Agua de jamaica (or simply jamaica)  is one of my favorite beverages. In Chicago I am able to find it at most of my favorite Mexican restaurants and can’t resist ordering it. I am particularly fond of the jamaica at Maiz in Humboldt Park, which also serves up some fantastic food.  The refreshing and sweet tea-like beverage is made with dried hibiscus flowers. The use of hibiscus to make flavored waters is not limited to Latin America and is also common in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. If you haven’t tried Jamaica yet, you are in for a real treat. It is tart and sparkling with a smooth finish. It is the perfect liquid for a hot summer day and so good served with some of the foods you might be grilling this weekend.

The barbecue that I started writing about in my last post had a pretty amazing first and last course, both of which you need to try.

A couple of weekends ago we barbecued with our friend Katie in the suburbs (well, technically the outskirts of the city). This might not seem newsworthy to you, but for apartment dwellers without access to a grill it was a very special and eagerly anticipated event—the opportunity to perform an important ritual of summer and try out a couple of the grill recipes I have been collecting. I am still kind of amazed that we are now people who grill-out, not just the children of people who grill. It seems so adult. I guess we are also buying houses, having babies and opening our own businesses- so maybe grilling shouldn’t be such a surprise.

The day started off with rain and grey skies, but as we pulled into her driveway the clouds parted and we were awarded the perfect summer day—hot in the sun, cool in the shade with blue skies and big fluffy clouds. It was a BBQ miracle and the perfect early summer evening.

Things don’t always work out for me. Sure, it seems like everything I make turns out perfectly and tastes delicious, but that isn’t always the case. Sometimes things fall apart— literally.

Okay everyone, let’s start tackling some of our kitchen fears. A while back I asked you to share some information with me in the form of the Lottie + Doof Food Quiz (If you haven’t already completed the quiz, go for it!). One of the kitchen fears that came up most often was YEAST. I think there is a general misconception that working with yeast is difficult and I know many of you automatically dismiss recipes if they contain the words “let rise”. I used to be one of you! The truth is that yeast doughs are as easy as any other and just require a little extra time and patience.

I missed a very important occasion: my 100th post. It is hard to believe it’s been that long already and even harder to believe that you all found me! The internet is such a vast space full of people with things to share, and I am always grateful that some of you keep coming back to see what I have been up to in the kitchen. It is also satisfying for me to look back at the past 100 recipes and see a record of what I have been eating for the last few months. It is like a living cookbook. One of the most common questions I get from you is about the name of this site: Lottie + Doof. I think it is about time I talk a little about Lottie.

Like all good Polish boys in Chicago, I grew up eating Kolaczky (Kolaches or Kolachky). My family bought ours by the dozen at a local bakery where my mom still shops. My favorites were filled with either cheese or apricot. I didn’t know until recently that these Eastern European wonders were also popular in Texas. The kolaczky in Chicago (which claim either polish or Czech descent) range in taste, shape and filling from each other. Some are a pastry or cookie, some are a yeast bread, but what they all have in common is a slightly sweetened dough filled with a variety of delicious sweet fillings which include fruit, cheese and nuts. They may be coated in powder sugar, drizzled with icing or finished with a crumb topping. The Kolaches in Texas seem more standardized, a slightly sweetened yeast roll which is topped with a spoonful of sweet filling.

I seem to either make desserts or party food. I just reviewed my recipe index and find that I offer you guys very few recipes for entrees. I think I gravitate towards things like side dishes, appetizers and spreads because fairly often we piece together a meal using these foods. Some delicious artichoke-olive spread on a baguette with a nice robust salad or a serving of Mac & Cheese and some fresh fruit and I am happy. It is the way we eat. I also find that many people will only cook new recipes for special occasions and like many of you I find myself most excited by special spreads, appetizers and sweets. Little treats. And so, to continue the recipe tradition, I present: Charred Onion Dip.

I’ve been a little MIA. I got knocked out with a flu (not swine) and haven’t cooked anything in over a week. Funny how quickly we can lose all interest in food.  The good news is that I am feeling better and returning to a normal schedule. Luckily, there are some things I cooked a couple of weeks ago that I still have not told you about.

My counter runneth over with rhubarb in recent weeks. A combination of impulse buying at the market and a generous gift from my friend Karin’s mom had me faced with a few pounds of rhubarb that I needed to do something with.