My version of Mrs. Kuntz's Potato Salad

Possibly the best Potato Salad EVER!

2 pounds red potatoes (washed, and diced into 1/2 inch pieces, they should be pretty small)
6 radishes (diced small)
3-4 dill pickles (diced small, THEY MUST BE DILL)
1/4 cup red onion (yep small diced)
1/2- 1 cup mayonnaise (use more is you like I only like it to be the binder)
1 tablespoon fresh dill (chopped fine, use more is you like, but a little goes a long way, you can use dried dill but only use 1 teaspoon)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (basically a good sprinkling)

Boil chopped potatoes in a roomy pot with a teaspoon or so of salt. Drain, transfer to a large bowl and let cool, don't rinse them the starch will make everything bind together. When the potatoes are no longer warm pile on the onion, pickle, and radish. Place the mayonnaise in the center and sprinkle all the dill and dry spices on it. Swirl around the spices and the mayonnaise and then GENTLY combine all the ingredients.

Chipotle Potato Salad with Jicama

This should be eaten outdoors so I took it's picture next to the window.

2 pounds red potatoes (diced small, 1/2 inch or smaller)
1/2 pablano pepper (diced small)
1 chipotle pepper (seeded and diced SUPER small)
1 teaspoon adobo sauce from the can of chipotle peppers (more is you like it hotter)
1/2 cup jicama (diced small)
4 green onions or 1/2 small white onion (diced)
1/4-1/3 cup cilantro chopped
1/2-1 cup mayonnaise (I use a little to start and see if it needs more, I really just use the mayo as a binder but if you like it by all means use more)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

In a big pot boil potatoes with about 1 teaspoon salt. Cook until tender, drain but don't rinse. Transfer potatoes to a bowl to cool, when they are room temperature pile on the peppers, jicama, onion, cilantro, then the mayonnaise in the center. Sprinkle the dry spices and adobo over the mayo, swirl to combine then very gently mix all ingredients. Serves about 6-8.

Grilled Burgers with Chimichurri Sauce

Chimmichurri Sauce
1-2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar (I usually love lots of vinegar but in this I like less and to add a bit of lemon juice)
2 tablespoons water
4 cloves finely minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 to 3/4 cup flat leaf parsley

Combine everything except parsley and olive oil in a bowl. In a food processor pulse/chop parsley and slowly add oil to emulsify. Add other ingredients and pulse a few more times. If you don't have a food processor you can use a blender, just combine all ingredients except oil to start and then slowly add it on "blend", and if you don't have a blender chop the parsley very fine and combine ingredients in a bowl in their order.

Paso Doble

Re-Opening October 21st at the Strawdog Theater. Check out the killer review from our first run.


CRITIC'S CHOICE-(Chicago Reader 8/5/05)Sirens, the all-women improv troupe, just keeps getting better. Now six years old, the group shapes its creative, rich comedy well, skewering the everyday grandiosity, quirks, foibles, and self-delusions of ordinary people. In their newest long-form improv show every sketch ends on a laugh: they've thoroughly mastered timing. "Paso Doble" begins from the seed of an audience suggestion, which gets turned into a monologue, which becomes a scene. By the end of the show I saw, the performers had somehow woven together Reno, TiVo, cats, the Messiah, dream catchers, and Catherine T. and John D. MacArthur into an interesting, multilayered story. This is comedy for the NPR set: smart, sexy, engaging, and very, very funny. --> Through 9/16: Fri 10:30 PM. Playground Theater, 3209 N. Halsted, 773-509-6433. $8-$12. --Jennifer Vanasco

Sidewalk Salsa

Dick Butkis and Roger Ebert ate this salsa. Just about anyone I’ve done Craft Service for has. This salsa has been made all over Chicago, on city streets and various kitchens. I make it using a food processor, BUT if you don’t have one just a little chopping will get you all set. That is what I do on location.

½ small white onion
¼ cup cilantro
½ bell pepper (any color)
Juice from ½ lime (sometime I use the whole thing)
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 can petite-diced tomatoes (drained)
1 can petite or regular diced tomatoes with chiles (hot or mild, drained)

In a food processor combine first five ingredients; don’t chop them just put them in whole. To get the most juice out of the lime, pierce its skin with a knife and heat it in the microwave for 7-10 seconds. Slice it in half and squeeze out the juice or us a reamer. Pulse four or five times then add the olive oil and pulse a few more. Add the tomatoes and pulse only 2 maybe 3 times. If you are doing this with out the use of a food processor, chop the onion, pepper and cilantro and then combine all ingredients in a bowl, omitting the olive oil. It’s just as good both ways.

Ahhh Summertime Avocado Corn Salsa

I made this salsa for a Blue Co. picnic. Adapt it with any left overs and odds and ends you have around, if you have canned corn use that just drain and rinse it, or if you have tomatoes instead of peppers use those.

4 ears of corn
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 red bell pepper(diced)
1/2 pablano or 1 whole jalepeno (diced, seeds removed)
1/2 small white onion (diced)
1/4 cup cilantro chopped
3 avocados(diced)

Shuck corn , rinse and break each cob in half. Boil in a large pot of water with 1 teaspoon salt for 5 minutes. When the corn in cooled off slice off the kernels by holding the cob vertically, broken side down. Place corn and all other ingredients in a bowl (the peppers and onions should be diced very small because this is salsa and they have to fit on chips). Cut each avocado in half length wise and remove seed by stabbing it with a knife tip, and pulling it out. Using a butter knife cut up the avocado into small cubes right in it's own skin, basically make about 3-4 slices down and 3-4 across. Scoop out the avocado cubes with a large spoon and combine with the corn mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Bass Fry

Cooking Bass in the Crest

I didn't have flour so I changed my fish fry recipe a little. I took the bass fillets, sprinkled them with a little salt then coated both sides with biscuit mix and a little cayenne pepper, then dipped them in egg with a little milk. I fried the fish in an electric fry pan with about 1/3 cup vegetable oil until golden and firm. We ate them with some tartar sauce of chopped pickle, lemon juice and mayo and some spicy cocktail sauce made with prepared horseradish, ketchup and habanero bbq sauce.

Otty Lake 2005

We have been staying at Farmer's Cottages on Otty Lake in Ontario for 18 years now. My mom, Margaret has been vacationing on Otty since she was a young child. Chris, Anneke, Adam, Tim and I all made appearances and almost all caught fish. This year my dad Chris came up for a few days wearing clogs and bermuda shorts, and it was our dog Tiki's first visit to the wilderness (as far as we know). This place always makes me want to eat and cook. As per the usual we had wonderful Bladerson cheese and cheese curds, red pepper jellies, maple sausages, viva puff cookies, fresh corn, dill pickle chips, and of course BASS!

Patty's Cucumber Salad with Blue Cheese

I got to try this salad at Otty Lake, Patty brought it to a picnic. The entertainment featured some brave souls in Improv games that I hosted. This game is "Dr. Know it All" with Adam, Bronwyn, Kathy and Jeanette.

1 cucumber (sliced)
2-3 tomatoes (sliced)
2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
3 tablespoons bottled Italian dressing
OR
2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, salt and pepper and garlic powder
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (a little goes a long way so use as much as tastes good to you)

Alternate cucumbers and tomatoes around a platter. Sprinkle cheese, dressing and dill.
(This salad is pictured with Chimichurri burger)