Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Slightly related: you can buy Spongebob Squarepants "Krabby Patty" candies. It's essentially the same as these except not cut in half. They taste...well, like gummy candies. Nothing special. But not awful either.

A cheddar garlic loaf and the first time I made it without any mixers since I didn't have the right attachments. I beat that bread into submission with a wooden spoon and nothing could have tasted better. :)

As a fellow recent college grad...I feel where you're coming from. Good luck finding your "real" job in the "real" world. It is such a strange feeling :)

Thanks so much chgoeditor. I tried to search your comments but they only went so far. Those are awesomely helpful.

All the links and addresses are great. Trip Planner and I are gonna be busy!

Any specific recommendations for Indian or Middle Eastern cuisine? I heard there is an Indian Neighborhood somewhere on the north part of town?

@chgoeditor: I'm posting this in additions to some of the other threads I've seen. Mostly due to the affordable option. A lot of the threads I've seen give preference to good food at a pricey price and I want to stay away from that if I can. Although, if you know of a thread that already covered this then show me the way and I'll declare this one unnecessary.

I've been to Chicago a couple times and have always managed to find good food at a reasonable price; this is the first time I really have the time to explore what the neighborhoods have to offer so I want to make sure I take advantage of that.

@andshewas: I'm staying in a few different places actually. With a colleague's sister in Lincoln Park, a friend's apartment who goes to De Paul, and a cousin's house who lives in a 'burb, but don't ask me which because I can't remember and haven't gotten directions yet. I'm planning on getting a metra/train pass for the week and just cruising around town (so any addresses or links with addresses are awesome so I can actually get to them).

Keep 'em coming

In addition to the note about Gatorade as having some benefits for atheletes, it is often recommended by doctors and nurses (at least I've had it recommended) when a person has a stomch virus. The minerals in water can cause more vomiting than the Gatorade would thereby putting a person at risk for dehydration. In an instance like that the benefits of keeping any fluids down outwiegh the risks of the HFCS (I'll take a little corn syrup over dehydration anyday).

Outside of that, I completely agree with the OP. The message is do your research (not that it helps the HFCS people if you do) and that's admirable!

The City Grocer's on 10th and Olive serves turtle soup on Fridays. Mmmm if you're into soups, stop and get some. The chef who makes it is there in the afternoon and was more than happy to chat about how he makes it.

There is also a Thai bistro on 13th (I think) and Olive that serves delicious food (possibly not all Thai...but good food at a good price).

Both places are close to the Drury Inn and the Arch. If you watch, the street numbers will go up the further you are from the river. I was just there a week ago and it's true, food is hard to find in that area, but once we found a local place the food was always good. Have fun!

Normally I read these and find out that I've been using the worst of the bunch. I got to be pleasantly surprised today when Kitchen Basics (my go to brand for stock) got a top place!

I agree that while time isn't really the issue (see oven or crock pot method) ... space is a constraint for many, myself included, when considering making stock. I recently made a turkey stock and plan on freezing it in an icecube tray to cut down on bulky tubs of frozen liquid.

A ffriend and I once decided that we wanted to make dinner for her family ( we were about 14 at the time so it was a big deal to make food) After dinner (no problems there) we were whipping egg whites to top the rice pudding. Absentminded me forgot to take the spoon out of the mixer after checking our peaks. We turn the mixer on and hear: CLATTER CLATTER WOoOOSH BANG! As the spoon flies across the room spreading half whipped egg whites around the entire kitchen we dropped to the ground and my friend's mom came running.

The rice pudding came out fine but ever since, I'm extra careful with utensils and mixers.

Oh my gosh! Cutest thing I've seen this week!

We eat in bed frequently...much to my displeasure. No don't get me wrong, I'm all for the occasionall cozy-up-to-a-good-book-hot-chocolate-and-cookies kind of bed munching. But I hate that the majority of my meals are infront of the t.v. in bed. I grew up in a pretty strict household where all meals were at the dining room table with the television and radio turned off. It was a treat if we had pizza and watched a movie in the living room (and a production at that...there were never enough seats).

In my dream home the dining room table is always clean and ready to be eaten upon for every meal.

Dark chocolate...but really I'll eat all kinds. I especially love white on dark mmmmm!

Alton Brown is my go to guy when i need to know the "how" of something. If I need any technical details or want to know the background on something he usually will tell me. Some of his recipes are bland, but I like using them as building blocks.

I love Paula Dean's recipes. I think she has been a little over exposed on FN, but I still love her food. Its that rich,creamy thing that just gets me!

As far as actual chefs go I have a soft spot for Emeril. Even though most of his recipes are too involved or expensive for me I enjoy watching him. He's the guy that got me watching FN in the first place.