Montreal was an amazing place to eat, but after a trip in which I ate poutine, croissants, fried pork, steak and more bacon than I care to admit, I was in need of some serious dietary improvements. I came home craving fruits, vegetables and whole grains. This is pretty much the state I am in at the end of all travels. Too much enjoyment of the local cuisine and I feel a strong desire to balance things out. The first thing I made for us was this very simple brown rice pilaf with green olives, lemon and a sprinkle of goat cheese. read more+++

Don’t recipes that claim to be best the same day annoy you? I know there are perfectly good reasons for why this may be true but I don’t care. I’m often baking for Bryan and I and if we were to eat everything I made in one day we would likely be dead by now. I like things to last a few days. I like to bring them to work for an afternoon snack. I even like to get bored of them by day three and excited to move on to the next treat. I sometimes find myself avoiding the recipes that tell me I have to eat it all that day, but that is silly and these little cakes will demonstrate why. read more+++

I just returned from a week in Montreal and thought I would share some photos before I resume the normal programming here at Lottie + Doof.  I am really growing to love Montreal and feel a strong connection to it beyond it being Bryan’s home town. It is so vibrant and exciting during the summer months and if you are interested in eating good food, Montreal is the place for you. I am by no means an expert, but in my experience there are three restaurants that have really captured my heart. They are all perfect at what they do and manage to combine outstanding food, beautiful design and some of the best service I have ever experienced. I already raved about Au Pied de Cochon, so I now present Cluny Art Bar and Olive & Gourmando as well as some photos from the rest of the trip: read more+++

If you live in the Chicago-area and have not been to Wholly Frijoles– GO. Now. Wholly Frijoles is a Mexican restaurant in an unlikely strip mall just outside of the city. “Why would I go to the suburbs for good Mexican food?”, was the question I asked my friend who first told me about it. Because it is totally charming and the food is excellent. I’ve liked everything I have ever eaten there. We once had a cold three-melon soup there that Bryan and I have been talking about for years. One of my favorite things they serve is a dessert—fresh sweet strawberries topped with whipped sour cream and cinnamon ice cream. read more+++

I’ve been a loyal reader of Design*Sponge for years and was so pleased when Grace asked me to be a guest on her site. Click on over to learn what I did with these amazing blackberries!

I tried my first taco in kindergarten at my school’s cafeteria. I loved it. At the time I was a really fussy eater and so my mom was happy to hear that there was a new food I was willing to eat. Unfortunately, my Polish family knew nothing about Mexican (Tex-mex?) food or cooking. My mom didn’t really even know what a taco was. I described it to her and she went out and bought some packaged taco shells, ground beef and a can of tomato sauce. She cooked it up with no seasoning, just a little salt and pepper. They were disgusting. I cried. Eventually my mom figured out that you could buy the seasoning package and whip up a gringo version of tacos with relative ease and soon taco night became an important event in our house. read more+++

You all know how obsessed I was with cranberries this autumn. Well, their summertime rival is the sour cherry which has finally made it’s way to farmers markets in the Midwest. Sour cherries have a painfully short season and as soon as they arrive I feel panic set in. I know that there isn’t much time to try to bake all of the recipes I have been saving that require their tart electric sweetness. I hoard them. On my way to the market I am worrying that they may be sold out. I freeze them. I find excuses to bake things for friends. In short, I am obsessed. read more+++

Drinks were mixed, votes were tallied and the Gordan’s Cup is the Official Drink of Summer. Get thee to a liquor store for your bottle of Hendrick’s Gin and start enjoying. Summer is going fast! Thanks to Katie (and all of my 4th of July friends) for helping reach the final verdict!

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. read more+++

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. read more+++