FORKING TASTY Cheese Straws Recipe

I came up with this recipe and it came out so tasty and so easy you will love it. You don’t have to use a piping bag like I did. I did mine with a professional sized tip and it was not real hard but some work to do. I found out on my 2nd try with a home cooks star tip that it was even harder because the tips are meant for frosting not dough. It’s easier and better to roll the dough. You can just roll the dough into 24 logs (half, half, half again, and so on). If you eat one then you have 24 servings. If you eat two at a sitting then you have 12 servings.

Ingredients for around 12 servings

3 ounces mature cheddar cheese (I buy the cheddar that Costco sells) – shredded

4 ounces flour

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

2+1/2 ounce sweet butter – melted

1 egg – lightly beaten

non stick spray.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Lightly spray a baking sheet with non stick spray.

In a large mixing bowl mix together all the ingredients (expect non stick spray) (cheddar, flour, smoked paprika, Old Bay Seasoning, butter, egg, baking powder)

Either pipe (with a large professional sized tip) or roll logs with the dough.

I piped and used a tip like this.

When you have your cheese straws made put the baking sheet on your middle rack and keep them in the oven until you start to brown. Ovens do differ and the size of your straw may differ. Mine took 25 minutes.

Cheese Straws

They came out FORKING DELICIOUS!!!!!

The Forking Truth

A Little Taste of a Yelp Event

Yelp is a review site that many people use to find out about or write about local businesses. I’ve been invited to many Yelp events. I usually don’t go because they usually are at a time that isn’t convenient for me or sometimes that are on the other side of town. This one wasn’t too far and was at a time that I could do. This one benefited Miracle Flights. They asked for an optional $20. donation and around 40 local businesses offered treats, drinks, entertainment, and photo opps.

This particular Yelp Event has a Space Cowboy Theme.

There was all kinds of foods to try and acrobats were swinging from the ceilings.

Here are just a few of the food tables.

What it’s really all about is supporting and reviewing local businesses.

That was a little taste of a Yelp Event.

The Forking Truth

My Trip to Houston TX Hot Chicken – Las Vegas NV – CLUCKING HOT

Houston TX Hot Chicken is a fast but higher quality than regular fast food chain of hot chicken restaurants. They have several locations in Las Vegas and several more coming. This restaurant was featured on the news here and everyone enjoyed the food so much on TV that I wanted to try it too!. These restaurants also have amazing ratings on review sites so I wanted to give Houston TX Hot Chicken a try. They offer a variety of chicken sandwiches, tenders, fries, salads, milkshakes, cookies, soft beverages and more. You also have to decide on a heat level for your chicken. Do you want no spice, honey butter, mild, medium, spicy, liftoff, or Houston we have a problem?

The 7155 W Ann Road location is very casual. You order and pay at the lite up glowing stone counter.

You grab a number and seat yourself.

Pretty quickly our order arrives.

We both got original hot chicken sandwiches “spicy (habanero)” with cheese fries.

The eggy bun is nicely toasted and the slaw is fresh and crisp. This sandwich also contains dill pickles and they do give you a generous piece of fried chicken breast. I try a small piece of the chicken I sort of worry that I might not be able to eat it…..The “spicy” is CLUCKING HOT!……But it is crispy and the chicken is tender…….I’m tasting more heat than flavors when I taste the chicken by itself..Then I try a bite with the sweet sauce that is on it and with the slaw, bun and pickle I can manage it but it is hot…..Maybe between 7-8 on a 1-10 Thai Food scale. It is tasty all together but is also a mess to eat. You don’t want to eat with someone on a first date.

We also try one tender in liftoff- scorpion pepper (not the hottest that they offer)

In my opinion and I am a fan of spicy food this is too hot for anyone to enjoy….It also lacks flavors besides heat. We can’t eat it.

I do think the fries are fluffy and tasty. The cheese sauce taste ok but it has a texture that is strange to me.

If you are thinking something fast food this is probably better than the majority of fast food out there. If I try again I’d try a medium next time.

Houston TX Hot Chicken 7155 West Ann Road Las Vegas NV

702-718-5329

www.HHC.ooo

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

My Trip to Bespoke Kitchen Las Vegas NV – Very Good & Disappointment

Bespoke Kitchen is a brunch type restaurant located in Las Vegas Nevada not too far from the Las Vegas Strip. They offer things like vegetable and French fry appetizers, egg sandwiches, burgers, chicken and bulgogi steak sandwiches, omelets, salads, rice bowls, pastry, and more.

You seat yourself.

You order and pay with your phone from a QR code. Also near the hostess desk you can order and pay. You also have to go to the kitchen line to get your own silverware and napkins.

People run the plates out of the kitchen as they are ready.

I tried a cajun smoke salmon toast.

It’s described as cajun smoked salmon with chimichurri cream cheese, capers, pickled onion, and house salad. The smoked salmon is very good but it’s hard to tell about the chimichuri cream cheese………..

The FORKING Truth is that it looks like someone scrapped my cream cheese off of most of my sandwich.

This made me grumpy. I guess I should have shown this to someone there but I almost never send food back because I worked in restaurants and I saw things that could happen when you send food back…………So I just stayed grumpy.

My husband did better but his wasn’t perfect either.

His bulgogi steak sandwich really was very good and was tasty and very tender…..But those fries were underdone and were gross. Nobody likes underdone hard in the middle fries.

That was my trip to Bespoke Kitchen. Some things were very good but some things were very disappointing.

2600 West Sahara Ave. 725-278-8464

www.BespokeAllDayCafeLV.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

Edo Gastro Tapas and Wine Tapas Restaurant – Las Vegas NV – Worth a Fork!

Edo Gastro Tapas and Wine Tapas Restaurant is located in Las Vegas Nevada. They offer hot and cold tapas plates, charcuterie, changing tasting menus, wine, cocktails, chefs tasting menus, and more.

This is a small. but a cozy restaurant.

We shared a regular chefs tasting menu and a vegetarian tasting menu.

They started us out with refreshing watermelon aguachiles.

Then we were razzle dazzled by a parade of gastromic wonders.

Rosette – crab ensaladilla, avocado-yuzu mousse, trout roe

green tartare – zucchini, avocado, and pistachio vinaigrette

not tiramisu – candied shiitake, asparagus, almond espurra, puff pastry, coffee

shrimp and tomato – shrimp, tomatoes, seaweed, caviar, cilantro vinaigrette

summer salad – tomatoes, watermelon, passionfruit espuma, yuzu vinaigrette

artichokes a la catalana – sunchoke gremolata, olive tamponade, pear mostarda

empanada con todo – iberico, pibil pork, coppa, olive tapenade qual egg, feta, mojo verde

patatas bravas – crispy layers of potatoes with brava sauce

tart flambee with added black truffles Рwagyu beef pastrami, onion, manchego cheese, jalape̱o oil

croquetas – kimchi pesto, bechamel, mojo rojo

donut de bacacacao – cod fritter, squid ink, lemon

squet – halibut cheek, ricotta gnocchi, potato chips

wild mushrooms – artichoke puree, vegetables, quail egg, sun choke chips

lamb merguez – lamb sausage, cucumber yogurt sauce, cherries, plums, potato al ole

mushroom risotto with added black truffles – wild mushrooms, bomba rice, manchago and parmesan cheeses

dessert of the day – strawberry granita with popcorn mousse

Service was also over the top!

Edo Gastro Tapas and Wine is Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

Edo Gastro Tapas and Wine

3400 S Jones Blvd Las Vegas NV

702-641-1345

www.EdoTapas.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

CRAZY FORKING Delicious Spaghetti Squash Recipe

I really have no FORKING idea on what to name this dish. This dish was inspired and adapted by Milk Street Magazine from chef Zuber Momin for Masala fries. I did a spin on the Milk Street version with a couple changes and I used these flavors on spaghetti squash. The original recipe was made with Kashmiri pepper. I didn’t have any so I made mine with what I thought would be the closest substitute gochugaru pepper. One of the other changes I made to the recipe was to add butter. This came out FORKING AMAZING! Maybe the easiest recipe I ever did and maybe the most delicious spaghetti squash recipe ever.

Ingredients for around 6 side servings

1 good sized spaghetti squash (I think mine was slightly over 2 pounds)

1 Tablespoon cumin

1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 1/4 teaspoon gochugaru pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons course sea salt

3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

5 Tablespoons butter – room temperature (doesn’t matter if salted or sweet….I normally don’t use salted but had salted butter I had to use and I thought the taste was perfect. You can use sweet butter and add salt if you think it needs it)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Put squash on pan. Cover squash with foil. This goes on middle rack till squash gets cooked. Ovens and all squash do differ so each one out there might take a different amount of time. Mine I thought would take an hour so I left mine in for an hour and it was hard. So I turned it over and checked it after a half hour and mine was still hard so mine needed about 1/2 hour for a total of two hours. I doubt yours will take that long but it might?

While the squash is cooking mix up the spice-butter. In a small mixing bowl combine the cumin, ginger, gochugaru, salt, black pepper, and butter. Put to the side.

I used to say cook till fork tender but really it’s better if you can make a dent with your finger.

This squash came out really perfect.

When the squash is cool enough to handle…You cut it in half and pull out the guts (membrane) and seeds. It should be just like this and look like spaghetti. Mix in the spiced butter and enjoy!!!!! This came out so FORKING Tasty that I had to hold back on adding more. It’s just perfect. I think most people…Even people that don’t like Indian or Korean food will still like this.

Crazy FORKING Delicious Spaghetti Squash

A Special THANKS!!!!!! To chef Zuber Momin and Milk Street Magazine so I could get what I got here!

The Forking Truth

My DOGS FORKING Thoughts on Maple Bacon Bubble Lick Bubbles

I found Maple Bacon Bubble Lick at my local Petsmart. It reads on the bottle that it is safe for dogs and kids to eat maple bacon bubbles and it’s made in America so I thought it sounds like fun so why not?

When you open the bottle to use it smells like maple syrup.

We try it with our Giant Aussie crossed with Cattle Dog first.

She looks at the bubbles.

Then she seems interested. It looks like she might do something?

Then she watches them burst on the ground…..

Then we try Maple Bacon Bubble Lick with our beagle-chihuahua mix.

He looks at the bubbles.

He still is watching the bubbles.

Then he watches the bubbles bust on the ground.

Both my dogs just watch the bubbles. I wonder why they just watch the bubbles? Then I read the ingredients.

I guess not enough maple or maybe not enough bacon for my dogs taste.

That’s what my dogs did with Maple Bacon Bubble Lick.

Your dogs actions may or may not differ??

The Forking Truth

My Trip to Baguette Cafe Las Vegas NV

The Baguette Cafe is a sandwich and breakfast restaurant located in Las Vegas Nevada around 8 miles away from the Las Vegas Strip. I recently read an article from Food and Wine Magazine about the BEST SANDWICHES in every state. They choose the Baguette Cafe as best sandwiches in Nevada (particularly the tuna) so I wanted to give this place a try.

Lots of trash here.

The inside is the same but I didn’t get a photo of it. (You can see one piece of trash that tumbled to the floor near to where it’s piled like a mountain.

All the tables and the floor are filthy but I ordered the tuna baguette anyway because I want to taste the best sandwich of Nevada according to Food and Wine Magazine. My husband was going to order an Italian meat sandwich but changed his mind when he read they put blue cheese on it and went with a turkey sandwich instead.

Here’s the tuna baguette sandwich.

The bread didn’t get toasted but it is very good bread. If they sold baguettes I would have made a purchase to bring some home. The greens are nice and fresh and they used better than average tomato slices. They also added hard eggs to the sandwich that are cooked nicely…..I hate to tell The FORKING Truth but the tuna salad is very average……..I was all pumped up to taste the best sandwich in Nevada…so this was a let down. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not a bad sandwich. ………..It honestly is a good sandwich………..The bread is excellent but the main filling is just average…….Like what you’d make at home or get from almost any other sandwich shop.

Moving on….

The turkey sandwich is also on very good bread but is even more disappointing.

It’s made with nice fresh greens, better tomato slices,,,,but……The turkey lunch meat is very similar to the type that the big chain Subway uses……..I thought it would something more like roasted turkey breast………..

My FORKING opinion is not the same as Food and Wine Magazine.

Don’t get me wrong…The food is good from Baguette Cafe but many sandwiches I’ve tried here in Vegas from several places are far better.

That was my trip to Baguette Cafe 8359 W Sunset Rd Las Vegas NV – 702-269-4781

www.BaguetteCafeLV.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

Stallone’s Italian Eatery at Santa Fe Casino Las Vegas NV – Newly Opened and Worth a Try!

Stallone’s Italian Eatery is a casual East Coast Style Italian Restaurant with a new location at the Santa Fe Casino in Las Vegas Nevada. You order at the counter and your name will be called as your order gets made.

In the picture below if you blow it up you can see one of the co-owners (behind the counter by the 28 shirt on the wall) that is well known for a reality show called “Tanked” that airs on Animal Planet.

We tried a variety of things and brought home leftovers….I heard that the sandwiches here are very good but enormous so I went with a garlic knot sandwich in the eggplant parmesan variety.

It’s not really something that you can pick up and eat. It’s more like a fancy appetizer. It’s cheesy.

It’s garlic-ee but not too much. The sauce is flavorful and delicious. The eggplants are fried perfect and seem like they are free of oil.

I also tried a plain slice of pizza.

It looks like a New York Slice but taste more like a neighborhood type slice. You need to add the spices to your liking. The crust is not thin enough to fold like a New York slice and it’s also not as oily as what I’ve tried from New York. But this slice has a nice crisp bottom.

My husband tried the #32 Super Hero called, The Godmother (veal cutlet, prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, cherry peppers, arugula, and balsamic glaze)

This stands out not just because of its size but also because of the special tasty bread that was baked for it. The veal is also prepared perfect and I was told that this was a delicious sandwich.

My husband also tried a slice of pepperoni pizza.

Both of us thought the sandwiches we tried were the way to go here.

Stallone’s Italian Eatery is newly opened at Santa Fe Casino and is Worth a Try!

4949 N Rancho Dr Las Vegas NV – 702-979-6926

www.StallonesLV.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

The Martini – Las Vegas – 24 Hours of Food and Gaming – Worth a Fork!

The Martini is a twenty four hour restaurant, bar, and gaming place located in Las Vegas in the Summerlin area near Boca Park. When you walk in it looks pretty much like a big bar with a couple rooms for additional seating if needed.

Besides bar drinks and games they offer appetizers, salads, flatbread’s, sandwiches, burgers, entrees, and more. They also have a $15. filet mignon special that runs midnight to six am daily and all day Sunday.

We tried the truffled macaroni and cheese balls.

They were fried nicely and sat in a tasty tomato sauce embellished with shreds of parmesan cheese. We both didn’t get much of a truffle taste but that’s ok.

I was very surprised with how good and extra large the trail mix salad was with added seared tuna (soft greens, apples, blue cheese, cranberries, candied seasoned pecans, tangerine vinaigrette)

This was actually very good! I don’t know if they always give such large portions but this was so large I could only eat maybe less than half. Even the tuna was a very generous portion.

My husband enjoyed the Eastwood burger with fries (fried egg, jalapeño, cheddar cheese, grilled onions, avocado, mayo (left off at request), prosciutto, bacon).

The bun is big but I was told that this was a really great burger and turned out close to medium – rare as requested.

We went back on a Sunday to try the $15.00 filet mignon special.

Just add salt and pepper.

The Martini is Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

The Martini – 1205 S. Fort Apache Rd Las Vegas NV – 702-227-8464

www.TheMartiniLV.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth