Category Archives: Forking Thoughts

Random Forking Items of Interest

DON’T JIP! Leave The TIP! Groupon Tipping

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Sometimes you get these Great FORKING Deals on Groupon and OTHER Groupon-Like sites.

These Groupon and Groupon-Like Sites are internet sites were you can purchase and print vouchers for discounted rates on merchandise, services and or Restaurant Deals.

It can be something like a Forking $100.00 deal for $49.00 or a $200.00 Steal for $80.00.

For Restaurants some Groupon-Like Sites require a predetermined gratuity added to your bill so you don’t forking jip your server.

Other Groupon and Groupon-Like sites let the consumer leave a voluntary gratuity BUT DO HAVE fine print printed on the voucher and their internet site that you should leave 15%-20% of pre-discounted price.

Don’t Jip! Forking Leave the Tip!

Forking Truth

Forking Truth

Restaurant Week does differ. The restaurants usually create a 3 course meal at a slightly lower check average than what you normally would pay at that restaurant. Restaurant Week sometimes is considered the “Special.” If you had a positive exsperience you should tip around 20% or plus.

Great Bargains can be found at a Restaurant Supply Store

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Even if you don’t own a forking restaurant or have a boat load of people to cook for Great Bargains can be found at a Restaurant Supply Store. I do note it is helpful to have an extra freezer. I also note not all forking restaurant supply stores let the public shop in their stores.

How about getting Bags of 5-6 Red Bell Peppers for around $2.00 a bag?  I purchased several forking bags and roasted up a bunch and froze. I also sautéed up a bunch and froze some too.

One time when I went I got a forking 5 pounds of forking parsnips for around $2.00! I managed to use them all between making soup, parsnip fries and parsnip keftedes (vegetarian Greek Style meatballs).

I liked getting 40 pounds of fresh Chicken quarters for $24.00. I just cooked and cleaned up a big batch of some and got a  forking “stock pile” in my freezer.

Picked up a box of Frozen Walleye Pike. Made some in pan fried and brushed with my forking home made mustard recipe and crisp onions. They came out great! The whole forking box of fish cost as much as one dinner out for two would have cost!

Canola High Heat Cooking spray is a bargain too. Not only is it a bigger can for less than half the money of a supermarket price it a forking higher quality spray without that long list of chemicals.

You say Tomato.

Tomato

Tomato

I got Tomatoes!

Just for fun (and possibly turbulent  sleeping conditions) I picked up a number 10 can (that’s over 7 pounds) of Vegetarian Refried Beans for around $4.50 as someone in the house is really found of refried beans.  Got some in the fridge, got a a few containers in the freezer.

Some things aren’t a bargain  for a the regular consumer like packaged or canned tuna fish. I need that in smaller portions.

Sometimes the store gives you stuff for free with your purchase! But I didn’t need a forking 30 pounds of fryer fat or 50 pounds of onions.

They also sell lots of fun equipment like ice machines, fryers and flat top grills. But I can forking fit any of them in my house.

I enjoy everything I purchased from the Restaurant Supply Store because I only purchased what I can use and what were bargains.

Great bargains can be found at a Restaurant Supply Store.

Forking Truth

Forking Truth

 

 

My Local Asian Market is a Pepper Paradise and More!

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The Asiana Market in Glendale Arizona sells more varieties of Peppers than I can forking mention. Some that I forking remember were Jalapeños, Thai Chili’s, Korean Peppers, Bell Peppers and Anaheim’s but these are the ones I purchased.

Twisted or Shishito Peppers. These Shishito peppers are featured on many better restaurant’s menus across the country.

Shishito Peppers

Shishito Peppers

Shishitos from FnB Restaurant Scottsdale AZ

Shishitos from FnB Restaurant Scottsdale AZ

Shishitos from Zazu Kitchen and Farm Sebastopol CA

Shishitos from Zazu Kitchen and Farm Sebastopol CA

My Shishitos with Balsamic Glaze, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Italian Hard Cheese, Watermelon Kernels, Basil and Black Pepper.

My Shishitos with Balsamic Glaze, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Italian Hard Cheese, Watermelon Kernels, Basil and Black Pepper.

They also had Banana Peppers.

Banana Peppers

Banana Peppers

And Italian Chilies!

Italian Chilis

Italian Chilies

I picked up a Jar of Cherry Peppers.

Cherry Peppers

Cherry Peppers

And a Jar of Grilled Cayenne Peppers!

Grilled Cayenne Peppers

Grilled Cayenne Peppers

I then decided I had enough forking peppers and picked up some forking Date Molasses because that’s really hard to find.

Date Molasses

Date Molasses

I didn’t buy the Old Squash but I saw they had some.

Old Squash

Old Squash

I did buy the Yu Choy because that cooks up like Good Spinach.

Yu Choy

Yu Choy

They had Dosekai and maybe I’ll try them next time.

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Asiana Market is a Pepper Paradise and More!

Forking Truth

Forking Truth

 

 

I entered and Lost (pretty sure anyway) The Lay’s do us a Flavor Contest

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Lay’s Potato Chips will give some forking lucky person (not me as I haven’t been contacted yet) a million Forking Dollars to come up with the Next Great Potato Chip Flavor.

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I liked that you could pick your style of chip and also could have a say in your bag design. I thought this was a pretty forking easy contest to enter so everyday for a while I entered in flavors.

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I entered 70 Forking Flavors!

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Some Flavors were forking favored more than others.

The ones that got the most favored were-

Kimchi and Fried Rice

Moroccan Chermoula

Cheesy Frittata

Brown Butter and Shallots

Spicy Szechwan Eggplant

Mozzarella Cream and Tomato Relish

Gruyere Porchini

Za’atar

Coconut Marshmallow

Lay’s does put out a disclaimer that favored doesn’t mean forking squat.

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There also were many flavors that got forking ZERO interest.

Szechwan Peppercorn

French Almond Croissant

Cheesy Croissant

Munster Cheese and Ghost Pepper (I thought that one was forking good……..Munster, Ghost  get it?)

Cheese Calzone

Smoked Tomato Cream

And my in-between flavors were

Jamaican Pickapeppa

Harissa Vinaigrette

Smoked Beets, Goat Cheese and Almonds

Spicy Middle Eastern Skhug

Fried Dill Pickle

Argentinean Chimichurri

Potato Knish

Depending on how the Chips fall some forking lucky person will win the Lay’s Do Us a Flavor Contest (but I’m pretty forking sure I lost)

Forking Truth

Forking Truth

 

 

 

I was Forking Overwhelmed by Pop-Tarts

I was forking strolling threw my closest Supermarket by the cottage section and noticed they still don’t carry fat free cottage cheese.  I turned this one corner and it was WORST than the Oreo Aisle. All I saw was a World of Pop-Tarts and was Forking Overwhelmed!

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There was forking so many I couldn’t count them all.

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Don’t worry they have forking more and even if you don’t want the Pop-Tart brand the store has provided forking impostor Pop-Tarts!

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And Forking More!

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Even FORKING More!

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These aren’t even forking enough!

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And then you need your forking special addition flavor.

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Pop-Tarts is a brand of rectangular pre-baked pastries that are meant to be warmed up in your toaster over and made by Kellogg Company.

The original flavors were Strawberry, Blueberry, Brown Sugar Cinnamon and Apple Currant.

These days Pop-Tarts can be found in a forking 25 various flavors and forking special edition flavors.

The packaging for Pop-tarts was groundbreaking technology invented to keep dog food fresh. (FORKING TRUTH!)

I was Forking Overwhelmed by Pop-Tarts! (and this supermarket still doesn’t forking carry any brand of fat free cottage cheese)

Forking Truth

Forking Truth

Hot Sauce & Ketchup Recipe(s) Started from One Sauce

I planed to prepare a hot sauce and knew I needed to strain it but had no forking idea I was going to make a delicious ketchup from the part I separated.

I forking like making Hot Sauce. I make it a little different each time and it always taste different depending what I use.

Cleaned up Ghost Peppers

Cleaned up Ghost Peppers

This time I used.

1.5oz.  FORKING Ghost Peppers (stems &  seeds removed) You have to be FORKING CAREFUL when handling Ghost Peppers or get someone else to clean them up for you. You can accidentally forking pepper spray yourself with them. Protective Gloves and goggles should be worn and some people need a ventilator machine when handling  Ghost Peppers. (not always but I often use Ghost Peppers)

 

15 Cherry Peppers (stemes & seeds removed) Any kind of Cherry pepper you can get adds a unique flavor. I’d prefer forking fresh ones but they aren’t forking sold in my area.

Cherry Peppers

Cherry Peppers

12 Roasted Red Bell Peppers (stems, seeds & skin removed) and the liquid in tub. They add lots of sweetness when roasted and the liquid is almost like forking sugar water.

Roasted Red Bell Peppers

Roasted Red Bell Peppers

3 cups Apple Cider Vinegar

2 cups water

Juice of one fresh lemon

2 large cloves garlic (minced)

around a teaspoon of Kosher Salt

1/2 teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper

1/2 teaspoon of Tellicherry Ground Black Pepper

I put them all in my pot on medium high heat and gave them a blend.

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I turned it down when it hit a slow boil to simmer and let it go about an hour. Then I strained and separated the two mixtures.

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The thick sauce almost reminded me of Sambal Oelek Chili Paste and it was too forking delicious to toss. I decided it would make a delicious Ketchup.

So I put it back in the pot and added

1 Cup Dark Brown Sugar

6 oz. Tomato Paste

1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce

A pinch of Ground Cloves

And let it simmer for about an hour.

This came out really good! It’s sort of like Ketchup but fresher tasting and a little more spicy. I think it could become a BBQ sauce or some of whats added to baked Beans, or just be ketchup.

The Thin sauce was OK but I thought it would be better if I just reduced it a bit. So I let it reduce on a low heat for about an hour.

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The Sauce didn’t get as forking spicy as I was expecting but is a good tasting sauce with some heat. The Roasted Taste and the Sweet Taste from the Bell peppers really came threw. You could also taste the unique cherry pepper taste and the smoke stayed in the background from the ghost peppers. I didn’t forking get much hot sauce out of this project but the quart of really good Ketchup was an unexpected win!

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Forking Truth

Forking Truth

 

 

Best Falafels I tasted in Metro Phoenix so far

Greek Wraps Peoria AZ

Greek Wraps Peoria AZ

A Falafel is usually a deep fried patty made of Chickpeas or Fava beans or a combination of both. Falafels are usually seasoned with Onion, Garlic, Parsley, Coriander, Cumin, Salt and Pepper. The Falafel is traditionally a Middle Eastern Street Food.

After tasting a forking very bland falafel somewhere in the area I thought about the best forking falafels I tried in the Metro Phoenix Area.

Paprika Mediterranean Exsperience Scottsdale AZ

Paprika Mediterranean Exsperience Scottsdale AZ

The Falafels from Paprika Mediterranean Exsperience in Scottsdale AZ are clearly flavorful and loaded with fresh herbs. The texture of the falafels are unusual and sort of like forking meatballs. I think they might be baked instead of fried but I’m not sure. I like the meatball texture in their unusually good tasting pita bread. These falafels are what I think about when I’m thinking falafel. They do make the best forking  pita bread of all the places I tried and make that delicious forking spicy Yemenite sauce that elevates everything deliciously.

Kitchen 18 Scottsdale

Kitchen 18 Scottsdale Best Eggplant Dip I remember tasting.

Shawarma King Glendale AZ

Shawarma King Glendale AZ

Shawarma King in Glendale Arizona also makes a forking excellent Falafel. Not only is it layered with interesting Flavors it is also the crispiest Falafel I ever tried. Some people measure how good a falafel is by it’s crispness. I measure it by how it forking taste. I can tell you this one is crisp and layered with lots of flavors.

Over the years I tried several non-taditional falafels (Beet Root, Tuscan Kale)  from FnB in Scottsdale AZ. They were all FORKING delicious but non-traditional.

Out of the forking traditional Falafels it’s a toss up between Paprika Mediterranean Exsperience and Shawarma King for being the best out of all the places I tried so far. Both are different from each other but both are FORKING excellent!

Forking Truth

Forking Truth

Forking Inedible Biscotti or Biscotti Style Cookies? (and Recipe)

I saw an ad for a local Biscotti shop and learned something I never knew before. True Biscotti are free of Butter or fat added and according to the bakery’s Website if a Biscotti has Forking butter or oil in it then it’s a cookie and not a Forking Biscotti.

For many years  tweaked up a Biscotti recipe from Chef Giada De Laurentiis that I think is pretty Forking Good and has butter in it. I swap out her all purpose flour for bread flour than gives the Biscotti a little more crisp. I dropped her use of chocolate chips because I like my chocolate chips in chocolate chip cookies.

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(insert angels singing here)

I like using  a teaspoon of fennel seed for that just right flavor but I do note Old World Biscotti were a combination of Almonds and Pinenuts. After the dough is baked I slice them forking hot and bake them on each side at 250 degrees about a half hour to crisp them up. Most people who tried them told me they were very good and are certainly edible.

I decided I’d make a true Forking  Biscotti so I developed my own recipe. It’s either Forking good if you want to dip them in liquid or Forking LOUSEY if you want to just eat them because they truly came out tasting delicious but  Forking hard as rocks as they are forking suppose to be because they are made for dunking in either fortified wine (Old World Style) or Coffee.

Biscotti Recipe for DUNKING Only unless you want Forking dental work

1 1/4 Cup Bread Flour

1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

1/4  teaspoon Baking Soda

1/8 teaspoon Kosher or Sea Salt

1/2 Cup Sugar

2 Extra Large Eggs

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds

Set your oven to 350 degrees. Mix the Sugar, Vanilla and Egg Together and add them to the rest of the dry ingredients. You mixture will BE VERY DRY but don’t worry it will come out fine. It will look like wet sand and then you can shape into either two logs for the mini size or one log for normal size.

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I made them into two logs on one of those rubber mats I use only for Biscotti (or Cookies)

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The two logs baked in my oven for 25 minutes.

I sliced them up hot and baked each side for 20 minutes at 250 degrees.

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And they came out like this.

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They came out hard and crunchy and don’t fall apart in liquid. They might even stay non perishable for centuries. I’m not going to forking make these again as I prefer the Biscotti Stye Cookies I usually make instead of Dunking Biscotti.

Forking Truth

Forking Truth

Very Berry Confusing

According to Wikipedia a Forking Berry is a Fleshy Fruit Produced from a single ovary.

These are all classified as Berries and are listed among the berries on Wikipedia.

Tomato

Tomato

Grapes

Grapes

Avocado

Avocado

Banana

Banana

Watermelon

Watermelon

This

One

I

Really

Don’t

Forking

Understand.

Pumpkin

Pumpkin

I am Berry Confused.

Forking Truth

Forking Truth

Forking Non-Stick Pans

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PFOA is the Chemical that’s used to manufacture forking Non-Stick Pans. Eight Major Cookware Manufacturers have agreed to stop using Forking PFOA by 2015.

When your forking non-stick pan gets heated above 450 degrees forking toxic fumes are released. These fumes have been linked to long term health effects including forking cancer and deaths of pet birds.

It is hazardous to ones health to use these pans and PFOA may forking lurk  in your baking pans. (cupcake pans, cake pans, bunt pans)

Green Pans are PFOA Free but I find them hard too forking brown food in them and personally don’t forking like them and I use Stainless Pans.

Forking Truth

Forking Truth