WayneBites

CHARCUTERIE FOR A CROWD | My contribution to dinner at a friend’s house: a charcuterie platter for 18 hungry people.

Because apparently I don’t know how to just show up with a bottle of wine. 😂

Five different meats, five cheeses, fruit, vegetables, spreads, crackers and enough food to make you wonder if dinner was really necessary (but it was and it was really good).

I love putting these together. With a little planning, there’s really no wrong way to build a charcuterie board. Start with the good stuff, fill in the holes, move things around 37 times, add something colorful and call it creative assembly.

It was big, it was fun, and judging by what was left afterward, I’d say it was a hit. And yes...there actually was dinner after this and it was great. Dessert, too! 🧀🍖🍓🥂

Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake 🍎

It’s apple season, which apparently means I’m now legally obligated to shove Honeycrisp apples into anything that will stand still.

This little experiment is my mashup of two recipes I found online—because why follow one perfectly good recipe when you can screw around with two?

The result: a Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake loaded with Honeycrisp apples, gooey caramel and a rich, moist cake underneath. It’s sticky. It’s decadent. It’s probably nutritionally indefensible. And it’s REALLY good.

Next step: warm slice, big scoop of vanilla ice cream and absolutely no discussion whatsoever about portion control.

Fall has arrived. Apparently, so have my stretchy pants. 🍎🍰😂

Pumpkin Spiced Frozen Whipped Honey Espresso Martinis 🎃🍸

Yes, I’m using the dreaded “P” word already. But it’s officially pumpkin season, so I’m leaning in.

This recipe from Julianna McIntosh looked way too good not to try. The whipped honey was an interesting twist—and definitely a defining flavor in the drink. Add pumpkin spice, espresso and a little frozen martini magic, and suddenly I’m perfectly fine with summer being over.

I’ll definitely be making these again. Apparently, I’m that pumpkin person now. 🎃

Gingerbread Whoopie Pies | Treats for the Robie House Gang

Whenever I head down to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House to conduct tours, I like to bring along a little something for the staff and my fellow interpreters. Because apparently just showing up and doing my job isn’t enough—I feel the need to feed everyone, too.

This week’s offering: homemade Gingerbread Whoopie Pies. Soft, chewy gingerbread cookies sandwiched around a fluffy marshmallow buttercream filling. A little spicy, a lot sweet, and just messy enough to require a napkin.

They were a hit with the gang. I gave the tours. They ate the whoopie pies. Frank Lloyd Wright somehow got all the attention. Standard, but appropriate day at the Robie House.

HOMEMADE BIG COUNTRY BREAKFAST

Apparently, I woke up this morning and decided a bowl of cereal was beneath me.

So I made giant buttermilk biscuits—because normal-sized biscuits show a disturbing lack of commitment—and slathered them with homemade strawberry preserves.

Then, in a brief attempt to suggest there might be something healthy happening here, I tossed together a little cherry tomato and fresh basil salad with basil oil. Very fresh. Very garden. Very effective at distracting from everything else on the plate.
Add a seared pork chop and some scrambled eggs and suddenly breakfast became a meal designed for someone who has 40 acres to plow before noon. I do not.

I have absolutely nothing to plow. But, apparently I needed the calories just in case.

So, country breakfast: accomplished. Productivity for the rest of the day: highly questionable.

WAYNE vs. WAYNE: THE GREAT RECIPE DEBATE

Apparently, when you’ve spent years cooking, baking, experimenting, occasionally deep-frying your cholesterol and photographing everything before you’re allowed to eat it, you develop opinions about your favorite recipes.

In my case, I developed TWO opinions. And naturally, neither Wayne agrees with the other.

Red Beans and Rice? Texas Chili? Chicken Piccata? Ricotta Gnocchi? Smoked Ribs? Gumbo? Apple Cobbler Cupcakes? Or perhaps the culinary masterpiece that requires almost no talent at all…Basil Salt?

We debate comfort food versus healthy, cooking versus baking, easy versus “why did I start this six hours ago?” And, of course, the most important question of all: Which Wayne is right?

Spoiler alert: Probably neither one.

But the recipes are pretty darn good. 😂 waynebites.com

A little Mediterranean escape right on the Chicago River! 🍸🌿

We checked out the all-new Naia Restaurant Chicago and somehow scored one of the circular booths right at the river’s edge—which, let’s face it, is a pretty great way to start a meal.

We sampled their very popular spreads, enjoyed some tasty cocktails, and worked our way through flavorful entrées that really showcase Naia’s Mediterranean inspiration. Everything was beautifully presented, the staff couldn’t have been more welcoming, and those river views certainly don’t hurt.

Great food, great setting, great service…and another new Chicago restaurant added to my “I really need to stop eating out so much” list. Clearly, that’s going well. 😂

🌿 Homemade Basil Salt | Another ridiculously simple way to put all that fresh summer basil to work. It’s just a 2-to-1 ratio of freshly packed basil to salt—wash and dry the basil, blend with the salt, dry it in a 250°F oven for about 25 minutes, then give it one more grind.

That’s it! It keeps for months and is fantastic on vegetables, pasta, chicken, eggs…pretty much anything that needs a little basil boost.

And put it in a cute little jar and suddenly you’re not just using up basil—you’re making gifts. Look at me being all resourceful. 😂🌿

Apparently, I have a twin. And unfortunately, he’s just as opinionated about Chicago architecture as I am. 😂

So we decided to settle a very important question: What’s the coolest building in Chicago?

Art Deco. Gothic. Neo-Renaissance. Contemporary. Burnham & Root. Frank Lloyd Wright. Bertrand Goldberg. Jeanne Gang. SOM. We covered a lot of architectural territory—and, naturally, agreed on almost nothing.

There was some arguing. Some architectural snobbery. A few insults. And then he called it the Willis Tower, so frankly, I’m reconsidering whether we’re actually related.

In the end, though, we discovered the real winner might not be one building at all. It’s the river, the lake, the skyline—and the incredible collection of architecture that makes Chicago...Chicago.

But seriously. Willis? Get out. 😂