If there’s anything we all could use at the end of 2025, it’s comforting food with good company. Helping patrons get into the holiday feasting mindset, Hancher Auditorium hosted a conversation with acclaimed chef and author Samin Nosrat and Iowa City’s own Carmen Maria Machado on Nov. 13. The auditorium, buzzing with food enthusiasts of […]
cooking
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Five questions with West Des Moines’ Samantha Daily, two-time ‘MasterChef’ competitor
A West Des Moines cooking enthusiast with a penchant for comfort food has found her way onto the summer’s top-rated food show, featuring award-winning chef Gordon Ramsay, chef Aaron Sanchez and renowned restaurant owner Joe Bastianich — for the second time. Samantha Daily was a fourth-place finisher on MasterChef season nine, which aired in summer […]
Posted inCommunity/News
National Czech & Slovak Museum hosting virtual cooking classes featuring traditional Czech foods
Aspiring chefs have a chance this Saturday to join a cooking class from the comfort of their own homes hosted by the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (NCSML). Saturday’s cooking class will teach attendees how to make traditional Czech open-faced sandwiches. The class is one of five offered from Chef Tom Slepicka, who […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Effortless romance: A one-pot Valentine’s Day meal
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Your Valentine’s Day dinner should be easy and indulgent. This one-pot recipe is both. Port wine and hint of cardamom and cinnamon makes this simple braise feel luxurious. It will take about 3 hours to cook, but you can (and should) do it a day or two in advance. The dish gets even better as […]
Posted inCommunity/News, UR Here
UR here: A traditional spice takes center stage
As autumn segues to winter, my seasonal spice shifts, too. Since September, it’s been all about nutmeg for me, the one essential ingredient to my apple crisp (aside from Wilson’s Orchard apples, of course). But as Thanksgiving passes to Yuletide, nutmeg yields to cardamon. Oh sure, I’ll still sprinkle a little nutmeg on the old […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Vegetable Geeks: Greens in the "home cooked" and/or "soul" tradition
A little (maybe closer to a long) while ago, my friend Eric demanded I send him recipes “so that he might be jolly.” I immediately thought of pies, but then I thought the likelihood of Eric preparing a pie was small. The reasons for this are as follows: Eric lives in New York City, where […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Crazy Ates
I ate peppers, I ate celery, I ate arugula… I made this dish one night after a day of ranting to myself that A) how the hell am I supposed to get the recommended 9 servings a day of fruits and vegetables and B) what can I do to make celery actually taste *good*? My […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Vegetable Geeks: My Comfort Food
Nine days ago, a member of my family died. It was my 18 year old cat. I knew the day would come sooner than I was ready. It always does. Memories of my feline, Yoyo, stretch all the way back to the 9 year old version of me. I can hardly remember life before her. […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Vegetable Geeks: Rhapsody in Greens and Reds and Yellows
Hi there! Welcome to the first blog post by vegetable geeks Melody and Theresa. We are both vegetable-loving Iowa City folks who enjoy cooking and baking for the pleasure of both the soul and the tongue. We’re embarking on a three-month project to document our joie de vivre de cooking, and inviting whomever cares to […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Inked Up
It’s always a pleasure to revel in your children’s success. Such is the joy here at Little Village that two of our regular writers have penned well-received books in the last two months. But, of course, while the feeling of pride is apt, to call them our children would be a gross disservice. They’ve been […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Food Without the Wrapper
Too many people in this country, I have learned, have been sold a bill of goods. They’ve been tricked. Flim-flammed. Conned. Hussled. Bamboozled into believing that food comes wrapped in plastic from a freezer in the nearest Wal-Mart and that cooking is a chore, like laundry or washing windows, to be avoided if at all […]
