Category Archives: Forking Thoughts

A little Taste of Where The Fork I’ve Been Las Vegas Fall 2019

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First Stop was Buddy V’s in the Venetian on the Las Vegas Strip.

Everything really was very good. My husband went crazy over the pasta and sausage dish….He is partial to that kind of dish and said it was the best he had out anywhere. I do have to add that his cannoli is the best one I’ve tasted out anywhere!

Next Stop was Bouchon….Also in the Venetian.

Very classic and just like the Bouchon in Napa Valley except this one is on the tenth floor. All went incredible here too……..Portions were much larger than I was expecting. We were seeing a show afterwards and I didn’t have a refrigerator in my hotel so I had to lose my leftovers…so sad …I threw out the best leftovers I ever had anywhere…..

Next destination was The Crack Shack at Park MGM on the Las Vegas Strip.

The Crack Shack is a casual semi fast chicken theme restaurant that is co-founded by celebrity Top Chef Richard Blais. It’s kind of semi fast food style with a sports bar kind of feel. But the chicken used is quality Jidori chicken. We got a tasty fried chicken sandwich and shared Matzo Ball Pozole and schmaltz fries too!

A trip to Las Vegas usually involves a dinner at L’ATELIER de Joel Robuchon at the MGM Hotel/Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. Chef Robuchon was the most starred chef in history and also was known as Chef of the century. Some of his magic still lives on at his restaurant.

Emeril’s Table Ten Restaurant was a favorite that closed maybe two or three years back. I liked Table Ten restaurant best because it offered the most variety of the Emeril restaurants. Went back to Emeril’s New Orleans Fish-house in the MGM.

It killed me to skip that amazing banana cream pie today but both of us enjoyed everything we had. Emeril’s always serves the best gumbo that you can get outside of New Orleans. I got todays catch that was the grilled salmon.

OMG……. TWIST By Pierre Gagnaire was FORKING AMAZING! Twist is located on the 23rd floor of the Waldorf Astoria in the middle of the Las Vegas Strip.

To my local peeps it’s kind of like Binkley’s at the original location pricing (depending on menu you chose) but all the amuse bouches are served at the beginning and mostly at the end. This is a French style restaurant by a multi award winning chef. We received over 15 amuse bouches during dinner. Each and every morsel we we tried BLEW IT OUT OF THE PARK! Everything was so DETAILED and so amazing…..Not just great but FORKING extraordinary! All the food was a truly mind blowing experience. We both went with the vegetarian menu $89 (4 courses). I highly recommend! My NEW favorite!

Starter amuse bouches
charcoal apricot bread and baguette
quinoa salad
bell pepper
palate cleanser
risotto with white alba truffles and autumn vol-am-vant
dessert
very detailed and amazing amuse bouches

Like not of this world from another planet FORKING AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!

That was a little taste of my fall 2019 trip to Las Vegas.

Every thing is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.

The Forking Truth

Be a GOOD Guest and NOT a Forking TURKEY on Thanksgiving

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Be a good guest and not a Forking turkey on Thanksgiving. It seems that some people have been raised by wolves and don’t know how to behave correctly on Thanksgiving. Here are few things that some people need to know.

PLEASE be a normal responsible person. If you come down with a cold PLEASE don’t bring it to Thanksgiving with you. Your germs aren’t special and incase you don’t know YOUR FARTS SMELL TOO! If you go to Thanksgiving with a cold you will inflict your illness on others. Only a Forking turkey would do something this inconsiderate.

Don’t let your children race into someone’s home like zombies not even making eye contact with the host. Just a smile and a nod goes a long way and is enough….and would be appreciated.

Don’t be a Forking Turkey and set the alarm on the host’s washer and dryer. Only a Forking NUT job Turkey would do such a thing. You know your host will know it was done by you…….so please don’t be a dumb cluck.

You might not care for every dish your host serves but DON’T BE A TURKEY and when you see something you don’t care for just don’t eat it. Only a FORKING TURKEY would scream at the table, ” I HATE PROFITEROLES!” For GOD’S sake if you don’t scream in the super market that you hate profiteroles when you see them then why the heck would you scream it in someones home? Only a Forking TURKEY does such a thing.

Only a FOKING TURKEY would re-gift a used food product that already was used that they didn’t care for. If something you tried was crap to you why in the world would you dump your already used smelly fish on someone else……What the heck were you thinking? Only a ding bat or someone who has lost their marbles FORKING TURKEY would do this.

If you or your children break something in your host’s house the right thing to do is to mention it to your host. Not saying anything really Forking make you look like a BIG FORKING RUDE and inconsiderate TURKEY. (that’s just so rude and inconsiderate)

Only a Forking TURKEY would give the host a back stabbing compliment. “That might have been the best Thanksgiving food I ever had” “But I don’t know that much about food and I would rate it two stars!” Only FORKING MORON TURKEYS say something like that.

Don’t act like you are helping to clean up the serving ware by tossing them in the trash. Only a Forking NUT JOB Turkey would do that.

We sincerely hope that the only turkey at your thanksgiving table is the one you eat.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Forking Truth

Some Recipes that you can find here on The Forking Truth for Thanksgiving

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Here are a bunch of recipes from The Forking Truth that you might want to try for Thanksgiving. Up above is for a Southwest Style Thanksgiving. It’s Guacamole Style Beets. (this recipe will go up Wednesday) Here are around 50 Forking recipes to inspire you.

Duchess Parnips
Blue Cheese Sriracha Butter Hasselback Mini Potatoes with Radish
Timbale
Tomato, Hibiscus, Onion and Roasted Lime Salad
Bread Leek Pudding
Festive Holiday Cranberry Sauce
Cabbage Salad with Balsamic Roasted Strawberries, Apples and Almond Dukkah
Thomas Keller’s Chocolate Bouchon made by me
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Chestnuts with Crisp Sage
Moroccan Inspired Carrots
Duchess Inspired Kabocha Squash
Braised Leeks with Onions Appleand Carrots in Apple Cider Veloute
Gordon Ramsey’s Clafoutis
Cranberry Sauce with Hibiscus
Sweet Potatoes with Cherry peppers, Figs, Green Onions and Balsamic Drizzle
Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Pecans, Dates and some Brown Sugar
Traditional Stuffing and Rosemary Herb Stuffing
Fennel Fava Radish and Walnut Salad in Lemon Dijon Dressing
Italian Style Beans

Baby Eggplants stuffed with spicy Indian spiced onions, tomatoes, sprouts and cashews

Oven fried crispy turkey wings

Classic Boule
Citrus Salad with Honey Poppy Seed Dressing and Spiced Almonds
Forking Great Blue-Cheese, Sriracha, Honey Radish Appetizer
Melon Salad with Preserved Lemon, Lavender and Whipped Cream Cheese
Butternut Squash Cinnamon Bun
Spaghetti Squash with Harissa Vinaigrette inspired from FnB Restaurant of Scottsdale AZ
Twice Cooked Gilfeather Rutabaga inspired from FNB Restaurant
Crispy Turkey Skin
Pear Almond Cake
Acorn Squash with Cranberry Mango Habanero Sauce and Blue Cheese
Chanterelle Bread Stuffing
Duchess Style Stuffed Potatoes
Kabocha Squash Coconut Crust Pie
Hatch Chili and Roasted Red Pepper Challah Bread
Onion Rolls
Kobocha Squash Ice-Cream
Purple Sweet Potato Blackberry Pie with Coconut/Almond Crust
Brussels Sprouts Baba Ganoush
Sweet Potato Surprise Pie …..surprise it’s purple!
Duchess Potatoes (The Special Occasion Potato)
Cranberry Roselle Lime Sauce
Bouchon Bakery Mini Coffee Cake
Twisted Date Bread
Yellow Mango Frozen Confection
Kabocha Squash Cake with Drizzle and Chestnuts
Tunisian Inspired Carrots
Summer Vegetable Stuffed Peppers
Braised Beets, Pickled Golden Raisins, Spiced Walnuts and Mint
Forking BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies ever!
South West Style Hatch Chile Corn Fritters
Sriracha Apricot Glazed Acorn Squash with Nectarines, Cherries and Almonds
Fancy Schmancy Deviled Eggs
One Ingredient Frozen Banana Confection with added cinnamon and crushed chocolate chips
Italian Style Slightly Spicy Cauliflower
Plum Pomegranate and Pine Nut Cake
Zippy but Delicious Corn Bread Stuffing
Moist Fresh Herb Turkey Stuffing
Turkey Stock
Thanksgiving Turkey Meatballs
SousVide 140 degrees F with herbs salt and pepper and garlic confit

Happy Thanksgiving!

My Forking Thoughts on Lay’s Roasted Chicken Wing Chips

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I came across these Chinese Made Lay’s Potato Chips at one of the Asian Markets so I picked them up to try. The ingredients look safe to eat and I don’t think that there is any actual chicken in the chips.

I was surprised to see Sichuan Pepper as one of the ingredients.

Here is what the back of the bag looks like.

I open up the bag and take a sniff.

This bag isn’t too full.

It smells odd………something like instant soup.

I pour out some chips to try.

They have a powdery exterior and big deep ridges.

I taste one.

It does have a sort of roasted chicken kind of flavor but it is too sweet. It’s more sweet and salty. The chips in the picture are not spicy……But….If I taste a crumb from the bottom of the bag it taste different has more flavor and is spicy. The bottom of bag crumbs are more spicy and soupy tasting and the chips towards the top are milder with a more roasted chicken flavor. These are one of the few chips that make my hand smell. My hands smell like instant soup.

1/2 a Fork…Worth a try! You might like or love them…You might also think they suck!

The Chinese Lay’s Hot Pot Flavor and the cucumber flavors were much more interesting and maybe better than this roasted chicken wing flavor to me. I recommend trying those flavors before the roasted chicken wing flavor. It certainly isn’t bad…..but I wouldn’t try this one again.

Your opinion and experience may indeed differ.

The Forking Truth

My Favorite Thai Dish in North Phoenix – Spicy Pumpkin Basil from Sala Thai in Peoria AZ – FORKING Delicious – Worth a Fork!

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At the moment my favorite Thai Dish that I’ve come across in North Phoenix is the Spicy Pumpkin Basil from Sala Thai in Peoria. The Pumpkin adds another delicious flavor. It’s sort of sweet, a little creamy and sort of chestnut-like. This dish is basically a Pad Gra Pow with added Thai Pumpkin. It’s your choice of meat hand chopped with extra surface space to soak up flavors. Then it’s stir fried with bell pepper, onion, garlic, Thai Chillies, basil and fish sauce. It’s incredibly delicious. I enjoy that they use a handful of delicious basil that you can taste in this dish. This dish also taste better than from other places because they use Thai Chillies for heat unlike some of the other places that use jalapeños and or a granulated powder. Some of the other Thai restaurants in North Phoenix do offer Pumpkin Curry but Sala Thai is one of the few or possibly only Thai Restaurant in North Phoenix that offers Spicy Pumpkin Basil.

Why settle for Pad Gra Pow when you can have Spicy Pumpkin Basil?

Worth a Fork!

www.SalaThaiAZ.com

Every THING is subject to change and your experience may or may NOT differ.

The Forking Truth

My Forking Thoughts on White Chocolate Pumpkin Pie M&M’s – WTFORK it tastes like……….

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These White Chocolate Pumpkin Pie M&M’s were out perviously (last fall or the fall before I forget) but this is one flavor I skipped. I thought I’d try them this year.

I start by opening the bag and taking a whiff.

I see that I got lots of broken pieces of M&M’s all over.

They are mostly larger and slightly irregular in shape….compared to standard M&M’s. They come in colors of white, orange and a brown that looks just like dog doo colored.

Now I smell them.

It smells familiar………sort of like a spice cookie but with sour cream cheese frosting.

I taste one…this is kinda gross………It’s really greasy……Maybe I just got a bad batch…..or maybe these spoiled in the truck making its way to 110 degree F Phoenix.

This taste like FORKING greasy artificial GINGER BREAD with molasses and sour cream cheese frosting.

This doesn’t taste like Pumpkin Pie.

I wonder if this flavor was concocted from other leftover flavors?

I don’t know WTFork they’ve done here but I imagine that it could be possible that I am tasting some sort of carrot cake flavor that is possibly mixed with gingerbread.

This one just doesn’t taste good.

There’s an unpleasant after taste from this one.

BLECH! These are sickening!…….and they are greasy gross.

On the bright side I know that I am not going to gain any weight from these M&M’s.

I have to give these White Chocolate Pumpkin Pie M&M’s a Not Worth a Fork!

NOT WORTH A FORK!

Taste is subjective and your opinion and experience may indeed differ.

The Forking Truth

The Forking Best Pizzas I’ve Tasted on the West Side in Glendale and Peoria AZ

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We have really Forking Awesome Pizzas in Glendale and Peoria. All the pizzas are Forking Great and delicious. These are the most delicious ones I’ve tasted so far. Pictured above is the Pizza Milano from Bottega Pizzaria Ristorante in Glendale. This particular one is special because it is ultra thin and is made with San Marzano Tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil and a little spicy kick from Calabrian Chile Peppers. It’s crisp but does have a soft middle. it’s also the best ultra thin pizza that I know of on the west side. The regular pizzas are delicious as well and are very similar to Pomo Pizzas….(this restaurant used to be a Pomo). Delicious pizzas you can’t go wrong here.

From Fabio on Fire in Peoria is the Bufalina Pizza. This one has all kinds of flavors going on. Rich San Marzano tomatoes, peppery arugula, sweet reduced balsamic, creamy bufala cheese, nutty parmesan on a thin light chewy and crisp crust. The bufalina cheese was partially delicious…..It was creamier and more flavorful than other buffalo cheeses I’ve tasted from other places. This pizza was incredibly delicious! It’s one of the BEST ever!

The Pizzas from La Piazza Al Forno are all delicious but this Bianca Pizza was really extra special. This pizza was made with their insanely delicious house made mozzarella, a high quality ricotta (don’t know if house made but it tasted like house made), extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil, Sicilian oregano, and Calabrian chiles. All this was on their very delicate textured certified crust. It was really awesome.

The Forking Truth is that I do really love their Margherita pizzas too but they differ depending on the visit……They both taste good (pictured below) but I prefer the one on the right. The one on the right might be my favorite Margherita anywhere. The house made mozzarella is the most flavorful mozzarella…Their crust is the most delicate and tender and when the sauce is just right is pretty darn amazing.

Also on the west side by the same owner of La Piazza Al Forno is Piazza Romana that is technically in Avondale but is so freaking close to Glendale it just has to be included. This place is basically around the corner from Westgate in Glendale.

Here are Piazza Romana in Avondale is the Metro Phoenix first Roman Style Pizza Shop. Pictured above is the Arrabiatta. It has a delicious chunky thick topping that’s seasoned well with a kick!

Pictured above are the Margherita and the picante (spicy salami ((sopresata))

These pizza slices have a bubbly textured dough that is crisp but also moist in the center and are generously topped with delicious toppings. They aren’t as heavy as they look….and they ARE DELICIOUS!

At The Rec in Peoria they serve Detroit Style Pizza. (pictured above and below)

This pizza has a bubbly thick crust that isn’t doughy with these scrumptious crisp CHEESY edges.

The bottom taste almost like a buttery grilled cheese and this pizza was topped with a rich chunky oregano laced sauce and a delicious melty cheese blend. This pizza is incredibly tasty.

I make pizza too…..One of my favorites that I make is the Heirloom Tomato slices with fresh basil, E.V.O.O. with my cheese blend of mozzarella, provolone, sharp provolone and parmesan.

Those were The FORKING Best Pizzas that I’ve Tasted on the west side …..(mostly) in Glendale and Peoria.

Every FORKING Thing is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.

The Forking Truth

The FORKING BEST Thing I Ate Out This Week – The Arctic Char from Confluence in Carefree AZ

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The food is always spectacular from Confluence in Carefree Arizona. Not just great but usually detailed and very complex…..actually astonishing. I’ve been to many better restaurants in several states and I haven’t found one restaurant anywhere that does fish as well as from Confluence. This is the only restaurant where I am able to eat the skin. It’s seasoned just so and is crisp, delicious and stays crisp from first bite to last bite. The arctic char was tender, moist and cooked to perfection. If you like salmon then you will LOVE arctic char because it like a milder creamier salmon. The fish plates I tried from Confluence always “SING” with flavors that harmonize and go together like an orchestra arrangement. Here on this plate was sweetness from golden raisins. Piney, buttery flavor from pine nuts. Touches of bitter and salty from Gaeta Olives. A sort of floral saffron sauce is the glue that ties it all together and clean tasting patty pan squash and couscous complete the plate. It’s a stunning plate. Sweet, piney, buttery, touches of pleasant bitter, salty, floral…it’s delicious and interesting in the mouth.

The Arctic Char from Confluence in Carefree AZ was The Best Thing I ate out this week and was Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork! Worth driving across town for.

www.RestaurantConfluence.com

The Forking Truth

My Trip to The Italian Festival of Arizona 2019

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The Italian Festival took place February 22nd – 24th 2019 in Old Town Scottsdale. There was flag twirlers from Italy, Italian dancers, musicians, some goods, a demo, lots of food and more.

Hot or Cold Italian Coffee.

Fabio on Fire was there with lots of baked goodies and his mobile pizza oven so we tried some of his pizza.

Across from Fabio on Fire were Italian Dancers from Italy.

Maui Pasta

We tried arancini and meatballs from Maui Pasta…..

Saw a cute Red Alfa Romeo Car.

Ate like an Italian and tried Aiello’s Eggplant Rolatini and their Escarole with Beans.

Did a lot of Manga Manga because portions were very generous!

Dolce Vita Gelato

Tried some Lemon gelato from Dolce Vita.

Walked around a little more.

Someone was selling Italian T Shirts, hats, purses, baby bibs and more.

Someone was selling their Tomato sauce.

Trattoria D’Amico

More Italian Food

Dancers are walking by.

Marcellino’s

I’m stuffed but my husband can try one more. Here’s Marcellino’s hand made pasta and sauce…

That was my trip to The Italian Festival of Arizona 2019.

The Forking Truth

Sriracha Apricot Glazed Acorn Squash with Nectarines Cherries and Almonds Recipe

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Sriracha Apricot Glazed Acorn Squash with Nectarines, Cherries and Almonds

It can be challenging to make acorn squash taste good without tons of butter, brown sugar and  cinnamon. This time I made a sriracha/apricot glaze for this acorn squash and I thought seasonal summer fruit of nectarines, cherries and almonds would go well here and they do! This dish came out overall savory but also is a little sweet with a building heat that isn’t too hot.

Ingredients for about 4 servings

1 medium – large sized acorn squash – cut in half, scoop out seeds cut each half in four wedges so you have eight

non stick spray

1 nectarine or a peach – remove pit and cut in eight wedges

16 cherries – pitted

1/3 cup apricot spread – all fruit no sugar added

3 Tablespoons sriracha – I used Shark Brand other brands have more heat and some have a metallic taste so you will want to use less if you use a different brand or to your taste.

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon ground all spice

16 almonds – crushed well

2 Tablespoons panko bread crumbs

2 scallions cut thinly on a diagonal

Fresh ground sea salt to taste

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Set oven to 425 degrees F.

Spray baking sheet lightly with non stick spray.

Lay the squash wedges in two rows of four.

Put a nectarine wedge inside of each squash wedge.

If you didn’t pit your cherries pit them now with a straw.

Put a cherry on each end of each nectarine wedge.

In a small bowl mix together the apricot spread with the sriracha .

Pour over squash and fruit.

Sprinkle with olive oil.

Sprinkle with allspice.

Sprinkle with almonds and panko.

Use fresh ground sea salt and pepper to taste.

Put in 425 degree F oven for about 30 minutes or until fork tender.

Sprinkle with scallions to serve.

Sriracha Apricot Glazed Acorn Squash with Nectarines, Cherries and Almonds

I think what made the flavors pop was the cherries….They just added something really great to these flavors.

The Forking Truth