Author Archives: Virtual Farmgirl

Boys riding goats, ca 1918. I’m so looking forward to our next visit to The Farm: Countdown to Aug. 12. That’s a very long 25 days until I can see what my family’s new goats have managed to clear out of the orchard. From what I hear, they’ve been quite the little lawn mowers. SpikeyContinue reading “Natural Lawn Mowers Hard at Work at The Farm”

That incredulity from my son’s friend just made my day. That’s what he said when I handed him a homemade chip. I didn’t tell them it was baked kale. No matter. He knew it was a veggie: “Is this a leaf?” I confessed that it was. He was impressed nonetheless. And so was my son.Continue reading “'You Made This?'”

Table Fifty-Two in Chicago’s Gold Coast. Oh how I wish I could afford to splurge like I did last night at Table Fifty-Two, where I had the pleasure of experiencing Southern cooking at a whole new level. This was no roadside, red-checkered table cloth joint, where signs warn, “no hands in food.” Don’t get meContinue reading “Another Winner: Table Fifty-Two”

I’m working on clearing out the refrigerator with as little waste as possible to prep for this week’s CSA pickup. Tonight, I threw together what turned out to be a delicious little salad (since I missed the family meal), with this: Summer Salad on the Fly Roasted beets (CSA), sliced in bite-sized piecesLeaf lettuce (IrvingContinue reading “Clean-Out-the-Fridge Salad”

This spring and summer I’ve had the pleasure of taking in a few restaurants new to the area. NoMI Kitchen Beautiful bays overlooking Michigan Ave. My first was NoMI Kitchen, which I had the privilege of attending a pre-opening event a few weeks ago. It’s an old new, revamped and focused more on the trendyContinue reading “Restaurant Debuts By NoMI, Bridge House & Autre Monde Offer Some Hits, A Few Misses”

I blew my budget at the Oak Park Farmers Market this weekend. Even though we have a CSA, we split it between two families, so on alternate weeks, I’m in particular need of veggies. And, plus, I just love going every week, hearing the bluegrass jam session, tasting the freshly made doughnuts, chatting with friendsContinue reading “This Week's Market Report: Blueberries Are In!”

Bottle rocket hot dogs. This may have been a little over the top (unnecessary), but I had fun making these Bottle Rocket Hot Dogs for the kids this weekend. They were super cute and the kids seemed to enjoy the presentation. The negative about these — in summer — is that you have to bakeContinue reading “Bottle Rocket Hot Dogs & Other Fun Fair for the Fourth”

All American girl. Even though it was a little overwhelming to get our Girl Scout troop up and running, it’s already proving to be well worth the effort. These girls are a delight; their energy and spirit infectious.  About a dozen of our Daisy Scouts showed up, all decked out in their red-white-and-blue finest toContinue reading “Parading on the 4th”

I made these mostly because I thought they looked really cute (and easy to make) in my issue of Family Fun magazine this month. But it turns out they’re really good too. My son enjoyed helping me dip these into the white chocolate and roll them in blue sprinkles.

This evening, as I was coming home and chatting with my husband on my cell, I ended the call with an “I love you.” His response: “Thanks.” It was a little bit of a jarring experience, only because he ALWAYS says, “I love you” to me. I didn’t read anything into his hurried reply. ButContinue reading “Three Little Words”