Category: Food

LG at Taste of the Nation Chicago for No Kid Hungry

This post is in partnership with LG Electronics.

There are Taste of the Nation events held in cities across America to benefit No Kid Hungry, an organization dedicated to ending childhood hunger. They bring together local chefs to serve up samples of familiar foods, more exotic fare, amazing bite-sized desserts, and plenty of drinks. LG was here for Taste of the Nation Chicago as a sponsor in a booth showcasing their new Black Stainless Steel appliances, partnering with chef Jason Vincent of Giant. I was there too, and the place was packed!

Chef Vincent (named Food & Wine Best New Chef, Cochon 555 King of Pork, a James Beard Award semi-finalist, and received Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand award) told me he has been supporting No Kid Hungry for years because obviously it’s for a great cause, and with their events “they do it right and they make it fun.” Now that he has children, Vincent thought of them while coming up with his menu for the night — an easy, inexpensive meal that both kids and adults would love.

Black Bean, Corn, and Avocado Salad

serves four for about $8

• 1 can of black beans (or dried=cheaper) • 1 ripe avocado • 2 ears of corn • 4 small, ripe tomatoes (cherry tomatoes) • 1 lime

Chicken & Zucchini Quesadillas

serves four for $8

• 1 pack white corn tortillas • 2 chicken thighs • 1 large zucchini • 2 oz queso fresco • 2 oz queso chihuahua • 1 large, juicy tomato • garlic salt • onion powder • whole milk sour cream

I got my photo taken and an instant print of it while I was there. LG is also doing this thing they call a ‘Selfless Selfie’ to benefit No Kid Hungry. Visit participating Sears locations in Chicago, take your photo in front of the display they’ve set up, and share it on social media with the hashtag #LGFillThePlate. LG is donating 10 meals to No Kid Hungry for each post, and 5 more each time a post is shared (here’s mine).

I saw the new LG Black Stainless Steel appliances in store, and they were also on display at the event. The finish is smudge-resistant, and the dark color is a more modern alternative to the classic stainless steel options we’ve seen for so long. You can play around with the Virtual Kitchen Design Tool they’ve developed to place their appliances in a variety of kitchens, changing the walls, flooring, cabinets, and so on (apparently there are over a million ways to change things up). Plus the fridge has a (seemingly) magic door that you can knock on to see inside, and then open it either all the way, or just the front portion.

You can check out the LG Black Stainless Steel appliances in Sears stores, and be sure to take a ‘Selfless Selfie’ if you visit the Chicago Ridge, Schaumburg, or Oakbrook locations. You’ll be entered into a sweepstakes drawing for a chance to win one of two $500 Sears gift cards, and more importantly, you’ll be helping LG provide meals for No Kid Hungry.

October 11, 2016
Coffee Crafted with Care

This post is sponsored by Dunkin’ Donuts. I’m an ambassador and will be sharing more throughout the year.

I told a few friends that I would be working with Dunkin’ Donuts this year, their immediate response was that “their coffee is so good.” And it is! I had no idea how much went into making sure that was the case though until I visited their headquarters in Boston.

They use 100% Arabica coffee beans, and I learned about the strict Dunkin’ Donuts Quality (DDQ) standards they hold themselves to throughout the entire process, from the beans being grown, harvested, roasted, and finally brewed. I went through the coffee cupping experience at their headquarters — noticing the differences between beans sourced from different regions. It reminded me of a wine tasting, and I had never compared coffee beans like that before. Their Original Blend is a light roast that brings together the best of several different coffee beans, and Dunkin’ Donuts Dark Roast is more bold, but still smooth without being bitter.

It all adds up to a reliable, freshly brewed cup of coffee. I only really got into drinking it a few years ago, and it quickly became a part of my daily routine. If I’ve got a busy day ahead of me, I need a little energy boost, and I especially love picking up a hot coffee when I have errands to run or places to take the kids. I work it into my routine — wake up and then wake everyone else up. Get the kids ready while Brandon showers, get myself ready while he does the school drop-off, grab my keys and head out the door, grab a drink, and get on with the day.

I feel extra fancy getting my coffee now, by the way. They gave me the Black Card! VIP right here.

June 1, 2016
Trying Out a New Way to Cook for the Family

Sponsored by Blue Apron

I had never heard of Blue Apron before seeing it on some of the blogs that I read, but it sounded good and I was certainly up for trying it out. My friends here hadn’t heard of it either, but when I was in New York, I mentioned it to a couple of people and they knew all about it. Apparently it’s a big thing out there already? And it is available for free shipping nationwide to over 80% of the country, so chances are good that you’re in one of their delivery zones. So far we’ve tried one week of the service (three meals), and everything we’ve cooked has been great!

Brandon does more of the cooking than I do, but we were both in the kitchen to make our first dish: Filipino-Style Beef Picadillo. (Because duh, one of us had to hold the camera. How do food bloggers do this on the regular?) The recipes are designed by chefs to be delicious and good for you, and you can choose portions for two, four, or six people. The meals are $9.99 per serving with free shipping and we went with the four servings size, but they’re generous so we had leftovers for lunch from each recipe.

There is a lot of packaging, which is understandable — the boxes are packed to keep things cold during shipping so the food stays fresh. Everything arrived in perfect condition though, even potentially squishable foods like the tomatoes. The ingredients are sent in just the right amounts, so you have everything you need all planned out for you with no trip to the grocery store and you don’t end up with random bottles of stuff you’ll never use entirely. (Like the giant bottle of fish sauce that has been sitting in our house, mocking us for not finding more uses for it.)

By the way… ever wonder how multiple pots and pans fit on our antique stove? Answer: not very well. The left half is wood-burning, so only the right half with gas burners is functional as cooking space. It’s a challenge. The stove looks cool, but it’s pretty apparent that cooking technology has changed a lot since 1918.

Even with our ancient stove, we do make almost all of our meals at home. We fall into ruts though, making the same meals over and over again, so it’s nice that Blue Apron helps us learn new recipes and lets us try out new foods. (I’d never had chayote squash before using it in this beef dish.)

The meals are really good, and the kids liked them too. We even garnished for presentation, which we usually don’t do. So you know. Fancy.

I’m glad we got the chance to try the service because we’re looking forward to using Blue Apron again, for sure. There’s no commitment; you can sign up and get a week’s delivery, then skip or cancel at any time. I think it could be particularly useful for us when baby number three arrives, so we won’t have to do the meal planning and shopping.

If you’d like to give it a go too, Blue Apron is offering two free meals with your first order to the first 50 readers that sign up.

July 24, 2014
Keeping Snacks at Hand

Sponsored by NatureBox

This is my view when I wake up every morning. My ‘bubble’ water bottle (twee heart with a secret snarky message, ha!), prenatal vitamins (because I’ll forget if they aren’t right there), a constantly changing stack of things to read, an alarm clock, and a snack.

I’ve been keeping a snack by my bedside because while most of the queasiness of early pregnancy has passed by now, I feel better if I keep a little something in my stomach. For a while it was the Dark Cocoa Almonds from NatureBox, but lately I’ve been preferring their Blueberry Almond Bites. Of course the kids don’t understand why I get to break the ‘no food upstairs’ rule; they want to keep their favorites in their rooms, too.

And we do all have our favorites! NatureBox is a subscription service with free shipping that delivers healthy snacks monthly. We switch up our choices sometimes, but Eleanor also likes the Blueberry Almond Bites, Brandon is partial to the Santa Fe Corn Sticks, and August is happy to have some Cherry Berry Bonanza.

Giveaway

Everything from NatureBox is made from wholesome ingredients (no HFCS, partially hydrogenated oils, or trans fats, and no artificial sweeteners, flavors, or colors), and you can change what you receive each month to stick with your favorites or try new goodies. You can also choose the right-sized package for you (Deluxe, Happy, and Smart Snacker, with 5, 10, and 20 bags, respectively), and each bag has 3-5 servings in it. NatureBox is offering a 50% off discount to new customers for their first box (making the Deluxe Snacker package only $9.95) if you use the code LOVELY.

NatureBox is giving 2 winners each a free 6-month Deluxe Snacker subscription! The giveaway is open to US readers with a US shipping address only, and to enter, you can browse NatureBox’s snacks and leave a comment below by midnight CDT, June 4 with the variety you’d most like to try. Good luck!

May 28, 2014
Gingerbread Cake
This post is sponsored by Safeway stores-Safeway, Dominicks, Tom Thumb, Vons, Randalls. Tastier for the holidays!

I usually make something with chocolate when I want to bake, but yesterday I wanted something with a little more spice. Something that seemed right for the holiday season. I turned to one of my favorite cookbooks, Little Cakes by Susan Waggoner, and found a recipe for gingerbread cake. Perfect.

As I was measuring the ingredients and setting up a little mise en place, I had it in my head that I was “pretty baking.” Turns out it’s actually quite nice to make a cake that way! My assistant helped.

(She makes faces for the camera now.)

I was hoping to link to the flour scoop below for you, but I can’t find it anywhere. It’s the best measuring cup ever. The shape is perfect, and if you turn it around, you can mix with the handle. I also have matching a 1/4 cup spoon that’s labeled “sugar”.

It was easy for Eleanor to help, since everything was already measured out.

My second assistant came in just as the first was leaving. August is super into anything mechanical, so he was enthralled with the beaters. I told him we were making Mickey cake; he liked that a lot.

We baked that batter up to make a delicious gingerbread cake.

I’ve transcribed the recipe for gingerbread cake below, since Little Cakes is out of print. (It’s still available in low quantities as a remnant or used book though, so grab one while you can!)

Gingerbread Cake

From Little Cakes, by Susan Waggoner
2 cups sifted cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
2/3 cup dark molasses
3/4 cup buttermilk
PAN: 8 or 9 inch square pan, greased [I used an 8″ round springform pan with good results]
1. Combine the sifted flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, allspice, and salt in a bowl. Stir to combine and set aside.
2. Cream the butter. Gradually add the sugar, creaming until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in the egg, then the molasses.
4. Add one-quarter flour-spice mixture, then one-third of the milk, beating until smooth after each addition. Repeat twice, ending with the last quarter of the flour-spice mixture.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula to make it level.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes.
December 13, 2012
Shopping at the Cheese Market

Shopping at the Marion Street Cheese Market

Brought to you by San Pellegrino. Enter now for a chance to be one of five winners of a FIAT 500. Plus, you could win great Italian-inspired prizes in S.Pellegrino’s Live In Italian On The Go Sweepstakes.

Brandon and I had a rare kid-free afternoon, so we went out for a lunch date at the Marion Street Cheese Market. It is a restaurant as well as a market, and after having one of the best meals I’ve had all year (Brandon’s was good, but mine was excellent), we still had some time left before we had to pick up the kids. We decided to browse the market side.

The wine selection is impressive. We don’t drink often, but I do love to see all of the labels and the rows upon rows of bottles.

Say “cheese.”

We spent more time than we intended to, reading all of the labels and trying to figure out which varieties to bring back home. We picked two that looked good, along with some meats and olives, and then we got to the really good stuff: the chocolates. We bought two of their fleur de sel caramels, and we picked up a few candies for the kids.

We don’t go out often enough, but we did bring everything we needed back home with us to recreate a little Italian night. We can wait until the kids are asleep and pop in a movie, sure, but I’m thinking we ought to take our date to go. With me working at home and Brandon watching the kids all day, getting out of the house is nice.

November 15, 2012