Believe it or not, every once in a while, I don't really feel like spending a ton of time cooking. As a result, I've created a bunch of recipes I like to call 5-5-15 recipes. These dishes are what I consider to be 5-star quality made with only 5 ingredients and can be assembled in 15 minutes or less! The first one I'm going to share with you is my amazing truffle butter pasta with parmesan! Whenever I'm having guests over last minute or feel like something delicious, but don't have the ... [ Read More ]
Restaurant Review: Le Colonial
Before I even moved to Chicago, my sister, Melissa, would always talk about this little French/Vietnamese restaurant on N. Rush street called Le Colonial. Since Melissa has very high standards when it comes to food, I knew I had to to check this one out for myself. Honestly, I didn't really understand the concept of a restaurant that fuses two very different styles of cooking together, but I'm always into trying something new. Thank god I did. Le Colonial is a shining star among Chicago's ... [ Read More ]
Chicago’s 2014 Michelin Guide
Every year I wait with bated breath to see who the Michelin Restaurants around the world are going to be. To top it off, after years of living in small towns and cities (minus a short 2-year stint in Boston), I FINALLY live in a city that actually has those kind of restaurants! Well, today is the day that the 2014 list has arrived! This year, 25 amazing Chicago restaurants made the list (including a restaurant from one of my favorite chefs, Graham Elliot) and I couldn't be more excited to try ... [ Read More ]
Ask Erica: What’s the Deal with Olive Oil?
Hello Erica, I love your blog and I think you are definitely the right person to ask one of the things I've been ashamed to ask others: What the hell do I do with olive oil? I've seen it and used it when following your recipes, I keep hearing how good it is for cooking, I sometimes use it for salads, but I'm not really sure if it's a "good for everything" kinda thing. What do you think? How do I know when it's a good idea to experiment with it? Thank you! Heather _________ Hi ... [ Read More ]
Get Healthy BEFORE New Years Challenge
Over the weekend, I had an epiphany. I was heading out to dinner (for the 2nd time in 3 days) and I just felt awful. My clothes didn't fit right and I was totally bloated. Honestly, I just wanted to crawl under a rock (I know we've all had those moments). In that moment, I found myself saying, "Well, New Years is coming up so I will make it my New Years resolution to eat healthier and get in better shape." This is when the moment of realization happened. Why do I need to wait until New ... [ Read More ]
Recipe: Utica Chicken Riggies
Lately, I've been feeling a little nostalgic of my days in Utica. If you've been following along, last week I shared my recipe for the "Utica Italian Greens." Since posting, I've gotten an overwhelming number of requests for a Utica "Chicken Riggie" recipe. I giocatori di https://topcasinosuisse.com/it/casino-bonus/ amano cucinare gli Utica Chicken Riggies per molte ragioni. Questo classico piatto italo-americano è saporito, saziante e facile da preparare. È uno dei piatti preferiti nell'area ... [ Read More ]
Ask Erica: Cheese-free Appetizers Please!
Hey Erica!! Loving your new blog, hope you are enjoying life in Chicago!! Question for you: I know you remember my deep, deep disdain for all things cheese. Whenever we have people over to hang out for game night, or get invited to a party, I ALWAYS end up making an appetizer I won't eat. Whether it's a buffalo wing dip, a cheese and crackers platter, bacon tomato cups, they ALL have cheese. I'm sick of making things everyone else compliments while I eat my plate full of plain potato ... [ Read More ]
My Journey with Food
Since a lot of you are just starting to get to know me, I figured I'd give you a little more background and insight into who I am and what drives my passion for food and cooking. I was raised in Western, MA and lived with my Mom, Dad and Sister. My upbringing was pretty traditional and my family always had a blast together (and we still do). My Dad is a self-made entrepreneur which meant he worked a lot (like 14 hour days). My Mom spent her mornings working as a perfume consultant at a ... [ Read More ]
5 Dishes Turned Into Tiny Appetizers
If its one thing I love, it's throwing a party that people will talk about the next day. One surefire way to make sure your food keeps people buzzin' is to make tiny versions of everyones favorite classics. Here are 5 favorite dishes to turn into tiny treats: 1) Caprese Lollipops: How cute and easy is this? All you need to make this is toothpicks or small skewers, cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil. Just simply cut the cherry tomato in half, put half the tomato face-up on the ... [ Read More ]
My (Sort-Of) Brush with Hollywood
I'm going to confess something that MOST people don't know about me (not even my close friends). Why am I telling you this? I think it's time to let my readers get to know me just a little bit better. So here it goes... Confession: At one (okay, two) points in my life, I've tried to"make it" on television (specifically with audition to be on Masterchef and an "unnamed" NBC cooking show). Although I didn't make it too far with Masterchef, (they tried to sell me on a story-line about how my ... [ Read More ]