Peanut butter cookies for pregnant ladies

Since I've been pregnant, eating has become one of the dullest aspects of my day. Mornings and afternoons are filled with bowls of dry Cheerios and plates of saltine crackers. Evenings are spent as far away as possible from the potent aromas of my husband's cooking in our minuscule kitchen.

Everything, I mean EVERYTHING, smells strong. And none of it smells good.

I'm longing for the second trimester, as that's supposedly the magical moment when the appetite for tasteful foods returns and bursts of energy suddenly make you want to run in the streets singing victory. Although running isn't recommended for pregnant ladies. Nor is strutting about in heels (as you can see, it's not just my meals that have lost their pizzazz, but my wardrobe is suffering as well).

There are, however, still a few pleasures left in my otherwise drab diet. You see, while I've lost my appetite for all that is savory and nutritious, I've gained quite the penchant for peanut butter cookies. But it's not as much of a random pregnancy craving, as it is an old-school comfort food. And if there's anything pregnant ladies need, it's comfort. Fortunately that comfort is just down the street from my apartment at Metropolis Coffee Company and it only costs $1.75.

This article was first published on Examiner.com.
Photo: WayOutTexas / flickr.

Chicago restaurant week 2009

Chicago's second annual Restaurant Week is coming up soon (February 20-27), which means 130 top restaurants in the city will be providing special prix-fixe menus at a reduced price ($22 for lunch and $32 for dinner). Since you have just seven days to feast, it's vital to pick the spots with the sweetest deals. And it's just as crucial to get your reservations in before herds of famished foodies take over. We recommend trying these restaurants first.

Dine
It's all about dinnertime at Dine, where you can choose between the restaurant's signature "not so much of a wedge" salad or spice-rubbed prime tenderloin with golden beet vinaigrette and brussel sprout-horseradish salad. And that's just the first course. For entrees, Dine is offering a choice of garlic-rubbed bone-in ribeye with creamed spinach or a slow-dried Rummo pasta with chili flakes, pan-roasted grape tomatoes and baby arugula. For dessert, try the ricotta cheesecake with Bing cherry-zinfandel gelato, seasonal creme brulee with crisp sugar crust or a daily selection of ice cream and sorbet.

Park Grill
After you've spent the day gallivanting around Millennium Park, you can fill up at the popular Park Grill for lunch or dinner. The early menu features dishes like roasted pepper and fennel soup, crisp striped bass, chicken pot pie and lemon thyme panna cotta for dessert. Head over later in the evening and you'll be graced with choices like Kampachi crudo with pickled radishes and hand-cut pappardelle pasta with slow-cooked rabbi ragout.

Farmerie 58
This brand-new restaurant didn't waste any time before diving in with the big boys. And it's holding its own with plenty of prix-fixe choices for both lunch and dinner. During lunch, you can begin with your pick of chopped house salad, arugula salad, butternut squash veloute or lobster bisque. The second course boasts plenty of meaty selections with a bistro burger, amish chicken sandwich with wilted spinach-parmesan fondue, pan-roasted salmon BLT and wild boar pasta with basil and pecorino cheese. If you've managed to save room for dessert, Farmerie 58 is offering a sweet array of chocolate tarts, white chocolate bread pudding and ginger creme brulee. Dinner brings out many of the same sweet selections, with the addition of crab saffron fondue, pork chops with cranberry stuffing, short ribs with veggies and country-fried eggplant with goat cheese and lemon-herb salad.

NoMI
Restaurant Week is the perfect time to take advantage of the city's most posh spots, like NoMI in the Park Hyatt hotel. The restaurant is offering a decadent lunch menu with soup selections like pumpkin-coconut and chicken-apple, entrees like gnocchi with brown butter and black trumpets, crab cakes with whole grain mustard and fennel and desserts like chocolate-caramel brownie macaroons, carrot cake with maple-orange sauce and jam-filled pistachio nougat tarts.

David Burke's Primehouse
Head downtown to this popular steakhouse and you won't be sorry. The lunch special includes appetizers like Kobe beef sashimi and surf and turf dumplings. Entrees feature hearty selections with chicken, salmon and steak, including the restaurant's signature 40-day dray aged steak burger. David Burke's dinner menu lists many of the same choices, with the addition of a bone-in filet mignon and the popular "angry lobster."

Carnivale
Let this Latin-fueled restaurant lead the way with its bounty of festive choices. To start, choose from soup with pork, chiles and hominy, empanadas with spinach, butternut squash and Parmesan cheese or arugula salad with blood orange, olives and Manchego cheese. Entrees include beef tenderloin with peppers, Arctic char with black bean puree and pinon with plantains, vegetable picadillo and mozzarella. Bring it all to a sweet finish with plantain bread pudding, coconut flan or seasonal housemade ice cream. And since you're saving money on the meal, go ahead and splurge on one of the restaurant's signature raspberry mojitos.

one sixtyblue
one sixtyblue is celebrating all the foodie action with a dinner-only menu, featuring a number of appetizer, entrée and dessert choices. To start, choose from leek gnocchi, bibb lettuce salad or house-cured king salmon and follow up with a selection of free-range chicken breast, blue crab ravioli, hanger steak or winter vegetable tagine. Desserts selections showcase the restaurants sweet skills with choices like chocolate panna cotta, sticky toffee date cake and seasonal sorbet with vanilla bean shortbread.

For a list of all participating restaurants, and to make reservations, visit the Restaurant Week website.


This article was first published on Centerstage.