Quicker Easiest No Fuss Corn Stock

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Corn stock turns Corn Soup, Corn Risotto, Polenta, and other Corn Recipes from ordinary to extraordinary!

Most Corn Stock recipes instruct you to gather your used corn cobs and boil them for a certain amount of time with some aromatics.

Why do that when you can have delicious sweet corn and great corn stock with a BIG giant corn taste roasted in one easy pan.

Set your oven to 375 degrees. Get your pan and fill with your pealed  corn cobs. Fill with water to almost cover your one layer of corn. Add about 2 oz. of sweet butter for 4-6 corn cobs and about 1 teaspoon of Kosher Salt for the 4-6 corn cobs. Cover pan. and Roast for 2 hours. After two hours pull pan out on counter still covered and let sit out and cool for at least an hour. You will have the sweetest juiciest corn and the most delicious corn stock you ever had!

I note the Stock will be slightly salty but I find that helpful to season whatever I’m using the stock for.

Forking Good!

Forking Good!

Yu Choy

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Yu Choy

Yu Choy

Yu Choy is of the Mustard Greens or Cabbage Family.  It can be stir fried or boiled like spinach. I tried it both ways and prefer it boiled because it taste like really good spinach that way. I tasted bitterness in it when it was stir fried but preferred it sweet tasting like spinach.

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I cleaned it up and put the Yu Choy in a pot stems down in boiling vegetable broth till the vegetable got as soft as spinach.

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I drained the Yu Choy and added caramelized onions, fresh ground sea salt,  fresh cracked black pepper and a splash of extra virgin olive oil. Yu Choy taste much better than baby spinach and also budget priced as all this Yu Choy only cost $2.18 from my local Asian Market.

Forking Good!

Forking Good!

Cassava or Yuca Root

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Cassava also called Yuca Root

Cassava also called Yuca Root

Cassava also called Yuca Root is a starchy root that’s as easy to prepare as a potato. You do need to peal the skin and then your ready to boil, bake, or maybe fry cassava.

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I cubed my pealed cassava covered them with some water and a little Kosher Salt in a covered pan for an hour in a 375 degree oven till fork tender.

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I blended the cassava in a corn soup I was making. The cassava made the soup very creamy without adding cream.

Forking Good!

Forking Good!

Whipped Sweet Roasted Garlic Recipe

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Garlic gets totally transformed when you roast it at 375 degrees in a covered pan with a heavy sprinkle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil for an hour.

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All this peeled garlic only cost about $2. from the Asian Market.

 

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After the garlic is roasted just Blend.

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The Garlic gets so sweet and mellow. It’s excellent in spreads or sauces and keeps fresh for many weeks in the refrigerator.

Forking Good!

Forking Good!

 

Vietnamese Style Stuffed Beef Grape Leaves in Summer Rolls Recipe

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The recipe for the Grilled Beef Rolls with Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce  is by Chef Andrew Zimmern and was published in Food and Wine Magizine.  The recipe is very easy to make and is a wonderful refreshing light snack or meal when you serve it in a Summer Roll or is delicious as is as an appetizer.

Grilled Beef Rolls

2 lbs. Ground Sirloin

3 Garlic Cloves Minced

3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste

2 Tablespoons Cornstarch

2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce

2 Tablespoons Rice Wine or Sherry

1 Tablespoon Asian Fish Sauce

1 Tablespoon Sambal or other Asian Chili Sauce

1 Tablespoon Sugar

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

40 jarred brined – drained-rinsed and patted dry Grape leaves

Vegetable or peanut oil for grilling

I made this recipe twice and the first time didn’t have fish sauce so I substituted some minced anchovies and really forking liked it. This 2nd time I made it I used Red Boat Fish Sauce that’s made of anchovies but different with bells and whistles as fish sauce is. I made one sample to see how it taste. I don’t know why but when I used the fish sauce I didn’t  like the bitterness and found the flavor too strong and added about an inch of fresh grated ginger and 3 additional tablespoons of sugar the second time I made them to balance out the taste.

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(Be Cool and pretend you don’t notice I rolled the example the wrong way. I was on a roll and didn’t forking feel like photoing more. It worked and still was good.) The best way are grape veins inside.

Directions just combine ingredients.  Place a small cigar shape of meat in grape leaf near stem, fold sides over meat and roll up in a mini burrito shape. You can grill them but for me they will fall threw the grill so I just roasted them off on a covered pan in the over at 350 for about 15 minutes.

One of two pans

One of two pans

(I rolled most of them right I think I only forking rolled two of them wrong)

I made a bunch and froze all but what I would eat in the next two days.

Then I put them in Summer Type Rolls. I used lettuce, Carrots, Zucchini and Mint.

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I soaked the Rice Paper in warm water for a couple seconds till it softened.

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I rolled them just like the leaves.

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My Companion doesn’t care for Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce so I made a simple dipping sauce of combination of Sambal with Peanut Butter and water.

Forking Good!

Forking Good!

The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

 

 

 

Raw ZUCCHINI The Original no Carb Noodle – I’m just really Liking it!

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I have a new love for raw Zucchini as a noodle because I have found many uses for it this week.

I made a nice little Mexican Inspired Side Dish.

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An Americanized Vietnamese Style Rice Paper Roll.

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An Alternate to pasta.

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I’m liking Raw Zucchini these days, you might too!

Forking Good!

Forking Good!

How MANY FORKING Kinds of OREOS do we Need?

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I only needed Fat Free Cottage Cheese and a few other forking  things so I thought I’d hit my closest grocery store for those things. Not one brand of any kind of Fat Free Forking Cottage could be found. I thought I’d move on and sight see and pick up whatever else the Fork I needed.

I breeze threw the snack aisle and my mouth drops open when I see all the Forking varieties of Oreo Cookies. I know they put out special ones different times of year but I had no idea it was normal to forking have so many varieties. Four of the varieties were called creamies and were one cookie with a different flavor cream Forking Embalmed  in chocolate.

I saw ALL THESE on the Forking shelf!

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I don’t know how many different forking  kinds I saw but this forking store has screwed up priorities.

No WHEY was Forking Fat Free Cottage to be found.

I don’t even eat Oreos. How many kinds do I need?

Forking Truth

Forking Truth

 

 

The Famous BARBIE’S Tuna Salad Recipe with Slight Adjustments

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The story of Barbie’s Tuna salad is that it was created by a Caterer named Barbie. Nobody ever tasted tuna salad like that before and everyone who tasted it wanted the recipe. Someone who goes by the ID Tanaquil posted the recipe on www.allrecipes.com .  The recipe is a little unusual with a tiny bit of curry and Parmesan Cheese but all the flavors are delicious together.

I tried out the recipe. I thought it had interesting flavors that were different. I liked it but wanted less creaminess, wanted more texture, and a little more balance so I made a few adjustments. Instead of White Tuna I used light, I like the flavor and texture of light better and it also has less Mercury in it. I had to cut the Mayo down a bit. I swapped out as much as the dried herbs as I could and replaced them with fresh that seem much brighter to me. I added shredded carrot, salt, pepper, and fresh squeezed lemon juice. I will post the two recipes together. Just follow whatever you like or a combination to make your own. Makes around two servings.

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5oz. light tuna drained and flaked (Barbie’s 7oz. White Tuna drained & flaked)

1 1/2-2 Tablespoon Parmesan Cheese (Barbie’s 1 Tablespoon Parmesan Cheese)

3Tablespoons Mayo, I used light Mayo (Barbie’s 6Tablespoons Mayo or dressing)

1 1/2 Tablespoons Hot Sweet Pickle Relish, I used Famous Dave’s Sweet and Hot Pickle Relish (Barbie’s 3T Sweet Pickle Relish)

1 1/2-2 Tablespoon Sweet Onion Grated (Barbie’s 1/8 teaspoon dried onion flakes)

1/4 teaspoon Curry (same)

2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley Chopped (Barbie’s 1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley)

1 teaspoon dried dill (the same I didn’t have any fresh dill here)

1 small (tiny) garlic clove mashed (Barbie’s a pinch of garlic powder)

Fresh Lemon Juice from 1/2 a lemon for my taste it needed acid for balance.

one small carrot grated This adds to the texture and eye appeal and the flavor plays well against the dill.

Fresh ground Sea Salt

Fresh ground Black Pepper

Just mix and chill and your ready!

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Forking Good!

Forking Good!

When to Send Food the Fork Back in a Restaurant

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There are a few forking circumstances when you can and should send food back in a restaurant.

1- If food you receive has something forking gross in it like a used finger bandage, packaging material, chewing gum, tooth pic or some other kind of not a food kind of object.

Not Worth a Fork

Not Worth a Fork

2- Burnt or really over forking cooked food.

Not Worth a Fork

Not Worth a Fork

3- Forking Raw or really undercooked food.

Not Worth a Fork

Not Worth a Fork

4- A Totally unexpected ingredient not revealed that’s something your allergic too or just don’t forking eat. I do note the RIGHT thing to do is to reveal all allergies or dislikes when ordering but sometimes these are surprises you don’t expect.

Not Worth a Fork

Not Worth a Fork

A difficult one to decide on is Seasoning. On one hand if you order something spicy and you are too forking  whimpy to eat it you are screwed, you Can’t send that back. If it’s slightly salty you sort of are forking screwed too but if you received a massive salt bomb or massive salt malfunction then it’s OK to send back.

Most times you really can’t send food back but if you do tell the wait person in a forking nice way. If they take something off your bill you should tip on all the forking food you received.

Forking Truth

Forking Truth

Have a Knife Day and see Ya Spoon!

When you see TEENS as the Cooks – – – RUN!

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Tom's Thumb Fresh Market Scottsdale AZ

Tom’s Thumb Fresh Market Scottsdale AZ

After my most recent less than stellar meal out I’m forking convinced whenever I see Teens as the forking cooks in a kitchen I’m going to have a messed up meal. I recently went to a BBQ Bistro in Scottsdale AZ. This place has GREAT ratings on all the forking review sites. I did see all teens threw the open part of the kitchen and sort of worried but ordered something anyway.

The Brisket Sandwich I received really did have a very good flavor but somehow someone ruined it because I received it just warm and forking very dry. All I saw were Teens. I know this is an Award Winning BBQ Place  but I was here when the Teens were on.

Thee Pitts Again Glendale AZ

Thee Pitts Again Glendale AZ

Another Award Winning BBQ place I went too had all TEENS working the forking night I went. I had a pretty good view from this mostly open kitchen.  Besides some service problems I encountered from a teen, I received dry, almost cold BBQ  food with forking dry cracked corn bread.

Thee Pitts Again Glendale AZ

Thee Pitts Again Glendale AZ  Dry and almost Cold BBQ

 

Anther Forking place with an open kitchen and lots of TEENs working was A Certain Well Known Hot Dog Place in Tempe Arizona. I didn’t take a photo of the food from there but I should have. The main foods we tried were good. But I got this  Forking Iced Tea that seemed like a mixture of diet cola soda SYRUP and who know’s what else. I also remembered we ordered a side of onion rings. We received a bag of mostly just Forking crumbs! I didn’t feel like complaining to the teens working there. We just left and never Forking went back.

FROM NOW ON WHENEVER I SEE TEENS as the COOKS I WILL FORKING GET THE FORK OUT OF THERE!

Forking Truth

Forking Truth

Some restaurants don’t have kitchens with a view. I possibly received less than stellar foods from some Teens I didn’t see cooking.

I note I don’t know if Teens were responsible for all the improperly prepared foods I received.