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Illinois

The Land of Lincoln is a vaguely arrowhead-shaped state in the heart of the Midwest. It is home to the third largest American city, Chicago, which sits along the shores of Lake Michigan. The poet Carl Sandburg described Chicago as “the hog butcher for the world.” The city was made so by the invention of refrigerated railroad cars. With refrigeration, meat could be packed in Chicago and shipped in cold cars to the East Coast. In the 1800s, John Deere, an Illinois blacksmith eased the way for agriculture in the Prairie State by devising a better steel-bladed plow capable of cutting through the hard Illinois prairie. Today, Illinois is a major producer of soy, corn, and wheat. In 1943, a couple of Chicago restaurateurs first presented their cheesy, thick-crust pizza to a mostly pizza-puzzled crowd at Pizzeria Uno. Though not an overnight success, Chicago-style deep-dish pizza is today a hit throughout the country. Three years later, just down the road in Springfield, the Cozy Dog Drive-in applied the finishing touch on the corn dog by inserting the first stick into one end of a deep-fried dog! After that, state fair fare would never be the same again.

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Featured Cook Patti P. Home Town: Glenview, Illinois, USA Living In: Appleton, Wisconsin, USA
About me: Never had any interest in cooking until I had a husband and kids---someone had to feed them!(I was nominated) I'm always reading or watching cooking shows. The funny thing is--I now work in a cooking specialty store! My Profile \| Cooks I Like \| Reviews \| Photos Recipes \| Blog Create your own Cook's Profile \| MORE Cooks »

Newest Cooks

AliciaG

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Chicago, Illinois, USA

About me: I love to cook. Trying new recipies and meals is my go to when I get bored or have some down time. I espically love to bake and decorate cakes and cupcakes.

Emily

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Naperville, Illinois, USA

Living In: Bloomington, Indiana, USA

About me: I'm currently an undergrad at Indiana University. After escaping from the dorms I tested my skills at cooking and it's been love ever since.

daisy carranza

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Chicago, Illinois, USA

About me: My backround is mexican, so of course anything mexican to me is great! although lately I find myself looking to my other husband Rick Bayless for recipes!Im looking for a more con…
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Newest Reviews

Romanian Apple Cake

Reviewed on Nov. 20, 2009 by marlakay

AWESOME! This was so delicious in a real comfort-food, homey kind of way. I made this for my husband to take to the Thanksgiving lunch he had at work. I used five kinds of apples (Macintosh, Granny Smith, Gala, Pink Lady, and Jonagold). I baked it in a bundt pan and then when it cooled (to make it pretty for sharing) I drizzeled it with glaze that I made with powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and a dash of salt. I will say that I, like others, thought I'd done something wrong when I was through mixing the batter. It's all apples! But as it bakes, the cake puffs up and around the apples and it's just yummy. I love the big apple chunks. It's like apple pie meets spice cake. So good! I'll be making this a lot in the future.

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Fideo (Mexican Spaghetti)

Reviewed on Nov. 20, 2009 by marlakay

This was just okay for me, though I do think it has potential. It turned out kind of dry, but maybe I just need to add more water? I'll make it again because I think a couple of small changes would make this pretty yummy. Next time, I will use chicken broth in place of the water. I'll probably add some black beans, too. It's the kind of recipe that lends itself to personalization.

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Ranch Oyster Crackers

Reviewed on Nov. 20, 2009 by Gluten Free Jeannie

This is one of my favorite snacks! I used to keep some in the pantry all the time. Unfortunately I can't have it anymore since I am eating gluten free, so you guys eat some for me and I'll let ya know when I have a gluten free recipe for them! ;)

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