Okay, so I am not that used to writing a blog like this so, please, bear with me. For those of you who don’t know, F.B.I.T. stands for Food Blogger In Training. I work with Mara at camp during the summer, and we went out to eat many times this summer. During that time Mara and I talked about food and she said that I could (Mara’s note: and SHOULD), someday, become a food blogger myself! So, I guess here’s me trying!

I recently moved back to school, and this year I am living completely on my own. No roommates to deal with! However, now I really have to cook everything myself, and clean up after myself. Of course, like every college student, in my freezer I do have some frozen dinners, but try to use those in case of emergency when I need something extremely quickly before running out of the apartment again to go somewhere else.

I have all the essentials: elbow macaroni, rice, bread, margarine, milk, eggs. Then add in cheese, jam, and some packages of spaghetti-o’s and ramen, what more does a college student need? The answer is, a way to put things together that I find to be tasty and so that I don’t get bored. The obvious macaroni and cheese can tend to be a little repetitive when always done the same. I definitely like to switch it up, between the box mixes and then also switching up which kind of cheese I use. One time I may just use mozzarella, next it might be an American and Swiss kind of mix, guess it all depends on what type of cheese I want that day.

There is one thing, however, that I am very proud to say that I have created! It is by no means anything special, and has probably been done many, many times before. But I would like to believe I am creative because I did not get it from any recipe, nor any suggestions Mara may have given me. I guess it could be called a breakfast sandwich, but I never eat it at breakfast so, in my creativity, I am going to call it the “Breakfast Lunch Sandwich”.

In this fantastically named sandwich are the basic essentials in almost every college students apartment fridge; bread, margarine (or butter), jam, eggs, cheese. It’s simple! Toast the bread; spread with margarine then jam (I use raspberry preserves, it’s my fav!). Then, scramble the eggs, put in the cheese, then cook like normal scrambled eggs. Put eggs and cheese on top of toast with margarine and jam, and wah lah! Breakfast Lunch Sandwich has been made.

Very simple. Very fast. Very delicious. Very proud, of herself, college student! JHope you enjoyed my first blog. Hopefully I can come back again and share something new! J

See? She should blog, right?? I hope she’ll take our advice and start a blog of her own…

Have a great Thursday!

Technorati Tags: bloggers, friends, guest post

I’ve talked about it before, and even talked about it over at EatingBender once… and my quest continues. Every time I make chili, I tweak the recipe justalittlebit and I kid you not, it just keeps getting better.

I’m a fan of a simple chili. I know a lot of people like a lot of “stuff” in theirs, and while it’s good like that sometimes, I like a chili that tastes, well, like chili. I love a lot of beans (sorry Adam…wait, he ate it too…) and a tomatoey base, but not SO tomatoey that it’s like chili-flavored meat sauce. For now, at least until the next time I make chili, THIS will be the best I’ve made.

Besides this one.

And maybe this one.

Yet Another Chili Recipe

Serves 8

Ingredients

1.5 lb. lean ground beef (or equal amount by measure of ground turkey, TVP, or raw bulgur wheat)

3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 small can (4 oz) diced green chiles

1 can original Ro-Tel tomatoes with chiles

1 large can (32 oz) crushed tomatoes

1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 c. (yes really) good chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp garlic powder

1 dried Red New Mexico chile, stem and seeds removed

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Heat the oil in a large pot with the onion and garlic. Lower the heat to medium-low and slowly brown the onions and garlic until translucent and golden brown. Add the ground beef (or turkey, or TVP, or raw grain). Brown thoroughly (or lightly toast the grain) and then add ingredients from green chiles through cumin (add 2 c. water or stock if using a whole grain). Lower heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Add the dried chile and garlic powder, stir well, and simmer another 30 minutes over low heat. Before serving, remove the dried chile from the chili, add salt and pepper to taste, and serve with desired toppings.

Adam said this was “REALLY good” chili. Part of the trick, he said, was that the meat was in bigger pieces rather than small, which made it more “like chili” instead of sauce. I say it was the more complex flavor added by the dried chili, cumin, and chili powder I used. I also let it simmer for long enough (probably an hour or so total) and let it cool enough before eating it.

In other news: My “Clicks for Books” Fundraiser campaign for the A to Z Literacy project begins TOMORROW! Every click on this blog for the month of September will earn money to help kids in Zambia get the books they need for a good education. It’s free and takes two seconds! Please pass the word around, link back, tweet, whatever you can do!

Technorati Tags: beef, chili, dinner, food, fundraising, simple recipe

Nine weeks of sun later, August 26 rolled around, my first week of school was nearly complete, and the time had come for the Sisterhood to meet again!

Spain is near and dear to my heart, as it was the first (and only) European travel experience I’ve ever had, and well, being a Spanish teacher, the rest is obvious. I love the language, the culture, and of course, the food.

After work on Thursday (I’ve had some blog uploading issues, hence the late post), I met my mom at her house and we carpooled to our meeting place. The car smelled delicious on our way there with both of our dishes sitting in the back seat.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by Murphy, Emily’s adorable Shih-Tzu/Tibetan Terrier mix. I wanted to just cuddle her!

There was also, of course, Spanish wine to enjoy. I’d recommend either of these!

The wine was flowing, as was the conversation, while everyone put the finishing touches on their dishes. It was so great to catch up with everyone after so many weeks! Emily’s son Luca came in to say hi to everyone too!

Ok, I’ll just get to the food already. We had a variety of tapas-style dishes, including croquetas made with (you really should sit down for this ingredient list) butter, cream, flour, ham, chicken, and then they were rolled in breadcrumbs and pan fried. Croquetas are among the most popular tapas dishes, and they’re found on most tapas menus across Spain.

Liz had hit the jackpot at Green City Market earlier in the week and purchased shishito and padron peppers, which she flash fried in oil and then we dipped in a salbixada sauce. This was a dish that hailed from the Cataluña region of Spain, where Barcelona is. Let’s just say, these were phenomenal! They were dusted with sea salt, and then devoured faster than Liz could fry them!

Sue (you know her as Eo) brought a marinated orange salad with nuts and red onions, as well as a phenomenal cooked mushroom, olive, and tomato salad that I could’ve eaten by the bucketful.

Amy got to work setting up all of her gazpacho toppings. The recipe can be found on her blog, WorldPlates, and I kid you not, it was the best gazpacho I’ve had in a long time, if not ever. She brought a multitude of toppings, including the traditional “pan frito” or fried bread, cucumber, and then some non-traditional ones: egg, crab, avocado, and an herb that I can’t remember the name of.

At this point, we sat down at the beautifully set table to begin enjoying all of our other dishes. I couldn’t wait to dig in!

First, we enjoyed a cool bowl of Amy’s amazing gazpacho. I topped it with a little of everything. I’ll be making it soon for sure!

Then, we brought our plates into the kitchen to serve ourselves some of the other main courses. Emily made Pisto Manchengo, a stew-like dish full of vegetables and Spanish chorizo. I somehow managed to not take a picture of it?! I’m mad at myself… sorry Emily!

Beth made a remarkable paella with chicken and chorizo and the perfect amount of crispy saffron rice. I could eat paella every day… no, really, I could.

You’re all wondering what I made, aren’t you? Well, being the Spanish teacher nerd that I am, I had to choose a dish that was not only delicious but fun to say in Spanish as well. So, I made Albóndigas con Salsa de Azafrán y Almendras. In English? Meatballs with Saffron-Almond sauce. The recipe can be found on Andalucía.com and (gasp!) I followed the recipe to a T!

I served myself a portion of everything, and just when I thought I couldn’t eat any more, out came my mom’s dish: an almond-orange flan! She had quite an adventure making it (guest post, perhaps?) but it was absolutely fantastic! Delicately flavored, decadent, and beautiful…

I believe this next photo sums up the night perfectly. Granted, I stole the idea from Liz, but I loved it!

I was bummed that I had to leave early since I had work in the morning, and my 5:15 a.m. alarm always comes way too soon… but I know that before I can blink, our October meeting will be upon us!

Thank you again, Sisterhood, for ¡una noche fantástica con comida perfecta! (A fantastic night with perfect food). I’m truly grateful to be a part of such a fabulous group of women!

Technorati Tags: beef, bloggers, bread, Chicago, chicken/turkey, chiles, dessert, dinner, family, friends, fruit, fun, pork, Spanish, traveling pans

• Don’t forget to send me your cute food submissions for the Cute Food Contest during Labor Day weekend. Submissions are due by September 3rd. Please send photo attachments to mara@imadedinner.net
• A to Z Literacy still needs your donations! Don’t want to donate? Just click on this post! All September proceeds from my blog will go to A to Z!

Now, for the cute!

It never ceases to amaze me every year, though, the abundance of “new” that comes with the new year. New supplies, new furniture, new books… and it all comes relatively easily. Sure, we might have our budget cuts here and there, but generally, we get what we need.

Last year, I brought your attention to an organization spearheaded by my friend Mal called the A to Z Literacy Movement. Since then, the A to Z Literacy Movement has sent hundreds of books to Zambia to help their school maintain a curriculum. However, the mission is never complete. These kids will keep growing up, and keep needing new books to read and learn from.

This video, made for the A to Z Literacy Movement, helps explain the mission and vision:

You can also learn more by visiting the A to Z Literacy Blog, which features posts from Mal’s last visit to Zambia this past summer.

I’ll probably never come to you for money for running a race, but I’m enlisting your help here. Trust me, you’ll get something out of it besides the knowledge that you’re helping these beautiful people learn.

We’re asking for your donations. Dig in your couch and count up the change, then donate that. Families in Zambia live on less than $1 a week, so every little bit helps. If you have a dime, donate a dime. The donations page takes PayPal, which makes it even easier!

What will you get in return? You’ll be entered to win an A to Z Literacy Zambia Prize Pack, hand picked out by my friend Mal for one lucky winner. All you need to do is forward your donation confirmation e-mail to me at mara@imadedinner.net and you’ll be entered.

The prize pack contains:

One handmade bowl featuring the image of a game bird, hand-painted

One hand-made, hand-painted rhinoceros figure

One A to Z Literacy Movement t-shirt

In addition, I’ll be donating my blog proceeds from the month of September to the A to Z Literacy Project, so click away and tell your friends to do the same! Any links back to this post would be extremely helpful as well.

It would be so fantastic to say that my little blog earned a chunk of change to help the kids in Zambia.

Just remember, every little bit helps!

Technorati Tags: friends, fundraising, giveaway

I left you with these teasers:

Thanks to the sponsorship of I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter (ICBINB), we purchased a bounty of fresh and local produce, including:

• corn
• French breakfast radishes
• tomatoes
• red onion
• eggplant
• mint
• basil
• blackberries
• peaches
• goat cheese
• brioche
• arugula

When we arrived at Splice Kitchen, we were filled in on the concept of it. Splice is a commercial kitchen that, with a sanitation license, can be rented out to everyday people to cook larger quantities than a typical home kitchen can handle. There are restaurant-grade appliances, tons of counter space, and a quaint little cafe area up front.

We immediately got to work washing the produce, and Chef Rhonda got to slicing, chopping, chiffonade-ing, and grilling.

She worked to prepare all the aspects of the meal at once so, once finished, we could sit down and enjoy the meal without having to do more prep work. We started with the corn.

It went on the grill, husk and all, and cooked until it was nearly black:

Then, the ears of corn were broken in half, and added to a hot pan with ICBINB. We learned that ICBINB actually has a higher smoke point than butter, which was great to know! Chef Rhonda added some chili powder and cayenne to the hot pan, but not directly to the corn. She wanted the spices to roast a bit before she shook the pan to coat the corn with the roasted spices.

To finish it off, a squirt of fresh lime juice caused a bit of a flambé-type explosion, also causing the corn to develop a delicious caramelization.

Chef Rhonda also made a remarkable salad which included sauteed peaches in ICBINB seasoned with curry, white pepper, salt, and a touch of cinnamon.

She then added these peaches to the fresh arugula, and topped the whole thing with goat cheese we purchased that was coated in herbes de Provence.

Our main course was a simple open-faced sandwich featuring grilled eggplant, tomato, onion, and goat cheese atop fresh ciabatta bread. It never ceases to amaze me how simple things, when grilled or roasted, can taste so complex! The bread was sprayed with ICBINB spray and then lightly grilled, then rubbed with fresh garlic. I highly, HIGHLY recommend this technique. It really made the sandwich something fabulous!

In addition to the corn, salad, and sandwich, Chef Rhonda made a simple dessert featuring grilled mini brioche, topped with fresh blackberries, raw organic orange blossom honey, and mint.

Once all the dishes were complete, we carried them into the cafe area to enjoy our completely fresh, local, organic, and homemade meal together. Tracey carried the main course in… how cute is she??

Our sandwiches and corn were truly a sight to behold:

After we were stuffed to the gills, and exhausted from a hot day at the market, in the kitchen, and the never-ending foodie conversation, we pulled it together to take a group picture (Thanks to Tracey for sending this my way!) And cue the cheesy post with the ICBINB spray….NOW

L-R: Chef Rhonda, Me, Tracey, Jaclyn

Thank you to ICBINB for sponsoring such a fantastic event! I loved having the experience of both shopping and cooking such fresh and delicious food. I’m still enjoying the peaches and blackberries I picked up for myself and Adam, and am looking forward to going back to the market again soon…it was quite an experience!

Make sure you come back tomorrow for a special back-to-school fundraiser/giveaway that’s been a long time in the making!

Technorati Tags: Chicago, friends, fun, grilling, lime, local, photography, sandwich, simple recipe, vegetables, vegetarian

Then, the event just got more appealing from there. Not only would there be a tour of the market itself, but we’d then go back to a restaurant kitchen with a local chef, and use our purchases to create a unique, fresh, and local meal! I took the train from our area downtown so as to avoid the insane traffic, and then walked about a mile and a half to the market. I was a little early, and was lucky enough to meet up with my sister and her boyfriend during their shopping trips for their respective restaurants. I can proudly say, I carried the flat of blackberries used for Gilt Bar yesterday!

Moving on…

I met up with Jaclyn, our ICBINB rep for the day, chef Rhonda Cady, and Tracey (a twitter pal of mine!) and we proceeded to go from stall to stall in the huge Green City Market, sampling as we went.

And I took about a million pictures (ok, really it was 276, but it seems like a million), so I’ll let them do the talking with minimal words from me, unless they’re actually necessary. It was a perfect day for photos too… a few clouds for great light, but enough sun to make everything look wonderful.

Some early hard squashes

Various eggplants, beans, and tomatoes from Nichols Farm in Marengo, IL. They’re conveniently located on my way home from work, so I may need to stop there…

Harmony peaches, blackberries, and raspberries from Mick Klug farms in Michigan. These were some of the best peaches I’ve ever tasted, and needless to say, I brought some home!

Local meats, all grass fed and organic… thought of my friend Stephanie!

Seedy bread from Bennison’s Bakery

More bounty from Mick Klug farms (Thanks to Leigh for introducing me to them!)

Small local watermelons

French breakfast radishes (We later enjoyed these with ICBINB and salt, quite a delicious combo!)

You know how I love my small food…

More beautiful produce… I wish I had written down this farm’s name…

Chef Rhonda had quite a sense of humor!

Sampling “personal sized” watermelon at Seedling farms’ stand

Gooseberries and fresh chamomile at Seedling

It had quickly gone from a mildly warm and humid day to a wicked hot and humid day…and then we saw a sign:

We went for it! I got a lovely peach-raspberry smoothie made with fresh cider. It was quite possibly the most delicious smoothie EVER.

Next up: some “extras” for our meal… I had it in my head that we had to find some local goat cheese. And find it we did! This is for you, Gina:

And then, I just went photo-happy (as if I wasn’t already.) Everything looked so fresh and delicious, and since I couldn’t ACTUALLY eat it all, I did with my camera…

Heirloom cherry tomatoes from Growing Home, an amazing program here in Chicago

Then, after walking, sweating, and shopping, we hopped in a taxi to Splice Kitchen to cook a delicious meal with our purchases.

You’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see the rest of the process. I think I’ve overrun your senses with all these photos for now. Thanks to ICBINB for sponsoring this event! It just got better from here!

Technorati Tags: bloggers, bread, cheese, Chicago, chiles, food, friends, fun, local, salad, vegetables

Technorati Tags: cute, cute food, food

I’m amazingly exhausted today, and you’ll see why in a minute.

251: Campers in attendance today

11: Campers in my group today

7: Campers that actually stayed with my group today

19: Tickets needed for Six Flags Great America

8: Parents that joined my group, and proceeded to go on their own with their kids for the day

11: Dollars spent on a mediocre hamburger

12: Dollars spent on a refillable soda cup

4: Times said cup was refilled

4: Rides ridden before lunch

2: Near-puking incidents

5: Campers who rode this roller coaster as their first “big” roller coaster

7: Campers who wanted to go on it again and again

9: Rides ridden after lunch

0: Near-puking incidents

32: Text messages from parents trying to meet up with our group

37: Minutes waited for this classic roller coaster

1000: Ounces of cotton candy consumed

17: eye rolls during The Wiggles show

5: Campers that didn’t stay late at the park with their parents

5: Campers that took a nap on the way home

65: Minutes spent in the car after camp

2: Boxes of Thai carryout my amazing husband picked up for me

1: Showers desperately needed

8: Minimum hours of sleep needed

Technorati Tags: camp, friends

Months ago, when it was announced that the Healthy Living Summit would be held in my hometown of Chicago, I got really excited! To be honest, it wasn’t because I necessarily wanted to go to the conference, but because DOZENS of my favorite bloggers would be coming to our fair city!

Then, the ticket website was blocked at work, I couldn’t get a ticket, and I then vowed to my bloggie friends that I would still come downtown to hang out with them the weekend of the HLS.

Fast forward a few months, and next thing I know, I’m getting invites to dinners, texts about plans, and it hit me: all my bloggie friends were coming to town THIS WEEKEND! Plans were quickly made so no one would be overbooked (totally still happened) and I headed downtown on the train to party crash the HLS.

I arrived at the Congress Hotel and promptly met up with some people whose blogs I’ve been reading for almost two years now.

First, I saw Jenn and Melissa

Then, I met a very excited Monica, who has been a person I’ve wanted to meet for a LONG time!

I also met a Hangry Heather

All these girls are just as freaking fabulous as I thought they’d be! We had a chat about how to properly pronounce my name, talked to Sabrina a bit, and waved to other bloggers on their way out. There was a yoga something-or-other and a Zumba class happening, so we took a quick group picture with Chandra,

From left: Chandra, Me, Jenn, Melissa, Heather, Monica

Jenn, Melissa and I hit the road on foot over to the nearest Whole Foods for a hot bar feast with none other than Gena! After I bandaged my feet (new shoes + 1.5 mile walk = bad blisters!) we made some salad beasts at the hot bar. Ok, to be honest, I filled my bowl with spinach and marinated mushrooms, then topped it with a variety of hot food.

I also got this spicy tuna/rice bowl, but really I just picked the tuna and avocado off the rice.

And the bloggers in action:

I pretty much wish that Gena and Melissa would just move here so we can all hang out all the time. I’d bring the cupcakes. Sound like a plan ladies?

Kristie met up with us, and we, of course, took a group picture!

No, the paddy wagon behind us was not to take us away… instead, we took a (very difficult to find) taxi to Karyn’s on Green to meet up with some more blogger friends.

Since we’d just eaten, I wanted to go just to say hi to some more of the people in town! At long last, I got to meet (and hug, multiple times) the glorious Angela from Oh She Glows! She’s just as wonderful as she seems on her blog, and it was wonderful to finally meet her after nearly 2 years of internet friendship.

Another group picture! I didn’t catch everyone’s names/blog names, so if you know them, please let me know!

Kath and Tina were there as well, and it was great to meet Tina and see Kath again. We talked Chicago, dogs, and drinks…and I was relieved to see that Tina was dressed casually as well, since many girls got very dressed up!

After some more schmoozing and chatting, I had to catch the train back to the suburbs for yet another busy day! I met Kristin for coffee in the morning, and then we both went and got our hair cut. It was great to be a bit pampered before my last week at camp. I then hopped in my car, drove for a while and magically ended up back downtown to pick up and hang out with this lovely lady:

GINA!!! We then went and picked up someone else, who it was great to see for a second time in a weekend, and headed to Whole Foods.

Gena, Gina, and I had a great time snacking (I got a honey Oikos, local peach, and a watermelon Hint water)

We had a surprise visit from Jenn, and all too soon it was time to take Gena back to her hotel so she could go to the airport. Really, she just needs to move closer. Have I said that yet?

When Gina and I first made our plan to hang out, we said we’d play it by ear as to what we’d do. When I asked her yesterday what she’d like to do, her answer was simple: “PIZZA!” So we went to one of my favorite pizza restaurants between her hotel and the airport.

Edwardo’s was one of the first places I’d had spinach stuffed pizza when I was a kid, and it’s the ONLY place that will make any pizza with whole wheat dough. I munched on a couple pizza crust crackers and sipped my Diet Coke (yes I still drink it, and I love it, no lectures please!)

While Gina pondered the menu.

I decided on getting a classic spinach stuffed pizza to eat and share with Adam when I got home, and Gina got a cheeseless veggie whole wheat crust pizza. Except for the kind of crappy service, the whole meal was honestly amazing.

The look on Gina’s face when she tried her specialty deep-dish pizza was priceless. It was a combination of utter bliss and…well, utter bliss. I had two ooey-gooey cheesy and spinachy pieces just like this:

It was truly wonderful to spend time with Gina outside of the airport, but way too soon, I had to drive her back to the place of our first meeting. She needs to move here too! She even told The Pilot that she wants to come live at our house…that’s fine with me!

We had some fun with my Photo Booth app on my phone before we said our goodbyes:

Thank you all so much for coming to Chicago and enjoying our fair city as much as I always do! It was truly wonderful to meet you all, and put faces, voices, and hugs to the people behind the blogs.

I hope you all had as great of a weekend as I did!

TGIM!

Technorati Tags: bloggers, Chicago, Chicago dining, dinner, dinner out, food, friends, fun, Italian, local, meet-up, out, pizza, Summer