Author: staff

Tomato ketchup is so ubiquitous that it’s easy to dismiss it as a simple sauce to be paired with french fries, meatloaf, scrambled eggs and, if you’re far away from Chicago, a hot dog. (On that, we do judge: Don’t!) But there’s a deceptive complexity to ketchup. Chef Christopher Prosperi, my longtime friend in Connecticut, always said ketchup combined all five basic tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami. The Food & Dining staff sampled 12 brands of ketchup, searching for that idyllic flavor profile. I was curious to see how all the ketchups would rate tasted side-by-side with no accompaniment. Although the brands sampled were regular tomato ketchup, there was a surprising variation in color, texture and flavor. A few tasted like cocktail sauce or canned tomato sauce. Some were sweet and some spicy. Textures ranged from a smooth paste to much more coarse. Clearly, not all ketchup is alike. This was a blind tasting, meaning tasters didn’t know which ketchup was which. Each participant in the tasting was asked to rate each brand on appearance, aroma, texture and flavor. I did not buy membership-only club brands because I wanted ketchup the general public had a reasonable chance of buying. Prices have been updated for 2021 based on listed prices at Chicago-area Jewel-Osco stores, Marianos, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods Market. (Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune; Shannon Kinsella/food styling)

“Obviously, this is disturbing news, but we can’t let this deter what we’re trying to do and what we’re trying to accomplish, and that’s to win another championship,” said Martinez, who spoke to the team about Castro before the game. “We need to stay positive.”

Let’s get this out of the way: The lake can be cold. You snap on a pair of water shoes on a warm summer day and step gingerly into the clear Lake Superior waters of Madeline Island’s Big Bay. Edging ever deeper, though, is a process. You inhale sharply with every step, advancing to your waist, your chest, your shoulders — and finally, full submersion. But once your body adjusts to the shock, the feeling is completely invigorating. Curative. As summer vacation returns with a vengeance, the Midwest’s best beaches will provide a no-frills escape this year. These aren’t the Gulf Stream waters, and this certainly isn’t the Caribbean. But from the Great Lakes to the 10,000 Lakes, the best beaches of the “North Coast” are collectively like our Caribbean. So don’t let the coastal elites tell you that the Midwest has no beaches. They have no idea. Here, we share 12 of our favorites. By Simon Peter Groebner and Kerri Westenberg, Star Tribune Jun 28, 2021

The average number of daily doses was 21,217 for the week ending Friday, down from 41,150 for the week ending July 1, a nearly 50% drop. The average has increased somewhat from a lull during the week of the Fourth of July holiday, when it dipped as low as 16,423 vaccinations per day.

Johnson, who plays for U.S. coach Gregg Popovich in San Antonio, was a member of the select team of young players training against the Americans. McGee, who played for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Denver Nuggets last season, has won three NBA titles but has no Olympic experience.

Lopez, once a rising star after being acquired from the Washington Nationals along with Lucas Giolito in the Adam Eaton deal in 2016, went 1-6 with a 7.62 ERA in 10 starts at Charlotte. He made eight starts for the Sox in 2020, finishing with a 1-3 record and 6.49 ERA. Overall, his career record is 26-34 with a 4.77 ERA.

He brought some swag to the Cubs, from the time he stood at the plate and celebrated a fly ball he thought was leaving Wrigley Field, only to watch it turn into a sacrifice fly to medium right field, to the early June night in San Francisco he first emulated Tatis by copying his patented stutter-step move at third base on a home run trot. Pederson did it again later that week in San Diego, with Tatis watching on the field.

Robert Duckels at his home, July 9, 2021, near downstate Carlinville. Duckels, an attorney, is a recovering alcoholic who has experience with working from home prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, a mode of work which can exacerbate substance abuse issues. “Work from home did create more opportunities to abuse alcohol,” he said. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

In a memo sent to clubs last week and obtained by the AP on Thursday, the NFL, in conjunction with the NFLPA, updated protocols to allow teams traveling to joint practices to have their daily maximum of Tier 1 and Tier 2 individuals. The traveling party will be either 100 or 140, depending on the club’s vaccination percentage. The club must limit the number of individuals traveling on the team transportation to 85 but may travel additional Tier 1 and Tier 2 staff up to the applicable daily Tier limits separately to attend the practice.

Built in 2001 by homebuilder Paul Peterson, the house has 3-1/2 bathrooms, four fireplaces, a brick facade and a primary bedroom suite with custom cabinetry in the closets and a heated floor in the primary bathroom. The home also has a theater on the lower level and a rec room on the third floor with a wet bar, vaulted skylights, 10-foot-plus ceilings and a deck. The house’s kitchen has been remodeled and has a new backsplash, quartz countertops, an island, a touchless sink, Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances and a wine refrigerator.