Leena Eats

Leena Cans: Giardiniera for Ella’s Birthday!

Leena — Wed, 15 May 2013 21:51:34 +0000

Life has been a blur, friends. I have hardly had time to document, let alone blog about my culinary adventures! I have been canning up pickles galore for my daughter’s second birthday party picnic (garlic dill asparagus and pickled carrots to name a few). And having a two year old is trying wonderful and impossible [...]

Leena Eats: Trencherman restaurant in Chicago

Leena — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 23:11:37 +0000

Oh Chicago. How I’ve missed your food! Don’t let the Bay area know, but I secretly think your restaurant scene is the best in the country. So innovative, so delicious, and every restaurant so different from the last (something the Bay area does NOT do well). So when I planned a visit over Thanksgiving 2012, [...]

Leena Eats: Just kidding…NOW I’m back! And with dinner party photos!

Leena — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 02:20:52 +0000

So. I said I was back, and clearly, I lied. What I actually meant is, hi, see you again in four months or so. I spent from mid-June through early October studying my ass off for a little test called the GRE, because I decided hey, wouldn’t it be fun to get a doctorate and [...]

I’m back and filled with more food than ever!

Leena — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 20:19:54 +0000

Hey there! Sorry for the several month break there. I have been busy chasing after a 1 year old (she is one now!!), dealing with hospitalizations (yay IBS!) and eating my weight in summer produce. Here’s a quick review of what you’ve missed. First, and most importantly, Ella turned one! She REALLY got into her [...]

Gastro Friday: Out with the Baby Food Myths, in with the Global Baby Food!

Leena — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 14:00:42 +0000

After all my research into what I should and shouldn’t feed my baby daughter, the information I found was limiting, bland, and in some cases, problem-causing (remember some foods are movers, and others are slowers!). I had to wonder, What do infants around the world eat? Surely, the rest of world isn’t feeding their baby [...]

Gastro Friday: You Know You’re a New Foodie Mama If…

Leena — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:00:01 +0000

You know you’re a new foodie mama if… 1.Your baby regularly has food particles stuck to them due to hanging out directly below your mouth.New babies like to chill on your lap, especially if they are breastfeeding. And it’s not like I’m NOT gonna eat just because there is a baby there, right? DUH. Hence, [...]

Leena Cooks: Ruth Reichl’s Mushroom Soup

Leena — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:00:35 +0000

Let me be crystal clear here–Ruth Reichl is my Tom Cruise, my Justin Timberlake, my Barbara Streisand. Very few people make me lose my shit. Ruth is one. She is the godmother of modern food writing who lived in the Bay area for part of her life (like me!), loved the world of food and [...]

Leena Cooks: Her Own Ancho Chile Powder!

Leena — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:00:34 +0000

Last week, I was buying ingredients for a new Mexican chicken recipe, and nearly peed and slipped on it. The two chile powders the recipe called for cost a total of $17! Hell no! I decided to hit my local Mexican grocery store, find some dried chiles and make my own chile powder. Screw you, [...]

Leena Bakes: Banana Bourbon Chocolate Muffins!

Leena — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:00:58 +0000

Not too long ago, a pal and fellow food blogger Emily Hanhan of Nomnivorous hosted the first of many supper clubs called Whisky and Salt in the NYC area. In her awesome and drool-inducing post about it, she revealed that she made whisky and chocolate chip muffins as take home gifts from the supper club. [...]

Leena Cooks: Andra’s Killer Veggie Chili

Leena — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:00:29 +0000

For a majority of my life, vegetarian chili has always meant one thing to me: a bunch of beans with some spices cooked in water. Every vegetarian chili I had eaten had been variations on that theme. At my annual chili cookoff, my world was rocked. I was overwhelmed with a plethora of kick-ass vegetarian [...]