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Gastro Friday: Deep Fried News Bits…Slightly Hungover

Gastro Friday: Deep Fried News Bits...Slightly Hungover
Yup, even low-alcohol dessert wine can get me into trouble. Especially this one.

Hello, world. Today is Friday, and thank freaking gosh it is. This has been one L-O-N-G ass week, and I’m not gonna lie…I’m a bit hungover thanks to a delicious and extensive meal I enjoyed last night at Naha. Drinking that much on a Thursday night makes me blush like a school girl and get the spins like a sorority girl, and lets just say the old body is nowhere near as quick on the recovery as it used to be. Hence: deep fried news bits, a segment I’m stealing from my podcast so I don’t have to think so hard on this sunny and painful Gastro Friday. And because you’re cool, you’re gonna be okay with that. Or maybe you’ll be cool because you don’t want to piss off a hungover Leena, which would be VERY WISE my friend. Very wise indeed. Read the rest of this entry »

July 31st, 2009
Posted in Gastro Fridays, The Gastronomical Leena | View Comments

Leena Eats: with Amanda from What We’re Eating & Food Porn Daily!

Leena Eats: with Amanda from What Were Eating & Food Porn Daily!

Pork belly from the Hopleaf gastropub.

Pork. That was what I expected when meeting Amanda from What We’re Eating and Food Porn Daily fame. We would share lots and lots of pork, some beer, and a few choice curse words. Thankfully, she had the same idea in mind. Read the rest of this entry »

July 29th, 2009
Posted in A Leena-made food tour, Chicago, Leena Eats | View Comments

Leena Cooks (n Cans): Chinese 5 spice pickled cherries

Leena Cooks (n Cans): Chinese 5 spice pickled cherries

Cherries preparing to be pickled.

It is no secret that I am a whore for canning (according to this post and this post), and I really like to experiment with new recipes. Last year, I tried making pickled sweet cherries for the first time. I tweaked the seasoning a bit to exclude cinnamon and nutmeg, and to add Chinese five spice. A few months later, I had sweet, tangy, subtly-spiced nubbins of cherry happiness. In layman’s terms: they kicked ass. So of course, these were the first little bad boys I wanted to can this season. “But Leena?” you may ask, “Isn’t canning for grannies? Would you just rather go to bars and play drinking games with other late 20 year olds and buy pickled cherries from the store?” Don’t make me cut a bitch. I’ll do it. Even over cherries. Step one: Get ya some cherries.

Leena Cooks (n Cans): Chinese 5 spice pickled cherries

The dark sweet cherries.

Read the rest of this entry »

July 28th, 2009
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Gastro Fridays: Might as well face it, you’re addicted to canning.

Ah, shit. There will be no asparagus pickles this year. Those crisp, garlicky dill bundles of joy will not be gracing my table this winter, will not brighten up my snowy days with a hit of spring lightness, and all because I forgot about canning until last week. And why did I forget about canning this summer’s early harvest of deliciousness? Because I still have this many cans left from year:

Gastro Fridays: Might as well face it, youre addicted to canning.
For shame: my cans leftover from LAST summer’s canning season.

Awesome idea, Leena. Way to put up locally grown, organic food to eat in the winter and then NOT EAT IT. Awesome. What a great idea. GENIUS. Read the rest of this entry »

July 24th, 2009
Posted in Canning, Gastro Fridays, The Gastronomical Leena | View Comments

Leena Eats: Brown Trout…Again!

Leena Eats: Brown Trout...Again!
We came, we saw, we ate cheese.

So, if you are a regular reader of this blog, you know by now why I fricking LOVE Brown Trout, the new restaurant in North Center. Great food, byob with no corkage fee, and possibly the world’s best bacon, which they shove on to everything they can. I have been back twice since then. Once just for their stellar burger, and again for a date with my man. It’s official, I am convinced: this place is slap yo mama good. And I like my mom. Read the rest of this entry »

July 22nd, 2009
Posted in Chicago, Leena Eats | View Comments

Gluttony: Thy Name is Leena (the Publican, Margie’s Candies)

Gluttony: Thy Name is Leena (the Publican, Margies Candies)
This is a gravy boat full of hot butterscotch. When I chunk out, it is EPIC.

It was just another night out, nothing special. The husband and I were looking for a new restaurant to try. Being fans of gastropubs, we headed towards The Publican, a new venture in the west loop of Chicago that is the partial creation of one of my favorite chef, Paul Kahan. We called up Dan and Claire, our cohorts in chunk, and made a date. Little did we know it was a night that would end in unbridled gluttony. Ok. Maybe we did know. But the onslaught of glut still shocked us a bit. And considering how much we eat? That’s saying a LOT. Read the rest of this entry »

July 20th, 2009
Posted in Chicago, Leena Eats | View Comments

Leena Cooks: Gourmet Magazine’s Kiwi Sorbet

Leena Cooks: Gourmet Magazines Kiwi Sorbet
My kiwi sorbet, light, sweet & slightly tart.

I’m a lucky lady. I happen to have a few talented friends that are willing to let me buy their skills in exchange for some homemade Leena food. One friend just so happens to be a kick-ass editor with a weakness for desserts. This is lucky for me, a food writer and awesome dessert maker who is in bad need of a decent editor willing to work for food. When god gives you bacon, I say eat it. Read the rest of this entry »

July 20th, 2009
Posted in Leena Cooks, Mains | View Comments

Leena Cooks: Bad Ass Chocolate Mousse

Leena Cooks: Bad Ass Chocolate Mousse
Homemade chocolate mousse with locally grown strawberries and pistachios. I wish one of these bad boys would appear after a bad day. Maybe with a pint of hard cider:)

I caught a freaking squirrel eating my neighbor’s “urban” herb garden the other day and threw a rock at it. A small one, just something to get his attention and deliver a friendly, subtle message. Something like, hey, squirrel! Steal anymore food and I’ll cut you. Because I too own a two lovely “urban” herb gardens that are my pride and joy. I do enough on my own to kill the poor damn herbs. The least the squirrel could do is leave me my four damn leaves of basil and sate himself with leftovers from the local 7-11. I’m also letting the cat hang out on the back porch more often. I got an army, squirrel. Don’t ef with me. Read the rest of this entry »

July 18th, 2009
Posted in Leena Cooks, Mains | View Comments

Gastro Fridays: Food on a Stick

Gastro Fridays: Food on a Stick
The infamous pickle on a stick. Sure, you might lose a few friends, but you also get to eat a pickle on a stick, so…awesome.

I recently had the joy of attending the Putnam County Festival, a wild three days filled with tractor pulls, judging the merits of various pigs, cows and pygmy goats, and of course, eating a million deep fried things on a stick. It certainly is the season for eating things on a stick as counties, cities and towns across the U.S. hold fairs, festivals and carnivals during the summer months. According to the New York Times (via Serious Eats), last year’s Minnesota State Fair had over 60 foods on a stick available. 60! Spaghetti and meatball on a stick, anyone? Read the rest of this entry »

July 17th, 2009
Posted in Gastro Fridays, The Gastronomical Leena | View Comments

Leena Eats: A heap of veggies @ Handlebar

Leena Eats: A heap of veggies @ Handlebar
My green meanie sandwich with carrot saffron soup. Yum!

As much as I love–LOVE–bacon, I also appreciate a properly made vegetarian meal. Nothing can compare when a meal with healthy ingredients tastes so delicious, you don’t even miss the meat, and you are doing your body a favor. The problem is, not very many people know how to do this. Ethiopians do. Middle Easterners do. And apparently? So does Chicago. I met up with an old friend for some delicious vego food at The Handlebar. Check it out. Read the rest of this entry »

July 16th, 2009
Posted in Chicago, Leena Eats | View Comments
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