Peanut butter and chocolate pretzel bites

I made this dessert as a treat for my partner intended to last a few weeks, but she's chowing through them alarming quickly...

Peanut butter and chocolate pretzel bites

Ingredients (makes about 25):

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tbsp melted butter
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
About 50 mini pretzels
10 oz semi-sweet chocolate
1/4 cup milk

1. In a bowl, mix peanut butter, butter, powdered sugar, and brown sugar (if you have a mixer, even better, but I don't). Mix it all as best you can.
2. Sandwich a bit of the mixture between 2 mini pretzels, and so on, and set on a plate or baking sheet. Freeze for 30-45 minutes.
3. Chop chocolate. Then add milk and chocolate to a skillet over medium heat. Stir over heat until completely smooth.
4. Pour chocolate into a bowl for easy dipping, or use the skillet, and dip each pretzel bite halfway.
5. Return pretzel bites to a plate or baking sheet, and refrigerate until the chocolate sets.

Lou Mitchell's Restaurant

This morning, we ate at Lou Mitchell's Restaurant on Jackson between Clinton and Jefferson. It's at the start of Route 66, and is on the National Register of Historical Places because of it. It's a popular restaurant, and we had a short wait. On our way to our table, we were each given doughnut holes and Milk Duds. Bonus. I ordered the Traditional Eggs Benedict, and a side order of sausage. It was greasy and good. It's pretty expensive for breakfast, but reasonable when considering the downtown location.

Hot Doug's

Hot Doug's at California and Roscoe has the best hot dogs I've ever had. It's extremely popular, usually with a line wrapping around outside the building, but the line moves, and somehow, I've always been able to find a seat at a table. It's cash only with no ATM, so come prepared. The menu is always changing, and it's generally worth it to order a "special" even though it's more expensive. I've seen alligator, fois gras, pheasant, escargot, corned beef, chicken, and lamb sausages rotate through the menu, and there's always beef, too. They also serve fries, and on Fridays and Saturdays they offer duck fat fries. Feel free to order something crazy because it's all delicious and every condiment is perfect. They also have veggie dogs, which my partner raves about. Yesterday, I ordered a Philly Cheesesteak Beef Sausage with Cream Cheese Mustard, Caramelized Onions and Smoked Provolone Cheese, and small cheese fries. As always, it was awesome.

Spicy chicken rigatoni

Today's dinner (and leftovers)!

Spicy chicken rigatoni

Ingredients (serves 4):

1/4 cup oil
1/4 tsp salt
Dash of black pepper
1 tbsp crushed red pepper
3 garlic cloves
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup Marinara sauce
3/4 cup Alfredo sauce
2 tsp butter
1 lb rigatoni

1. Cook rigatoni in a pot in boiling water. Add a bit of oil and dash of salt, and cook per packing instructions.
2. Meanwhile, cut the fat off the chicken and slice into small pieces.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add salt, black pepper, 1/2 tbsp crushed red pepper, and garlic. Add chicken pieces, cooking and coating in the spices and garlic.
4. Add Marinara sauce to the skillet, and stir in. Let it simmer.
5. Add Alfredo to the skillet, and stir in. Cook until the sauce thickens and the chicken is fully cooked, stirring occasionally.
6. Drain rigatoni when it's finished cooking and return it to it's pot. Then pour the skillet mixture into the pot, and stir together.
7. Add butter and stir. Plate the pasta and garnish the top with the rest of the crushed red pepper.

New England Seafood Company

When I lived in Boston, I would venture to Ipswich as often as I could to go to The Clam Box. I'd wait in a line that wrapped around a building in the middle of nowhere. Sometimes I'd even wait in the rain. It was always worth it for the fried clams.

Craving fried clams, I looked for a place near us in Chicago, and I found New England Seafood Company on Lincoln Ave between Roscoe and Paulina. Coastal towns always do seafood better and cheaper, but this tasted like the real deal and hit the spot.

My partner ordered the small Clam Chowder. It had generous clam portions, and the base wasn't too thick or heavy, which is a criticism that we commonly give clam chowders outside of New England.



She also ordered the medium Fried Calamari box (it's not available in small or large portions, only medium). The breading was light, which we liked. It was served with lemon wedges and a mediocre cocktail sauce, but I'm not a big fan of cocktail sauce, so don't trust me on that.



And I ordered the small Fried Clams box, of course. The breading was also light, and it was served with a lemon wedge and tartar sauce. The tartar sauce wasn't very strong, and I actually liked it a lot.



We're intending to go back to try some scallops, haddock, and Lobster Bisque, or y'know, just eat more fried clams.

Brie and apple sandwich with garlic fries

Today's delicious dinner!

Brie and apple sandwich

Ingredients (serves 2):

2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp rosemary
4 oz brie cheese
1/2 red apple
4 slices sourdough bread

1. In a bowl, combine butter, thyme, and rosemary. Slice the apple, and brie.
2. Sandwich the apple and brie between 2 slices of bread.
3. Over medium-heat, add 1/4 of the butter mixture to a skillet. Heat sandwiches one side at a time, adding butter mixture when flipping. Cover the skillet to help the cheese melt. Once the cheese melts and bread is toasted, remove from the skillet, slice, and serve.

In addition to the sandwiches, I used up the rest of the potato from this morning to make fries for the side.

Garlic fries

Ingredients (serves 2):

2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 potato
3 garlic cloves
1 tsp parsley
Dash of salt

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut potato into batons.
2. Cook potatoes with minced garlic in oil over medium-heat in a skillet until golden.
3. Place potatoes on a baking dish. Add a dash of salt, and finely chopped parsley. Heat for 10 minutes, then flip and heat for 10 more.

Omelet roll up

Today's breakfast!

Omelet roll up

Ingredients (serves 2):

Cooking spray
3 eggs
1 tsp of paprika
1 tsp of salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 potato
4 tbsp (or 1/4 cup) cream cheese
1/4 green bell pepper
1/4 red bell pepper

1. Whisk the eggs with a dash of paprika and a dash of salt.
2. Spray a skillet with cooking spray, and heat the egg mixture over medium-heat until it's set, then flip the omelet to cook the other side until set.
3. Transfer the cooked omelet to a cutting board or plate, and let cool slightly.
4. Meanwhile, julienne the potato. Heat olive oil in the same skillet, and add the potato in a single layer. Fry until the potato is golden, flipping throughout. Sprinkle with the remaining paprika and salt, and remove the potato from the heat.
5. Julienne the bell peppers and add to the skillet. Cook for about a minute.
6. Spread cream cheese over the omelet. Don't spread it all the way to the edges. Leave just a bit of room. Place the potato and peppers over the cream cheese. Form a single layer for easy rolling.
6. Roll up the omelet with all ingredients, slice and serve. (Feel free to use toothpicks to help keep it together.)