There are two sayings I carry around in life. Never look back. And don’t wish away the days. So instead of curling up into a fetal ball and waiting for November 3rd, I bought a hunk of snapper. It was an impulse purchase. Baseball without fans I find as flat as day-old beer. But the
A dear friend recently sent me the recipe for a cocktail called the French Riviera and I immediately flashed back to my childhood. Our family had embarked on a trip across Europe and while I was only 12-years-old and innocent to the temptations of alcohol, the experience remains indelibly stamped in my mind. We visited
Who likes to watch paint dry? Well, me, for starters. Ask my ex-wife. I once did 7 coats of our newborn’s bedroom before I figured out the streak I was trying to remove was actually a shadow. But I digress. Gravlax is sublime. Versatile. Healthy. And delicious. Your friends on Zoom will be impressed and
Whenever I sit down to a delectable meal, I never think about how this bountiful harvest got to my plate. And I certainly don’t ponder the critical role bees play in making my beloved fruits, vegetables and nuts possible through pollination. But the truth is, we all should be thanking these humble and hard-working creatures.
Some cook for nourishment, others for sport. I fit into the latter, generally inspired by bad TV, good jazz, or a couple of fingers of scotch. Hunger can also be provocation and it helps that in my suburban Chicago home-away-from-home we have a grocery store eight steps from my front door that stays open until
Sports fanaticism is something I readily attest to. I’m very passionate when it comes to my hometown, one of those guys who is always wearing a t-shirt or ball cap emblazoned with the logo of his favorite team. Obnoxious, right? Win or lose, I’m rooting for my guys. So, why is it that some of
I’ve always had a soft spot for ginger beer. Maybe it’s because it’s like ginger ale, but has that extra-gingery, spicy kick. Or perhaps because it has beer in its name, yet is still pleasingly sweet. When I came across this apple/ginger beer-flavored cocktail, it got me thinking – where exactly did ginger beer come
And in other news, a major pharmaceutical settled a multibillion dollar lawsuit for a product that harmed many. Benjamin Netanyahu tried to broker a Middle East peace accord. A Wyoming college student was beaten to death for being gay, while an epic love story set on a boat became the largest grossing film of all
Let’s face it. We who write do nothing all day long. That is unless you consider mud wrestling with demons, chain-smoking, day drinking, chatting up shop clerks, and beating down majestic mountains of towering doubt to squeeze out 2 good pages – something! I suspect that is why I cook. Consider the ingredients for this
There are only so many proteins you can throw on a grill. Trust me, I am halfway through the food chain and it is not even August. So last weekend, I decided to get my science on and do a little experimentation. The subject? Boeuf! My grill space is in the leafy suburb of Wilmette,
