Many of us in Chicago know Melissa Yen as the friendly woman who ran Vella Cafe, a popular brunch/lunch spot that I used to eat at regularly. It was at Vella that Melissa first started using the flavored syrups that would become Jo Snow. This past fall, the syrups became her full time thing. Now you can find them at stores in the Chicago area, as well as popping up on menus at restaurants and bars.

The syrups are a hit, and I am a huge fan. We keep a bottle on hand to add to cocktails, top ice cream or to make a quick soda.  But you can (and should!) get more creative. They are great whipped with cream, used in salad dressings, sauces, and coffee. It is a simple product with endless uses.

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I’m interrupting this blog with a bit of self-promotion. I wanted to thank all of you for helping to make Lottie + Doof a site that Saveur loves. They profiled me (HERE) as part of an ongoing series in which they highlight their favorite bloggers. I am in great company, and look forward to learning about the other sites included in their series.  I really appreciate that the online team at Saveur found a way of recognizing the work of bloggers.  I love the magazine, and the website, and I am totally honored that they like what I am doing. Thanks to all of you for being a big part of that.
Have a great weekend!

Chicago’s Polish-American community celebrates Paczki Day today. Paczki (pronunciation varies a bit, but my kin say poonch-key) are basically jelly donuts. Bakeries claim the dough is special for paczki, but I have been unable to detect a difference. The important thing is that Paczki Day gives you permission to come home with an entire box full of jelly donuts. Which is, of course, how you celebrate Paczki Day, by eating as many donuts as you can get your hands on. read more+++

You can’t have jammers without jam. You can use your favorite jam from the market, or you can go the extra step and make your own. read more+++

I am so very excited to announce the first official Lottie + Doof event. First, there was merchandise and now, an event. Soon, there will be a theme park.

I am thrilled to be collaborating with my pal (and favorite Chicago baker), Sandra Holl (and the rest of the fantastic team at Floriole) to bring you a special dinner inspired by our youths in the Midwest. This is the sort of Midwestern comfort food that the movie version of me would have grown up on (the real me grew up on the bottled or boxed versions). We’ve pulled and adapted some recipes from my site, and added some things that just sounded delicious. My blog will come to life!

Without further delay, the menu:

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Happy new year to all of you! I took a two week break and am reluctantly rejoining the world. In Chicago, that means a cold, cold world. Bryan and I took a break from the frigid weather and spent some time at Garfield Park Conservatory, one of our favorite places in Chicago. Inside the warm and sunny gardens, the sound of snow and ice sliding off of the conservatory glass is the only clue to the reality of the outside world. It is the perfect escape. Also, their agave plant is blooming- which is a sight to behold. Chicago, keep it in mind when winter is getting you down.

Recipes as usual return in a couple of days but I wanted to let you know about an exciting upcoming event. I am teaming up with my friend Sandra Holl of Floriole Bakery to help host/create a special dinner that you can attend! I am thrilled to get the opportunity to collaborate with the Floriole team and to meet some of you in person! I’ve been wanting to find an opportunity to connect with readers in the real world, and this is perfect. It will be like my blog world comes to life, but you get to actually eat!

Details will follow, but put it on your calendar for February 2 (Groundhog Day!). Once we have the menu worked out, I’ll let you know all about it and how to order tickets, etc. I can tell you now that Sandra and I are planning a 4-course meal inspired by our experiences growing up in the Midwest. It will include some serious comfort food, and be the perfect meal for a cold winter night.

More soon.  In the meantime, I would love to hear about your holidays and the new recipes you tried. What has been going on?!

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Checking in to wish everyone a very happy Christmas and New Year, and to share some photos of our place decked out for the holidays. I’m grateful to have such a special community of readers and friends here on Lottie + Doof and am very much looking forward to another year of good times (and good food) with all of you. Enjoy celebrating winter, Christmas, your friends and family, and the future! See you all in 2011! xo, Tim

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The Plums of New York, 1911

When we came across a print from The Plums of New York, a horticultural book published a hundred years ago,  we knew we had to find the whole book. The plates are these totally bizarre and amazing photos of plums that have been printed over in color. They manage to seem really modern, beautiful and pathetic all at the same time. If you are willing to sacrifice the book, the prints make great gifts. The book is hard to find (we managed to find a copy on ebay) and expensive (but worth it). There is also a digital version of the book for you to look at HERE. The point is: old books are cool and make great gifts.

Match Holder

The bottom of this little apothecary bottle is etched to provide a strike-able surface. This is a pretty way to store your matches. DIY possibilities here.

Bakers Twine

Bakers twine is everywhere, and yes, it is cute. But did you know you can also get it in grey and black? Perfect for those of us who want it to be a little less cute. Great for wrapping gifts, especially homemade baked goods.

Bandaged Cheddar by Bleu Mont Dairy

Some people want diamonds, I want cheese. And I don’t know if there is a better cheese than this bandaged cheddar made in Wisconsin by Willi Lehner. It is crazy good. I might go as far as: life changing. I don’t know if this is distributed outside of the Midwest, but you can find it at Marion Street Cheese Market in Oak Park. read more+++

This year I am presenting you with not one, but TWO gift guides. First up: cookbooks. I get a lot of questions about my favorite cookbooks. I have accumulated a lot of books, but there are only a handful that I return to again and again. These are those books and they would be wonderful gifts for anyone who cares about food.

No meat, no more! Or at least much less meat. I am super tired of this animal trend that seems to get more and more intense with every restaurant opening. I like vegetables and these two books are full of them: The Vegetarian Option by Simon Hopkinson [Gorgeous book, I love cooking from it.] and Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi [Also gorgeous, featuring recipes form his column in The Guardian]

Pastry Hall of Fame: These are the three cookbooks I use most often and the three most important books in terms of my development as a home baker.  The Last Course by Claudia Fleming with Melissa Clark [This is out of print, so try to find a used copy. It is an incredible book], Tartine by Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson  [Everything I have ever made from this book has been delicious, it is inspiring and so good looking], and Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce [Blew my mind. Baking with whole grains is sexy!]

New releases: A lot of really special books were released in 2010, but these are my favorites: Heart of the Artichoke by David Tanis [Sometime I find his style a little precious, but this book seems spot on-makes me want to cook], Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan [Honestly, every book Dorie has written could go on this list.] and My Sweet Mexico by Fany Gerson [ This book really surprised me with its beauty and irresistible recipes.] read more+++

You’ve heard a lot about Bryan over the past two years. He is the only other person who has tasted every recipe on this site and so I thought now might be a good time to let him pick some favorites. I seriously could not do this without him. At long last, he speaks…

Thanks, Tim, for inviting me to do this! And, thanks, readers, for staying tuned. I really enjoy getting to be behind the scenes of this amazing project. When Tim started discussing this over two years ago, I knew that he’d be great at it, but he still continues to impress me with his writing, photography, and mad kitchen skills. I get to eat some seriously good food, y’all. It was really difficult to narrow it down, but here are the five that I remember most fondly/crave most often.

STRACCIATELLA

Tim doesn’t like chocolate. I, on the other hand, would pass up almost any dessert on the menu for the one with “devil”, “death”, or “molten” in the name. Tim knows this and occasionally indulges me. The greatest of these selfless acts was this stracciatella. It is amazing. The sweet, smooth vanilla really highlights the deep, bitter, chocolatiness of those thin crunchy swirls, making them taste even chocolatier. This is a truly impressive trick for someone who claims not to “get” chocolate.

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