There is always something new, weird, different, limited or special edition out there in the wonderful world of food. We never know WTFork we will come across when we shop for food.
Up above is –
LIMITED EDITION Lucky Charms with magic clovers that turn your stomach….OOPS! …….I mean milk green. I got only one thing to say…
DIFFERENT and maybe NEW – Cap’n Crunch Peanut Butter Crunch Treats….Looks a bit scary to me……
NEW – Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes with Cinnamon Basketballs………I could see kids having a mess…I mean fun with this…..What happened to Tony The Tiger…..He looks weird on that box like a generic version.
NEW – Little Debbie Ice Creams in Oatmeal Creme Pie, Cosmic Brownies, Zebra Cakes, Honey Buns, Strawberry Shortcake Roll, Swiss rolls, Nutty Bars…..Umm they look and sound intriguing…..?????
DIFFERENT and maybe NEW – Godiva Ice Creams in Mint Medallion, Salted Caramel Brownie, Hazelnut Crunch, Midnight Swirl, Praline Cone Crunch…….Might be good?
NEW Coca-Cola with Coffee……..If you don’t mind canned coffee why not?
LIMITED EDITION Cocoa Cola starlight…????? Doesn’t have an actual description but was inspired by space………Someone must have been smoking something funny to have thought up this one.
Old and maybe Weird – Chi-Chi’s 88cent drinks. I saw Skinny Margarita, Peach Margarita, Pink Lemonade, and Long Island Iced Tea Wine Cocktail. Lets see…Chi-Chi’s folded in 2004…so these party drinks are pretty old. (only kidding)
NEW – Lindt Lindor Almond Butter Milk Chocolate Truffles…..I don’t know how they are but sound like they can be delicious?
DIFFERENT – Hammond’s soda pop chocolate bar. This bar has cocoa cola flavor and fizzy popping candy in it…….Not for me but some will find it fun.
NEW – KitKat Lemon Crisp
DIFFERENT & Maybe & probably LIMITED EDITION – Peeps in donut shop coffee flavor…Because donut shop coffee taste different than coffee from other places?
NEW – Cheez-It Puff”d ……OH GOD they are awful! They don’t even seem edible. They stick to your teeth and don’t even seem like food. They should just send all the bags to all the prisons across the country…Eating one is just torture.
LIMITED FLAVOR – Smartfood Cinnamon Sugar Cupcake popcorn. I understand the cinnamon sugar thing but how do they get to make the popcorn taste like a Forking cupcake?
NEW – International Delight (liquid) that is Twinkie Flavored (artificial cream & processed cake) that you add to coffee………If that sounds good to you then you are easy to please……..
Dining out with dogs in metro Phoenix is just a “FLUFF” story about where I take my dogs out to eat. It all sort of started with my dog Louie. He was elderly and diagnosed with aggressive cancer. We were told to only expect three months and maybe up to six months for him to live. He couldn’t do a lot. but he always enjoyed eating and going out to eat. so I took him out to eat as often as I could. Instead of only three to six months Louie made it another seventeen months. Today I take my current dogs out to eat when I can.
There are a lot of things that you need to know about dining out with dogs. First thing that you need to realize is that many restaurants do have patios but not all patios are dog friendly. You need to see a sign posted that reads dog friendly patio. If you don’t see that then you must call the restaurant and ask if it is ok to dine there with your dog. It might seem strange but it is ALWAYS BEST to dine at off times and avoid as many people and other dogs as possible. Some people do’t share your love for dogs….Other people may be allergic to dogs. It’s best to avoid other dogs because dogs tend to bark at each other and this is a disturbance and you can be asked to leave.
You need to know that most food and drink that you consume can be harmful or even toxic to your furry friend. You need to get a list of foods to avoid and safe foods for your dog from your veterinarian. Usually a small un-sauced lean piece of meat is usually a safe bet. Also here in Phoenix it often gets too hot to dine out with dogs. Your dog is not as heat tolerant as you. They have fur coats, they can’t sweat, and they absorb heat up their paws. Everyone and every dog is different but for the most part 90 degrees F and up is too hot to dine out with dogs. When ever there is any doubt keep your dog safe and leave them at home.
If you do take your dog out to eat you need to know that your dog must be by your side at all times. Dogs are not to sit on restaurant furniture or to eat off of restaurant plates. You should bring a water bowl with you for dining out with dogs.
We thought about a new treat for the dogs today and went to NakedQ BBQ in North Phoenix. It’s a casual BBQ restaurant. I like the BBQ turkey here because it is consistently delicious and moist. My other favorite is when they offer the BBQ corned beef…GOSH it’s usually FORKING amazing.
They have two high top tables for dining outside and we thought it would be difficult so we took our food togo and stopped at a cute little park on Union Hills & 59TH. The dogs were delighted by the smell of BBQ.
Me and the dogs enjoyed NakedQ BBQ’s AMAZING BBQ turkey on a garden salad.
The BBQ turkey is always amazing at this NakedQ BBQ. It was so good my bigger dog kept whacking me in my gut with her paw to get more turkey.
The dogs also enjoyed some BBQ Brisket, BBQ Pork, and Hot Links from my husband’s plate.
We enjoyed our take out from NakedQ BBQ in North Phoenix.
www.NakedQ.com
2340 W Bell RD PHX AZ
602-439-4227
We made a trip to The Craftsman Cocktails & Kitchen in North Scottsdale. This restaurant is a craft kitchen and distillery. Today my husband got the Brunch Burger.
Look at the BIG SMILE on my dog’s face. This burger was ground in house of short rib and brisket. The. burger is also made of a fried egg, American cheese, and house made maple ketchup on a brioche bun and house chips. My dogs were WAY MORE excited about my husband’s lunch than mine today…….(They also got to eat mostly his burger today)
I had the shipwright ahi tuna salad today.
I have had this before and today’s does taste different. It was still good so I didn’t complain but it taste like it was missing some of the ingredients…or maybe it just had too much wasabi taste today that burnt out all the other flavors?????? Still good though…..The dogs got a small amount of ahi tuna.
We also took the dogs to Twisted Italian in North Peoria. They serve mostly typical Italian foods and some twisted things like home made pierogi and Italian chili rellenos. The Twisted Italian is always a good choice for dining out with dogs because they only have two outside tables so we avoid potential problems.
I had the salmon lunch platter.
It comes with a lot of vegetables (green beans, asparagus, zucchini, and broccoli) and a good amount of pasta in a lemon white wine caper sauce. My dogs liked helping me eat almost everything on this platter. I was surprised that they liked the zucchini about the same as the fish. I liked the green beans but I think the green beans were the dogs least favorite.
My husband got the Italian beef and sausage sandwich with fries.
They gave him an enormous amount of meat there. They gave him beef jus, giardinier. The dogs got to enjoy some of the beef and a tiny bit of sausage.
We did alright at Twisted Italian in Peoria.
www.EatTwisted.com
9940 W Happy Valley Rd Peoria AZ
623-537-4000
We regularly go to Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery in North Phoenix. They specialize in serving around a dozen different banh mi baguette sandwiches. Other popular dishes that they offer are noodle bowls and rice plates but they don’t serve pho.
We both got the noodle bowls today. I got the chicken and my husband got the grilled pork. Here’s a better look at the chicken noodle bowl.
It’s a very large bowl of food. There is salad with pickled vegetables and fresh mint and rice noodles, a crispy egg roll and lots of marinated chicken. For some people this can be two meals. I have my dogs to share with and they sure don’t mind helping to eat the chicken.
They get to eat grilled pork too.
We always do great when we go to Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery.
www.BanhMiBistroAZ.com
2340 W Bell Rd PHX AZ
602-843-3637
That was dining out with dogs in metro Phoenix. We hope that you have enjoyed and we hope to see you next month.
The Forking TruthIn Memory of Louie 5-5-2001 – 3-3-2017
The FANTABULOUS Dish means – Top of the line, marvelously great, peachy keen, and DYNAMITE! The A.G. Burger from the Arrowhead Grill in Glendale Arizona is all that and more!
First of all it is on this nicely grilled fresh and slightly herbed high quality eggy bun that doesn’t fall apart. inside is a lot to describe. There is an eight ounce U.S.D.A. PRIME ground in house tenderloin hand formed beef patty that was perfectly caramelized and prepared perfect to my request. On top of that is six ounces of the greatest sliced prime rib ever and on top of that are tasty fried onions, a little bit of mayonnaise and usually Swiss cheese. Off to the side is a very good horseradish cream sauce. On the current bar menu this amazing burger is $22.95 (subject to change) but if you should happen to stop in at happy hour 3-6 the Happy hour price was only $12.99 (subject to change).
The A.G. Burger from The Arrowhead Grill s an official FANTABULOUS Dish!
Weft and Warp Art Bar and Kitchen is a modern American restaurant located in the twenty three acres of the Andaz Resort and bungalows in Scottsdale Arizona. Weft and Warp A.B.& K. is named after a fabric term. Weft is the name for the threads that run up and down and Warp is the name for the threads that run across resulting in a beautiful creation and a beautiful creation is what is that you are excepted to find here.
Inside is open and airy with lots of bright light during daylight hours.
They also offer patio dining with view of the pool area.
The offerings from Weft and Warp do differ some than from most restaurants out there. They offer breakfast, drinks, dinners, sunset menu (happy hour), and desserts like many other restaurants. They also offer a pool menu, a picnic menu, and maybe the greatest doggy menu anywhere….The doggy menu is offered for breakfast and dinner and some of the offerings are scrambled eggs, grass fed burgers, chicken burgers, flat iron steaks, and baked fish of the day. One dollar of every doggy platter goes to Lucky dog rescue. Wednesday’s also go to the dogs and are called, “Dinner with your dog,” and are %15 off.
By now you must be hungry to hear about Weft and Warp’s dinner for people menu after hearing the amazing doggy menu. Some of the interesting starters are –
Mediterranean bass with crispy. seasoned skin, a dab of buckwheat polenta,, raisins, and a tiny bit of Swiss chard, and zhoug (Moroccan spicy sauce). a hatch chile rubbed filet, also
Duck Confit Rigatoni
a flavorful duck confit rigatoni with mushrooms, chestnuts, tarragon, and. Granda padano.
They do offers desserts.
We tried the detailed dessert called, ‘not a Newton.’
not a Newton
frosted orange ricotta cake, toasted fig, black currant sorbet and balsamic chutney.
That was a Taste of Weft & Warp Art. Bar and Kitchen in Scottsdale AZ
Had an idea today and thought about making Mexican flavored meatballs. I did something similar before but today I thought that instead of adding breadcrumbs I’d add crushed tortilla chips instead for more of a taco taste. Then I needed sauce so I thought a guajillo chili laced tomato sauce would be good with them. This came out tasty and delicious. I note that I did use lots of ingredients for the meatballs that you might not have. I also might have made more sauce than you will use for the meatballs. Extra sauce can be used for tacos, enchiladas, and burritos or can be frozen for. a latter use. For most people the meatballs will be six servings.
Ingredients for around 6 servings
2 oz guajillo dried chilies – washed off, stems off, shake out the seeds (sauce)
4 cups hot water (sauce)
2 lbs tomatoes (skins removed and slow roasted) or use Italian canned (sauce)
6 garlic cloves – ground to paste (sauce)
1 onion – fine dice (Sauce)
2 Tablespoons (slightly heaping) reduced sodium vegetable bouillon paste (I use Better than Bouillon Brand…..(this is healthier and tastier than salt) (sauce)
4 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar (sauce)
2 Tablespoons fresh epazote – chopped (sauce)
2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro – chopped (Sauce)
1 lb ground meat (I used lean 93% ground turkey)
2 oz tortilla chips crushed to crumbs (preferably Calidad Brand White Corn Chips)
2 eggs – lightly beaten
1 Tablespoon (slightly heaping) reduced sodium vegetable soup paste (preferably Better Than Bouillon. Brand reduced sodium vegetable soup paste…this is less sodium than salt and better tasting than salt)
1 hot chili (or to taste) (I used one fire roasted hatch chili) – chopped fine
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1. teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground annatto (also called achiote)
1 teaspoon ground chipotle
1/2 cup. scallions sliced thin ). a few. extra. for finishing
1/2 cup cilantro chopped (fine stems are ok to use) a few extra for finishing
1 Tablespoon fresh epazote
3 garlic cloves – ground to paste
1/4 small onion – grated or mince fine
1 Tablespoon water
non stick spray
Directions
Set oven to 350 degrees F.
The guajillo chili pods go in a single layer on a sheet pan to toast. Put them in for two minutes on the middle rack and then turn them over and give them one more minute. The pods should have darkened and should smell aromatic. Many more seeds are in them and now you can shake the rest of the seeds out.
Put the chili pods in very hot. or boiling water 4 cups of water. Leave them soften up. for around 30 minutes. After 30 minutes put this water and chili pods and soup paste on medium high heat. Add the onions and when this boil use a stick blender to blend it. up. Let it cook about ten minutes. Now add the tomatoes and blend again. Add the garlic, vinegar, epazote, and cilantro. Blend again. Taste and adjust seasoning iif necessary.
Make the meatballs. Set oven to 350 degrees F.
Use non stiick spray and spray sheet pans for around 20 meatballs.
In a large bowl mix together ground meat, tortilla chips, eggs, soup paste, hot chili, black pepper, cumin, chili powder, cayenne, annatto, chipotle, scallions, cilantro, garlic, epazote, onion. Mix well. The mixture will be kind of soft. But might need to be slightly softer. I added just one tablespoon of water. Too much water will make mushy meatballs. Not enough water and the meatballs can be dry. I do warn you that this mixture will be sticky and is hard to work with but does make great meatballs. I make my meatballs about 1.3 ounce each and space them out a little so they can cook. Use the middle rack for most of the meatballs and the lower rack for the rest. Cook till cooked threw. In my oven this takes 15 minutes.
Serve with the guajillo sauce. Finish with a small amount of fresh cilantro and epazote.
Mexican Flavored Meatballs with Guajillo Tomato Sauce
This goes well with chipotle lime butter green beans.
Mexican flavored meatballs with guajillo tomato sauce and chipotle lime butter green beans
I had a good idea so I thought I’d share it. I bought a Korean Radish from Asiana Market and I thought I’d use it o make low carb radish tortillas that taste really great with Mexican flavors. All you do is clean the radish and slice thin with a knife. Stuff it with your choice of protein. Then add a very good salsa. Add cheese if you want cheese (In Jalisco they say only gringos use cheese). Add pickled onions and it’s pretty darn good.
I had cucumbers and tomatoes to use up so II thought I’d make a basic gazpacho. I was considering adding my extra mandarins to blend in but ten the idea of yuzu kosno just popped into my head……and I went with it….You might be wondering what is yuzu kosho? Yuzi Kosho (also spelled koshu) is a Japanese condiment of yuzu zest (a citrus) garlic, hot pepper that is fermented…It doesn’t taste as savory or as funky as you might think……To me it taste sort of like a delicious tangerine zest that finishes with a little heat….You can mail away for yuzu kosho or fake it with the zest of one grapefruit, lemon, lime, 2 tangerines, one garlic clove, and one small hot pepper. Usually I only think of yuzu kosho to enhance a fish dish but it is delicious to flavor gazpacho. I think I really came up with something! Serving size is impossible to say for sure because the vegetables differ in size and some people want tiny servings and other people want big servings. This makes around 4-6 servings or around 7 cups.
Ingredients for around 6 servings
4 heirloom tomatoes – stem removed, rough chop (mine good medium sized)
1/4 onion – rough chopped
1 red bell pepper – stem, membrane, seeds removed, rough chopped
1 1/2 English cucumber rough chopped ( I was going to use two but one of mine was 1/2 not good)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon yuzu salt (you can substitute sea salt)
2 oz yuzu kosho (you can substitute citrus zest ((grapefruit, lemon, lime, tangerine)) with ground garlic and a ground small hot pepper)
Twist Hot Chicken is a small casual chicken sandwich restaurant located in a strip mall in Peoria Arizona not too far from Westgate.
It’s very casual and busy…The little place was packed with a line out the door just ten minutes after they opened.
Again it’s casual. You order and pay at the counter. (complimentary cucumber water is by the counter)
On the menu thy offer five different flavors of chicken sandwiches that can be ordered in different levels of heat. The choices of heat are mild, medium, hot, and can’t touch this. They also offer vegan options, chicken tenders, loaded fries, macaroni and cheese, interesting stubborn sodas, beignets, limited adult beverages like Cider Corps Pog, and MORE!
Here’s the menu.
I missed the sodas on my way in but next time I’ll try one.
Today it took us around ten minutes to wait in line and order. I sat at one of the two tables that they have outside and it took around thirty minutes for our order to arrive.
We shared fries and macaroni and cheese. Most of the food comes wrapped with paper in rectangular white boxes.
The fries are fluffy, crisp, and well seasoned. They also are a generous serving. The macaroni and cheese is not bad…..better than a lot of them out there…..
We also share the Shabazi (medium heat) chicken sandwich.
Shabazi
It’s a BIG Sloppy Delicious sandwich with a crisp exterior and moist delicious white meat chicken. This sandwich is made with spicy green zhoug (Yemenite hot sauce) sauce. red cabbage slaw, and tahini sauce. This is wonderfully flavorful and delicious!
We also share the Twist Hot Chicken (HOT) sandwich.
Twist Hot Chicken Sandwich
The Twist Hot Chicken (HOT) sandwich is another BIG SLOPPY FORKING DELICIOUS Sandwich! This sandwich in hot is not for tenderfoots. This is the perfect hot for hot sandwiches. It is almost too hot for me….I can’t imagine how nuclear the “I can’t touch this” must be…Just like the other sandwich this one has a shattering crisp exterior and a flavorful moist white meat chicken inside. Adorning the sandwich is a creamy twist sauce (similar to remoulade), pickles, and house slaw. All this is packed into a nicely toasted eggy roll that is just the right size and didn’t fall apart.
If you like Hot Chicken Sandwiches this is one that you have to try!
When an Award Wining Ramen chef runs a ramen restaurant chances are …..that the ramen is a winning bet. Umami Ramen is a build your own ramen and sushi restaurant and bar located in downtown Tempe Arizona. They offer six varieties of ramen broth and various toppings. They also offer vegan options, house bowls, sushi rolls, rice bowls, sushi tacos, drafts, sake, Japanese drinks and more!
The sign is on the side of the building.
They have an indoor-outdoor bar and patio.
outdoor bar and patio
Inside are booths, traditional tables, and a bar.
Today they are playing non-stop Grateful Dead Music.
inside
Both ramens below are shio broth. Shio means salt in Japanese so shio broth are salt based. This is the most difficult type of ramen to make well because the broth doesn’t get covered up with other things like miso or soy sauce to help it out and has to be good on it’s own. It’s also the type of ramen with the most Unami.
Here’s the vegan shio with added grilled chicken, regular noodles, togarashi corn, and spicy garlic paste.
WOW! I can’t believe how flavorful this is….and it is very spicy too! This is very developed with flavors. I think I’m also getting some additional flavor and heat off of the togarashi corn. This is a really good flavor to me. The noodles are nice and chewy like they are suppose to be. They were very generous with the chicken. For me I could have made two meals out of this. But some people do eat more and can finish this.
Here’s the shio (chicken pork broth) with added pork belly and hard egg.
This one is also a very good developed broth. The pork belly also is very good and stayed crispy to the end. Noodles are also good and chewy. They offer soft and hard eggs. My husband went with a hard egg. He said it was slightly marinated.
Umami Ramen at Shady Park in Tempe AZ is-
Worth a Fork!
Worth A Fork!
Umami Ramen
I have not found a working website for Umami Ramen.
26 E University Dr Tempe AZ
480-222-2244
Parking might be challenging to some because of location in downtown Tempe. Fortunately a parking garage is next door.
This is the recipe for the meatballs I made. I warn you that they are FORKING Scrumptious. The rice and cabbage that went around it was part of a different recipe that I think can be too troublesome. I spoke about it yesterday so if you want more details read yesterday’s post.
Ingredients for around 6 servings
1 lb ground meat (I used turkey 93% lean)
1/2 cup panko (I used Whole Wheat panko)
1 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 cup scallions – cut thin
3 garlic cloves – ground to paste
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 eggs – lightly beaten
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon five-spice powder
1/4 teaspoon Szechuan pepper – toasted and ground
1 Tablespoon (slightly heaping) reduced sodium Better Than Bouillon vegetable soup base (this is instead of salt….less sodium and more flavor)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons fresh basil (or other basil) chopped
3 ends of lemongrass – hard outer skins removed – fine chopped
non stick spray.
Directions
Set oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray a baking sheet (or two) with non stick spray..
Mix all the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
Make small scoop sized meatballs…. (about 1.3 ounces each)
You should have around 21 meatballs.
They go in the oven until done. In my oven they took 15 minutes. I put most of the meatballs on the middle rack and the rest on the lower rack.
I served them two different ways. The way you see in the picture with a small amount of vegetable broth. For another meal I just mixed up some hoisin sauce with a small amount of ketchup and that was tasty with them.
Asian Style Turkey Meatballs with Lemongrass Stuffed Cabbage
