Monthly Archives: July 2018

The Focaccia Di Recco VS Pizza Rimini from Pomo Pizzeria in Scottsdale Arizona

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Pomo Pizzeria in Scottsdale AZ offers Northern Italy Style Extremely THIN DOUGH Focaccia Di Recco pictured below.

and also Pizza Rimini, also a Northern Italy specialty in four or more varieties (one extra special flavor on my visit).

The Parmigiana Pizza Rimini is pictured below.

Today I decided to ask a few questions about the pizza and focaccia…..Are they the same?

NO……

One is a focaccia and the other is a pizza.

They start out the same with the same dough……….

Both get stretched out paper thin but the focaccia gets stretched out EVEN THINNER because it’s sandwiches cheese. It’s stuffed. There is a top layer and a bottom layer.

The Pizza goes in the certified Italian Wood Oven at over 900 degrees F for a very short time.

The Focaccia goes in a regular oven in the kitchen at a much lower temperature for a much longer time.

The TASTE……YES the crust come out  tasting  VERY DIFFERENT!

The Focaccia almost taste like it was fried……I’m thinking that some of the oil from the Stracchino Cheese flavors both sides of the crust and the cheese is still all melty inside. It’s just really delicious! It’s so flavorful with almost cheese sauce inside the two tissue thin crusts.

You might feel different than me………..

I do think the Pizza Rimini is good…..i’d eat it anytime.

What I like about it is that is is so light…..It’s like pizza made for angels. It’s like the best diet pizza ever. You have the taste of pizza without the heaviness. You can eat half a pizza and feel like you can eat more no problem….It must be low in calories………….. The only thing I didn’t like about the Pizza Rimini was the outer ring of crust. To me it taste like burnt matzoh….. but I note the parts with cheese and sauce are yummy and don’t taste burnt.

While I enjoyed the Pizza Rimini…….it just isn’t as tasty as the Focaccia Di Recco….( TO ME!!!!!!! maybe not you?) That thing is just off the charts! It was just CRAZY YUMMY! Way more flavors that were more enjoyable to me. OH and I forgot to mention that you can add on local honey to embellish the Focaccia even a little more. A small amount of warm honey applied just adds another level to the Focaccia.

Both were good but for me (and my husband) we both preferred the Focaccia Di Recco.

www.PomoPizzeria.com

You know The Forking Truth is that EVERYTHING is subject to change and your experience may indeed DIFFER! Just remember that!

The Forking Truth

Mingo’s Louisiana Kitchen in Phoenix AZ – Worth a Fork!*****UPDATE Now CLOSED for Business but still open on food truck

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*****Update the restaurant has closed for business but he still has a food truck.******Mingo’s Louisiana Kitchen is a small counter service restaurant located in the Laveen section of Phoenix Arizona. They serve New Orleans Cajun types of foods like Po Boys, Seafood Plates, Red Beans and Rice, Jambalaya and more!. Although it’s a small restaurant where you can dine in or do take out there is still definitely a New Orleans Feel there. Festive tinsel and  New Orleans type music is a part of the atmosphere. With the music it almost feels like you are on Bourbon Street as I found myself looking around for the musicians.

When you walk in you look at the menu board to order and then order at the counter and pay. You get your own beverage, seat yourself and pick up your order at the window when your name is called.

I decided to go with the Hot Chicken Sandwich Platter.

WOW! It’s a great BIG plate of food for what I spent! I take a bite. Yes it is spicy!  The chicken is moist and flavorful. I bite threw this crisp what seems like oil free corn meal coating.  I usually don’t like corn meal coatings because most aren’t flavored well and most are too crunchy. However this corn meal coating is delicious and does have a pleasing texture. This hot Chicken Sandwich is hot from a combination of seasonings on the chicken and also from the hot tangy sauce with some bite that was applied. The sandwich was topped with shredded lettuce, tomato, pickle chips and maybe the best remoulade sauce I ever tried in my life. The remoulade sauce might have gotten buried in with all the flavors and heat going on but my husband ordered his remoulade sauce on the side so I was able to taste how complex it was. The platter came with a generously sized pile of hot fresh Old Bay Fries that were light and fluffy inside and seemed to stay hot. They were very tasty with a careful amount of seasoning.

My husband had a Shrimp Po Boy.

It came with a good amount of corn meal breaded shrimp that were prepared perfect and was also topped with tomato, lettuce, pickle and for him the remoulade sauce on the side.

He had to try the RED BEANS and RICE so he did!

He said this was super flavorful and also very porky. I noticed that the Andouille Sausage slices were seared locking the meat juice in. He said that this was really good! He really enjoyed the Red Beans and Rice!

Although the home made hot sauce didn’t go with my meal I had to try some on a fry. It was so full of flavors with so much going on there. I really do mean it and think the chef should bottle it and sell it in stores.

At least three different people checked on us during our meal. I wasn’t sure if we needed to clear our table ourselves because I saw a bus pan near by but someone offered to clear our plates and also offered a refill on the soda.

Mingo’s Louisiana Kitchen is a casual restaurant that ( based on what we tried) serves very much about average (if not excellent) New Orleans Cuisine in Phoenix……….. Everything was prepared technically perfect. Everything was delicious. Service was amazing for counter service. Some of the things we tried really showed how brilliant and talented the chef really is.

******UPDATE CLOSED for Business but open on food truck******

I’d say Mingo’s Louisiana Kitchen is Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

www.MingosLouisianaKitchen.com

Everything is subject to change and YOUR experience may or may NOT differ.

The Forking Truth

Summer Vegetable Stuffed Peppers Recipe

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Summer Vegetable Stuffed Peppers

I came across these delicious Crescendo Peppers. They are thin skinned, thin walled and are super sweet peppers with such great flavor that are almost seed free. The peppers I got are 2-4 times bigger than baby bells. You can use any pepper you like but you must understand that portions and cooking times will differ. Baby bells that are on the large side would be my second choice. I stuffed the peppers with zucchini, corn, peas, tomatoes, a few other things and kept the seasonings delicious but somewhat neutral so these peppers can be served with any dinner you prepare. I also did something very unusual. Instead of adding meat or cheese to hold things together I just added egg. With all the moisture from all the vegetables the little bit of egg that’s in there turns sort of custardy to hold the vegetables together. The peppers are very light and you can embellish them with a little bit of your favorite cheese and fresh herb to match your dinner. This is yet another very original recipe my me.

Ingredients for about 4 servings

8 crescendo peppers – preferred – (or any pepper you like but I recommend the pepper to be thin walled)

2 small zucchini – spiralized (make the zucchini into zoodles…or noodle shaped)

1/2 cup small sweet tomatoes – either half or quarter depending on size

1/2 cup corn kernels – preferable sweet that you cooked yourself

1/2 cup peas

1/2 cup scallions – sliced thin

1 carrot – skin removed and shredded

2 eggs – lightly beaten

1 Tablespoon dijon mustard

2 Tablespoons celery leaves – (I used from the center) – chopped

2 garlic cloves grated

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 teaspoons course sea salt

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl add the zucchini, tomatoes, corn, peas, scallions, carrot, celery leaves, garlic, black pepper, sea salt, thyme. Mix well.

In a small bowl add the beaten eggs and dijon mustard. Mix well.

Pour the egg mixture into the large bowl with vegetables. This mixture will get runny.

Mix well.

Make a slit in each pepper and pull out a core and seeds if there is any.

Stuff them the best you can with your fingers pushing in the mixture into the pepper. Add a little liquid because that is where the flavory custard is.

Drizzle this lightly with the olive oil.

Place in the oven till done.

In my oven with these particular pepper it took 45 minutes.

Depending on your tolerance for seasoning you might want to hit them with a small amount of fresh crushed sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.

They are ready to serve.

You do have the option to embellish the peppers further with a small amount of of fresh herb and a small amount of cheese. You can go cilantro-goat cheese, parsley-feta, cilantro-Mexican Cheese, Feta & Dill and a multitude of Italian Cheeses with basil or oregano.

Summer Vegetable Stuffed Peppers

DELICIOUS!

The Forking Truth

 

 

 

 

 

NEW WeiRD Different Limited and Special Edition Foods out There July 2018

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There is always something NEW, WEIRD, Different, Limited or Special Edition out there in the Wonderful World of Food. I never know what I’ll come across when I go to a store. These are just a few of the things I came across recently. Up above is Roasted Garlic Mashed Cauliflower. I prefer to eat my cauliflower whole and not mashed up. I guess if I lose all my teeth one day I’ll go for mashed cauliflower.

Speaking of more vegetables…….

Noble Marinated Vegan Chipotle Jerky…….Who knew!

 

Here are Robert Irvine’s Whey Protein microwavable FitCrunch Brownies. They sound healthy….but they seem strange….

Limited Time Only Red White and Blue Rice Krispies.

Limited Edition Soccer Crunch Cap’n Crunch Cereal in bright color irregular round shapes…..I wonder if the bright colors do anything to you…..maybe it makes you poop a rainbow?

I found lots of new Ice Cream.

These are some new Haagan Dazs….I don’t know but I think this is an extra butt widening line of Ice Cream….We all know that Ice Cream is an indulgent decadent treat but these are marked as DECADENT Collection. I see Midnight Brownie (I guess you can eat it any time of day and don’t need to wait till midnight), Honey Salted Caramel Almond…and…….(this one sounds really great)…..Banana Peanut Butter Cup! This time I passed….maybe latter Banana PB Cup!

Yasso Greek Frozen Yogurts?…….Cookie Dough, Caramel Pretzel, Coffee Brownie and Chocolate PB and Yay?  What flavor is Yay?…………..?

Rolo…the old time Caramel Chocolate Candy….(I always hated them..Blec) However many people do enjoy them. Here are Rolo Ice Cream Sandwiches and Ice Cream Cones.

Ummmmm? Haagan Daz Vanilia Ice Cream Cookie Squares?…….. and Klondike Minis……?

Kit Kat Ice Cream……I wonder if they put actual Kit Kats in there or just put the leftover crumbs in there???????

Batman Ice Cream? Wonder Woman Ice Cream and Superman Ice Cream……..? What’s Next? ……….Spiderman Ice Cream with Chocolate Covered Spiders?

New Triscuit Crackers in Avocado, Cilantro, Lime…Sounds like you need to drink a Margarita or a Corona with these Avocado Cilantro Lime Triscuits.

Pumpkin Tortilla Chips and Sweet Potato Crisps are easy to come across these days.

Goldfish Crackers have been around for decades…….But this Chocolate Mint Pretzel variety is new or newer…….???????

Godiva – On the left are assorted Cake Inspired Chocolates and on the right are Limited Edition Birthday Cake Chocolates…..(whoopee…….((small clap)). I don’t know but Godiva Chocolates seem different then they did long ago….They seem more waxy….or maybe they turn a weird texture from the hot weather we usually have here in Phoenix?

Dark Chocolate embedded with Quinoa…????? ………..It might as well be stuffed with grasshoppers….Who the Fork really wants quinoa in their chocolate?

Candy Flavored Popcorn ….WTFork not!

Black Truffle Almonds…….Could be yummy?

Strawberry Shortcake flavored Cotton Candy….now that one is interesting! You could embellish a cake with it instead of tons of frosting. You know that’s a great idea….you need either jam or chocolate to use as glue.

I wouldn’t purchased packaged fruit when I could eat fresh fruit but some of these sound interesting.

The top one is a combination of Orange, Grapefruit and Pomegranate.

The middle one is Pears, Blackberry and Chia.

The bottom one is a Pineapple Passion Fruit Combo….?

I found a really Weird looking banana…..Don’t know if it’s a Conjoined Banana….or if it’s an 80s Flashback to MC Hammer and those Parachute Pants…….Oh I know some of you are too young to remember MC Hammer…and those of you that are older also can’t remember either because you are too old to remember…Just Google or search on You Tube for “Can’t Touch This.” Then look at the banana again.

These are sort of Blush Colored Raspberries…..They look like White Zinfandel Wine (blech!) to me.

WOW! Now these are pretty cool! Pink Lemonade Blueberries! I bought these…..They are sweeter and more delicate a flavor than regular blueberries….I like them but not the price of them. About 5x the price of regular blueberries. These are rich people’s blueberries.

This is odd to me. Precut Apple Slices……..Apples are good fresh….Precut Apples don’t taste fresh….Why would anyone purchase precut apples………These precut apples have cinnamon and a little chili added…..For God’s Sake People just buy a FORKING APPLE and eat it…..

U-gurt-Jelly…….God that sounds awful……..

New flavors of Noosa Yogurt….Honey Pretzel Peanut and Banana Chocolate Peanut…Yogurt just get’s healthier all the time!

Just what we Forking Need…..NEW Artificially Flavored Nilla Wafers…….. 🙁 ……..Lemons are cheap, lemon extract is even cheaper. Why can’t they flavor the cookies with natural lemon flavor?

New! Sweet Tarts that are Whipped and Tangy…….no GMOs and they say they are Delightfully Airy……..I guess that makes them Whipped Gummies that are tangy……not for me but maybe for others…?

Maybe this has been around for a while but I never saw it before……..I imagine they sell it near fraternities and college school stores.

Svedka unflavored Gelatin mix……(ICK!)….Just add Vodka and water……….

OH GOD! They must have ran out of new ideas for Oreo Cookies! I didn’t find a new flavor of Oreo Cookies but I did find this on Pinterest.

ONLY KIDDING…..

It just so happens that I did come across Forking New Oreo Cookies that really do sound delicious but I didn’t buy any only because they are either Artificially Flavored or partially Artificially Flavored. But I have to admit these did sound tempting.

Limited Edition Good Humor Ice Cream Inspired Strawberry Shortcake Oreo Cookies.

Oreo Pistachio Thin Cookies…..wow almost cracked for Pistachio Thins!

Now this one does have some natural flavor but it also has artificial flavor……New Oreo Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie flavored Cookies. There is a possibility that these cookies might taste ok.

Cherry Cola with POPPING Candy Oreo Cookies….I have to say Oreo was very creative this month……I highly doubt Oreo will put out another new flavor next month?

Well that was the NEW, Weird, Different, Special and Limited Edition Foods for July 2018. I don’t know WTFork I’ll come across next month you will just have to wait and see.

The Forking Truth

Baked Asian Inspired Rice Potato Patties Recipe

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Baked Asian Inspired Rice Potato Patties

These Asian Inspired Rice Potato Patties are made from leftover Take Out Asian Food. I found I had two cups extra rice leftover so I thought I’d repurpose the rice and this is what I came up with this time. The Patties came out tasty and very flavorful. I don’t think they need a dipping sauce but if you want to make one a little mayo mixed with a little bit sriracha would be fine. I also added a little bit of gochujang, splash of black vinegar and a splash of shaohsing. This recipe makes 8 patties. so it makes 4-8 servings depending on how many patties you want to eat.

Ingredients for about 8 servings

2 cups white rice – I used leftover Asian Take Out Rice

1 egg – slightly beaten

2 Tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

2 garlic cloves – grated

9 oz baked potato – skin removed

1/2 in fresh ginger – finely grated

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/4 cup scallions – thinly sliced

1 teaspoon – fresh cilantro – chopped

4 sea salt nori sheets – about 3inch by 2 inch each – crumbled – mine weighed 0 anything on my scale

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

1 dried asian chili pod – crumbled – just the contents, not the pod or use a pinch of crushed red pepper

fresh ground sea salt to taste

fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 cup whole wheat panko

2 teaspoons sesame seeds – I used 1/2 white and 1/2 black

non stick cooking spray

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F and lightly spray baking sheet(s) with non stick spray.

In a large bowl add the rice, egg, seasoned rice wine vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, potatoes (mash in the potatoes now), fresh ginger, sesame oil, scallions, cilantro, nori, ground ginger, white pepper, chili pod contents. Mix well and add fresh ground sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.

Divide mixture into 8 patties by scoring into quarters and cutting each quarter in half.

In a medium sized bowl mix together the panko with sesame seeds and add salt and pepper to taste.

Pat each patty into the panko mixture and after coated set on sprayed baking sheet(s).

Put patties in the oven for thirty minutes. Flip the patties over and put them back in the over for about 15 minutes more.

Ready to serve!

Baked Asian Inspired Rice Potato Patties

Tasty!

The Forking Truth

First Taste at Cocina Madrigal in South Phoenix AZ – Worth a Fork!

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Cocina Madrigal is newly opened casual family friendly Restaurant in South Phoenix AZ that offers Unique Oaxacan/American Cuisine. It’s not a fancy place but it’s comfortable and cozy.

 

If you look at the menu there are many offerings you won’t find elsewhere such as – a variety of made to order guacamole, mesquite grilled romaine salad, crispy salmon, beef tenderloin platter, la diablo chicken pasta, jerk seasoned chicken five cheese macaroni and cheese, marinated chicken artichoke mushroom stack in soy mustard cream and a whole lot more! The Chef is obviously very talented. It was difficult to decide on what to order because they offered so many interesting choices.

We started with house made chips and salsa while we decided.

The salsa is outstanding. It’s full of all kinds of wonderful things. It’s very flavorful and hot but not too hot. We also received a super generously sized basket of hot fresh chips.

I decide on the Artichoke and Mushroom Stacked Chicken.

The Cilantro Pesto Marinated Chicken is really very tender and very flavorful, toasted Pepitas are a nice embellishment here. The soy sauce and mustard don’t stand out in the creamy sauce because it’s very balanced. It just taste good. Mushrooms and Artichoke adorn the chicken. The plate includes a generous portion of yummy mashed potatoes and fresh buttered vegetables are on the side.

My Husband had a Taco Plate.

Cocina Madrigal offers a variety of Taco Plates that are three of each. My husband asked if he could have three different ones and it wasn’t a problem at all.

All the tortillas for the taco are made fresh to order.

All three tacos are very detailed.

The Beef Taco contains, tender flavorful Chipotle Pomegranate Marinated Tenderloin, Fried Peppers, Gorgonzola Cheese and Onion Straws.

The Achiote Braised Chicken Taco contains Red Bean Pico, Avocado and Menonita Cheese.

The Tropical Fish Taco had grilled Maui Maui, Salsa Picante, Mango, Coconut Cabbage Slaw, Oaxaca Cheese and Salsa Fresca.

I tasted a small piece of each and every one of the tacos was delicious and very flavorful.

But I am kicking myself now for not trying the rojo beans epazote (vegetarian) and the rice. My husband kept going on how these beans were exceptional. He said that they aren’t those refried beans that you get everywhere. He said these beans were much better, full of flavors and were really delicious!

Somehow we were talked into the Churros for dessert.

These Churros are made FRESH TO ORDER! and stuffed with pastry cream!

They are SO HOT……but are so aromatic from the cinnamon. You have to sit there and smell them and then your mouth waters….you pick one up but they are still too hot …..you have to take in the aroma a little longer….and then you start drooling from the appetizing aroma.

Todays Fresh – Made – To – Order Churros flavor came with a little drizzled caramel and more pastry cream for dipping. We were told that they plan to change up the flavors now and then.

I have to say that these Churros were the best Churros I’ve ever tasted in my life. The Churro seemed light and free of oil with a pleasant sugary cinnamon-ee coating and it was filled with delicious pastry cream!

The Food was all flavorful and well executed. The service was exceptional. Our server knew everything about the food and was able to make helpful suggestions. The owner/Chef and manager all were very welcoming to us and also wanted to hear our options about the food.

I have to say my first visit to Cocina Madrigal was Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

www.CocinaMadrigal.com

Every Thing is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.

The Forking Truth

 

 

My Trip to Ramen Hood in Scottsdale AZ – Worth a Fork!

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Ramen Hood is a casual Ramen Restaurant located in Scottsdale AZ just off the 101 exit 38. When you enter you stop at the front of the counter and fill out your order on a check off list  for what you want in your Ramen or Rice Bowl.

The menu offers opportunity for lots of variety. Noodles or Rice, Five Broths (including vegetarian), Five Proteins, up to 24 complimentary toppings, extras and you can also order Specialty Add Ons like Gyoza, Karaage Chicken, and Steamed Bao.

For The Ramen Challenged picking things is easy but not dummy proof. It is possible to pick not so great choices…………such as- Karaage Chicken is breaded chicken and would be better suited to go with a rice plate than with a Ramen Bowl. It might be best to add on toppings that give great flavors. Toppings you might consider would be Green Onions, Shiitake Mushrooms, Togatashi Powder, Nori and Spicy Miso Paste. Your Taste may differ from mine but I think it’s essential to add on the Seasoned Soft Boiled Egg because these eggs are really special. It can take a day to prepare these seasoned soft boiled eggs and they add other flavors and interest to Ramen.

Then you pay at the end of the counter and open kitchen. You take a number and seat yourself. They offer a variety of seating choices, traditional tables, some 1/2 bench seating and a few walled cubical seating so you can dine with your lap top.

We soon get our Ramen Bowls delivered to us by the Ramen Chef.

We ordered different Ramen Bowls but they came out looking very similar. I really like the Ramen Noodles. They have more texture and chewiness than Italian Noodles. I thought the vegetarian broth was good until I added the spicy miso paste and then it was VERY GOOD. Lots of flavors going on. For my protein I picked the Teriyaki Chicken. It wasn’t the typical sweet tasting Teriyaki you might get at most American/Chinese Restaurants this chicken was delicious with a tasty char flavor and they gave me a good amount of it…..However my husband got pork as his protein and although it was very GOOD PORK he only received one paper thin slice of it in his bowl unlike the good amount of tasty chicken I received. I don’t know if they gave me extra noodles. I know my bowl was JAM PACKED so much I had trouble getting the noodles out at first. I know half way threw I was out of stomach room and I came in very hungry.

We also shared a Specialty, The Karaage Chicken. It’s Japanese Style Breaded Chicken that very tasty and a yummy Sriracha Mayonnaise is served with it.

This is very casual dining here at Ramen Hood. You clear your own plates and trash after you finish. Just like fast food style nobody ask you how things were or thanks you for coming.  Although Ramen Hood is fast food style in service the food is full service in taste for sure.

I would say Ramen Hood is Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

www.Ramen-Hood.com

Every FORKING THING is subject to change and YOUR experience May or May NOT differ.

The Forking Truth

South West Style Hatch Chile Corn Fritters Recipe

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South West Hatch Chile Corn Fritters

Sprouts had really great corn on sale last week. Eight ears for $1.00 so yesterday I cooked up my eight ears and thought I’d make some sort of corn fritter with some of the corn. I wanted to really go with the corn flavor so I used masa corn flour. Masa is corn flour that is cooked with alkaline, it’s also known as a nixtamalzation process. It’s that yummy taste that makes corn bread taste different from corn tortillas. I wanted to spike the fritters with pepper and my freezer is still well stocked with Fire Roasted Hatch Chile Peppers so that was an obvious choice for me but you can use whatever pepper you like. These fritters came out very crispy with sweet pops of corn, corn flavors and they are spiked with Fired Roasted Hatch Chile Taste.

Ingredients for about 6 servings

2 cups corn kernels

1/2 cup masa flour (treated corn flour with that yummy taste that makes tacos and nachos taste different than corn muffins)

1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter – melted

1 hatch chile pepper – fire roasted with stem and seeds removed – hard skin rubbed off and well chopped

1/4 cup scallions – sliced thin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

pinch ground white pepper

1/2 teaspoon course sea salt

1/4 teaspoon ground annatto

1 teaspoon sugar

fresh ground sea salt to taste for finishing

fresh ground black pepper for finishing

oil for frying – I used canola

Directions

Fill a fry pan with a good amount of oil that looks like this on slightly over medium heat. You want the oil around 350 degrees F.

You want the oil to look like this when you fry. If your oil is too low the fritter will fall apart but when it’s just right the fritters quickly brown on the bottom and sides and when you see the bubbles on the top of the fritter then you turn them over.

When the fritters are brown on both sides…try to shake off the oil and let them drain on a stack of paper towels. Hit the fritters with fresh crushed sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.

I think a little bit of fresh cilantro, sliced scallions and sour cream with go well with these South West Style Fritters.

South West Style Hatch Chile Corn Fritters

Tasty! Not too Spicy with a nice corn taste and a nice crunch.

The Forking Truth

 

A little history of some Notable Historic Phoenix Arizona Salt and Pepper Shakers

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Salt and Pepper Shakers are Food Related….after all they hold salt and pepper! Here’s a little history of some Notable and Historic to Phoenix Arizona Salt and Pepper Shakers.

Pictured above are Apple Shaped Salt and Pepper Shakers that have a Bill Johnson’s Big Apple Logo of a tuxedo Apple headed person about to serve a Plate of Barbecue to someone. There is also a 3757 Van Buren Phoenix Arizona Address under the Glaze on the Ceramic Salt and Pepper Shakers.

Bill Johnson was a celebrity who was known as an actor, stuntman and radio personality. He became a restauranteur in 1956 and hosted a radio show in his restaurant. Famous guest such as Wayne Newton, Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings were guest on his show.

Bill Johnson’s Big Apple Restaurant had a Western theme Atmosphere. The menu offered breakfast skillets, pork wings, sliders, snake bite green chili, burgers, country fried steak, burgers, a chuck wagon combo of many things, steaks, deep dish apple pies and much more.

Bill Johnson’s Big Apple Restaurants were a small local Chain in the Phoenix Area with a few locations. The last one closed in May 2015.

References

www.PhoenixNewTimes.com

www.AZCentral.com

www.localYahoo.com

Mid Century Phoenix Home Builder Staggs-Bilt built homes in Metro Phoenix from 1949 – 1973. They built around 14,000 homes. The largest clusters of the homes they built are in Westown, Northtown, Papago Parkway and New Papago Parkway. At the time these homes were considered affordable options that were smaller in size and price.  These homes were mostly one level homes with carports that were built on small lots.

Pictured above are anthropomorphic Ceramic Shakers. They look like Men in overalls that read “Happy Homer” and they hold hammers. They have house shaped Cartoon heads that are cheerful looking. They stand on small bases that read STAGGS-BILT HOMES Phoenix . Arizona.

Reference www.ArizonaReport.com by David Meek.

J.B. Bayless moved to Arizona with Food Market Experience in 1917. He started a local Food Store Chain of 18 locations. The chain was sold in 1929 and a provision of the purchased stated that J.B. Bayless would not open a competition chain for a certain number of years. After some time J.B. Bayless’s son A.J……. purchased Butcher’s stores and started his own chain of Food Markets. In the 1980’s Aj’s went bankrupted and in 1993 Aj’s was acquired by Bashas’ and then Aj’s became A.J.’s Fine Foods an Upscale grocery and Specialty Store that it is today (at the time of this writing July-2018).

The Shaker set pictured above is a two piece salt and pepper shaker set. Each shaker is rectangular in shape and sits together to form a picture of the front of a J.B. Bayless Grocery Store. It appears to be very old fashioned with an antique type car possibly with a rumble seat parked in front of J.B. Bayless. On the bottom of the fronts of the Salt and Pepper Shakers reads Country Store Phoenix, Arizona.

references

www.AFMAAZ.org

www.Wikipedia.com

Here was a little of the history of some Notable Historic Phoenix Arizona Salt and Pepper Shakers.

The Forking Truth

Waffle Falafel Recipe

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Waffle Falafel

I got this tiny Dash Grill Waffle Maker. It is only 5 inches BIG and makes one waffle at a time. Of course it’s not the best waffle maker out there and it’s hard to clean but I don’t eat many waffles so it suits my needs. The other upside to it that it’s light and tiny and takes up almost no room. As for the recipe the timing and amounts of batter will differ for all the different waffle makers out there but this is a solid waffle recipe that is falafel flavored. I would suggest to dress the waffle like you would dress a falafel stuffed pita. Middle Eastern Style Cubed Cucumber,Tomato, Parsley Salad in Lemon or Citrus Vinaigrette  and Tahini Dressing that’s fun to make. You don’t need a recipe for Tahini Dressing. It’s just tahini, lemon juice and a pinch of cumin and then you slowly add water till it looks like mayonnaise. This waffle has a perfect waffle texture but taste like a falafel. In my Dash Waffle Grill I made 11 waffles with this recipe.

Ingredients for about 11 servings.

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup chick pea flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 egg – lightly beaten

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 cup fat free milk

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

2 garlic cloves grated

2 Tablespoons parsley – chopped

2 Tablespoons cilantro – chopped

1/4 cup scallions – sliced thin

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground sea salt

non stick spray

Directions

Spray waffle grill lightly with non stick spray and let it warm up. Most waffle irons light up when they are hot. When your waffle iron is hot add batter….If you have a Dash Mini Waffle Grill you add about a Tablespoon of batter close lid and the waffle is ready in Three Minutes so set a timer for three minutes. For all other waffle irons just follow directions for a waffle batter and you should do ok.

 

Dash Mini Waffle Grill with a teaspoon

Here’s ten of the eleven waffles this recipe made.

Waffle Falafel

Breakfast just turned a little more fun with Waffle Falafels!

The Forking Truth