Happy Halloween FromMe2U

Happy Halloween!

Spaghetti Squash FromMe2U

Fall is such a wonderful season isn't it. The weather is usually pretty good, leaves are falling, there's always a great college football game on and fall fashion is so fun. One of my most favorite things about fall is cooking all the fun seasonal treats. Last week I made spaghetti squash. Yes it's healthy and a better option than pasta, but it's also so fun to make! When I made it last fall I made a pesto sauce to drizzle over it. This year I decided to make it with marinara sauce. First I cut the squash in half (which is harder than it looks!), scooped out the seeds and drizzled it with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Spaghetti Squash

Just like spaghetti right?

Right out of the oven!

I sprinkled olive oil, salt & pepper over the squash and put them face down on a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Depending on the size of the spaghetti squash it should be in there between 20 and 40 minutes at 450 degrees. When you take it out of the oven (it should be soft), grab a fork and scoop out the spaghetti. I served the squash with marinara sauce and parmesan cheese.

Spag squash is served. Yum!

Mindy's HotChocolate FromMe2U

Since Chicago magazine just ranked the "50 best sandwiches in Chicago" I thought I would share this amazing breakfast sandwich I had at brunch on Sunday. I was pleased to see that Mindy's HotChocolate was mentioned; however, I can't comment on the crab sandwich that Chicago magazine highlighted, since I've never tried it. I have no doubt that it's good since HotChocolate's food is incredible. What I can comment on is the English muffin sandwich. It comes with bacon; however, I prefer sausage on my breakfast sandwich. They make their own English muffins, and let me tell you it was one of the best English muffins I've ever had. And the Carr Valley aged cheddar cheese - YUM. Best breakfast sandwich!

English Muffin

Grits

This was my second time dining at HotChocolate and I highly recommend it. I love the atmosphere and the service is great. It is one of those places where they won't seat you or even take your name down until your whole party has arrived so make sure everyone gets there at the same time.

One place not on Chicago magazine's list is J.P. Graziano's located on Randolph in the west loop. I got the prosciutto sub sandwiches, and it was one of the best sandwiches I've ever had. Next time I go I will write a review! It would definitely be on my top 50 best sandwiches in Chicago!

Wakamono FromMe2U

One of my favorite sushi restaurants in Chicago is Wakamono. It's a nice neighborhood spot in Lakeview located on Broadway. You can bring your own wine with a small corkage fee, which I find very appealing. Once you are seated they give you cold towels to clean your hands and complimentary marinated soybeans with sesame. I'm not sure what other customers think but I thought these were pretty tasteless. However, everything I actually ordered was really good! We started out with edamame and pork gyoza.

Edamame

Pork Gyoza

Oedipus and Dragon Roll

The oedipus roll with salmon, avocado, cucumber, herbs and wasabi mayo is incredible. Every time I come to Wakamono I order it. I think the herbs are what make it have such a unique flavor. Next time you're looking for that local neighborhood sushi spot - go to Wakamono. Delish.

Nellcote FromMe2U

Last week we dined at Nellcote for my brother's 30th birthday. The atmosphere is oozing with sophistication with beautiful marble floors, sparkling chandeliers and distinguished seating arrangements. Definitely a trendy spot and perfect for a romantic date, a night out with friends or a place to get some cocktails after work. I now work about 3 blocks from Nellcote so I may be visiting it for happy hour more often.

The food is tapas style with a European flair to it. We ordered several things and some items were so outstanding we ordered them 2 or 3 times. We started out with freshly baked bread followed by fish and several pastas and pizzas. Here are some highlights that I recommend.

Baguette, brioche, focaccia

Simple noodles {parmesan, butter, parsley, olive oil}

Spaghetti {tomato, calabrian chilies, toasted breadcrumbs, mojama}

Grilled Sturgeon

Sunnyside up {fontina, mozzerella, arugula, egg}

All of these dishes were excellent. My two favorites were the sunnyside up and spaghetti. We had 3 orders of the spaghetti because it was so delicious. The chilies and breadcrumbs made the flavor so unique, and the noodles were freshly made. They mill their own flour, and you can really taste the freshness in the pizza. I normally don't get pizza's with an egg on top, but I'm so glad we ordered the Sunnyside up pizza. Incredible! It was cooked to perfection, and the combination of cheeses and arugula mixed with the egg was outstanding. There was only one thing we ordered that I didn't care for and that was the tomato salad. It didn't have much flavor. Everything else was delicious.

I'm still thinking about the sunnyside up. Can't wait to go for drinks after work!

Mon Ami Gabi FromMe2U

About 2 weeks ago, on a Saturday, I was searching for the perfect place to dine outdoors. My brother recently ate at Mon Ami Gabi and reported that it had one of the best outdoor seating areas in the city. With his recommendation and having always wanted to eat at Mon Ami Gabi, I decided to try it. They don't take reservations for their outdoor seating area; however, we arrived at 8:00 pm and were seated right away. The outdoor area was so peaceful, with twinkling lights around the trees and a lovely view of Lincoln Park West. It was heaven. I first ordered a bottle of bordeaux, followed by escargots. The bordeaux was wonderful, and the escargots were cooked to perfection, each sitting in their own pool of buttery garlicy pesto goodness.

Bordeaux

Escargots

Up Close

Since it was such a beautiful night we sat for over an hour and enjoyed our escargots and wine. The waiter was very patient and did not pester us to order - I also couldn't decide what I wanted, everything sounded amazing! We finally ordered steak frites and poisson. 

Steak Bearnaise

Gabi's Fish & Frites

Asparagus

The steak was cooked to perfection, and the bearnaise complimented it well. Gabi's fish was cod with a parmesan crust. The fish, dipped in a touch of tartar sauce, just melted in my mouth. Delicious. Since both entrees came with fries, we ordered asparagus in place of one order of fries. It was served in a lemon garlic drizzle - Yum!

Doppio (double espresso)

I absolutely loved my dining experience at Mon Ami Gabi. The service was impeccable, the atmosphere was lovely and the food was fabulous. The atmosphere indoors is charming and very French. I will definitely make a visit this winter!

Hummus FromMe2U

Last night when I came home from work I was in the mood to make hummus. This was my third time making hummus, and I wanted to see if there were any tweaks I could make to mine. I have recently started to look up recipes on pinterest, (which is becoming one of my favorite sites) so I decided to browse the site to see if there was anything new I could add to my traditional hummus recipe. One recipe called for tabasco sauce and that seemed like the perfect addition to my hummus recipe.

For this recipe you will need a cuisinart in order to puree all of the ingredients properly. I use about 1 1/2 cups of chickpeas and put most of them in the cuisinart first. I then alternate between the remaining chickpeas and olive oil and lemon juice. I use 3-4 tbsp. of olive oil and about 3-4 tbsp. of lemon juice (about 2 lemons). Depending on taste and how moist it is you should add more or less of each.

Chickpeas

In the Cuisinart!

Lemons

Garlic (of course)

Next I added 4 - 6 drops of tabasco (to taste), 3-5 garlic cloves (I always add more), 1/3 cup tahini, and a pinch of salt. If the hummus is not moist enough add 1-2 tbsp. of the chickpea liquid. 

Time to Eat!

 I always drizzle some more olive oil on top of the dish and a dash of paprika. You can add whatever kind of veggies or bread to dip in the hummus. I typically serve it with green and red peppers, celery sticks, and grilled naan. Yum!