Red Line Rehab Recipe: The Secret Ingredient

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by Donna Pierce Long before the brakes on the southbound Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Red Line train squeal to a final stop at 95th Street, most of the passengers are African American or People of Color. Beginning on elevated tracks … Continue reading

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Cooking with Mom

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There’s a good reason it is hard for me to believe that my mother has been gone for a decade…she’s with me every day. I’ll be making gumbo, celebrating a “win,” or when I’m contemplating a difficult task…suddenly reminding myself … Continue reading

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Happy Birthday Cinco de Mayo

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Our family began celebrating Cinco de Mayo decades before the unnamed U.S. restaurant and liquor marketing geniuses turned it in to one giant Mexican-American cocktail celebration. We simply referred to May 5, as my sister’s birthday. “Although I don’t recall … Continue reading

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High Rise Gardening

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Although I grew up weeding my dad’s backyard garden, I didn’t fully appreciate the joys of growing my own heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs until my neighbor JoAnna, convinced me to dig around in the soil. Now that I’m living … Continue reading

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Derby Day Prep

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I’ve only been to one Kentucky Derby in my lifetime, but once is enough to put things in perspective.  Now I compare it to a college town’s homecoming, a mid-South Mardi Gras, Academy Award Night in LA, and other big … Continue reading

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Chicago’s Big Wave

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“We board our first Yankee street car to go to a cousin’s home…We have been told that we can sit where we please, but we are still scared.We cannot shake off three hundred years of fear in 3 hours.”Richard Wright, … Continue reading

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Pop Quiz

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Question: How many quarts of popcorn does the average American eat per year? Answer: 51 (according to the Popcorn Board…yes, there is a designated organization…at popcorn.org). Are most of yours microwaved? Five years ago, I remember no difficulty shopping for … Continue reading

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Mom’s lesson #1: how to boil eggs

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Although I’m not sure where my mom first discovered the secret of perfectly hard-cooked eggs, I was an adult when she clued me in on the details about timing the boil so that shells slide off without any dents or … Continue reading

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Through Thick or Thin…

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My mother and I used to compare Asparagus price notes the way others check the stock market. This time of year, as the  season begins, I’ve already experienced my first price dive below $2 a pound. (I won’t alarm you … Continue reading

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Stalking Spring

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I used to pick only thick asparagus, until a recent shopping trip offered only these super skinny spears. Who knew? Follow this recipe for my new favorite snack. Seasoned 0 fat Greek yogurt dip and these crunchy caramelized spears makes … Continue reading

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