I wanted to make a cake with no added sugar and no added fat that taste good and might be considered healthy. I did it before by using bananas in the batter and I thought I could do it again with dates and I did. This cake is very easy to prepare and doesn’t require many ingredients. It comes out light and sweet enough…..It makes 12-16 servings depending on how thick you slice the cake. You can dress it up if you like with powdered sugar, chocolate drizzle, whipped cream, ice cream or orange marmalade but the cake is good enough to eat as is and stays moist for many days.
Ingredients for around 14 servings
1 lb dates – soaked in hot water for about 30 minutes with pits removed and then chopped
4 eggs – slightly beaten
3/4 c flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla
pinch sea salt
non stick spray (neutral flavor)
Directions
Set oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray a bundt pan with non stick spray and set it to the side.
In a blender or a bowl with a blending stick blend together the dates, eggs, vanilla, salt and cinnamon till it’s pretty smooth and might look a little like chocolate chip batter. Stir in the flour, baking powder and baking soda till smooth. I note that this batter will be very thick. Put it in your sprayed bundt pan and after about 20 minutes in the oven your cake should be done.
No Sugar Low Fat Date Cake
Taste good as is! Even this cake taste better than most cakes I order out!
These are the sandwiches that are not just excellent or very good….These sandwiches are what they call life changing….They go more than one step beyond…..These sandwiches are like they were created on another planet delicious and are OUT OF THIS WORLD CRAZZZZZZZZY GOOD! The sandwiches are in no particular order. Pictured first is the K.F.C. Sandwich from The Larder and the Delta in Phoenix. This sandwich holds a generously sized very moist and ultra scrumptious succulent chicken thigh that seemed lightly caramelized with amazing flavors that are out of bounds and a little heat for interest. The super awesome boneless chicken thigh that is developed with more flavors than most chicken on the bone gets topped with granny apple cole slaw, big yummy bread and butter pickles and is drizzled in a hot sauce aioli. All this goodness is set in the perfect size potato bun. They call this a K.F.C. Sandwich….I call it a Kentucky FORKING Crack Sandwich.
www.TheLarderandTheDelta.com
I don’t eat burgers often so I consider a burger a sandwich. This burger I had from The Bourbon Cellar in Scottsdale is very notable. This might be the most delicious burger that I’ve tried to this date. This is the ONLY Burger I’ve ever tried that was full of flavor, very juicy and didn’t even come with sauce. What makes this burger special is that it starts with an apple cider bun. Then the burger is filled with a generously sized ground in house prime filet burger patty, lots of greens, a tomato slice and the whole thing got topped with a wasabi deviled egg. I added on bourbon pickles because they’re unique. I think it was the best burger I’ve ever had!
Had another one since…….made with better lettuce this time.
www.TheBoubonCellar.com
Is an open sandwich a sandwich? YES it can be! Here we had grilled high quality seeded bread, tea egg, pickled shallots, dill creme fraiche, salad and house smoked buttery salmon. It’s so perfect and beautiful…..This came from Ocotillo in Phoenix. It’s just so good….I wish I could eat one every week.
www.OcotilloPhx.com
Another open sandwich that I tried that was exceptional was the Beet Toast from Singh Meadows in Tempe. High quality grilled country bread was topped with stunning vegetables of assorted beets (roasted, raw, pickled), fancy greens, avocado, almonds, onions, green beans and maybe some urfa pepper….It’s prettier than some pictures too!
www.SinghMeadowsTempe.com
This sandwich is called the BBQ Chicken sandwich from Confluence in Carefree. But really this sandwich is so much better than that….It’s OMG FORKING ASTONISHING……It should be called The Mind-Blower. The sandwich is a HUNDRED TIMES BETTER than I can make it sound. This gem must be made with magic…..I have no idea how chicken, celery root, spicy pickles, beet greens, staled onion mayonnaise and it’s on this mouthwatering fontina cheese bun can turn out this mind-blowing scrumptious!
www.RestaurantConfluence.com
I’ve had some other excellent sandwiches in Metro Phoenix but these sandwiches were The Forking Best!
Everything is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.
The Forking Truth
When I think about how incredible and over the top these sandwiches were….In the back of my mind this is burning…..and I just have to let out……..THE FORKING TRUTH.
It’s hard to believe but the above amazing restaurant Confluence only rates a 3.5 on a popular review site. A restaurant in Peoria that served us this sandwich a few months back also rates the same 3.5 stars. (incase you are not paying attention the below sandwiches are NOT BEST of metro Phoenix) The sandwich below is from the Peoria restaurant.
This bothers me.
I also have been to this sandwich shop in Glendale that rates a whole star MORE than Confluence from the same popular review site…..
This recipe is slightly inspired by Multi Award Winning Chef Rick Bayless. I was watching him on TV using masa flour mixed with water. Then he just rolled it out…He put a leaf on it for flavor that I can’t get near me and then he spread refried beans on it and somehow made it into nice rectangular cube shapes. I think he called them some sort of Tamales? So I took the idea and rolled mesa flour dough spread with beans and rolled it like a jelly roll and stuffed them into Anaheim peppers for flavor. Then they got topped with salsa. In a little while latter I had these really cool Refried Bean Tamale Style Peppers. For serving they were topped with a little cojita cheese and some fresh cilantro. You can even bump it up a level by pouring your favorite Mexican Style Stewed Meat over it. This was this easy dish that really can wow people.
Ingredients for 4 servings
1 cup masa flour (NO SUBSTITUTIONS…..it won’t come out and won’t taste right either)
3/4 cup water
8 Tablespoons refried beans (about 3/4 can)
4 Anaheim peppers – slit the middle and cut across the stem so you can remove membrane with seeds and it also makes it easier to insert masa roll)
1 cup salsa
4 Tablespoons cojita cheese – crumbled
4 teaspoons fresh cilantro – (torn leaves)
Directions
Set oven to 400 degrees F.
Mix one cup masa flour and 3/4 cup water and mix well and then knead well. Cut the dough in half and in half again. Make each quarter into a dough ball.
Get out a rolling mat.
Over the mat pull out a piece of plastic wrap and place it on the mat.
Place one dough ball on the plastic wrap and flatten it the best you can with your hands. Go over it a little bit with a rolling pin to get it better. Spread about 2 tablespoons of refried across the flattened masa dough. Use the plastic wrap to help pull up the dough to help you make this into a jelly roll shape.
Roll it all the way and place in pepper…..Don’t worry if it crumbles…it will turn out great! Repeat till you’re done. Place peppers on a baking sheet.
Cover each pepper with salsa.
Cover baking with foil. This goes in a preheated 400 degree F over for 30 minutes and then gets uncovered and goes back in for about 15 minutes to brown some.
Refried Bean Tamale Style Stuffed Pepper
Then you top it with a little cojita cheese and a little fresh cilantro.
Refried Bean Tamale Style Stuffed Pepper
When you cut it open it looks like this.
Yummy Delish! It taste Forking Great! Everyone will love this and it was Forking EZ too!
I’ve always liked plants and don’t come across too many when I go shopping. Came up with some new plants just from grocery produce. I purchased one of those living lettuce heads and used the lettuce and saved the rootball and planted it in a plant box I have. Only a couple days later I have some new heads of lettuce growing!
It got bigger!
Did the same thing with a watercress.
The watercress is almost ready to harvest……it bigger now.
…Wonder if I can get a third crop?
Planted a garlic clove….
Maybe it will flower?
Here’s a radish top.
Below is a carrot top.
Here’s a pineapple top. They swore to me when I was in Hawaii that a pineapple top can grow a pineapple. A few days latter this one died……..???? Either I didn’t do this correctly or my pineapple top was already sick????
Maybe the most unusual one and my favorite is the cabbage core..
I think it looks kinda neat.
A few days latter it looks like this.
Love Plants…….
Working on an avocado….did it before……You put toothpicks to hold the seed above water and it will eventually root. Just a few days latter the seed is rooting but I don’t have a plant yet….
Hopefully this one will become a plant.
These are a few FREE Cool Plants you can get from produce you already purchased.
After I made the Arroz Con Pollo I was thinking that this was easy quick and delicious. Why don’t I make more chicken this way. So here is Mediterranean Style Chicken. Just brown the chicken on all sides and put to the side. (you can do in either a fry pan or just broil) You add the drippings from the pan and sauté the vegetables till soft add two cups of broth bring to boil, shut off heat add Israeli Couscous pour into pan, add back chicken, cover and an hour or so later you have a pretty nice Forking EZ delicious meal! Since I wrote this recipe I noticed that timings do differ greatly. It’s necessary to use a thermometer when you make this dish. The chicken must have reached at least 165 degrees F……….but I prefer the chicken to reach 180 degrees……it’s more fall apart tender and a lot of stuff I don’t like melts out. I also need to note by cooking the chicken this was the skin will not be crisp enough for most people to eat but the chicken will come out delicious and tender.
Ingredients for about 6 servings
4 lbs chicken quarters (I used three large quarters)
salt to taste (for browning chicken)
pepper to taste (for browning chicken)
granulated garlic to taste (for browning chicken)
1 cup celery – chopped
1 cup bell pepper – chopped (I used assorted)
1 large onion – chopped
4 carrots – chopped
13 garlic cloves – chopped fine
1 Tablespoon soup base – chicken or vegetable (this is instead of salt)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
15oz can tomatoes plus a little water to clean out can
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 small sprig fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
6 oz Israeli Couscous
1/4 cup fresh parley leaves (only leaves) – chopped to finish
Directions
Set oven to 350 degrees F.
Chicken needs to be salt, peppered and also coated with a little granulated garlic. You can brown in a large fry pan or broil in the oven. Put chicken to the side. Use some of the drippings to fry up the vegetables in a sauce pot.
Put sauce pot on medium high heat and add the celery, bell pepper, onion, carrots, garlic, soup base, black pepper. Stir and cover loosely with foil. A few minutes later stir some more and cover again. When soft add tomatoes with the small amount of water (to clean out can), red pepper flakes and bring to boil and shut off when boiling. Add rosemary, basil, oregano and couscous. Pour in baking dish or pan and add back the chicken and cover tight with foil. This goes in a preheated 350 degree oven on the middle rack until chicken is done. The chicken must reach at least 165 degrees F to be safe to eat. (I prefer the chicken to be at least 180 degrees F….) Check dish in one hour but it might take up to two hours depending on your dish, oven and other items that might be in the oven that will slow the cooking process down.
Finish with fresh parsley.
Serve. The chicken will be moist and delicious and the pan will be full of Delicious couscous mixed with vegetables.
A new best dish of the year that I tried recently came from The Larder and The Delta in Phoenix Arizona. The dish is called Hoppin John and is made with Sea Island Field Peas, Carolina Gold Rice and Herb Salad. Gosh it’s Forking Scrumptious and you don’t have to wait till New Years to eat it. Why wait? You can prosper now!……. It’s earthy, a little spicy, deeply flavorful also with interesting textures like crisped rice. The Sea Island Field Peas have a taste that is not so different from lentils. This dish taste like a marriage of Persian Tahdig (Bottom of pot Crisp Persian Rice Casserole and Lebanese Mujadara (rice & lentil with onions) It’s just so delicious that you won’t be able to leave your fork down for long!
While we are here I should also let it be known……..That I’ve tried many hot chickens in metro Phoenix and I have tried Hattie B’s…………but the absolutely FORKING BEST Hot Chicken I ever tried anywhere was the K.F.C. Sandwich from The Larder and The Delta. The thigh meat was so succulent, juicy and flavorful like no other. The coating was ever so slightly caramelized, crisp, spicy but not too spicy. Big gorgeous pops of pickles cut threw and a really great slaw with the perfect bun…..better than good…. it’s like from another planet.
OMG….to me that K.F.C. stands for KENTUCKY FORKING CRACK SANDWICH. This is really to die for!
But today’s extraordinary dish was The Hoppin John!
The Larder and The Delta is a small restaurant located in downtown Phoenix. In case you didn’t know they serve high quality chef driven modern food that swings southern inspired. A Forking Great little place to check out.
The Other Forking Best Thing I ate out this week was the Hoppin John from The Larder and The Delta in Phoenix.
Worth a Fork!
www.TheLarderandtheDelta.com
Every THING is subject to change and your experience may or may NOT differ.
Little Miss BBQ is well known as the best BBQ in Arizona. They do central Texas Style BBQ and only the highest quality prime brisket is used. Little Miss BBQ has two locations in Phoenix. The original is close to the Phoenix Airport and the other is in the Sunnyslope area of Phoenix (considered to be North Phoenix). The original location is very busy and it’s normal to wait in line one-two hours to order. I thought I’d try the Sunnyslope location today that has expanded hours, more tables, alcohol and a few more menu items.
We pull up and there isn’t a long line outside…. (wow that’s unexpected)
We walk in.
There is a sort of lobby and we see a big smoker and a menu on the wall.
Now we’re in like Flynn….WHOOOO Hoo! It smells all BBQ-ee here!
Not bad.
Someone hands out samples of sausage while we’re waiting.
We move up in line and see some house made sauces, beverages and T shirts for sale.
It was only 15-20 minutes wait till we got to order.
I order and they weigh out the meat.
Sides get added next.
My husband gets his plate, we pay and pick up plasticware, napkins and drinks and then we are off for a table.
Do I want to sit inside?
Or Outside?
The weather is nice today so we went with outside.
WOW! Where to begin?
I got the Lean Prime Brisket, Turkey Breast, Macaroni and Cheese and the Cole Slaw.
I start with the turkey.
WOW! This turkey is even FORKING BETTER than from the Original Little Miss BBQ Location. It’s stunning with the perfect amount of smoked BBQ flavor and it’s very moist and basted with butter………………This is Forking Delicious Turkey…..It’s the best Turkey ever!
Now I go for the Lean Prime Brisket today because the fatty I tried from the original location was too fatty for me (but it did taste better than the lean). It’s really good but not close to what I remember……. I taste my husband’s Fatty Brisket….Now this is outstanding with the perfect seasons and perfect smoke….I can eat this………….It’s not too fatty for me. This Fatty Brisket at Sunnyslope (today) doesn’t seem as Fatty or succulent as the one I tried at the original location……but it is delicious! I think it’s perfection!
Fatty Brisket and Turkey from Little Miss BBQ Phoenix AZ – University (original location)
Let’s get back to Sunnyslope where I am today.
The Turkey is Forking incredible! The Prime Lean Brisket is very good…… The coleslaw is fresh, tasty and not over sauced. I was really surprised that the macaroni and cheese was pretty good….It was creamy and cheesy…
My husband got the Fatty Brisket, Pulled Pork and Sausage with Meaty Beans and Jalapeño Cheese Grits.
Everything is a WINNER HERE! My husband said, “when can we go back?”
Little Miss BBQ – Sunnyslope is Worth a Fork!
Worth a Fork!
www.LittleMissBBQ.com
Everything is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.
The Forking Truth
Went back on a Thursday to try the Thursday special pastrami.
You have your choice of lean or fatty with the pastrami. I picked half and half. The fatty piece on the bottom did taste the best. The lean tasted stronger with salt. One of my pieces came from a different package……really I had three flavors of pastrami today. One peice had far more of an allspice kind of taste than the other pieces….(but it is normal for pastrami to be inconsistent because of the nature of the meat………This is also is a big portion…I ate a third of the meat and made two lunch sandwiches with the rest. The coleslaw tasted about the same but the macaroni and cheese did taste different today….This did taste less like cheese and had something added that wasn’t as delicious to me…..but everyone likes something different. My husband was happy to jump in and clear out the macaroni and cheese for me.
Lately I’m on a roll browning up chicken quarters, cooking up vegetables adding a starch and about an hour or so later we get a delicious meal with flavorful moist tender delicious chicken that’s a complete meal. Actually these EZ one pan recipes make about 6 meals. This one is a bit spicy …….like a 3.5 out of five…….but super Forking Delicious! You can add any rice you like but they all come out different. Here I used green rice and it came out like South West Risotto…….but that is because it’s a short rice. If you use long grain rice it will come out more traditional. This came out Forking amazing…..It actually surprised me. In these dishes I do note the chicken skin won’t be crispy enough for most people to eat but the chicken will be moist and delicious! The other thing I need to note is that ovens do differ and the timing can differ. You really need to use a thermometer and make sure your chicken has reached at least 165 degrees F. (but I prefer my dark meat chicken more cooked to at least 180 F so all the stuff melts out)
Ingredients for about 6 servings
4 lbs chicken leg quarters (3 big quarters) ((really anywhere between 3 something – 4lbs)
salt to taste for chicken (the way you normally salt your chicken)
ground pepper to taste for chicken (the way you normally pepper your chicken)
granulated garlic for the chicken (about double the amount of salt you used)
1 cup celery – chopped
1 cup green pepper – any green pepper you like! they all have different flavors (I used shishito)
1 large onion – chopped
4 jalapeños – chopped (or adjust to your liking)
4 carrots – peeled – chopped
15 garlic cloves – fine chopped
1 Tablespoon soup base (instead of added salt) (vegetable or chicken)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cups water
1 cup rice either long grain or green rice (these kind I’ve tested out)
.o7 oz fresh cilantro (leaves and tender stems…looked like about 1/2 cup) – chopped
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley (for finishing)
2 Tablespoons scallions – chopped (for finishing)
Directions
Set oven to 350 degrees F.
Chicken quarters get sprinkled with salt, pepper and garlic to taste on both sides. You have a choice and can brown in a pan, or broil in a pan because you need the drippings. After you brown up the chicken put it to the side and use some of drippings to cook up your vegetables. (you need this to infuse flavors)
In a sauce pot on medium high heat with drippings add the celery, green pepper, onions, jalapeños, carrots, garlic, soup base, black pepper, cumin, chili powder and oregano. Stir and loosely cover with foil. Stir a few minutes later and loosely cover again. Repeat. Add two cups water and bring to a boil. Then shut off heat. Add the rice and cilantro. Mix. Pour into baking dish or pan and add the chicken and cover tight with foil. Put in your preheated 350 degree oven. This will be done in about an hour or so… (oven timing may indeed differ….rice needs to be cooked and please check chicken with thermometer and it needs to be at least 165 degrees F. to be safe to eat. (I like my dark meat chicken to at least be at 180 F)
When done finish with fresh chopped parsley and scallions.
Serve and enjoy!
Forking EZ South West Style One Pan Chicken
Enjoy! Sorry this photo isn’t the best but the dish really does taste Forking Great!
Dijon Mustard was originally made in the town of Dijon located in Burgundy France since the Middle Ages. Since then people have enjoyed Dijon Mustard and it’s a part of food history.
For years and years the only Dijon Mustard I used in recipes was Grey Poupon. I don’t spread mustard on things because I find that most mustards are very overpowering. If I spread mustard on something I can’t taste the food…..I read about how smooth and wonderful Amora Dijon was so I had to give it a try.
In the middle is Grey Poupon.
On the left is Amora Intense
On the right is Amora 1/2 strength
First I go and give each mustard a sniff.
Amora 1/2 strength smells mustardy.
Amora Intense smells a stronger mustardy smell.
Grey Poupon doesn’t seem to have any aroma…..?
Now I go for the taste.
Amora 1/2 strength – is super smooth, mildly mustardy. It’s almost like eating a loose deviled egg that’s heavy with mustard.
Amora Intense – is a little more interesting but is also very smooth and a little bit stronger…this one taste sort of has an almost Chinese-like Mustard taste with Horseradish…….but smoother……This one is slightly more acidic or it taste sharper but is still delicious…This one you can feel it in the back of your mouth. This is the only one out of the three that leaves a mild mustard finish in the mouth.
Grey Poupon – Seems harsh and vinegary after the other two. I also can taste something a little sour in this one..
Those were my Forking Thoughts on Dijon Vu – Dijon Mustard Tasting – Grey Poupon VS Amora.
Here’s a cucumber salad that’s different. the cucumbers were spiral cut and then salt and sugar was added so the liquid would release. It taste like refreshing Thai flavored and the salad gets finished with roasted peanuts, sweetened shredded coconut and a few Thai Basil leaves. You only make this salad if you are really loaded up with cucumber because 5 pounds of cucumber shrunk down to only 6 servings.
Ingredients for around 6 servings
5 lbs of cucumber – preferably English – spiral cut and chopped like once in half or sliced very thin on mandolin
1 Tablespoon course sea salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 medium white onion – sliced very thin on mandolin
2 stalks lemongrass – peel hard layer off and microplane… you really only use the white end about three inches
1 jalapeño – microplane or fine chop
2 garlic cloves – microplane or ground to paste
1 Tablespoon fresh ginger – grated
4 Tablespoons coconut milk
2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup Thai Basil – torn or chopped
12 Tablespoons roasted peanuts (2 Tablespoons for each serving)
12 Tablespoons shredded coconut (toasted and sweetened) (2 Tablespoons for each serving)
Directions
The spiral cut or thinly sliced cucumber go in a very large bowl with the salt and sugar and mix well. It needs to sit on a counter for a 1/2 hour. Lots of water needs to be drained after a half hour.
Add the sliced onion and mix well. Set to the side.
In a small bowl mix together the lemongrass, jalapeño, garlic, ginger, coconut milk, vinegar, oil and soy sauce and mix well.
By now the cucumbers will need to be drained again so drain them again. Now mix in small bowl mixture to cucumbers.
To serve top with roasted peanuts, toasted coconut and fresh Thai Basil leaves.
