I grew up eating avocadoes.  My grandfather was an orange rancher in Orange County back when there still were oranges in the OC.  The orange juice from his trees is still the best I’ve ever tasted, but it was the few avocado trees he had in his orchard that I think of more often. Snacks […]

When my youngest daughter saw the soup on the dinner table this week, she groaned. “Cold soup?  Can’t you just serve that to the grown ups?” Like most kids, she has pretty narrow parameters about the way she likes foods.  She’s more adventurous than her sister, but to both of them, cold soup is a […]

It was 90 degrees in Chicago last weekend. And when it’s that hot out, you don’t feel much like eating, it just makes you sweat more. Hence the classic summertime pairing of soup & salad. I should really say former classic, because this summer will not be like seasons past.  As you can see from […]

I wasn’t feeling very well this week so I didn’t make any soup.  Not that I’m leaving you without a recipe.  I’m not inhospitable.  It’s just that, after a few days of feeling a bit like a slab of meat, I decided to go with a favorite meatless entree. It’s a vegetarian chili from my […]

Ever felt like you’re just tapped out?  You’ve been working all weekend and you don’t have the energy to throw together a meal. And since times are tough, you can’t afford to eat out either, no matter how many coupons you may have. So… it’s leftovers again, which is kind of a harsh word when […]

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how spring was coming.  The snow was melting, crocuses and snowdrops were blooming and the mercury was up above 50 for the first time in months. False alarm. Chicago will do that to you. Veteran Midwesterners are used to this meteorological bait and switch.  We Californians still […]