“...truly amazing cooking isn't really so much about technique, it's about heart and soul...” — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“Don't knock homespun. All comfort food is homespun, and according to you and my cooking magazines, comfort food is the trend. You… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“I make the creamed spinach, as close as I can get to the memories I have of eating it at Lawry's Steak… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“I'm making lunch. Who wants pasta?" "We have leftover caramelized cauliflower and some cannellini beans soaking," Lois says. "There's a chunk of… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“We shared deep passions. John Hughes movies, the New Romantics, the Chicago Bears. We both loved chicken-flavor Ramen and hated the shrimp… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“Chicken and vegetable pakoras, chickpea fritters with delicate spices. Aloo samosas filled with spicy potatoes, peas, and cilantro, with a fiery green… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“Naomi at TipsyCake is doing the cake, and it should be amazing." "Mmm, cake. What kind of cake?" "Almond cake with a… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“After escargots swimming in garlic butter, steak with the crispiest, thinnest fries imaginable, and simple salads of butter lettuce in a peppery… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“Whether you're a bride or a birthday boy, your options are much the same. Cake comes in chocolate, yellow, or white. Frosting… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“I want coffee to taste of coffee. Maybe a little cream and sugar. I do not want coffee that tastes of potpourri… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“I pick up my teaspoon and take a small bite, and am transported. The cake is nutty and moist, the cream with… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“I begin to describe a three-tier cake. The bottom tier would be a deep, dark devil's food cake filled with thick chocolate… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“Yep," I say, cutting a large slice of the Dutch Baby pancake and sliding it onto her plate along with two pieces… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“Time to cut the cake, newlyweds." Caroline ushers us over to the sweet little two-tier cake, round and covered in white fondant… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“Lois and Eloise and Benji have been cooking from the book all week in preparation, making everything from homemade marshmallows and chewy… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“Your body will always tell you what you need. If you crave sweet things, your energy is flagging. If it's meat you… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“Three square tiers of hazelnut cake filled with caramel mousse and sliced poached pears, sealed with vanilla buttercream scented with pear eau-de-vie.… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“What is it?" "It's a Thermomix." "That crazy cooking-blender thing you were telling me about?" "The very one." I've been coveting this… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“RJ gets to work in the kitchen on the dinner he is preparing, allowing me to sous chef. He seasons duck breasts… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“Andrea is coming to pick me up in about thirty minutes to head to her folks' house for Thanksgiving. I've got buttery… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“Between culinary school, a year and a half of apprentice stages all over the world in amazing restaurants, ten years as the… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“In ten minutes I am at the massive Whole Foods on Kingsbury. I go to the salad bar. I fill containers with… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“Yeah, just what I needed, a massive three-day Hostess binge, followed by a week of trying to replicate recipes so that if… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“On the coffee table is a bottle of Madeira, a plate of dark chocolates, a bowl of tiny tangerines. He opens a… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“Herman and I have been doing a lot of talking about the cake the past couple of days, and we think we… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“I look over the recipe again. It sounds very simple. You boil some rice in water like pasta, I can do that.… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“I cooked with so many of the greats: Tom Colicchio, Eric Ripert, Wylie Dufresne, Grant Achatz. Rick Bayless taught me not one… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“There are food stations around the room, each representing one of the main characters. The Black Widow station is all Russian themed,… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“But every once in a great while, the pull of her heritage would hit her, and Grand-mere would cook something real. I… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“Caroline has laid out a beautiful spread, which is a combination of some of my favorite things that she has cooked, and… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“Most tourists, having done some research on Chicago delicacies, order their Italian beef sandwiches "wet," meaning that a slosh of extra meat… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“The menu is spectacular. Passed hors d'oeuvres include caramelized shallot tartlets topped with Gorgonzola, cubes of crispy pork belly skewered with fresh… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“So," he explains. "Take the piece of bread, dip it in the olive oil and then in the spice and nut mix,… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“I wander back out, and find Patrick doing the unthinkable. He is cooking. There are two placemats on the island, napkins and… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“Stirring the pastry cream and putting it in the blast chiller in the island, a total chefly indulgence that I have never… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“Iceberg wedges with a homemade Thousand Island dressing and bacon bits. Prime rib, slow roasted in a very forgiving technique I developed… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“Laid out on the rustic farm table that sits to the side of Maria's enormous kitchen island is a lovely spread of… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“These. Are. AMAZING," Caroline says around a mouthful of apple cider zeppole. We're at the Logan Square Farmers Market, and have eaten… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“Bubbles enters with a plate overflowing with rugelach. The three of us fall silent as we indulge in the small snail-shaped pastries… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“Last night I read about a dish Gemma made for the staff for breakfast, which sounded really good despite its horrible name.… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share Image
“Jack was the kind of guy you could take into any situation and he would figure out how to fit in. Wayne, not so… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share
“Volnay is prancing, head up proudly; her squat little bowlegs producing a smooth gait that would make the dog show people preen. She carries… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share
“Deciding that he was essentially useless, I made him a large glass of sangre del tigre- "blood of the tiger"- a lethal Bloody Mary… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share
“I cooked with so many of the greats: Tom Colicchio, Eric Ripert, Wylie Dufresne, Grant Achatz. Rick Bayless taught me not one but two… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share
“Last night I read about a dish Gemma made for the staff for breakfast, which sounded really good despite its horrible name. Toad-in-the-hole. Seriously,… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share
“I'm going to explode," my dad says, rubbing his stomach gleefully. He's just put down a massive sandwich piled with corned beef, pastrami, chopped… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share
“Miss A-la-na here seems to think that my pork medallion with caramelized-onion pan sauce is a little heavy-handed, that the onions need a lighter… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share
“Relax, princess. If your prince arrives, I'll vacate. Just keeping you company. Besides, he should know better than to leave a beautiful girl waiting… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share
“Yeah, just what I needed, a massive three-day Hostess binge, followed by a week of trying to replicate recipes so that if no one… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share
“Going to the gym...all those people who always told me that you get addicted to it, that endorphins kick in, that eventually you crave… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share
“This year I am doing praline pecans, an old favorite family favorite, easy and addictive. And a festive holiday dark chocolate loaf cake, with… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share
“I pick up my teaspoon and take a small bite, and am transported. The cake is nutty and moist, the cream with the barest… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share
“Yep," I say, cutting a large slice of the Dutch Baby pancake and sliding it onto her plate along with two pieces of thick-sliced… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share
“The cake is pretty simple; they didn't want anything too fancy. Two tiers. The bottom is the Frango mint tier from the cake contest,… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share
“In a frenetic whirlwind we chop and dice and mince, turning anything we can think of into a possible pizza topping, and packing them… — Stacey Ballis Copy Share
