Category Archives: Forking Thoughts

Random Forking Items of Interest

Forking List of Foods that are HAZARDOUS to Dogs

Leave a reply
AJ's Patio Arrowhead Glendale AZ

AJ’s Patio Arrowhead Glendale AZ

Many people are unaware of foods that are forking hazardous to dogs. We’re not born knowing what these forking foods are someone has to tell you. I’m certain that more foods will be added to this list but this was the most current information I can find at this time.

This is the ASPCA.ORG List of foods that are hazardous to dogs.

Avocado

Bread Dough

Chocolate

Alcohol

Grapes and Raisins

Hops

Macadamia Nuts

Moldy Foods

Onions and Garlic

Xylitol

I found a few other foods mentioned at ENTIRELYPETS.COM posted by James Wickboldt

Chocolate, Coffee, Caffeine

Raw Eggs

Xylitol

Onions

Milk, Dairy

Grapes, Raisins, Currants

Mushrooms

Raw Fish, Meat, Bones

Avocados

Macadamia Nuts

Also noted Rat and Mouse Baits can be deadly for pets.

Be cool and forking  remember this list!

Forking Truth

Forking Truth

 

 

Cafe Nordstrom is Forking Better than the Food Court

Leave a reply
A few of the house made desserts at Nordstrom's Cafe

A few of the house made desserts at Cafe Nordstrom

At the Scottsdale Fashion Plaza in Scottsdale Arizona there is a very above average cafe located in the Nordstrom’s Department Store called Cafe Nordstrom. (On Nordstrom’s Webpage it’s called the Marketplace Cafe) All the food is made in house and they use mostly organic, cage free eggs and local food as much as possible. (It’s Arizona the forking desert not everything can come from forking here.) The cafe is really a cafeteria and that’s the only bad part if you are carrying packages. You pick up your tray and order from the station you feel like forking ordering from where they fresh make the food for you and then you slide your tray to the cashier and pay.

The bulk of the menu are these really interesting gourmet salads they offer. I’ve had many different ones over the years and am always impressed by how nice they really are. The Cafe offers about half a dozen different kinds of salads, a few sandwiches, soup, pizzas, pastas, couple entries, a special of the day and many made in house desserts. They also serve beer and wine and speciality coffees.

This time I tried the Berry, Blue Cheese and Chicken Salad.

Berry Blue Cheese and Chicken Salad from Nordstrom's Cafe

Berry Blue Cheese and Chicken Salad from Cafe Nordstrom

WOW what a great salad! This sure forking beats anything from the food court. Lots of plump berries, tangy blue cheese, fresh mixed greens, some sort of candied walnut granola croutons and perfectly poached chicken. This salad was satisfying but still seemed light because of the berries. I liked the sweet against tangy thing going on in this salad.

My husband had some sort of Steak Sandwich that came with potato chips.

Steak Sandwich from Cafe Nordstrom Scottsdale AZ

Steak Sandwich from Cafe Nordstrom Scottsdale AZ

The steak was topped with balsamic onions and havarti Cheese. looks like my husband pulled out the forking raw tomatoes. He said it was a really good for a cold sandwich. He would have preferred it warmed up.

When your all done your table attendant presents you with a wrapped mint chocolate.

Cafe Nordstrom is Forking Better than the Food Court!

Worth a Fork

Worth a Fork

Forking Truth

Forking Truth

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

The Forking Difference between Cream Cheese and Mascarpone

Leave a reply

IMG_6057

Cream Cheese is a soft milk tasting fresh cheese.

IMG_6060

Mascarpone is  a soft mild milk tasting fresh cheese.

Both Cream Cheese and Mascarpone have  high fat contents.

Cream Cheese is basically milk, cream, skim milk, whey, stabilizers, gum and carrageenan.

Mascarpone (Belgioioso Brand) is made of milk, cream, and citric acid.

Forking Truth

Forking Truth

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

Stop# 3 – The Search for Lox in Metro Phoenix – Part 3 – Partial Success

Leave a reply

My forking search for Lox means a Deli that serves a proper tasting Pastrami on Real Rye Bread, A traditional Potato Knish and of course Lox. Since the closing of Abe’s Deli in Scottsdale AZ I haven’t found anyone that actually serves real hand carved Lox. The word lox is a lose term and all that I found available anywhere so far has been Nova or Nova style salmon to be technical.

We stopped in at New York Bagels and Bialy’s in Scottsdale AZ. I ordered a Whitefish Plate with an Onion Bialy.

I received forking this.

IMG_5995

Look close and notice all the bloodline and how DRY the fish is.

IMG_5993

I never forking seen a bialy that looked like this.

I was expecting something like forking this.

Picture from www.thefreshloaf.com

Picture from www.thefreshloaf.com

When the waitress checks on us I do mention how dry the fish is.

The manager soon runs over and is very upset because her help accidentally gave me the forking fish ends you don’t serve people and runs me out some fresh fish.

IMG_5996

The fresh fish is forking better and not dried out and fishy and condensed with salt.

My husband got a 1/2 corned beef, half pastrami on their house made rye bread.

The corned beef was a little weak tasting but OK and not bad. The Pastrami was almost the same in taste as the corned beef.  I didn’t taste the rye bread but my husband said it was the fluffy kind that doesn’t really taste like rye. I’m certain some people prefer the sandwiches this forking way and they are perfection to them.

We took home some lox, cream cheese and 6 bagels.

So the next morning I ate this.

IMG_6005

The fish was better quality than what I found at my previous stops and also cut much nicer too.

I liked the size of the bagel it wasn’t too big but it tasted like it was missing salt and lacked the chewy doughy texture that you look for in bagels. Maybe on some days it’s better than other days.

I didn’t try a knish on this stop but I do consider this partial success because the lox was good.

At this point I doubt I will be able to find Good Lox and a Good Pastrami on Rye in one location but I still will forking try.

Forking Truth

Forking Truth

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

 

The Veggetti Spiral Vegetable Slicer verses The Paderno Spiral Vegetable Slicer

Veggetti

Veggetti

I just got a Veggetti spiral vegetable slicer. It’s basically built like a pencil sharpener for zucchini. You insert the zucchini and twist and then you have pasta shaped vegetable strands in spaghetti or linguini shape. They suggest you can use carrots but I tried one and got the forking thing all jammed up.

I also have the Paderno Spiral Vegetable Slicer.

Paderno Spiral Vegetable Slicer

Paderno Spiral Vegetable Slicer

The Paderno also promises to do carrots but it doesn’t. The Paderno has three easy to clean blades for small or thicker strands and it also can do ribbons.

Pros for the Veggetti

The Veggetti is easy to work

The Veggetti takes up less room

The Veggetti cost less (about $12.00)

The Veggetti does produce a thinner strand

IMG_5943

CONS for the Veggetti

The Veggetti is VERY HARD TO CLEAN. The Blades are almost impossible to clean and the vegetable gets the whole forking middle all clogged up.

IMG_5942

Pros for the Paderno

The Paderno is easy to work

The Paderno cuts the zucchini three different ways

The Paderno is very easy to clean

CONS for the Paderno

The Paderno takes up more room

The Paderno cost more (about $30.00)

I’m not so sure I’ll ever forking use the Veggetti again. I do prefer it’s thinner strands but I doubt I’ll ever be able to get it clean again.

In my forking opinion the Paderno Wins over the Forking Veggetti.

Forking Truth

Forking Truth

 

 

In Phoenix You (almost) have to Kiss Your Forking RYE BREAD Good-Bye

IMG_5652

Rye Bread has been around since the Middle Ages.

Rye Bread is High in Fiber and very low in fat.

Rye Bread taste particularly good with Swiss Cheese and Pickled Meats.

You Forking NEED Rye Bread if you want to eat a Patty Melt or a Reuben Sandwich.

I can’t imagine Corned Beef or Pastrami on any other kind of bread.

IMG_5653

 

I didn’t know that when I moved to Phoenix that Real Rye Bread would be so forking difficult to purchase.

Just Last Week I visited most of the bakery sections at the Grocery Stores near were I forking live.

No Rye was to be found at the Safeway Bakery.

No Forking Rye was to be found at the AJ’s Whatever The Fork they call their Bakery.

No Forking Rye was to be found at Sprouts Bakery.

I did find something called Rye at Fry’s but it didn’t look like rye so I didn’t buy it. The bread was very fluffy and forking white and almost seed free.

The only Rye Bread I can FORKING purchase within a half hour drive was to be found at TRADER JOE’S.

In Phoenix you almost have to kiss your Forking Rye Bread Good-Bye!

Forking Truth

Forking Truth

A little Forking History about Lasagna

Experimental Pomodoro Pizza Lasagna

Experimental Pomodoro Pizza Lasagna (developed or developing recipe)

There is some forking confusion about the origin of lasagna.  You know lasagna! That dish made with several layers of lasagna pasta sheets with alternating sauces and other cheese, meat and or vegetable ingredients.

IMG_5604

Nearly everyone believes lasagna originated in Italy.

The first cookbook with a lasagna forking king of recipe came from England in the 14th Century. But this version of lasagna didn’t have tomatoes in it yet.

Tomato

Tomato

Some people credit the Greeks for coming up with lasagna because the term lasagna comes from the Greek words lasana and lasanun meaning trivet for pot. Something forking about the pot or dish the forking lasagna is baked in.

The first modern (not sure WTFork time was modern) recipe for lasagna came from Naples and became a traditional dish. The forking original recipe was made with Ragu (NOT the FORKING jarred crap!), Béchamel, and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

sources were and combination of PopularArticals.Com and Wikipedia

Forking Truth

Forking Truth

The Forking Truth about Packaged Orange Juice

IMG_2914

Did you ever Forking notice no matter what kind of Orange Juice you buy from your grocer it still never really taste like real fresh squeezed orange juice?

According to HEALTH IMPACT NEWS and FOOD RENEGADE, commercial orange juice is stored in GIANT tanks where they forking remove the oxygen from the juice leaving the stuff completely forking tasteless.

WTFork!

This is Forked Up!

This is Forked Up!

However the reason for doing such a thing is because it makes the orange juice stay good for a year.

At this point they add forking “Flavor Packs” made from orange essence and orange oil to make it taste like what you know as purchased orange juice. They don’t need to put flavor packs in the ingredients because they are made from the process of squeezing the forking oranges.

Now you know the Forking Truth about Orange Juice.

Forking Truth

Forking Truth

Dining Out with the Dogs at Cucina Tagliani in Glendale AZ

IMG_5087

We headed out to Cucina Tagliani in Glendale AZ because the weather was Forking perfect for patio dining, the location, and the dog gone reasonable prices.

IMG_5542

The service is always warm and friendly. The patio is spacious and dogs get a pan of water.

IMG_5551

We started with Big Glasses of Happy Hour Malbec and Happy or forking YAPPY Hour Steak Sliders to share with the dogs.

 

IMG_5557

The Dogs were very FORKING interested in the Steak Sliders.

IMG_5555

My human companion was very upset about some sort of garlic mayo spread on the sandwiches but managed to eat around it. The meat in the sliders was a little tough but sort of tasty and were almost fast food priced and better than fast food for the $6.00 for three generously sized sliders.

Soon our forking dinners arrive!

IMG_5574

I receive my GRILLED Chicken Parmesan over Spaghetti Squash.

IMG_5567

I like to slide the forking cheese off and put in on a slice of the garlic bread.

The chicken underneath was cooked better than they normally do chicken. It was juicy this time but almost forking tasteless and bland. My human companion agreed with me that it was tasteless. But the sauce was fresh and very rich with a single note tomato taste that was OK and good on the spaghetti squash.

IMG_5550

Both dogs enjoyed the grilled chicken parmesan and the spaghetti squash.

IMG_5564

My Human Companion had the Tortellini in a meat sauce with Hot Sausage. It came out with two forking big links of hot sausage.

IMG_5566

He said the Tortellini in Meat Sauce with Hot Sausage was much better than my grilled Chicken Parmesan.

IMG_5560

Both dogs were waiting for some more food.

IMG_5558

I heard that the Hot sausage was really good.

IMG_5573

 

We had a good time and ate a bunch of forking food. We all now need naps.

IMG_5575

 

Forking Truth

Forking Truth

The Best FORKING Macaroni and Cheese EVER!

IMG_5525

I have been told that I make the best Forking Macaroni and Cheese. You will never get a Macaroni and Cheese as tasty as mine in any restaurant because the restaurant wouldn’t pack all the quality cheese I put in mine. (they’d forking go broke) I use the perfect seasonings for the cheese sauce, and make a delicious butter cheese cracker crumb top crust. I can’t give exact amounts of ingredients because macaroni and cheese is always made free style.

I always use a blend of cheeses usually around 6 forking kinds but always includes sharp cheddar and always some parmesan. I toss in whatever ends of cheese I have in my refrigerator. I NEVER use forking Velveta or cheese product garbage.

I think regular elbow macaroni is too delicate and usually use the Barilla Brand curled Horn Shape Pasta and if I can’t find that one I use the Pene Shaped.

I start by heating equal amounts of butter and flour. When it looks nice and cooked together well I start blending in milk. When that looks right I start adding cheese and go back and forth with milk and cheese, milk and cheese till it seems about forking right. I season the sauce with the right amounts of sweet paprika, cayenne pepper, ground white pepper and Frank’s Red Hot Sauce.

The Butter Cheese Cracker Crust is made by combining a stick of butter with Flour and crushed Cheese-its Crackers.

The Butter Cheese Cracker Crumb Crust

The Butter Cheese Cracker Crumb Crust

 

The crumb crust gets baked in the oven for about 15 minutes and then can be used as a topping for the macaroni and cheese.

This is how it looks COLD

This is how it looks COLD

As heavy as this is it seems to evaporate quickly.

The BEST FORKING Macaroni and Cheese EVER!

Forking Good!

Forking Good!