Monthly Archives: March 2017

Devoured Culinary Classic Day One Saturday March 4th 2017 #DevouredPhoenix

 

From the Porch of the Phoenix Art Museum

Devoured Culinary Classic is the Premier Annual Two Day Event that took place at the Phoenix Art Museum this year. This is Arizona’s Biggest Food Festival that also offers a combination of over a hundred venders of Food Artisans, Wine and Beer Merchants and more!

This year (2017) the price of Devoured was has gone up to $109.00 a day for general admission. Last year the 2016 pricing deal for Museum Members was $150.00 for two days of general admission. ($75 each of two days) This year for Museum Members the price inflated to $99.00 a day for general admission.

In 2012 was there was a Devoured Deal for only $90 for two days for paying in advance. This year (2017) five years latter the price inflated to $218.00 for two days of general admission. These days Devoured is a sell out event. They can only hold four Thousand people and the event next year will be moved to bigger grounds at the Desert Botanical Gardens.

I know I won’t be able to try everything. I only try what I think appeals to me.After all I did pay a pretty penny to attend and I really do want to enjoy myself. My husband eats more than I do and does try things I won’t try like goat some other foods.  ( BTW He did enjoy a goat taco…from Sierra Bonita Grill )  Between the two of us we did try a lot of of what was offered.

These were some of the dishes that were our favorites.

I did find that several of the vendors offered well thought out dishes that weren’t technically perfect prepared in the portable kitchen environment. For that reason many almost great dishes are not a favorite to us.

Some of are favorites were in no particular order……

The pork taco and guacamole from The Barrio Cafe. Several other vendors also served guacamole and after tasting from the Barrio Cafe the others seemed mediocre at best.

Some sort of raw fish crudo from Crudo. It was light, refreshing and had texture and had complexity. It made me smile when I tasted it and maybe was the one thing I should have went back for seconds on.

My husband really enjoyed these pork wings from Dust Cutter.

We both thought the food from Joe’s Midnight Run was tasty. I really enjoyed the quality bread with sheep’s milk cheese, developed flavorful mushrooms and truffles. It was just delicious!

Urban Beans 24 hour Bar and Cafe made an incredible vegan cheesecake. It’s the small square near the top of the plate on the right side. It shined with great flavors and mouth feel.

What won best tasting was a Bison Tacquito from Helio Basin Brewing Company.

I didn’t try this one….Oh well…My husband did and he said the one he tried was dry inside.

Another award winning presentation came from The Clever Koi.

They did some sort of snow cone scallop that neither of us tried but I have to say it did look interesting.

I thought another interesting looking dish came from Lon’s at the Hermosa Inn.

Shrimp were you squirt the juice on yourself….or at someone… 🙂

Here are some other photos I took.

It’s Raw!……. Oy Vey ………                     from Lon’s at the Hermosa Inn

Bad placement of photo – (this didn’t come from Red Thai it came from Clever Koi)

Included with Devoured was admission to the Art Museum and I saw the current featured exposition  Samurai exhibit.

That was Day 1 Saturday March 4th 2017 Devoured

The Forking Truth

In Memoriam LOUIE 5-5-2001 – 3-3-2017

 

Here’s to me! I was the Forking Best Dog Ever!

If you are reading this you know that I am dearly departed. I’ve been fighting cancer as long as I could and I out lived by about a year all my doctor’s expectations.

I looked like this when my folks adopted me.

Then I looked like this.

Then I looked like this…..

I started to grow up at about seven months I looked like the photo below.

Here are just a few of my favorite dining out moments from Dining Out with Dogs.

AJ’s Fine Foods Glendale AZ

Ahhhhh Beef……

AJ’s Glendale AZ

Yummmmm Macaroni and cheese….

AJ’s Patio Arrowhead Glendale AZ

Umm Burger.

Angelina’s Pho and Grill

Phee Phy Pho me……tee..he

Leo’s Island BBQ

Lots to eat…not hungry here…

Humble Pie in Phoenix AZ

It’s always a great day for pizza…

Lamar’s Doughnuts

Ummmm Dougnuts!

“Natural Organic Chicken…Not too Shabby” from Salad and Go

Banh Mi Bistro

Love Banh Mi Bistro…

Carvalho’s Brazilian Kitchen

Yum! Carvalho’s Brazilian Kitchen!

“Ummmmmm”

Not all but many of the photos below were taken at Cucina Tagliani in Glendale AZ.

Take Care and Thanks for sharing all these memories!

Don’t worry about my folks….I know they FORKING MISS ME but I left them in the capable paws of my apprentice.

She doesn’t have my great taste for food as she has her own taste. She is very loyal, protective and a better watch dog than I ever was. But as you know…I was one of a kind.

I wish you all well and it was great to be a part of Dining with Dogs.

The Forking Truth

Here’s to me! I was the Forking Best Dog Ever! and I Forking ate like a champ even at the end when the doctors said I wouldn’t …

 

 

Delicious Pickled Jalapeños Recipe

 

Delicious Pickled Jalapeños

I got a bunch of Jalapeños that are HOT so I thought I’d pickle some of them. These Pickled Jalapeños are so delicious you can easily made lots of foods delicious with them easily. I do recommend to wear gloves because when you handle so many jalapeños because you will injure yourself. Your hands will burn the next day too so wear gloves. The recipe is pretty easy and you don’t really have to do the canning process because with all the vinegar it will stay fresh for several months or do the canning process if you prefer. I found out later that these Pickled Jalapeños make some VERY DELICIOUS Guacamole….It’s one of my new tricks! The other is that these Delicious Pickled Jalapeños help to make a really awesome chicken salad. I didn’t write down exactly how I made it but the chicken salad was made of pulled chicken, a good amount of the pickled jalapeños, dijon mustard, celery, green onions and a little water that emulsified with the dijon. I stuffed the chicken salad into mini bell peppers and it was Forking Great!

Ingredients for about 20 servings

1 lb jalapeños – cleaned, stems and cores removed and cut into rings

2 cups white vinegar

2 cups rice wine vinegar

2 cups water

4 Tablespoons kosher salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 sweet onion – cut in thin slices

6 cloves garlic – smashed

1 Tablespoon black peppercorns

1 Tablespoon coriander seeds

2 bay leaves

1 carrot – peeled and sliced very thin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions

Set the Jalapeños carrots and onions in a large bowl and set to the side.

Get your large sauce pot on medium high heat with remaining ingredients and bring to a boil till sugar dissolves.

Reduce to simmer and let it go about ten minutes.

Place vegetables in containers. Add liquid. Place lids on when it’s cool.

Pickled Jalapeños

These were once jalapeños that were to hot to eat and now they are a yummy kinder heat that’s layered in flavor and delicious.

I found they add something super special to home made guacamole and they also are great in chicken salad and MORE!

Guacamole made with the Delicious Pickled Peppers

The Forking Truth

Ori di Langa Truffle Chips – Worth a Fork – Most Truffle Flavor

 

I’m a sucker for Truffle and when I came across this bag of Italian Made Potato Chips at my local Home Goods Store I picked the bag up and toke a look at the ingredients.

The Ingredients read-

potatoes, sunflower seed oil, olive oil, freeze dried summer truffle (tuber aestivum vitt) ) 0.33%, (like 1.50% fresh truffle) salt and flavor (possibly it might mean that “flavor” might be chemicals…..not sure but that’s what I think) I open the bag and see I have very few chips to try in the 3.53 ounce bag. But hey this bag only coast me $2.99 so I thought it was worth it.

I take a whiff……it’s intoxicating……it smells very much like truffles……and I brace myself because most bags that smell like truffles don’t taste like truffles.

I take some chips out.

Some of the chips are very large and very thick for potato chips and are sort of  plank like. If you look close you can see some black specks on the potato chips that might be truffle. The chips  are sort of tender crisp….like a compressed kind of crisp….. and do have a slight taste like truffle. I don’t get that lovely lasting kind of real truffle taste but I do get a mild truffle taste however the potato chips also have very little potato flavor….I think sunflower oil and salt are the other flavors of the chips.

A few days latter when I finished the chips I noticed that the bag still smells very much like truffle….I can’t help but wonder if the bag was sprayed with something..? Don’t know.

These Ori di Langa Truffle Potato Chips have the most Truffle Flavor I’ve ever tasted in a potato chip. (so far)

The Forking Truth

Forking Tasty Sous Vide and Browned 1/2 Turkey Breast Recipe

 

Forking Tasty Sous Vide and Browned 1/2 Turkey Breast

I had a half Turkey Breast in my freezer that was already brined. To me Turkey Breast are best prepared in a Sous Vide or in the pan. Here we do both because I left the skin on. It’s incredibly easy to prepare delicious moist, tender, white meat turkey this way. The half Turkey breast goes in a Sous Vide Bag with some spices and fresh garlic and frozen garlic confit (garlic that has been roasted with olive oil and then whipped). Seal the bag and put in the Sous Vide at 140 degrees F for four-five hours. Rinse the spices off with cool water, blot dry and apply rub. Brown in a medium high pan for about three minutes a side.

Ingredients for about 6 servings

1/2 turkey breast from a medium size turkey that was brined.

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons dark brown sugar

2 juniper berries – ground

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1 bay leaf

pinch cinnamon

smaller pinch ground cloves

1 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

pinch hot crushed red pepper

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1 1/2 teaspoon coriander

1 1/2 teaspoon mustard

pinch white pepper

6 garlic cloves – smashed

2 oz FROZEN garlic confit

2 teaspoons black pepper (for rub)

1 teaspoon coriander (for rub)

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika (for rub)

1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic (for rub)

1/4 teaspoon granulated onion (for rub)

1/2 teaspoon (the Sous Vide Seasoning Mixture) (for rub)

1/4 teaspoon course sea salt (for rub)

2 Tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions

Set the Sous Vide with water and set to 140 degrees F.

In a small mixing bowl combine kosher salt, brown sugar, juniper, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, 1 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, ginger, paprika, coriander, mustard, white pepper. Mix well.

Place the turkey breast in the Sous Vide Bag. Add one Tablespoon of the Sous Vide Spice mixture to the top of the breast and add one Tablespoon Sous Vide Spice mixture to the other side of turkey breast. Add the smashed garlic and the frozen garlic confit. Seal bag and then place in Sous Vide Machine for five hours.

After  5 hours run the bag under cold water to stop the cooking process.

Remove the turkey from bag and rinse off the garlic cloves and spices.

Blot dry with paper towels.

Apply the rub mixture.

Put a large fry pan on medium high heat with the vegetable oil.

Fry turkey about three minutes on bottom, top and sides.

Forking Tasty Sous Vide and Browned 1/2 Turkey Breast

It wasn’t what I was going for but It came out really delicious…it was too good not to write down so here it is!

It’s moist ,tender and juicy with exotic flavors.

The Forking Truth