Monthly Archives: September 2023

CRAZY FORKING Delicious Spaghetti Squash Recipe

I really have no FORKING idea on what to name this dish. This dish was inspired and adapted by Milk Street Magazine from chef Zuber Momin for Masala fries. I did a spin on the Milk Street version with a couple changes and I used these flavors on spaghetti squash. The original recipe was made with Kashmiri pepper. I didn’t have any so I made mine with what I thought would be the closest substitute gochugaru pepper. One of the other changes I made to the recipe was to add butter. This came out FORKING AMAZING! Maybe the easiest recipe I ever did and maybe the most delicious spaghetti squash recipe ever.

Ingredients for around 6 side servings

1 good sized spaghetti squash (I think mine was slightly over 2 pounds)

1 Tablespoon cumin

1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 1/4 teaspoon gochugaru pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons course sea salt

3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

5 Tablespoons butter – room temperature (doesn’t matter if salted or sweet….I normally don’t use salted but had salted butter I had to use and I thought the taste was perfect. You can use sweet butter and add salt if you think it needs it)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Put squash on pan. Cover squash with foil. This goes on middle rack till squash gets cooked. Ovens and all squash do differ so each one out there might take a different amount of time. Mine I thought would take an hour so I left mine in for an hour and it was hard. So I turned it over and checked it after a half hour and mine was still hard so mine needed about 1/2 hour for a total of two hours. I doubt yours will take that long but it might?

While the squash is cooking mix up the spice-butter. In a small mixing bowl combine the cumin, ginger, gochugaru, salt, black pepper, and butter. Put to the side.

I used to say cook till fork tender but really it’s better if you can make a dent with your finger.

This squash came out really perfect.

When the squash is cool enough to handle…You cut it in half and pull out the guts (membrane) and seeds. It should be just like this and look like spaghetti. Mix in the spiced butter and enjoy!!!!! This came out so FORKING Tasty that I had to hold back on adding more. It’s just perfect. I think most people…Even people that don’t like Indian or Korean food will still like this.

Crazy FORKING Delicious Spaghetti Squash

A Special THANKS!!!!!! To chef Zuber Momin and Milk Street Magazine so I could get what I got here!

The Forking Truth

My DOGS FORKING Thoughts on Maple Bacon Bubble Lick Bubbles

I found Maple Bacon Bubble Lick at my local Petsmart. It reads on the bottle that it is safe for dogs and kids to eat maple bacon bubbles and it’s made in America so I thought it sounds like fun so why not?

When you open the bottle to use it smells like maple syrup.

We try it with our Giant Aussie crossed with Cattle Dog first.

She looks at the bubbles.

Then she seems interested. It looks like she might do something?

Then she watches them burst on the ground…..

Then we try Maple Bacon Bubble Lick with our beagle-chihuahua mix.

He looks at the bubbles.

He still is watching the bubbles.

Then he watches the bubbles bust on the ground.

Both my dogs just watch the bubbles. I wonder why they just watch the bubbles? Then I read the ingredients.

I guess not enough maple or maybe not enough bacon for my dogs taste.

That’s what my dogs did with Maple Bacon Bubble Lick.

Your dogs actions may or may not differ??

The Forking Truth

My Trip to Baguette Cafe Las Vegas NV

The Baguette Cafe is a sandwich and breakfast restaurant located in Las Vegas Nevada around 8 miles away from the Las Vegas Strip. I recently read an article from Food and Wine Magazine about the BEST SANDWICHES in every state. They choose the Baguette Cafe as best sandwiches in Nevada (particularly the tuna) so I wanted to give this place a try.

Lots of trash here.

The inside is the same but I didn’t get a photo of it. (You can see one piece of trash that tumbled to the floor near to where it’s piled like a mountain.

All the tables and the floor are filthy but I ordered the tuna baguette anyway because I want to taste the best sandwich of Nevada according to Food and Wine Magazine. My husband was going to order an Italian meat sandwich but changed his mind when he read they put blue cheese on it and went with a turkey sandwich instead.

Here’s the tuna baguette sandwich.

The bread didn’t get toasted but it is very good bread. If they sold baguettes I would have made a purchase to bring some home. The greens are nice and fresh and they used better than average tomato slices. They also added hard eggs to the sandwich that are cooked nicely…..I hate to tell The FORKING Truth but the tuna salad is very average……..I was all pumped up to taste the best sandwich in Nevada…so this was a let down. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not a bad sandwich. ………..It honestly is a good sandwich………..The bread is excellent but the main filling is just average…….Like what you’d make at home or get from almost any other sandwich shop.

Moving on….

The turkey sandwich is also on very good bread but is even more disappointing.

It’s made with nice fresh greens, better tomato slices,,,,but……The turkey lunch meat is very similar to the type that the big chain Subway uses……..I thought it would something more like roasted turkey breast………..

My FORKING opinion is not the same as Food and Wine Magazine.

Don’t get me wrong…The food is good from Baguette Cafe but many sandwiches I’ve tried here in Vegas from several places are far better.

That was my trip to Baguette Cafe 8359 W Sunset Rd Las Vegas NV – 702-269-4781

www.BaguetteCafeLV.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

Stallone’s Italian Eatery at Santa Fe Casino Las Vegas NV – Newly Opened and Worth a Try!

Stallone’s Italian Eatery is a casual East Coast Style Italian Restaurant with a new location at the Santa Fe Casino in Las Vegas Nevada. You order at the counter and your name will be called as your order gets made.

In the picture below if you blow it up you can see one of the co-owners (behind the counter by the 28 shirt on the wall) that is well known for a reality show called “Tanked” that airs on Animal Planet.

We tried a variety of things and brought home leftovers….I heard that the sandwiches here are very good but enormous so I went with a garlic knot sandwich in the eggplant parmesan variety.

It’s not really something that you can pick up and eat. It’s more like a fancy appetizer. It’s cheesy.

It’s garlic-ee but not too much. The sauce is flavorful and delicious. The eggplants are fried perfect and seem like they are free of oil.

I also tried a plain slice of pizza.

It looks like a New York Slice but taste more like a neighborhood type slice. You need to add the spices to your liking. The crust is not thin enough to fold like a New York slice and it’s also not as oily as what I’ve tried from New York. But this slice has a nice crisp bottom.

My husband tried the #32 Super Hero called, The Godmother (veal cutlet, prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, cherry peppers, arugula, and balsamic glaze)

This stands out not just because of its size but also because of the special tasty bread that was baked for it. The veal is also prepared perfect and I was told that this was a delicious sandwich.

My husband also tried a slice of pepperoni pizza.

Both of us thought the sandwiches we tried were the way to go here.

Stallone’s Italian Eatery is newly opened at Santa Fe Casino and is Worth a Try!

4949 N Rancho Dr Las Vegas NV – 702-979-6926

www.StallonesLV.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

The Martini – Las Vegas – 24 Hours of Food and Gaming – Worth a Fork!

The Martini is a twenty four hour restaurant, bar, and gaming place located in Las Vegas in the Summerlin area near Boca Park. When you walk in it looks pretty much like a big bar with a couple rooms for additional seating if needed.

Besides bar drinks and games they offer appetizers, salads, flatbread’s, sandwiches, burgers, entrees, and more. They also have a $15. filet mignon special that runs midnight to six am daily and all day Sunday.

We tried the truffled macaroni and cheese balls.

They were fried nicely and sat in a tasty tomato sauce embellished with shreds of parmesan cheese. We both didn’t get much of a truffle taste but that’s ok.

I was very surprised with how good and extra large the trail mix salad was with added seared tuna (soft greens, apples, blue cheese, cranberries, candied seasoned pecans, tangerine vinaigrette)

This was actually very good! I don’t know if they always give such large portions but this was so large I could only eat maybe less than half. Even the tuna was a very generous portion.

My husband enjoyed the Eastwood burger with fries (fried egg, jalapeño, cheddar cheese, grilled onions, avocado, mayo (left off at request), prosciutto, bacon).

The bun is big but I was told that this was a really great burger and turned out close to medium – rare as requested.

We went back on a Sunday to try the $15.00 filet mignon special.

Just add salt and pepper.

The Martini is Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

The Martini – 1205 S. Fort Apache Rd Las Vegas NV – 702-227-8464

www.TheMartiniLV.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

FORKING EASY Brisket Recipe

This is a variation of a brisket recipe I got by watching Diners Drive Inns and Dives on Food Network. Guy Fieri said this brisket was amazing and I think my last brisket recipe was pretty much what I saw on TV. There is no searing or smoking. The hard part is trimming off the hard fat and deciding on how much fat that you want to leave on. Briskets were on sale so I picked one up. It happened to be a small one (around 9 lbs) I cut off not all but most of the fat. Then I just cut the brisket in half. Sprinkled a whole 1.41 oz box of Sazon all purpose seasoning. One pan got 2 lbs onions and some garlic and a 1/2 cup of water, smoked sea salt and black pepper. The other pan got red peppers, garlic, smoked sea salt, black pepper, and 1/2 a cup of water. Cover pans tight and 6 hours latter we had really great flavorful brisket. (one pan didn’t contain onions so my dogs could eat some and it still came out delicious anyway) Serving size will differ dramatically on depending on how much fat you trim and how much fat you are willing to eat. Jiggly brisket fat grosses me out so I trimmed mine far more than you probably would. My 9 pound brisket only made around 9 not so big dinners……..(but I think they gave me more fat than meat …..).

Ingredients for at least 9 servings

1 brisket (mine was 9 pounds) – trimmed to your liking and cut in half

1 – 1.41 ounce package Sazon con Colantro & Achiote (cilantro and annatto)

15 garlic cloves – chopped

2 lbs. onions – sliced and rough chopped

3 red bell peppers – slices and rough chopped

4 sweet potatoes – peeled – cut in half if large

1 cup water

a good sprinkle smoked sea salt

1 good sprinkle fresh ground black pepper

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F

Each pan gets 1/2 a brisket sprinkled with 1/2 the Sazon. One pan gets all the onions, 1/2 the garlic, a good sprinkle of smoked sea salt and black pepper and a half cup of water.

The 2nd pan gets all the bell peppers, the sweet potatoes, 1/2 the garlic, a good sprinkle of smoked sea salt, black pepper, and a 1/2 cup water.

These pans get covered tight with foil and go on the middle rack for around 6 hours.

I thought this was extra easy!

FORKING EASY and DELICIOUS Brisket

(Tip***** You will want to put the briskets in the refrigerator over night so you can slice them. The liquid you might want to chill overnight so you can remove the thick layer of fat. *****Another hint- You might want to keep that fat in your freezer. It can add a lot of flavors to other foods and it can also be used to make beef gravy.)

ENJOY!!!!

The Forking Truth

My Dogs at Those Guys Pies North Las Vegas NV

We recently had our first cool day since May so we took the dogs to Those Guys Pies in North Las Vegas Nevada. They are a pizza and cheesesteak restaurant that has been featured on Food Network’s Diners Drive-ins and Dives. I’ve been here a few times and we asked if they were dog friendly and they said YES! They even have dog biscuit vending machine inside. So far we do like the steak sandwiches here and we also think that the Italian White pizza is very good!

Today my husband got another cheesesteak but the one he had today had extra cheese. My bad I forgot to photo so here is a picture of the last one he woofed down.

Today I got a Caesar salad with added roasted tomatoes and grilled chicken.

It’s made with white meat chicken that is moist. The salad is fresh and crisp and the dressing is reasonably good. But my dogs think that the chicken is great! My bigger dog periodically while dining slaps me for more chicken.

They also get a little bit of cheesesteak.

We all enjoyed our trip to Those Guys Pies in North Las Vegas.

That was Dining out with DOGS at Those Guys Pies.

Those Guys Pies

5585 Simmons Street North Las Vegas NV – 725-251-5826

www.ThoseGuysPies.com

The Forking Truth

Market Place Buffet at Rampart Casino in Las Vegas NV is Worth a Try!

The Market Place Buffet is located in the Rampart Casino in the Summerlin area of Las Vegas Nevada. This buffet offers a combination of American foods and global inspired foods. They are open for breakfast, lunch, brunch and dinner. They offer soft beverages, beer, and wine.

We tried them on a Saturday night that happened to be Aloha Night.

Not all but a few of the offerings were kalua pig (pictured above)

fried chicken

huli huli chicken

fried shrimp

coconut creamed spinach

sweet potatoes

mashed potatoes

roasted turkey breast

prime rib

a salad bar

assorted cheeses and cold cuts

assorted bread buns and tapenades

raviolis and pasta dishes

pizzas

three different soups

around 6 different Chinese dishes (the curry chicken was really great!)

and a dessert station with gelato

All this was only $30.99 a person (subject to change).

This wasn’t fancy food but honestly this was much better than I expected it to be. All the meats EVEN THE TURKEY BREAST were warm, tender, moist, and nicely seasoned. The desserts that we tried (gelato, lemon tart, lemon roll) were also a better quality than most typical buffets.

The Market Place Buffet at Rampart Casino is WORTH A TRY!

221 N Rampart Blvd Las Vegas NV – 702-507-5944

www.TheResortatSummerlin.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

Amazing Thai – North Las Vegas NV – Thai Food & Vegan Thai Food

Amazing Thai Restaurant has two locations in Las Vegas. They are a little different from other Thai Restaurants because they offer vegan dishes and traditional Thai dishes. The North Las Vegas location isn’t a fancy place but is cozy with traditional seating, booth, and bar seating.

This is the first time I saw eggplant chips on a menu so I wanted to try them.

WOW! They are really great! they are made from a fancy white flesh eggplant and are creamy and sweet inside. The exterior is so crisp and it’s fried so perfect that it seems free of oil. I didn’t think I’d like the sweet sauce but it’s not too sweet and has flavors and heat. It’s pretty good too!

I tried the spicy basil eggplant with chicken and brown rice.

It’s very good but different from other places that I tried this dish from. The white meat chicken is tender. They use white flesh fancy sweet eggplant here too. It’s the sauce that has a deeper kind of taste…….

My husband tried the drunken noodles with beef.

Flavors are good. Heat level is good but beef today is a little on the chewy side.

Amazing Thai

3000 W Ann Rd North Las Vegas NV – 725-222-8289

www.AmazingThaiLV.com

Every THING is subject to change

The Forking Truth

1228 Main Bakery Bar & Restaurant – Las Vegas NV – Quality Casual Food * Arts District – Worth a Fork!

1228 Main Bakery Bar & Restaurant is located in the Arts District of Las Vegas Nevada Downtown. This restaurant offers fresh brewed coffee, baked goods, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a late night menu. This restaurant is part of the Wolfgang Puck Restaurant group but nothing about that is found on the website.

Besides salads, sandwiches, and entrees you might splurge to take home a loaf of bread or maybe try a fresh baked pastry.

During lunch time it’s very casual and you order and pay, grab a table number, and seat yourself.

I tried a smoked salmon latke.

The salmon seems fresh and silky. It seems like it might be from the belly area…..It also seems to be hand sliced…(you don’t find that at most places) This is very good! The smoked salmon, red onion, fresh dill, and dill cream fraiche sit on top of a perfectly prepared potato latke.

My husband a sandwich called Italian meat.

It’s made of fresh baked rosemary focaccia, basil aioli (on side at request), provolone cheese, soppressata, mortadella, prosciutto, and a very good salad on the side. My husband commented that the meats used were a very good quality and that he would enjoy eating this sandwich again. He also said that I made a very good choice today.

We managed to save room to try a lemon cruffin.

The lemon cruffin is FORKING AMAZING…….It’s like a croissant but more tender and moist and it’s filled with the most splendid lemon curd that is so flavorful….so true lemon tart with just enough sweet. There should be a line out the door for this dessert alone.

We came back to take advantage of their happy hour (3-6 every day) We got a bottle of cabernet that was only a couple dollars over cost so that was a great deal!

Then we shared what they call a Cypress Grove Bermuda Triangle (goat cheese and toasted pumpernickel….embelleshed with beets)

Oh YUM!! This is delicious……It’s a different style of pumpernickel than what I’m used to but it is all delicious together.

For dinner I had one of the most PHENOMENAL chicken dinners ever!

This was the roasted jidori chicken thigh with Brentwood sweet corn, romesco, and chive oil. The skin was reduced to as thin as paper. The chicken is infused with great flavors and is so tender it melts in your mouth. It was really FORKING AMAZING!

My husband tried the 1228 Wagyu Burger (dijonaise, American cheese, red onion, kosher dill, and fries)

It a solid good tasty burger (2 patty smash style) with very above average tasty fries with fluffy interiors. But my husband said if he knew how amazing the chicken was he would have ordered the chicken and he almost never orders chicken out.

I was too full to fit in dessert but I did take out a Amalfi olive oil lemon cake.

It taste the way it looks….It’s moist, rich, and very lemon-ee………

1228 Main Bakery Bar & Restaurant is Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

1228 Main Bakery Bar & Restaurant

1228 S. Main St Las Vegas NV – 702-602-0531

www.1228MainLV.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth