Category Archives: Forking Thoughts

Random Forking Items of Interest

Korean Style Fried Chicken VS Thai Red Curry Lay’s Potato Chips – An EASY Winner

Fun NEW Limited Edition Lay’s Potato Chip Flavors recently came out and two of them I had to try.

One is – Korean Style Fried Chicken (Wavy)

The Other is – Thai Style Red Curry

One taste FORKING AMAZING and the other is over seasoned powdery and weird.

Sadly the loser is Korean Style Fried Chicken.

It taste like mostly too much paprika, dry garlic, dry onion, and a sort of burnt chicken taste, maybe with other flavors. It doesn’t really taste like food. It tastes like seasoning mix that you’d add to something but with a burnt chicken kind of taste.

The “WINNER” by a long shot is clearly the Thai Style Red Curry. GOSH AND YUM! this one is delicious! Even the actual chips taste better and taste like potato chips that were dipped into actual Thai Red Curry.

The “WINNER” by a long shot!

Lay’s Thai Style Red Curry

GET THEM before they run out!

The Forking Truth

Foods that You can make – Showing Off

I’m just showing off just a few of the recipes that you can find here on www.TheForkingTruth.com

Potato & Cheese Pierogi are delicious and everyone loves them.

You can’t go wrong with chocolate chip cookies and sweet potato pies either.

You can find Pate A Chox (eclair or cream puff pastry) here

Macaroni and Cheese Stuffed Mini Potatoes

Made a less spicy variation of my almost FAMOUS chipotle rice stuffed potato string wrapped peppers…..See almost famous was featured on from page of the food section.

For a group I brought.

Pizza with heirloom tomato slices, Maple Bourbon Goat Cheese Pickled Beet Tacos, Stuffed Peppers with Chipotle Rice and Potato String Crust.

Brought more of those strawberry chocolate ricotta pastries.

Home made crackers with jalapeño cheese ball slices

Radish Slice, Blue Cheese Butter, & Sriracha

Pub Cheese Roses on Home Made Cracker

Home Made Pesto, Blue Cheese Butter, on Home Made Cracker

Cheese Pizza Buns

Cherry Filled Cookies with Chocolate Drizzle

That was a little Showing Off and Recipes or variations of the recipes can be found here in the serch.

The Forking Truth

FORKING Thoughts on Kitchen Aid Stand Mixers

According to EVERYONE on the internet Kitchen Aid Stand Mixers are by far the best that any home cook can buy. I had mine around 15 or so years and noticed that it seems to make noises and gets so hot I think it might catch on fire. I read that the average age for a Ktchen Aid Mixer to last is about 15 years so maybe I’m due to replace it.

Recently I noticed that Kitchen Aid Mixers were on sale at Costco so I picked out a new one. When I picked it up I noticed that it isn’t as heavy as my old one……..?

I made a batch of dough and I wanted it to mix for ten minutes.

Then after 4 minutes it stopped.

I tried a few more times to start it up.

I returned it back to Costco. I still have my old Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer. Maybe it will work a few more times?

The Forking Truth

Showing Off

Just Showing off some food I made. The recipes or variations of the recipes can be found here just use the search.

Not everything but most were for gatherings.

Mini Cheese Pizza Buns and Cheese Blintzes with Mixed Fruit Sauce

Curing Pastrami

Smoking the pastrami

Pastrami

My Pastrami on my homemade Rye Roll…(the next rye rolls came out better because I made them in an oven that didn’t suck)

Pizza Buns & Macerated Strawberry Hamentashen with Chocolate Drizzle

Had a bag of potatoes I had to use.

Made savory potato pies called knishes.

Roasted off some potatoes and filled them with the savory potato filling.

Potatoes with savory potato filling.

After making the pastrami I needed more rye rolls so-

Rye Rolls

Made deviled eggs with Peruvian Sweety Drop Peppers.

Pate a Choux, Chocolate, Chocolate Mascarpone, Lightly Macerated Strawberry

These look much prettier that what my photo shows. The Pastry (Pate a Choux was piped and looks like the Deviled Egg Swirls. I thought a light dip of chocolate would be good (and it was) The Chocolate Mascarpone was being given away at my supermarket yesterday. It seemed a little dry to me but I didn’t want to change it and added strawberries that I lightly macerated. People went NUTS over them.

Well that was some showing off.

The Forking Truth

Showing Off

Showing off is just showing you some food I made mostly for gatherings.

Up above is

Apple, Hazelnut, Taleggio Cheese, Shishito Pepper Pizza

Potato and Cheese stuffed Peppers

Amarena Cherry Goat Cheese topped lightly Pickled Beet Slices

Tomato,Pesto, Cheese, Pizza

Butternut Squash, cannoli cheese, pistachio pizza

Macaroni & Cheese Stuffed Potatoes

Everyone loves all three of these!

Everyone likes pizza or just about everyone. I made pizza and pizza rolls. They really are the same just put together different. To my surprise the pizza rolls went first. I guess they are easier to just pick up and take.

Corned Beef & Cabbage Hand Pies

Corned Beef & Cabbage Hand Pies

For one gathering I brought this –

Chipotle rice corn cheddar with potato string wrapped peppers

Smashed red mini potatoes topped with duchess potatoes

Corned beef and Cabbage hand pies

Cherry filled cookies with chocolate drizzle

It was a morning group so the cookies and potato bites went first followed by the stuffed peppers but it all eventually went

The next day had a St Patrick’s Party and brought a big box of corned beef and cabbage hand pies and a small tray of smashed mini red potatoes topped with duchess potatoes. They went like lightning there.

This next one coming isn’t for a gathering but is worth showing off. Just starting out a pastrami.

This gets cooked up with water to cure the brisket.

This needs to sit in the refrigerator and cure for give or take a week and then it gets smoked.

It’s fun to cook and to show off.

The Forking Truth

A Little TASTE of my Local Sprouts Farmers Market Grocery

Sprouts Farmers Markets Grocery Stores are a chain of food markets with Phoenix Arizona Headquarters. They offer a wide selection of natural and organic foods.. They also offer vitamins, bulk items, frozen foods, a deli, pet foods, health, beauty, and more.

Often I buy the organic ground turkey for making meatballs or meatloaves.

I buy mostly produce here for two reasons.

One reason is that certain things like carrots, radishes, and broccoli taste noticeably better than from my big grocery stores.

The other reason is because of the tremendous sales they periodically have.

Anyways below are just a few of the dishes I made with Sprouts Produce.

Stem Broccoli with Peanut Gojogang Sauce

Butternut Squash with Apple Salsa

Carrots with oranges and pistachios

Brussels Sprouts are often a managers special…..I don’t mind.

One day they had farmers cheese for only 99cents a tub so I made blintzes

But sometimes I see strange things here.

I also think that it is strange that they put kosher foods next to pork crumbs

That was a little taste of my local Sprouts Farmers Market Grocery.

The Forking Truth

Showing Off

Showing Off is just showing mostly just food that I make for gatherings or somethings that are special.

Up above is pizza with burrata and balsamic, sweet potato pies with cumin seeds, allspice, cinnamon, and nigella seeds, and fresh mozzarella and parmesan pizza.

cocktail sized pastrami sandwiches….(yes I brined and smoked the pastrami and yes I baked the rye rolls.

Here was the pastrami. Brag BRAG brag brag!!!!

I’m just showing off!

People and DOGS are CRAZY about potato and cheese pierogi that were fried in butter.

Above are potato & cheese pierogi and some pistachio and chocolate fudge.

Made pickled beets and topped them with Maple Bourbon goat cheese

Made Bread Crisps and topped them with taleggio cheese and home made pesto

Made lemon topped short breads

Eggplant Parms

My Famous – Chipotle Rice Corn Cheddar Stuffed Peppers with Potato String Crust

Spice Custard stuffed Squash with Spiced Walnuts

Yotam Ottolenghi Style – Sesame Date Banana Cupcakes

That was some showing off and all the recipes or variations of the recipes can be found on my site.

The Forking Truth

The $62. Chefs Table Sharing Menu from Monzu Italian Oven Is Worth a Fork!

Monzu Italian Oven is Located not to far from the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada. The Chef recently has been awarded Chef of the Year from the Nevada Restaurant Association. They offer a traditional Italian Menu, bar drinks, and wines. They also offer a variety of Sharing Menus. We always go for the $62. (subject to change) Chefs Table Sharing Menu.

It always differs some but they always start you off with their amazing five day crafted natural bread made with a 300 year old family apricot starter. It comes embellished with house made ricotta cheese and olive oil.

Next was a board filled with meats, cheeses, sage wrapped anchovies and other goodies.

Then come a variety of salads.

You always get some of their amazing pizza with embellishments of mascarpone cream and Calabrian Chiles.

Two pasta courses- Tonight it was pillowy gnocchi in gorgonzola sauce with walnuts

and Crepe Bolognese Lasagna

Next it is two main courses.

Tonight it was Crispy Skin Sea bream with leek potatoes

and Hanger Steak with Roasted Potatoes and Salsa Verde

The Sweet Ending was Cannoli and an Italian Doughnut with Citrus Cream

Monzu Italian Oven’s $62. Chefs Table Sharing Menu is Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

Monzu Italian Oven & Bar

6020 W Flamingo Rd Las Vegas NV

702-749-5959

wwwMonzuLV.com

Every THING is subject to change.

The Forking Truth

Food News – Best Salads I’ve tasted so far in Las Vegas NV

I recently read a local article stating the authors favorite salads in Las Vegas. I don’t think they’ve tasted what I’ve tasted and here is my take on best salads from what I’ve tried so far.

A really great salad that is really near the top is the Smoked Salmon Salad from Yoshiya Kitchen.

House smoked salmon, greens, edamame, onion, seaweed, tomato, rice, yuzu sesame dressing

The Caesar salad from Ferraro’s Ristorante

Romaine, REAL anchovy dressing, parmesan, toasted crumbs, black pepper (I once worked in a fine dining restaurant and made Caesar Salads Table-side so I really do know how a Caesar should taste) This Caesar I have to rate as #1 for Caesar.

For another traditional Caesar. The one from Rang’s Cocina Moderne is also one of the best.

This salad is very good and very close to Ferraro’s Ristorante’s Caesar. It’s just slightly a thinner dressing and is slightly light with black pepper for a Caesar Salad but still is very good and up there above nearly all the Caesars I tried..

The other Caesar that needs to be mentioned is the NON-TRADITIONAL Caesar from Soulbelly BBQ.

This one is very unique and DECONSTRUCTED. If you taste a green by its self flavors are missing……..Then there are these SURPRISE and amazing cornbread croutons that contain all the missing flavors from the dressing and the salad POPS! (I added the very good BBQ turkey to make this salad a complete meal)

Below is the cucumber salad from Din Tai Fung.

It’s the best Asian Cucumber Salad that I have ever tasted.

The Insalata Nizzarda from Matteo’s (in the Venetian Hotel/Casino)

Confit Tuna, Greens, Green Beans, Potatoes, Olives, capers, anchovies, sweet tomatoes.

The Salad from Namu Korean Tapas and BBQ was amazing.

It was this scrumptious mix of sweet, cheesy, lettuce, tomatoes, nuts, and their spectacular house made ricotta cheese. It was super delicious!

One of the most exciting salads was the Sandiada Salad from Aroma Latin American Cocina.

Watermelon, soft greens, jicama, cashews, …….just magical…TOMATOES NIXTAMALAS and Chamoy Vin. I’m speechless. Really delicious and I never had anything like this before.

Food News – The BEST Salads I’ve tried in Vegas So Far…….

The Forking Truth

Food News – There is Bagel Fusion in Las Vegas NV

We do come across lots of Asian Fusion Restaurants everywhere. But here in Las Vegas I noticed at least two Bagel Fusion Restaurant Choices.

One is called New York Bagel N Bakery. Sounds like the right name for a bagel place. This one was different from any other bagel place I ever was in. Inside was a picture of The Pope. I also saw a picture of the Sopranos. I saw a couple of Italian Deli Clocks.

I also saw this …………….(I think it’s the move Casino?)

One of two Italian Deli Clocks

New York Bakery Sign with a MonteSantos Sign.

Cherubs and something that looks like a priest on the wall.

They offered PIZZA Bagels (pictured above), Biscotti, Cannoli, Rainbow Cookies, and those Lobster Rolls.

But they do also offer normal bagels with the normal fillings……

Pastrami on Salt Bagel with Potato Salad
Whitefish Salad on an Everything Bagel with Cole Slaw

They also do an Italian Fusion Sandwich of a Bagel stuffed with Capiccola, Mortadella, Genoa Salami, Provolone, Lettuce, Tomato, Oil, Vinegar. (called the Italian Piled High).

Bagel N Bakery

840 S Rancho Dr Las Vegas NV

702-258-7400

No Website

The other Bagel Fusion is in the Food Court in the Fontainebleau Hotel/Casiono called El Bagel.

I saw Chef Aaron May there eating Matzah Ball Soup there. He got up when I got close enough to photo. (that IS HIM from behind)

El Bagel

They have some unusual bagel fusion here.

They offer a EB Original Bagel Sandwich stuffed with Scallion Cream Cheese, Roasted Jalapeños, and Thick Bacon. They also offer maybe THE MOST UNUSUAL bagel sandwich called King Guava that is filled with a fried egg, cream cheese, GUAVA marmalade, and potato sticks.

They also serve traditional bagel sandwiches.

Pastrami
Lox and Cream Cheese

El Bagel at Fontainebleau

2777 Las Vegas Blvd Las Vegas NV

702-678-7272

www.FontainebleauLasVegas.com

That was Food News – There is Bagel Fusion in Las Vegas

The Forking Truth