Growing up, my Dad would always go to Costco and buy the best cheese blintzes. These thin, crepe-like pancakes are filled with delicious cheese and usually topped with fruit preserves or jam. Frankly, they’re one of the most delicious things ever, but they are time consuming to make. The other morning I was flipping through EveryDay with Rachel Ray and I saw a recipe for Cheese Blintz Hotcakes. The recipe made me nostalgic (my Dad became a vegan a few years ago ergo we haven't had too many ... [ Read More ]
Spaghetti Squash w/ Tomatoes & Caramelized Onion Gorgonzola Sauce
Last night I invented a delicious dish using some of my old standby recipes and combining them together. Let me explain how it all went down... I had a spaghetti squash that I needed to use up before it went bad. When I told Dan what I was making, he said he didn't want a standard red sauce. Since I literally had nothing else to pair it with, it got my wheels turning. I noticed I had some heavy cream and gorgonzola cheese in my fridge and knew that my gorgonzola sauce would pair perfectly ... [ Read More ]
Erica’s Detox Green Smoothie
Happy Monday! I don't know about you, but every monday I feel like I need to detox. Maybe it's the excessive amount of food I ate over the weekend or the lack of motivation to get up and go to the gym. Either way, I need a boost to get me back on track. Today I am going to share a smoothie that will change your life. Not only is it unbelievably delicious (I swear), but it's so good for you. If you start your day with it, I bet you'll end up eating great the rest of the day. Erica’s ... [ Read More ]
Cauliflower Crust Pizza
Let's be brutally honest here, cauliflower isn't everyones favorite vegetable (I know it certainly isn't mine). Lately, I've been hearing people talk about using this white, brain-like looking vegetable to make pizza crust. When I first heard it, I thought no way. Not only would this make pizza a low-carb, healthy option, but it could potentially give me a use for a vegetable I'm not a huge fan of. So, I gave it a try. It was delicious! It was crunchy and nutty and honestly, I didn't miss the ... [ Read More ]
Restaurant Review: XOCO
A couple of months ago, I had the privileged of eating at XOCO, located at 449 N Clark Street. This Rick Bayless hot spot had been the talk of my office ever since I started back in July. Having been to Bayless's other two Chicago spots, Frontera Grill and Topolobampo (both located next door to XOCO), I had pretty high expectations. As expected, the food was really incredible. What I think is even more amazing, is how dedicated Bayless and his team are to creating a environmentally ... [ Read More ]
8 Foods to Boost Your Immune System
This winter has been a doozy. I don't care where you are in the U.S, you are most likely experiencing one of the worst winters of your lifetime. Unfortunately, with cold weather comes the flus, colds and weakened immune system. While I know the cold weather can't cause these things, it sure doesn't help, right? Recently, I was one of the unlucky individuals who caught a pretty nasty flu. Instead of sitting in bed sulking for 5 days, I did my research so that I could get better faster (and ... [ Read More ]
Banana Bread (from scratch)
Growing up, one of my favorite sweet, breakfast breads was banana bread. Despite this, in the nearly 10 years that I've lived on my own, I've never tried to make it (mostly because baking freaks me out). This all changed yesterday when I saw that I had 5 bananas starting to go bad on my counter top. I knew I had to do something with them, because I hate wasting good food like that. I looked up a recipe for banana bread and found that all the ingredients were pantry staples. I modified the ... [ Read More ]
BBQ Chicken Shepard’s Pie
I think I've invented my new favorite dish. Last night I realized I had a frozen pie crust in the freezer that I should probably use, but I wasn't in the mood for a standard chicken pot pie. After looking around my kitchen, I realized I also had a sweet potato that was probably on its last legs. Then it hit me. Why not make a BBQ chicken shepard's pie and top it with mashed sweet potatoes? In theory, everything about it sounded so delicious. In reality, it was actually more incredible ... [ Read More ]
My Eyelash Secret Revealed!
When I originally started this blog, my intention was to have it literally be "Everything Erica". That means everything about me (not just food). Since food is my number one passion, much of what I've written about thus far has been culinary related. Today this will change a little bit. A lot of you have been writing in and asking me about what I do with my lashes and how I get them to look so long and full all the time. I've gone back and forth about revealing my secret, but today I will ... [ Read More ]
5 Valentines Day Gifts for a Foodie
Is your boyfriend/girlfriend/partner a foodie? If so, I have 5 perfect gifts to sweep them off their feet this Valentines Day. 1) Create your own Candy Hearts: You know those little hearts you got in elementary school that said things like "Be Mine"? Now you can custom create your own to say whatever you want. How adorable! Click here to order. 2) Cooking Class: I think here is nothing more romantic then cooking together. Why not give your foodie a fun cooking class that you guys can do ... [ Read More ]
