Articles filed under Cook of the Week

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Cook of the Week: Grandmother hopes for jam session with grandchildren Dec 18, 2012 12:00 AM
Candice Burkart recalls picking wild blueberries with her mother and how some of the berries didn't make it into the jams. "We would take the golf cart to the fruit trees and pick the berries and eat them right off the tree," she said. "Our fingers would be stained with the fruit. It's hard for me to remember not having a garden."
Passionate baker believes in simple recipes, fresh ingredientsDec 11, 2012 12:00 AM
Judy Ibeling was born and raised, and still lives in Roselle where both sets of grandparents also lived, within walking distance. "Both of my grandmothers were wonderful cooks. I would go over all the time. My mother would complain that I didn't seem to have enough time to clean my room, but I always had time to walk across town to bake a cake."
Italian Lemon KnotsDec 5, 2012 12:00 AM
Italian Lemon Knotsi: Adele Knickles
Anise BiscottiDec 5, 2012 12:00 AM
Almond Biscotti: Adele Knickles
Fudgy BrowniesDec 5, 2012 12:00 AM
Fudgy Brownies: Adele Knickles
Baking a way to make, share memories Dec 5, 2012 12:00 AM
Adele Knickels remembers fondly why as a child she enjoyed baking alongside her mother and sisters. “At a young age, it was the eating,” she said. “Everyone in our family had a sweet tooth. We were always happy to have fresh cookies to eat.” The Barrington resident still enjoys baking but now friends, family and co-workers enjoy the fruits of her labor.
Roselle woman savors heirloom recipesNov 21, 2012 12:00 AM
Carrie Shawala still remembers the response when friends would join her family for dinner. "Their mouths would drop literally to the floor and they would ask 'Why do you have so much food?'" she said. The 28-year-old Roselle woman grew up learning to make many of those passed-down dishes by watching her father.
Thanksgiving feast never the same twiceNov 15, 2012 12:00 AM
Cook of the week France Cevallos grew up in Canada and moved to the United States about 10 years ago living and cooking in Arizona, California and Michigan before moving to Aurora. She embraces the winter holidays and the entertaining opportunities they bring. "I love this time of year. We do celebrate Thanksgiving in Canada; it's the second Monday of October, the same day the U.S. calls Columbus Day. This means that two turkey feasts are quite possible in our household," she said.
Palatine dad shares his sausage fascinationNov 7, 2012 12:00 AM
Kent Kleiva knows a thing or two about sausage. The Palatine dad has eaten sausages from around the globe and turned his fascination with encased meats and the people who make them into an annual event he calls SausageFest. That fascination started early. Growing up with a Polish mom and Lithuanian dad on Chicago's South Side, he remembers sausages on the table at every holiday gathering.
Images: Cook of the Week Challenge Finals Nov 2, 2012 12:00 AM
Michael Pennisi of Carpentersville, who teaches at Schaumburg High, was named winner among four suburban cooks on Thursday night in a cook-off for the title Daily Herald Cook of the Year 2012. They had one hour to prepare a dish using the "secret ingredients' -- salmon, pomegranates, Brussels sprouts and Greek yogurt.
Schaumburg teacher is Daily Herald Cook of the YearNov 1, 2012 12:00 AM
When Carpentersville resident and Schaumburg High School teacher Michael Pennisi was announced as the winner of the Daily Herald's second annual Cook of the Year contest Thursday night, 300 pairs of eyes rapidly searched the ballroom for the man of the hour. After a moment, he ran up from a crowd, waving his arms. "I'm kind of just stunned right now!" was Pennisi's first reaction. "This is way cool!"
Home-cooking part of the curriculum for gym teacher Aug 21, 2012 12:00 AM
Jerry Roberts of Glen Ellyn has been cooking since he left home for college -- and he still knows his way around a kitchen. "I wasn't someone who ate mac and cheese or ramen noodles, so I had to learn how to cook. I do a lot of typical male stuff, like steak on the grill. My dad owns a butcher shop so I've had access to really good meat all my life."
Cook of the Week: Retiree pleases neighbors with block party beansAug 14, 2012 12:00 AM
When the folks on Lisle's Hawthorne Lane get together for their annual summer block party, Sue Waskelis shares some tried and true fare. "It is nice to get together with neighbors," Sue said. "Life can be so busy, but our block party gives everyone a chance to visit." With a menu that begins with each family's own meat to grill, Sue looks to add a side dish that is not too complicated to prepare, does not require refrigeration and is easy to transport.
Elgin school bus driver takes to cooking like a pro Aug 7, 2012 12:00 AM
The next time you see the driver of an 18-wheeler talking on his radio, consider this, he might be exchanging recipes. "Oh yeah, we'd talk about cooking," Elgin resident Tony Hollister laughs. Tony drove an 18-wheeler for Coca-Cola for 36 years. He remembers one time on the road when a rib special drew the drivers into a truck stop like magnets and they all spent a long time talking ribs. These days he drives a school bus. His unique work schedule, with the hours off between taking the kids to school and picking them up, works perfectly for Tony.
Cook of the Week: Dietitian strives for healthy family meals Jul 31, 2012 12:00 AM
Lynn Dugan prides herself as a registered dietitian, guiding people toward nutritious meals and leading them to healthier, active lifestyles. Yet this Glen Ellyn mom has her own challenge: finding the time to feed her own busy family. "I know how hard it is to feed active kids a healthy diet," she said. "If I have trouble with my own family, I can't imagine how other people would struggle in their own kitchens."
Lawyer's recipe wins favorable judgment at chili cookoffJul 24, 2012 12:00 AM
Law may be Tony Baron's profession, but cooking is his avocation. A three-foot tall trophy proudly displayed in Tony's Oak Brook offices is testimony to his first-place win at the International Chili Society's Wisconsin State Chili Cookoff in 2011.
Graphic artist gets creative in the kitchen Jul 17, 2012 12:00 AM
Michael Lalagos generally is a pretty shy guy, but last fall this 33-year-old from Schaumburg found himself at the center of attention as he cooked against three other finalists and in front of several hundred people at the Daily Herald Cook of the Week Challenge. The youngest of the contestants, Michael wasn't discouraged that he didn't win that evening.
Cook of the Week Challenge: Do you have what it takes?Jul 11, 2012 12:00 AM
The Daily Herald again is looking for 16 cooks — eight former Cooks of the Week and eight home cooking enthusiasts — to face off in a series of recipe challenges for our second annual Cook of the Week Challenge. Do you have what it takes to win two recipe rounds to make it to the live cook-off?
Cook of the Week: College student inspired by children's book Jul 10, 2012 12:00 AM
Blair Peters started baking when she was 4 or 5 years old. She and her brother Reed, now 19, would help their mom, Jan, make breads, cupcakes and cookies. One of the recipes they often made together was bread that came from the pages of one of Blair's books. "We baked bread a lot because there was a children's book called Possum Bread' or something like that. It had lots of illustrations of woodland creatures that baked bread."
Country girl at heart and in the kitchenJul 3, 2012 12:00 AM
The old saying may be true: you can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl. For Susan Zybko getting off the farm and into the city was a major goal when she was growing up. Susan bucked tradition when, instead of getting married, she went off to college, and then chose to major in marketing instead of the more acceptable teaching and nursing.