If you have a kid, here is your next birthday cake. Go to this link now.  This made my day.  I have a thing for crazy cakes.

Yes! They DO grow grapes and make wine in Iowa. I was just as surprised as you probably are. In the past, I have mentioned that my family that lives in Iowa. It is a side of the family that knows how to eat, drink and be merry.

My aunt changed her career path in the past few years and opened up a boutique in Pella, Iowa. It was an instant hit thanks to her innate knack for merchandising. Her entrepreneurial spirit must have been stimulated because shortly thereafter she launched a gallery next door that carries art from Iowa artists. The final surprise was the addition of a wine room where they began peddling local wines.

This part of the story brings me to Steve, her husband. He is a special guy with a kind demeanor, the unending energy of a toddler, the fix-it skills of a master handyman, the auto know-how of a mechanic, a healthy appetite, a ready laugh and intense love for his town, his country and his family. He is a farm machinery engineer during the week and has become an Iowa sommelier on weekends. And while I am bragging about him, I might as well mention that today is his birthday. Happy Birthday Uncle Steve.

Back to these Iowa wines. The Gallerie of Pella carries three wines exclusively: Cedar Ridge from the Cedar Rapids/Swisher area, Snus Hill from Madrid and La Vida Loca from Indianola, IA. Should life bring you onto Highway 80 passing through Iowa, take a little jaunt down to Pella for a sip. You will find some crisp summer whites, creative infused wine (even jalapeno!), nice red table wines and port served in a dark chocolate cup. Cheers!

This past weekend I took a little trip with the dog and Mini Whipped to visit various friends in Michigan.  The baby was asleep in the back seat and the dog snoozing on my lap as I cruised down Lake Michigan Drive heading towards Grand Rapids.  A Dairy Queen loomed ahead.  A Dairy Queen with a drive-through.  I used my will power and drove on past.  I lost my will power and circled back. They offered me a Pup Cup.  I assumed it was water for the dog and declined.  Upon handing my Peanut Butter Cup Blizzard to me they asked, “Are you sure he wouldn’t like a little ice cream? It’s free.”

Okay.

A small cup of vanilla ice cream was handed through the window.  Just then, Nigel stirred, sniffed and started licking. I saw a thought bubble form above his furry little head…. “Jackpot.”

This past week, Chicago pulled its usual mood swing on us. From cold and rainy and unseasonably icky to over 90 degrees and humid. I have a very hard time adjusting the 30 degree temperature rise. Redheaded freckle faces are not built for such intense heat. Just the thought of turning on the stove makes me swoon and we currently have no grill.

The answer? Summer snack plate. The recipe is very simple. Open your cupboards and refrigerator and pull out whatever you have. Put is on board or serving platter. Crack some beers and dine outside. Voila. The real 10-minute meal solution.

I usually include cheeses, nuts, bread or crackers, fruit and leftovers. This time, we had some egg strata from a brunch I had hosted that I cut into squares and served cold along with the rest of the spread. All this meal needed was some blueberry crisp or cobbler for dessert. But of course, that would have meant turning on the oven. Maybe next time.

Perhaps some of you are familiar with Vosges Haut-Chocolat.  You know, the one that started putting curry and wasabi in chocolate almost a dozen years ago?  She moved her way into crunchy toffee, ice cream, caramel marshmallows, bacon + chocolate and now….. now Katrina is blogging.

Katrina is a dear friend and I have been lucky enough to work with her over the past years.  Her creativity is contagious, her ideas are endless and her palate is one-of-a-kind.  You will not be disappointed by a visit to her new creative exploration,  Peace, Love and Chocolate.

There was a clutter and a clang followed by a burst of song. Purply pink flowers in a beautiful arrangement and the aroma of hot dogs. French fries, corn dogs, wrappers and ketchup packets litter the conference room table. Work, step aside! Crack open a beer? Why not?! It is an unexpected birthday celebration brought by friends with hearts the size of my appetite for hot dogs.

Did you know that to give the best thank you hugs sometimes you have to stand on a chair and hug downwards? Try it.

This drink recipe was on the first page I dog-eared in Emeril’s new grilling cookbook. I have long time declared my love for cilantro. I feel refreshed by cucumber water at spas. Pink grapefruit is a favorite fruit for its color, aroma and bright flavor. Gin and tonic is my “usual.” HOW COULD THE SUM OF THESE PARTS HAVE GONE WRONG FOR ME?

This drink taught me not to be 100% sure of things. On a warm day last week, I made a special trip to the store for the ingredients so I could feature the summery drink during a Friday evening picnic on our deck. (You can see my full menu plan on my chalkboard door pictured here. Thank you Design Sponge!) I took the above photograph with thoughts of titling this post “The Best Summer Drink Ever.” I handed out the coolers to my guests. We tried them. We wanted to like them. But we didn’t.

Give it a try. Prove me wrong. Tell me you love it. You can even watch Emeril himself make it here. Anyone have a better summer drink cocktail recipe to cheer me up?

Gin Cucumber Cooler

In a 1-quart saucepan, combine all the ingredients and bring to a boil. Stir the pan occasionally to help dissolve the sugar. Once the pan comes to a boil remove from the heat and completely. Once cool, strain through a fine-mesh sieve and store in a re-sealable plastic container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

This recipe is the result of a number of new discoveries for me:

1. I had never been to the Green City Market in Chicago until last weekend.
2. I had never made anything with rhubarb.
3. I didn’t know that there was such thing as pure maple sugar in granulated form.

We FINALLY trekked to Lincoln Park to experience the Green City Market last Saturday. It was all that I hoped it would be: fresh produce, baked goods, cheeses, meats, delicious food vendors, live folk music and food lovers, families and dogs sitting in the grass and enjoying it all. We returned home with 2 bunches of asparagus, a large bunch of rhubarb, fresh apricot raisin bread and our bellies filled with treats.

My mother used to make delicious rhubarb crisp so I decided to go that route with my first rhubarb experiment. As I was chopping the bright red stalks, a light bulb went off in my head. This might be the perfect use for the maple sugar I had acquired that I didn’t quite know what to do with. I mixed it with brown sugar, flour, butter, a pinch of cinnamon and some oats for texture. Eureka! It was awesome.

Since rhubarb is quite tart, I pressed some “crumble” into the bottom of the pan and sprinkled it on top to sandwich it between sweet goodness. We devoured this entire dish in nearly 24 hours. No need to keep experimenting with other rhubarb crisp recipes. This first hit was a home run.

Rhubarb Maple Crisp
Makes 4-6 servings

Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or cold. It tastes great the next day!

It has been awhile since I posted a recipe on Whipped. It isn’t that I haven’t cooked a number of things. It has just been a series of either bad recipes, bad photos or no time to take a photo. This Bacon Potato Salad may be the best potato salad I have ever made, however, it may not look mouthwatering as it is not easy to take a sleek photograph of potato salad. The sloppy nature of this mayo/mustard, bacon-y goodness is the reason it tasted so good!

A month ago, I received a copy of the new Emeril cookbook: Emeril at the Grill. I don’t watch much TV so I have never followed Emeril nor been a particular fan. So, I was interested to dive into this book and discover what type of recipes he has to offer. Oddly enough, I am currently without a grill so I started by working my way through the drinks and non-grilled sides.

Since I am caught up in the new bacon/pork craze that seems to be present in all channels of the food world, I decided to start off with the Bacon Potato Salad. The true secret to this recipe is not just the delicious bacon addition but the seasoning of salt, pepper and cayenne on the hot, drained potatoes. It must have seeped into those red-skinned chunks because it gave it a nice kick and better depth of flavor that I haven’t noticed in other potato salad recipes.

This tasted WAY better the next day when the smokey bacon flavor seeped into everything. Looking forward to going home this evening and eating it for a 3rd day in a row.

Bacon Potato Salad
From Emeril at the Grill

Serve immediately or refrigerate and serve slightly chilled.

I share with you the view of my fair city, Chicago, from the best angle there is… atop the fresh wonderful waters of Lake Michigan. Last week we enjoyed some beautiful weather and I had the extraordinary luck of finding my way on to a boat for an afternoon. I threw caution and workload to the wind and let my hair down. We took off for a five hour adventure that felt as if it lasted for days. We were so far from our usual world that the usual stresses were unable to haunt us for the afternoon.

After floating on the lake for an hour or so, we went into the lock that leads to the Chicago River. Boaters tie up their vessels while the water level changes to allow you to head down the river into the city. With our feet bare and cold beer in hand, we putzed along flanked by skyscrapers. Busy commuters bustled across the bridges overhead to the tune of regular taxicab horns while we eased along on our floating oasis.

As we passed the downtown area and headed toward the south side, I was introduced to a part of city I had never experienced. Under magnificent bridges and by old factories (run down but beautiful), the materials, shapes and colors were new and stimulating. Past Chinatown, old drawbridges, vacant cement fields… geographically only a few miles away from my day-to-day routine, I found myself worlds away from my everyday world.

Our journey finally brought us to Lawrence Fisheries. Though I had never heard of it before, I discovered that Lawrence Fisheries is an old Chicago institution. We docked the boat, ordered both boiled and fried shrimp with a side of macaroni salad, and devoured our seafood picnic before heading back up the river.

I returned home from my afternoon escapade in time to feed Mini Whipped dinner and to enter back into my tightly filled, regular routine. A week later, all of my work and stresses have not been able to shake the feeling of relaxation, ease and perspective I gained from my afternoon boat trip. It is summer. I live in an amazing city. Life offers discoveries around every corner. Do not be afraid to break your routine. Take advantage of opportunity. Declare this the Summer of Fun. And then… make it happen.