The annual Chicago House and Garden Show was this month so I drove down to Navy Pier for it with my family in tow and we did a demo of Pavlova, and sold cook books afterwards. It was standing room only for my demo so that made me feel great. Ruby and Ella helped on stage and Gio was the money handler at book selling time ... all hands on deck, or counter, I could say.

The James Beard Sunday Supper at Chelsea Market event was such a great one. I couldn’t figure out how we were going to feed 240 people in an orderly fashion but it was fine, and beautiful too. They lined Chelsea Market's central walkway with 4 long continuous tables and it looked so inviting. Everything was served family style by 38 chefs from around the country. I was hosted by Sara Beth (Levine) so I got to prep in her huge bakery kitchen, which she told me had just before that been host to Meryl Streep as she filmed a new movie where she plays a pastry chef. (No, not the one where she plays Julia Child…that’s next). The kitchen was dreamy to work in with lots of marble counter space and ovens. Deck, rotating or convection ovens ... anything I wanted. And she was a blast! Plus her Cheese Danish I had, right out of the oven, were practically making me forget my name they were so good.

I made Pavlova, (I see a pattern here) but for 240 so I made 18 of them, and then sliced them up before they went out to the tables. They were colorfully covered with berries and kiwi kindly donated by Manhattan Fruit Exchange. Other chefs included Melissa Kelly from Rockland Maine with her home grown fava beans in her dish of Spring Succotash with Florida Zellwood Corn and Primo Salad, Nora Pouillon from Washington DC with her House-Cured Grass-Fed Bresola with Hearts of Palm and Preserved Lemon Parsley Salad.

This month we also went to the Coonley House, designed and built by Frank Lloyd Wright in Riverside Illinois, for a tour before I cook there May 16th for a Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Fund dinner. My chef friend Tim Scott from Macy’s in Minneapolis met me there because he is providing the savory courses for this $1350 a plate meal.. I’ll do the breads, cheese, dessert and petit fours. Built in 1907 this house is touted as the largest (and possibly the finest) example of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie style. We got a complete tour of the house, coach house and garden where we’ll be serving. Guests will get an extensive tour of the grounds, with nibbles along the way and then enjoy a sit down multi-course dinner Tim and I will prepare. I love FLW’s work so this is a real treat for me to cook and serve my food in one of his spaces. And the house is in pristine restored condition so it’s quite a masterpiece. We happened to pass 2 more FLW homes driving around the neighborhood so now I can add those to my list of FLW structures I’ve seen.

This month I got to do something I’ve been meaning to do for a while-make a batch of my Gale’s Root Beer with real cane sugar! I wanted to try it a while ago but I had to wait till this batch of printed labels ran out, so this was the month it finally happened. And I’m very happy with it. It’s a little more expensive to make, but worth it for the better taste and the fact that my friend Marthe, who is allergic to fructose, can now try my brew. (You’re welcome.)

Chicago Housewares Show demo at McCormick Place was fun. With Easter coming up I thought I’d do my mother-in-laws recipe for Ricotta Doughnuts, since that’s what I make at home each year while the kids are hunting for their Easter Eggs. It’s easy to just stir the batter together and then I deep fry them, just in my 3 quart All Clad pot (All Clad was the sponsor of the cooking stage). I got to see my buddy Ming Tsai (I have a show I did with him that’s airing June 14th in Chicago) from Boston who was on before me, and Marcus Samuelsson from New York, too.

Then in the evening we were all cooking at the Common Threads event at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, Art Smith’s fund raiser to help raise money for kids after school cooking programs that help teach cultural diversity through food and cooking. It’s always a party with lots of Food celebs like Tyler Florence, Gail Simmons from Top Chef, Paula Dean, The Hearty Boys ... shall I go on? And the food is always great. I especially liked Chris Pandel’s (The Bristol in Chicago), Lamb Loin Carpaccio with Lentils, Pomegranate, and an Almond-apricot Puree and I couldn’t stop eating the crepes from Paul Kahan’s team at Avec. Meg, my pastry chef from Tru prepared Chocolate Mousse 2 ways with Lime Gelee and Thyme Syrup. My friend Kathy and I helped (we were a help, right Meg?) her plate up and chat up the guests while my husband went from station to station giving samples of our dish and getting samples of everyone else’s dishes so we could taste. Mighty Leaf tea always has some nice things to try and this night is was their new Organic Detox Infusion iced tea.

I participated in the Robert Morris College Culinary Symposium’s panel discussion on Woman in the Kitchen, along with Carrie Nahabedian from NAHA, Shelley Young from the Chopping Block, and journalist Camille Stagg. After the hour long discussion I sold copies of Short and Sweet to the students and got to meet the future chefs coming out of that great culinary program.

Events I Went To

One sunny afternoon we went for a tour of the Pilsen neighborhood for AIWF, which I’m a board member of in Chicago. That’s our “Little Mexico” with tortilla factories, goat head taco’s, chicharróns and delicious tamales on the street. We started at a restaurant called Mundial-Cocina Mestiza at 1640 W 18th St ; (312-491-9908). The menu we sampled was:
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• Quesadilla de Cuitlacoche with Oaxaca cheese & Cuitlacoche


• Nopales Enpapelados with cactus, chorizo & pico de gallo baked in foil


• Ensalada India with mesculun, corn, mango, jicama, red pepper, tomato, tortilla totopos and cilantro vinaigrette


• Chile en Nogada-a poblano stuffed with ground beef, pork & dried fruit topped with sherry pecan sauce & pomegranate seeds


• Camarones a la Pipiana with shrimp in a pumpkinseed mole w/rice & plaintains

We then went to the Mexican grocery store Spermercado La Casa Del Pueblo at 1810 South Blue Island and got some cones of raw brown sugar called Piloncillo. .

Home Cooking

The girls requested to make individual Blueberry Pies, after watching an episode of the cartoon Little Bear where they calm a troll by offering up blueberry pie. That went well. Then my dad and Ella requested that we make Apple Pie, so those came next. I usually make the dough the night before so it has time to chill and then the rolling of dough and tossing of fruit is done with the kids. We fill and crimp and then into the oven to make the house smell like heaven by the time Gio walks in from school. Aaaaaaahhhhhhh pie ... nothing like that smell. And Honey Crisp’s are my new apple of choice for Apple Pie. They are the right amount of tart and they stay together but cook to tender. I know they can be pricey but look for a sale ... or not.

One weekend I got out my pasta rolling machine and did my first home made pasta making session in a long time, with the kids. It’s like rolling out play dough so they instantly got it. We made fettuccine and angel hair and then boiled it up in about 3 minutes, and then ate it about as fast.

Then one night I just wanted simple and honest for dinner. Plus I wanted to try out the new spaetzle maker (I’m not sure that’s what it’s called really-it’s like a spaetzle grater) so we made roast chicken and spaetzle. Gio likes to make the dough using eggs, flour, and Dijon mustard, and then pour it and force it through the “grater” holes into the boiling water ... oh I had a lot of help on that one. Tossed in a little butter, salt and pepper, it was a perfect pairing with the chicken.

And this month Girl Scout Cookies arrived! Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies and of course, Thin Mints. I got them from two different dealers, I mean Girl Scouts, this year. See my Huffington Post piece on it.

Meals Out

We went to a kid's concert at the Olde Town School of Folk Music. It was Milly’s (Mostly) All Kids Review produced by Brigid Murphy, a local entertainer and impresaria. Afterwards we walked over to one of my favorite pastry places, Julius Meinl, though they do nice café food too. We had their version of Mac and Cheese which is Spaetzle and Cheese, a few grilled sandwiches and 2 different types of chocolate cakes, one layered, one more like a cup cake, for dessert. But before we even sat down I tried to reserve some stuff for the next days breakfast before things were gone … too late for their great Almond Croissants but there was one lonely Apple Turnover we snatched up and had them hold till we were ready to leave.

For St. Patrick’s Day we went for Corn Beef and Cabbage and Irish music at L. Woods in Lincolnwood, Il. It’s a Lettuce Entertain You restaurant (so is my place Tru) so I know some of the managers and staff. The CB and C was perfectly simple with boiled potatoes on the side and just what I wanted. And I even had a beer! And my husband had a Schlitz! The band took my request of The Irish Rover so I was happy. I used to be a strolling balladeer in an Olde English style restaurant (can you picture me in my granny cap and bustier? I’ll look for a picture …) and that was one of my big numbers so of course, to my family's embarrassment I’m sure, I sang, no belted, along.

The day Kathy and I went to make the new batch of root beer with cane sugar I took her to my favorite place on the south side of Chicago for BLTs, Ramova Grill. They were as wonderfully retro as they always are-hot bacon which ever-so-slightly melts the cold mayonnaise and warms the slice of tomato, on toasted white bread. Perfection!

While Jimmy and I were in New York for the Sunday Supper James Beard event we took the subway to Doughnut Plant on Grand Street on the lower east side. It’s a little doughnut place that does interesting flavors (for doughnuts) like Crème Brulee, Meyer Lemon, and Cashew, and they make their own jams and jelly for their jelly doughnuts. We got a dozen or so plus a tee shirt. My favorites were the Tres Leches and the square shaped Coconut Glazed Coconut Cream. I guess that’s maybe why they won Bakery of the Year from Baking Buyer magazine in 2008.

We went to dinner at Susur Lee’s new place, Shang, on Orchard Street in New York and arrived with our box of doughnuts. So we needed a table for 3. We liked our meal at Shang very much, especially the Homemade Steamed Soy Spinach Tofu with Chanterelles, black and white tree ear mushrooms and soy juice, which was kind of like a soufflé or flan and really delicious. We also loved the Cantonese Wok Fried Pearl Noodles with shrimp. To look at the menu go to their web site. We did the taste test of the doughnuts back at the Hotel (The Duane) so Susur, if you’re reading this, sorry we didn’t have dessert. I needed to save room for the doughnut tasting. It’s important to pace yourself in this serious business of finding the best of the best. And this is a perfect example of this.