This summer Lottie + Doof is hitting the road and exploring the Midwest. Like too many Chicagoans, I don’t leave the city often enough to visit the surrounding area. This summer I’m in search of good food and good times and I’ll be taking you along for the ride. First Stop: Ann Arbor, Michigan.

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It is officially ice cream season in the Midwest and I have been churning a batch (or two!) a week since summer started. One of the most wonderful discoveries is this recipe for Framboise Lambic Beer Sorbetto that comes courtesy of the Ciao Bella cookbook. I’m not a huge fan of sweet beers and so framboise lambic never had much appeal to me as a drink, but in the context of dessert it is another thing entirely. This sorbet is packed full of bright tasting raspberries and the beer gives it a complicated finish that is really satisfying.

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I’ve made no secret of my love of Floriole Bakery and was beyond excited when this long-time farmer’s market favorite announced plans to open a storefront. Imagine how I felt when the storefront was mere blocks from my office! If you are in Chicago and looking to find me, Floriole is a pretty good place to start. I’m proud to call myself a regular. I am so impressed with everything that Sandra Holl and her amazing team creates. Next time you are in town, stop by for a croissant and tell them Tim sent you. More on Floriole over at ReadyMade, but here are some behind the scenes photos of the bakery at work.

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The Moon Safari Wins! The Moon Safari Wins!

Many delicious drinks were suggested. Four of the best made it into the finals. Hundred of votes were cast. The winning drink is The Moon Safari, inspired by The Breslin and suggested by Caitlin.

This was one of my favorites and I couldn’t be more pleased with the results. Pineapple and tarragon all summer long!

Thanks to everyone who suggested a drink, or voted.

Now find yourself a ripe pineapple and have a cocktail.

Happy Summer, everyone! read more+++

A couple of weeks ago I asked for drink ideas to sip all summer. You came through in a big way with lots of really wonderful suggestions.

It wasn’t easy narrowing them down to 3 finalists, so we chose 4—which wasn’t much easier. I wanted to try almost every cocktail suggested by you, my fine readers. But in an effort to preserve our livers and  live to drink another day, we narrowed down the competition to these fantastic finalists. We were looking for something seasonal, creative and delicious—these all qualified.

In reviewing the submissions, I noticed some trends. Strawberries made their way onto the list several times, as did pineapple, basil and other fresh herbs. Several of you suggested cucumber-based drinks, which I love. Many of you were inspired by drinks you had at favorite bars or restaurants and these final nominees are really an homage to modern mixologists.

So, without further delay, I present to you the 4 finalists for the 2010 Drink of Summer:

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We are bad banana eaters. Very inconsistent. Some weeks we’ll go through a bunch in a couple of days and other weeks they will languish on the counter turning spotted and black as we both try our best to ignore them and hope the other one will deal with them. So, it is in everyone’s best interest to collect recipes that use up the bananas once they have passed the point of no return. read more+++

Today I am coming to you with a few random items and one delicious recipe:

I can hardly believe it is June. Farmer’s Market season has begun in the Midwest and we are now lucky enough to live a couple of blocks from our local market. Saturday mornings are now my favorite part of the week.

With summer quickly approaching, I put a call out for a special seasonal cocktail and boy did you deliver! So many excellent suggestions. All of them, really. Those comments will remain a good resource for anyone looking for a refreshing summer drink. We’re in the process of testing some of your recipes out and will be offering three finalists up for a vote later in the month. Soon, the official drink of summer will be crowned.  Can’t wait.

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Above, our liquor cabinet. It is ready for summer.

Summer is quickly approaching and before we know it we’ll be wearing less clothing and complaining about the heat instead of the cold. I want to make sure we are ready for it by finding an appropriate (or inappropriate!) cocktail to sooth ourselves with all summer long. Last year we had a couple of contenders and my friend Katie served as judge. This year I am turning to you, dear readers, for help. I need ideas for refreshing summer cocktails. Think: fresh fruit, herbs, and infused simple syrups! You know my style, seasonal, local, beautiful! Extra points for original creations, so all of you mixologists should start inventing now. No recipe too simple or too complicated! Post recipes in the comments below or feel free to email me (tim at lottieanddoof.com) with ideas. All ideas should be submitted by June 1st. I’ll narrow it down to 3 finalists and then we can all decide on the cocktail that will help us survive the long, hot, (and fun) summer ahead of us.

Skoal! read more+++

It is remarkable how my diet changes with the seasons. The things I am interested in eating, the amount of food and even the preparation. We had a few days of warm weather last month and I instantly adopted a summer palate. I was interested in salads and simple meals. I also wanted bright, refreshing things to drink.
At a recent dinner at Longman & Eagle I had a whiskey drink with ginger beer that was pretty outstanding and got me wondering about ginger beer. I’ve heard it used to describe a variety of beverages, some containing alcohol, some not, some carbonated, some not. A little internet research seems to confirm that the term is applied to a range of liquids and the only common component is, well, ginger. I was interested in a non-alcoholic version that I could use as a mixer with soda or something a little stronger and  decided to give making my own ginger beer a go. read more+++

Yes, the name of this recipe made me laugh too. The taste, however, is not funny. It is buttery and delicious and an excellent way to use the other half of the dough from the kuchen. After the many steps that go into making that masterpiece, this simple preparation will seem easy and breezy, but no less satisfying. read more+++