Category Archives: Forking Thoughts

Random Forking Items of Interest

If you like to bake make a Scaccia Bread (Lasagna Bread)

Leave a reply

 

Spinach and Cheese Scaccia Bread

Around this time last year I saw this interesting recipe in Saveur Magazine for Scaccia Bread that is also known as Lasagna Bread. I just had to make it! I do note that I had to make minor adjustments to the recipe. I don’t know if the adjustments were needed because of the brand of semolina I used (all flours are ground slightly different giving different results) or perhaps due to the hard water of Arizona???? Or maybe due to the extreme dry climate that I think is likely or partially the reason. Well anyway it’s an amazing recipe and you can stuff it however you like. I wrote the ingredients as Saveur posted the recipe but I included my adjustments if you need to use them.

The original Scaccia I made with Saveur’s sauce recipe looked like this. (but I baked it ten minutes longer. (70 minutes instead of 60)

Scaccia also called Lasagna Bread

I made it few times since. Sometimes I use my own spaghetti sauce. Once I tried it with eggplant but the eggplant. The Eggplant filling did taste good but the thin eggplant sort of melted in.

You can fill it with any combination of things. It can be anything you want.

I like to make  double batch and make two different breads. After you make one Scaccia you will want to do the same I bet!

Here is your basic recipe for the dough.

Ingredients for one loaf

Set oven to 450 degrees F.

1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons warm water (this didn’t work out in my home kitchen and I needed to add another 1/4 cup water) you can do recipe as written and add the 1/4 c extra water if needed at the end)

This was my dough after I added an extra Tablespoon of oil and then I drizzled in water and to me it looked right after a 1/4 cup more water. Then the dough was very smooth.

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast

2 cups durum wheat semolina flour

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (I added a total of three tablespoons because my dough was too dry before I added the extra water so I always add three tablespoons but you might only need two)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

extra flour for dusting

Saveur also included a sauce recipe for the bread.

1 teaspoon sugar

1 garlic clove – fine chopped

2 cups canned whole tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste

8 oz caciocavallo  cheese (this is the suggested cheese for the filling)

I did a spinach filling to make it-

I used about 3 lbs spinach

1/4 finely shredded sweet onion

a heaping Tablespoon garlic confit

a couple heaping Tablespoons of vegetable  base

1/2 teaspoon Crushed Calabrian Chili and Oil

fresh ground sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. (I just boiled the spinach in water with the onions briefly….jamming the spinach into the pot and drained it really well for an hour and then added the rest) I used pizza blend cheese but didn’t measure it. I only boil a sort time till the last of the spinach wilts.The spinach comes out amazingly delicious and very flavorful. My husband remarked that this spinach taste like spinach. Usually spinach stuffed things taste like nothing…….

 

Directions

In a large bowl add the warm water, sugar and yeast. Wait till if gets foamy and then add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well for about 8 minutes. Cover with wrap and leave it sit out at room temperature for about two hours or until the dough doubles.

Knead the dough and roll it out in about a 26 x 18 inch rectangle. (I’m using some of my photos from original so you can follow along with folding.

Filling in the middle 3rd.

Fold ends in.

Filling on left half.

Fold over right half.

Bring up bottom.

Then you pierce all over.

Wrap in parchment and place on baking sheet or loaf pan depending on shape you like best.

Bake for an hour at 450 degrees F. or until crusty and sort of brown. (60- 70 minutes)

“OMG! That smells FORKING GOOD! I’m so glad you FORKING adopted me!”

Double batch I just did.

Spinach and Cheese Scaccia Bread

“Hey RUNT, it does smell good but we are suppose to FORKING wait for the food!”

“My bad…….I know I am very young and am only a Pip-Squeek and I don’t make the right decisions sometimes.” “I’ll do what ever you say my big beautiful Aussie Amazon Queen.” “Show me the way……..I need to learn.”

If you like to bake make a Scaccia Bread!

Scaccia also called Lasagna Bread

The Forking Truth

My Forking Thoughts on Limited Edition Strawberry Nut M&M’s

Leave a reply

 

I came across these Limited Edition Strawberry Nut M&M’s at Walgreens Drug Store so I picked them up. They came in a share size package that weighs 3.27 oz or two (or more) servings.

The first thing I do is open the pack and take a whiff. It smells delicious! Just like chocolate covered strawberries.

Then I take some M&M’s out. They come in colors of Pink Eraser, Blood and VW Green. They are irregular in assorted shapes and some have a a bonus extra nut in them.

I go to taste one. It’s different than the normal candy shell. It taste flavored like a sweet tart. It’s a slightly tart but sweet fake strawberry flavor. After the shell is melted off I think it’s a regular chocolate covered peanut. When you just eat them you get a slightly different experience. The fake slightly tart strawberry flavor is more subtle but you get hit with more fake aftertaste.

I’m not a fan of the sweet tart taste so I’m not a fan of these M&M’s.

Your Opinion May Differ.

The Forking Truth

What New York Bagels are Like

Leave a reply

 

Bagels from Gabby’s Gourmet Bagelatessen of Woodbury NY.

A great Bagel is next to impossible to find in Phoenix AZ. Most people that live here never had a proper bagel. I know this because the majority of bagels sold here don’t have the texture or taste of a New York Bagel. Not all but the majority of bagels you find in Metro Phoenix are just soft rolls shaped like bagels.

It’s really hard to describe but only in New York and the Tri  State Area (New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania) You get these bagels with a special chew and a certain shiny moist coating almost like a glaze but it’s not a glaze and the unique taste. New York Style Bagels have a sort of a soft crust……Look Close….you won’t find this in Phoenix. At least not anywhere that I know of at this time…….

It just gets that way from boiling the dough and then baking the dough.

The inside of the bagel is dense moist and chewy but not wet. There is a slight sweetness that is hard to identify. It taste similar a Philly Pretzel that fills your mouth with a certain type of yum… …………But even less people are familiar with the Genuine Philly Soft Pretzel that you buy off the streets from vendors. If I were to guess the ingredient my guess would be barley sugar but that is an incorrect guess. The secret ingredient to New York Bagels and Philly Soft Pretzels is Malt Syrup. It’s this special taste that is more delicious than just sweet.

I made a dent in the middle of the bagel bottom with my finger and you can see the bagel isn’t like a roll…It’s what a bagel is suppose to be.

Then you can lightly toast it.

Sometimes the bagel is good with butter.

But usually it’s best with $36.00 a lb. Lox and Cream Cheese…..

I ate the actual Lox and New York Bagel before I thought about taking a picture so here is another picture of a Bagel Sandwich from Goldman’s Deli in Scottsdale AZ.

Nova Lox Cream Cheese on a Bagel from Goldman’s Deli Scottsdale AZ

A little Forking Truth about What New York Bagels are like.

The Forking Truth

 

 

 

My Forking Thoughts on New Caramel M&M’s Candy

Leave a reply

 

There is a new flavor of M&M’s out there and it’s Caramel.  I’ve found the package in the share size that is 2 or more servings.

I start by opening the package and taking a whiff. It smells just like a typical chocolate candy bar that contains caramel.

I open the bag and I see that the M&M’s are irregular in shape and size. They come in the normal M&M’s colors of Yellow, Orange, Red, Brown, Green and Blue.

I bit into one M&M. It’s very chewy. The M&M has lots of chewy caramel in it.

The Caramel taste similar to the caramel in Twix Candy Bars but I don’t recall that caramel this chewy.

It’s a good taste but a little too chewy for me.

New Caramel M&M’s…not bad! Taste good but too chewy for me but worth a Fork if you like very chewy caramel.

The Forking Truth is that your opinion may differ.

The Forking Truth

When You go Out to Eat Sometimes You get Bamboozled …………

Leave a reply

 

Ordered this lovely sounding salad from a popular Health Focused Restaurant in Phoenix. While it was ok as is……My salad was served to me missing three ingredients that I was looking forward to tasting. Fresh Thai Basil for flavor. Jalapeños for heat and Shiitake Mushrooms for interest. I didn’t have those things I paid for and felt cheated. I did tell the management about how the salad was served and they graciously invited me back to try again so I can’t have hard feelings towards the restaurant. But at the time I was Bamboozled.

Received some GENUINE New York Bagels so I needed to purchase some lox and cream cheese. Pick up some lox from a local place and this is what they sold me and also how they wrapped my purchase.

$36. a pound lox partially wrapped and the lox was in poor condition. Mealy texture (old? maybe from frozen?….lesser quality type salmon product?????) and brown on bottom of fish. Felt cheated. Wrote an honest detailed review on a review site and they contacted me and are retraining their help and I have a credit with them too now so I can’t be mad at them either. But

I was Bamboozled.

Earlier this year I tried a Chicago Style Pizza somewhere. The crust was burnt and was BURNT tasting also was hard as a rock. Crust wasn’t edible to me. Felt cheated and Bamboozled.

Felt Cheated at a food truck festival in Peoria AZ.

Spent 58 dollars for tickets, food and water for two people. I only got to eat

1/2 of these small tacos with technically poor meats and two of the tacos didn’t taste good. Bamboozled?

1/2 of this mini chicken and waffle that was tasty but over cooked and chewy. (almost Bamboozled)

Close up of Corned Beef Wild Buckeye Roll

This one very greasy Buckeye roll with remains of corned beef that had this lingering old sour oil taste. TOTALLY FORKING BAMBOOZLED!

So I had to drown my sorrows in a Coconut Ice-cream Donut Sandwich. (the only thing I tried that I enjoyed at the festival)

Well you do win most of the time………but sometimes………When You go Out to Eat You get Bamboozled.

The Forking Truth

 

FOODstock Food Truck Event at Peoria AZ Sports Complex 2017

Leave a reply

Over 70 Food Trucks took over the ball park and field at P83 Peoria Sports Complex as an all day event Saturday March 6th 2017. Tickets were $5.00 each and the proceeds went to charity to benefit the hungry. Besides food and some beverages from food trucks full bars were set up. Food trucks were forbidden to sell water and soda but could be purchased from Peoria Sports Complex at a few locations. Children got free entrance and had could enjoy the splash pad.

$2-$4. food samples were promised and I did notice a few but not many.

So many food trucks….WTFork should I try? I did notice a large percentage of the trucks were selling Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.  WTFork should I try????????

I decide to start with Hibachibot Korean BBQ.

We share the Taco Trio of Gogi Steak, Gogi Chicken and Dad’s Famous.

The tacos were on the small size. Bigger than street size but smaller than regular tacos. The best of the three tacos was the Steak Gogi. The steak was on the dry side and crispy but I did taste that it was marinated…it did have some flavor and was nestled in a slaw topped with Sriracha Mayonnaise. It didn’t remind me of Korean Food………. I’m not sure what the little tub of red sauce was suppose to be. It tasted like canned tomatoes that were sweet. The chicken and ground beef were dry and bland. We were disappointed with our first stop.

Next we shared a sample of Fried Chicken on a Waffle with (I think it was) Hibiscus Honey from the food truck called Chicken and Waffles for the People.

The Waffle was BIG and FLUFFY and the chicken was tasty but a little chewy from being over done. Still tasty…..

My husband can eat more than me and tried a few extra sample items.

From Costantino’s Italian Kitchen he tried the Meatball and Pasta sample.

This wasn’t to my husband’s liking…Cheese tasted like from a cardboard container. Sauce tasted like from a jar and he just shook his head from side to side when I asked him about the meatball…. I do note he grow up eating American Italian Food so he has high expectations on this sort of food.

My husband thought the best thing he ate was from Q UP Barbecue Food Truck.

My Husband enjoyed the Gangster Grilled Cheese Sandwich Sample. It was packed with Pulled Pork, Beef Brisket, Bacon Mac-N-Cheese, BBQ Sauce and Cheesy Goodness.

Our next to the last stop was The Cleveland Corned Beef Company.

We shared the Buckeye Roll Samples and asked for two Corned Beef and One Steak Roll.

Wow….I do apologies…I can’t sugar coat what I’m about to say……but I have to be honest because this is the FORKING TRUTH>>>>>>>>>>.This was the worst thing I stuck in my mouth this year. The rolls were soggy and very greasy.

Close up of Corned Beef Wild Buckeye Roll

Not just greasy….but like old tasting sour grease. They topped the grease death bombs with dry shreds of plastic like cheese that was easy to scrape off. The inside of the one I tried might have been corned beef at one time…..GOD these were awful. I’m feeling sick now…..

My husband ate a steak one and tried to eat another one that was suppose to be corned beef.

It was unidentifiable……My husband was brave taking a bite. The rest went in the trash.

I needed something that was good and noticed The Mighty Moo Food Truck.  I’ve been to their Brick and Mortar Location so I knew I’d enjoy whatever I tried there.

I tried their Donut stuffed with their Home Made Coconut Ice Cream topped with Toasted Coconut.

The only absolutely Delicious Thing I tried all day. It was a sweet ending I needed to end a sour day.

All said and done it was $58.00 for unhealthy food that made me feel sick.

I do note I only tried a small portion of food that was available for purchase and it was my bad luck that I didn’t make the best choices for me. I couldn’t try everything and even if I had more stomach room this event was getting very costly.

I wouldn’t say to skip future FOODstock or Food Truck events and I’m only talking about my experience. I also blame myself for not doing research on the Food Trucks before trying the ones I tried out.

The Forking Truth is that YOUR EXPERIENCE may or may NOT differ……..

The Forking Truth

Kettle Brand Korean Barbeque Potato Chips are Worth a Fork

Leave a reply

 

When I see a fun flavor of Potato Chips sometimes I feel I have to try them to see if they meet my expectations. I saw these Korean Barbecue (spelled Barbeque) Chips. It seemed like a flavor I had to try.

I start by opening the bag and I get a whiff of soy sauce.

The chips are on the small side but have more texture than most other chips with bubbles fried in the surface of the chips and seasoning is visible.

I taste one.

I get lots of flavors.

I get sweet, soy sauce, garlic, onion, maybe sesame? something a little spicy…but not too spicy, some sort of Asian Vinegar kind of taste and a ginger finish.

These chips are very addictive and it’s hard to stop eating them.

These Kettle Brand Korean Barbeque Chips are delicious and are Worth a Fork! (Unless it’s preferable to purchase chips that don’t taste good so you eat less)

Worth a Fork!

The Forking Truth

Most Memorable Food out in Metro Phoenix AZ so far this Year from January – April 2017

Leave a reply

 

Memorable food stays in your mind. It’s either something you want to revisit or something you wish you’ve never tried. The foods I tried listed are in no particular order. Here is the Fofo Vegetarian Sandwich I had at Lamp Cafe in Scottsdale AZ. It was especially delicious. It was an explosion of flavors between spicy pickled vegetables, provolone cheese, arugula and zucchini cakes you’d never imagine such a satisfying  and delicious sandwich.

6in Plain Stuffed Deep Dish from Giordano’s in Peoria AZ

The Giordano’s Plain 6in. Deep Dish Pizza was memorable. It was massive amounts of molten cheese in a very hard dried out burnt crust.

I must note that the owner of Giordano’s contacted me and said I would not have the same experience if I came back and ordered a larger size pizza…………

There was this hot smoked salmon from the Salty Sow in Phoenix AZ that was life changing. It was so silky and scrumptious. It melted in the mouth. It’s worthy of some kind of award.

Everything I tried at tried at Mora Italian in Scottsdale were amazing but the Boneless Sea Bream and the amazing Cheese Gnudi were over the top! The fish reminded me of the best fish I had at a pricy restaurant in Las Vegas and the Gnudi was dressed with concentrated tomatoes and were so delicate. You just have to try them to know. This was really high end and quality.

I’m usually not a fan of chicken wings but the chicken wings I tried from Great Wall in Phoenix were especially crispy and delicious.

Large Bowl in the middle is Spicy Chicken on Bone with Vine Peppers

Mius Bistro in Mesa AZ served me the spiciest most mouth numbing thing I tried in a long time. It had a unique good developed flavor but was very difficult to enjoy with fragments of chicken bones and skin all threw the dish. I do note that this is a method of Asian Cookery and other people are accustomed to enjoy this style of dish.

I got this from the Spotted Donkey Cantina in Scottsdale. I’m done talking about it but I’ll tell you that it was memorable.

The Saffron Chicken Bowl with Stone Bread from Saffron Jak in Phoenix was extremely delicious! I’ve had a similar plate from other restaurants but the tahini surprise under the chicken made it extra tasty and where else are you going to find stone bread….

Trofie with Pesto from Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante in Glendale was stunning. Really REALLY perfect pasta.

Doughbird a Pizza and Rotisserie Chicken Restaurant recently opened in Phoenix. The chicken was good, all the food was good but it is that Buffalo Sauce I used on the chicken that makes me want to return. Lip smacking and drool worthy. Like crack for the mouth.

It’s a little too soon to know for sure but I think I’m going to remember the Corned Beef and Cabbage Pierogi from the Twisted Italian in Peoria for a while. They were a yummy delight!

That’s what was most memorable to me this year so far.

The Forking Truth

Bugs in Food that You PAY for and Bean Pie…..Who Knew

Leave a reply

 

Part of El Panzon Y Frida Restaurant Menu located in Old Town Scottsdale AZ

When I hear about a new restaurant or a restaurant that is new to me the first thing I do is look at the menu to see if the menu appeals to me. I found out about this new restaurant that recently opened in Old Town Scottsdale AZ called El Panzon Y Frida. I saw Fish Cakes on the menu and thought I haven’t had a Fish Cake in ten years since I left the east coast. I could sure go for a fish cake………. but not the one on El Panzon Y Frida’s Menu……… as it’s Buffalo Worm Crusted……… I do admit I have some food hang ups and don’t partake in eating worms or bugs. I am aware that in many countries it’s a part of normal life to include insects in one’s diet but I have to be honest and admit it’s not something I’ll ever relish.

Usually if you find a bug or a worm in your food the restaurant takes it the Fork off your bill and apologies. On this menu you pay for worms in your food…who knew?

www.elpanzonyfrida.com

I also looked at a Fish and Chip Restaurant called Mandy’s Fish in Chips with three locations in Phoenix AZ. I saw……

Mandy’s Fish and Chip Restaurant in Phoenix AZ

Bean Pie….. I never heard of Bean Pie. WTFork is Bean Pie?

I read on Wikipedia that Bean Pie was created in the 1930s and is of African American Muslim Cuisine. The Pie is made of mashed beans that are usually navy beans but can also be great northern or pinto beans in a custard based pie similar to pumpkin pie.

www.mandysfishandchips.com

Bugs in food that you pay for and Bean Pie…..Who The Fork Knew?

The Forking Truth

Sadly Two People Died This Week from Competitive Eating

Leave a reply

 

Sadly Two People Died This Week from Competition Eating.

According to International Business Times via Yahoo.com and NYDailyTimes.com 20 year old Caitlin Nelson college student died 4-2-17. It was three days after participating in a charity pancake eating contest. It was reported by The NY Times that Caitlin did have allergies and went into convulsions after consuming a few flap jacks. People did come to her aid but they couldn’t clear her throat.

Tragically her father was one of the many victims that perished in the 2001 9-11 attacks.

Also on 4-2-17 42 year old Travis Malouff dies at a competitive eating challenge at Voodoo Donuts white trying to eat a 8 oz. or 7 in. doughnut in 80 seconds for only a free meal and a button. (.www.TorantoSun.com reports the doughnut was the equivalent of 6 doughnuts and was 1/2 a pound). Unfortunately nobody in attendance knew how to do the Heimlich correctly and help wasn’t there in time according to www.Newser.com and www.TorantoSun.com

Sadly Two People Died This Week From Competitive Eating.

The Forking Truth