Mexican food has been my go-to cuisine for special occasions and important moments for decades. I’ve celebrated many of my birthdays at a Mexican restaurant and my husband has taken me several times to a restaurant specializing in this type of cuisine to celebrate our wedding anniversary. I also got into the habit of ordering Mexican take out after the successful completion of important work meetings. While I enjoy cooking, I’m happy we’ve located multiple places in the city of Chicago and in the surrounding suburbs to which we can drive whenever I’m craving this delicious cuisine and don’t feel like cooking. (Feel free to comment below if you’d like…
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20-Minute Ethiopian Doro Wat
I take for granted that my hometown of Chicago is thought of as a world-renown food capital. That is, I do until I visit another state and the fact that I’m from Chicago comes up in conversation with someone I meet. More often than not, they comment on how great the food was when they visited–or lived in–the Windy City. And then they proceed to tell me how lucky I am to have so many great dining options near me. My husband, girls and I have found some wonderful restaurants during the trips we’ve taken to various cities around the country. But, I must admit that I do understand why…
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15-Minute Mauritian Fried Noodles
I have been a fan of palm trees ever since seeing them in person during my first trip to Southern California in November of 1988. It’s hard to put into words exactly how wonderful I felt whenever I saw them. But it’s safe to say that gazing upon them made me feel happy and relaxed. So, it makes sense that, my favorite places to visit to date–in the United States and abroad–are those that have allowed me to see palm trees at some point during my time there. Speaking of my list of places I’d like to visit, it gets longer every year. The more you go, the more you…
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15-Minute West African Peanut and Chicken Stew
In the past, my exposure to specific dishes that originated in African countries was limited, for the most part, to stories my husband shared about meals he ate during his trips to Nigeria and Uganda or to comments made by a family friend about food she enjoyed when she visited South Africa. However, since setting out on a mission to make preparing cultural foods easier for busy families through recipe hacks, I’ve discovered countless dishes that are native to the world’s second-largest continent, home of some of my ancestors. And, I plan on featuring simplified versions of many of them on my blog from time to time. One recipe that…
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15-Minute Jamaican Cabbage With Chicken
I wouldn’t say that I went on a lot of trips when I was growing up but, since my mom worked in the airline industry back then, I did take some special ones. For example, my parents took me on a four-day trip to Jamaica when I was only six years old. I don’t remember a lot about our mini-vacation. But, two things stick out in my mind about our time away from home: it was exciting to be able to tell my classmates and teacher why I would be missing a few days of school and the food that I ate while we were there was delicious! Over the…
