Author Archives: The Forking Truth

Butter Cookie Recipe

Preserved Lemon Butter Cookies

Preserved Lemon Butter Cookies

This is recipe is based on Pastry Chef and Cook Book Author Elinor Klivans Slice and Bake Cookies featuring Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter. Her cookies get chilled into a log shape, get sliced washed with egg white, course sugar and topped with a nut. I think it’s the best butter cookie recipe I ever found and enjoy the recipe most as a butter cookie. I have done many variations over the years.

Ingredients for around 14 cookies or 14 servings

4 oz sweet butter – room temperature

1/3 cup sugar

1 XL egg yolk – beaten

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

pinch cardamon

1 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

pinch kosher salt – or sea salt

3 Tablespoons turbinado sugar

1/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions

set oven to 325 degrees F

Get your baking sheet and line it with parchment paper.

In a medium size mixing bowl mix up your butter and sugar well, add yolk and mix. Add vanilla, cardamon, mix well.

Add flour, baking powder, salt and mix well.

Get a disposable pastry bag, snip the end and insert a large star tip that’s very open on the end. Fill with dough and twist end to hold dough in.

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Squeeze out dough in swirl shapes and sprinkle on the turbinado sugar if desired for a nice textural crunch.

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Bake till they are slightly brown on the edges or about 14 minutes or until they look like this.

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Feel free to decorate the cookies anyway you like. Powder them with powdered sugar or drizzle with glaze or white chocolate. Add a cherry or sprinkles.

Preserved Lemon Butter Cookies

Preserved Lemon Butter Cookies

Tasty little cookies that are very easy to make.

The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

 

 

 

Salad and Go Phoenix AZ – A Gourmet Salad Drive Threw is Worth a Fork

 

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Salad and Go is a Gourmet Salad Restaurant. Salad and Go is small local chain that seems to be growing in Metro Phoenix. You either drive threw and order or use the Walk Up Window pictured above. No dining room here but they do offer a Dog Friendly Patio and gave my dogs Dog Biscuits! At Salad and Go all the food is natural and organic and made in house. They offer over TEN varieties of fresh and seasonal salads that can also be turned into wraps. They serve healthy breakfast options, smoothies and more. Prices are very low and portions are surprisingly large. All nutrition values are posted on their website. www.SaladandGo.com

I ordered the Apple and Mixed Greens Salad ($5.74) added Chicken ($1.44).

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My salad contained Fresh Mixed Greens, Romaine, Golden Raisins, Candied Pecans, Apples, Blue Cheese,  Balsamic Vinaigrette and added Chicken.The chicken was well seasoned and seemed like it was baked, chilled and cut into bit size cubes. This salad certainly was DELICIOUS and was so satisfying. This $7.18 salad is bigger and better than many $12.00 salads I had out in other places.

My husband had what they called a Santa Fee Salad with added Steak.

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The Santa Fe Salad contained Corn, Mexican Cheese, Sweet Grape Tomatoes and Spicy Beans and a Cilantro Lime Dressing tied it all together.

The dogs were well behaved and got to sample the Chicken and Steak too.

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Salad and Go is Budget Priced but Quality Food that’s Healthy and a Great Value.

Salad and Go is Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

For more information on Salad and Go please visit www.SaladandGo.com

Anything is subject to change and your experience may differ.

 The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

 

 

Fat Ox Scottsdale AZ Restaurant – Newly Opened

 

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Fat Ox is one of the most anticipated new restaurant openings of the year in the Metro Phoenix Area. The Chef has trained in France and is well known for other very good restaurants in the area (The Brasserie, Zinc Bistro and The Mission).  Fat Ox serves Modern Italian Foods such as antipastos, salumi, pastas and main meals. The energetic atmosphere is a mix of all sorts and so are the lighting fixtures as I counted nearly a dozen different kinds of fixtures. It’s loud in here and it’s also very dark despite all the interesting fixtures…..in this very spacious restaurant with a very large Patio.

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The Forking Truth is that it’s THIS DARK in the dining room! Often I couldn’t see what was on the plates and ate mostly blind. I took most of the other photos with a flash. I didn’t actually know what the food looked like until I viewed my photos…..FT (ForkingTruth).

We start out with complimentary toasted bread cubes and Calabrian Chili Butter. I like the unique spicy but not too spicy taste of the Calabrian Chili and I have a jar of them in my pantry right now.

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Our First Course arrives. It’s the Charred Taleggio Cheese with similar bread, Beet Mostardo, Lemon and Walnut and Olive Oil.

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I couldn’t see the Pomegranate Seeds but I felt them burst in my mouth. The Sage, Beets, Mustard and Walnut all dressed up the cheese nicely. This was a great plate!

Our second course was pasta and it was a show stopper.

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There wasn’t much of it but what I tasted was amazing. Carefully made perfect to the tooth pasta shaped like little wrappers containing a prize….of…carefully seasoned butternut squash. It was a little sweet a little buttery highlighted with just the right amounts of mostarda, amaretti cookie, parmesan cheese, sage and pomegranate. Our server recommended that we order THREE Plates of pasta….Now I know why. Amazing, Delicious and tiny…any table can fit in three of these sized plates.

My main course was the A La Diavlo Rotisserie Jidori Chicken.

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The picture looks amazing but remember it really was dark…dark or darker than the photo below because I moved the candle back to where it was suppose to go.

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The Forking Truth is that I didn’t see the vegetables on top of the chicken and when I went to use my steak knife it was like playing MURDER IN THE DARK with the chicken. I sawed off a piece and got an unpleasant mouthful of rubbery moist chicken skin in a tangy but delicious sauce. For me it was a difficult task to remove the chicken skin in the dark. Then it was difficult to find the chicken in the dark…and next…I got a mouthful of fennel when I was expecting chicken. This plate was too difficult for me to eat in the dark. I didn’t know I’d need a coal miner’s hat to eat the chicken. How silly of me to be unprepared.

My husband had the Rosewood Skirt Steak Tagliata.

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Because it was dark neither of us saw the oil and balsamic around the plate. Leaving the steak to taste mostly natural tasting. A few baby herbs and baby vegetables accented the plate.

The waitress tells us about desserts but she is by my husband and I’m on the bench too far to hear her with all the music noise in the background. We pass on dessert this time.

I note this restaurant is new and may still be finding their way..

For more information please visit www.ILoveFatOx.com

I do note that everything is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.

 The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

 

 

 

Mouth Watering Juicy Moist Delicious Turkey Breast Recipe with the SousVide

 

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If you want the moistest, juiciest best tasting Turkey Breast you must do it in a SousVide Water Oven. The Forking Truth is neither me or my husband has ever tasted better than what I prepared here. It so good that you can freeze leftovers and the leftovers will be just as amazing.

This time I just tossed in an already brined boneless half Turkey Breast into each bag.

The SousVide gets set to 140 degrees F.

1 small block of frozen garlic confit (about 2 oz of roasted garlic with olive oil whipped)

1 thyme  sprig

1 rosemary  sprig

1 sage  sprig

1 small carrot cut in half long ways

1 celery rib – cut in half long ways

1/8 of a sweet onion

fresh ground sea salt – to taste – (the way you’d season something you eat)

fresh ground black pepper – to taste – (the way you’d season something you eat)

Vacum up your bag.

In photo is the other bag I did with same vegetables and cilantro stems and a jalapeño

In photo is the other bag I did with same vegetables and cilantro stems and a jalapeño

Now insert bags into the SousVide

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Put the lid on and about 5 hours latter when you have two packed bags

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You will have the Forking Best Mouth Watering Moist Delicious Turkey Breast Ever!

 The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

Cranberry Mango Habanero Sauce Recipe

 

Cranberry Mango Habanero Sauce

Cranberry Mango Habanero Sauce

This sauce is fruity and spicy but not too sweet or too spicy. Something different that you don’t come by unless you prepare it yourself.

Ingredients for about 10 servings

12 oz fresh cranberries – soaked and rinsed a few times

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup water

2 medium mangos – remove skin and pit and cut in small chunks

1 habanero – (you should wear gloves) – chop fine

1 Tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice

pinch cinnamon

pinch kosher salt or sea salt

Directions

Put the water and sugar in the sauce pot on medium high heat and bring to boil. When the sugar is dissolved you can add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer. You might want to loosely cover the pot with foil because the berries will pop a little and get on your stove. Let it go about a half hour.

Cranberry Mango Habanero Sauce

Cranberry Mango Habanero Sauce

Delicious!

 The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

 

 

Dining with Dogs in Metro Phoenix October and November 2016

"We are getting some goodies threw the Burger King Window"

“We are getting some goodies threw the Burger King Window”

Dining with dogs isn’t full blown reviews on restaurants and is only just a fluff story about taking my dogs out to eat. I usually go  to most of the same local favorites but every now and then we do find a new place that’s good for dogs. You must be aware that there are some rules for dining with dogs. First of all dogs must be well behaved. You also must note that not all restaurant patios are dog friendly and it’s always a good idea to call the restaurant first to make sure the restaurant can accept you and your furry friend on the patio and doesn’t have it rented out for a party. You usually do best on certified dog friendly restaurants. Restaurants that are certified usually post a certification in the window and are fully licensed to accept your pet as a guest. Once you pick your restaurant destination and get seated at a patio table you need to follow good pet guest behavior. Dogs are NOT to eat off of restaurant plates, sit on restaurant chairs and must be by your side at all times. Most of the food any restaurant serves can do harmful or possibly toxic to your dog. You should review a list of dog safe foods. Only a very few of the foods to avoid are anything made from grapes, chocolate, avocado, alcohol, bread, onions, garlic and much more. Usually the safest thing thing to feed your dog is to just pinch off some plain meat for dogs and wipe off any sauces.

October is cooling down but we are still having some hot days. The first week of October started out great but heated up by the weekend so we took the dogs out to a Burger King Drive Threw for a Sausage and Egg Breakfast Croissant Sandwich. For some reason the 15 1/2 year old dog really enjoys them and the younger dog likes them too.

Due to the high temperatures we had to mostly only dine in with dogs.

The 15 1/2 year old loves Chicken that I cook more than anything. Maybe that helps keep him going.

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He squeaks right in when I’m trying to cook. He seems to be doing slightly better. He walking slightly better and isn’t falling as often. I put more carpet runners in the house and that helps a lot. One of his doctors figured out that he walked jerky because he was sore from falling. If he was a person he’d be using a walker but he is a dog so he has to just do the best he can. The younger dog gives me my space when I cook.

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Thankfully October was much cooler than the last few months but almost all of October we were having record breaking heat of mostly 90 degrees F or higher so October was a wash for dining out with dogs.

We Finally started getting some cooler temperatures in the first week of November so we dined out at……….

"Were're off to Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery in Phoenix AZ"

“Were’re off to Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery in Phoenix AZ”

Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery that doesn’t serve Pho. Their specialty are Banh Mi Sandwiches but they also offer many tasty appetizers, salads and MORE! Today we ordered Banh Mi Sandwiches.

I forgot to photo today’s food but I’ll insert a past picture here of one the Banh Mi Sandwiches we got here. I got the same Banh mi as in this picture. It was a Grilled Chicken Banh Mi. Possibly with xtra chicken for only $1. more. (I plan ahead for the dogs) The Banh mi is very tasty with lightly picked carrots and radish. Thin slices of jalapeño for a little heat.  Fresh cilantro and cucumber brightens it up! House made aioli is a nice touch but it’s really the roll that makes this big sandwich easy to eat. The roll has a crisp exterior and a light soft interior. It’s made with rice flour and seems much lighter and not heavy like a regular roll. The white meat chicken is tasty too.

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The dogs are interested in both sandwiches.

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One dog was breathing hot air on my leg the whole time.

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My husband had the BBQ Pork Banh Mi. It’s one of his favorites and he gets that one often.

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“Yum yum De-lish……I’m ready for more!

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“I see some chicken that fell out with my name on it!”

For more information on Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery in Phoenix AZ please visit BanhMiBistroAZ.com

"We're hitting a new place today called Pita Kitchen in Glendale AZ"

“We’re hitting a new place today called Pita Kitchen in Glendale AZ”

I knew Pita Kitchen had patio seating but wasn’t sure if it was ok to bring the dogs so we asked before we sat down. This time I tried a Salmon Platter that came with rice, hummus, garlic sauce and pita bread.

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My husband got another Two Meat Platter of Shawarma and a Chicken Kabob.

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His plate came with Greek Salad, Pita Bread, Rice and Cucumber Sauce.

All was tasty!

"It's forking time to slip me some more grub"

“It’s forking time to slip me some more grub”

"Old Man we did GOOD at Pita Kitchen"

“Old Man we did GOOD at Pita Kitchen”

For more information on Pita Kitchen in Glendale AZ please visit www.PitaKitchen.net

"We're on out way to Cucina Tagliani in Glendale AZ"

“We’re on out way to Cucina Tagliani in Glendale AZ”

(dog on left) #WEeeeeeee Tags" (dog on right) "That dog is so forking yappy"

(dog on left) #WEeeeeeee Tags” (dog on right) “That dog is so forking yappy and she hogs up too much of the Forking seat”

Cucina Tagliani offers an official licensed Certified Dog Friendly Patio. They serve American/Italian Foods. All the sauces and dressings are made in house. Portions are large and prices are reasonable.

I ordered the Grilled Chicken Parmesan with Spaghetti Squash instead of Pasta.

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Instead I received the Fried and Breaded Chicken Parmesan. When the waitress checked on us I told her I would keep it. The Forking Truth is that the Fried Chicken Parmesan is much more delicious and tasty than the grilled Chicken Parmesan. I just usually get the grilled chicken parmesan because it’s a little healthier. I enjoy sliding the cheese off the chicken to the spaghetti squash to make it tastier. My little buddy in the top picture and lower picture to the left also enjoys the spaghetti squash.

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My little buddy to the right just has his mind on my plate minus the spaghetti squash.

My husband got the Spicy Rigatoni with added Meatballs.

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Dogs enjoyed the aromas and food.

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“It’s a good thing that waitress ordered the Fried Chicken Parmesan and not what my human ordered…I Forking enjoyed it!”

For more information on Cucina Tagliani in Glendale AZ please visit www.CucinaTagliani.com

That was Dining with Dogs in Metro Phoenix October-November 2016.

We’ll see you next month!

 The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

 

 

 

 

Sizzle Korean BBQ of Phoenix AZ is Worth a Fork

 

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Sizzle Korean Barbecue Restaurant recently opened in the Desert Ridge Marketplace in Phoenix Arizona. Most of the restaurants here are food court and fast food- like but, Sizzle Korean Barbecue is somewhat upscale.

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There is a lot on the menu but this place isn’t for everyone.

One – you must be a meat eater or there is little for you but rice or a steamed egg.

Two – The only meats on the menu are either beef or pork.

You either pick one specific meat or the combination that is either an all beef menu or a pork menu. The price isn’t that much higher for 5 meats verses one meat so we tried the Beef Combination of five that included one stew. The meats get cooked by your server right infront of you on your table.

They set us up with lots of side dishes known as Banchan that translates to side dishes. Some of the side dishes we received were marinated broccoli, bean sprout salad, fish cakes, radish, tossed salad, onions and chives. Condiments for the beef were sea salt, a Korean sort of ketchup sauce and soy sauce.

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Then they quickly bring out an appetizer of steamed eggs.

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Next is bubbling hot Kimchi Stew and they start cooking the meats.

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Our server suggest to use a radish as a tortilla shell, salt the meat, add soy sauce, top with onions and chives and eat like a taco.

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The food all came flying at us a little too fast for me but all the beefs were delicious. This was a fun and different dining experience.

Sizzle Korean BBQ is new but seems to be Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

For more information please visit www.SizzleKoreanBBQ.com

Everything is subject to change and your experience may differ……

 The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

Delicious Shattering Crisp and Juicy Oven Fried Turkey Wings Recipe

 

Forking Easy Delicious Shattering Crisp and Juicy Oven Fried Turkey Wings

Forking Easy Delicious Shattering Crisp and Juicy Oven Fried Turkey Wings

To me the Wing on a Turkey is the most delicious when you season it just so and it has a crispy tasty exterior and a moist flavorful juicy interior. Sorry my photo doesn’t do the wings justice. It was so crispy with hard loud crunches and so juicy it was messy to eat. This is an easy way to make the Forking Best Turkey Wings ever!

Ingredients for 2 servings

2 turkey wings from a medium sized brined turkey

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Hungarian sweet paprika to taste – just a few light shakes all over wings

4 pinches granulated garlic – lightly on both sides of wings

fresh ground sea salt to taste – just a sprinkle all over wings

fresh ground black pepper to taste – just a sprinkle all over wings

Directions

Preheat your oven to 425 degree F.

Put turkey wings in a plastic bag with the olive oil and massage the olive oil all into the wings.

Place the wings on a baking sheet and sprinkle on all the spices. Note the wings are set on the sheet in a way that very little surface of the wing actually touches the baking sheet. (I spread the wings out a little after I took photo)

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Put the wings in the oven on the middle rack.

They will be done in 50-60 minutes.  You should use a Thermometer and the temp should read close to 180 degrees F. Be careful eating them because they stay hot a much longer time than you think. I got the wings done a half hour before I wanted them so they got to rest for 20 minutes. I popped them in a 350 degree F oven for only 10 minutes with some vegetables I was preparing. The wings were very hot but when I got to them they were FORKING AWESOME!

These Turkey Wings are so flavorful with a shattering crisp skin and a messy juicy inside.

Forking Easy Delicious Shattering Crisp and Juicy Oven Fried Turkey Wings

Forking Easy Delicious Shattering Crisp and Juicy Oven Fried Turkey Wings

Too bad a whole turkey only comes with two wings. These wings really were FORKING GOOD!

 The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

 

Chanterelle Mushroom Stuffing Recipe

 

Chanterelle Mushroom Bread Stuffing

Chanterelle Mushroom Stuffing

The Chanterelle Mushroom is considered to be a prized mushroom on any menu. It has a unique fruity, peppery, mild flavor and a low water content. It also is somewhat eye catching with it’s funnel shape and yellow almost orange color. The Chanterelle Mushrooms can be very expensive and most people do buy them dried. My local AJ’s Fine Foods Supermarket sells Chanterelles at $50.00 a pound most times of the year. I usually come across Chanterelles at $30.00 a pound from Whole Foods Supermarket. This time of year for only a few weeks my local Costco sells Chanterelles at only $10.00 a pound so I purchased some. The Chanterelles don’t stay fresh for too many days so they get washed (yes I do wash mushrooms…I try not to eat dirt) and cooked within two days. The Chanterelles in this recipe are precooked and were started with non-stick canola spray. Water was released and discarded and then the mushrooms were finished in a small amount of butter.

Ingredients for about Twelve Servings

4 oz unsalted butter – room temperature

1/2 cup celery – chopped – small

1/2 cup sweet onion – chopped small

1 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt

1 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 garlic cloves – grounded

14 oz dried bread – I used mostly ciabatta and some all natural white crusty rolls – Cut into irregular cubes – (I let them sit in off oven for about a week to get stale)

1 cup chanterelles – cleaned, sliced and cooked

2 XL eggs – beaten

3 Tablespoons heavy cream

8 sprigs fresh thyme – remove leaves from stem

1 sprig fresh sage – just the leaves – chopped

1 small sprig fresh rosemary – just the leaves – chopped

2 cups mushroom stock

1 cup water (or another cup of stock if you think you need more flavor)

non – stick spray – canola or vegetable

Directions

Set your oven for 350 degrees F and spray your pan with non – stick spray.

In a small/medium sized fry pan on medium high heat add butter, celery, onions, salt and pepper. Loosely cover the pan with foil after about five minutes turn down the heat to just under medium and add the mushrooms garlic and cook a few minutes more. The celery and onions should be soft and take off heat and set to the side.

In a large bowl mix up remaining ingredients expect for the bread cubes. Now add the fry pan ingredients and mix well.

Add the bread cubes and mix. Let mixture sit for about 15 minutes. Mix and pour mixture into the pan.

Cover the pan with aluminum foil and put in you 350 degree F preheated oven for one hour. After one hour remove the foil and pop the pan back in the over for 15 minutes to get a slight crust.

Chanterelle Bread Stuffing

Chanterelle Bread Stuffing

Chanterelle Mushroom Bread Stuffing

Chanterelle Mushroom Bread Stuffing

It’s light, a little buttery, a little crusty and a little custardy with good flavors. I think just about everyone will enjoy this one.

 The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

 

 

 

 

Glacier Lettuce Watermelon White Bean Fennel Salad with Lemon Tangerine Vinaigrette Recipe

Glacier Lettuce White Bean Watermelon Fennel Salad with Lemon Tangerine Vinaigrette

Glacier Lettuce White Bean Watermelon Fennel Salad with Lemon Tangerine Vinaigrette

I picked up some unusual ingredients from the Farmers Market that I made into a special salad. The flavors and textures are pretty darn amazing together. Finding Glacier Lettuce is pretty difficult but if you happen to come across it you might want to pick it up because it’s special. The recipe makes slightly more dressing than you actually need so save the leftover for you next few salads.

Ingredients for about four servings

1 container glacier lettuce

1 15.8 can reduced sodium great white northern beans – rinsed very well

1/4 cup purple basil – packed – rough chopped

3 purple cabbage leaves – cut in manageable pieces

1/2 smal fennel bulb – cored and shaved

2 Tablespoon fennel fronds

1/8 sweet onion shaved

1/2 watermelon radish – sliced thin

2 cups watermelon – cubed

1 purple carrot peeled – sliced thin

1 lemon – just the fresh squeezed juice

1 tangerine – the zest and the fresh squeezed juice

1 clove garlic – ground to a paste

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon Aleppo pepper

Directions

In a large bowl combine the glacier lettuce, beans, basil, cabbage, fennel and fronds, onion, watermelon radish, purple carrot and watermelon.

In a small bowl mix together all the remaining ingredients.

Dress the salad when your ready to eat it.

Glacier Lettuce White Bean Watermelon Fennel Salad with Lemon Tangerine Vinaigrette

Glacier Lettuce White Bean Watermelon Fennel Salad with Lemon Tangerine Vinaigrette

This one is a Forking Good Salad!

 The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth