Italian Tapas Anyone?

I was pretty bummed to discover my favorite French restaurant Bistro 110 on Pearson St. right off Michigan Ave. had shut its doors forever. However the covered windows and doors as well as the tampering of the outdoor sign would soon unveil, to my delight,  a relatively new italian restaurant. Of course I would not be opposed to another italian addition in the city of Chicago- there's nothing better than an italian restaurant on every street corner...especially on the Mag Mile! I was walking past the restaurant expecting to smell the usual buttery garlic aroma seeping from the bistro walls but instead was caught off guard by the smell of basil and freshly ground espresso beans. The sign that read BAR TOMA in front of me was daring me to enter; my mother who accompanied me that shrugged her shoulders as if she knew exactly what I was thinking said: "Well, it would be a good afternoon treat..." :) By now, I'm sure it's pretty apparent my mother and I love afternoon treats since our last trip to Magnolia's... What can I say? We foodies don't have an rigid and exact food schedule. We eat when our stomach are 3/4 full! There is no excuse to pass up an opportunity to experience delicious food!

We entered the familiar doors not to be greeted by a French flag, but instead by a newly furbished espresso bar with expensive DeLonghi machinery that gleamed in the sunlight. Italian pastries lined the shelves and freshly made gelato was churning in plain sight. To the right, the hostess, standing in front of piles  of neatly organized pizza boxes, warmly welcomed us to "Bar Toma." She led us to the main dining room away from the more casual cafe section and sat us in big comfortable red booths with gigantic white-half circles for lights towering over us. The vibe had changed drastically despite my familiarity with the layout of the restaurant. This was no ordinary Italian restaurant; I knew it before I even glanced down at the menu.

The polite and enthusiastic young man who served our table was very well-informed of the simple yet complex menu. As I scanned the different categories of food before me, I could feel my eyes widen in excitement, and as a result, I felt sheer panic. Not only did the overwhelmingly long list of pizzas look especially appetizing, but every other item looked so unique and tasty. From the appetizers to the salads to the "jars" (I won't be revealing all the surprises on this posting!!) to the mozzarella bar to the roman style fritti to the rosticinni to the....agh! You get the point. Now you can understand my anxiety.  I immediately wanted my afternoon snack to be transformed into a full-blown meal. As I glazed over the menu, the server it seemed knew my dilemma. He explained that Bar Toma was in fact an Italian tapas-style restaurant--just as I thought this place could not get even more cool!! Each plate is presented in smaller proportions so you and the rest of your gathered company can share and taste more of the available menu items. Because my mom and I were only there for an afternoon snack (sigh), we (...she) decided that we should just order one of the pizzas and an appetizer. After much deliberation we decided on the orange-stuffed olives marinated in an assortment of herbs for the appetizer and the "Dottore" pizza which consisted of La Quencia prosciutto, arugula, and mozzarella. Yes, it may seem like a genuinely simple pizza but I can guarantee it was one of the best home-made pizzas I have ever devoured. The mozzarella was so moist and fresh that the pizza did not even need sauce; at first I questioned this characteristic but as soon as I chomped down on my first slice, I knew it was the perfect culinary decision. The chef must be a genius.

(Sorry I did not capture any pictures of my appetizer or entree-- they were immediately consumed...but the presentation and food itself was phenomenal, you can trust me on that!)

When I found who the executive chef/owner of Bar Toma was, these words literally came out of my mouth: "You have got to be kidding me." So here's the scoop: My all time favorite up-scale italian restaurant in Chicago is Spiaggia. Located on the northernmost point of Michigan Ave., it not only reveals Chicago's prime Oak Street Beach, but also attracts numerous of famous guests including the Obama family. Alongside his restaurant, executive chef Tony Mantuano is quite famous himself in the restaurant industry. Don't believe me? Check it out! Being that I myself want to open an italian restaurant in Chicago, you can see why I idolize Mantuano so much. He even has a Spiaggia cookbook with all his masterpieces included! If you're looking for a great italian cookbook, investing in Mantuano's book would be a colossal first step. Look under my page "Cookbooks to Buy" for more information.


Needless to say, Congratulations Chef Mantuano for successfully opening yet another restaurant (italian tapas, I might add) in the city of Chicago!

Buon Appetito!

nutells pizzelle for dessert!

i dolci!

The Edible Flower

Can you imagine someone munching on flowers? I can't. But according to the Latin language, we've been ingesting flowers all along. Cauliflower, which literally means "stalk" and "flower," is a member of the Brassicaceae family of plants which includes vegetables like broccoli, kale, cabbage, turnips, and brussels sprouts. The white part we eat is actually the head of the underdeveloped, tender flower stems and buds. Cauliflower is not exactly the typical, beautiful, colorful flower we envision, but their flowery buds still have an important role in our healthy lives. For example, did you know that one serving of cauliflower has only 15 calories and 40% of your daily vitamin C? It also contains the chemical sulphorafane which helps reduce the risk of certain cancers. Oh, and its delicious.

As much as I love these little fun facts, I thought it would be more fun to hop in the kitchen and stir up fast and yummy dishes with cauliflower. So, I did!

The first dish I made was a cauliflower, pasta, and cheese gratin.

I first preheated the oven to 400 degrees. Then, I brought water to a boil in a large saucepan and added cauliflower till its tender. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Bring the remaining cooking liquid to a boil and cook the pasta.

Combine 1/4 cup flour and 1 cup flour (for one serving) and stir well with whisk. Stir in some thyme and a clove of garlic (chopped). Cook until thick! Remove from heat and stir in salt, pepper, cheddar cheese (1 cup), parmesan cheese (1/2 cup), and some chopped green onions.

Spoon the cauliflower mixture into a baking dish. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top and place in over for about 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Cauliflower, pasta, and cheese gratin

It turned out to be a fast, easy and delicious dinner! The breadcrumbs were a great extra touch. Yum!





Another day this week, I decided to make a tasty snack with the remaining cauliflower.

Cauliflower Fritters, anyone?

While the cauliflower is cooking in boiling water, set aside a bowl for the batter mixture.

In the bowl, beat an egg with the flour (3-4 tbsp.), pecorino cheese (chopped, 4 tbsp.), and parsley. Drain the cauliflower, dip in the batter, and fry in the skillet in a generous amount of olive oil. When golden, dry on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt and serve warm! Simply delicious! AND a healthy snack! The cauliflower fritters definitely hit the spot on a cold afternoon. Not only did they suppress my hunger, but they also led me away from unhealthy snacking (chips, cookies, or ya know, greasy cheese quesadillas...Yikes!). Try it! They are fast to make, require little ingredients, and like I said, are particularly tasty.

Cauliflower Fritters

Another fun fact before I end this blog posting....

Do you know why cauliflower is white? I do! Well, when the plant grows, the head is covered by heavy green leaves that shield it from sunlight. Therefore, the process of photosynthesis cannot happen and chlorophyl is not produced.

ALSO! Most of the cauliflower in the United States is produced by California...but CHINA is the largest worldwide producer of it. Surprise?

OK, ok. Enough of the lame cauliflower facts.

I dare you to try these fantastic cauliflower recipes. You won't be disappointed!
As Mark Twain once said: "Cauliflower is nothing but a cabbage with a college education."
Another incentive to eat this delectable flower? Eh, maybe. At least you'll know to try it before cabbage, anyways. Enjoy.

FLOWER POWER! :)

Less is More Ya'll

Well, it's the beginning of February and it feels like it's the end of April. The semester is in full swing now and despite the lack of free time in my schedule, I've still been cooking. A girl still has to eat you know! Although I haven't necessarily opened up any cookbooks or crossed off any recipes from my "to do" list, I have still been using the creative side of my brain to make some simple yet delicious meals this past week. I really tried to use all the ingredients I had bought from the grocery store earlier in the week, and to my delight, I used most of them interchangeably for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

One evening I decided to use my breadcrumbs and almonds as the main ingredients.

I took out a chicken breast from the refrigerator, smothered it in egg, and placed it in my parmesan cheese, chopped almonds, and bread crumb mixture. Meanwhile, as the olive oil was heating up in the frying pan on the stovetop, I began to prepare another pan. Along with my almond-crusted chicken breast, I would be having asparagus encrusted with bread crumbs topped with parmesan cheese drizzled with lime juice. I set the oven to 350 degrees. At that point, the olive oil was heated and I placed the almond chicken on the pan. I added a little salt and pepper for a extra kick of flavor. As the chicken was cooking, I started to cook some rice (in my roommates amazing rice cooker) and placed the asparagus in the oven. It would only take fifteen minutes before  a delicious meal was placed in front of me.

I only used a handful of ingredients but the chicken and asparagus turned out to be so flavorful and delicious.
All it took for this dinner was a chicken breast, chopped almonds, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup of rice, and some lemon juice. Plain and simple. But SO good.

Breadcrumbs + parmesan cheese + almonds= deliciousness

Another night, I was in the mood for some soup. I had a lot of vegetables so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to use them! I chopped up some carrots, mushrooms, onions, water chestnuts, spinach, and cilantro. All it took was a can of chicken broth, these vegetables, bow tie pasta, and parmesan cheese. In all honesty, this dinner took maybe twenty minutes to prepare and cook. And it was one of the best dinners I have made in a long time. My roommates even came out from their rooms in search of what smelled SO GOOD. They were astonished when I told them it was merely chicken noodle soup. Their response? "Wow, I never knew soup could smell THAT good." Well, it's the fresh vegetables that make this dish so tasty. No canned soup for me! As long as you have a can of chicken broth hidden away somewhere and some unused vegetables, you can make some delicious homemade soup for yourself. I guarantee the aroma of this fresh concoction will surprise you.

chicken both + vegetables + bow tie pasta= tasty soup!

For lunch one day, I decided to make it even more simpler and make it a 1/2 salad & sandwich day.
I'm sure all of you know how to make a sandwich-- take two slices of bread, some tomato, avocado, spinach, mustard, turkey..blah blah blah. Now, to make a salad...This may seem more complicated to some. But in reality it's so incredibly fun! Here's what you do: Grab a handful of spinach, arugula, romaine, or whatever you prefer and literally find whatever is in your refrigerator or pantry and toss it in there. It makes it more fun this way! For instance, I tossed some goat cheese, parmesan cheese, mandarin oranges, sunflower seeds, and sliced almonds. All simple ingredients tossed together with some balsamic vinaigrette to make a scrumptious, healthy lunch. Salads don't have to be boring or tasteless!!!

spinach + sunflower seeds + almonds + goat cheese + mandarin oranges + parmesan cheese = Salad Heaven ;)

  

Another dinner I made recently? La pizza! Although I would prefer to make my own crust, I ended up stopping my local mart and buying some already pre-made crusts. Tsk tsk, I know...But hey I'm still a full time student! Perhaps on a weekend I whip out the flour and yeast ;) Anyways, I simply smothered the crust with red sauce, tons of mozzarella cheese, and finally added some spinach. I put it in the oven for 10 minutes and voila! Warm, cheesy, delicious pizza!! It's so easy. You should try it!

Crust + Sauce + mozzarella cheese + spinach = Personal pizza

So, if you're a student or simply a person who isn't a huge cook but wants to eat healthier, here's a tip: LESS IS MORE. Some people automatically think the more the ingredients, the more flavorful. This is such a myth. Some dishes are just better with less ingredients. The flavor of each additive really does pop in your mouth. So before you go all crazy with the complex cookbooks, I'd try and  use your own creativity and see if you can use all your groceries and produce you bought that week. You'd be surprised what you can come up with-- in one week's time you can cook a pizza, salad, soup, and some tasty chicken with most of the same ingredients! Challenge yourself!

I'll Have Me Some Magnolia's ANYDAY

Since the move back to Chicago, I've been spending a lot of time with my dear mother. Whether it's a coffee date or doing random or fun errands in between classes, it is always a treat to be in her company. Today must have been my day for treats, then! After completing a couple errands and feeling relatively productive, we began to roam aimlessly around the city (we had some time to kill before my next class). We ended up on State. St at Block 37. Not only is this the location of the CBS newsroom and the gigantic Picasso baboon-like sculpture, but apparently the location of a brand new  MAGNOLIA'S BAKERY! Not going to lie, this enthusiasm was only manifested AFTER I tasted a couple of their cupcakes. I had no idea that this place even existed before this afternoon. Or that it was particularly famous. Whoops? But of course, my mother did. She squeezed my arm so tight, smiled, and giggled when she saw the cute vintage sign in the distance.

Magnolia's On State St.

She exclaimed in a high-pitch voice:

"OOOHH RACHIE! THERE'S A MAGNOLIA'S HERE! IN CHICAGO. OH MY GOD!...I have their cookbook....RACHIE, I HAVE THEIR COOKBOOK!!...SEE!!??"

At this point we were inside the cozy little bakery eyeing the merchandise wall, with yes, their assortment of cookbooks. As soon as I turned around and saw the displays of cookies, muffins, cheesecakes, pies, cakes, cupcakes, and whoopie pies....I knew why my mother had shown such enthusiasm toward the bakery. Everything looked absolutely spectacular...and particularly mouth-watering. Still not taking my eyes off the display cases I asked my mom, "How did you even know of this place??"

I will never forget her response. If the rest of my immediate family could have heard her, I'm pretty sure we would all chime in, "That's SO Tree-SA! (My mom's name is Teresa...)." Anyways, she turned to me, making me look in her excited green eyes and said: "Well Rach, I know a little about everything." For all those who know my mother, this is so incredibly true. My mother  is the guru of fashion, cooking, hot new restaurants in and around Chicago, news updates, general advice, and well, the Kardashian sisters.

She then explained to me that the original Magnolia's Bakery is located in the heart of Greenwich Village, New York City. Its old-fashioned environment known for its vintage accessories, decor, and desserts really started to attract "sugar deprived" consumers of all sorts. The bakery really took off after being mentioned in "Lazy Sunday," (a SNL digital short video), and television shows such as Sex in the City, 30 Rock, E!, The Martha Stewart Show, Regis & Kelly, Weeds, CNN, and Fox Business News. Needless to say, I'm sure the lines at Magnolia's in Greenwich Village were wrapped around the corner shortly thereafter.  The expansion to multiple cities nationwide was inevitable.

Take a look for yourself. Here's the SNL Digital Short "Lazy Sunday."

The Assortment of Cheesecakes 

The Red Velvet Cheesecake captured my particular interest...

Cupcakes at Magnolia's

 Magnolia's has over 120 menu items. All fresh, made daily. If you don't believe me, check out the menu for yourself!! CLICK HERE

....Unbelievable, right?

My mom and I ended up ordering two cupcakes from the menu: the traditional Red Velvet Cupcake and one of the  "special of the day" cupcakes called the Hummingbird Cupcake. It was a banana, pineapple, and pecan cake with sweet cream cheese icing topped with toasted pecans. Both were beyond delicious. Not too sweet,  light, extremely flavorful,  and the ratio between icing and cake was perfect. Those treats, along with my cappuccino and company, was a perfect afternoon treat.

Block 37, I'll be seeing you again shortly! I'm thinking Apple Crumb Pie or Snickerdoodle Cupcake next time?

Check out to see if there is a Magnolia's by you! MAGNOLIA BAKERY LOCATION TRACKER :)

Magnolia's Bakers Hard At Work!

Me & the Red Velvet & Hummingbird Cupcakes...YUM!

Farewell Massachusetts, Hello Thailand!

The other night I was craving thai food from my favorite thai restaurant in Northampton, Massachusetts. If this were to happen any other night last semester, I could just call them and request a pick-up of one order of chicken pad thai (extra hot sauce) and an order of their amazing chicken coconut soup. In fact, if I were to treat myself and eat out every weekend, there would be no other place I'd choose than Thai Garden. The environment is clean and friendly, and well, their food is absolutely amazing. Northampton, nestled in the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts, is known especially for their unique and diverse selection of cuisine. Main St. is mostly composed of restaurants ranging from japanese, thai, italian, vegetarian, argentinean, mediterranean, tibetan, mexican, american, and indian cuisine. Although I find these restaurants tasty, (yes, I've been to all...) there is nothing more satisfying than ordering my favorite noodle dish and coconut soup. Since I have recently moved from Northampton to the Windy City (I transferred from Smith College to Loyola University Chicago), this particular want for my regular thai dish has intensified tremendously. I decided I would attempt to make the chicken coconut soup in my own kitchen. I ended up adding a couple more ingredients, but in the end, it would turn out to taste exactly the same. Delicious!

I used the ingredients I had recently bought from the grocery store: the can of coconut milk, lemon, water chestnuts, mushrooms, potatoes, cilantro, and a chicken breast filet. After chopping the mushrooms, potatoes, and cilantro, the instruction for creating the soup becomes even simpler. So, if you're a novice, this simple yet scrumptious thai soup would be a great beginning! Heat the coconut milk in a medium size saucepan. Then, add the lemon juice (so, squeeze the lemon...) for some zesty flavor. Next, add the sliced chicken. By this time the coconut milk should be relatively hot, so when you add the raw chicken you'll notice it starting to cook right away. Add the mushrooms, water chestnuts, and potatoes. If you think the consistency of the coconut broth is too thick, feel free to add a tiny bit of water. Now, you have created your very own thai dish! Finish by dressing your soup with cilantro and, if you have it, coconut flakes.

Although I miss Thai Garden very much, I know now I can make my very own chicken coconut soup. Perhaps I can find a similar thai restaurant in Chicago that can satisfy my weekly craving for chicken pad thai! If not, I'm sure I'll have to eventually test that out in the kitchen as well!

So if you are in or around the Northampton area, please check out Thai Garden and have a bowl of the chicken coconut soup for me! To view their menu click here.

On another note: I am now on Twitter. If  you feel like getting to know me better, feel free to follow!
Click Here to Follow RockNessMnstr on Twitter!

The Grocery List

Being that I am a full time student with my own fully equipped kitchen, I thought it was necessary to really take advantage of that opportunity to actually cook. And by cook, I don't mean boiling water, chopping up lettuce, or making fried eggs and Easy Mac. I'll actually be spending time reading and picking out suitable recipes for the typical college student. I may get a little excited and go 'lights out' one day and whip out my Julia Child cookbook and try something I couldn't even fathom trying a week before- but isn't that the fun of cooking? I'm sure the roommates wouldn't mind either. :)

My first time in the grocery store since I attained my own kitchen was overwhelming. Like, holy shit. When I was younger I could just chuck random items into my Moms grocery cart, not thinking twice about the price or whether or not it could be used multiple times throughout the week. Hell, let's be honest, I wasn't throwing fruits or vegetables in the cart...It was more along the lines of processed foods and candy. One time I even hid a box of Gushers on the rack below the cart underneath a gigantic package of toilet paper thinking I was so sly. Needless to say, by the time my Mom and I reached the checkout lane, she noticed my creativity and awarded me. With a box of Gushers. Score!

Anyways, I knew I had to be a responsible college student and completely skip over the chip, candy, and Gusher aisle. I headed right over to the fruit and produce section and got extremely excited. There were so many combinations and meals I could make using all this fresh produce! The hard part was deciding what to get. And how much.

This is what I ended up getting under $60:

1 lemon
a bag of potatoes
cilantro
bread crumbs
package of chicken breast
parmesan cheese
goat cheese
a bag of clementines
rice
1 tomato
1 avocado
3 apples
cranberry juice
orange juice
turkey sliced lunch meat
milk
water chestnuts
sunflower seeds
eggs
1/2 loaf of whole wheat bread
sliced almonds
a can of coconut milk
asparagus

** I did cheat a little bit: I headed over to my parent's house and stole some carrots, broccoli, and some penne pasta. My roommates also have the basic baking and cooking necessities and the cutest spice rack. I'd say I got a pretty good head start!

At this point, I had no idea what I was going to cook. It just seemed to me that these particular ingredients could be used interchangeably and could provide tasty, quick meals during a busy school week. And how right I was!

I'm excited to show you what I've concocted with these basic and healthy ingredients...But I'll have to expand in another posting. Gotta' run to class!

A Little Insight on Life & Cooking

It's official. The fully stocked fridge and the urgency to transcribe my forthcoming as a beloved foodie has persuaded me to start my own blog. That, topped and sprinkled with the skills of coercion from a friend, is how this blog was born. So, WELCOME! My aim is not only to provide an ongoing timeline of (hopefully) a progression when it comes to my cooking skills, but to also share stories of my life that parallel the unique and ordinary dishes I create.

Oh, and you'll see some pretty pictures of food! If that's not an incentive to follow along, I don't know what is! It'll most likely make your tummy rumble, but hey, I guess that's another incentive to get off your bum, stop reading insignificant blog posts (...psh, who wants to read about politics anyways), get your self to the grocery store, and start whipping up some creative masterpieces of your own! There's nothing better than staring at your finished product with pride and endearment before ravenously clawing your way into it. I'd advise sharing, too. The satisfied grins of your beloved followers will be forever engraved in your mind. That little boost of confidence will definitely keep ya cooking, too.

Another important piece of advice (...AKA, this is a personal note/reminder to myself before I get knee-deep in this project) for all ya'll food lovers out there: IT'S OKAY TO MAKE MISTAKES. I really should make a couple sticky notes and place 'em all over the place to get this message embedded in my head: the kitchen, my day planner, the cluttered purse, my nightstand, etc....

Finally, before I really start to delve into sharing my cooking/life experiences, I feel like this is an important lesson I've learned through cooking. So, listen up! Finding those right ingredients when creating that perfect concoction, in my opinion, is equivalent to finding the keys of success to life. Let me explain. In order for anyone to find that complementary ingredient, they must do hundreds upon hundreds of taste tests before finally choosing the savory addition. Before long, through experience, it becomes easier to immediately isolate that ideal ingredient to supplement your dish. A little bit of this, a little bit of that, plus a whole lot of messes and clean-ups...Voila! Everyone wonders why old Italian ladies without recipe books are the most wise and knowledgeable of them all... ;) Throughout this process of mastering the art of cooking, there will be epic fails. If you don't believe me, ask the old Italian ladies. It may take a whole lot of patience, new aprons, and mastering the skill of deep breathing exercises, but you and I will eventually get the gist of it. Life can be described the same way. Through trial and error we become more knowledgeable and can assess what life throws at us with more aptness and versatility. A little bit of this, a little bit of that, plus a WHOLE lot of messes and clean ups. I'd say, cooking truly is good for the soul. It gives you a little more perspective. Don't give up, even if the recipe does use the metric system.

Well, I'm excited to get crackin'! Through my experiences cooking as well as my experiences outside the kitchen, you'll start to see how truly insightful my analogy is of finding those perfect ingredients in life. I'll definitely have some mess ups, successes, and major clean ups. Like I said earlier, cooking for me parallels my life experiences. So, next time you see a bumper sticker that says, "Cooking = Life", DON'T JUDGE!


Life is like a box of chocolate.....

(The stirring and pouring of the melted morsels at the right room temperature while simultaneously trying to pour the sticky undercooked caramel into the tiny molds and fanning the now melted chocolate goodness to ensure its richness while contemplating chopping almonds or pecans to substitute the nugget and re-stirring the now melting white chocolate morsels for the fifth batch of chocolates...)
                                                                 ....you never know what you're gonna get.