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    Hello, it’s me …

    I was wondering if after all these years you’d like read … And go over everything … They said I’m supposed to blog … But I ain’t done much bloooooggggging. Better With Butter has been in existence for almost a DECADE, ya’ll. But after a brief (*cough* 4 years *cough, cough*) hiatus, I’m realizing that a lot has changed in the food blogging world. In fact, the term itself is revealing my lack of with-it-ness. “Influencer” is now the preferred nomenclature thanks to that new-fangled insta-whatever that all the kids are using. Unfortunately, the only thing I’ve influenced in the past 4 years, food-wise, are the snack choices of a…

  • Entrees,  Gluten free,  Holidays,  Paleo,  Recipes,  Side Dishes,  Uncategorized

    Beef at its best

    A couple of Saturdays ago, I dragged my cooking club ladies down the paleo rabbit hole—with quite astonishing results. We gorged ourselves on shepherd’s pie, shrimp cakes, lettuce wraps, bacon-wrapped dates, meatballs, key lime pie, chocolate banana pie and last but not least, insanely rich, beef short ribs—bursting with flavor and piled high atop rosemary and bacon-studded sweet potatoes. Dave eyed the feast from afar, then dove in for the kill as the girls distractedly lingered over paleo-approved palomas. As for the short ribs, I hesitate to even call them paleo. Nothing is sacrificed, nothing left to be desired. The only thing that could possibly make this dish better is a loaf…

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    Me + g.e.b. = good Combos

    The gourmet-ification of classic snack food is a trend I can really get behind. That’s why, when presented with the opportunity to have lunch at Graham Elliot Bistro (g.e.b.), sample his take on Combos (of cheddar cheese and pretzel fame) and interview the man himself (culinary dynamo and all-around badass), I jumped at the chance. On a noble quest to differentiate between a bad combo and good Combos, we sampled some interesting and surprisingly delicious flavor pairings—all in Combos form: Pineapple and peanut butter, egg and cheese (sous-vide egg yolk piped into a Combos shell and dusted in tomato powder), Chicago style hot dog (with all the fix-ins) and for…

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    A new look (albeit a year late, a blog post short)

    So, it’s been a while. What can I say … I’ve let this little blog fall by the wayside in favor of a wedding, a new apartment, a lot of work, a little bit of travel and this little piggy: His name is Merle, and he’s even more insatiable than I am. If anyone is still reading, here’s my official declaration that I’m back—with a new look and a new last name. Stay tuned, good things to come : ).

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    You have exactly eight days left to pig out at restaurants you couldn’t otherwise afford/get into. Go.

    Yup, that’s right, it’s Chicago Restaurant Week again. Bloggers who inexplicably end up on the media contact list for the Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau (yours truly) and hangers-on (Dave) had the pleasure of attending the Chicago Restaurant Week press kickoff event last week at the Chicago Theatre. It was nothing short of fantastic—but then again, give me free food and good champagne and filing my tax return would be enjoyable. My favorites: Berghoff’s bacon-wrapped shrimp atop a “Blue Moon” polenta cake. YUM. Definite validation of our choice of caterer Mexique’s Cochinita Rillettes: pork shoulder rillette (think pâté) on a crostini. Trout Amandine from the Cape Cod Room at the…

  • Cooking Tips,  Entrees,  Holidays,  Uncategorized

    Food Buzz 24×24: Talking Turkey—3 Turkeys, 3 ways

    Hope you all are slowly coming out of a nice Thanksgiving food coma (and just in time to enjoy the last of the leftovers!). Obviously, this post is too late for this year, but be sure to flag it for next year if your turkey-cooking skills could use a little work. As some of you may know, we have crowded, rowdy Thanksgiving every year at my parents’ house in Tucson—complete with tequila shots and sports gambling. The food is always amazing, but the birds don’t get as much love as they should. The 50 or so lbs of turkey are my dad’s job, and suffice to say he’s more of…

  • Entrees,  Recipes,  Uncategorized

    Backblogged

    I won’t be one of those bloggers that pretends to have thousands of clamoring fans that didn’t know what to do with themselves when their favorite blogger went on hiatus. That being said, for the three of you out there who actually care, sorry for depriving you of dry humor and french toast recipes. It’s been an insanely busy summer, but I’ll spare you the excuses and get straight to the good stuff … Portobello, red pepper and goat cheese flatbread/pizza You’ll need: 1 red bell pepper, chopped 1-2 portobello mushrooms, chopped 8 oz. goat cheese 3-5 cloves garlic, minced Crushed red pepper  and salt to taste 1 bag of…

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    Saying “I do” to our caterer

    Three cheers for the winning caterer!!! We’ve chosen Berghoff—a candidate we almost overlooked because we assumed they were all about beer and brats (although, as you can see from the menu, they go far beyond that). Thanks to an event at our gorgeous venue, we  were able to sample a few of the preferred caterers—including Berghoff. We also came to find out that one of Dave’s former high school classmates worked there—Kelly’s thoughtful and detailed proposal reinforced my warm and fuzzy feelings about Berghoff. But I’m getting ahead of myself, let’s start from the beginning … Tasting #1: Calihan Catering The appetizers were pretty good overall. Standouts: butternut squash pizza,…

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    Tailgate touchdown

    This Saturday we enjoyed some good, old-fashioned tailgating and college-football fun courtesy of Greg and his parents Patsy and Greg Sr. The little Pace, John Henry, is the starting long snapper for Northwestern and they happened to be playing Dave’s alma mater, Miami of Ohio. As usual, I’m a little more focused on the food than the football—although I should mention that Northwestern won. The families of Northwestern players take their tailgating very seriously. I’ve never seen anything like it. There are hours of pre- and post-game tailgating, full of food, booze and tricked-out tailgating trucks complete with huge flat-screen TVs and grills. First I enjoyed a breakfast fit for…

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    Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: Five years of love, laughter and fabulous food

    Dave and I have been together five years this month. We’ve had some great times, travelled to some amazing places and are closer and more in love than ever. But enough with the mushy stuff—you don’t really want to hear about that anyway—let’s get to the good part: the food. I’m a part of this month’s Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24, and I decided to do a five-course anniversary meal—celebrating each year of our relationship with a memorable dish from that year. Four grocery stores, one fish market, four hours of shopping, and nine hours of cooking later, we sat down to eat five years of memories to the mellow tunes of John…

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