Local woman writes for new cooking magazine
If you like to cook, there's a good chance that besides reading the section in front of you, you cruise the Web for recipes and food forums. And if that's the case, there's a good chance MixingBowl.com is among the sites you frequent.
If you're not that Web savvy, today is your lucky day - MixingBowl is leaping off the monitor and onto the newsstand.
The Better Homes and Gardens specialty Web site engages an estimated 15 million visitors a month with its user-generated recipes, tips and forums on everything from birthday cakes and milk shakes to easy entertaining and healthy eating.
One of the blogs that has jumped from online to print is The Budget Diva, written by Libertyville native Kristina Vanni.
"I like the idea of saving money without sacrificing style," says Vanni, 29, now living in Los Angeles. "That's how I've always been; it's how I buy my clothes, how I decorate ... that naturally leads into food."
Vanni is no stranger to culinary circles. At 12 she competed in the Pillsbury Bake-Off, and qualified for the contest again while she was a theater major at Northwestern University. (Her sister Kari is a contestant this year.) She's also demonstrated recipes on television for national food associations and manufacturers.
Vanni said she got involved in MixingBowl.com early on and is excited to be part of the magazine. The issue on sale now ($4.99) features her decadent and sinfully easy Black Forest Brownie Torte and a spread for a patio party that feeds six for less than $40.
There's more than that to love in the glossy, photo-packed pages. You'll be tempted by Fried Mac and Cheese from a 14-year-old Nebraska boy who already runs a small catering business, Pesto Chicken Pasta from a Des Moines accountant who lives to bake and Irish Boiled Fruit Cake from a Wyoming mom with a penchant for cuisine from the Emerald Isle.
I dare you to pick up a copy and not cook from it.
Four by five: Enjoy a four-course tasting menu prepared by five seasoned chefs at Wine and Dine, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 16, at Mangels of Long Grove, 421 Robert Parker Coffin Road, Long Grove.
Long Grove chefs Alex Hernandez of Victoria's Mexican Grill and Rick Petrocelly of the Olive Tap will be joined by Peggy Ryan, Kendall College instructor and owner of Va Pensiero in Evanston, Christine Sathern of Kendall College, and Carol Cosentino with Williams-Sonoma. Donna Musson of Glunz Family Winery has selected wine to pair with each course.
The event costs $25 and the store will offer discounts on home accessories, gifts and kitchenware purchased that evening. Call (847) 634-9287 for reservations.
Shake it up: Maybe National Margarita Day slipped by you, but don't let the same thing happen to National Daiquiri Day.
Celebrate this classic cocktail on Sunday, July 19, the old-fashioned way - with a hand-shaken daiquiri.
The folks at Bacardi remind us that this cocktail was invented in the small town of Daiquiri, Cuba, in 1898, long before blenders became a common sight at bars and kitchen counters. A mining engineer by the name of Jennings Stockton Cox received a gallon of Bacardi rum and invented the cocktail using fresh lime juice and cane sugar. It became a much-sought-after drink, especially popular with Americans streaming to Cuba during Prohibition.
To make the legendary cocktail yourself, fill a shaker with crushed ice, 3 parts white rum, 1 part lime or lemon juice and 1/2 part sugar. Shake and pour into glass. Umbrella optional.
• Contact Food Editor Deborah Pankey at (847) 427-4524 or food@dailyherald.com. Listen to her discuss food and restaurant trends on "Restaurant Radio Chicago," 5 to 6 p.m. Saturdays on WIND 560-AM.