Biscochitos: a Spanish Spice Cookie

If you’re looking for a lightly-spiced yet super flavorful cookie, these lovely Biscochitos hit the mark!

Biscochitos | theinspiredparent.com

With origins in Spain, Biscochitos are quite popular in New Mexico where it is said that they are the “official” state cookie. With a great texture & lovely anise flavor combined with orange & a hint of cinnamon, these are a delightful addition to any holiday cookie tray or perfect for your next brunch.

We used star-shaped cookie cutters this time around but we’ve seen these in all different shapes including one of our favorites — the classic fleur-de-lis.

Happy Baking!

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Vegetable Soup with Italian Sausage

We have a bit of a love affair with different soup noodles…so many fun shapes & any of them will go perfectly with this super easy & versatile soup. Our daughter chose Garofalo Farfalline Pasta this time around but any of your favorites will be a great addition. For this latest batch of soup, we used Johnsonville Mild Italian Sausage but love using different sausages from our local butcher shop and spicier varieties as well.

Veggie Soup with Italian Sausage | theinspiredparent.com

Once the soup has been ladled into the bowls, we typically finish things off with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of freshly grated imported Pecorino Romano, which we always have on hand in our home. Yum!

Have fun, play with your seasonings and flavors — soup is one of the easiest meals to change up to suit your mood.

Enjoy & happy cooking!

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(Un)Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

Stuffed cabbage rolls are great, but making them always seems so time-consuming. After trying several different cabbage casserole recipes over the years, they all had the same issues…either lacking in flavor, were too water-logged, or just plain boring.  We wanted a casserole that was full of flavor, not overly watery/wet, easy to assemble, on the healthier side and would reheat well for lunch or dinner the next day.

We came up with a combination that hits all of our requirements and it’s now a family favorite.

Super easy, reheats beautifully in the oven or microwave - definitely a family favorite!
Reheats beautifully in the oven or microwave – you can easily heat up a portion in a skillet over low heat (put a few teaspoons of water in the pan & cover for a few minutes).

It’s super easy and we’ll often make it ahead of time during the weekend and then pop it in the oven after work on Monday for a fabulous dinner (*bonus* — not having many dishes to clean on a busy night).

Hope you love it as much as we do!

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Brunch at Frontera Grill

We’ve been fans of Chef Rick Bayless for many years. His long-running TV show Mexico: One Plate at a Time has been a family favorite of ours — it is not only informative about regional Mexican cuisine, but also teaches various cooking techniques that we’ve incorporated into our daily lives. Season after season, we’re still learning as we watch. We’re also huge fans of his wonderful restaurants here in Chicago — Topolobompo and Frontera Grill are both phenomenal.

We were overdue for a visit so we headed downtown for the Saturday brunch at Frontera Grill to celebrate my husband’s birthday. Awesome food as usual!

 

Frontera Grill opens at 10:30 a.m. on Saturdays and we made reservations ahead of time since we know the line can get quite long. We arrived a bit early and took advantage of walking around the city for a bit. Our six-year-old got a kick out of watching the boats sailing by on this unseasonably warm, late-autumn morning.
Tourists cruising along the Chicago River past Marina Towers
Tourists cruising along the Chicago River past Marina Towers
Frontera Grill - 445 North Clark Street Chicago, IL 60654-4682
Frontera Grill – 445 North Clark Street Chicago, IL 60654-4682
 After our brief walking adventure, we arrived back at Frontera just as they were opening – we were seated immediately and our daughter had a blast coloring the cool Mexican-art-inspired sheet they gave to her to pass the time.

 

Food choices for this particular trip did not disappoint (they never do — we’ve always had great experiences here).

 

Our starters included side dishes of the Frontera Hot Cakes – Three Sisters Garden corn pancakes with whipped goat cheese & one of the best maple syrups we’ve ever had.

 

Our other starter was a side dish of the Jicama Street Snack (jicama/pineapple/cucumber salad with fresh lime and crushed guajillo chile… WOW)! The serving size was way larger than we expected and was a combination of chilled yumminess. We all fought over the last bite. The six-year-old won.
Jicama Street Snack
Jicama Street Snack
Onto the entrees – I had the Yellow Mole Enchiladas. Holy “Mole” these were great! Fresh corn tortillas with a wonderful filling of braised kale, turnip & mustard greens and topped with an Oaxacan amarillo mole sauce. The dish was served with a side of black beans & topped with crispy onions.
Yellow Mole Enchiladas
Yellow Mole Enchiladas
The birthday boy chose the Sopitos – three Xalapa-style corn masa cakes each with a different topping – scrambled eggs on one, grilled chicken on another and chorizo & plantains on the third. Topping things off with the chipotle – black bean sauce and wow!
Sopitos - awesomeness!
Sopitos – awesomeness!
The wee girl selected the Quesadillas with Rice. We also ordered a bowl of black beans for her, too. Not your run-of the-mill quesadillas by any stretch – more of a turnover pillow of cheesy goodness. Regarding the beans, her quote was “wow, Chef Bayless sure knows how to cook awesome black beans!”
Kids' Quesadillas & Rice
Kids’ Quesadillas & Rice
Add to the mix the unbelievably awesome Mexican Hot Chocolate we had…seriously, we could drink gallons of this lovely stuff…and our next visit can’t come soon enough!
Mexican Hot Chocolate - yum!
Mexican Hot Chocolate – yum!
The bar area when you first walk in & the display of some of Rick's wonderful cookbooks other products.
The bar area when you first walk in & the display
of some of Rick’s wonderful cookbooks other products available for purchase.
If you love traditional Mexican food, great service & a relaxed atmosphere, be sure to make time for a visit to Frontera Grill the next time you are in the Chicago area – you may even see Chef Bayless while you’re there. For a fancier experience, check out Topolobompo – both restaurants share the same main entrance at 445 North Clark Street Chicago, IL 60654-4682. Reservations recommended: (312) 661-1434