Discovering All Sorts of Goodies at Trader Joe's South Loop

Stop the presses. Trader Joe's has opened down the street from me. Yes, one block away. I walk out my back door and cross one street. That's it. It is dangerously close I tell you. It's been open about 10 days and I've been there 4 (now 5) times. Of course I've been stocking up on staples, but then I've been adding other stuff that I randomly pick up or have remembered were recommended to me by friends. That's half the fun of TJ's though isn't it? Finding what you "need" but then also roaming the isles picking up random stuff that you didn't know you so desperately needed. I thought I'd tell you about a few of my recent purchases that I recommend:

• Cinnamon Grahams - these graham crackers are sprinkled with sweet goodness and can be a delicious dessert. Top with peanut butter (especially Spread pb) and mini chocolate chips and you're set. Thanks for the recommendation Jonno!
• Mango! Mango! Fruit and Yogurt Gummies - I wasn't sure exactly what these were at first, but of course they were next to the checkout aisle so I picked them up (often times those are the best purchases). I thought they might be gummies dipped in yogurt (wouldn't that be tasty), but it turns out they're just very tasty gummy candies in mango and passion fruit flavors.
• Green Tea Mints - eat just three of these fabulous little leaf shaped mints and  you'll have the same amount of antioxidants you'll get from just one cup of green tea - fabulous!
• Dried Black Mission Figs - addictive! I LOVE figs. Obsessed probably. It's one of those things like truffles...if I see "fig" on a dish at a restaurant I am inclined to order it. These figs are packed with fiber (5 grams, or 20% of your DV per serving!) and go great with a snack of almonds and cheese (anything from TJs will do, but I'm a fan of the low fat brie or anything soft and blue).

Did you know that Trader Joe's has catalog of recipes on their website? It's fun to peruse these and imagine all the possibilities...Just writing up this blog post is making me hungry...what are some of your favorite TJs products?

A Little Bit of History in LA

Standing in front of the El Capitan Theater

People always laugh when I tell them I went to a historic spot in LA. "Every thing's new there, how can there be anything with any history to it?" NOT TRUE!

My Grandma Grace grew up in LA and I loved hearing about her childhood in in California, very different from mine growing up in the Midwestern metropolis of Cleveland, Ohio. It was glamorous to me, because, well it was LA! There were movie stars and glitz. When I told her I was heading west for a visit again I tried to draw out more specifics from her youth but at 89, I've got to get her talking about the right thing to trigger her memory. She's spoken a lot about when she worked at the El Capitan Theatre as an usher, so you can imagine my joy when low and behold, on the way to the Hollywood Bowl, there is was! The theatre debuted in 1926 and was "Hollywood's First Home of Spoken Drama" then saw its birth as a movie house in 1941 with the world premiere of Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane", and was reborn as the Hollywood Paramount in 1942. In the early 90s the theatre was purchased by Disney and restored to its former glory as a venue for live theater.

Also making its debut in the 40s (April, 1947) was The Apple Pan - a burger joint that served up some quality pie topped with ice cream. The tradition is still going strong and the place looked like it hadn't changed much in the over half a century they've been in operation. You find a place sitting at the counter, order one of the two burgers or sandwiches, enjoy, get some pie and pay cash (yes, they've got the old school cash registers to boot). GREAT place!

So many options, what will Jonno choose?!

Who can forget Pink's Hot Dogs? Opened in 1939 this 71 year old establishment draws lines no matter what time of day it is! As a hot dog fein (it's true I have the "I Heart Hot Dog" t-shirt to prove it) this was a MUST visit on the LA trip this time. It's a good thing the line was long (this was after my visit to the Hollywood Bowl with Jonno and an evening feasting on gourmet cheese and Crumbs cupcakes - we were starving for something more substantial) because it gives customers enough time to decide from the slew of delectable hot dog items (a bacon burrito dog anyone?) I opted with the traditional cheese dog, and while it's not a Vienna Beef Chicago dog, it hit the spot.

Look at that tasty dog!

I really did a lot of GREAT eating on this trip to LA. I finally checked out Urth Cafe (LOVE), went back to Jack N Jills for brunch (great rice bowls - a breakfast fave for me!), enjoyed gourmet food and drinks at the chic Gold Class Cinemas, and of course snuck in many a trip to yogurt fave Pinkberry. Lots of fun eating and as always a fun-filled few days in La La Land!

Spread. It. On.

Spread bills itself as Nouveau Comfort Food.

I love peanut butter. Not as much as my friend Lauren though....she takes the cake. On my recent LA visit I saw a sign for a store called Spread. Intriguing. I wouldn't have been surprised if Spread were one of those red light stores (you know the kind I mean, but this is a PG blog after all), but was pleasantly surprised to find this was a store selling couture peanut butter! Lauren would be in absolute heaven!

I chatted with the owner a bit (he started the PB company with his wife in San Diego) and discovered that this peanut butter has been getting accolades all over. They were featured on the Food Network's "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" - the Nutty edition. At $10 for a 4 oz jar, this stuff isn't cheap, but I was a convert after sampling "several" (OK, maybe 10) different varieties. I settled on #59 the famed seasonal cinnamon gourmet peanut spread and was told to "warm it" and spread it on waffles, toast, chocolate, anything. Other favorites? #30 white chocolate blueberry peanut spread, #69 cookies and cream peanut spread, and the #7 dark chocolate peanut spread.

Definitely looking forward to trying some tasty treats with my peanut spread!

Reeling in the Big Fish on Long Island

Girls Weekend 2011- Long Island

It is always a joy to get together with my BFs from high school for our annual girls weekend. I know we will always have a great time laughing, drinking and of course eating very well. This year four of us headed to Greenport, Long Island for a few days of pure relaxation.

Enjoying local lobster and corn at Claudio's

The scenery in this small coastal town is picture perfect. Their are sailboats docked on the Long Island Sound, and the small town is filled with independent restaurants from the Coronette Diner (a longtime community staple serving pancakes, eggs and other breakfast favorites) to the higher end Claudio's (the restaurant serves lobster and other local seafood with beautiful water views).

A truly successful fishing expedition!

I don't think I've ever been fishing before (I don't do particularly well on boats), but I had this romanticized view of the experience - being out on the open water in the sun, relaxing and seeing the beautiful scenery. After finally getting my sea legs I learned that fishing on our boat was not such a relaxing experience...it was hard work! We reeled in some heavy fish and among them had 8 trophy worthy stripped sea bass. It was an amazing experience which included a dip in the L.I. Sound and a delectable fish taco dinner at Kate's Dad's place complete with s'mores.

Enjoying sitting on the patio of Bedell drinking wine

The next day we dressed up and ventured to the Hamptons. There are a multitude of wineries along the way and it was tough to decide which ones were worth visiting. Bedell Winery had been recommended and was definitely worth the visit with a VIP wine tasting overlooking the vineyards. This Food Girl enjoyed herself a little too much with the hefty pours and was probably made the visit that much more memorable for the group. Nick and Tony's in South Hampton was rumored to be the place for celebrity sittings and it did not disappoint; after our delicious pasta meal our server let us know that Broadway legend Nathan Lane was sitting inside the restaurant in the window just behind our table.

It was a truly relaxing weekend...can't wait for next year!

Doughnut Day!!

Fried cake and baked chocolate cake doughnuts

For those who don't know, there was a time I'd toyed with the idea of opening up my own doughnut shop. I had dreams of some retro kitschy place that would cater to families and professionals during the day, and be open late on weekends for those rowdy folks looking to satiate their appetite after a long night of drinking. Now don't be too disappointed, this might still happen someday, but I haven't been moving forward with the idea with any sense of urgency.

I did recently invite some of my cooking ladies (friends who are equally as enticed with cooking/baking as I am) for a special doughnut day. Mind you my kitchen isn't huge, but we did have a great time making 4 different types of doughnuts and stinking up my place with the smell of hot oil (oh yea, that's why I don't frequently practicing my doughnutry skills!)

I need a vent if I'm going to be frying any more...the fumes were TOXIC!

If you're interested in attending Doughnut Day, let me know. Maybe I'll try to organize a second get together at a later date!

Making My Own Chipotle Fave

Robyn's Own Burrito Bowl

I was exhausted last night and craving Chipotle, but too tired to walk to get it (I'm back in marathon training mode and had completed my 15 mile run). Instead I decided, why not just make my own burrito bowl? I popped on over to Jewel to pick up some staples (yes, the grocery is closer than Chipotle) and made my very own uber tasty burrito bowl!

• Brown rice - way healthier than white rice. I used Trader Joe's frozen brown rice which takes all of 3 minutes to microwave.
• Black beans. Rinse 'em and they're ready to go.
• Shredded lettuce. I took an entire heart of romaine and just did a chiffonade cut to make it look pretty.
• Corn. I had the most amazing sweet corn from a Green City Market visit earlier this week. I just sliced the kernels off the cob and sauteed them in a bit of olive oil. I admit they were pretty tasty raw (I sampled a few kernels). You could also use Trader Joe's roasted corn kernels, which are also in the frozen food aisle.
• Cherry tomatoes.
• Shredded fat free cheddar (still tastes just as good as the full fat stuff).
• Avocado - need the good fat!
• Beef. I opted to purchase No Name frozen steaks and was amazed at the 3 frozen filets I purchased for $7.99. I took the one filet and cooked it at 500 degrees on the broiler for 10 minutes on each side and it was pretty darn good!
• Salsa - I didn't add any, but I realized after I started eating my dinner that I had the fancy Frontera Grill salsa in my fridge.

Here is is mixed a bit more - doesn't it look like a Chipotle burrito bowl?!

This was probably one of the most satisfying dinners I'd made for myself in some time and I highly recommend trying it at home!

Pierogi Love

Pierogi Fest's Parade - Look at those fabulous costumes!

My friend Katie and I have been talking about going to Pierogi Fest together for years. Katie is from nearby Whiting, Indiana and always extolled the humor and tastiness of the festival. This year it finally happened and I was a happy lass. The 17th annual fest was expected to draw over 200,000 visitors (a pretty decent sized crowd!) and the city of Whiting was primed to welcome them.

The 3-day festival kicked off Friday evening with a parade. One like I've never seen before! There were fantastic costumes (men, women and even dogs donned babushkas), floats, candy and music (bag pipers are always welcome in any parade right?!) It truly was an display of pride in the city and the pierogi itself. We had prime viewing of the parade as we stood in line waiting for our warm pierogi in a variety of flavors - sauerkraut, cheddar and onion, sweet cheese, meat, mushroom and even chorizo. I also purchased a huge tin mug for a bargain $10 that I could fill up with any number of homemade sodas for the entirety of the 3-day festival (sarsaparilla was my favorite). We ended our feasting by splitting, get this, fried Coke! Little droplets of coke were fried and layered with whipped cream and Coca Cola - very intriguing indeed.

With rides, the delicious Polish food (we also sampled potato pancakes and a few other traditional dishes), and live polka music what more could a girl ask for?