Quick and Easy Sweet Potato Hand Pies Recipe

I got some sweet potatoes so I threw them in the oven with a little water to steam them till they got soft. Then I got the idea to make them into hand pies. I made them up real fast. I did have extra filling left over that you can heat and then eat. I got lots of compliments on my unique crust. If you mix it up by hand real fast like I did it comes out light and flaky like from a master baker.

Ingredients for around 10 servings

2 cups flour

1/2 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon course sea salt

1/3 cup water

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs separated (egg whites for inside dough for sealing and yolks for glazing)

1 lb sweet potatoes – cooked, peeled, and mashed

1 egg – lightly beaten

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup sour cream

Directions

In a large bowl mix together the flour, oil, vinegar, salt, water, and baking powder. Make it into a short fat log and wrap with plastic wrap.

Mix together the sweet potato mixture (sweet potatoes, 1 egg, cinnamon, ginger, dark brown sugar, and sour cream. If it’s lumpy use a mixer.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Either divide into 10 equal pieces or pinch off around a golfball 1.5-2oz piece of dough and roll it thin and flat and close to a round shape.

Brush the whole top with egg white.

Add small scoop or teaspoon of sweet potato mixture.

Bring up ends together.

crimp ends with your fingers or just use a fork.

These all go on a baking sheet lined with parchment.

Brush the tops with all of the egg yolks.

These go in the oven till golden……depending on your oven around 30-40 minutes.

Sweet Potato Hand Pies

ENJOY!!!!!

The Forking Truth

My FORKING Thoughts on Brad’s Vampire Killer Air Dried Crunchy Kale

I came across these bags of Brad’s Vampire Killer Air Dried Crunchy Kale at my local Smith’s Grocery on a Woo Hoo Sale so I picked them up. I thought I remembered coming across them at Sprouts Grocery but never bought them until now. Under the name it reads Buck County…..WOW I know where that is! …..Anyways……They sound interesting. Maybe they are garlic-ee because of Vampire Killer in the name? Or maybe they are spicy?

The ingredient look mostly natural so I thought it might be worth a try.

WTFork are Koji Spores? Ummmm I had to look that one up…….It’s a fungus that might cause irritation…….

Well I bring this home anyway……

My husband greets me on my arrival and asked if I picked up any snacks. I pull this out and he tries it. He goes this is weird I don’t want anymore and leaves.

I try it……..It’s in tiny small pieces that are crisp…….It’s not very garlic-ee or spicy……..It doesn’t taste like anything I can compare it to………It’s crisp little bits that are citrusy, nutty, and sort of a raisin kind of taste. It’s not so great to eat plain but I think it would be best to sprinkle on a salad or maybe a vegetable dish or pasta.

Those were my FORKING Thoughts on Brad’s Vampire Killer Air Dried Crunchy Kale. Your FORKING Thoughts may indeed differ.

The Forking Truth

My Trip to Bob Taylor’s Ranch House – Las Vegas NV

Bob Taylor’s Ranch House is a barbecue restaurant located in Las Vegas Nevada. This restaurant has been around since 1955. WOW that’s a long time…..It actually smells like barbecue as you get to the entrance.

On your way in you pass by a big bar and a wood fired grill.

Country tunes are piped into the dining areas.

It was lunch time so I went with a bbq chicken salad.

It was made of warm soggy iceberg lettuce.

It’s also surrounded by tender white meat chicken covered in a sickening sweet bbq sauce and then the soggy warm lettuce is topped with parmesan cheese.

My husband tried a Western BBQ burger (and asked for it medium – rare).

The onion rings are fried crisp and are good….but the burger is cooked till all dried out and grey inside.

Maybe it was better in 1955?

That was my trip to Bob Taylor’s Ranch House in Las Vegas NV

6250 Rio Vista St. Las Vegas NV – 702-645-1300

www.BobTaylorsRanchHouse.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

Hussong’s Cantina Margaritas & Mexican Food – Boca Park Las Vegas NV – Worth a Fork!

Hussong’s Cantina Margaritas & Mexican Food Restaurant claims to have invented the margarita at their original location in Mexico in 1941. The Boca Park Las Vegas location is filled with all kinds of artifacts, photos, and all kinds of things all over the walls.

They started us off with a warm basket of chips salsa, and sweet BBQ sauce salsa.

I tried the Baja chop salad (romaine, tomato, red onion, apple, red pepper, poblano, pumpkin seeds, hominy, tortilla strips, and cumin vinaigrette with added chicken).

It might not look special but it was full of lots of delicious flavors.

My husband went for the mix and match 3 item plate. (he got 2 chicken street tacos, a carnitas burrito, beef barbocoa enchilada with rice and beans).

I did taste a chunk of chicken from the street tacos and THAT CHICKEN was REALLY Great!!!! It was infused with flavors and very tender. the chicken in the salad was also tender but plain breast meat) I hear that the other meats are also very good.

Everything including service was very good!

Hussong’s Cantina Margaritas & Mexican Food at Boca Park is-

Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

Hussong’s Cantina Margaritas & Mexican Food

740 S. Rampart BLVD Las Vegas NV – 702-778-2160

www.HussongsBocaPark.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

My Trip to Nittaya’s Secret Kitchen Las Vegas NV

Nittaya’s Secret Kitchen is a Thai Restaurant located in the Summerlin area of Las Vegas Nevada.This is a full service restaurant with a bar and one of the few Thai restaurants with a large outdoor patio. Most of the locals consider this to be the best of Thai Restaurants in Las Vegas.

bar area

main dining area

The menu is slightly different from many Thai Restaurants and much of the menu is full of Thai Tapas (small plates) for sharing.

The one tapas dish that we both were crazy about was the world famous spinach salad.

The spinach leaves are tempura fried and are incredibly crispy and seem free of oil..But that sauce with cashews, heat, lime, and other flavors is incredibly scrumptious!!!!!

We also tried the golden pouches (egg pastry stuffed with potato in curry sauce).

You should try if you never had this dish before……..

For my main I tried the chicken green curry.

They made it a medium hot that was just right for me. This taste similar to green curry dishes from most Thai Restaurants. The chicken was tender and they used the correct amount of basil that infused the dish.

My husband tried the basil chicken.

I usually prefer when they hand chop the chicken like they did here but I think someone new was cooking because some of the flavors are missing today. This just taste like chicken in soy sauce and a little bit of fish sauce….The garlic and heat are missing. Also they used a good amount of basil but for some odd reason you can’t taste it in this dish…….

The MUST GET DISH Here was the World Famous Spinach Salad it was FORKING AMAZING…..and the c=green curry dish is also recommended.

That was my trip to Nittaya’s Secret Kitchen

8427 W Lake Mead BLVD Las Vegas NV – 702-360-8885

www.NittayasSecretKitchen.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

Lemon Mostarda Glazed Cabbage with Gorgonzola Recipe

Mostarda is a spicy Northern Italian Condiment. It is usually but not always made with candied fruit and mustard syrup. I read at www.LaCucinaItaliana.com that there are SIX basic kinds of mostarda (cherry, apricot, fig, peach, squash, tomato). According to La Cucina Italiana instead of mustard they use something called mustard essence instead of mustard to make mostarda. I used a combination of mustard and mustard powder to make my inspiration. I previously made a FORKING DELICIOUS acorn squash with mostarda and taleggio cheese….so this is a spin off of that. Serving size is always difficult to judge because I don’t know if you want a small or large serving. For me this made 6 side servings so I’ll say 6 servings.

Ingredients for around 6 servings

1 cabbage – core removed, rough chopped

1 onion – rough chopped

3 carrots – peel if not organic – slice on a slight diagonal around 1/4 inch thick

1/4 cup chives

4 oz gorgonzola – crumbled (or any blue cheese)

1 cup sugar

1 lemon – zest and juice but separate

2 Tablespoons mustard powder

3 Tablespoons whole grain mustard (I used Maille Old Style)

2 short Calabrian dried chili peppers – crumbled

1/2 teaspoon course sea salt

4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

sea salt – to taste

black pepper – to taste

Directions

Set oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl (or maybe a few bowls if you bowl isn’t very large) mix together the sugar, lemon juice (zest is for finishing), mustard powder, mustard, oil, Calabrian chili flakes, and sea salt. Mix well. Mix in the cabbage, onion, and carrots.

This goes on baking sheets with rims in an even layer.

Add a light amount of fresh crushed sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.

This goes in your preheated 400 degree F oven for 30-50 minutes or until lightly charred.

Finish with lemon zest, gorgonzola, and chives.

Lemon Mostarda Glazed Cabbage with Gorgonzola

It came out DELICIOUS!!!!! Even my dog thinks so!

The Forking Truth

My FORKING Thoughts on Calbe My Pote White Truffle Premium Potato Chips

I found Calbe My Pote White Truffle Premium Potato Chips at my local Seafood City (A California-based Filipino Supermarket Chain) They caught my eye and the ingredients don’t look too bad so I thought I’d give this small bag a try.

Oh WoW! They are made with French Grey sea salt. That salt is very expensive….Ummmm don’t really know what the truffle flavor really is…..Usually artificial is called truffle essence…..maybe they are being tricky here? I’ll try them anyway.

I open the bag up and take a whiff.

I don’t get truffle but I do get a really strong but good potato smell that I don’t usually get when I open a bag of chips…….Like a smell I get when I make mashed potatoes.

I try a chip…They look a little different and seem to have a little bit of skin on them. They are also small, extra thin, and seem free of oil.

Now I taste one……….They do have more potato flavor than what you usually get in a potato chip that are laced with a little bit of truffle taste and are extra lightly salted. But they also seem extra dry. They are different.

Those were my FORKING Thoughts on Calbee My Pote White Truffle Premium Potato Chips I do note that your FORKING Thoughts may indeed differ.

The Forking Truth

Makai Pacific Island Grill North Las Vegas – Newly Opened Hawaiian Casual Restaurant – Worth a Try!

Makai Pacific Island Grill is a casual Hawaiian Plate Lunch type restaurant that will soon be in seven locations in Las Vegas Nevada. A Hawaiian Plate Lunch is usually generous portions of meat or meats, some sides and rice that is usually served in a styrofoam box (here they use aluminum pans). The North Las Vegas Location on Losee Road is located in a shopping center with plenty of parking.

It’s casual. You order at the counter, pay, and seat yourself.

Here are our plate lunches. (below is a regular and large size)

I got the regular size that is TWO meats, TWO sides, and RICE.

JEEPERS I got THREE meals out of this and it only cost a little over $10. It’s cheaper to eat here than to cook at home.

I got Mochiko chicken (fried on the bone), Teriyaki chicken (moist dark meat), tasty kimchi slaw, TWO scoops of brown rice, salad with a tasty dressing, and yaki sauce. It was all tasty and good!

My husband got a large.

He got THREE meats, THREE sides. Kalua pig, katsu chicken, teriyaki beef, macaroni salad, corn, and two scoops of rice.

All good but the beef was a little dry today.

Makai Pacific Island Grill is Worth a Try!

6520 N Losee Rd North Las Vegas NV

The phone number is not listed on their website (or my receipt) as of this posting.

www.MakaiGrill.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

The Magic Noodle Las Vegas NV – Worth a Fork!

The Magic Noodle is a Chinese Hand Pulled Noodle Restaurant located in Las Vegas Nevada. You get either skinny chewy noodles or fat springy noodles here. You get the noodles either stir fried, in soup, or with sauce. This is a tiny popular restaurant so you add your name to the wait list to dine here. The food comes out as it’s ready.

Our first dish out was my fish noodle soup with pickled vegetables.

The fish is mild and tender. The fat noodles are springy. This is full of lots of flavors and also is a bit spicy. This is delicious I’d get it again!

We also shared an onion pancake.

It’s ok but would be tastier with a sauce. Maybe I’m suppose to dunk it in the soup?

My husband tried the Szechuan Beef Brisket noodle. It’s also spicy.

He thought it was very good.

Food was very good, prices were low, and service was speedy friendly and efficient.

The Magic Noodle is Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

The Magic Noodle Chinese Restaurant

5165 S Fort Apache Rd Las Vegas NV – 702-873-0888

I haven’t found a website for this restaurant but noticed that you can find them on Facebook and Instagram.

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

HaSalon – Las Vegas NV – Modern Israeli Cuisine – Just Opened

HaSalon is a Modern Israeli Inspired high quality Restaurant located in the Venetian in the Palazzo area on The Las Vegas Strip in Nevada. This restaurant is by seasoned chef, restauranteur, and Masterchef Judge Eyal Shani who has over 40 restaurants around the world and also opened Miznon (a casual counter Israeli Street Style Food Restaurant) in the same hall in the Palazza recently. HaSalon translates to dining room. You are suppose to feel that you are dining in the chef’s own dining room. The menu is daily changing of fresh harvested meats, daily flown in fresh fish, vegetables, and hand made pastas. The early seating is normal and tranquil and the late seating the restaurant transforms to a supper club and is vibrant, loud and maybe wild and crazy. Dancing is encouraged on top of the tables.

We tried the early seating that starts at 6pm.

Whatever you order that start you off with complimentary delicious focaccia and sour cream that was embellished with tomato guts and Chile peppers.

Thought the six pepper appetizer called spicy instrument would go well with the focaccia and other things so we gave it a try.

Everything on the plate tastes different. The dark green is the spiciest. The darkest red is the smokiest and everything else is in-between.

This plate was interesting…..The beet carpaccio was so light it was almost like air. But had lots more flavor than air. It was very earthy but melted in the mouth. It was embellished with creme fraiche and horseradish snow.

Ricotta clouds were highly recommended by our server. She said they make the ricotta in-house.

To my surprise they differed from what I imagined and were actually gnocchi made with whey.

My husband added another plate to our order and we got the eggplant melanza.

It’s four very thin slices of sweet eggplant in a rich but light tomato sauce with cheese.

We shared what they call melting spinach.

It’s a mound of spinach cooked with butter and topped with grated cheese and grey sea salt.

For dinner we shared the hraine (striped bass in spicy tomato sauce).

This was my personal favorite of the dishes. No BAD DISHES were found here but this fish was very DELICIOUS and prepared perfectly. It’s also a large portion (I note that I don’t know if they gave me extra by accident) and feeds two people. The fish is also embellished with tahini, cilantro and scallions. My husband’s favorite dish was the eggplant melanza. It was sort of a sophisticated style of authentic eggplant parmesan. Another special dish to me was the beets carpaccio. The beets were very earthy and almost really did seem like meat.

That was my trip to HaSalon – Newly Opened

HaSalon

Venetian, Palazzo 3325 S. Las Vegas Blvd Las Vegas NV

702-607-7777

www.HaSalonVegas.com

www.VenetianLasVegas.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth