What To Eat In & Around Wrigley Field

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Synonymous with baseball is BBQ and beer. For avid sports fans hungry for the season’s excitement, Wrigley Field won’t let you down. The expansive concourse is lined with dozens of different food vendors that will satisfy any craving. Here are some of the best food stops we’ve found in and around Wrigley Field. Hopefully something here will make the ball game all the more enjoyable for you and your friends.

Hot Dogs

Before you dig into the game, dive into a juicy hot dog — but make sure it’s Chicago style. Like all of Chicago’s culinary traditions, this city favorite is piled with loads of toppings, like onions, relish and spices. Ask a Wrigley field usher and they will guide you towards the Italian beef specialty stand located along the third base line. If you’re feeling extra daring, try the beef and sausage combo. It’s sure to pack some heat.

Sandwiches & More

The stadium is known for its Wrigley Pig — a pulled pork sandwich that tastes better than most pub versions. If you’re in the mood for something other than pulled pork or polish sausage, surrounding the stadium is Wrigleyville. This city hub is well known for its various restaurants and entertainment venues. From upscale Italian to tangy Thai, Wrigleyville will get your appetite going for the big game.

Refreshments

No matter what you choose to eat inside the stadium, you have to wash it down with some Old Style beer, brewed by Wisconsins Pabst Brewing Company. For hardcore fans looking for some Cubs camaraderie, hitting up Bernie’s Outdoor Beer Garden is a must. Players are even known to stop by this Wrigleyville joint after a game.

Pub Food

As the largest cafe in the stadium, the Captain Morgan Club offers an assortment of salads, burgers and other bar style food. It opens daily at 10 am even for fans without tickets. Goose Island, a brewery located about four doors down from the ballpark, is famous for its specialty beers and greasy fare. Fans can agree, Goose Island is “very Chicago”, without being phony or fussy. Prepare for big crowds here after the game, so send Aunt Judy to save a table before the final stretch.

Pizza

Located right next to the Wrigley Field transit stop is Bacca Pizzeria. This place is perfect for ticket holders late to the game and need a quick bite before settling into the seats. Nothing too fancy, but oh-so enjoyable, Bacca’s is a family-run chain that offers a jumbo slice of pizza plus a free soda for only $3.50.

It’s A Home Run!

As every baseball lover knows, the ultimate ball-time experience includes the proper food assortment…even when you only want popcorn to toss into the air, or peanuts because you love the sound of crunchy shells beneath your shoes.

This article is presented by The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago. The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago offers Le Cordon Bleu culinary education classes and culinary training programs in Chicago, Illinois. To learn more about the class offerings, please visit Chefs.edu/Chicago for more information.

The jobs mentioned are examples of certain potential jobs, not a representation that these outcomes are more probable than others. The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago does not guarantee employment or salary.

Sleep To Pass USMLE Boards

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Have you ever wondered what effect lack of sleep has on you? At some point or most probably, all throughout your medical school career, you probably pull an all-nighter, staying up 24 hours straight, cramming for the next day’s must-pass examination. Is that extra studying worth the effort? Or are you likely to lose as much as you gain by being exhausted on the day of the test?

The effect of sleep deprivation on your test-taking ability depends on the type of examination questions. If they are multiple choice or true-false questions, a night without sleep won’t affect your ability to deal with them. The reason is that in answering such questions you rely on familiar, established problem-solving techniques, an ability unaffected by the loss of one night’s sleep. But then, how familiar are you with USMLE questions? Does the question bank generated sets of questions for your practice tests in your USMLE review the same way the actual USMLE board questions are stated? You can never be sure as the questions contained therein are also subjected to development and improvement by a duly responsible organization.

The basic function of sleep is to repair the cerebral cortex from the wear and tear of conscious activity. The loss of creative ability is a signal that lack of sleep causes something to go wrong in the cerebral function, thereby disturbing some fundamental in the decision-making process. Most of the questions in the USMLE require you to decide medical diagnosis, diagnostic tests, analysis of results, treatment. In order to answer such questions, you need to think flexibly, and this ability is diminished after only a single sleepless night. How can you decide properly and correctly with lack of sleep? Sleep deprivation may hinder your ability in high-risk situations like operating on a patient, emergency room stat surgical procedures as well simply prescribing a drug for your patient.

Accidents have been caused by lack of sleep such as what happened in the Three Mile Island power station. The control room operators were working on a slow shift rotation days for a week, evenings for a week, then late nights for a week. Such cycle does not give enough time for the cerebral cortex to recover. The slow rotation shift may result in the worst possible human performance because it disrupts the body’s biological clock especially the sleep cycle.

Indeed, adequate sleep is a need that everybody recognizes such that New York State now requires hospital staff and personnel to work no longer than an average of 80 hours a week per month. “We think most patients would rather have a well-rested doctor than a zombie working on one-hour’s sleep.” – NY State Health Department (Sleep; the New York Times, 1989)

Pro Cooking Tips To Start Using Today

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Many people agree that cooking skills are some of the most difficult to master. Read on for some great tips on cooking delicious, gourmet-type dishes that will make you look like a master chef.

Always bake your crusts a little longer than is absolutely necessary. They should be golden caramel in color instead of pale blonde. The color on your pie signifies that the caramelizing process is complete in your crust, yielding a scrumptious dessert.

Whenever you are spicing up your meat, consider starting off with a small portion before you cook the whole piece. It is important not to over-season foods such as hamburger, meatballs and other meat-based dishes. You do not want to cook the whole thing immediately after seasoning it. Just make a small piece and try it. If that piece turns out well, you can continue with the rest. If not, you can make adjustments to the spices.

Always make sure that your flour, sugar and baking additives are stored in airtight containers. By storing foods in airtight containers, you can ensure its freshness and prevent any contamination. These containers can be bought at almost any store and are totally worth it!

When boiling or sauteing veggies, use chicken broth instead of water. Chicken broth adds flavor to vegetables and prevents them from getting stuck to the bottom of the pan. Chicken broth can be found at almost all local grocery stores at a very cheap price.

If you are preparing pumpkins for a meal, position the pumpkin so it is sitting upright, then cut it into two equal halves. Put each half with the cut side facing down on their own baking sheet. Sprinkle a little water on to your baking sheets, then you can bake your pumpkins for an hour in a 350 degree oven.

In recipes that call for milk or water, try substituting more flavorful liquids. If the recipe calls for water, switch it up by using a broth, juice, or cooking liquids. Other dairy products such as buttermilk or sour cream can be used in place of milk. A good method for increasing your nutritional intake is by increasing the amount of liquids you drink throughout the day.

For better seasoning results, use smaller applications of seasoning at frequent intervals throughout the cooking process instead of dumping it all in at once. As such, you are getting the best flavor, and not wasting any of the seasoning.

If you are using garlic in the cooking, ensure it’s the freshest you can buy. In general, garlic tastes sweeter when it is fresher. You will want to look for the following characteristics; firm skin, and no bruises or shriveling.

If serving salad, keep the dressing on the side, rather than pouring it on the salad. Amount and type of dressing are personal tastes, so let your guests dress their own salad. Get different kinds of dressings to leave them more choices.

Even with no prior skill, cooking techniques can be improved with just a few simple tips and ideas. With this new found culinary knowledge, what are you waiting for? Cook something! You will be cooking dishes everyone will enjoy.

Tracie William is a house wife, cooking is her passion and she loves to try new recipes.. her latest blog is aboutHow To Make Cake Pops

Your Culinary Career

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Many people are surprised by the broad range of employment opportunities available on completion of a Culinary Degree. When you graduate from Culinary School, you might choose to work in a restaurant, at a resort, or in catering. The job choice you make can set the direction for your career. Working in a restaurant is very different than working in the catering business for instance. There are different skills required for these jobs, and working in one field does not give you qualifications for the other. Keep this in mind before deciding which Culinary Career you intend to pursue. After you graduate, you have the opportunity to review the skills you have and decide from there what food service venue you want to focus your career on. During the first several years of your culinary you will spend a lot of time practicing your skills and then finding your niche.

One of the basic skills you will utilize throughout your Culinary Career is your technical skill. This set of skills includes cooking methods, knife skills, and line cooking. Another skill is that is learned is culinary. Budding chefs train to make food taste good. Chefs will learn seasoning, flavor combinations and plate presentations to

The most basic skill, the one that schools are designed to teach, is the technical. These skills are the basis of every chef’s talent – knife skills, cooking methods, timing, mise en place, and (the ultimate technical skill) making cooking on the line graceful, even during the rush. The other skill taught in school is culinary. Most chefs have a good palate to begin, but training for the nuances of flavor and seasoning, new flavor combinations, creative plates and presentations, delving deep in to a cultures cuisine all take training and practice.

The other two skill sets are what distinguish a cook from a Chef. A Chef is concerned with more than his/her own piece of the kitchen – they have the whole kitchen as a responsibility. With this in mind, organization is key. The chef has to stay organized, run the kitchen smoothly and efficiently, and conduct business.

Hand in hand with directorial skills are managerial skills. A chef understands how to work with people and get them to work for him/her. These skills are the highest level because they involve sharing knowledge and skill with those working for you. The most often-seen method is training, but ultimately being a mentor to a cook and to develop their career is the highest skill a chef can accomplish.

Culinary Traditions Of Cuba

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The East Caribbean island of Cuba has a rich cultural heritage from which has arisen culinary traditions that are as vibrant and varied as the variety of cultures that have contributed to the development of this distinct and delicious cuisine. In addition to the ancient influence of the native peoples of Cuba, the Spaniards brought their own culinary styles, tinged by those of the Moors who held huge parts of Spain for centuries. The slaves that were brought from Africa made significant culinary and cultural contributions, with other culinary traditions being brought to the island with the French colonists fleeing uprisings in Haiti.

As these various influences came together, a distinctly Cuban flavor and style evolved, which is reminiscent of country peasant styles of cooking by oral tradition and eye, rather than relying on specific measurements and the creation of dishes that tend towards the simple and hearty, and that can be left on their own to simmer. Fussy, heavy sauces are unusual and deep-frying is simply not a favored cooking method. The island nation, naturally, uses a great deal of seafood in its cuisine, which encourages the use of simple cooking techniques and spicing that is meant to enhance, not smother, natural flavors.

The most common spices used in Cuban cuisine are garlic, cumin, oregano and bay or laurel leaves. Sofrito is also popular, and used in a wide range of dishes, from those of beans to those of meats to those that are made from a base of tomato sauce. A typical sofrito is made of green pepper, onion, garlic, oregano and black pepper fried in olive oil until the pepper, onion and garlic are soft and translucent and the flavors blend to perfection.

The dense, nutritious, energy producing vegetables commonly used belie the African and native peoples influence on the cuisine of Cuba. Yuca, malanga, boniato, and plantano are among these, and are often simmered together with complementary vegetables and served simply, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with chopped fresh onion a satisfying, strengthening and simple dish for a hard working people.

Meats are often prepared using island flavored marinades of that use lime juice or the juice of a sour variety of the orange as a base. Then, the meats are roasted or simmered very slowly with spices, often for hours. Beans and rice are an essential part of most meals, with black beans being well known as a Cuban specialty.

Cuban cuisine is also notable for its baked goods, which include a variety of turnovers. Some are filled with spiced meats and other types feature a particularly Cuban blend of cream cheese and guava paste. Flan is among Cubas most beloved dessert items.

In Cuban cuisine, the subtle flavors of healthy foods are enhanced by cooking and spicing methods designed to bring out the best in each component of a dish. The culinary traditions of Cuba are a delight to the tongue, naturally, but they also offer a fascinating glimpse into a culture that has brought together many varied elements to create a cohesive whole.