If it's one thing my boyfriend knows how to do, it's plan a good date! I wish I could take credit for finding this culinary tour around Chicago's River North neighborhood, but this time, it was all him! This tour started around noon and it was essentially a 3-hour walk around River North, where I learned about some of Chicago's rich architectural history while stopping at 6 culinary gems along the way. Let's talk about where we went and what we ate: 1) The Doughnut Vault: This ... [ Read More ]
Recipe: The Perfect Guacamole (With a Tropical Twist)
Growing up, whenever my family went out for Mexican food, they would always "hold the guacamole." Since they didn't want to eat it, I figured it was gross! It wasn't until about 5 years ago that I got up the courage to try this traditional dip. Once I did, I couldn't believe I went my entire life without it. From the moment I tasted "guac", I was determined to perfect the recipe and put a twist on it to ensure mine would be a stand out. My guacamole recipe is simple, but it has one ... [ Read More ]
Erica’s 5 Pampered Chef MUST Haves
When I heard that one of my favorite culinary companies, The Pampered Chef, was giving $10-off all online orders this month, I knew I HAD to blog about them. I also just found out that one of my friends, Randi, recently became a consultant for them. Since I'm totally obsessed with the Pampered Chef product line, I figured I would help her business out and give my readers my opinion on what I think are some really great products. Here are my 5 MUST orders from Pampered Chef: 1) Salad ... [ Read More ]
Ask Erica: But…you said your BF was a Vegetarian?
Hi Erica, It is confusing that you referred to your boyfriend as a "vegetarian" and devoted a whole post to vegetarian food, but then have a post from a few days before where he was "craving" chicken pot pie....? I am all for showing you eat and enjoy a great deal of food, but if you're going to write a food blog, be consistent about what you say. -"N" _________ Hi "N", First of all, I am so sorry you decided to remain anonymous. I always like to address my readers ... [ Read More ]
Ask Erica: Pot Luck Dinners
Hello Erica! A friend passed me your blog and I have been following it for some days now. I love it! I wanted to ask you for some advice: I keep organizing potluck dinners, but still can't figure out a way to ask people to bring a dish and that it all "makes sense" at the end without sounding pushy. How can I create a flexible, yet awesome menu for a potluck? The previous times I have organized one, it just seemed to be all over the place (onion soup, empanadas and carrot cake for dinner)... ... [ Read More ]
Crispy Lemon Kale Chips
Everyone once in a while, I decide to go carb-free and stick to mostly a veggie-based diet (this usually lasts about 72-hours and then I want pasta). Whenever I do make this diet change, my saving grace is my delicious crispy kale chips. If you haven't had these before, you're missing out! Not only are they super nutritious and delicious, they don't really take much skill to make! Crispy Lemon Kale Chips Not only are they super nutritious and delicious, they don’t really take ... [ Read More ]
I want YOUR Feedback!
My blog is a little over a week old and I want to know what you think! Ultimately, I want to write content that you enjoy. Please help me by filling out the poll below. This will help me to better understand where to focus the majority of my efforts! Have another idea? Let me know in the "other" section. I truly value my readers thoughts, ideas and feedback. :) [polldaddy poll=7522098] ... [ Read More ]
The 5 Best “Meat” Substitutes on the Market
Being a foodie, you'd think I would have grown up with a a foodie family or put myself in a relationship with someone who was equally as passionate about food. Wrong. My Dad is a vegan and my boyfriend is a vegetarian. I figured since life gave me lemons (and I mean that in the nicest way possible), I would have to try and make lemon "chicken" out of it. Whether you're a vegetarian yourself, or know someone who is, navigating the grocery store to find the best meat alternatives can be ... [ Read More ]
How to Make Fresh Pasta: Butternut Squash Ravioli
Last year, one of the most mystifying dishes to me was anything involving fresh pasta. I just couldn't get the courage up to try making it and sort of skirted the subject whenever anyone asked me if I knew how. This all changed when my boyfriends Mom, Wendy, told me I had to learn to do it and that it was simple (I wasn't about to argue with my new boyfriends Mother). So on one rainy Sunday afternoon, I headed into her kitchen and she taught me how to make pasta. Not only is it easy, it's ... [ Read More ]
Restaurant Review: Sunda
Location: 110 W Illinois St Chicago, IL 60654 Yesterday, one on my friends , Asha, who I hadn't seen in 5 years told me that she was stopping through Chicago and wanted to grab dinner. Since she had never been to Chicago, she gave me 3 guidelines on choosing a restaurant: 1) It had to be one of Chicago's best 2) It should be asian food (since that's her favorite cuisine) 3) They had to have a great lounge area so we could meet one of our other friends afterwards for a drink Enter, Sunda. I ... [ Read More ]
