Oak Leaves

elsmo

Melissa Elsmo

Melissa Elsmo is an Oak Park mother, wife and chef/foodie. A member of the District 97 Wellness Committee, she speaks regularly about reclaiming the family …

Read More

Latest Columns

Search recent columns

More Columns

Hot cross buns: From the nursery rhyme to the table

While glazed ham, roasted leg of lamb and deviled eggs dominate typical Easter brunch menus, I thought it only fitting to look back to the mid-1300s for a little Lenten inspiration.

  • Master of the Matzo Ball

    Matzo is a welcome addition to any Passover seder dinner menu as unleavened breads serve as a reminder that the Israelites had no time to let their bread rise as they were fleeing Egypt.

  • Luck of the Irish leftovers

    Birthday party planning is a breeze for my best friend. Her husband’s birthday falls on St. Patrick’s Day and to celebrate he wants nothing more than a Guinness and an Irish Boiled Dinner.

  • For Pulaski Day: The perfect cabbage roll

    The Chicago suburban landscape is filled with Polish cultural influences. In fact, residents of Polish descent make up the largest European-American population in the Chicago metropolitan area and Illinois boasts one of the largest Polish populations in the United States.

    • Put a Cherry Bounce in your step

    My grandma, Virginia, kept an enormous jar of ominous looking cherries on the upper shelf of her broom closet. She wedged it snugly between the Pine Sol and the mop bucket and I’d occasionally find her teetering on a stepstool to reach the precious jug.

    Are you ready for some potato skins?

    Growing up in Wisconsin in a house full of die-hard, season ticket-holding Packer fans taught me a thing or two about the sanctity of football. My dad organized a weekly football pool for our family with some pretty high stakes.

    Hot food trends for 2013

    Making annual food predictions is a little like reading tea leaves. Sure there are some clues lingering in the bottom of the proverbial cup, but there is a lot of room for interpretation in all the murky muck.

    A hearty fish dish for Lenten Fridays

    Growing up Catholic meant my family always ate fish on Fridays during the six weeks of Lent leading up to Easter Sunday.

    New Year’s challenge: Take a trip around the world at your table

    Let’s face it; New Year’s resolutions aren’t that much fun. I don’t know anyone who resolves to spend more money, throw more parties, increase caloric intake or exercise less at the turn of a new year, but I imagine those people would have a lot …

    That’s a wrap: Snake-inspired ideas for Chinese New Year

    According to ancient Chinese folklore, a mountain monster called Nian would descend into calm communities to destroy homes, consume livestock, and kill terrified villagers.

    Fight winter doldrums with good-mood maker foods

    I don’t know about you, but I’ve been fighting the urge to crawl into bed with a bowl full of macaroni and cheese these days. What gives?

    A Bloody Mary worth celebrating

    Popping one too many champagne corks at a riotous New Year’s Eve soiree often leads to a slow moving morning on New Year’s Day.

    Are you ready for some potato skins?

    Growing up in Wisconsin in a house full of die-hard, season ticket-holding Packer fans taught me a thing or two about the sanctity of football. My dad organized a weekly football pool for our family with some pretty high stakes.

    Carving up a pressure free holiday, the best way to slice your bird

    Tending to a Thanksgiving turkey as it limps along in a slow oven to golden brown perfection is a labor of love and few folks will argue that a beautiful turkey doesn’t make an impressive centerpiece on a holiday table.

    Go big on Thanksgiving by thinking smaller

    Everything about Thanksgiving is big; extended tables to fit more family, gargantuan birds that are roasted and served next to vats of mashed potatoes and gallons of gravy.

    Treat yourself to a ghostly — and grown-up — Halloween feast

    In the frenzy of sourcing costumes, school snacks and trick-or-treat supplies for the little goblins in our lives, the grown-up side of Halloween can get lost in the murky mist. Dabbling on the dark side of holidays, however, isn’t something that should be solely reserved for candy-craving children.

    Stone Soup tale meets the farmers market

    In the time honored folk tale, Stone Soup, a weary traveler enters a village looking for food. He is turned away at house after house and told there is no food available for miles around. Undeterred, the hungry traveler produces a pot and an unremarkable stone and begins to make a batch of stone soup in the center of town.

    < Previous
    • 1
    • 2
    Next >