Monthly Archives: January 2015

Levantine Inspired Lentil Dip with 3 Hour Crispy Melty Onions

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Levantine Inspired Lentil Dip with 3 Hour Crispy Melty Onions

Levantine Inspired Lentil Dip with 3 Hour Crispy Melty Onions

This dip is a loose interpretation of the Levantine Dish Called Mujadara also spelled Mejadra.

Mujadara is basically a pilaf of regular lentils, long grain rice and Crispy onions.

I came up with this dish because my husband doesn’t like the texture of lentils and will only eat them mushy or in a soup.

First start off your onions

You need a baking pan drizzled with extra virgin olive oil,

Drizzle of balsamic vinegar

a few bay leaves

a few black peppercorns

4 pealed red onions cut in halves sliced thin and also drizzle the tops with extra virgin olive oil.

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Place pan in a 325 degree oven on your middle rack and roast 3 hours.

For your lentils

I used 3 1/2 cups of lentils that were 1/2 the regular brown ones and half pink lentils. The pink ones turn mushy and the brown ones give a little texture. You cover the washed and rinsed lentils with a good cover of water. Add your spices.

2 teaspoons coriander

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2-1/4 teaspoon caynee (if you eat this the same day the 1/2 t. taste almost too hot but the next day it’s more mellow)

1 cinnamon stick

Bring this mixture up to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and then cover the pot. Your lentils will be done in 15-20 minutes. You might need to add one cup of water for the texture you want. (when the lentils are done remove the cinnamon stick)

When your onions are done they will look like this.

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Pull the crispy ones off and set to the side of the pan.

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Mix all those melty sweet onions into the lentils.

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Mix and serve topped with the crispier onions and optional chopped scallions and sour cream or yogurt.

Levantine Inspired Lentil Dip with 3 Hour Crispy Melty Onions

Levantine Inspired Lentil Dip with 3 Hour Crispy Melty Onions

Forking Good!

Forking Good!

 

Delicious Madagascar Pink Rice with Limequats, Dates and Toasted Coconut

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This rice is absolutely forking delicious and a completely original recipe by me! I was inspired by the flavors of Thai Stuffed Leaves called Miang Kum. I also had these Limquats and wanted to create something special with them. I remembered from eating Miang Kum how wonderful the whole lime pieces were. Normally I forking hate whole pieces of lime or lemon but with certain flavors they are magical and are like fireworks in your mouth.

Ingredients and directions

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1 chopped Limequat (small chop)

1/4 C. Chopped Red Onion

1 Thai Chili Fine Chopped

2 T grated ginger (I clean and freeze mine so it’s easy to grate)

1/2 C. Toasted Plain Coconut

1/4 C. Toasted Cashews rough chop

Set all this aside

For a sauce you pour on the rice you need

8 oz. of pitted dates chopped

2 T. Grated Red Onion

1 Cup water

1 teaspoon anchovy paste

Cook this up in a sauce pan

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For about 5 minutes on medium high heat till it looks like it’s sort of coming together and set aside.

Prepare 3 cups of cooked rice. ( I used Pink Madagascar)

Stir in cold ingredients then stir in sauce from your sauce pan. Stir till mixed and serve with a few leaves of spinach. (I used heirloom red spinach)

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This is forking delicious!

Forking Great!

Forking Great!

 

 

Forking List of Foods that are HAZARDOUS to Dogs

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AJ's Patio Arrowhead Glendale AZ

AJ’s Patio Arrowhead Glendale AZ

Many people are unaware of foods that are forking hazardous to dogs. We’re not born knowing what these forking foods are someone has to tell you. I’m certain that more foods will be added to this list but this was the most current information I can find at this time.

This is the ASPCA.ORG List of foods that are hazardous to dogs.

Avocado

Bread Dough

Chocolate

Alcohol

Grapes and Raisins

Hops

Macadamia Nuts

Moldy Foods

Onions and Garlic

Xylitol

I found a few other foods mentioned at ENTIRELYPETS.COM posted by James Wickboldt

Chocolate, Coffee, Caffeine

Raw Eggs

Xylitol

Onions

Milk, Dairy

Grapes, Raisins, Currants

Mushrooms

Raw Fish, Meat, Bones

Avocados

Macadamia Nuts

Also noted Rat and Mouse Baits can be deadly for pets.

Be cool and forking  remember this list!

Forking Truth

Forking Truth

 

 

Americanized Approachable Thai/Italian Fusion Basil Chicken Recipe

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I had extra basil and some anchovies I wanted to forking use so I thought of the Thai Dish Pad Grapow,

Pad Grapow in America is basically Chicken and lots of Thai Basil with Fish Sauce, chili’s and garlic.

The “Red Boat Brand” of fish sauce is just made from anchovies. So with the ingredients I used  I thought this can be a similar forking dish.

Ingredients (for about 4 servings)

About a lb. of cleaned chicken off the bone either light or dark meat (rough hand chopped and pounded)

Hand Cut

Hand Cut

Pounded

Pounded

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one small can of anchovies in olive oil

one package of basil rinsed off and leaves removed from stem. (it forking looks like too much basil but it isn’t. The basil shrinks down. You want to really taste basil here.

One hot pepper

about 3-6 cloves garlic depending on how you garlic taste and your forking love of garlic.

optional crushed red chili flakes (when I finished I wanted to bump up the heat a little for balance)

Easy directions

Put your fry pan on medium high heat and heat up the olive oil from your small can of anchovies. Mince your garlic and chili together and add to fry pan when it’s hot. Let it go a few minutes and then add your anchovies and let it all melt together.

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Add your chicken and leave it the fork alone a few minutes to cook. Turn the chicken over and let cook on other side. When it’s almost done stir it around and add all the basil. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve over spaghetti for an Italian Fusion touch or over zucchini spaghetti for a forking figure friendly option.

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Forking Good

Forking Good

 

Cafe Nordstrom is Forking Better than the Food Court

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A few of the house made desserts at Nordstrom's Cafe

A few of the house made desserts at Cafe Nordstrom

At the Scottsdale Fashion Plaza in Scottsdale Arizona there is a very above average cafe located in the Nordstrom’s Department Store called Cafe Nordstrom. (On Nordstrom’s Webpage it’s called the Marketplace Cafe) All the food is made in house and they use mostly organic, cage free eggs and local food as much as possible. (It’s Arizona the forking desert not everything can come from forking here.) The cafe is really a cafeteria and that’s the only bad part if you are carrying packages. You pick up your tray and order from the station you feel like forking ordering from where they fresh make the food for you and then you slide your tray to the cashier and pay.

The bulk of the menu are these really interesting gourmet salads they offer. I’ve had many different ones over the years and am always impressed by how nice they really are. The Cafe offers about half a dozen different kinds of salads, a few sandwiches, soup, pizzas, pastas, couple entries, a special of the day and many made in house desserts. They also serve beer and wine and speciality coffees.

This time I tried the Berry, Blue Cheese and Chicken Salad.

Berry Blue Cheese and Chicken Salad from Nordstrom's Cafe

Berry Blue Cheese and Chicken Salad from Cafe Nordstrom

WOW what a great salad! This sure forking beats anything from the food court. Lots of plump berries, tangy blue cheese, fresh mixed greens, some sort of candied walnut granola croutons and perfectly poached chicken. This salad was satisfying but still seemed light because of the berries. I liked the sweet against tangy thing going on in this salad.

My husband had some sort of Steak Sandwich that came with potato chips.

Steak Sandwich from Cafe Nordstrom Scottsdale AZ

Steak Sandwich from Cafe Nordstrom Scottsdale AZ

The steak was topped with balsamic onions and havarti Cheese. looks like my husband pulled out the forking raw tomatoes. He said it was a really good for a cold sandwich. He would have preferred it warmed up.

When your all done your table attendant presents you with a wrapped mint chocolate.

Cafe Nordstrom is Forking Better than the Food Court!

Worth a Fork

Worth a Fork

Forking Truth

Forking Truth

Have you Forking tried the Kale Sprout?

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I saw forking KALE SPROUTS at Trader Joe’s so I purchased them. They are a cross between Kale and Brussels Sprouts.

First I washed them off.

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Then I look at them and they seem like mostly forking stems with a little bit of kale. I taste one and it taste like raw cabbage so I decide to split them in halves.

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I boiled them in vegetable stock to infuse them with flavor with some thin sliced onions.

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When they turn tender I tasted one again. Now it forking taste like a brussels sprouts and I think they need a little roasting in the oven.

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I sprinkle them with extra virgin olive oil and roast them for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

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They brown up and get a little crisp. I add sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.

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They taste good this way. A little crisp and nutty and a sort of sweet taste to them.

Are you going to try the forking Kale Sprouts?

Forking Truth

Forking Truth

How to Forking Make Cannoli Filling

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To make the best cannoli filling you have to start with fresh made cheese that you forking made yourself.

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Fresh made cheese is only whole milk, heavy cream fresh squeezed lemons and a little kosher salt. You bring the milk, cream and salt to a slow boil and let it go a few minutes.

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To make it curd you slowly add the fresh squeezed lemon juice till it curds as much as you want.

For cannoli filling I want it to curd more than ricotta because I want my cheese thicker so when I add sugar to sweeten the cheese it doesn’t get forking runny.

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Now it’s time to drain the cheese.

So I get a paper towel lined colander.

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Let it drain.

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Now I have Cheese.

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I make three flavors of filling.

Vanilla, chocolate and cinnamon.

The vanilla is just vanilla extract, sugar with a drop of anise.

The cinnamon is just cinnamon, a small amount of vanilla extract and sugar.

The chocolate is coco powder, vanilla extract, a drop of anise, a pinch of cinnamon and sugar.

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I used one gallon of milk, 1 quart of cream, 2 fresh lemons and maybe 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt to make the cheese.

I saved somewhere between 1/4-1/3 of the cheese to make Cheese Gnocchi’s with the forking leftover.

Ricotta Gnocchi

Ricotta Gnocchi

On my search type in Ricotta Gnocchi for the recipe.

Forking Good!

Forking Good!

Great Ethnic Casual Forking Inexpensive EATS in Metro Phoenix AZ

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A bunch of these little ethnic eaters are opening up all over the metro Phoenix Area. I’m talking about the kind of places where you order yourself, pay, and seat yourself kinds of places. All these places are forking inexpensive. These are places were the entree is usually less than $9.95. I have no forking idea how they can prepare quality food at such low prices. These are all places that prepare very above average foods that impressed me.

Suh Noi - The Little Thaiger Scottsdale AZ

Suh Noi – The Little Thaiger Scottsdale AZ

Suh Noi – The Little Thaiger  in Scottdale AZ serves up mostly serious Thai Cuisine in a fast casual atmosphere. This tiny cafe with a patio even has a drive thru. (i’m not forking sure how the fork that can work out)

Not many Thai places serve up Wild Boar. You can even oder your forking boar Thai Style. (Thai style means hand chopped meat with a crispy fried egg) Not every Thai Restaurant offers Thai Style.

Wild Boar Grapao

Wild Boar Grapao $7.99

I had the Holy Basil Chicken.

Holy Basil Chicken

Holy Basil Chicken $7.99

The Holy Basil Chicken is chicken, chili’s, garlic, fish sauce and fresh basil. My dish came out a little spicier than I wanted but was made with enough basil and it was Holy Basil to Boot! I noticed the majority of Thai Places in Metro Phoenix don’t use enough basil in their dishes (you actually need a certain number of leaves a person or a small bunch for this dish to be made correctly) and I haven’t been to another in the area so far that actually uses the Holy Basil that differs in taste from Thai Basil. The Holy Basil has some heat to it and supposedly has more nutrients in it. Anyways the food was forking good and very above average. Who knew from a little unassuming place with a drive thru you’d get some serious Thai Food. (that’s also forking cheap)

Another Great Quick Casual Eatery is Hummus Xpress in Tempe AZ

The Plate from Hummus Xpress Tempe AZ

The Plate from Hummus Xpress Tempe AZ

Hummus Xpress in Tempe AZ is a small Middle Eastern Cafe that serves up their cuisine “Subway” or “Chipotle” Style. They build up your Pita, Bowl, or Plate (priced $6.45-9.95) for you from behind a window front buffet line from what you pick. The Food is Chef Inspired Middle Eastern with a Lebanese flavor and the owner has been culinary trained and it shows.

This place is off my beaten path so we got Plates to try as much as possible. I tried delicious spicy carrots, lemon broccoli, flavorful moist brisket with au jus, Lebanese Falafels, beetroot hummus, regular hummus, (from my husband’s plate lemon ginger hummus ((P.S. there is a lot of hummus here,many flavors hence the name Hummus Xpress))  tabbouleh, pickled beets, some sort of onion salad, schug sauce (spicy complex herb relish unique to the Yemen Cuisine) and if that wasn’t enough it also came with seasoned rice and a fresh made pita bread. Everything was made fresh in house and everything was delicious. I just asked for a lid when I was done and had more than enough for another meal.

I never had a Banh Mi Sandwich before. So when the Banh Mi Bistro – Vietnamese Eatery opened not too far from me I had to give that a forking try. Bahn Mi Bistro is a small family owned business that specializes in the Vietnamese Sandwich called the Banh Mi.

1/2 of Pulled Pork Banh Mi from Banh Mi Bistro Phoenix AZ

1/2 of Pulled Pork Banh Mi from Banh Mi Bistro Phoenix AZ

I looked at the menu and noticed the very low prices. Not everything but most of the menu was priced at $5.00. I thought the food would be forking tiny and not very filling since it was so low priced. I ordered a grilled Chicken Bahn Mi and a lotus root salad. (also $5.00)

Grilled Chicken Banh Mi Sandwich from Banh Mi Bistro Phoenix AZ

Grilled Chicken Banh Mi Sandwich from Banh Mi Bistro Phoenix AZ

I soon receive my $5.00 Grilled Chicken Bahn Mi and it’s generously packed with juicy seasoned moist chicken, daikon radish carrot salad, fresh cilantro, spicy jalapeños, a flavorful magical sauce of some kind and house made aioli. I think the bread was made fresh in house too. This sandwich was forking delicious and tasty and I got the other half for latter.

I also ordered the lotus root salad.

Lotus root salad (with out the shrimp) from Banh Mi Bistro Phoenix AZ

Lotus root salad (with out the shrimp) from Banh Mi Bistro Phoenix AZ

Out came a BIG bowl of salad with Lotus Root.

I’ve never seen lotus root like this before.

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It’s like baby lotus roots. It so much more tender than what I have purchased from the Asian Market. They tossed the lotus roots in a mild Asian vinaigrette with crushed peanuts and fresh cilantro. This was a very nice salad that I think most people would like if they tried it. This place isn’t too far so I will be going back to try other things like a minty noodle bowl and the Vietnamese frozen build your own fruit desserts.

These are just a very few of the Great Casual Inexpensive Ethnic Eats in the Metro Phoenix Area.

Forking Truth

Forking Truth

 

 

 

The Forking Difference between Cream Cheese and Mascarpone

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Cream Cheese is a soft milk tasting fresh cheese.

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Mascarpone is  a soft mild milk tasting fresh cheese.

Both Cream Cheese and Mascarpone have  high fat contents.

Cream Cheese is basically milk, cream, skim milk, whey, stabilizers, gum and carrageenan.

Mascarpone (Belgioioso Brand) is made of milk, cream, and citric acid.

Forking Truth

Forking Truth