A couple of years ago, Bryan and I went to Spain with his family. We stayed in Marbella, a town in Andalusia that provided us with a good location from which to explore southern Spain. I completely fell in love with the region, especially the food. I ate gazpacho at least once a day for the entire week we were there and I never had a bad bowl of the stuff. Even the cartons of gazpacho that were sold at grocery stores were oddly satisfying. I came home vowing to continue to eat the cold tomato soup as often as possible—but like most plans made during travel, this one was never realized. In fact, I have gone through two tomato seasons without a drop of gazpacho. Not this year.

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Thanks for a great week, everyone. I’ve had fun celebrating the past two years of Lottie + Doof and am looking forward to the year to come. Thanks to Bryan and Dorie Greenspan for their contributions to the week, and thanks to all of you for the great comments and kind emails I have received. You are the best! Before we wrap up the celebrations and start dealing with the piles of apples that are invading the farmers markets, I have one more special treat. This week would not be complete without a contribution from my favorite Chicago bakery, Floriole.

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You’ve heard a lot about Bryan over the past two years. He is the only other person who has tasted every recipe on this site and so I thought now might be a good time to let him pick some favorites. I seriously could not do this without him. At long last, he speaks…

Thanks, Tim, for inviting me to do this! And, thanks, readers, for staying tuned. I really enjoy getting to be behind the scenes of this amazing project. When Tim started discussing this over two years ago, I knew that he’d be great at it, but he still continues to impress me with his writing, photography, and mad kitchen skills. I get to eat some seriously good food, y’all. It was really difficult to narrow it down, but here are the five that I remember most fondly/crave most often.

STRACCIATELLA

Tim doesn’t like chocolate. I, on the other hand, would pass up almost any dessert on the menu for the one with “devil”, “death”, or “molten” in the name. Tim knows this and occasionally indulges me. The greatest of these selfless acts was this stracciatella. It is amazing. The sweet, smooth vanilla really highlights the deep, bitter, chocolatiness of those thin crunchy swirls, making them taste even chocolatier. This is a truly impressive trick for someone who claims not to “get” chocolate.

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If you’ve spent much time around here over the last two years,  you know how much I admire Dorie Greenspan. I’ll spare you my usual gushing and simple say that she is a hero of mine. Her gorgeous new book of recipes, Around My French Table is available now.  The book chronicles Dorie’s experiences in France and the influences they have had on her cooking. I received the book on Friday and had read almost the entire thing by Saturday night. Dorie is not just a great cook and baker, she is a really talented writer. The book is a joy and I would encourage everyone to pick up a copy- you will love it.

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Two years, people. TWO years. Two years ago I decided to start telling you about what I was cooking.

Back then I was mostly talking to myself, but eventually you wonderful people found me. I am glad to have formed many online friendships, some of which have turned into real-life friendships. I’ve collaborated with some of my favorite people. I’ve learned so much from you and continue to be inspired by your comments and emails. I want to spend this week celebrating and I have some good stuff in store for all of us—recipes, guests and giveaways. It all starts today, when I am proud to debut the first ever Lottie + Doof merchandise. read more+++

Sunflower Sprouts

I first had these at Frontera Grill in Chicago and instantly fell in love. Sprouts in general are delicious but the flavor of sunflower sprouts is particularly delicious. Worth tracking down. They are as pretty as they are delicious.

These Striped Napkins

Came across these at West Elm recently, they were exactly what I was looking for in an everyday napkin.

Plum Caramel by Flora Confections

A favorite vendor from Green City Market, this plum caramel confiture is so incredible. I would gladly eat it by the spoonful for dessert. It is incredible on top of vanilla ice cream. Go get some! read more+++

Bryan hates tomatoes, I love tomatoes. This recipe is for all of the tomato lovers in the world. It is simple. Go to your market (or backyard) and find a few perfectly ripe, juicy, tomatoes that are free of pesticides. Heirlooms would be great. Rinse them. Slice them. Drizzle some decadent creamy dressing on top and enjoy.

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There are a wide range of dishes that I consider good and worth making and worth telling you about. Some are simply satisfying and delicious, others are totally knock-your-socks-off amazing. This recipe is from the later category of recipes. It comes from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi and I have been eying it for weeks but feeling stressed out by the three kinds of soy sauce it calls for in the recipe. I didn’t know there were three kinds of soy sauce and I had no idea how I would find them, but am I glad I did.

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This summer Lottie + Doof is hitting the road and exploring the Midwest. Like too many Chicagoans, I don’t leave the city often enough to visit the surrounding area. This summer I’m in search of good food and good times and I’ll be taking you along for the ride. Next Stop: Madison, Wisconsin.

I never knew Madison was so cool. The capital of Wisconsin and home of the University of Wisconsin, Madison is a vibrant town that manages to feel both like a small town and a city and seems to offer the best of both worlds. It is situated on an isthmus in the middle of a few lakes (Bryan would like me to point out that the only other U.S. city located on an isthmus is Seattle). Being surrounded by water means there are pretty views and plenty of water-based recreational activities. Madison is an easy breezy drive from Chicago through rolling farmland and a great destination for a summer road trip.
We arrived before lunch to met our friend Deb at The Old Fashioned and enjoyed a pretty fantastic meal of fried cheese curds, beer and cheese soup, and brats. This is the Wisconsin I know and love. The meal was a perfect start to our time in Madison.

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