The Hotel Valley Ho is hosting a Chefs and Farmers Market Series on Saturdays 9am – 1pm July 6th and 13th. The admission is FREE but you are suppose to register on the Hotel Valley Ho Website. www.HotelValleyHo.com
June 29th the theme was Italian and called Bada Boom
It was crowded like the first week.
There was some mighty delicious foods to sample.
Chef Greg Otero of the Hotel Valley Ho prepared Pork and Fennel Cavatelli Pasta with Parmigiano Reggiano and Chili Flake.
Chef Matthew Taylor of Mora Italian prepared Smoked Eggplant Panna Cotta with Summer Squash Conserva, Basil, La Peral (cheese)
Chef Rochelle Daniel of The Fat Ox prepared Crab Culurgiones with smoked potato leek summer corn
Sadly my photo came out blurry and this picture doesn’t do this absolutely STUNNING stuffed pasta justice.
Can’t see all the beautiful folds this pasta had.
There was a milkshake competition where you can sample and vote for your favorite.
Live music
Complimentary Rose to try
Smoked Fish Dip from Chula Seafood…..(This was really delicious!)
Noble Bread
Tito’s Handmade Vodka
Local Chocolates
From Bly Sky Farms
There was all this and much more!
My purchases
Smoked Fish Dip with house made bagel chipsSweet Frying PeppersUnusual Pink Oyster MushroomsSquash BlossomsOne stunning Tomato
July 6th will be themed Grilling and Chilling. The last of the series is called Sweet Treats July 13th.
Parking might be challenging because the lot is small and the street parking might already be taken.
That was Chefs and Famers Market Series at Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale AZ June 29th 2019.
It’s pretty easy to bake a delicious cake with sugar and butter. I wanted to challenge myself today so I came up with a cake that is almost fat free and also is sugar free NATURALLY!!!!!!! A few months back I made a delicious banana snack cake without adding butter. I wondered if I could make a date cake without adding sugar or butter and I sort of did! I really didn’t know how great this cake was until I made it a 2nd time unembellished. A little while back I published this recipe just for the cake plain because many people don’t want a fancy cake and mess with making a marmalade ………..You can always purchase a jar of all-fruit jam without sugar to spread on the cake……I think any sort of orange flavor and a little chocolate goes very well with this cake (you can drizzle it a little melted chocolate or stick chocolate shavings to the side). Mandarinquats (a mandarin and kumquat cross) were used as a marmalade topping. The Mandarinquats are full of flavor, are perfect for marmalade and goes extremely well with dates. I wasn’t too sure about the cake being great with sugar or butter until I made the cake a second time……but I thought by dressing the cake with Mandarinquat Marmalade the cake would be delicious and it is…..I also embellished the cake with some leftover home made ricotta cannoli fillings that I used like frosting that I had in my freezer that aren’t too sweet but delicious…..A cake doesn’t have to have too much sugar or fat in it to taste good! I note that the marmalade recipe makes about double of what you need. It’s also better to make the marmalade the day before if you want the marmalade cool for your cake.
Ingredients for about 8 servings
1 cup water – (for marmalade)
1/2 lb mandarinquats – ends sliced off cut in slices – seeds removed (you may substitute other small citrus but the flavor and tartness may differ some) – (for marmalade)
small pinch ground star anise – (for marmalade)
one cinnamon stick – (for marmalade)
3/4 cup sugar – (for marmalade)
1/2 Meyer lemon – (for marmalade)
1 lb dates – pits removed – chopped – soaked in hot water 1/2 hour and drained – (for cake)
4 eggs beaten – (for cake)
3/4 cup flour – (for cake)
1 teaspoon cinnamon – (for cake)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder – (for cake)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda – (for cake)
1/4 teaspoon vanila extract – (for cake)
small pinch sea salt – (for cake)
non stick spray to spray pan for cake
Directions
Set oven to 350 degrees F and spray 8 inch cake pan with non stick spray and set the pan to the side.
In a sauce pan on medium high heat add the citrus, star anise, cinnamon stick, sugar and bring to boil stirring pretty much……this takes a long time to cook…maybe 25 minutes (sorry I forgot to time)….you know its done just when you start to thing this will never get done……..The mixture starts to darken and thickens suddenly before your eyes and it’s done…Take off of heat when done and pour into a container to cool it some.
The soaked and drained dates get blended with the eggs……You blend them till it looks like cinnamon chocolate chip batter then you transfer to a mixing bowl. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Mix well.
Pour into 8 inch non stick sprayed cake pan.
Bake until done. (in my oven this took 20 minutes)
Remove from oven when done.
If you are adding a cannoli or cream cheese boarder then you have to wait till the cake is cool to add it………and fill in with marmalade
Or you can add the marmalade right away and serve.
Low Fat Low Sugar Mandarinquat Date Cake
My husband was bummed that I made a dessert because he is not very found of sweets but even he said that this cake was very good and it is!
Dining out with dogs in Metro Phoenix is just a “Fluff” story about taking my dogs out to eat. It all sort of officially started when my dog Louie got diagnosed with aggressive cancer. He was only given three – at most six months to live so I took him out to eat as often as possible because it was one of the few things he could enjoy. Instead of the 3-6 months Louie made it another seventeen months. Today my current dogs enjoy going out to eat.
Many restaurants in Metro Phoenix have patios but not all restaurant patios are dog friendly. It’s always BEST to call a restaurant and ask if it’s ok to dine on the patio with your dog before you do…..Because sometimes restaurants change their policies or they could be booked for a party. It’s also always BEST to dine at off times. It’s BEST to avoid as many other diners and other dogs as possible. Not everyone shares your love of dogs and some people also are allergic to dogs….Those are problems you need to avoid. The other potential problem is often dogs like to bark at other dogs and you might be asked to leave if that happens. So just make things as easy as possible and call the restaurant first and dine at off times.
There are rules to dining out with dogs. Your dog(s) must be by your side at all times. Dogs are not to sit on restaurant furniture or eat off restaurant plates. It’s a good idea to bring your own dog bowl for water for your dog. You must be aware that most food and drink that you consume can be potentially harmful or even TOXIC to your dog. It’s necessary to consult your veterinarian on food safe and unsafe lists. Usually a small amount of lean sauce free meat is a best choice. The other BIG ONE is that your dog is not as heat tolerant as you. Just like people all dogs have a different tolerance for heat. I’d say in general 90 degrees F and up is too hot for dining out with dogs. Maybe not for all dogs but most younger healthy dogs might be able to dine out in up to 90 degrees F BUT ONLY IN SHADED PATIOS….When in any doubt please leave your dog home.
We might be ready to dine out with dogs now!
I’m turning The Forking Truth over to my dogs now to tell their own story.
“We are going to try some Detroit Style Pizza at The Rec in Peoria AZ”
“The Rec is a small Pizzeria that serves Detroit Style Pizza.”
“Detroit Pizza is delicious pizza!” “It’s cut in squares with really crispy cheesy ends and a crisp buttery bottom with a doughy crust that is bubbly and not too heavy.”
“The plain is topped with a delicious blend of cheeses instead of sauce.” Then a rich chunky sweet tomato sauce goes on top of the cheese so the cheese doesn’t burn.”
“Our folks got a small plain and a medium with pepperoni and sausage.”
“Forking YES!!!!!!!!!!!” “Those crunchy cheesy ends are Forking Grrrrrrrrreat!” “We’ve” loved our first taste of Detroit Style Pizza!”
www.TheRecPizzeria.com
“June got so Forking Hot Fast.”
Just Forking Fast Food
“Our Folks don’t eat food from Burger King but they do take us out to eat there so we can can have something out to eat out.”
“It smells mighty tasty at the drive threw”!
“We scored a package just for us!”
“It was nice sharing Burger King today!” “I like the burger juice on your mouth.”
“Oh FORK!” “More Fast Food”
“It’s still FORKING HOT in Phoenix so we are in the Jack In The Box Drive Threw” “Our folks don’t eat Jack In The Box but they are treating us to something.”
“I’m always amazed that people in buildings toss food out the window”
“There’s no Jack in my box.” “but there’s a cheese burger.”
“Well that was Dining Out with DOGS in Metro Phoenix for June 2019.” “I don’t know if we will get to see you in July.” “We are hoping for a monsoon to cold things down.” “We do hope to see you soon!”
The Forking TruthIn Memory of Louie 5-5-2001 – 3-3-2017
The Social on 83rd is a relatively new restaurant in the P83 (across from Peoria Sports Complex on 83rd ave = P83) area of metro Phoenix that is considered to be the upper west side. This is a New American Restaurant that offers mostly American Foods some with global touches, Weekend Brunch and more!
They offer a lovely modern atmosphere and a variety of all kinds of seating.
Traditional tables, booths, benches with chairs, high top options…..
Seating at the bar.
Seating on the outside patio and the outside bar.
I’ve been here a few times now and so far I’ve found that the appetizers are especially notable….Possibly among the best to be found in the upper west side.
They took the Korean Style 24 hour short rib bun(s) off the menu but they were exceptionally delicious.
They’ve been replaced with Korean Style BBQ Tofu that has the same flavors and is just as delicious.
Here’s the Scotch Egg with Deep Fried Mustard Vinaigrette Greens. This was really good! The greens were made unusually tasty.
Another winning appetizer is the NY Strip Sliders.
These are very developed with flavors and the meat was tender like butter.
The next one isn’t the prettiest but it was the best fried macaroni and cheese ball that I tried so far.
Mac ‘N’ Cheese Balls from The Social on 83rd in Peoria at P83
The ones they served me were so cheesy and so flavorful. The pasta had perfect texture. They also seemed free of grease but I know they weren’t. The exterior breading was so crisp and thin. These were really REALLY GREAT! They also sat on top of a lemon herb aioli.
From a couple different visits the two salads I tried were very solid.
Jerk Chicken Caesar with Mango Caesar Dressing.
Cali Cranberry Salad with added chicken.
I hit them on an off night for dinner.
Someone new was cooking and dinners had under cooking and over cooking issues.
We did let them know about the dishes and our server and the chef were very apologetic. Dishes were re-made and were better …………………
I do note that every appetizer each time that I was here was delicious and very notable! Salads were GOOD!
The Social on 83rd in Peoria at P83 serves great appetizers that are Worth a Fork!
www.TheSocialAZ.com
Every FORKING THING is subject to change and your experience may or may NOT differ.
Boondocks Patio and Grill is located in Scottsdale by Old Town. This restaurant serves better or maybe just more creative more interesting and detailed bar food like duck fat fries, roasted corn on cob with Mexican tahini sauce, salads, half pound burgers, sandwiches and some entrees. When we arrived the atmosphere was energetic with classic rock and roll. Boondocks also offers an indoor-outdoor bar, inside dining and a massive patio that I wasn’t able to photo because the entrance to the patio was clogged with people today.
I noticed that most of the people arrived via several of The Arizona Party Bikes.
Boondocks offers community high top tables and booths in the dining room. There are several big screen TVs and Digital Darts inside. They also offer pool tables, bag toss, ping pong and more.
I ordered the Grilled Tacos Pescado.
I received three full sized tacos stuffed with grilled blackened (spicy) seasonal whitefish, lime shredded cabbage, tomato, big creamy wedges of avocado and these really tasty pickled onions on well made tortillas (I picked corn). I was pleasantly surprised….these tacos are actually better than most I eat out. The fish is meaty and very flavorful and spicy. Then combined with lime cabbage, pickled onions and creamy avocado they are very good! A large amount of very crisp corn chips and tomatillo salsa finish the plate.
My husband got the Sin Burger.
It’s a half pound of American raised beef, jalapeño marmalade, pickled cabbage, lots of avocado, a thick blanket of good pepper jack cheese, cilantro mayo (left off by my husband’s request), and a big roasted jalapeño on a big soft eggy bun. WOW! a perfect medium rare! (that rarely happens) My husband said that this is another of his favorite burgers. He picked potato tots as his side. They seemed free of oil and had crisp exteriors and were chunky and potato-ee inside.
Our meals last time were Worth a Fork! (same burger and another that was discontinued)
Our meals this time were also Worth a Fork!
Worth a Fork!
www.BoondocksAZ.com
Boondocks Patio Bar and Grill Scottsdale AZ – Worth a Fork! BIG Patio -Lots of Games – Better Bar Food
Every THING is subject to change and your experience may or may NOT differ.
At the Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale Arizona there is a Chefs and Farmers Market Series on Saturdays June 22 – July 13 2019 from 9am-1pm. This is a FREE event but you do need to R.S.V.P. on the Hotel Valley Ho Website. Each week is a different theme. The first week was South of the Border.
There were several delicious things to try today.
Chef Rene Andrade and his team from Ghost Ranch prepared Pork Chiaquiles.
Chef Samantha Sanz of Talavera prepared Ajo Blanco, Basil Honey Sorbeto with Marcona Almond Gremolata.
Chef Greg Otero prepared Citrus Marinated Carne Asada Tacos with Roast Poblano Crema, Pickled Red Onions, Cabbage and Cotija Cheese.
There also was a milkshake competition. You could try all three and vote for your favorite.
It was very crowded. There was a complimentary champagne taste that I passed by.
Edibles for sale. (all this and more)
A little bit of produce too!
Next week June 29th the theme is Bada Boom, July 6th will be Grilling and Chilling and July 13th will be Sweet Treats.
Parking may be challenging. The lot is very small and street parking was mostly filled.
I make an eye roast once or twice a year when they are on sale for $1.99 a pound. The secret here is that your pieces of eye roast must be trimmed and be in pieces that weigh 3-4 pounds. You make a paste and rub it all over. Throw them in a 500 degree F oven for JUST 15 minutes. Shut the oven off and leave the roast in there for two hours. Pull them out and leave the roast rest for one half hour and that’s all there is! This rub today just might be the very best one ever! ………Ultra delicious and flavorful!……..Out of the eye roast that was slightly over 8 lbs……after trimming and cooking ……I got 18 – 3oz servings plus 9 – 2oz servings. Leftovers freeze well.
Ingredients for about 25 servings
1 8 lb eye roast
1/3 cup canola oil
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 Tablespoons ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons granulated garlic
2 Tablespoons smoked paprika
pinch ground cloves
Directions
Set oven to 500 degrees F
Trim up the eye roast
Get off all the fat and silver skin.
Cut eye roast in half (you want two 3-4 lb pieces. Place roasts in pan.
In a small mixing bowl combine all the ingredients and mix well.
Rub all the meat surfaces well with the spice paste.
this goes in the preheated 500 degree oven for only 15 minutes.*******BUT DON”T OPEN THE DOOR!******** After the 15 minutes DON’T OPEN THE FORKING OVEN and just shut it off. Leave the eye roast in the off oven for 2 hours….. Then you pull out and let rest for 30 minutes to let it rest before you serve.
Forking AMAZING EZ Eye Roast
Enjoy! (P.S. from the drippings from the pan you can bring it to a boil with around 4 or more medium sized sweet onions (sliced very thin) with a little water or a big splash of wine then reduce to simmer and cook about two hours…..It turns into a freaking incredible beefy onion gravy)
Tacos Chiwas is a small casual state of Chihuahua Style Taqueria located in Phoenix Arizona. They offer about eight kinds of tacos (some are a little tongue and cheek), gorditas, quesadillas, burritos, breakfast burritos and a bean soup.
You order at the counter.
Pick a table on the patio.
Or pick a table indoors.
Soon someone runs your order to you.
Today we tried an asada taco, a carnitas taco and a pollo taco.
These are street sized tacos (smaller sized) but they are very well packed with lots of fillings. You can eat them the way they come or spike them up a little more with the salsa bar.
All the tacos were very good but the one that stood out today was the asada (beef) taco. The beef (today…maybe not tomorrow) was the most developed with flavors. It was tender and had this delicious smoky char on it. All the tacos were well worth the $2.50 that each of them cost.
I’d say my trip to Tacos Chiwas was Worth a Fork!
Worth a Fork!
www.TacosChiwas.com
Every FORKING Thing is subject to change and your experience may or may NOT differ.
Casseroles can be very heavy and are usually made with large amounts of fatty cheese or cheeses to hold them together. I tried to lighten this casserole by using a secret ingredient of fat free cottage cheese to hold the squash together with only three whole eggs. I think that fat free cottage cheese taste more milky and closer to natural than fat free ricotta. I did use a conservative amount of blended pizza cheese made with part skim for the top to make the casserole tastier with some tomato sauce. You might notice that I didn’t add salt because I thought my fat free cottage cheese was salty enough but yours may differ. You can do a taste test of the squash mixture before you put it in the pan by removing a spoonful and baking it in the oven on some foil for about 6 minutes. It’s important to drain the squash well. It also should be mentioned that the casserole isn’t heavy enough to hold all the moisture from the squash so it will collect water that you will have to drain. This does taste good!
Ingredients for around 16 portions
2 large spaghetti squash – roasted, seeds removed and squash scraped out of shell, drained ( mine came to around 8 cups)
2 lbs fat free cottage cheese
3 eggs
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
few grates fresh nutmeg
8 oz Italian cheese blend – preferably fresh grated (I used about 2/3 part skim mozzarella, provolone and sharp provolone)
2 cups tomato sauce – preferably any recipe that you enjoy (or you can use basic winter tomato sauce recipe from www.TheForkingTruth.com or whatever you want)
neutral non stick spray
Directions
Set oven to 350 degrees F and spray a very large pan (I used a half pan) with non stick spray and set to the side. Also spray some aluminum foil for the top so the cheese doesn’t stick to the foil.
Once the spaghetti squash is drained put it in a very large mixing bowl and set it to the side.
Blend the cottage cheese till smooth. Blend in the eggs. Mix in the basil, oregano, peppers and nutmeg.
Add the cottage cheese mixture to the spaghetti squash and mix well. Now is the time to do the taste test for salt if you want to. When you are happy with the squash mixture pour it into the sprayed large pan and make the mixture smooth and even.
Spread out the grated cheese evenly over the top. Now spread out the tomato sauce over the top. Apply the foil with sprayed side towards the food.
This stays in the oven till cooked threw. In my oven this took 75 minutes. Yours may differ.
Serve with some grated Italian Cheese so nobody misses all the fat that isn’t there.
The Upper West Side of Metro Phoenix has a New Restaurant Opening with Greek Palace…..OPA!……This is a full service Mediterranean Restaurant. The atmosphere is airy modern with some Greek accents.
We ordered and the first thing that comes out are freshly made Greek Salads that are part of our lunch platters.
Next comes out our Combo Appetizer.
We received creamy Hummus, smoky Baba Ghanouj, lemon-ee Domas, Falafels, Tzatziki Sauce, (ultra garlic) Tahini Sauce and Lots of Warm Pita Bread.
The falafels are on the dense side and not so herby……but they taste fresh made and have a nice chick pea flavor.
Then our lunch platters arrive. I got the Chicken Kabob Platter.
I received juicy slightly charred marinated chunks of chicken breast, yellow basmati rice, grilled tomato, pepper and onion, tzatziki and more pita bread. All is A-OK here! I should note that the menu description differed slightly for the platters and reads Greek Pickles and Turnips instead of the Grilled Vegetables…..Our waiter explained that is due to the soft opening and they weren’t able to get them in………
My husband tried what is named the Fire Fighter Platter.
He received a plate of thin seasoned beef and lamb that was charbroiled on a vertical skewer, grilled onions, tomato, pepper, hot peppers (that might be giardiniera), yellow basmati rice, tzatziki and warm pita bread. The meat is moist and flavorful all is good here too!
Portions were large and we had leftovers to pack up…..
OPA! Muchas Gracias! LOL
If in the area you might consider giving Greek Place in Peoria a try!
OPA! Greek Palace recently opened in Peoria!
Opa!
www.GreekPalace.net
Everything is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.
