Monthly Archives: July 2020

Stuffed Southwest Style Chicken Breast Recipe

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I got lots of odds and ends in my freezer that I have to use. I also stocked up on chicken breast because Safeway has had them on a sale often. I ended up making something like a pie with chicken breast as the bottom crust. It came out delicious. If you fill the butterflied chicken breast with mostly moist flavorful fillings the chicken should come out moist and flavorful. Depending on the filling you might need to add an egg or maybe two so it holds together. I’m guessing that this makes around 6 servings for most people….. I wrote down everything I made the chicken with but I don’t have exactly how I made the corn bread stuffing topping…because I winged it on Thanksgiving and used turkey drippings instead of oil. You can use any flavorful cornbread…I also used the end of my cranberry pickled beets. You can use a chunky not very drippy cranberry relish as a substitute if you want.

Ingredients for around 6 servings

1 lb chicken breast – butterfly and pound thin

1 lb pumpkin cooked and drained – I used real pumpkin

3 oz chipotle in adobo (fine chop any jalapeño)

1 Tablespoon fancy mustard (I used a dijon with some grain)

1 Tablespoon honey

3 eggs beaten (2 go in the corn bread and one holds together the pumpkin)

8 oz corn bread – cut in cubes

1/4 cup fresh parsley – chopped

bbq seasoning blend (I normally never buy a blend…think I got this was a gift and finally used it…It’s a combination oof salt, garlic, onion, bell pepper, unknown spices, natural smoke and paprika) Chicken gets seasoned well with this on both sides.

non stick spray

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F. NOTE I did set my oven at 350 degrees roast. My oven might not be accurate. I think my oven runs slightly less but it’s close enough.

Spray a loaf pan with non stick spray

Season butterflied and pounded chicken breast on both sides and place in pan so it’s like a crust shape.

Add Parsley.

In a medium bowl add the pumpkin, chipotle adobo, mustard, honey and one beaten egg. Mix well and that is next layer.

Next add cranberry or cranberry pickled beets……

In a bowl mix up the corn bread cubes with the two beaten eggs and that is the last layer.

Cover tight with foil and place on middle rack of preheated 350 degree F oven.

Timing will differ because we might not have pounded out the chicken the same. mine was done in 45 minutes. I uncovered mine and put it back in for ten minutes so the top would brown up a bit.

Don’t be alarmed at the juice that is around chicken.

I set mine on counter to cool and then refrigerated over night.

The next day I drained the juice and will serve with the slices.

It came out delicious! Even the chicken is very moist and flavorful from all the flavors.

Stuffed Southwest Style Chicken Breast

Can do this a bunch of different ways.

The Forking Truth

Before You Toss Out Scallions or Romaine Ends Consider Produce Regeneration

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A while ago I read that many produce items can regenerate. One vegetable they recommended was the scallion. They said to put the root ends in water and the plant will regenerate. I tried this a few times and hit did grow but always eventually rotted like after a week. I find that basically doing nothing and letting the ends stay in the refrigerator produces results in about two weeks time and haven’t rotted yet.

You will get even better and faster results if you just plant them.

You can get mini romaine heads off of your romaine ends with just water.

It takes about a week to grow a mini head…..But then you have to use it or it will rot.

Before you toss out scallion or romaine ends consider produce regeneration.

The Forking Truth

Forking Easy Delicious Home Made Pizza Recipe

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One of my favorites…Seasoned Heirloom Tomatoes on top of Cheese Blend

Bread recipes are NEVER exact. Every time I follow a bread recipe I have to make adjustments. I didn’t know until a few years ago I found out that every brand of flour is ground differently and produces different results. Humidity and elevation also produce different results. I find that my pizzas come out best when I don’t measure. I just go by how it feels. I tried to measure for here so you can learn. I think it would be best to watch a video on pizza making. It’s too hard to photo when I’m all doughy. Remember that this is just hints and a guide for pizza making.  You can top it however you feel like. This recipe makes enough dough for TWO 14 in pizzas. A total of 16 slices or 8 light servings. Or in my house about 5 servings depending if you have big pizza fans in your house. This project will be easier and quicker with a double oven.

Ingredients to make 2 pizzas or about 8 servings

1 packet 1/4oz active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 cups water 100-110 degrees F

3 cups bread flour ( more flour is needed)

1/4 cup (scant) extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon course sea salt

1 cup bread flour ( knead in what you need and more flour to rest the dough ball)

2 teaspoons semolina flour (or corn meal)m(1 t. each pizza)

2 big pinches semolina flour (or corn meal) ( 1 big pinch each)

Directions

In a large bowl add the yeast, sugar and water (around 110 degrees F) and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place for a half hour. After a half hour the mixture should look foamy on the top and you can precede.

Add the three cups of flour and hand mix now. After well mixed add the 1/4 cup oil and salt. Hand mix. The dough will be sticky. Add the remaining cup of flour to the bowl. Knead in what the dough needs and when you are able to make a nice dough ball let it rest in the flour that’s left and cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for an hour. The dough should have doubled in size.

After an hour punch the dough down and make into another dough ball. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for about an hour again.

After another hour leave on your counter and take your time. The dough needs at least few hours to develop flavor. Some people let the flavor develop longer (up to three days but with refrigeration and a few hours to warm to room temperature to bake) and you can if you want to but really a few hours is enough. I like to make my dough early in the morning and usually bake it in the afternoon.

Set the top oven to 500 degrees F. (this is easier with a double oven) Set your bottom oven with a seasoned baking stone on a middle rack and set the bottom oven also to 470 foo start with. Get a 14 in pizza pan and rub it well with olive oil and sprinkle it with semolina flour. Take out half the dough from the big batch of dough. Knead it up into a ball and place it on the pan. Sprinkle a little semolina over the top and now slowly stretch the dough out with your hands and fingers. When done place in the oven till it looks just cooked. (turn light on so you can view) It will take around 5-6 minutes.

Turn up your lower oven to 475 degrees F.  But just about 5 minutes before the pizza goes in crank it up to 500 degrees F **************WARNING that this is indeed DANGAROUS and the stone might crack or burst************ONLY DO THIS IF YOUR STONE IS SEASONED!!!!!!OR YOUR STONE WILL BURST! You won’t get the same crust but it’s much safer if you follow recommended manufacturers heat tolerance for your stone….I think mine is safe up to 460 degrees…….

When you dough shell is out of the oven turn it upside down on to a pizza paddle or very large cutting board. Top the pizza however you like. You will need to drizzle the top with a little olive oil for flavor and to slow down the burning of the cheese or topping. Burnt cheese is not good…you don’t want burnt cheese.

Slide the pizza onto the stone. It’s going to be done in about 5-6 minutes. Have the light on and watch. You want the crust to brown up a little and you want the cheese melted but not burnt.

ENJOY A FORKING DELICIOUS PIZZA!

Arugula Balsamic and Taleggio Pizza

Pepperoni pizza

Pizza with Fresh Mozzarella

Great Crisp Crust

My Heirloom Tomato Pizza

NEW Favorite Italian Style Cauliflower with Taleggio ad Robiola Cheese

One of my favorites…Seasoned Heirloom Tomatoes on top of Cheese Blend

Another FAVORITE……Crispy leek gruyere cheese blend with cheddar mushrooms evoo and fresh thyme
The Forking Truth

Take Out From Nanaya Japanese Kitchen in Phoenix AZ******NOW CLOSED FOR BUSINESS

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******NOW CLOSED FOR BUSINESS******Nanaya Japanese Kitchen recently opened in the Arcadia District of Phoenix Arizona. According to their menu they serve homestyle Japanese Food. Their menu is interesting and different with low prices so I assumed that the plates would be small but I was wrong.

They offer two kinds of ramen on their menu and both are chicken broth with tender chicken. One is creamy and the other is clear. We went with clear. We started out by sharing the Tori Chintan Ramen ($10.) They gave us a very large serving that is enough for two people. (maybe by accident?)

Here is my HALF!

The moist chicken breast is DELICIOUS and developed with flavors. It’s in a salt forward but very balanced broth enhanced with bamboo, asparagus, seaweed, chewy thin noodles and what they called a ramen egg. The egg seemed like a hard boiled egg to me. The chicken was really great in this dish even after traveling 35 minutes to get it home.

We shared a bunch of other dishes.

I’ll bring the food up closer.

We started with the spicy tuna sushi roll ($6.). It was prepared nice and neat but wasn’t really spicy. I liked that it didn’t fall apart. Next we shared some of the beef shigureni ($12.). It’s different and unique. It’s made of marinated beef topped with pepper threads. The beef is Japanese flavored in a way I never tasted before. It makes me think about a Japanese steak sandwich. The rest of the bowl is rice, cabbage and a ramen egg (like a hard boiled egg). (This plate differed slightly from menu description)

Another unusual plate is the Nanaya Elote ($5.). It’s an ear of corn that is covered with SPICY Japanese mayo and yuzu cheese. It was really SPICY HOT with flavors that were new and different to me.

My favorite plate was the Salmon Yuanyaki ($13.). The salmon was seasoned nicely. It came with shredded cabbage and Japanese potato salad. I don’t know if this is how they would serve it next time because the menu description did differ. We also had a container of rice that we didn’t use.

Nanaya Japanese Kitchen was a very nice take out that was unique and different.

******NOW CLOSED FOR BUSINESS*********

www.NanayaJapaneseKitchen.com

Everything is subject to change and we hope it does change for the better.

The Forking Truth

Take Out In Metro Phoenix AZ During The CoronaVirus Pandemic – Week 17 – Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery, Taco Fusion, Nanaya Japanese Kitchen, Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante

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Going out to eat can be deadly these days during the coronavirus pandemic. Take out is a less risky option. These days all restaurants are struggling. We resist going out as much as possible to avoid infected people so we are doing take out a little more often just for something to do.

Our first take out of the week was from Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery in North Phoenix. They offer most of your Vietnamese favorites except for pho. Their specialty is the banh mi baguette sandwich and offer around a dozen different varieties of it. Today we ordered pot stickers, a lotus root salad and a shaken beef banh mi.

Pot stickers are always tasty, Lotus root salad is herbal lightl and refreshing. The shaken beef banh mi is very good!

I know that the beef in it is rib eye but it is as tender as filet mignon. It’s all very good and all this food is less than $20. before tax and tip.

We always share some with the dogs.

Next take out was from Taco Fusion in Glendale.

We got a variety of tacos, a variety of fresh salsas and a side of vegetarian black beans. EVERYTHING was delicious! Taco Fusion is GREAT! They even use hand made tortillas. My favorite taco there is the mild chicken habanero taco with pineapple salsa. My husband says the shrimp tacos there are excellent. Of course our dogs were waiting to try some.

We tried a brand new Japanese Restaurant that just opened called Nanaya Japanese Kitchen in Phoenix.

I was expecting tiny portions but received full size large portions. We shared a spicy tuna roll, the salmon yuanyaki, beef shigureni, tori chintan ramen and a very unusual Nanaya Elote. WOW it was. all interesting and different. My favorite was the salmon yuanyaki with the surprise Japanese potato salad. Had plenty to share with the dogs.

Last take out of the week was from Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante in Glendale/#UpperWestSide. I like how my salad came in a tamper proof bag.

I got a strawberry and chicken salad with toasted almonds and my husband got the Bottega Pizza that is topped with pepperoni and sausage. All was great and I shared my chicken with the dogs.

“We will get threw this thing and ALL THE FOOD together!”

Week 17 of take out during the coronavirus pandemic was from –

Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery – North Phoenix

Taco Fusion – Glendale

Nanaya Japanese Kitchen – Phoenix

Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante – Glendale/#UpperWestSide

Everything is subject to change and we hope it does change for the better.

The Forking Truth

Marinated Cucumber Vegetable Salad With Lime Pickled Onions Recipe – inspired by Binkley’s Recipe

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I was sort of gifted with a lot of cucumbers so I had to make a really nice cucumber salad to eat all week instead of my normal salad. I came across chef Binkley’s recipe for marinated cucumber salad on the web. I figure since he is one of Arizona’s greatest chefs that his recipe has to be really great so I sort of based my recipe similar to his. I do note my idea of serving will differ from yours. For me this will make around 10 lunch size meals. This takes two days to prepare for the pickling.

Ingredients for around 10 servings

12 cucumbers – peeled, seeds removed, cut in slices

2 pickled jalapeños (preferably home made) – chopped

2 cups rice wine vinegar

2 Tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup sea salt

1 cup bell peppers – diced

1 large red onion – sliced paper thin on mandolin

1 cup lime juice

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon salt

3 cups roasted corn

2 Tablespoons fresh parsley – chopped

2 Tablespoons fresh mint – chopped

2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro – chopped

2 Tablespoons scallions – chopped

Directions

Rice wine vinegar, 2 Tablespoons sugar, 1/4 cup salt get mixed together in a large bowl. Add cucumbers and jalapeños. Let sit out around one hour and stir occasionally. Refrigerate separate from other vegetables going into the salad.

Get a sauce pot on medium high and heat up the water, remaining sugar and remaining salt till dissolved. Let cool and mix in lime juice. Pour into the onions mixed with bell peppers. This needs to pickle over night. put it in the refrigerator and put the salad to gather the next day.

Next day put the salad together and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Marinated Cucumber and Vegetable Salad with Lime Pickled Onions

Special THANK YOU to chef Binkley for posting his recipe on the internet so I could come up with this delicious salad.

The Forking Truth

Weird Forking Drinking and Eating Masks Out There For The CoronaVirus Pandemic

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We are in a serious health crisis and it is advisable and also the law depending on your location to wear masks when you are in a public space. Scientist have proved that much of the virus can stop spreading if we all wear masks. This mandate upsets some people but wearing a mask is the right thing to do. People who don’t wear masks are selfish and can unknowingly be carriers of the virus. They can unintentionally infect others. I was looking at masks for sale on eBay and I noticed that many people now are selling eating and drinking masks.

I don’t think any of these mask can possibly be effective because they all have openings in them.

For a mask to be effective it is suppose to be tight but breathable. It’s suppose to have layers. I’m not a scientist so I Don’t know if this is true but I read that not all but some masks actually provide partial protection against the virus. The bad news is that you can still the catch the virus wearing a better mask that offers partial protection. (kn95, mask with hepa filter are considered better masks. Best masks are reserved for health care workers) The good news is that chances are that you won’t catch as much of the virus with a better well fitting mask. That can make a difference that is more valuable than any amount of money.

If your FORKING Mask has a hole or slit in it you are spreading germs and more germs can spread to you.

#Don’t Kill Grandma Wear a sensible Mask

There is a bunch of Forking Weird Eating and Drinking Masks Out There for sale during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Every FORKING THING is subject to change and we hope IT DOES CHANGE FOR THE BETTER!

The Forking Truth

Asian Style Cucumber Salad Recipe

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I found a page of recipes for Din Tai Fung Style Cucumber Salad when I searched Persian Cucumbers on the web. I read each recipe. Most were the same or similar but a few were different. Since I never tasted Din Tai Fung Cucumber Salad I don’t know what it taste like or what recipe is the most similar. I came up with something that is similar but different. They came out light and refreshing and would be a great appetizer to an Asian Style meal. My idea of serving size will differ from your idea of serving size. I can see two people eating this batch since it doesn’t make much but I can also see this as four lighter small servings.

Ingredients for 4 servings

5 Persian Cucumbers – ends trimmed – cut in inch high chunks

1 1/2 Tablespoon kosher salt (to sweat cucumbers)

3 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 Tablespoons mirin

2 Tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons toasted sesame seed oil

1 1/2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (or to taste)

splash soy sauce

Directions

In a medium bowl add the cucumber chunks and the salt. Mix well and leave the cucumbers sweat for 20 minutes. Then rinse and dry the cucumber chunks. In a small bowl mix up the vinegar, mirin, honey, oil, chili paste and soy sauce. In a zip lock bag (I only needed a sandwich size bag) add the rinsed off and dried cucumber chunks and the liquid mixture. Try to push air out as you zip lock the bag and refrigerate over night and serve tomorrow.

Asian Style Cucumber Salad

Enjoy!

The Forking Truth

Forking Weird Produce Out There

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This is a small collection of the Forking Weirdest Produce I found out there. I do warn you that some people might find some of the images disturbing.

Up above is an ear of corn I purchased from Sprouts Farmers Market Grocery Store. My corn came from Sprouts…….I think my corn is Sprouting something extra…..

Here’s an unusual gourd I found at Sprouts Grocery. It has unusual ridges but still looks like a duck.

Found a Forking Weird carrot in my bag of carrots.

I guess it’s a male carrot?

This next one is weird too.

It’s a cherry………I think I’ll name it Dolly.

These next ones are FORKING WEIRD TOO and look like female radishes.

Dirty radishes.

Those were some of the weird produce that is out there.

The Forking Truth

Take Out During The CoronaVirus Pandemic in Metro Phoenix Week 16 – Pita Kitchen, Fabio On Fire, Scott’s Generations Restaurant and Delicatessen, FnB, Aioli Burgers

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Dining out can be deadly these days during the pandemic. Take out is a less risky option. All restaurants are struggling and we have little else to do these days anyway so we are giving as much support as we can to restaurants.

Our first take out of the week was from a small casual Mediterranean/Greek restaurant Pita Kitchen in Glendale (#UpperWestSide). I didn’t go in to pick up but my husband said that they installed more plexiglass inside for our safety.

Pita Kitchen bakes their own fresh pita bread that is always delicious. I usually get the chicken kabob Greek Salad. The kabob always taste delicious with lots of flavors and always has a delicious char. 18 out 20 times it is also juicy. My husband usually gets the gyro meat on a Greek Salad.

My dogs always love Pita Kitchens’ food.

Next Take Out was from Fabio On Fire in Peoria (#UpperWestSide). This is a small Italian Restaurant that offers Neapolitan Pizzas, various Italian dishes, amazing breads and desserts (FORKING FABULOUS Gelato). They have a 100% contact free curbside transaction. You order and pay online and all the communication is done by text. They sanitize a table and your order is placed there.

We got family style pear salad, pappardelle con fungi and peach gelato. Everything was very good. Portions were very large. P.S. That peach gelato is the best in the whole wide WORLD. Fabio should go to shark tank to sell his gelato across America….YES IT’S THAT FABULOUS!

Pups were happy to try a little cheese from the salad.

We also did take out from Scotts Generations Restaurant and Delicatessen in Phoenix. They offer breakfast dishes and delicatessen favorites.

My husband got a pastrami sandwich (or actually 2) I got the smoked fish supreme platter and tomorrow we will try the latkes for breakfast. My platter is a really great value. My platter is large and I get three meals out of it. One of the fish I pick is Lake Sturgeon…..I don’t think any other restaurant sells it in Phoenix and it cost around $40. a pound. My platter also comes with a bagel, cream cheese, cole slaw, potato salad, fresh made pickles and vegetables. It’s a nice treat to have once in a while. We also like that Scott’s is open on most of the holidays.

Our dogs were very excited to try some of Scott’s.

FnB in Scottsdale had a take out special on fried chicken so we got two. In case you have been living under a rock…..FnB is co-owned by a James Bead award winning chef Charleen Badman so if she offers a take out special like this it would be advisable to try it.

Half a fried chicken with a peach and feta salad, macaroni and corn salad and potato salads. This is also way more food than anyone can possibly eat. But WOW! This take out was GREAT! Reminds me oof a similar take out from Thomas Kellers’ Ad Hoc. His fried chicken was also fabulous but FnBs’ sides are far more detailed and delicious!

Dogs are yappy….I mean happy to try some.

Last Take Out of the week was from Aioli Burgers in Phoenix. I heard about a Nashville Hot Chicken Style Sandwich that was on special for the Fourth of July….But it was Sunday the fifth and they were still offering them so we decided to give them a try.

We each got a Nashville Style Hot Chicken Sandwich with a side of roasted vegetables. Our sandwiches were suppose to come with green chili aioli but the aioli was forgotten….or maybe they ran out?. The sandwiches are tasty and the chicken is moist. They aren’t very spicy but they are tasty as chicken sandwiches. As per usual my dogs helped with the large portion of chicken. (I removed the coating for them since it might contain spices and vinegar that are not good for dogs)

“We are in this thing together!”

That was take out in metro Phoenix week 16 of the coronavirus pandemic.

We went to-

Pita Kitchen – Glendale/#UpperWestSide

Fabio On Fire – Peoria/#UpperWestSide

Scott’s Generations Restaurant and Delicatessen – Phoenix

FnB – Scottsdale

Aioli Burgers – Phoenix

Everything is subject to change and we hope it does for the better.

The Forking Truth