Nov 17

Nov 17 Sausage & Farro Stuffed Acorn Squash | Farmers Market Series

It’s the weekend! While I’m working a sweat up in the kitchen preparing brunch and dinner for a whole day’s worth of Friendsgiving activities, I hope you’re taking it easy this morning catching up on some Food Network. I’m kind of sad because today is the last farmers market series recipe! I was really bummed that our local market ended earlier in the season. I haven’t had a chance to get to one of the closest farms so the journey sadly ends here. However, I will most definitely be bringing the series back in the late spring once the produce starts growing in…

Nov 16

Nov 16 Herby Apple Stuffing | Holiday Recipes: Make Ahead

Christine Rosko

Food

Happy Friday! Thanksgiving is less than one week away which means that Christmas is 5 weeks away. It’s the countdown of the year and I seem to get a little bit more excited every day. We already have one Christmas tree up and the kitchen is decorated all festive. I have my schedule pretty much in place for the rest of the year unless, of course, something comes up which isn’t uncommon. Many people who are entertaining for Thanksgiving have already been preparing for next week. Any groceries that can be bought are sitting on their own shelf in the pantry and freezer. Decorations are bought and ready for display…

Nov 12

Nov 12 Sweet Potato Soup | Farmers Market Series

Christine Rosko

Food

Happy Monday! I hope your week is getting off to a productive start. It’s been awfully cold around these parts lately. Dinners have been all about soup in my house. Not only is soup easy to make and a one-pot-dish, it’s comforting and warming which is all you need on a cold night. The sun starts setting around 3:30 and is down completely by 5 which is crazy but I love it. I’m still adjusting to the early nights and trying not to go to bed by 8PM but I’m all for the arrival of winter. It’s the season of bundling up, fires in the fireplace, hot cocoa, Christmas music, and comfort food. You can add this recipe for Sweet Potato Soup to your collection of cozy cold weather soups too! It’s a good for you but still stick-to-your-ribs kind of soup…

Oct 29

Oct 29 Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts + Beets | Fall Recipes

Christine Rosko

Food

November is just a few days away and I am in the thick of holiday planning. My conversations are focused on what we will be assigning, how many desserts we really need, how many batches of gravy (spaghetti sauce) I prepare in advance, etc. This weekend was all about experimenting with my family’s gravy recipe. I had an outline of what was supposed to be included and had to tweak it by taste to come up with the final solution. The great thing about family recipes is that they’re handed down over generations. The bad thing is that no one ever actually writes the recipes down so it’s a giant guessing game until you create your own version of it. My recipe will never be the same as my great-grandfather’s but it gives the memory of his gravy a nod and takes on my own personal twist. For one...I will never cook a pot of gravy without a Parmesan cheese rind. Ever. That should be a cardinal rule unless you have a severe dairy allergy…

Oct 28

Oct 28 Apple & Chorizo Quesadillas | Apple Season Recipes

Christine Rosko

Food

It’s a brisk morning as I write this post and the final sips of my morning coffee have gone cold. I’m fighting to keep my eyes open, my sleeves are pulled as far over my hands as possible without impeding my ability to type and all I can think is that I could really use a nap. It’s not even 9AM but the call of a warm blanket is strong. Do you ever have one of those days where it’s the perfect weather outside and energy in the air to chill on the couch and watch Halloween Baking Championship reruns on the Food Network? I’ve taken one too many days off this month though and really need to put my head down and be productive. I guarantee it will include another cup of coffee...this time, one that I’ll hopefully finish before it gets cold…

Oct 26

Oct 26 National Pumpkin Day! Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Muffin Recipe

Christine Rosko

Food

Happy National Pumpkin Day! Happy Friday! Today is a great day because pumpkin day and Friday happened to land on the same day this year. That calls for celebration! Celebration in the form of these super tasty, borderline addictive Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Muffins. I’m one of those people who believes pumpkin is a year-round flavor but I still love celebrating its abundance in the fall. Especially in the form of baked goods. Considering my love for pumpkin, I was a bit shocked at the lack of pumpkin recipes in the index! Clearly that needs to change, starting with these muffins…

Oct 22

Oct 22 Roasted Chicken Thighs with Fall Veggies | Fall Recipes

Christine Rosko

Food

Coming off a two-week east coast trip, you’d think that the weather here in Chicago would be similar to what I experienced. Instead, I’m still somehow adjusting to a 30 degree temperature change. My last day in Boston was 80 degrees, my last day in Washington DC was 70 degrees and this weekend, we had a 10 minute blizzard in Chicago. Yes, snow in October! It's not unheard of but not usually this early. With that said, comforting dinners have been front of mind lately and nothing says cozy fall dinner like a roast chicken. Except, who has time for a whole roasted chicken on weeknights and more important, who wants to carve it? Not me, that’s for sure…

Oct 8

Oct 8 Pan-Seared Pork Chops with Roasted Root Veggies | Fall Recipes

Christine Rosko

Food

Fall meals that take all day to cook are lovely but weeknights are still crazy and it might not be the best time to make that 5 hour chili you’ve been dreaming about lately. You can still have a comforting fall dinner any day of the week though. In fact, I find it much more convenient to whip up easy weeknight dinners during the fall and winter compared to summer and spring. Roasting vegetables and cooking a protein is about as basic as it gets for weeknight cooking.

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