped foot in the All Candy Expo, which longtime readers will know is a Good Thing. Aunt Sally's Lite Pralines have 85% less sugar and 40% fewer calories that the full octane version.

Admittedly, when it comes to food from New Orleans, I'm partial to beignets over pralines. Indeed, when I showed it to my Yankee boys, ages 9 and 11, they asked me to describe a praline. "Um, it's got a lot of sugar and butter and nuts." Yup.

Aunt Sally cuts down on the sugar by substituting Swerve Sweetener. The result is a super-sweet praline with no aftertaste.

Edited 5/19 to add:
I hadn't heard of Swerve before, so I'm adding this bit their website: Swerve is the first all-natural zero calorie sweetener that tastes, measures, cooks and bakes like sugar.

Swerve™ has zero glycemic index, so its perfect for diabetics; Swerve™ does not affect blood glucose or insulin levels.

Blast from the past

2009-04-10T23:16:00.000-05:00

Matzah Mania!

Check out the festive Passover quiz.

Yes I can...make horseradish

2009-04-05T23:14:00.001-05:00

Amy over at MomAdvice writes up what she calls a weekly notebook experiment where she often tries making this or that new food. I channeled her as I decided to whip up a batch of horseradish for this week's Passover seders. Horseradish is the condiment of choice for gefilte fish, which itself is the traditional Passover appetizer. If you click on this link, you will understand why I chose to try the condiment, rather than the fish.

When I Googled for a recipe, I found one from my blog sister Andrea from Andrea's Recipes. I know she knows food, so I gave her recipe a try. I noticed that she made hers outside, but from what I learned on Google, sensed I could try it indoors without overwhelming my senses.

Unlike what you see on her blog. I began with one long, firm horseradish root. It was so huge, it resembled a femur (but feel free to insert a phallic or dildo joke in the comments if you're up for it).

In my kitchen, I chopped it by hand into 2 inch bits and tossed it into a blender with water and cider vinegar, per the recipe. I'd also roasted a few pieces of beet and added a handful of those to the blender. It gives the prepared horseradish a nice pink color and adds a hint of sweetness.

I decided to run the blender on our porch because I'd read that this is where the smell can start getting unbearable. A few minutes later, my pink condiment was almost ready. I lined a colander with paper towels and drained my mixture.

After draining it for a minute or two, I spooned the mixture into storage containers. That's when the fumes became intense. My eyes stung and began to water as I scooped up the prepared horseradish.

I called DH in for a taste test (I'll wait to eat it at seder). It didn't make him cry, but I don't know if that's good or bad. He likes intensely spicy foods that give him a near-death experience. Me? Not so much.

On a related note, do you include a Miriam's Cup as part of your seder? Click through for ideas on how to incorporate this. After all, a little Girl Power is a good thing. Unless you ask my niece (just click).

Also, you don't have to be Jewish to love this amazing Passover dessert that's good all year long.

Cross-posted to Hormone-colored Days.

Endangered Species Chocolate Bars are out of this world

2009-03-11T08:47:00.003-05:00

Literally. Eight Endangered Species Chocolate (ESC) Bars are heading into space on an upcoming Shuttle Discovery mission based on an astronaut's request.

Maybe the company's sales will take off too.

With this year's healthy eating habits, I've traded my weekly Starbucks mocha with whipped (15 grams of fat in one sitting!) for a high-quality, fair trade chocolate bar each week. The Starbucks and the chocolate bar each cost around $3. I nibble the chocolate bar throughout the week whenever I need a fix because, let's face it, I can't go a week without chocolate.

I'm eating chocolate that tastes good, that I can feel good about eating. Check out the story behind ESC. I'm going to try one of their bars next week. For now, I'm working on a Terra Nostra 60% cacao double dark truffle; mmmmm. (No link because their domain is down.)

I'm definitely going to look for ESC at the All Candy Expo.

Edited 3/11 to add: How did I miss this? They do factory tour on request. Squee! To read up on other family-friendly factory tours, check out my latest post at TravelingMom.

Eating from a Toilet

2009-03-05T13:54:00.003-05:00

Would you? Ewww! No! Unless it's at this hip, irreverent restaurant in China. It's a chain called (wait for it) Modern Toilet. Not only do patrons sit on toilets, but they dine from mini-versions of the throne.

This concept makes me a bit squeamish even as someone whose career is in the toilet.

Your thoughts?

h/t Jessica Y., a Facebook friend.

Spatulatta Filming: April Fools!

2009-02-25T06:00:00.001-05:00

Earlier this month, my boys filmed a webcast for Spatulatta.com, the award-winning by kids/for kids cooking show. They were filming for the April Fool's Day show and made faux gross, that is, foods that look disgusting, but are quite tasty. April Fools!

Here a few a few photos from the shoot to tide you over until the webisode goes live.

Photos include making a "moldy" sandwich, doggy-doo fudge, and kitty litter cake (yum!).

It's like a trip to CandyLand

2009-02-20T15:15:00.007-05:00

Yeah, baby. I'm going to the All-Candy Expo when it comes through town in May. Let's just hope I can keep my healthy eating habits going until then because I will no doubt nibble myself up about three sizes as I walk the show sampling this or that.

This year the press application was a bit more thorough than in the past. I had to tell the sponsor what I wanted out of the show (um, beside lots of chocolate). Of course, I'm always interested in candy and snack trends as they relate to kids, but this year, I also hope to find out more abut how chocolate is sourced and whether more companies are using fair trade certified farms and co-ops.

In December, I hosted a giveaway of Divine Chocolate fair trade chocolate bars at Momformation. Among the commenters was Susan Smith of the National Confectioners Association. She responded to my talk of fair trade chocolate with this:

On behalf of the chocolate/cocoa industry, I wanted to take a few minutes to address your comments.

In West Africa, there are more than two million cocoa farms – and most have children who help out as a part of the family working on them. These farmers care deeply about their children, and are working hard to give their kids a better future.

At the same time, there are issues. Too many children are being harmed in the process of helping out on the family farm.

By working with organizations such as the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), we are teaching these farmers the importance of education for their children and we are making a difference.

On July 1, 2008, Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana (the world’s two largest cocoa producers) made separate announcements that they have put a certification process on child labor in place across an area that produces at least 50 percent of their cocoa. In both countries, the data collection element of the certification system has been completed and reports detailing the preliminary results of these surveys by the respective countries can be found here for Ghana and here for Cote d’Ivoire. (ed. note. links are included below, but not here.)

Too many are not attending school. But to indict non-fair trade chocolate is to indict – sight unseen – hundreds of thousands of African farming families.

It is also important to note that there is no chocolate – including fair trade – that can provide a 100% guarantee that no child was in any way harmed or exploited. One would have to monitor each and every cocoa farm on a regular basis.

We have a lot to do, but more than 70 chocolate companies, including my employer – the National Confectioners Association—are supporting organizations like WCF to make positive changes.

I encourage you to take a look at what else is being done to help cocoa farmers and their families, by visiting WorldCocoa.org or CocoaInitiative.org

Admittedly, I've only peeked at those sites so far, but the show is not until May, so I have time to dig in before I, well, dig in.

Whole Foods Whole Story Podcast: You are (in bed) what you eat

2009-02-12T18:40:00.005-05:00

This is my second sponsored post about the Whole Foods Podcast because DH is still unemployed and I gotta keep Smartypants in Omega-3 oils, and given that DH just bought the most expensive gummy kind which will ruin Smartypants' new orthodontia, I gotta grab a few dollars when I can.

Who wouldn't want to listen to this month's podcast? It's all about libido, and it's about time we look at this as a wellness issue. Click over to listen to Chris Kilham talk about "hot plants."

Cheat sheet: among the top ten libido-boosting plants are Maca (Peru), Rhodiola rosea (Siberia) and Ashwagandha (India).

I'm glad those Siberians had something to enhance hot times in their cold region. (Hmm. I think there's an even better play on words, there. Any suggestions?)

Thai Coconut Curry Broth from College Inn: A review

2009-01-14T06:11:00.001-05:00

We've been making a lot of soup lately and though I will use fresh chicken in, say, chicken soup, I always add a store-bought stock or broth to enhance the flavor. In fact, when I took a knife skills class at Chicago's Chopping Block last year, the chef/teacher recommended store-bought stock for the convenience.

I was excited to try the College Inn Thai Coconut Curry Broth because it sounded a little different. And it was.

Rather than the hot, spicy curry DH was hoping for, this "culinary broth" was fragrant and flavorful. The delicate blend of coconut, curry, garlic and coriander flavors suited me just fine.

I also like that the broth does not have MSG, but I don't like that each cup has 42% of a day's serving of sodium. As with so many processed convenience products, I'd like to see that number drop.

Check out the Singapore Lettuce Wraps we made using the broth and find other unique recipes as well.

The Whole Story: Whole Foods podcast on supplements, a sponsored post

2009-01-11T16:24:00.006-05:00

Here's the deal: my unemployed but fabulous tech writer/project manager husband is on his third month on unemployment. How does one shop at Whole Paycheck without a paycheck? It's a challenge.

Seriously though, he loves Whole Foods and we both love that they source local products. In fact, one of their reps was at the Family Farmed Media Meet-Up and I could tell from the discussion that she took her job as a local sourcer quite seriously.

So anyway, when I saw an email from WH offering me a $15 gift card for posting the link to their monthly podcast, Whole Story, I figured I'd give it a listen and post if I learned something.

I did. So here's the link to the podcast, the ABC's of Supplements.

DH has been going on and on about the benefits of fish oil and suggesting we give it to our boys, well, at least one of them. The boy in question isn't great at swallowing, so we chose the capsules, which the podcast confirmed is an expensive option, because they'd go down easily.

Oh, and we bought them at Whole Foods because we're using a brand our friend recommended.

Turns out this boy refuses to swallow and instead in putting the capsules in his mouth and popping them open with his teeth. These are fish oil capsules, people. Can you imagine how disgusting this is? But he likes it.

We figured we'd go with a liquid next time, but after listening to the podcast, I think we need to get our boy to swallow good old tablets.

Crockpotting

2009-01-03T10:49:00.003-05:00

I'm doing it. I was just Twittering with BlondeMomBlog about using our crockpots this week.

I don't know if it's just me or the lame recipes I've chosen, but it seems like everything I cook in the crockpot has the same taste and texture- that of food that's simmered for hours.

I finally clicked over to A Year of Crockpotting and picked the first recipe I saw- Black Eyed Pea Crockpot Soup. good luck for the new year, right? And healthy, too!

I'll be back with details!

If you have a favorite crockpot recipe or cookbook, let me know!

Bento boxes- taking it to a new level

2008-12-15T22:20:00.003-05:00

If you search the web for bento boxes, you will find no end to the creative lunches packed just so if into tiny bento boxes, Japanese style. But I just found this amazing site that's got to be the cake wrecks of the bento world, Anna the Red's Bento Factory. Take a peek at her Pokemon- themed edible arrangements. Now I'm feeling bad about the plain old sandwich my boy will be eating tomorrow.

What's in your child's school lunch?

2008-12-08T07:00:00.000-05:00

I'm listening to a great video over at SwitchedOnMom (click to watch). It's a talk by Ann Cooper, the director of nutrition services for the Berkeley (California) Unified School District, at the TED Conference. A conference that brings together some of our nation's most brilliant minds.

According to the TED website, Cooper is an outspoken activist for serving fresh, sustainable food to kids. Her lively website, LunchLessons.org, rounds up recipes, links, and resources for food activism.

He's a-blogging

2008-12-06T14:51:00.002-05:00

Yep, DH is writing a weekly blog over at Chicago's TheLocalBeet.com. He's The Backyard Farmer and will chronicle his attempt to break his "self-sufficiency record."

He invites us all to follow his ups and downs, fact-finding, foibles, and forced alliteration.

Check him out.

A taste of Chicago wherever you are!

2008-12-02T10:36:00.001-05:00

The other night DH brought home a delicious buttercrust Lou Malnati's pan pizza. It's a local favorite. Of course, Lou's deep dish pan variety is not to be confused with stuffed pizza, another deep dish Chicago favorite, but I digress.

He also brought home a brochure for Tastes of Chicago, a delivery service that ships our local delicacies around the globe.

To be fair, most of the food isn't all that delicate. Tastes of Chicago ships out hearty stuff like dense, creamy Eli's Cheesecake, artery-clogging Portillo's Italian beef, Vienna Chicago-style hot dogs, Hackneys half-pound beef burgers, Carson's ribs, and brown bag apple pie from Long Grove Confectionery.

Now that I've typed that out, I fear sending a taste of Chicago is like snail mailing a heart attack! Would you do this to a friend? Oh, yes you would. It's all delicious.

Be sure to order before the new year; these foods don't mesh well with healthy resolutions. Though, they are perfect addition to any Super Bowl party. By then all diet bets are off and everybody's gambling on the big game instead.

Do you really want to eat there?

2008-12-01T09:46:00.004-05:00

Have you ever walked into a restaurant's washroom only to find it's filthy, and by the way, lacking basic hygiene supplies like soap?

Or gotten a glimpse of a filthy kitchen on the way to the restrooms and wondered if you should stay for your meal?

Wonder no more! The Chicago Tribune has an online database that lets you see the inspection results of any restaurant in town. Well, most of them, at least.

When we were in California, we noticed each restaurant prominently displayed a grade from their most recent inspection. Why would you eat anywhere that did not receive an A? The system rewards sound hygiene and food prep practices. We thought it was a great idea.

At least we've got the Trib list, which, I imagine, is easier than sifting through the city records on ones own.

Spatulatta pate contest

2008-11-25T16:03:00.003-05:00

My friends Spatulatta, the by-kids, for-kids cooking site are holding a giveaway. Click and comment to win a fabulous New Year's Eve Gourmet Goodie Basket full of outrageously delicious handmade Welsh country style patés from Patchwork Traditional Foods and chocolates, cookies, biscuits jams and jellies from The London Food Company.

Good luck!

Dining a la card. It's like the Entertainment Book, only much better.

2008-11-22T23:18:00.005-05:00

The Entertainment Book of dining coupons was da bomb when it debuted decades ago. But it's been on a downhill slide for years. The 2009 book is just plain pitiful. So I was especially excited to learn about A La Card Chicago at the Family Farmed Expo.

A La Card Chicago is a deck of 52 cards, each listing one chef-driven, owner-operated Chicago restaurant.

The 52 cards go from A (Aigre Doux- reportedly one of Michelle Obama's favorite eateries) to V (Veerasway, Vermillion, and Volo). Clearly it's much hipper than the old Book.

Each card lists the price-point, neighborhood, address, phone number and website of each restaurant, as well as a lively description of its food and atmosphere.

But wait. That not all!
Each card in the deck is also a coupon that will save you $10 at the named establishment. Of course, a few rules and restrictions apply, but they are reasonable.

Their rep was kind enough to give me a 2008 deck, good for one more month, but alas, I'm a suburban type with a tight belt and few dining out plans in December.

If you're a local who likes to dine out and save up leave a comment below. I'll pay my deck forward to the first person who asks for it.

Divine Chocolate giveaway!

2008-11-15T18:10:00.004-05:00

Call it Divine intervention, but I ran into Dana from Divine Chocolate, a fair-trade chocolate company, twice last week. The most recent crossing of paths took place at the Family Farmed Media Meet-up, where she was kind enough to give me little chocolate swag bag.

As a chocoholic, I admit I'm not as picky as I should be about my chocolate. I'm not talking picky in terms of fat content or percentage of cacoa, I'm talking about the conditions under which the cocoa is harvested. Check out Adrienne's post over at Baby Toolkit to learn more about chocolate's dark, dirty secret. (And tell her congrats on her new baby girl!)

Quoting from her November 2007 post:
So... when I found out that virtually every American chocolate bar is tainted with child slavery (enacted in Africa), I didn't want to believe it. Knight-Ridder had a series of articles outing the use of child slaves to harvest cocoa and coffee beans* in the Ivory Cost and Mali. It's fallen off most of the news site because it's age (2001), but it's been reprinted here.

There are alternatives, though. Divine Chocolate is one of them. Known as a pioneer among socially responsible enterprises, the cocoa farmers own a percentage of the company (30% of the US branch and their business practices are on the up-and-up.

Sounds good, but how does it taste? I'm giving away two Divine Chocolate Bars- one milk, one dark. I think they are each one ounce of chocolaty fair trade goodness. (I had to hide them so I don't eat them myself!)

To enter, simply leave a comment by midnight, Saturday November 22. I'll pick a winner at random and send out the chocolate (we're past melting weather, right?) U.S. residents only, please.

This is not a sponsored contest, just a random act of kindness and small celebration of my return to this blog, which was largely ignored in 2008.

Tandoor India

2008-11-15T11:44:00.004-05:00

Tandoor India
in Holiday Inn Skokie
5300 W. Touhy Avenue
847-679-8900

Another guest post by DH.

The noisy, chaotic indoor water playground is gone from the expansive "Holidome" courtyard of Skokie's North Shore Holiday Inn. In its place is a smaller pool and whirlpool, some offices and the indoor patio of Tandoor India.

My buddy Rich and I go to Devon Avenue monthly for Indian food, and I wanted to try a restaurant closer to home. And one with better parking.

The menu features Americana like pizza and burgers, so if your little ones don't like curry or masala, Tandoor India is still a good pick. At first I took the presence of American dishes as a bad sign. But we were pleasantly surprised to find a full menu of northern Indian cuisine. We got the tandoori sampler (lamb sausage, chicken and shrimp) and a chicken biryani with naan.

The biryani had a nice ratio of meat to rice and was served in a traditional-looking hammered brass pot. The sampler was also quite decent and was served atop a metal platter, enhancing the presentation.

The meal was about $30. Not cheap, but the quality of the food made it a good enough value. And the convenience of parking in a free, spacious lot trumps all.

Family Farmed Media Meet-up

2008-11-13T09:25:00.003-05:00

Cross-posted from my personal blog, Hormone-colored Days.

Later today I'm taking part in an exciting private media event for the farmers and producers who will be exhibiting their goods at the upcoming Family Farmed Expo.

The Family Farmed folks have assembled an impressive panel of traditional media folks to share advice on how to these producers can effectively connect with media and share their stories. And I'm going to be part of the panel as well! I'll be offering tips on connecting with new media types and using social media.

As you read the list of panel members below, you'll quickly see why I am proud to be a part of this event:
Monica Eng, reporter at Chicago Tribune
Ann Flood, editor-in-chief of Edible Chicago
David Hammond, founder of LTHForum.com, contributor to TheLocalBeet, WBEZ radio, Time Out! Chicago and Chicago Reader, among others
Kim Moldofsky, blogger and social media consultant
Cassie Walker, senior editor of Chicago magazine

I sent out a quick tweet asking for ideas about how farmers can use social media and got back several interesting ideas. I'll be back with the tweets and more details after the event.

Eli's Cheesecake at Barack Obama's inauguration celebration?

2008-11-10T22:46:00.005-05:00

I can neither confirm nor deny the rumors that Eli's cheesecake will prepare and serve an Obamalicious dessert at the upcoming inauguration.

In fact, I started those rumors.

Eli's served up one of its giant specialty cheesecakes for President Clinton on his big day, so they know they way into the White House. And Eli's is a great reminder of sweet home Chicago. Certainly cheesecake has more presidential flair than, say, hot dogs, deep dish pizza, or Affy Tapples.

What do you think? What tastes of Chicago would you like to see Obama bring to our nation's capital?

Digital Thermometer Pans

2008-11-06T23:52:00.004-05:00

I just learned about this high tech cooking tool from Popgadget, a fun site for women and tech innovations. Perfect for the geek in your kitchen, this digital thermometer pan senses the temperature of the center of the pan and displays it on the handle. No more confusing medium heat with medium-low, not to mention medium-high.

Perfect pancakes every time!

Buy it now at ThinkGeek, where you can also find a lot of other fun tech gadgets and ironic t-shirts.

GoBama!

2008-11-05T14:57:00.002-05:00

Bento Box giveaway

2008-11-02T22:27:00.004-05:00

Serena, one of my fun new Chicago Moms Blog sistahs, is holding a Bento Box giveaway on her blog, Petit Tableau. Check out the giveaway along with photos of the creative lunches she packs her children.

Hana Asian Bistro: A Scrambled CAKE restaurant review

2008-10-30T08:24:00.014-05:00

Hana Asian Bistro
Fashion Square Shopping Center
9434 Skokie, Boulevard
Skokie, IL 60077
847-677-hana (4262)
http://www.hanaasianbistro.com/

Entrées are $10-$15.

Kids bento box meals $7-$8: choice of chicken teriyaki, dumplings, tempura, cooked sushi

A guest post by DH.

We may have found our new go-to Chinese joint at Hana Asian Bistro, just south of Old Orchard Mall (Westfield Shoppingtown, if you must).

Hana joins Kim's yearning for fresh sushi with a kitchen that can cook me fresh hot and sour soup.

The co-owner, Ray, said his architect partner painted the ceilings black, hung rice paper lanterns and built the dark hardwood paneled half-walls, which are topped with a faux oversize brick stucco pattern. Linen napkins lay atop dark hardwood tables with matching chairs that direct your focus to the centerpiece, an aquarium-style chest-high gas fireplace strewn with zen-like stones. Décor alone distinguishes Hana from our favorite Thai place, strip-mall neighbor Ruby of Siam, which simply nailed up some ethnic artifacts on the generic drywall. The boys loved their dragon roll (above), a sushi delicacy they've been waiting to eat again since our summer trip to DC. The beef and broccoli entree was several steps above a typical Chinese stir fry in a generic brown sauce. The beef was the most tender we've seen in ages, and the scallions and mushrooms rounded the dish off. The jalapeño tofu hit an ideal spicy note, but again, was a bit salty and was one of many misspellings on the menu. As a former menu designer, I'm saddened when a classy eatery like Hana slips menus into cheap plastic sleeves.

We were disappointed when this 2-day-old restaurant wouldn't accommodate our kids' special request for shrimp tempura. It didn't seem like a good way to build a loyal following.
Our chosen substitute, honey-sesame shrimp, was extremely sweet and a big hit with the boys, already stuffed from potstickers, vegetable tempura and spinach gomae. Kim had a problem with the shrimp dish in that she found several small pieces of hard, crystalized honey in her food, but no one else at the table had this problem. She's just lucky that way sometimes.

To apologize for the problem with the dish, the waiter offered us free dessert. I was alone in liking the green tea ice cream encased in rice flour cake, but I'm lactose intolerant, so it went largely uneaten. Kim said the green tea ice cream looked the food she prepared for the silkworms she raised two years ago for Pikachu's science fair project.

Our water glasses were constantly replenished. The floors, silverware and dishes were un-chipped. The bathrooms were clean and upscale as the front of the house. The boys were intrigued by the sink, a stand-alone metal basin (like a basket); the metal faucet looks like a hand pump with a bamboo chute to channel water. Kim notes a baby changing station is about to be installed in the ladies' room. The hand-cut cucumber, carrot and lemon garnishes (above with fresh potsticker) intrigued the boys and kept the plates interesting. The fusion bistro seems out of place in an run-of-the-mill strip mall. But Tyler Cowen in Discover Your Inner Economist (if you liked Freakonomics, check this out) argues that food sold away from bustling city centers offers a better value because what the owner saves on rent is often spent on better ingredients and chef's wages. Point well made.

Though we experienced a few bumps, we understand it's a brand-new establishment and Ray and his staff are working out the kinks. We are definitely taking to the road to Hana next time our Asian cravings strike, which should be in about a week.

Family Farmed Expo returns to Chicago November 21-23

2008-10-25T22:19:00.002-05:00

Here's what I had to say after attending the Family Farmed Expo two years ago.

What a bounty of information! A bumper crop of delicious food samples and a cornucopia of pamphlets, brochures, and business cards!

I'm so glad I attended, but equally glad that I did not have my children in tow. The children's area was a bit small and the crowd was large, meaning things were cramped at times. I would not have wanted to negotiate that kind of crowd with my kids. Then again, we Moldofskys are a crowd-averse and early rising bunch.

I can't possibly distill everything I learned into a simple post, so you have to make do with the highlights below.

Hot Stuff
Jerry Jimenez retired to Southern Illinois to start a chili pepper farm. Yeah, I know, Illinois isn't exactly known for its specialty hot peppers, but Jerry’s out to change this. At his downstate Rancho Bella Vista he grows two acres of specialty peppers and turns them into salsas, powders, jellies, and jams. I sampled a mild salsa that offered just enough heat for my timid taste buds, but provided a more complex flavor than your typical grocery store variety. I bought DH a jar of the hot stuff. Learn more here.

Mom-owned
I met Shelly, mom and co-owner of Irv and Shelly’s Fresh Picks. Think: Peapod meets Whole Foods. A great choice for a mom like me who loves the idea of feeding her crew organic produce grown at local farms, but fears wasting much of CSA box of veggies. While her prices are competitive with Whole Foods, you're saving not only a trip to the store, but all the impulse purchases you're likely to make there. (Or is DH the only one who needs a chaperon at Whole Foods?)

Speaking of unique cheeses
I was delighted to meet Gaylon Emerizian producer of the James Beard Award-nominated documentary about artisan cheese makers in Wisconsin, Living on the Wedge. BTW, James Beard Awards are the Oscars of the food world. And yes, I said a documentary about artisan cheese makers. I purchased a copy and watched it with my family. It was fascinating! I totally want to have a cheese tasting party.

Gaylon is probably better know for her other James Beard-nominated production, Spatulatta. Spatulatta is a fun by-kids, for-kids webcast featuring two girls from nearby Evanston.

For schools
Equal Exchange, a 20 year-old fair trade organization, offers a fundraising program for schools.

You can bring Envirokidz certified organic snacks and cereals (like Gorilla Munch and Panda Puffs) to your school by contacting Elaine in their foodservice division, phone 909-648-4234 or see www.naturespath.com to learn more.

Eco-gastro what??
Here are a few interesting websites connected with the organic food and sustainable farming movements:

Slow Food Movement, an eco-gastronomic non-profit dedicated to educating the public about local and seasonal foods that are grown according to sustainable principles, advocating for artisans who grow, produce, market, prepare and serve wholesome foods and more. Note: they also have a program for schools.

Find healthy food wherever you are with the Eat Well Guide and its twin, the Sustainable Table, celebrating the sustainable food movement. These sites will help you find some interesting, good-quality restaurants when you're traveling around the US and Canada.

More help for the gastro-traveler who seeks agriculinary adventures, tours, retreats, or culinary travels at LearnGreatFoods.

Find a local farms at Farm Direct. Choose your commodity (i.e. eggs or honey) punch in your ZIP code and see what’s in your area. Of course, if you live in the heart of the metro area near Chicago, “in your area” probably means 20-50 miles away.

Find a farmer's market in the Chicago or learn about the greenest, most organic one of all, the Green City Market. There's also City Farm @North Clybourn and Division and Growing Home, a job training and Employment for homeless people through organic agriculture plus a new urban farm in Englewood.

And to end on a sweet note, check out Chicago Honey Co-op.

Starbucks new breakfast menu

2008-09-09T07:40:00.002-05:00

Why was I eating Chicken Pesto at Starbucks at 8:00 on a Saturday morning? Because we walked over to our local joint to check out the breakfast menu, of course.

No, the Chicken Pesto Salad is not part of the new breakfast menu, but after we sampled the new breakfast items (courtesy of a PR pro) Smartypants insisted on eating something a bit heartier. Not that the breakfast menu isn't hearty. I mean, isn't oatmeal considered one of the "stick to your ribs" type foods?

DH and I liked the oatmeal, seasoned with a pre-measured packet of maple syrup. A friend complained that it's not like the homemade stuff, but my "homemade" stuff is the sugar-laden instant-from-a-box type stuff. I actually really liked the Starbucks version. But, the kiddos missed all the sugary sweetness, so they gave it a thumbs down.

Smartypants loved the multigrain roll with strawberry preserves and "sort of" liked the chewy fruit and nut bar, though he's not a bit fan of nuts. The bar reminded me of a nutty version of this compacted into a sweet convenient bar. I liked it.

DH's take on our morning was a bit more sophisticated. Of course, he wrote up his portion while we were chillin' at Starbucks and I'm trying to post while getting two kids off to school. Read on....Sitting outside a Starbucks on a cool, perfect-morning-for-a-stroll weather day, nibbling on fiberlicious breakfast goodies while my kids fight over where the strawberry preserves should be squeezed from the tube. Ah, it feels like we're in Seattle.

Both the apple muffin and the oatmeal had just enough sugar to hold my interest without tasting like a kids' meal. The multi-grain roll was my favorite, though. So many different crunchy textures going on at the same time. The bar seemed the most factory-made of the lot, and while it's better than the standard granola bar you might see drop down a vending machine, it doesn't seem like part of an exotic, new breakfast.

Smartypants insisted on getting a pesto pasta with white chicken, which he felt didn't sport enough chicken for his breakfast purposes. Then the kids rode their bikes down the 30-foot sidewalk from the restaurant's front door to the busy street and back again over and over, bickering over which of them deserved the right-of-way.

Jazzy music played over the outdoor loudspeakers as bees hovered around our breakfast, wondering if the sugary smells were early fall flowers bearing pollen. Meanwhile, prairie plants and grasses gently swayed in the morning breeze next to the eating area as the sun crawled higher into the sky.

Nob Hill, the NRA and the whole shmear: A guest post by DH

2008-08-05T13:15:00.003-05:00

Some foods are designed to be relished slowly in an elegant setting; others gulped thoughtlessly in passing. Though not card-carrying members of the slow food movement, Kim and I appreciate the allure of a meal that is sensuous rather than just plentiful, luxurious rather than convenient. It’s rare that we dine without the boys, but there were two recent occasions on which we did.

One was during an adults-only Vegas trip last spring. The other was on a school day the following month when we dashed and gulped our way through McCormick Place for the last day of the NRA’s Restaurant Show (no, the other NRA; restaurants, not rifles) and the first day of the All Candy Expo (which wasn’t all candy at all. There were plenty of chips, nuts and cookies to boot).

In March, we spent nearly three hours at Nob Hill at the MGM Grand, savoring the privacy of a walled-in booth and the ministrations of an attentive, knowledgeable waiter who humored us with his unpatronizing patience as we commented and inquired about the menus, the food preparation, the serving style and even the cutlery and plates. Top it off with Kim shooting unending photographs of the exquisitely prepared dishes, thinking that without pictures, the kids would never believe how nice it was. (They did believe it. They just didn’t care.)
Nob Hill seemed the sort of place where you wouldn’t take kids. There’s nothing salacious going on; what happened in Vegas can certainly be told elsewhere. Just small portions of expensive food that would have shocked—shocked, I say—our children. Especially Smartypants, who sometimes can’t believe how much grown-ups spend on things.

To be fair, he often orders from the adult menu, daring to venture slightly out of his comfort zone with exotic foods like, well, er, salmon. Pikachu remains comfortably in the kids’ menu realm with grilled cheese being his top choice. For both boys, the critical elements of any meal are, bring it fast, give me plenty and finish with dessert. Oh, and the price be damned! (Except when Smartypants checks out the seafood prices.)

Much to our surprise, the table next to us brought their toddler and his older brother, who seemed to spoil the meal for their parents (and nanny), but provided us a conversation point during our stay (Three hours at a restaurant seems more like a stay than a meal) and nicely contrasted the civility and grown-uppedness of our own cloistered table.

As surprised as we were to see kids at Nob Hill, we were even more shocked (shocked, I say) to find so many children—infants through teenagers—strolling around Las Vegas at all. What with the seedy hawkers trying to stuff our hands with brochures offering escorts to your hotel room (if you’re just staying in your room, where do you need to be escorted?) and the bawdy T-shirts and, well, the whole Vegasness of it all. I guess some folks aren’t as lucky to have grandparents to watch their kids for a week.

The Restaurant Show and the Candy Expo are the sorts of places where children ought to be (and are) excluded. It’s tough enough for adults to exert self-control and politely decline the hundreds of samples being purveyed by a few thousand exhibitors. No doubt, our children would take the opportunity to horde the goods. Oh wait, click here for Kim’s confession from last year’s Candy Expo.

Anyway, in the non-junk-food side of the convention center, we found countless variations on barista drinks and fried whatnots (meat, potatoes, breads, snack foods. Anything can be fried nowadays, and there’s a specialty machine for everything). This year offered few truly innovative foods, but a couple of sophisticated gizmos and doodads caught our eyes. One fave was the anti-stove. Instead of heating a griddle to cook foods, this air-conditioned unit chilled the griddle cold enough so liquid chocolate squirted onto sticks quickly solidified into fresh lollipops.
What struck me about both shows was both the abundance of corn-syrup-derived or breaded and fried grub, as well as the ease of obtaining and swallowing it. It’s a classic convention hall move to walk about looking interested in the product, reach out a hand, grab a goodie and BOOM, you’ve got food. Sometimes the vendors want to chat. Usually they let you eat and run. A person lacking self-restraint could easily eat a week’s worth of calories in the space of a few blocks.

Nob Hill, by contrast, is a joint where our waiter, Jaime, wiped the excess sauce from the rim of the plates before carefully setting them in front of us, rotating them just so, to orient them in the most optimal feng shui manner. Each course sat on a different colored or shaped plate and Jaime replaced our silverware between courses—emphasizing the luxury and the uniqueness of each dish. None of the courses, alas, were served on fire, as is my preferred serving style, but the lobster pot pie was cooked en croute steaming itself in its pastry shell before waiter Jaime carved it out of the casserole bowl as if shucking an oyster and gently placing it down on the dish. Hands down, this was the most memorable course in terms of just enjoying the show that is Nob Hill.

By contrast, my favorite corn-based item at the Candy show was caramel corn molded into the shape of an ear of corn, served in a plastic wrapper. For caramel corn fanciers on the go (and what caramel corn fancier would pour the snack onto a ceramic plate and spend three hours consuming it), it’s easy to hold it by the wrapper, give the bottom a smack and send the pointed top bursting through the seam of the package. That way the hands remain unsticky while the carm-corn fan nibbles on the sweet snack and ambles about looking, perhaps, for a plate of hot wings or ribs.

After finding the wings, how does one avoid getting one’s still-clean fingers all messy with sauce? Well, with a trong or two (they’re like chopsticks on steroids) one puts ones pointer and middle fingers into flexible plastic grippers with which greasy, saucy morsels can be lifted without fear of soiling said digits.

“Honestly,” I confronted the vendor, “What man with any sense of manly pride would eat food this way in front of his manly friends?” But he insisted that many passers-by showed interest in the product and that the product is economical enough (and can be customized with the restaurant name) to do well in the marketplace.

What happens, though, if despite the plastic caramel corn wrapper and the wing tongs, one still gets sticky fingers? Imagine a device where both hands (to the wrists) are inserted into holes a box and get the equivalent of a touch-free car wash! Yes, without having to touch a bacteria-laden soap dispenser or a grimy faucet, this device sprays antibacterial soap and water all around both hands as the user holds them in place and enjoys a brief bath. Meritech’s automated hand washing stations take about 30 seconds for a complete cleansing, after which—if you’re lucky—you can move over to one of those high-speed touchless hand driers for a completely hygienic after-meal cleanup.

On that note, if Nob Hill’s service lacked one amenity, perhaps it would be that I had to wash my hands all by myself.

Pinch of Salt Fritos- a review

2008-07-30T13:03:00.001-05:00

Surprise package on my front stoop today. I thought it was a box from my BlogHer roommate who promised to send bits and pieces that my other roommate and I left scattered about our messy room. But no, it was from a PR firm.

Inside it were two bags of True North Nut Clusters. Honestly, I'd never heard of the brand prior to the note I received from the nice PR lady, but DH is nuts, I mean he likes nuts, so I jumped at the chance to try them. Plus, I'm trying to get him to pop in here every now and again.

I was excited to try the Pinch of Salt Fritos that were also in the box, Low-salt Fritos! They've got less than 1/2 the sodium of normal Fritos, but all the crunch.

They're salty enough to be a satisfying salty snack and tasty enough that I had to remove them from my immediate area so as not to eat the whole bag. Now that's an endorsement. I give them 3 Crunches- they'll have to lose a little fat to make it to 4.

Hmm. They must be really new. Don't even see a pic on the website. No wait, they came out in April. But no mention or pic on the site? Look for Pinch of Salt Lays, Tostitos and Ruffles, too. I know I will. (Really, that why I accepted the free sample.)

We're cooking up something good

2008-04-22T23:03:00.000-05:00

My deadline is this week, but you can't read it until June.

Choreplay or foreplay?

2008-01-24T09:23:00.001-05:00

Admittedly I'm a bit off topic here, but click over to today's post at Momformation and let me know what you think.

The food gods are tempting me

2008-01-13T12:24:00.000-05:00

Here we are in 2008. And when I say "we," it's because I feel so big, there could be two of me. Is food blogging to blame for the extra pounds my petite frame has carried into 2008?

I don't know, but I made a public declaration of my intent to shed some of my extra baggage over at my BabyCenter blog, and like 80% of the population, I've been exercising up a storm in recent weeks. But then this postcard arrived as if to test my resolve. The All-Candy Expo is coming back to Chicago. In just a few months.

Although typically held each fall, they've decided to move it to May. Immediately following another high calorie orgy--the Restaurant Show. Given my tight pants and bulging tops, I certainly don't need to, and yet, how can I pass up all the sweet, chocolaty, caramel-swirled goodness that is the Candy Expo?

Should I stay home or should I go? What do you think?

Oh, and here's the best weight-loss tip ever.

Stop by and say hi!

2007-12-04T05:11:00.000-05:00

Please stop by BabyCenter, where I recently started writing for the Momformation Blog. I'm blogging about behavioral issues in children up to 8 years old. Right now, I'm talking about the over-excitabilities often found in gifted children and which of my boys I love best. Check it out.

Barenaked in the kitchen

2007-11-25T22:10:00.000-05:00

While mixing up our Thanksgiving mashed potatoes and sweet potato pies, we were getting in the holiday groove with the band Barenaked Ladies and their CD Barenaked for the Holidays.

The songs are infectiously fun. You just know the guys (yes, they are all men) had a good time recording the tracks. Seven year-old Pikachu likes the rendition of Jingle Bells that starts slow and somber and morphs a crazy verse of Jingle Bells Batman smells, Robin laid an egg. I favor the Elf’s Lament and the Chanukah songs interspersed with the Christmas tunes. You can listen to a few of the tunes here.

What are you listening to this holiday season?

How do you like your turkey?

2007-11-23T08:02:00.000-05:00

Chicken noodle soup turkey, anyone? Grab something to soothe your stomach and check out this site for the results of their annual Turkey-shaped Jell-O Mold Competition. Look, the Spam turkey comes with a side of humor!

Courtesy of Karen at Strollerderby.

Really Fast Food

2007-11-16T13:05:00.000-05:00

I recently had the chance to tool around town in a fully-loaded 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan. With its swivel seats and handy little table, it gives a whole new meaning to meals on the run. You can read my review here.I was not paid for my participation in the word-of-mouth campaign; it was just a fun thing for us to try. Also, I would not let my kids eat a meal while driving around. I'm sure accident-prone Smartypants would wind up with a fork in his eye or something.

Edited an hour or two later to add: I just received a Border's gift certificate in the mail from the company that sponsored the promotion, Matchstick. Obviously, it was sent to me before my post was actually up. And I seriously had no idea it was coming. I'll pass it on to DH for tolerating my blogging habits.

Drink your latkes this Chanuka

2007-11-13T12:04:00.000-05:00

Sure, you love crispy latkes (potato pancakes), but they're a hassle to make, stink up the house and the fried treats add to your ever-expanding waistline. Plus, all that chewing saps the precious energy you need to open all those presents.

Worry you should not tattela; your friends at Jones Soda have got your back! Check out their new Chanuka Pack featuring four of your favorite traditional Chanuka tastes: latke, applesauce, chocolate golden coin, and jelly doughnut.

Even with a blender, your Yiddeshe mama couldn't make such treats. Buy two packs, so you have one soda for each joyous night.

What? You don't celebrate Chanuka? S'okay. They've got a Christmas pack, too.

Black is the new chocolate

2007-11-09T12:31:00.000-05:00

Yes, black foods may just be the next big thing in food according to Janet Helm in a recent Chicago Tribune article.

Helm notes that in some cultures, black foods are considered a sign of good health. For example, she writes that in Chinese medicine, food colors are linked to specific body organs. In that case black food realtes to kidney health.

Again cribbing from her article, black and dark foods are colored by anthrocyanins, a class of natural plant pigments that are also at work in cherries and blueberries. Studies suggest that these anti-oxidants may have anti-inflammatory properties and may offer some protection against cancer and heart disease.

Black is Beautiful
Try these at your next meal

Black beans- great in a salad, hearty winter soup, or if you're not inclined to mess up your kitchen, a burrito from Chipotle or your favorite Mexican joint.

Black vinegar- available at Asian markets, as are products made with black squid ink

Black mushrooms-

Blackberries- the kind you eat

Black nigella- or fennel, seeds, available at Indian markets

Black carrots- yes! Sort of. Click to see a rainbow of carrots

What does your Hallowen candy say about you?

2007-10-31T06:18:00.000-05:00

Are you evasive? Deluded? Optimistic?

Check out this fun chart over at the Washington Post to find out.

Also, I heard that over 90% of parents nibble on their kids candy, so don't feel guilty if you indulge. Unless of course, you've joined in on Kimberly from Petroville's No Candy Promise.

Don't go nuts; another bite of food allergies at school

2007-10-28T06:01:00.000-05:00

I saw this link to this current Newsweek piece on food allergies, fear and allergies in the lunchroom courtesy of Sandy over at The Motherhood. There's always a great recommended read or two over at this new site; I peek in several times a week.

Back to the Newsweek article, the Bunning Family of Lake Forest, is mentioned in it. Not only do the Bunning boys have severe allergies, but the parents are big players on the allergy activist scene.

The article also highlights current allergy research and notes what some schools are doing to educate students about this important issue.

"In Connecticut, that's the law—the state's guidelines for schools require
teachers to educate kids about allergies, so they won't harass classmates who
can't indulge in, say, grilled cheese sandwiches. Massachusetts, Vermont and
Tennessee also have statewide allergy guidelines for schools, and this year New
York and New Jersey began to formulate their own. Proposed federal legislation
would take things even further, giving schools up to $50,000 each to voluntarily
implement uniform guidelines so that when children graduate from a school or
cross state lines, parents won't have to start the education process all over
again."
What does your school do to educate teachers, parents and students about food allergies?
Be sure to check out Scrambled CAKE's food allergy series, including the popular essay Don't kill the allergy mom.

What's for Supper?

2007-10-24T22:28:00.001-05:00

I often wait until about 4:00 to answer that question and then the boys burst in the door from school (if I'm not driving carpool that day) and, well it's another pasta night. For me, the secret ingredient in any great meal is planning ahead.

I enjoy cooking a satisfying meal for my family. When my boys offer up a spontaneous and genuine compliment about food I've made for them it touches some primal maternal nerve setting off a complex chemical reaction that releases a waterfall of feel-good endorphins into my system. All guilt and insecurities wash away, if only for a moment.

So you'd think I'd be better at this meal planning thing. But I'm not. We eat pasta. A lot. Please, send me your menu-planning tips.

Organizationally challenged as I am, I was delighted to be invited along with other blogging Chicago Moms to a complimentary Mom's Night Out at the Super Suppers in Northbrook sponsored by the Dairy Council. Like typical Supper Suppers customers, each mom
assembled six unique, large (dairy!) meals to bring home.

I've seen meal-assembly places that look very industrial- all about efficiency. By contrast, stepping into Supper Suppers was like stepping into a friend's house. It was so much about relaxing and enjoying the process. With pre-chopped ingredients and a staff that does ALL the cleaning up, it's easy to relax. Oh, and there was wine; that sometimes helps, too.

We mixed ingredients and mingled with one another as we moved from prep station to prep station, preparing meals to fill our freezers, and, eventually, our families' tummies.

Read what Kathy B., Marketing Mommy and Grrlfriend Jess had to say about the experience and the food.

My Brother was a Rock Star in Atlanta

2007-10-18T14:42:00.000-05:00

I just returned from a trip to Atlanta for the trade show of the National Association for Foodservice Equipment Manufacturers (NAFEM). I do believe I'm the first person to have ever written that sentence in a blog! NAFEM is similar to the National Restaurant Association show held each spring in Chicago, but with far fewer food samples. Which makes it less fun, but still good for business.

My family makes a niche software product that has quite a following among architects and designers of restaurants and other industrial kitchens facilities. Many people who only know my brother as the long-distance tech support guy stopped by our booth just for the chance to meet him in person. Whenever my brother started to do a demo, he'd draw a huge crowd at our NAFEM booth. Customers would line up to talk to him, sometimes just to say hi, or thanks. He was a total rock star.

I, however, was more like the anonymous roadie. Until I ran into a mom from my boys' school. All the way down in Atlanta! Who'da thunk?

I don't normally let my boys drink Coke, but I couldn't resist these cute 8 oz. aluminum colas cast in the classic Coke bottle mold. So we're saving them for a special occasion, like when Smartypants is over his mono and finally goes back to school (his illness was my little welcome home gift--ugh).

A friend from the South told me that Zapp's are the region's best potato chips and that I *had* to try the Spicy Cajun Crawtators. I leave anything with the s-word to DH and he's yet to open the package. So no report on that.

I barely made it out of the convention center on my quick business trip, but I did get a peek inside the new Georgia Aquarium. More than a peek really, I touched a bonnethead shark and a type of ray! Billed as the world's largest aquarium, it's must-see and has some very child-friendly exhibits. The New World of Coca-Cola, dedicated to all things Coke, is adjacent to the aquarium. And the nearby children's museum looks good from the outside. Atlanta might just be a great place for your next family vacation. Or ours.

Food Allergy Blogs

2007-10-16T08:32:00.000-05:00

I'm sharing some serious linky love with other bloggers who gave a nod or two to the recent food allergy series.

My Kids' Allergies

Go Dairy-free.org loved the kid-tested allergy-friendly snack round-up so much they asked me for permission to reprint it.

Tales from the Crib

Allergic Girl

Martinimade

And now, back to our regularly scheduled blogging :-)

Gluten-free Dining in Chicago

2007-10-09T12:22:00.000-05:00

Why re-invent the wheel, or, in this case, the gluten-free dining guide? My webfriend Jenni Prokopy, who runs an excellent website called Chronic Babe, already wrote an informative piece about celiac disease and where to dine around the city on a gluten-free diet. It appeared a few months ago in the local webzine Gaper's Block Click here to read it.

You can also check out this recent Newsweek piece Waiter, Please Hold the Wheat to learn more about celiac disease and gluten-free dining on a broader scale.

And if you or someone you love is touched by celiac disease, you'll want to look at this brand-new book by (I'm guessing) the world's most popular gluten-free blogger Gluten-free Girl.

The Ultimate PMS Survival Kit giveaway now at Hormone-colored Days

2007-10-09T11:55:00.000-05:00

Don't just sit there staring at your screen. Click over and win. Click and win!

A Martini goes gluten-free

2007-10-01T19:36:00.000-05:00

Adrienne Martini, author of Hillbilly Gothic: A Memoir of Madness and Motherhood and mother of a child with a gluten-free diet is back, and this time she's guest blogging at Scrambled CAKE. She agreed to do this even before she knew I was going to send her some of the organic gluten-free lollipops I snagged at the Candy Expo. Check out Adrienne's regular musings at Martininimade.

The old adage about surprises is doubly true when it comes to kids. Expected joys and challenges seem to follow the small set like puppies follow peanut butter.

My husband and I didn’t expect to have a kid with Celiac disease, which means that any form of gluten will destroy the villi lining her small intestine. Her diagnoses came quickly. It took six short weeks, a blood test and a biopsy to figure out why she’d stopped growing, had a host of bowel issues and was generally lethargic.

In six short weeks, her entire diet had to change. Wheat, barley and rye had to be eliminated.

At the time, it was monumental. Finding the gluten turned out to be a larger problem than eliminating the gluten. Wheat is pretty easy to ferret out, thanks to the FDA’s new labeling laws but it and barley extract can sneak past you in things like tomato soup or butterscotch chips.

You learn to get on top of it – and describing that process is worth its own very long essay. To sum up, our little Diva –who is almost five now and growing like a weed – eats rice pasta like she chowed on the wheat kind. We focus on what she can eat, like apples and blueberries and cheese. She knows how to protect her own tummy and will give you an earful about her needs in that special way that a preschooler can.

Still, one obstacle remained. We had no idea what to do about birthday parties. Whether they were at her preschool or at someone’s house, kids’ parties always have cake. Always. It’s a rule of childhood. So what could we serve her when all of the kids were snacking on their iced confections?

For a few months, I simply let her eat as much ice cream as she could hold. If I were feeling daring, I’d scrape off some frosting that hadn’t touched any of the cake beneath. (This is fraught with cross-contamination hazards and I wouldn’t recommend it unless you are truly desperate.) Then I was flipping through our newspaper and discovered the recipe that changed everything: magical cream cheese cupcakes.

Essentially, these are mini-cheesecakes without any crust. What’s fabulous is that you can make a huge batch (with your kid, if he or she is interested) and freeze them. When a party arrives, you pop one in your bag and go. What’s even more fabulous is that you can dress them up in any gluten-free way that you like. Smear ‘em with frosting. Sprinkle them with colored sugars. Top with nuts and/or jam. The options are limited only by your kid’s imagination.

The magical cream cheese cupcakes

3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened (I recommend using name brand cream cheese. My experiments with the store brands have been less than satisfying. Edible, certainly, but lumpy.)
1 cup sugar
5 eggs
1.25 tsp vanilla extract
jam, sprinkles, fruit, frosting, nuts

Preheat oven to 325. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners.

Beat (by hand or with a mixer) cream cheese, sugar and eggs. Add vanilla. Pour batter into muffin tins and bake 40 minutes.

These will settle a bit in the middle as they cool. Fill the resulting divot with whatever topping moves you and your kids. Enjoy!

Next up in the food allergy series: gluten-free dining in Chicago.

A great take on the All Candy Expo

2007-09-25T22:03:00.001-05:00

I'd write something this thorough if only I got paid. Check out the Onion's spot-on take of the Candy Expo.

OMG! The Candy Expo!

2007-09-23T14:34:00.001-05:00

My teeth ached and my stomach rumbled even before I stepped onto the floor of the All Candy Expo. The Expo was overflowing with every type of sweet as well as some salty snack foods.
The Candy Expo was the first show held in McCormick Place's new West Wing, so everything was clean and shiny new, even the bathrooms. But, you don't want to hear about the bathrooms; you want to hear about the candy. It was everywhere!

Eating my way through the All Candy Expo

The Expo was the equivalent size of nearly 10 football fields. In my first walk down one of the many aisles I tried a chocolate covered crispy cricket. It would have been wise to save something this adventurous until later in the show, but I survived. I did, however, vow to avoid eating insects for the rest of the day.

At the risk of sounding too much like the Very Hungry Caterpillar, I also sampled a dill pickle, chocolate covered sunflower seeds, some upscale nut snacks, and a smoked buffalo steak snack (like jerky, but less chewy). I also snagged a marshmallow crispie to bring home for the boys and a bag of caffeine-enhanced potato chips for DH.

On my trip down aisle two I stopped keeping track of what I sampled or grabbed to take home. By aisle three, I nibbled the tasty morsels offered to me, but tossed most after a bite or two. By aisle 4 (the equivalent of maybe 2 football fields) I groaned with each glimpse of artificially colored high fructose corn syrupy gummy crap.

Another high-end, imported organic 65% cacao chocolate bar? Stop, I can't stand it! Oh, I can take the whole thing home to try? Oh, okay, sure.

By 1:00 I was spent. I looked like a pack mule with my overstuffed bags of candy. I felt like an overstimulated toddler after her birthday party, crashing down from my sugar high. I wanted a nap so badly I could have cried. But one thing stood between the parking lot and me: The Treasure House.

Each Candy Expo pass holder is allowed one trip into The Treasure House. One last, desperate attempt to grab up every possible goodie and stuff it into a small bag. I did not miss my chance. I got some kettle corn, mini-Tolberones, Jelly Bellies, and goodness knows what else.
I've already sent a basket of sweets to the teacher's lounge at my boy's school and we will no doubt be THE house for cool Halloween treats. I'm also planning an awesome PMS survival kit giveaway on my blog, Hormone-colored Days. But it will take many days to try the items that look promising.

Our Taste-Test results

The NRG potato chips looked really promising two days after the show when I was still dragging myself around as I tried to get the boys ready for school and myself ready for work. There are worse things to eat for breakfast, right? Not really, but I was desperate. Turns out the chips were too spicy for a mild food lover like me. The single chip I ate didn't jump start me quite the way I'd hoped and I couldn't handle any more.

Don't tell the boys I ate this without them, but Terra Nostra puts out a dangerously delicious USDA organic "satin milk with creamy caramel filling chocolate bar" that lives up to its satiny-creamy name. At the show, I sampled a bit of Terra Nostra's non-dairy/vegan rice milk-based chocolate, which tasted surprisingly like the real thing.

I hadn't intended to give the boys Fizzies, but they found my samples of this retro drink tablet and suddenly it was a done deal. You add the tablet to water and watch it fizz up like a soda. Packed with vitamin C and artificial coloring agents, I was glad that Smartypants didn't like it, even though he thought the concept was cool. Pikachu did enjoy the Fizzie drinks, though.

On a less artificial note, the folks at Pure Fun showered me with their organic hard candies and lollipops. They're gluten-free, certified vegan, kosher, and USDA organic and are made without artificial colors, which recent studies indicate have a negative affect on some children. But how do they taste? Great! I brought them to large family dinner last night and the nine kids present gobbled them up and filled their pockets with more to take home.

And speaking of gluten-free foods, I'll get back to the food allergy series soon with a post or two about gluten-free diets.

If you're hungry for more sweet details about the All Candy Expo, check out my new blog friends at Candy Addict and Candy Blog.

Adapted from a post at Chicago Moms Blog.

Best ever kid-tested allergy-friendly snack round-up

2007-09-15T21:42:00.000-05:00

We searched for the best allergy-friendly snacks around, and then we tried them all. I’m here to tell you about our favorites. This post can help you if follow school rules: Nothing homemade! Nothing with peanuts! Or tree nuts! Or milk!. Or simply host an inclusive class party. It’s also a handy guide if you simply want to keep some packaged snacks on hand when your child has a playdate with an allergic friend.

Necessity is truly the mother of invention. Many of the companies noted below were founded by parents of allergic children who saw a need for safe snacks for them to eat and share with friends. Please see the company websites for product photos as well as full details on their ingredients, production facilities, pricing and shipping information.

The companies below were generous with their samples. If you are part of a food allergy support group or are trying to expose families from your child’s class or school to allergy-friendly alternative snacks, they may be willing to pass along a sample or coupons to you as well. (Same goes for IM Healthy soy nut butter.)

Vermont Nut Free Chocolates
http://www.vermontnutfree.com/ 1-888-468-8373
No peanuts or tree nuts

When the folks at Vermont Nut-Free Chocolates sent us some of their signature goodies, they promised that their chocolates would be as good as any other. The chocolately smiles around my kitchen table confirmed this. Their bars were gobbled up before I could say “peanut free.” I found their chocolate-covered pretzels (available in white, milk or dark chocolate) to be the perfect marriage of sweet and salty. I even managed to save a few for the boys to see if they agreed with me; they did.

Divvies
http://www.divvies.com/ 914-533-0333
no peanut, tree-nuts, dairy or eggs (now sold at Disney World, as well as online)

True to their tagline, made to share, they responded to my request for cookie samples with about a dozen two-packs of chocolate chip, oatmeal chocolate chip and molasses ginger cookies along with caramel corn, rock candy, jelly beans, and their signature pack of cupcakes. Share, indeed! We put out quite a dessert spread when some friend came over for dinner.

We wanted to know what nonallergic people thought of these snacks. Would the parent of a nonallergic child feel comfortable serving this at a class party or keeping these in the pantry or freezer? When it comes to Divvies treats, the answer is resounding Yes! Like the Vermont Nut-Free Chocolates, Divvies caramel corn was as sweet and fresh as any we’ve tasted. The boys approved of all the big, soft cookies, though I found them rather crumbly. Surprisingly for my house, the ginger molasses cookies were our favorite; they even tasted great after a couple of weeks in the freezer.

Divvies offers a clever cupcake kit, packaged in a box that converts to a holder for the decorated treats. Like the cookies, they produced a lot of crumbs. The fours boys I served them to enjoyed decorating the chocolate cupcakes with the chocolate frosting and sprinkles included in the kit. This kit is an ideal allergy friendly treat for class parties. And with their sophisticated packaging, complete with themed boxes tied with elegant bows, Divvies make a great gift.

Nonuttin’ Foods
http://www.nonuttin.com/about_us.htm 1-866-714-5411
No peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, egg, rye, wheat, barley, artificial colors, (the list goes on)

Nonuttin’ is best known for healthy nut-free granola products and cereal bars. Their products are not free of all allergens, but each product is clearly labeled with information on the top ten allergens as well as gluten. For example, their cereals bars carry a sesame cross-contamination risk due to their crisped rice supplier. Because of the sesame exposure risk, Smartypants didn’t sample these, but the rest of us did and found the chocolate chip and double-chocolate bars comparable to more popular brands of cereal bars.

We brought Nonuttin’s cinnamon-vanilla granola clusters (made without eggs, dairy, peanuts or tree nuts) to a picnic. “They’re Canadian,” said my friend who read the package, “So you know they’re good.” Some of us think so kindly of our neighbors to the north. The slightly crunchy, slightly chewy clusters were a hit, and proved to be almost as popular as the homemade chocolate chip cookie my friend brought to the picnic.

Check out Nonuttin’s one-time sample pack offer to try before you buy in bulk.

Gak's Snacks
http://www.gakssnacks.com/ (800) 552-7172
No tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, eggs or dairy

Gak’s Snack's tagline is so good you won’t believe what’s not in ‘em. As with Divvies, the company’s motto rang true. The boys gobbled up the large, soft cookies, and they loved the crunchy mini-s too. Ironically, they enjoyed these dairy-free goods dunked in a cool glass of milk. “It makes them taste like Mrs. Field’s cookies,” explained Smartypants. I’ll be honest, it’s been a while since my boy had a Mrs. Field’s cookie, but nonetheless, both boys really liked the organic brownie chip as well as the chocolate chip cookies.

Enjoy Life
http://www.enjoylifefoods.com/ (their colorful, informative and easy-to-navigate website is worth a look)
All Enjoy Life foods are specially made (in nearby Schiller Park) to be free of all eight common allergens. They contain NO wheat/gluten, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish or shellfish, and they’re made without other common triggers of intolerance: casein, potato, sesame and sulfites. So, they just sell empty bags and boxes right? Far from it.

Their extensive product line includes cookies, granola, snack bars, bagels trail mix and chocolate chips.

I’ve become oddly addicted to their “Not nuts! Nut free trail mix.” It’s got sweet and salty, fruit bits and mini-chocolate chips as well as sunflower seeds. I didn’t miss the nuts, though admittedly, DH did. As for the cookies, Enjoy Life’s soft cookies are about the size of a flattened golf ball. And Pickahu especially enjoyed the chocolate chip cookies, while I favored the Snickerdoodles.

To some degree gluten-free baked goods are an acquired taste. Newbies should be aware that gluten-free baked goods tend to be denser and chewier than their flour-filled counterparts. If you don’t think the whole class will go for them, it’s at least nice to know you can fill a goody bag or provide a special treat to an allergic child, a child whose taste buds, no doubt, are adapted to gluten/dairy free snacks/nut-free snacks.

What are your favorite allergy-friendly products?

Food Allergies in the Classroom

2007-09-14T09:27:00.000-05:00

Allergy Moms (and Dads) know that food allergy concerns at school aren't limited to the lunchroom. That's why I've always considered the lead teacher or homeroom teacher my most important ally in the fight against accidental exposure to sesame, the allergen that might cause a life-threatening reaction in my son.

When Smartypants was younger, I prepared an informational flyer including his color photo and vital information (like birthdate and weight) as well as allergy information for all of his teachers. I gave his homeroom an extra copy to include her "substitute folder," so that every sub would have the important info about my son. In preschool, I had the teacher post a copy on the "snack cabinet" so any volunteer helpers (parents, grandparents) would be clued in, too.

FAAN publishes several useful guides for school, daycare and camp staff. Closer to home, OPMama, a member of the Chicago Parent online community recommends that schools in Chicago area or nearby suburbs give Children's Memorial Hospital a call. OPMama highly recommends their free informative lectures on the impact food allergies on all families.

As Rees pointed out in the Chicago Parent forums, parents whose lives have not been touched by food allergies often do not realize how serious they can be. A bit of education helps the whole community.

Before a child even enters a classroom there are pages and pages of registration papers to fill out, right? Always skeptical about how closely those types of papers are examined, I mark forms with fluorescent orange FOOD ALLERGY stickers purchased through FAAN. This makes the crucial allergy information stand out.

Mabel's Labels (reviewed by Chicago Parent's editor here) also makes allergy alert labels. Back in June I stuck a regular old Mabel’s name Label on my seven year-old’s water bottle. After 8 weeks of summer camp, countless throw-the-bottle games and many passes through the dishwasher, it’s looks as good as the day I put it on. They are amazing.

Mabel's ultra-durable red and white allergy labels are customized to include your child’s name and up to six allergies. I would have loved these when Smartypants was younger. They are a boon for the preschool or early elementary child who may not be able to clearly communicate her needs. They are great for school, daycare and camp, too. Had they been around when he was little, I would have slapped one of these right on my boy’s shirt before heading off to a party where he might be wandering about, trying to grab a snack without me.

What are your favorite school/daycare survival tips?

Stay tuned: Next week I'll be back with a kid-tested round-up of the best allergy friendly foods on the market and a post or two about gluten-free diets.

Making the world a safer place, one sandwich at a time

2007-09-10T22:36:00.000-05:00

Food allergies will affect your family even if they aren’t an issue in your home. For example, this summer my boys came home from every camp they attended with a note requesting peanut-free lunches. Chances are you've heard something similar at school. Whether it's a matter of following the rules or a concern for peanut allergic children, I encourage you to try soy nut butter.

Pamela Hornik of the Silicon Valley Moms Blog put it this way in a recent post: I can not stop the war or even keep my daughter's shoes organized, but I can now send sandwiches to school without hurting anyone.

When it comes to peanut-free lunches, we pack our favorite PB alternative, the IM Healthy Soy Nut Butter from a company in nearby Glenview. When sandwiched with jelly it’s almost indistinguishable from PB. Plus it’s lower in fat and safer in schools. The boys and I like the honey creamy style best, but DH goes for the crunchy kind. We’ve been eating this for so long, none of us even like the taste of peanut butter anymore.

At our local Jewel usually carries one or two of the many varieties of the IM Healthy Brand in the PB section (on the lowest shelf, usually in a dark corner) as well in the natural foods section, but it’s usually on the lowest shelf. Try a specialty retailer like Whole Foods for a greater selection of the IM Healthy line as well as other unique “butters.”

Do you have a favorite peanut-free spread (Marshmallow Fluff?) or favorite source for such items?

Don't Kill the Allergy Mom

2007-09-09T20:31:00.000-05:00

The Allergy Mom. You know her, the one who goes on about deadly foods (everything your child likes to eat) as she politely hands you a list of “safe” snacks (nothing he’ll go near). Once she’s out of earshot, the other parents huddle and express outrage. “But all my kid eats is peanut butter!” “What am I supposed to send for lunch?” “What nerve! Can her kid’s allergy be that serious?”

Yes, it can. Food allergies can kill. And sometimes they do. Sometimes at school. Be thankful you’re not an allergy mom.

When Smartypants was a toddler, I mixed up a nutritious batch of hummus for him. He loved my homemade blend of chickpeas, tahini (sesame paste) and garlic. I beamed as he gobbled my creation. Then he got tired, started rubbing his eyes and fussing. I figured he’d had a long day and he was telling me he was ready for bed. Wrong, he was telling me he was in distress.

When I wiped off the hummus that coated his fingers, arms, hands and face, I saw he was bright red. He had a rash on every inch of skin the hummus touched. Hives erupted before my eyes. Fortunately, my cousin had advised us to keep a bottle of Benadryl in the kitchen, so DH grabbed the nearby bottle while I phoned the pediatrician.

We gave our young son the medicine and sat watching him, studying the dynamic 3-D show on his skin, dutifully tracking his breathing, the ever-changing hives and his vital functions. And trying not to show how completely freaked out we were.

So, yes, I’m an Allergy Mom.

Thankfully, we were spared a trip to the ER, but that night we were introduced to a whole new set of parenting worries. Allergy testing indicated a potentially life-threatening reaction (anaphylaxis) to sesame. Although not among the top 8 allergens, it does make the top 20 (see below).

Even though sesame is not as ubiquitous as peanuts, it’s out there. Sesame seeds top bagels, loaves of bread and pretzels. It’s a common ingredient in Japanese, Chinese, Greek and Mediterranean foods (falafel, hummus, etc.). Those potentially deadly seeds lurk quietly in many snacks “party mixes” and containers of bread crumbs. Allergy Moms ask questions. We read labels. Always.

Now that Smartypants is older, he takes more responsibility for himself (I still give a heads-up to his teachers- I’ll get into more detail about this later in this food allergy series). But when he was in preschool, I was the Allergy Mom who handed out the “safe” snack list. A list compiled after a long night at the grocery store, examining the fine print and ingredients list on almost every product label in the snack/cracker aisle.

Most of the parents took care to stick with the list or call me if they wanted to bring an unapproved item. Some even insisted I read the product label myself before giving the green light. Their concern meant a lot to me. It’s scary enough sending your child out into the Big World. When that child has serious food allergies that maternal fear inches up a notch or five.

So please be patient; hold back your snarky comments and give the Allergy Mom a break. She’s depending on you to help keep her kid safe.

Over the next week or so, I’ll be sharing some of our allergy survival tips as well as new pointing out some tasty peanut-free snacks, many of which are free of other common allergens like tree nuts, dairy, soy, sesame, and gluten. I hope you’ll chime in with tips and resources as well.

For more information on food allergies:
Illinois Food Allergy Education Association
Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN)
Mothers of Children Having Allergies (MOCHA)
Also, here’s a great piece, "Food for Thought," by my friend Adrienne Martini. (Okay, we don’t know each other that well, but she let me eat all her frites while she was doing a reading at HopLeaf last winter.) Adrienne is going to share a few thoughts and a gluten-free recipe later in this series (wait, maybe she really is my friend!). She is also the author of Hillbilly Gothic: A Memoir of Madness and Motherhood. And you thought your postpartum depression was bad.

Top 8 food allergens
Milk
Eggs
Fish
Shellfish
Tree nuts
Peanuts
Wheat
Soy

I got a Brazilian!

2007-09-08T19:04:00.001-05:00

SushiSamba Rio
504 N Wells, Chicago
312-595-2300

I got a Brazilian dish, French Toast and so much more at SushiSamba Rio, a Japanese/Brazilian/Peruvian fusion restaurant.

SushiSamba is one happening place. They’ve got a little something for everyone- a rooftop lounge for the hipsters, unique “Sushi and Sake” classes for the foodies, and late night dance parties with DJs and musicians pumping out Latin-inspired beats along with samba and capoeira performances for those who like to get their groove on. From the food to the music to the décor, everything about this place is cool. So, um, what were we doing there? This is not a place you might think to bring kids, let alone expect them to be invited along on a little press junket. But they were and, you might want to bring your children there, too.

SushiSamba’s Sunday Brunch provides a nice change from the local pancake house. They offer a menu that will please every member of the family. For $15 per adult and $8 per child under 12, you choose from several tasty items to create your meal.

On our visit, we sampled almost every brunch item while chatting with Joanna, a PR representative from the restaurant who you may have seen on Check, Please!

Even though the brunch menu is filled with continental cuisine ("stuff your kids will eat"), SushiSamba adds a little twist. For example, the rich Eggs Benedict (pictured) is flavored with a Hollandaise sauce made with the mild Peruvian aji panca chile pepper and trades ham for smoked salmon. The smoked salmon was also featured in Sunday Samba Roll along with cream cheese and cucumber. We slap this stuff on a bagel; they artfully tuck it into a seaweed wrapper.

I’m not sure if I’ve lost you or your kids here, but my boys ate these unique items up. Even though they also filled their bellies with scrambled eggs and steak, they managed to find room for the melt-in-your-mouth-delicious Doce de Leite French Toast, and a taste of everything on the Smoked Fish Platter-white fish, salmon, trout and bagel chips.

It’s only as I write this out that I realize how much food we ate in one sitting, because that wasn’t all. The boys, DH and I also sampled the Carmen Miranda, a fresh fruit platter with granola and yogurt flavored with yuzu, a tart Japanese citrus fruit, as well as hot, sugar-coated Brazilian Churros served with Peruvian chocolate and caramel dipping sauces.

Happy and full as we were, we begged our hostess to let us try Feijoada (fesh-wada) ($13), a Brazilian specialty. It’s not part of the continental brunch, but it can be ordered and served family style. She demurred, so we loosened our belts a notch and tasted the traditional stew of black bean, shredded pork, seared beef and carne seca accompanied by white rice, collard greens, and farofa (a toasted flour, somewhat like cornmeal). DH could have made a meal out of this, but though the boys and I liked it, we were glad we got to sample the other foods.

The boys loved the Batidas, frothy Brazilian smoothies made with condensed milk instead of yogurt ($7). And they enjoyed choosing flavor combos for the custom blended drinks, which are large enough for two or thee young children to share. Their favorite was pineapple-orange-banana.

At SushiSamba you can go Brazilian or enjoy fresh sushi and one of the world’s largest selections of sake, Japanese rice wine. In fact, Joanna told us that in Japan sake is now considered an old man’s drink. Sake companies flock to SushiSamba to film commercials featuring hip young Americans drinking it in order to sell the beverage to Japanese young adults.

Sake. Batidas. Brazilian, Japanese. Fusion cuisine. Family brunch. They have something for everyone, except the wee ones in diapers, that is. There are no changing facilities. Which answers that eternal question: can a place be hip and offer diaper-changing facilities? Apparently not. Still, the bathrooms are a thing to behold. Not quite Ally McBeal, not quite a hall of mirrors, definitely something to see for yourself.

SushiSamba provides valet parking for $12, but there’s also a self-park garage a block away. If you’re lucky, you might find street parking.

Above: me taking a picture of Splinter washing his hands in the men's room on the other side of a glass divider.

Your kids will have fun washing up before the meal.

Tears in my Salad

2007-09-03T21:43:00.000-05:00

My eyes welled up as I stood chopping veggies, but no onions were in sight. I was near tears because I was listening to a story on NPR about a camp for children whose parents died in the Iraq War. The piece was more than gut-wrenching. It was a call to action. I can no longer sit and listen to these stories. I must do something to help end the war.

Months ago I asked my boys what we can do to stop the war. Us? Our family? Don't you mean what can the President do?

I explained that in a democracy, it's up to the people to tell the president what to do. Not the other way around (in theory, at least). But we never acted on our discussion. Not until last week when I got invited to a war vigil. So I gathered up posterboard and markers and set the boys loose. Well, sort of. First my boys and their friend started printing colorful messages like "Bring the Soldiers Home" and "Soldiers Come Home." Seven year-old Pikachu's created a more abstract message of peace with flags and countries and tears and....

And then the boys began asking thoughtful, probing questions- who's fighting with us and who are the enemies? How many people have died?

Finally, as happens in our house, things degraded. Rapidly.

Can I draw fighting? No.

Can I draw guns shooting? No.

Can I draw just guns? No! This is a peace vigil for goodness sake!

I already drew a soldier, is it okay if he has a gun? Soldiers have guns, you know. Ugh. Always a loophole. Fine, the soldier can have the gun, but after after you draw it I'm putting away the markers!

The vigil (or war protest, as the boys liked to call it) attracted about 40 or so like-minded people, including four families with children to a busy intersection to spread a message of peace. Many who drove past our group honked or waved "peace fingers" in support. Okay, one guy waved a different finger and shouted something that I couldn't quite make out, except for the words m-----f-----. But overall the people driving through town were cool with our message.

"I didn't know standing around with a sign was going to be so fun," said Smartypants at the end of the muggy evening. We both felt like we'd done something good, something worthwhile. (Pikachu, not so much; he's rather hawkish.)

I can't say if I'm entering a new era of political involvement, but I did just invite the Senator Obama and his wife to meet me and a crew of my mommyblogging friends. Now what will I serve them if they show up?

BTW, the girl in the picture did not make posters with us. She would never even think of drawing guns on a peace sign.

I'm in Love

2007-08-31T06:52:00.000-05:00

With the new Whole Foods in Northbrook at Willow and Waukegan.

After my friend Red Thread stopped into the new South Loop Whole Foods (just off the Taylor Street ramp off I-90/94) she politely offered me blogging dibs on the store. I thanked her for the heads up, but then made wry comment like, *yawn* Big Organic is growing again?

I can head to the Whole Foods in Evanston, Deerfield or the newish one in Sauganash. But I stopped in to the just-opened Northbrook location and I get it. I'm smitten. The store is more spacious than any Whole Foods I've been in. Everything looks so fresh.

And their foragers, professionals who seek out local foods, are doing a good job. They have fabulous pastries from Rolf's Patisserie in Lincolnwood (pricey enough that it's easy to keep temptation at bay), Chef Earl's fresh salsa and hummus, some great Wisconsin cheeses. To steal a phrase from another ubiquitous food outlet: I'm lovin' it!

Here are excerpts from Red Thread's post at the Chicago Moms Blog that I now relate to:

The angels sang and my recyclable tote bag was hungry for new items. First, you walk into the produce. Glorious, glorious fruits & veggies stacked like art....

The next thing I really noticed was a huge section of not just cosmetics and vitamins for sale, but IMO, a larger section of clothing than I've seen at Chicago WFs.

But wait...turn a corner to the bakery! A wall of fresh bread greets you and get this. There's a dessert bar! Dear goddess, why do you tempt me so? You can also get fresh pizza, made-to-order sandwiches, gelatto, fancy chocolates, and deli stuff.

The Curious Incident of the Cow (and my 7 year-old) in the Day (at Whole Foods)

My mother-in-law brought the boys to the Northbrook store the day it opened. I was dismayed to learn that Pikachu, who "doesn't like people dressed up in animal costumes" harassed someone in a cow costume. My progeny stepped on the cow's toes, whacked the poor thing's tail and goodness knows what else. After missing out on from a mini-golf adventure my bad seed wrote a letter of apology to the store manager. When we delivered it yesterday, the manager-on-duty, Red Elk, kindly and sympathetically accepted the suddenly shy and demure Pikachu's note. He even got down to my boy's eye level to have a gentle talk with him. He's either a dad or a former preschool teacher.

Apology complete, we picked up the fresh loaf of bread we planned to buy. We also purchased several items we hadn't planned on, but got hooked after a sample or three: Earl's mild salsa, artisan cheese, beer chips (completely addicting honey-sweetened potato chips), and artichoke-lemon pesto. Damn you Big Organic, you've got me under your spell!

The New Spatulatta Cookbook

2007-08-26T19:15:00.000-05:00

My little chefs and I were so excited when our review copy of The Spatulatta Cookbook arrived. The boys waited impatiently while I gave the book a once-over before passing it on.

I love the colorful and instructive photos and the fact that it's divided by seasons- a sophisticated move for a children's cookbook. It also has sections on vegetarian food and snacks.
I appreciate the glossary of cooking terms as well as tips on how to set a nice table (though my boys probably skipped right over that part). The boys like the photos as well as the comments the girls serve up with each recipe.

When I handed the book over to the boys I told them to pick a recipe, which is why the first dish we tried was a sweet treat called Berry Dip and Roll. BD &R is a summer snack or dessert made by dipping strawberries in sour cream and then rolling them in cinnamon sugar. Of course this was a hit- and a little bit of a mess because Smartypants assembled the entire thing while I was still in bed.

But that's what this book is all about- empowering kids to cook, right?

Next up: Sweet Potato Pie, another recipe the boys chose. I helped out with this one, but as you can see here, the boys did much of the work. (This can be a lesson in patience for the adult who cooks with them.) The recipe made enough for two pies, so we had one to eat ourselves and another to share with extended family. Each time our relatives raved about the delicious pie, my boys absolutely beamed with pride. The relatives weren't just being nice- the pie was great!

Of course, the book isn't filled with desserts. There are plenty of fine family meals to be made from this book: Be My Valentine Chicken Saute, Caprese Salad, Kalbi Beef, Millet and Chickpea Salad, to name a few. We look forward to trying more now that our power has been restored....

You can buy the book, signed, from the Spatulatta site or click over to see what's cooking this week. Last time I checked, Olivia was foraging for foods that she and her guest chef cooked into a delicious meal. And the week before that it was an adorable little boy making Swedish pancakes. If you want your book signed in person, meet them on September 15 at Anderson's bookshop in Downer's Grove. Click here for details.

And while you're clicking away, see what some of my foodie friends are saying about this cookbook:
Bon Bons for Breakfast
Food for Thought
Mother May I?
Andrea's Recipes

You can also click over to my personal blog, Hormone-colored Days, to win a free Spatulatta Cookbook and other great stuff!

Chicago's Sweetest Farmer's Market

2007-08-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

Originally posted at the Chicago Moms Blog.

Many people have posted about their for love the Green City Market, but my favorite city market takes place Thursday mornings at Eli’s Cheesecake World on the northwest side.

A typical trip to Eli’s means blowing the diet in a big way- they make tempting tarts, plump éclairs and at least eight varieties of cheesecake all calling like sirens from their lovely refrigerated display case. But on Thursdays you can purchase produce from local farms and products from area vendors to balance out all those luscious, sugary, buttery, and calorie-laden desserts.

It’s a small market, but a sweet one. The boys and I spent over 20 minutes ogling the produce from the Nichols Farm and Orchard. We laughed at the odd looking heirloom tomatoes, admired the cute, tiny pickle cukes, and questioned many items we’d never seen before. The vendor happily explained orange eggplants that resemble tiny pumpkins, lemon cucumbers that looked like gourds and offered up samples of everything that tempted us. We filled up our bags with a patriotic selection of fingerling potatoes-red, white and blue, half a dozen exotic eggplants*, lots of cukes and some interesting tomatoes.

We also purchased up some handcrafted Vietnamese goods from the fair-trade store 10,000 Villages, which had a booth on site. We picked up some tips on bicycling around Chicago and green cleaning supplies (you won't believe what you can do with a lemon) and learned that this year's Annual Cheesecake Festival will take place Sept. 15-16. This community celebration also serves as a fundraiser (foodraiser?) for the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Donate two cans of food or $1 to the cause and your good deed will be rewarded with a slice of cheesecake- what a sweet way to introduce your little one to philanthropy.

Eli's Cheesecake World 6701 W Forest Preserve Drive (Harlem and Montrose), Chicago
Read up on Eli's factory tours (yum!) at Scrambled CAKE.

* We don't always get around to eating the exotic foods we buy. Sometimes we just watch them rot on the countertop.

Click over to Hormone-colored Days and leave a comment to win great prizes!

2007-08-23T06:32:00.000-05:00

Click over to my other blog, Hormone-colored Days, and leave a comment to enter my contest. Thanks to my friends at Lands' End online, I'm giving away a great new Ergo Jr. backpack!

But I couldn't stop there; what good is an empty backpack? I'm going to fill it with a just-released copy of the Spatulatta Cookbook, a new copy of Take Ten: Meditations for the Hurried Parent, a few sweet creamy caramels from our trip to the chocolate factory and other surprises for you and your little one!

All you need to do is leave a comment to be entered into the giveaway. There's no catch, just pure swaggy fun!

Scrambled SAKE- Our Visit to Springfield

2007-08-21T21:50:00.000-05:00

We enjoyed a recent family getaway to Springfield. Yes, I actually said enjoy and Springfield in the same sentence! Unlike our disastrous earlier attempt to introduce the boys to the Land of Lincoln, this trip was fun! This time we headed downstate with grandma, grandpa, and my brother’s family, which made a big difference. And we got to see cool new sites, like the Lincoln Museum (read a related Chicago Parent mag. travel review here).

We were 11 in all, 6 adults and 5 kids. Dining as such a large group, we were not as concerned with excellent food as we were with simply getting everyone served the food they ordered in a reasonable amount of time (i.e. under 20-30 minutes). Sadly, several of these restaurants were not able to do this. Some did rise to the challenge, though.

Here’s a round-up of restaurants to keep in mind when you head to our state capital.

DAY 1
After visiting Abe Lincoln’s home during our first day we were hot and tired. A park ranger suggested we walk over the The Livery to eat a family-friendly dinner. We walked a few steamy blocks only to find it was closed. We stopped into the place next door, Robbie's, but decided it wasn’t right for us. The hostess very graciously directed us to a nearby restaurant that might better meet our needs. In retrospect Robbie’s would have been fine. I still feel guilty that we didn’t give them a try, so maybe you will and then let me know what you think.

Augie's Front Burner, right across from the Old Capitol, was not the restaurant we were sent to, but it's where we ended up after wandering inthe hot weather. Of course, we were even more tired, hot, hungry and probably a bit “ripe” by the time we walked in the door. Augie’s is a casual restaurant with upscale food, food that earned them Springfield’s fine dining award in 2006. Our waiter took great care of our large party and rushed the kids’ meals. We encountered a slight bump when buttered noodles were served with (gasp) parsley flakes on top, but everyone survived. This was the best meal of our trip. Sorry, I don’t remember what we actually ate-I was on vacation, after all, and didn’t have my notebook handy.

DAY 2
After a great morning at the Lincoln Museum we walked a few blocks to Cafe Brio. Their Mexican/Middle Eastern vibe is a refreshing addition to the Old Capitol area, but not a great place for kids or a large group, based on our experience. They don’t have printed kids menus or any distractions (other than the waitstaff with their piercings and multi-colored hair) to keep the young ‘uns busy while waiting for the meals…and we waited a looooong time.

After tiring afternoon running about town- we visited the new capitol, the old capitol, and Lincoln’s tomb- we relaxed at our hotel and then headed to the nearby O’Charley’s for dinner. O’Charley’s is a 230-strong chain with units from Minnesota down to the Gulf coast. Think Bennigan's with less “flair.” Kids eat free and we learned that many adults do, too when the service is poor. I was practically asleep by the time my food arrived, so I don't have many comments here. I do recall, though, that Pikachu was delighted to order Baked Cheetos as a side dish for his popcorn shrimp.

DAY 3
We finally made it to The Livery for lunch. If you want to know why Americans are so overweight, pop into this restaurant and get a clue. Their specialty is the Horseshoe. Take a hamburger, top it with fries and cover it with melted cheese and you've got a Horseshoe. I’m not sure if they were joking when they told us the Horseshoe is a local tradition, but we felt obligated to try it. If you’re intrigued, go with the Ponyshoe, a smaller version. They also serve real homemade soup. Good stuff, it hit the spot even on a hot day. I suspect their milkshakes are also top-notch, but I couldn't handle that and a Ponyshoe. The fast, friendly service steeped in local culture makes The Livery worth a visit.

Our last family dining stop was Monical's Pizza, another place near our hotel (a Hampton Inn and Suites—loved it!) on the outskirts of town. There are close to 60 Monical’s throughout Central Illinois, with several in Indiana and one in Wisconsin. They did a great job of seating and serving us efficiently. Each child received a multi-page kids menu with activities and crayons to keep 'em busy. Monical’s also provided little tabletop booklets full of brainteasers to keep adults occupied while waiting for a pan pizza. (Giordano’s and Edwardo’s, are you listening?) Even so, we stuck with quicker cooking ultra thin and crisp pizza. It didn't have much sauce, but I guess that's their style. We rounded off our meal with two family-size salads topped with their house dressing. Our waitress brought the dressing on the side in squirt bottles, so even the kids could top off the salads on their own. We likey.

DAY 4
We stopped at the Illinois State Fair before heading home. Like the food, I was hot and fried after a few hours. Fried food is expected at a fair, corndogs, too, but the fair provided an unprecedented number of foods in the “on-a-stick genre.” Shrimp? Pizza? Eggs? Who knew such a thing was possible?

I got a golden ticket! And you can get one, too!

2007-08-09T06:24:00.000-05:00

Long Grove Confectionery, 333 Lexington Drive, Buffalo Grove
(847) 459-3100

I didn't have to hire a roomful of wage slaves to open hundreds of candy bars for me to get my golden ticket, I merely called the Long Grove Confectionery to sign up their chocolate factory tour. You can, too!

As much as I'm looking forward to the tour, my excitement is tempered by the fact that I will be the sole adult chaperon to four rambunctious boys. I will threaten to eat their chocolate if they don't behave. This should keep them in line because, as my two boys know, this is no idle threat.

Tours take place Monday-Thursday between 10 and 1, and last about an hour. They cost only $2 per person and rumor is your get your weight in chocolate at the end. Full details and ideas for what else to do in the NW 'burbs can be found here.

The outgoing message on the tour hotline assures me we will have time to shop in the outlet store, but it's open to the public even without tours. I've been to the store before and I can assure you there are deals to be had, people.

For other sweet local tours check out this page on ChicagoParent.com and read the Scrambled CAKE commentary of the Eli's Cheesecake factory tour here.

The Paula Kamen Cucumber-Tomato Salad, a recipe for cool

2007-08-07T22:28:00.000-05:00

Like many good recipes, this one comes from a friend.

About a decade ago, DH and I were part of an informal chavurah, a group of friends who met for monthly vegetarian potluck shabbat dinners and discussion.

It was a hip group.

Intellectually and artistically hip, I mean. Our group included the creators of the (now) syndicated Edge City comic (which you can read in the Chicago Sun-Times), a woman who clerked for a Supreme Court judge, several writers, including this one, who is now also known for her CancerBitch diaries on Chicago Public Radio (click over for good news), and Feminist Fatale, Paula Kamen.

You may be wondering how the rather square DH and I, the only suburbanites in the group, wound up in such good company. I wondered that, too. I'm convinced it was a fluke, but that's fodder for another post.

On to Paula's amazing salad. This was her standard chavurah dish, and now it's my standard summer dish. It's healthy and refreshing, and the boys eat it! I make almost weekly.

Ingredients
6 plum tomatoes
6 pickle cucumbers
1/4 to 1/2 of a sweet onion
1/2 lb. of feta cheese (Go for the more expensive French or Greek variety; they are smooth and creamy. Consider using goat cheese if your only feta choice is the prepackaged stuff.)
1-2 large serving spoonfuls of kalamata olives, without pits
Seasoning to taste: basil, oregano, pepper, salt, olive oil, balsamic or rice wine vinegar

Chop first four ingredients into chunks. If you like them large, as Paula does, fine. You want to go small, that's okay, too. I usually keep the onions chunks large, so the kids can easily pick them out. If I don't have a lot of olive, I may slice them in half as well.

Adapt the ratio of ingredients to meet your tastes. I often wind up with a huge salad because I think, Oh, just one more tomato and then it looks to tomato-y so I add more cukes, then a bit more cheese, then back to the tomatoes, etc.

If you've got extra feta, cut it into cubes and enjoy as a chaser to watermelon slices. This delightful sweet/salty combo is perfect for a sultry summer night.

Paula has new book on women and mental health due out soon. I'll let you know when it's released.

Lake Michigan picnic

2007-08-05T08:45:00.000-05:00

I'd like to tell you how much we enjoyed our lakeside picnic Friday night. After all, we were meeting a group of our friends and I'd prepared a lovely trio of salads: southwest black bean and corn, pasta with goat cheese, garden-fresh tomatoes and a few choice veggies, and, finally, our summer favorite- a pleasing cucumber-tomato combo.

The thing is, we never made it to he picnic. Both boys were sick Friday afternoon. Pikachu (the 7 year-old formerly known as Splinter) was burning up and lethargic when I picked him up from camp. (Counselor: yeah, he seems a little out of sorts...) He had a fever of 102!

Not only did we miss the picnic, we barely made it to sleep Friday night. It was the worst night we've had in years. One child or the other up was up just about every hour of the night. Poor boys. Poor Mommy (and to a lesser extent, Daddy).

Thankfully, both boys were doing better by Saturday afternoon when the mail arrived. As I was taking Pikachu's temperature, Smartypants burst into the room with a large box, "Look what just came!"

I put the thermometer down and asked him to bring me some hand sanitizer, so my germy hands would not contaminate whatever wonders awaited in the box. I did a quick wipedown and opened a box of...hand sanitizer! The folks at Germ-X sent me some samples; with two sick kids in the house, the timing could have been better.

Sometimes life imitates art and sometimes it imitates commercials.