Category Archives: Forking Thoughts

Random Forking Items of Interest

WTFork is a King Cake?………Happy Fat Tuesday!…… Mardi Gras

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Someone from New Orleans sent us a King Cake for Mardi Gras. In the United States New Orleans is the most popular place to celebrate Mardi Gras. They have all kinds of zany festivities and parades like no where else.

The King Cake is a braided Danish Pastry with cinnamon. It is essential that it is colored with purple (for justice) green (for faith) and gold for power. The cake also contains ONE PLASTIC BABY. According to my husband, the person that gets the baby gets to be King for a Day!….. Well that’s pretty cool!

So we go to try a piece. Neither of us ever had King Cake before.

I’m afraid I’m going to choke on a plastic baby so I pull a small piece to taste it….I don’t feel a plastic baby…..guess I’m safe….Ummm it’s pretty good…taste like more than cinnamon…..something like nesselrode (preserved Italian Fruit).

I go to look at the colors in the cake…….I got the baby! I thought it would be baked inside but it was impaled on the bottom.

Happy Fat Tuesday! …….and that’s WTFork is a King Cake.

The Forking Truth

My Forking Thoughts on Black Truffle & Olive Oil Private Selection Kettle Chips

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I noticed these Black Truffle & Olive Oil Flavored Kettle Chips at Frys Supermarket.

The Ingredients read that they contain natural flavorings and do actually contain dried Black Truffles. Looks like mostly good ingredients…I think I’ll give them a try.

Open up the bag.

Dang! It looks like someone was already eating the chips! How deep is this?

Hard to hold my paper Ikea Ruler down but it’s around 8 inches empty.

I go to take in the aroma.

It’s a kind of fried kind of smell.

I dump out some chips.

The chips come in an assortment of sizes. Many chips are folded and most of the chips are very tiny so tiny potatoes were used.

I look closer at the chips and see a few specs of something on them.

In one goes…..

There is a lot of a fine salt on them and they have a sour milk kind of taste. The chip feels powdery in my mouth. These chips however are very crispy.

I eat one at a more normal speed now. Yuk! they seem more salty and more maybe buttermilk-ee and even more crunchy. They have some potato flavor but not a whole lot.

I don’t get any Black Truffle or Olive Oil….maybe there is a small amount in there but it’s over powered by the sour milk powdery taste.

I go for a third one……

The third one sort builds and sort of taste like ranch dressing to me…….with a black pepper finish….

Sorry I bought these chips.

DISSAPOINTING

My bag of chips lacks the black truffle and Olive Oil Flavor and taste more like Crunchy Sour Ranch Dressing.

Maybe my bag was mislabeled?

Your experience may or may not differ.

The Forking Truth

I Wonder WTFork! Happened to Russian Dressing?

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I ordered a Reuben at a local restaurant and I noticed they didn’t dress my rueben with the traditional Russian Dressing. Instead they used a thousand Island Dressing……. Reuben sandwiches are supposed to be dressed with Russian Dressing. It seems that Russian Dressing seems hard to come by these days……I wonder WTFork happened to Russian Dressing?

The two dressings do look similar and do share some similarities  but they do indeed are suppose to differ. In general Russian Dressing is SUPPOSED TO BE a spicier dressing and Thousand Island is SUPPOSED TO BE more on the sweet side. Both Dressings are used for salads but Russian Dressing is better to dress the Reuben Sandwich and the flavors in Thousand Island are better to compliment hamburgers.

Then I wondered…maybe it’s this one restaurant? So I looked at a few other restaurants in town where I can also get a Reuben….and this is what I’ve found.

Nope…it seems nobody in the area puts Russian Dressing on Reubens.

The base of these two dressings are similar…….They both are mayonnaise (or another white base) based and are blended with either ketchup, chili sauce or some sort of tomato…..after that many recipes differ by a ton but basically the rest of Russian Dressing is pimentos, horseradish and chives. The rest of thousand Island is olives, pickles and eggs…and only found from www.Wikipedia.com  lemon and orange juice.

I have a few recipes for Russian Dressing and Thousand Island Dressing here that differ.

From www.RecipeCurio.com
Russian & Thousand Island Recipes

Thousand Island and two Russian Dressing Recipes From the Settlement Cookbook

FoodNetwork’s recipe for Russian Dressing

The Professional Chef’s Recipe for Thousand Island Dressing. They didn’t have a recipe for Russian Dressing.

www.epicurious.com Left is Russian Dressing on Right is Low Fat Thousand Island

I Wonder WTFork happened to Russian Dressing?

The Forking Truth

References

WWW.Wikipedia.com

www.FoodNetwork.com

www.DifferenceBetween.com

www.RecipeCurio.com

www.epicurious.com

Settlement Cookbook

The Professional Chef Cookbook

Taco About Tacolandia Phoenix 2018 #TacolandiaPHX

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Tacolandia Phoenix 2018 was a Phoenix New Times Event held January 27th at Margaret T Hance Park in Phoenix AZ. This event benefited Los Diablos. Only $20.00 got you FREE parking, Admission and all THE FORKING TACOS you can eat!

We started off really well. Tacos Tequila Whiskey offered two kinds of detailed delicious tacos.

I tried the Hongos Taco on the left. It was a fancy mixed mushroom taco with gridded cheese, corn and ancho chili sauce. It was surprisingly satisfying. It seemed meaty but with good flavors that were balanced.  On the right was the El Pulpo Taco that was octopus, chicharrones, vegetables and a spicy salsa.

Freebies- besides a variety of tacos Del-Real Brand was giving out a variety of merchandise.

The first hour was no wait at all for food.

Among the better tacos I tried (I note I skipped over many….) was the Helio Basin Brewing’s untraditional Coffee Stout Braised Beef, papaya salsa, pomegranate, pipian Taco. This taco was very developed with lots of stout flavor in the beef on a very unique but delicious spent grain crisp tortilla. I liked the pop of the crunchy but also refreshing pomegranate in it. This taco was NOTHING like the taco I recently had at the restaurant. This one was large and full of lots of meat..to me it didn’t seem like from the same place at all mostly because of the meat to vegetable ratio. This taco was a very different style. The fish taco I had at the restaurant was very delicate but also with bold flavor.  This beef taco was hearty but both were very good with full flavors and very different.

Still no lines.

My husband ate more tacos than me…He said the Los Sombreros was good. I know they are under a new ownership since I ate there.

The next most notable taco I tried came from Presido Cocina Mexican.

I got to try the Chicken Taco on some sort…..I forgot but a special type of…house made tortilla that was extra delicious. the taco was very full of traditional flavors with a nice variety of textures. Maybe the best I tried…..I kept thinking to myself….now this is what a taco should taste like…..My husband finished up the beef one before I could try it but he said it was very good….

By this time we were here over an hour. By this time it’s getting very crowded and hot even though it’s only a little over 70 degrees F. By now there are long lines for tacos and beverages.

The Health Inspector showed up here. I noticed an empty tent….I don’t know if that was due to the health inspector. But I used it for shade for a little bit.

Here is the Puffy Taco from the Puffy Taco Shack. They made a small sample sized taco. It’s only maybe an inch an a half- two inches long (around matchbox sized). It had a unique puffy taco shell.

I didn’t try Willies Taco Joint but my husband said it was good.  Look at the green tortilla…a green chili -corn tortilla topped with green chili pork…….You can’t tell by my photos but the Willies Taco was a full size taco…….one of the largest or maybe the largest most filled taco I came across.

By now I’m feeling the effects from the strong sun, being slightly dehydrated and having a full stomach.

There’s a bunch more to try. There’s more freebies to get. There’s live music. There’s voting for my favorite and there’s more tacos!

My husband and I split-up here and he waits for water in a line and I wait for the last taco that I’m going to try……The sun is strong and I’m really Forking Thisty…….It’s a half hour wait for either a taco or water.

My last taco I tried was the Cash Taco by Rock A Belly Food Truck who has been on Food Network TV Show Eat Street. It was also a bigger taco (not street sized) but it also was among the better tacos. It different and delicious. It was made of sermato poached chicken, cabbage and chipotle aioli and cilantro cream. It was kind of a joy getting this last taco. The Food Truck guy had a really great personality. No wonder why he made TV….He was so friendly and energetic and shouting out to everyone about how great his tacos were.

There’s a whole bunch more at Tacolandia but I can’t do it…..

I think I got more than my $20.00 worth. Didn’t even think about having dinner.

That was Taco about Tacolandia Phoenix 2018

www.TacolandiaPHX.com

Worth a Fork!

THE FORKING TRUTH is that every FORKING THING is subject to change and your experience may or may NOT differ.

The Forking Truth

 

My Last Meal at Christopher’s & Crush at Biltmore Fashion Park Phoenix AZ

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Christopher’s and Crush Lounge Phoenix AZ

Christopher’s & Crush Lounge is a Contemporary and Classic French Restaurant located in the Biltmore Fashion Park in Phoenix…….. that is until near the end of this month January 2018. The lease is up at the Biltmore Fashion Park but it’s not a good-bye…….The Chef Christopher will be the Executive Chef at near-by Geordie’s at Wrigley Mansion and will later this year is expected to open a new Christopher’s as well…..Incase you didn’t know the Chef and owner Christopher Gross is a MULTI AWARD WINNING CHEF. Not only is he a James Beard award wining chef he is famous for an appearance on the PBS Television TV Show Julia Child and presented her with his famous Chocolate Mousse Tower. The Chef has also been known for cooking for a few past Presidents and much more!

The Famous Chocolate Mousse Tower

The atmosphere is a mix of contemporary and classic. Heavy silverware, crisp linen and crystal clear polished wine glasses grace the tables. Service is very professional and formal. It might seem old fashioned to some…..but old fashioned is sort of refreshing and special now and then.

From this part of the restaurant I’ve always been greeted by Chef Christopher himself at dinner time and while he was working always asked how things were and thanked us for coming….no matter how busy he was……

I enjoyed every past dinner and incredible wine dinners I’ve been to here. I’ve never dined here for lunch so I did that today!

Just like at dinner they started us off with the best French Baguette I tasted anywhere. The bread is shattering crisp and has a great structure like no other. The butter is also special….as it sure doesn’t taste like Costco butter……it’s a whole lot better! This butter is delicious…

I tried a Signature Plate that was written in Big Lettering without a description. Christopher’s House Smoked Salmon.

It’s a wonderfully detailed plate! It looks almost too pretty to eat. The main of the plate was buttery carefully smoked salmon that was masterfully sliced razor thin. The salmon was buttery, not too smokey and sliced so perfect that it melted in my mouth.

The fish rested over this very crisp thin crepe that contained a sort of magical fancy baby mixed green lemony salad. It seemed like the salad was gift wrapped. This salad seemed unlike any salad I had before…It seemed marinated but also crisp…different. Off to the right side of the plate is an edible spoon (I think it was made with squid ink?)……that contained a dot of creme fraiche how cute! (but not enough I needed a another dot more) Off to the side were rich crisp round toasts. This plate was something special…..Now this is dining out!

My husband tried the Wood Oven Bacon and Taleggio Pizza.

The pizza was good and the cheese used (taleggio) is an above average cheese that cost more and has more flavor than most cheese most pizza places use but pizza is not as special like the House Smoked Salmon Plate. Don’t get me wrong it’s still very good……

From the first time I dined at Christopher’s I found out that dessert is a must!!! Your meal is not complete until you have dessert at Christopher’s…..Among the very best you can get!!!!!!

Today the Lemon Tart was calling my name.

The dessert is detailed beautiful and very delicious! The lemon flavor in the tart is absolutely perfection. Not too sweet or too tart but powerfully lemon-ee with a light richness in a thin crust. The plate was also adorned with a rich custardy cream, berry sauce, the freshest sweetest mixed berries and a scoop of a mixed berry frosty confection in a tasty thin crust. This was a delicious elegant ending….

Last time was the Famous Chocolate Tower….(you need to see it again)

The Famous Chocolate Mousse Tower

Certainly Worth a Fork!

Worth a Fork!

www.ChristopherAZ.com

YOU KNOW THINGS HERE ARE CHANGING! Next Month they are moving to the Wigley Mansion. I know things will change but am hoping the experience will be just as good there…….

The Forking Truth

My Forking Thoughts on Caramelized Creme Hershey’s Gold Peanuts & Pretzels Bar

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It’s some sort of big deal that Hershey’s candy company created a new candy bar that doesn’t contain chocolate. The new bar is called Caramelized Creme Hershey’s Gold Peanuts and Pretzels. I think it sounds good. I feel I need to try it.

I open the package and it looks like no other candy bar I ever have seen before. Different size butterscotch colored pips that interlock like flooring. I take a whiff. It smells like peanut butter. The bar smells very appetizing.

I let one pip slowly melt in my mouth.

I don’t really get the caramelized cream. I guess the caramelized creme is the white chocolate Easter Bunny taste.

It’s very sweet but very peanut-ee.

I think it taste like Reeses Cup Peanut Butter filling that collided with a white chocolate Easter Bunny……But at the end of this all melting in my mouth I got a weird collection of grainy mess in my mouth. I pull the grains out and I can see They didn’t actually put pretzels in the bar. I got pretzel dust with lots of salt and Peanut dust……did I say lots of salt? I don’t like the grainy mess of the peanut dust and pretzel dust. It’s kind of like the bottom of the pretzel bag and bottom of the peanut jar stuff that you throw away……mixed with a white Easter bunny and a Reese’s middle.

The Hershey’s Gold is slightly too sweet for me and too salty….I’m a sweets fan….I do really love sweets. I do love me some frosting now and then.

I KNOW the bar would be so much better if it had small peices of pretzels instead of that bottom of the pretzel bag or pretzel box (Bachman’s) stuff. I also would like the peanuts to be either all smooth or chunkier instead of the bottom of the peanut jar stuff.

This bar sort of depresses me. Of course I DON’T KNOW how it was made but I think it’s made from leftovers. Leftover white Easter Bunny trash, Pretzel and Peanut Trash and some sort of Reeese’s leftover Trash.

Those are my Forking Thoughts on the New Hershey’s Gold Bar and I do note that YOUR THOUGHTS on the Hershey’s Gold Bar may Differ!

I note I don’t know How THE FORK the Hershey’s Gold Bar was made. Maybe they meant it to be this way?

The Forking Truth

Dash Mini Waffle Grill – Might be Worth a Fork?

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I was at Sur La Table and they had this teeny tiny waffle maker called the Dash Grill. It makes four inch round waffles. I sort of thought about purchasing a real waffle maker but never did because I can’t stand the thought of a large appliance I’d rarely use. We very rarely ever eat waffles so I thought if this tiny $7.50 (normally $9.99)  appliance works it would just right for me and my limited waffle needs.

I follow the recipe for classic waffles that are included with the owner’s manual.

The recipe is very easy to prepare but it doesn’t say how long to leave the batter in the waffle iron or how many waffles it makes……So I flat out guess to leave the batter in for three minutes.

WOW my waffle came out perfect! and BTW it’s a very good recipe that I don’t have to change. The waffles are very light and fluffy and taste great!

The recipe makes 7 waffles.

Of course this mini waffle iron isn’t for everyone. I wouldn’t recommend for families that want to eat together. At three minutes a waffle it might take a very long time to feed a family.

There are pros and cons to the Mini Dash Grill

Pros-

Cost $10.00 or less.

Doesn’t take up much space as it’s only as big as a fast food burger.

Comes with recipes.

Cons-

Takes 3 minutes to make each four inch waffle.

You have to guess when your waffle is done.

It will take you forever to feed a family with this tiny waffle iron.

The Dash Mini Waffle Iron is very difficult to clean. While it does have a non stick surface that you are only suppose to wipe out it’s next to impossible to get in all the tiny nooks. I kept cleaning it and it still wasn’t clean…took me 4 times till I thought it was clean. Maybe I’ll try with a Q-Tip next time if………. it still works.

Hope I get to make a few new creations with My Dash Mini Waffle Iron! I’m really excited to make a waffle falafel or quick waffle bread sandwiches.

The Dash Mini Waffle Grill – Might be worth a Fork?….(That depends on how many uses I get out of it.)

I note that your experience may or may not differ….

The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth is that You are Not Always going to Agree with Review Site Ratings

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I thought I’d try this particular restaurant because of location and also because on a popular review site it has a 5 star average on 263 reviews. Wow that’s crazy!  I’m thinking the food must be very good. That’s a very high average for a restaurant that’s only been in business a few years. I also must note that this particular restaurant is very casual and specializes in serving Hot Dogs.

My husband orders a Cheesy Beer Chili Dog.

It’s an ok hot dog….I read that they do purchase the buns they use from a local baker. This hot dog was topped with a not so flavorful processed cheese sauce and what my husband thought was canned chili.  It’s ok at best but not 5 stars……. For me five stars has to be be a flavorful fresh made cheese sauce and delicious flavorful chili topping maybe even on a house made dog like a place in Cave Creek offers from time to time with only a 3.5 star average.

I will only eat certain brands of hot dogs because of the 2015 Clear Foods Report on Hot Dogs.

345 brands of hot dogs were tested. Only Butterball, McCormick, Eckrich and Hebrew National actually contain what they list. I will only eat those brands meat dogs.

This hot dog place doesn’t offer any of these brands so I go with an Italian Beef with a side order of cole slaw. I receive this.

Take a closer look.

The meat in the sandwich is tasty but It’s impossible to pick this sandwich up because the roll disintegrated from all the oil. This sandwich sure isn’t even close to 5 stars to me. This is about a one star to me because I would never order it again and certainly wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. I should be able to pick up the sandwich and dip it into the jus. That is why it’s essential that an Italian Beef Sandwich be made with Italian Bread. This sandwich has failed at being a sandwich.

Here’s a close up of my cole slaw. Looks like a big frog threw up on the cole slaw.

It really wasn’t bad cole slaw but it sure isn’t 5 stars either.

I just don’t know HOW the FORK can this place earn a 5 star rating?     The owners seem nice and I know they work very hard but…..many restaurant owners are nice and also work hard…….

I don’t know why most people feel this food is five stars to them….?

The Forking Truth is that You are NOT going to Agree with Review Site Ratings all the time.

The Forking Truth

Some of the Forking Food I Prepared in 2017

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Here’s some of the Forking Food I prepared in 2017. Of course this isn’t everything. I did most of the meats I prepared the same as in past years so there isn’t much meat pictured here today. This above photo was pickled vegetables and some pickled and hard boiled eggs.

Chef Vivian Howard’s “Best Picked Beets I Ever Ate”

Pickled Jalapeños

Nigel Slater’s Extremely Moist Chocolate Beet Cake Simplified

Crispy Roasted Potatoes

Pastrami Style Brisket

Romaine dressed with Avocado Caesar Dressing

Eggs in Spicy Eggplant Sauce

Bavarian Inspired Potato Dumplings

Pastrami Potato Plank Sliders

Not Too Sour Delicious Spaghetti Squash “Faux” Sauerkraut

Crispy Poultry Skin

Lemon Verbena Water Ice

Lidia’s Marinated Winter Squash

Italian Style Eggplant White Bean Dip

Reduced Fat Potato Green Pepper & Eggplant

Kabocha Squash Pie with Coconut Crust

Modern Reduced Fat Avocado Green Goddess Dressing

Forking Awesome Kicked UP Waldorf Inspired Salad

Latin Inspired Red Lentils, Rainbow Chard, Dates and Almonds

South West Style Vegetable Stuffed Pepper

Fat Free Beet Horseradish Dip or Spread

Eggplant Tahini and Roasted Pepper Bread

Hatch Chile and Cheddar Mashed Potatoes

Forking Delicious Hatch Chile Macaroni and Cheese

Really Terrific Sweet Banana Bread

Hatch Chili and Roasted Red Pepper Challah Bread

Chicken Rosemary Meatballs

Butternut Squash Risotto

Bread and Butter Pickle Recipe

Levant Inspired Butternut Squash and Israeli Couscous

Portuguese Inspired Meatloaf and Sauce

Buffalo Blue Cheese Topping For Potato Pancakes

Sweet and Spicy Hatch Chili Corn Cakes

Carrot and Toasted Coconut Salad

Pesto

Spinach and Cheese Scaccia Bread

Moroccan Inspired Potato Salad with Harissa and Preserved Lemons

The Ultimate Cauliflower Dish

Arugula Balsamic and Tellegio Pizza

Focaccia

Spicy Tomato Jam

Potato Cakes so easy you don’t need a recipe recipe

Spicy White Bean Green Chili (Vegetarian or with Chicken)

Forking Delicious Baked Crispy Cheddar Cauliflower

Quinoa Butternut Squash Salad with Pine-nuts and Barberries

Slow Roasted Crispy Sunchokes with Seafood Mushrooms, Green Garlic & Jalapeños

Summer Time Lemon Verbena White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Onion Rolls

Spicy Potato Salad with Fennel, Calabrain Chili Peppers and Toasted Pine Nuts

Spicy Turkey Meatballs Stuffed with Raisins and Pine Nuts

Asian Inspired Meatball Stuffed Wontons

Alla Norma topped with home made fresh ricotta

Eye Roast

Alla Norma

Spicy Thai Basil Potatoes

Macaroni and Cheese Style Casserole

Spicy Hatch Chili and Peach Brownies

Korean Style Pickled Cauliflower

No Oil No Mayo Mexican Inspired Potato Salad

Masa Potato Dumplings

Carla Hall Inspired Hot Fried Cauliflower

Kobocha Squash no churn Ice-Cream

Spicy Mexican Style Cole Slaw

Mediterranean Style Lemony Cucumber Salad

Baked Cod Cake

Fresh Ricotta Gnocchi with Pesto

Socca Bread

Asian Slaw

Indian Inspired Spicy Cauliflower with Pistachios and Grapes

Pimento Cheese Stuffed Potatoes

Pimento Cheese Potato topped Oven Fried Green Tomatoes

Mild provolone on top of the crust and then topped with sauce (so the cheese doesn’t burn) also better for re-heating….I note this isn’t my normal recipe for pizza……here was 00 flour and I used recipe on package….someone was mad at me for not doing my regular pizza.

Home made ricotta, seasoned spinach with onion, walnuts, evoo and parmesan on 00 recipe for pizza…not my normal pizza.

Purple Sweet Potato Blackberry Pie with Coconut/Almond Crust

Brussels Sprouts Baba Ganoush

Oven Fried Turkey Wing also did Sous Vide Breast, Steam Roasted Legs, Gravy, Mashed, Sweet Potatoes with Cherry Peppers, Onions and Balsamic, cranberry mango habanero sauce and other stuff.

Cornbread Stuffing

Regular Stuffing

 

Stuffed Tomatoes with Israeli Couscous, Feta and Harissa Vinaigrette

Duchess Potatoes (The Special Occasion Potato)

Baked Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms & Baby Zucchini

Crispy Cheese Stuffed Red Corn Grit Cakes over Seasoned Spinach & Chestnuts and Topped with Italian Style Sweet Tomatoes

That was some of the Forking Food I made in 2017 I don’t know WTFork I’ll prepare in 2018!

The Forking Truth

 

Forking Thoughts on Ecuadorian Kiwa Native Andean Potato Chips

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I have a special interest in unusual produce and flavors so when I came across these South American Potato Chips I was very excited to try them. South America is known for countess varieties of potatoes and these black hearts and red heart potatoes for sure are one I’ve never heard of or came across before.

I start by opening the bag and take a whiff.

The chips are pretty but I don’t smell much of anything. If I keep trying I can detect a fried kind of smell. Like anything that’s fried.

I spill some chips out of the bag.

The chips are very small and must come from tiny potatoes.

They are very light or delicate in texture. Half-way between a real potato chip and a formed Pringles kind of potato chip-like product.

The flavor is natural but not real strong. They taste sort of like instant potato flakes and are almost sweet. There is another taste like a slight bitterness in the background…… Like the way east coast wet fall leaves smell…….It’s the same in taste in these chips….. These chips almost lack salt….maybe if more salt was used I wouldn’t be able to taste the flavor of the chips?

Very interesting layers of flavors here. Delicate natural sweet potato flavor that’s edgy with a delicate earthy bitterness.

They do leave an oily taste and greasy finish in the mouth.

But for sure are a far better chip than most I’ve tried.

Your experience may or may not differ.

The Forking Truth