Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Chicago take-out/delivery (north side):

Almond pad thai from Me-Dee
Anything with tofu from PingPong

Very interesting! I grew up eating pork cheek as a substitute for bacon--after smoking it, my mom would fry it up with eggs for breakfast. So tasty but not particulary tender on a quick saute. May need to take a field trip for butchering day this year. :)

Love Kix. Favorite way to enjoy is in Grandma's "Bridge Mix": Chex Mix + Kix with a slightly different (still savory) seasoning blend in the all-important butter bath.

Glad to see Cheap Tart getting its due! Great options--that will hopefully still be around when I get back from Thanksgiving in the hinterland. :)

We sometimes raised our own Thanksgiving turkey on the farm. While I was pretty tender-hearted, I never got attached to the turkeys. They tended to be both aggressive and crazy dumb (drowning in the rain). As well as extremely tender and tasty. :)

Happy Thanksgiving all!

Uncommon Ground on the north side--fun, creative, seasonal

I grew up on a small dairy farm and drank raw milk from probably age 2. I have family members who still farm, and I take any opportunity I can to drink and use the fresh stuff. I prefer the flavor and the consistency (not homogenized), and because my family members also drink the milk, I know they take special care to ensure it's wholesome. Coffee with the top-skimmed cream is one of my very favorite things in the world.

My brothers know their cows (pastured and with surprisingly distinct personalities), so they're quick to notice if they're not in tip-top shape, and then they just keep the milk out from the herd's until they figure out what's going on.

It's like anything else--you have to be careful and know your source. I personally think raw tastes better and fresher, but I'll take organic from the store if necessary. No thanks to added hormones and mega-farm conditions (though to each his or her own).

My nephew and his wife served pies at their wedding last month. They also had a small cake which seemed to be only for display.

The servers plated the slices of pie and guests were allowed to choose from four varieties (it was a buffet).

My sister baked 30 pies the day before that she had prepped and frozen over the course of the previous month. Yeah, we all think/know she's nuts. :)

Have fun with it--you can't go wrong with yummy sweets!

Smoque is so flippin' good! I'm actually not a huge fan of the sides (coleslaw is A-okay though) but all of the meat I've tried is amazing (and I used to be vegetarian). I will wait in the stupid long line if I have to for that brisket and the pulled pork.

Also frequently found (and yummy!) in northeastern Iowa, particularly Cedar Rapids.

My sister-in-law makes amazing kolaches with a cinnamon-brown sugar-butter-pecan filling. I would weigh 600 pounds if I lived with her. :)

Thanks for the laughs and suggestions! :) I should have noted that I googled and was looking for personal experiences.

Quel pain indeed!

I love the recaps, too! Thanks, Leah!

When it's tender, kohrabi is great just peeled, sliced and sprinkled with a bit of salt. Also yummy with a nice dill-sour cream dip.

I generally think of it as a different textured cauliflowerish thingie and use accordingly. Shred in salad, saute lightly in butter, add to stir-fry.

My German grandparents all loved kohlrabi; they're easy to grow, too. Enjoy!