Free Bird

I just lost my job. And now I shall conquer the world.

I know the restaurant industry is struggling. I know I worked in pastry. I know I was a part-time employee, but I lost my job. F. I even knew it was coming. I went into work prepared and tough. The higher ups met with me and were even really nice. I tried to maintain my toughness and then the eyes swelled with tears. And then I was full out crying. Ugh, pregnancy crying does not stop too easily. So I left the restaurant business with raccoon eyes in the frigid cold.

I really did love working at a restaurant. I never wanted to be the best restaurant chef out there, because I want to do my own thing, but it kept me learning. I liked the fact that at a restaurant the music is turned up and you can sing while on the job; and sometimes even bob and sway while rolling dough or mixing muffins. And as for conversation—anything goes from the mildly inappropriate to downright weird. It’s far from desk work.

I came home and had a small pity party. I nestled up with my dog on the couch and turned on Oprah. Naturally the show was about people who lost their jobs too. I talked on the phone with my mom and then just in time for The View, I decided the pity party was over.

I got up, made some delicious pancakes, turned on my ‘pump up song (Lisztomania by Phoenix)’ and got excited about my business and my future. I bobbed, swayed and sang my heart out while I was flipping jacks. But, with all of the excitement, it did not change the fact that the steady paycheck was now gone. So for anyone who is without work or just totally broke, here's what I made on a light wallet (Latin Rice Dish, $8.24 food cost). Take that economy.



Latin Rice Dish dinner for 2 with leftovers | Total: $8.24 food cost

Ingredients:

2 cups basmati rice
your favorite salsa - to taste
1/2 can black beans - rinsed | I prefer to make my own beans, but I was too hungry to wait
1/2 red onion - small dice
1/3 pound cherry tomatoes - medium dice
1 avocado - medium dice
handful of cilantro - rough chop
2 eggs - fried over medium/easy
1 lime - wedges
hot sauce - garnish to taste
s and p to taste

Add rice, 4 cups of water and salt to a small sauce pan; cook over high heat until boiling. Once boiling, turn heat to low--cover and cook for 15 - 20 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile cut all vegetables and rinse the beans. Cook eggs just before the rice is finished. On each individual plate layer the ingredients as desired. Squeeze lime and eat.

I just want a burger

I crave hamburgers. I have been ordering more patties than ever and daydreaming about one of Chicago’s epic burger joints—Kuma’s Corner. I tried to go there a couple of months back; I knew that long lines ensued, but the night I suggested the Mecca, I had no idea what was in store for my crew.

We arrived at the crowded bar and were slowly greeted by the hipster-pierced host who told us to expect two hours (of standing shoulder to shoulder next to the constantly opening front door) before sitting down. I was willing to wait for the grub, others were ready to eat; decision: onward and outward.

We hopped in our cars and headed to a different neighborhood to find a new bar, a new grill. The next stop, Hopleaf, turned us away with a two-and-a-half hour wait. We quickly sent Brian running up and down Lincoln Avenue in the freezing cold to find a no-wait eatery. He returned cold and out of breath with one promising establishment… that will remain nameless. The troops rallied and walked into the café extremely hungry, loud, and somewhat slaphappy. The hunt for dinner was now at the one and a half hour mark. We settled in at our table, ordered our drinks, and started noshing on pitas and hummus. Each group member scoured the menu and was ultimately lost at what to order. We had gone out with the thought of a Kuma’s burger, tried for Hopleaf and now were settling on this place. It did not sit well.

We discussed leaving, but where to? Any good food had a wait, but we did not want to compromise. “No, we were eating here.” Amidst the, should we go, should we stay conversation, our friend, Billy found a hair on his pita. “Really, we should leave.” “No, no, no… this place will do.” We soon found out that hair number one had some friends, two actually. Yes, this was terribly disgusting, but since we had not eaten, we could not stop laughing about the situation. Jeff practically spit out his beer he was laughing so hard. People were staring—we were those people. The ones who were mistakenly intoxicated, who could not stop laughing at their table and left without ordering anything except a round of drinks.

We ended up at a late night Mexican joint where we still had to wait 10 minutes before sitting down. The waitress served us our tacos and burritos respectively and they were devoured immediately. There was no talking, only eating. It was 11:15pm and we were somehow content with our night—really.

Although we were weirdly satisfied with our Chicago food hunt, it did not change the fact that I needed to fill the belly with a seriously delicious burger. I finally took matters into my own hands and constructed one heck-of-a burger, two months later. But it was worth the wait.



Burger

Ingredients:
1 part ground bison
1 part ground chuck
1 egg
a few generous splashes worstechire sauce
minced garlic

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl with hands. Form small to medium height patties. Grill outside or on a grill pan for 6 to 7 minutes on either side or until desired doneness.

Caramelized Onions

Ingredients:
1 yellow onion- julienne
olive oil
s and p
champagne vinegar

Heat a small skillet over medium to high heat. Add olive oil and onions. Cook onions until caramelized (approximately 7 to 10 minutes). Season with salt and pepper. Finally add a couple splashes of champagne vinegar and cook off, remove from heat.

Cilantro Mayo

Ingredients:
good mayonnaise
chopped cilantro
fresh cracked pepper

Combine.

Other Garnishes:
sliced tomato
spinach
sliced avocado
ketchup
and always serve on a toasted bun

Celebrate Valentine's Day at Home

Click on the document to enlarge.

Oh Baby

Life has been different. I eat cookies in bed; I lost the will to work out (until recently); and sausage, egg and cheese McMuffins are sometimes all that can get me through the day. The life change can be filed under: pregnancy. It’s true; I have a growing belly, a growing baby, and a growing appetite.

Brian and I are very excited for the little one to arrive; we have been told that the stork will make his delivery on June 28th. The sex of the baby will remain unknown, boy or girl; we don’t care. As our friend Marta put it, “we are just hoping for a human.” And while we are at it (the whole surprise thing), our name ideas will be a secret too; we guarantee a loaded baby announcement.

There are so many diet restrictions I encounter as a pregnant lady and most of the no nos are things that I really love (wah wahhh). Obvious indulgences like wine, beer, and sushi (I almost ordered a drink called: “Safe Sex on the Beach” this weekend); but then there are the unexpected staples like lunch meat (see ya later Potbelly’s), brie, goat cheese, and feta (I work at a cheese market). I won’t say life is rough, because it’s not; I am just trying to be the best mama I can be. All while dealing with the nausea, that turned into high emotions (i.e. random crying), that I’m hoping turns into this supposed pregnancy “glow” soon.

I have not been cooking at home as much, but am starting to get my groove back. So, for the last three months it has been take-out and restaurant going. Here are a few highlights:

Pizza at Crust (Fire roasted pizzas that are airy and crispy at the same time...just the way pizza should be. And don't mind the over-promotion of the restaurant's low carbon foot print on their menu, that's great and all, but they should really just talk up the pies.)

Eight-Finger Cavatelli and Vodka Sauce at La Bella (Homemade cavatelli with a creamy spiked sauce proved to warm me up and satisfy my belly on NYE.)

Pad Thai at Bodhi (Sweet and simple pad thai done right. Add a little bit of their hot sauce and the dish hits every note.)

Salsa at New Rebozo (A good amount of heat combined with full flavored tomatoes and onions. Well done salsa goes a long way.)

Pot Roast Sandwich at The Depot (Pure comfort food, enough said.)


That's all I have today, so from our home to yours,
Happy New Year!

Hire Me

You have probably been wondering where I have been. I am still here; I just needed a blog break…so I took one. I will be back, but I wanted to let you know that I am available for hire. I want to cook in your kitchen. If the holiday shopping is not complete (I have not even started on my list), this might be your answer. Personal chefs make great gifts. Here are the details (click on the document to enlarge).





Caroline’s Kitchen Table was founded on the principle of enjoying dinner and conversation at home with family and friends. Contact Caroline to set up your next dinner or party: shields.cp@gmail.com or 630/930-7310.

I look forward to hearing from you (shields.cp@gmail.com). Here’s to a wonderful holiday season!

Cheers,
Caroline

Comfort Food

I was born in Cincinnati and grew up in Chicago. I may have only lived in southern Ohio until the age of three, but I have some strong ties to the town. Every visit we would hang with the older cousins, walk around Hyde Park, eat the world’s best dessert, and go nutty over my favorite fast-food joint.

Recently my family and I paid a visit to my brother, Robbie, a junior at Miami in Oxford, Ohio. It's not Cincinnati, but it's close enough for me to feel nostalgic. The weekend itinerary included: dinner with the family, tailgating, and a rigorous bike ride. Robbie is just a bit of an outdoorsman, so when he asked if we were up for the afternoon jaunt, we were not surprised and willingly took him up on the offer. I have owned mountain bikes since the age of 10, so I have mountain biked, right? I guess the (suburban) Prairie Path does not constitute as mountain biking...I soon realized. We hit the Oxford trails, which were narrow and completely un-groomed with stumps and roots everywhere. I was tossed around and eventually fell off of my bike. It was certainly a gnarly ride, but it made me earn my excess eats.

I am pretty serious about my Cincinnati food stops. Here’s a quick education for those who are new to the scene: Graeter’s ice cream, is hands down the most delicious cold cream out there. It’s a true ice cream, but has a consistency that rivals gelato. Any of the chipped creams are pretty unreal, because they take a brick of gourmet semi-sweet chocolate and just hack at it—so you get big chocolate chunks sometimes, and little nibbles others. This ice cream is an irrefutable crowd pleaser. Skyline Chili on the other hand, takes a little getting used to. I grew up on the chili, so it is a comfort dish for me. Cincinnati chili is served a couple of different ways: on a small hot dog, or over a bed of noodles. All are topped with stringy, bright, shredded cheddar cheese. Of course you can add onions, beans, hot sauce, etc., but those are the basics. The chili is thin, savory, and almost sweet.



It is always the Four-Way at Skyline (noodles, chili, cheese, and onions), and a mint chocolate chip soda at Graeter’s. You should know that my family is very paticular about mint sodas. My dad used to tell me to watch the Graeter’s employees as they made my soda. It was quality control more or less to make sure that the staff was doing their job right. Instead of responding with “no way, that's crazy,” I took the strict orders. I soon found out, that my watchful eye was very necessary for the perfect soda. I can only imagine that my family was marked every time we walked in the neighborhood shop. I am sure that the employee who was the lowest on the totem pole got stuck with us. It is our practice to ensure that there is one scoop of mint chocolate chip, one scoop of chocolate chip and that both chocolate and mint syrups are used. When made properly, the mint soda is fizzy, creamy, minty, and chocolaty; you become smashed on sugar and just happy to be.



Somewhere on that bike ride as I was feeling scared and tough, I realized that there is something so great about connecting with my roots. Even if my roots mean chili that most people would turn their nose up to and ice cream. And it turns out a simple thing like chili or a scoop of cream is all I need to take me away—or bring me back (simple, if it's made just right).

What food is your ultimate?



Another ultimate (for fall weather): Chicken Noodle Soup

2 bone-in organic chicken breasts
2 yellow onions - small dice
3 celery stalks - small dice
3 carrots - small dice
1 TBS butter
2 TBS olive oil (1 TBS reserved)
1 1/2 cups chopped mushrooms
6 oz bag of baby spinach
12 cups chicken stock
s and p

Heat oven to 375. Rinse the chicken breasts and pat dry (with a paper towel). Place chicken a sheet tray; season with olive oil, kosher salt and pepper. Cook for 40 minutes or until cooked through and tender. Meanwhile, heat a large stockpot over medium to high heat. Melt the butter and olive oil, add the onions and cook for 4 minutes. Add the carrots and celery; cook for another 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms, season with s and p (not too much since the chicken stock will add salt) and the other TBS of olive oil. Add the spinach to the stockpot and use a pair of tongs to toss the mixture. Repeat until the spinach is firm but wilted. Add the chicken stock. Cook over medium for 15 -20 minutes.

Use a two forks to shred the chicken. Add to the soup. Serve with al dente noodles.

Doing Acid

Everything is coming up pickled. It is a serious trend (almost as hot as salted desserts). I used to eat my grandma Schaaf’s pickled beans as a kid. I really did not think much of them. They were usually accompanying a ham and mayonnaise sandwich—things were simple. In hindsight, I realize how much I loved those beans.



Marion Street Cheese Market is featuring a pickled cucumber salad in Oak Park; River Valley Kitchens is pickling brussels sprouts and selling them at the Daley Plaza Farmer's Market (for the next two weeks); and the Birchwood Kitchen is pickling grapes in Wicker Park. People are devoted to the salty, sour tang of all things pickled. This acidic flavor punch is a style that is not timid or going away anytime soon.



Pickles are so familiar, but now the method is hip. So, get pickling this fall; it’s the oldest trick in the book, but it's cool, delicious, and certainly good stuff.

Pickled Red Onions

Ingredients:
2 large red onions – julienne
1 large shallot
1 ½ cups red wine vinegar
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup water
2 fresh thyme sprigs
fresh bay leaf
pinch of crushed red pepper or aleppo pepper flakes
pinch of kosher salt

Combine the red wine vinegar, sugar, water, thyme, bay leaf, red pepper and salt in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. In a tall container combine the red onions with the vinegar mixture. Cover and chill for at least a day.

Skillet Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:
3 large sweet potatoes—use the tines of a fork to create small holes
olive oil
s and p

Heat oven to 400. Cook the potatoes until soft ~ 40 minutes. Or if you are short on time, cook in the microwave. Chop the potatoes and toss in a cast iron skillet over medium to high heat with olive oil and the pickled red onions. Season with salt and pepper.