My blog is a little over a week old and I want to know what you think! Ultimately, I want to write content that you enjoy. Please help me by filling out the poll below. This will help me to better understand where to focus the majority of my efforts! Have another idea? Let me know in the "other" section. I truly value my readers thoughts, ideas and feedback. :) [polldaddy poll=7522098] ... [ Read More ]
The 5 Best “Meat” Substitutes on the Market
Being a foodie, you'd think I would have grown up with a a foodie family or put myself in a relationship with someone who was equally as passionate about food. Wrong. My Dad is a vegan and my boyfriend is a vegetarian. I figured since life gave me lemons (and I mean that in the nicest way possible), I would have to try and make lemon "chicken" out of it. Whether you're a vegetarian yourself, or know someone who is, navigating the grocery store to find the best meat alternatives can be ... [ Read More ]
How to Make Fresh Pasta: Butternut Squash Ravioli
Last year, one of the most mystifying dishes to me was anything involving fresh pasta. I just couldn't get the courage up to try making it and sort of skirted the subject whenever anyone asked me if I knew how. This all changed when my boyfriends Mom, Wendy, told me I had to learn to do it and that it was simple (I wasn't about to argue with my new boyfriends Mother). So on one rainy Sunday afternoon, I headed into her kitchen and she taught me how to make pasta. Not only is it easy, it's ... [ Read More ]
Restaurant Review: Sunda
Location: 110 W Illinois St Chicago, IL 60654 Yesterday, one on my friends , Asha, who I hadn't seen in 5 years told me that she was stopping through Chicago and wanted to grab dinner. Since she had never been to Chicago, she gave me 3 guidelines on choosing a restaurant: 1) It had to be one of Chicago's best 2) It should be asian food (since that's her favorite cuisine) 3) They had to have a great lounge area so we could meet one of our other friends afterwards for a drink Enter, Sunda. I ... [ Read More ]
Restaurant Review: Mastro’s Steakhouse
Price: $$$$ ($50 and up per person) Last weekend, my boyfriends parents came to town to visit us from Boston. For most people, this situation would probably drum up tons of anxiety and ensue a potentially uncomfortable situation. However, I am one of the lucky ones who have the most incredible "dating in-laws" (yes I made that up) that you can ever imagine. These people are truly my second family and I couldn't have been more excited to have them in town! :) Dan's Mom is a huge foodie, and ... [ Read More ]
5 Tips to get FREE Stuff When You Go Out
If it's one thing I know well, it's how to get something for free (or at a heavy discount). Every time I go out with my friends, they are always asking me how I end up getting things for free. I've decided, it's finally time to share my secrets so that you can find yourself enjoying some free stuff next time you go out! I'm going to keep the names of the restaurants/stores private so that no one gets in trouble! 1) Ask for it. This may seem too simple, but in reality, no one does it and ... [ Read More ]
Erica’s QUICK Chicken Pot Pie
Yesterday was the first day that I felt "winter" coming in Chicago. I know what you're probably thinking..."If she thinks THIS is cold, then just wait!" Yeah...I get it, and I don't care! If I want to be cold (and complain about it, I will). I digress... Anyways, because it was so cold, my boyfriend, Dan, and I decided we really wanted to have something warm and comforting for dinner. He told me he had has heart set on chicken pot pie. I've had a long 2 weeks (with no days off I might add), ... [ Read More ]
My Low Carb Pasta Alternatives
Real talk, I'm totally obsessed with pasta. ...and the reality is...my body type doesn't react well with carbohydrates. To put it bluntly, they make me fat. That is why I went on a mission to find some great pasta alternatives that would satisfy my craving, but help keep my carb intake low and my waistline small. Not only will I share my 2 favorite alternatives, but as a bonus, I'm going to tell you the best way to prepare them (because in reality, if I just told you about them, you probably ... [ Read More ]
Erica’s Crispy Chicken (or Eggplant) Parmesan
Since I can remember, it has always boggled my mind why people top their chicken/eggplant parmesan with sauce BEFORE baking it. In my opinion, it gets soggy and just doesn't taste very good. Growing up, every time my family would take us out to an Italian restaurant, I would always order "chicken parm with sauce on the side" (picture me at 6 years old ordering that. I knew what I wanted, even then)! It became a running joke in my family, but to be honest, I don't think I ever expressed to ... [ Read More ]
5 Tips to Throwing a Great Wine & Cheese Party (Without Breaking the Bank)
Shortly after moving to Chicago, I met a couple of great friends that I wanted to invite over and get to know better. Since I didn't have a job at time time, I needed to think of an impressive way to entertain at my apartment and not force myself into bankruptcy in the process but we can get help filing for bankruptcy easily nowadays. I've always thought that wine and cheese parties were a cool idea, but knew that they can get super expensive. I figured I'd give it a shot and see if I could ... [ Read More ]
