I fell in love with Connecticut maple syrup at my cousin’s house in Litchfield. As I walked through the conifers and sugar maples peppering their acreage near the Berkshires, a few maple taps caught my eye.
Their neighbors at Brookside Farm had tapped a few of their trees to make maple syrup. After I sampled their maple syrup, the Log Cabin maple syrup on the grocery store shelves became an afterthought.
The food Chicago offers, from a hot dog at Portillo’s to a re-imagined edible abstract painting dessert at Alinea, is magical and provides much needed inspiration for my culinary adventures when I return home. Sometimes, inspiration strikes when dining in a Restoration Hardware. This green goddess dressing was inspired by the Gem Lettuce Salad at the Three Arts Club within the Chicago Restoration Hardware. Yes, my favorite salad is served inside a furniture retailer. I beg you to trust me. This salad features baby gem lettuce, crumbles of feta cheese, thinly sliced radishes, and chunks of avocado all bathed in the herbiest buttermilk dressing.
The first meal my husband made for me was roasted root vegetables with goat cheese. He peeled beets, parsnips, and carrots, which he cut into bite sized chunks before coating in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. A few hours in the oven were an ingenious way for him to lure me into conversation. He can talk to anyone – meaning we never have an uncomfortably quiet uber ride. The vegetables finished roasting as we laughed and exchanged stories of our childhood swim teams. He topped the warm vegetables with crumbled goat cheese and reassured me that it would taste good, despite my hesitation at the thought of eating beets. I was beyond pleasantly surprised at the flavors, of which the beet was the star.
While on vacation in Sicily, my husband and I went to a local olive orchard, Tenuta Cavasecca, and sampled their olive oils. I am convinced that the sun that shines on Sicily has magical powers that make all fruits and vegetables taste more delicious. Their olive oil is no exception. This tangy but sweet salad dressing is the perfect complement to baby gem lettuce, shaved carrot, watermelon radish, and diced chives.
