Rollin', Rollin', Rollin', Get That Pasta Rollin'...

When I was growing up, my parents had a pasta maker that was, on occasion, hauled out.  I was entranced by all its shiny, silvery parts, and I knew that when it made its rare appearance on our kitchen counter, chances were good that the end result was going to be fettucine.  Which, in hindsight, probably helps explain my ardor for a truly delicious fettucine alfredo.
I've wanted a pasta attachment for Watson, my Kitchenaid mixer, for quite some time.  Actually, I want a shiny, silvery pasta maker of my own, but our kitchen is too small and crowded already, so we certainly don't have need for yet another gadget or gizmo, no matter how pretty and shiny it is (have I mentioned it was shiny?).  But we don't have a pasta maker or a pasta attachment.
That hasn't quelled my desire to try my hand at making my own pasta.
On Sunday, I got a wild hair and needed to make that pasta.  I had, the night before, made an homage version of my favorite childhood pizza, the Gay 90's Special from Dirty Dave's Pizza Parlor in Olympia, Washington (my hometown).  The combination of pepperoni, crumbled sausage, onions, and cashews is something I must have whenever I go back home; it's not negotiable, and usually it's our first stop when we roll into town.

My version was made with soprassata, since I couldn't find any pepperoni, crumbled Italian sausage (which, fortunately, was weak on the fennel), and of course the onions and cashews.  It was good, but I"m still working on the recipe before I can call it "perfected."
Anyway, this post isn't about the pizza.  The only reason I mention it is that I had a bunch of leftover sausage and soprassata (you try easily finding amounts of each that are appropriate for one homemade pizza; I dare you).  Since I'm trying my darndest to toss out as little food as possible, Sunday, as I baked my biscuits, sausage gravy (made with breakfast sausage, not the leftover Italian sausage), and multigrain bread, I was on a hunt to find a recipe that could use both.
At first, I thought I might head out and get some wonton wrappers and make ravioli.
But then, you know, lasagne.
I could make a bolognese with the leftover meats, which would actually be easy; the majority of the time spent making a bolognese is dedicated to the "simmer, stirring occasionally" part of the recipe, so I could do other things.

LIKE MAKE MY OWN PASTA.

I opted for the whole wheat version that is given in my Food and Wine Pasta cookbook (one of the three cookbooks my dad got me as I went off to college).  I got out the flours and the extra large eggs for which I made a special trip to the grocery store, took a deep breath, and got to work.
I sifted out the flour.
I made a well.
I cracked the eggs.
I poured the eggs into the well.
I mixed the flour in.
I kneaded.
I kneaded.
And I kneaded some more.
And all the while, my internal dialogue was going "Oh, s***, this dough is SO tough, how is it ever going to be pasta?  I'm going to have to go buy a box of pasta. Oh, s***!"
Bear in mind that I was kneading for 10, terrifying minutes.
As time went by, the dough became more workable, more elastic, and I began to breath a little easier.  I let it sit as I frantically ran to the store after realizing we were out of Parmesan.
When I got back, I threw a bed sheet over the kitchen table, floured it, and got to rolling.
I rolled and rolled and stretched and rolled and rolled and stretched.
I basically got an upper body workout between the kneading and the rolling, which is another benefit of this process.  Rest day, schmest day.
When the pasta was thin enough, I cut it into large-ish rectangles and triangle-like shapes and set them aside until it was time to boil, drain, assemble, and bake.

All rolled out and ready to boil

Y'all.  Make. Your. Own. Pasta.

Maybe not every time you want it (it probably won't be worth it on a Wednesday night when all you want is buttered noodles), but seriously, get out your rolling pin and just do it.
First of all, yes, it's time consuming, but it's actually easy.  Why was I so terrified?  It took two ingredients (OK, technically three since I used two types of flour) and an arm workout, and it was so, so... SO worth it.

Second, it tasted great.  I knew that everything would be OK when I boiled the noodles (for three whole minutes), and they smelled like...noodles.  I started getting confident when I drained and dried them and got set to make....this:

Layers of bechamel, bolognese, and Parmesan between those noodles

Of course, the true test was to actually taste the finished product.

The Husband went back for thirds.  THIRDS!!!!!!!  He sometimes gets seconds of whatever we're having, but it is a rare occasion that he goes back a third time, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't excited.  Basically, this is how I see that meal now:

But really, who wouldn't want thirds of this lasagne, loaded down with a garlic-infused bechamel instead of the standard ricotta and a bolognese instead of just "red sauce and meat."  Oh, and homemade noodles.  A bit thicker than they might have been if I'd been able to roll them through a pasta maker, they had a great chewiness and overall mouthfeel to them that was the best reward for making them instead of calling it in and buying a box.
This was the perfect lasagne.
And it made leftovers.

Lasagne con Ragu alla Bolognese
(adapted from Food and Wine)

For the bolognese:

• 3 slices bacon or 3 oz pancetta, chopped*
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 carrot, chopped (I like to use 2)
• 1 rib celery, chopped (optional; I prefer to leave it out)
• 1/2 pound spicy Italian sausage (not in casings)
• 1/2 pound other ground meat (I prefer chorizo or lamb for good flavor)**
• 1 1/2 cup pinot grigio (or other dry white wine)
• 2 cups vegetable stock (you can also use chicken stock if you've got it, but I think that the vegetable stock gives the end product a better flavor)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup 2% or whole milk

For the noodles:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour (if using a pasta maker/attachment, at 2 Tbsp to this amount)
• 3/4 all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour
• 3 extra large eggs

For the bechamel:

• 6 Tbsp salted butter
• 6 Tbsp all purpose flour
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 4 cups (1 quart) milk
• 1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

For assembly:

• 1 cup (or more) grated Parmesan cheese

*If you freeze your bacon/pancetta/soprassata for about ten minutes before chopping with a very sharp chef's knife, it will be a much easier process.

**I used leftover soprassata, and I used whatever I had leftover, which was not equal to 1/2pound.  However, I think that would probably be overpowering, flavor-wise.

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, cook the bacon/pancetta over medium-high heat until it starts to crisp.  Remove and discard all but 2 Tbsp of the fat.

Add the butter and olive oil to the pan over moderately low heat.  Once the butter has melted, add the onion, garlic, carrot, and celery (if using) and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft.  Add the pancetta back in along with the sausage and our ground meat of choice (even if you are subbing in something like the soprassata that I used).  Cook, breaking up the meat, until browned.  Add the wine; increase heat to moderately high and simmer until nearly all the liquid has evaporated.  Stir in the stock and salt; lower heat to barely simmering and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost all the liquid has evaporated (this will take a few hours if done correctly; use that "free time" to prep the pasta, etc., as well as to grab a snack and perhaps a glass of the wine you used in the cooking).  Stir in the tomato paste, milk, nutmeg, and pepper, and simmer for another 15 minutes.  Alternately, you can cover the pot and turn the heat to low to keep it on the stove until you need it.

In a large bowl, sift the flours together and make a large well in the center.  Whisk the eggs together and pour into the well.  With a fork or your clean hands, gradually work the flour into the eggs.  Once you have the semblance of a single mass, turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead the dough, sprinkling with more all-purpose flour if it gets sticky, until it forms a smooth, elastic ball (this takes about 10 minutes).  Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and set aside for 10-15 minutes to allow the gluten to relax (this makes it easier to roll out; if you're using a pasta machine, you can skip this step and roll it immediately).

Turn the dough out onto a large floured surface (I covered my kitchen table with a clean bed sheet and floured that, since I didn't have a surface that was truly large enough for my needs - then I just tossed the sheet into the wash).  You can cut it into pieces to work a smaller piece at a time, if you want.

Roll the dough with a long, narrow rolling pin in a smooth, back and forth motion, giving the dough a quarter turn after every couple of rolls.

Now, ideally, you'll also stretch the dough every so often, starting when it's 1/4-inch thick.  You do this by wrapping the top quarter of the dough over the rolling pin, holding it securely with one hand.  Then, with your other hand, hold the bottom of the dough in place while you stretch it away from you.  Give the dough a quarter turn and repeat 7 times.  I was terrified of this and didn't stretch my dough as much as I should have.

Repeat the process of rolling and stretching twice more, until your dough is about 1/16-inch thick.  The litmus test is that you should be able to see your hand through the dough (I was still scared I'd rip the dough, so mine wasn't quite as thin).  

Cut the dough into large rectangles (I made a few triangles and random quadrilaterals around the edges).  Put them on a baking sheet dusted with flour until ready to boil.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter, with the crushed garlic, over moderate heat.  Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, for about 1 minute.  Whisk in the milk and bring to a boil, still whisking constantly.  Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the nutmeg, salt, and pepper.  Remove the garlic before using (or, if you're lazy like me, just leave it in - someone will get a tasty surprise, like an edible, garlicky king's cake treat).

Boil a large pot of heavily salted water (Mario Batali's advice is to use water that "tastes like the sea"), and cook the pasta until almost tender, about 3 minutes.  Drain and rinse with cold water (usually you don't drain pasta, but since we are making lasagne, all my resources say yes) and dry on tea towels (or paper towels).

Preheat your oven to 350°.  Lightly oil (use olive oil) a 9X13" baking dish.  Ladle 1/2 cup bechamel over the bottom of the dish.  Lay several sheets of the cooked noodles, overlapping slightly, over the sauce.  Spread a 1/4 of the remaining bechamel on the pasta.  Top this with 1/2 of the bolognese and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan.  Repeat these layers.  On the top of the last layer of pasta, pour the remaining bechamel and the remaining Parmesan.  Bake until bubbly and starting to brown, about 40 minutes.

Let the lasagne rest for about 25 minutes before cutting into squares and devouring.  Yes, that's torturous, but this is going to be hot, and you don't want all your carefully prepared layers to go flying all over the place.

The whole process is time consuming, so it's true that for a weeknight, I probably wouldn't go to all this effort, but for a great Sunday supper or when company comes over, I have a feeling that I'll be going the distance.

Have you ever made your own pasta?

Bier Her! Bier Her! Oder Ich Fall Um!

"Das Leben is bezaubernd; man muß es nur durch die richtige Brille sehen."
~German toast

While most Americans think beer, beer, and more beer when they hear the word Oktoberfest, the tradition actually began with a wedding.

A big wedding.
On October 12, 1810, Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria (he would one day become King Ludwig I, grandfather of "Mad" King Ludwig II, who built Schloß Neuschwanstein) married Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen.  A fan of the Olympic games, Ludwig invited basically everyone (it helps to be the crown prince; budgeting isn't as much of an issue) to partake in the weeklong festivities in front of the city gates, including horse racing.  In honor of Princess Therese, the fields that held the festivities were renamed the Theresienwiese (eventually shortened to Wiesn).
The Fest was so popular that it became a yearly event, which evolved into what we know as Oktoberfest.
Of course, Bavaria is home to great beers, thanks in great part of the Reinheinsgebot of 1516 (you can read me wax poetic about the Gebot and other Bavarian Bier wonders here), so it's not a surprise that beer stands soon popped up on the Wiesn.
Today, Oktoberfest begins at the end of September and goes into October, and millions of people flock to Bavaria to join in the celebrations.
But if you can't afford a plane ticket to München, you can always celebrate at home.  Just remember to raise a glass to Ludwig and Therese.

Hopefully you've been celebrating our Beer Week festivities, which, yes, was totally scheduled to coincide with the first week of Oktoberfest.  You'll have to figure out your own festivities next week.  I'd recommend checking out the ponies.  Ludwig would like that.

In my homage to Ludwig and Therese, I opted to start at a favorite location that has its own long history in the Tempe area: Four Peaks Brewery.  The building that now houses the brewery was once a creamery, and the red brick stands out against the stucco that surrounds it today (check out the website for old and current photos - you'll love them).
If you live in the Valley, you are likely familiar with the two beers that Four Peaks bottles and has made available in stores: 8th Street Ale, an English brown ale, and Kilt Lifter, their best-selling Scottish style ale that is intended to be similar to those ales brewed in Edinburgh.  In fact, Kilt Lifter is so popular that the October issue of Phoenix Magazine allows readers a tour of the brewing process.
But while I adore Kilt Lifter - so much so that I managed to ship Megan an entire six-pack a few months ago - when I go to Four Peaks, there is only one beer for me: the Arizona Peach Ale.
I first experienced it when The Husband and I went to Teakwoods for lunch a few months ago.  Teakwoods is one of the local restaurants that serves Arizona Peach Ale on tap, and I was surprised that The Husband ordered it, as he doesn't tend to enjoy "fruity" beers.
"It's not really fruity," he said.  "Here.  Take a sip."
Fateful words.

I know, sexy pic.
Try not to be jealous.

Before you take a big, fat gulp like you see me doing here, you need to take a moment and bring the beer up to your nose to take in the aroma.  Immediately, you'll be transported from wherever you are to a peach orchard.  It's ridiculous, really.  Fresh Arizona peaches.  In your beer.  It's almost mesmerizing.  You get the flowery sweetness that is identical to the perfume of a freshly plucked peach.  But the beer is anything but sweet.  While you can taste the peach on the back end, the beer is a light, clean, and refreshing ale that is perfect for the Arizona heat.  The peach just finishes each sip off so smoothly, and perhaps the only aspect of "sweet" that there might be is that there is no bitterness from beginning to end.  There is no syrupy aftertaste or heaviness in the fruitiness of this Arizona Peach Ale.  It's just as perfectly accessorized as Coco Chanel.
So in the last few weeks, I have found almost every excuse possible to trek over to Tempe in order to have a dinner date or a "late lunch" at Four Peaks.
Because the beer is good, and so is the food.  Get the salmon BLT.  You're welcome.
While the brewery is in the heart of Tempe, right by ASU, you'd think that it would be a crowded, college hangout.  But in all actuality, there are only a handful of students that you might see; the regular crowd will include families and professionals, all competing for a parking spot close to the front door.  There is room for young kids, as long as they don't sit at the bar, so the atmosphere is welcoming for anyone who walks in.

I love the industrial-red brick combo on the inside.
Sorry, though, that all my patio snaps were too dark to use;
it's quite lovely out there.

Unfortunately, until The Husband catches on to my hints about the growler of Arizona Peach that I think should live in our fridge and/or the brewery decides that I need to have six-packs available to me at my local grocery store, I have to get my fix at Four Peaks (I know - first world problem right here).  In the meantime, I'll be buying that six-pack of Kilt Lifter.  And using it in All The Things.

Like a German-style spicy mustard.

And ale-soaked sweet potato oven fries.  Served with said spicy mustard and bratwurst.  Because Ludwig and Therese would have wanted it that way.

And, because no course of a meal should ever be without beer, a maple-ale frozen custard for dessert.

Let's look a little more closely, shall we?
Basically, when we planned Beer Week, I had originally only intended to rave about Four Peaks and their Arizona Peach ale, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to take the opportunity to play around with the beer, even if it wasn't the beer I go to Four Peaks to drink.
Having had great luck (and tons of positive feedback) with the Guinness mustard I made for St. Patrick's Day (a.k.a. The Great Brisket Freakout of 2012), I figured that using Kilt Lifter in a mustard would be a cinch, although I wanted something a little more spicy and closer to the mustards that I loved when I lived in Regensburg as a student.  Good thing I found this recipe from Serious Eats to play around with and tweak thus:

Spicy German-Style Kilt Lifter Ale Mustard
(adapted from Serious Eats)

• 1/3 cup each yellow and brown mustard seeds (I've found that I prefer the 50-50 combo of the two different seeds over having a greater percent of the yellow seeds)
• 1/2 cup organic, unfiltered apple cider vinegar (it should have "the mother" in it, although try not to use it in the mustard)
• 1 cup Kilt Lifter, divided into 1/2-cup measurements
• 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric (this is what gives mustard its beautiful yellow color)
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice

Drink any remaining Kilt Lifter once you've measured out the cup needed in the recipe.
Combine the mustard seeds, the vinegar, and 1/2 cup of the ale; refrigerate at least overnight (or, until you have a free second).
Combine the remaining 1/2 cup of the ale and all other ingredients in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until just boiling.  Remove from heat and cool slightly (I would recommend doing this about 30 minutes before you plan to mix everything together).
In a blender, combine the mustard seeds and their liquid with the liquid from the saucepan.  Puree until smooth, although the brown seeds will remain solid.  Transfer to a pretty jar and refrigerate until you are ready to slather it over a properly made bratwurst (read: not national chain) or dunk some pommes frites into it.

And speaking of pommes frites...
All you have to do here is cut up some sweet potatoes (or any potatoes, I guess), soak them in Kilt Lifter for 15-20 minutes (you may have to toss it a few times), drain them, toss them in olive oil and seasoning, and then cook on a VERY well-oiled cookie sheet, into a 425° oven for 30-40 minutes, tossing at least once.  If you are using sweet potatoes, make sure that, unlike me, you are careful not to let them burn.  Or stick to the cookie sheet (my definition of "very" well oiled sheet was insufficient).
As a note, since I was using sweet potatoes, I thought we'd need a salty, savory combo, so my seasoning of choice was Bacon Salt, and I'd recommend that you do the same.

The above, of course, are best served with bratwurst, freshly grilled and topped with the mustard, caramelized onions, sauerkraut, and leek relish, and eaten while worshipping at the shrine of college football.
Go, Devils!

But as much as I love College GameDay and cheering on my beloved Devils while horking down ridiculous amounts of pub grub and washing it down with a favorite local beer (I mean, HONESTLY, what compares to that), this week, the star was the dessert.
As you might have figured out, I love maple syrup.  If you hadn't, now you know.  So of course I needed to find an ice cream recipe that combined maple and beer.
It turns out that I am not the first person to think that this is The Best Idea For Ice Cream Ever.  Not like I was surprised.  At first, I found a gingerbread ice cream recipe that I figured I could use, swapping the maple syrup for the molasses and omitting ALL the spices, but then I stumbled across this fabulous recipe for Peak Organic Maple Oat Ale Walnut ice cream over at Drink Craft Beer (bookmarked) that I knew was Perfect.
Of course, I used Kilt Lifter instead of the Peak Organic, so at first, I was a little nervous.  A Scottish style ale is totally different than an ale made with oats and maple syrup, and who knew if it would work in the same way?
Well, it did.
The reduction of the Kilt Lifter made me even more nervous, as the beer has a smoky aspect to it, which really came out when it was reduced from 22 ounces to 1/2 cup.  I mean, wow.  But what also came out was an almost coffee-like bitterness that was fantastic, I mean FREAKING FANTASTIC when combined with the sweet creaminess of this recipe.
Which, I should point out, is actually a frozen custard recipe, due to the addition of the egg yolks and the higher percentage of fat (thanks to the cream and half-and-half called for in the recipe instead of cream and milk).
OK, so basically, what you need to know is this: the Kilt Lifter really made this recipe.  I'm sure it would have been really good without the beer.  But it was really, really, REALLY good WITH the beer.  Since it was a creamier custard, and the maple syrup so sweet, the coffee-like bitterness of the ale reduction made a wonderful finish to each bite.  I think that without the beer, it honestly would have been too cloying.  With the beer, it was incredible.
Since we had plans to go to a dinner party at the house of some friends, I opted to take the custard as part of the dessert offering.
Now, aside from the fact that I had to share with several other people, this was a fabulous idea, as the other half of the dessert was a homemade tiramisu.  And since tiramisu is made with espresso, it was a slam-bam knockout combination.

I'm just glad that there was leftover custard that I was able to bring home and continue to sneak by the spoonful straight from the freezer.
All right, Four Peaks.  You already serve your delicious stoutamisu, made with your Oatmeal Stout.  Now I have the perfect accompaniment for it.  You're welcome.
(Now, could you please sell Arizona Peach Ale in bottles or cans?  Pretty please?)

So now... in case you missed any of the wonderful Beer Week posts, please make sure you check them out.  Do it for Ludwig and Therese.

• Kirsten (Comfortably Domestic) kicked off the week with an amazing biography of a friend of hers who just happens to be a home brewer taking that passion and turning it into a livelihood.  I'm making The Husband read this one carefully.
• Jeanne (Inside NanaBread's Head) offered an incredible dark chocolate espresso stout cake topped with a caramel and Kahlua whipped cream (I KNOW, RIGHT?????)
• Kat (Tenaciously Yours,), who also writes for Minnesota Beer Activists, made me want to move to Minnesota even more with her overview of Gasthof's Oktoberfest.  There's something for everyone here.
• Madeline (Munching in the Mitten), my former student, made a pumpkin beer bread, perfect for those crisp autumn days that we don't get here in Arizona.
• Anne (From My Sweet Heart) made beer pretzel caramels - can I get a yum yum?
• Lauren (Climbing Grier Mountain) made a pale ale shrimp po' boy that may actually convince my husband to move to Denver in order to get closer to it.
• Beka (Kvetchin' Kitchen), who is the newest addition to our reindeer games, jumped right in with a review of the Outlander brewery, which I MUST check out when I'm in Seattle next.
• Megan (Wanne Be a Country Cleaver), who knows the sweet, sweet taste of Kilt Lifter already, made my German heart go pitter pat with her schnitzel and dumplings.
• Mads (La Petite Pancake) whipped up some beer battered shrimp tacos that I am dying for right now.
• Carrie (Bakeaholic Mama) is helping finish off Beer Week tomorrow by opting to focus on a cider (an early American staple) recipe with her Woodchuck sweet potato bisque.
• Katie (The Hill Country Cook) joins up with us again to share her review of the Double Horn Brewery.  TOOT TOOT!
• And Kirsten is back tomorrow too, wrapping up the week with a black and tan brownie that my own black and tan girl would kill to get her grubby paws on if chocolate weren't so deadly to dogs. 

And lastly, because we can't celebrate a wedding without music, fill your glass one last time and get down to my favorite German beer song (you can find the lyrics here if you want to sing along, which I know you do).
Prost!

And one more thing - please don't forget the Life For Lily Virtual Run next Friday through Sunday.  Your steps (you don't have to run - don't worry!) can make the biggest difference for a little girl fighting something harder than any of us can ever imagine.  So find your favorite kicks, sign up, and make a donation.  Your heart will never regret any of it.

Grazi, Graze - My First Tasting Event

The Twitterverse is a mysterious, exciting phenomenon, and it's helped me not only become friends with many other amazing food bloggers from across the country, but it's also caused me to come into contact with several food bloggers and food lovers right here in the Valley.  I have had a great deal of fun interacting with them, and I have learned about many outstanding local venues thanks to this bunch. Since I have tended to focus this blog on what we make at home, with few forays into what we eat at local establishments, I'll be honest and say that I kind of blog stalk those who have made it their focus to discuss what local chefs are making for dinner.  That way when events like birthdays and anniversaries come up, I have a list of Places to Visit.
Two of these local foodies are the ladies over at Phoenix Bites.  Started in 2010, the website works to bring together lovers of food from across the Phoenix metro area (which has a larger footprint than some states).  And they were kind enough to add me into their circle of those who have been brought together "in real life."  Last Tuesday, I was invited by Amy and Taryn to a private tasting for food bloggers.  I may have squealed when Taryn's tweet popped up on my phone.  I also may have spent the next hour, in my excitement, googling information about things that had nothing to do with the job I am paid to actually do.  But the only one with me was the dog, and I've made sure she won't tell.
Even better was that the stars had basically aligned themselves to make it possible for me to go with complete ease of schedule - HRH was already going to be overnighting at my mother-in-law's, so it was just a matter of telling The Husband that he was on his own for dinner.  As it turns out, he actually had scheduled what I like to call a "bro date" with a friend of his (he's gonna love that term...), and I was going to be on my own for dinner.  Except that I was going to a tasting.
I've never been to a tasting aside from the cake tasting we had before The Husband and I were married (way back when he was just The Fiance), so to say that I was excited is only a little bit of an understatement.  That combined with the fact that it was going to be a rare weekday evening out, doing something outside of the routine that we all find ourselves in made the work day on Tuesday drag a little slowly.
The event was located at the Zona Hotel & Suites in north Scottsdale.  The address alone had me feeling far more interesting than I had the previous night, when I was dressed in yoga pants and eating the rest of the Thin Mints, and I was looking forward to an evening that didn't include chicken nuggets or a free toy.
Zona Hotel and Suites offered the tasting, actually a menu reveal, as the culmination of the resort's reinventing of its bar and restaurant, Graze Desert Grille, previously under two names.  The new name is a nod to the emphasis on fresh, seasonal, and organic (whenever possible) local ingredients.  This philosophy of farm-to-fork means that the items we tasted will vary by season and ingredient availability; what may have been a fresh beet Tuesday night may become a radish when seasonally appropriate.  This, of course, means that diners in every season will be able to enjoy items in the prime of their flavor.
Menu items offer a snapshot of American cuisine with an emphasis on Southwest influences.  That doesn't mean that you'll see chiles or chimichangas on every plate; the variety that we were offered clearly demonstrates Chef Kevin Myers's endeavor to offer a plate for every palate.  Some of those plates might surprise those who think the Arizona food focus is still mostly "cowboy cuisine."  We've come a long way from a chop house on every corner, baby.
Our menu included samplings from Graze's breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus, which, while unveiled for us that evening, will be officially offered beginning April 5.
Along with each course was an appropriate wine or beer pairing, presented to us by Paula from Arizona Stronghold Vineyards and Hana from Quench Fine Wines.  While the food was excellent, the pairings, and the subsequent information that Paula and Hana shared with us about each pairing, was by far my favorite part, and as all but one course was served with a local Arizona brew or vintage, I came away from the evening with a new appreciation for Arizona wineries and wines that is more on the level at which I appreciate Arizona breweries and beers.
I could likely take an entire post to talk about each course and its pairing, so I've selected my favorites here.

I just had my iPhone camera;
the fading sunlight gives it away that I am NOT
Ansel Adams.

Queso Fundido (Family Style) - lunch and dinner menus
Served with warm flour tortillas and stuffed with Schreiner's chorizo and a variety of exotic mushrooms, it was basically all I could do to keep from stealing everyone else's tortillas to pick up every last delicious bite.
I've had queso fundido before in many iterations, but the mushrooms were a first for me, and I can assure you that it shall not be the last.  I can't recommend enough tearing off small pieces of the tortilla to use as the utensil instead of a fork or spoon here.  You get the soft tortilla, just chewy enough, surrounding the melty cheese, and then you get the chorizo and mushrooms; the mushrooms add a little bit of resistance to your bite, so you have to spend a little time chewing, which of course makes the flavor just intensify.  In fact, despite this being the second of our eight courses, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it, which means I'll either have to source ingredients to make my own "at home" version or go back in the very near future.
This was also the only course to be paired with a wine that is not local to Arizona.  Instead we sipped Bisol "Jeio" Prosecco.  Like the laws dictating what is and what is not Champagne, Prosecco can only qualify as Prosecco if the grapes are grown in a particular region of Italy.  Hana explained that the Prosecco - very light, crisp, and with plenty of apple and citrus - cut the fattiness of the chorizo and cheese very well.  She was absolutely right - the smaller bubbles of the Prosecco (which I honestly prefer to Champagne any day of the week) were excellent company to the fundido, so when I recreate this at home, I'll just have to obtain a bottle or two.
When I told my friend Alexa about the dish the next day, because I hadn't been able to stop thinking about it and was basically harassing my Spanish teacher friends to find out if they had any recipes they wanted to share with me, she said that this style of queso fundido - with the chorizo and mushrooms - is common in Spain, although it is generally paired with Spanish Cava.
***Note to self - go to Spain.

Photo: LightRain Images

Duck and Brie Quesadilla - dinner menu
Since the words duck and brie are two of my favorite in the genre of food, I knew eating in a manner dictated by social norms - you know, not using both hands and stuffing the quesadillas whole into my maw - was going to be difficult.  I did, however, manage to channel all the lessons that Savor offered me to make sure that I not only enjoyed the idea of the food but the food itself.
This did not disappoint in any imaginable way.  The confit of the duck leg was literally perfect with the Brie.  I'm not even sure how else I can describe it other than perfect, because it was.  It was perfect. Both duck and Brie can be rich, but the combination was not at all overpowering; the balsamic reduction drizzled over it was all that was needed to add a little acidic zing to the otherwise full-flavored bites, and I could easily imagine making this a meal rather than the appetizer that it is on the menu.
Paired with the quesadillas was the 20120 Arizona Stronghold Tazi, a white blend that had a thick and almost syrupy bouquet.  In fact, I dreaded taking a first sip for fear that it would be cloyingly sweet, so much so that I asked Paula if it was a semi-sweet or semi-dry.  She said, "No.  Just try it.  You'll be surprised."  And indeed I was shocked to find instead an extremely full-mouthed and dry wine that was filled with citrus and finished clean.  If asked, I probably would have put a red with this dish, but the full-mouth feel of the wine really made it pair nicely with the duck and Brie, especially in the warm Arizona evening.

I should have put a photography class
on my Twelve for 12.

Local Beet Salad - dinner menu
I know, I know - of all the courses I could have discussed, I chose a salad.  But it was - surprise! - the pairing that made this phenomenal, and it was truly my favorite.
The salad consisted of both "regular" beets as well as golden beets, so the looks of the salad alone should win it some sort of artsy award - green, deep red, gold, and the scattering of lavender-infused goat cheese was far better in person than my phone's camera could capture in the evening light.
I could tell that Paula was excited to offer the pairing for this course, even over her enthusiasm for the other pairings she had already described for her.  She kept saying, "Wait until you try this with the beets. You'll be amazed."
"This" was the Centennial Red - one of three blends that celebrate Arizona's 2012 centennial (which, if you missed it, was February 14 - we're not only The Grand Canyon State, but we're also The Valentine State, in case you're ever on Jeopardy!).
I took my first sip before having any of the salad - the bouquet was laden with berries and some spices, and that initial sip reminded me of some zinfandels that I've had.
THEN I had another sip after a bite of the golden beet.
The wine was completely transfomed.  It was silky and earthy and mineral-y, kind of like sucking on a piece of granite.  That's a Good Thing, mind you - it was the perfect balance to the earthy beet.  But where the beet's earthiness is sweet, the earthiness of the Centennial Red still had the dry spiciness and currant-y finish that thoroughly countered the beet.  I went back and forth between the two - bite of beet, sip of wine - until I had no more beets.  Or wine.

What didn't I discuss but could have?  Well...

• corned beef and green chili hash with egg, sunny side up (breakfast menu)
• pressed pulled pork sandwich (lunch menu) - paired with Mudshark Scorpion amber ale
• rocket salad (lunch and dinner menus)
• pan seared grouper (dinner menu) - paired with Arizona Stronghold Dala chardonnay
• whiskey braised shortrib with white cheddar mashed potato (dinner menu) - paired with Page Springs Vino del Barrio rojo

Pressed pulled pork
Photo: LightRain Images

whiskey braised shortrib
Photo: LightRain Images

So, by the time dessert was presented, I had to force myself to take a bite of the flourless chocolate decadence cake, which was deliciously bittersweet.  The cheesecake lollipops were adorable, but my love for the grouper - atop the best spaghetti squash and greens combination I could imagine - pretty much sealed the fate of dessert that evening.

Now, these were all brilliant dishes and lovely presentations, but they were far from being overly pretentious.  The restaurant is, after all, at a resort that has many families visit (there is a children's menu, in case your Wee One is so inclined to request chicken nuggets like mine does every day), so while everything from the candles and grass centerpieces to the platings were elegantly done, the food itself was comfortable so that a family can easily enjoy a meal without worrying that the other diners will look witheringly over at the people who are letting their child sing the theme song for Jake and the Neverland Pirates over and over again (not that I have ever had that experience; a friend told me about it).  That comfort can make a good meal great, and a great meal fabulous.

My most sincere thanks goes out to Chef Myers, Brian Blanke, and the rest of the team at Zona Hotel and Suites as well as to Paula and Hana for their information and education on the different wines (and one beer) that we sampled.  I can honestly recommend each of the plates and glasses that I was offered and am anxious to try more pairings when I get the chance.  Most of all, however, I am grateful to Taryn and Amy for inviting this teacher-come-blogger on a fun "field trip" to see how the big guns in blogging do a Tuesday night.  Ladies, it was fantastic to meet you two in person; I knew I liked you via Twitter, but in person you take awesome to a new level.

Weekend Update and Monday Meal Planning

When you are the parent of an extremely energetic and picky three-year-old, the words date night rarely cross your lips.  It's true that I love HRH with all my heart, but it's hard to want to go out for a family dinner knowing that our restaurant selection may have nothing on its menu that fits her discriminating palate AND that you might have to somehow MacGyver up a system by which to keep her chained to the table without having CPS being called by the other restaurant guests.
So this Saturday was almost magical, as my mother-in-law texted me earlier in the week asking if she could please have HRH overnight with her, since she hadn't been able to see her for the past few weeks.
Um, yes.  Yes you can.  We'll be right over.
Tuck and roll, kid.  Momma and Daddy have a date.
And then we realized that we didn't know where to go for dinner.  The free time afforded to us was so foreign that we had come into it completely ill-prepared.
Fortunately, the ladies at Phoenix Bites and Local Lily were quick to answer my Twitter plea to help these two wayward parents find something that's fun and inexpensive and delish.  After some brief discussions, we decided to try out Taryn's suggestion of bld here in Chandler.
It was The Right Decision.
Since it's been gorgeous out at night, we opted to sit on the patio, which was perfectly comfortable (I brought a sweater, as per my Pacific Northwest roots, but I never needed it) and cozy.  The beer and wine menu was full of several familiar names, but before I had my Kilt Lifter, I had to try the Mama's Lil Yella Pils from Oskar Blues in Colorado.  One, I love the homage to the Rolling Stones.  Second, and this might be obvious to you by now, it was the best beer pun I've ever seen.
And have I ever mentioned I love fried pickles?  Because I do.

The tempura was out of sight, as was the Sriracha aioli.
I do have to say, though, that while I love pickle spears for your workaday,
fried pickles should always be in chip form.

Dinner was also good, although I was more in love with the polenta and gnocchi than the pork chop that I got, and The Husband thought that his chicken and bacon-laced waffles was great but wished he had gotten something more "dinnery" (his words).
I then made it to exactly 10:17 before I headed upstairs to bed while The Husband watched some awful movie on OnDemand.  I let Ghost Adventures lull me to sleep.
I'm definitely down to put bld onto our rotation of Places to Eat.  And I'm not sure the dinner menu will work for her, but I know HRH will be more than happy to go there for breakfast someday.  Total winner, Taryn!
Oh, and yesterday?  We met my mother-in-law and HRH at Pei Wei, and while we had just eaten a late breakfast, my mother-in-law ordered the Kung Pao shrimp.  It looked pretty tasty.  And then HRH started eating the brown rice.
Like shoveling it into her mouth eating it.
So dinner, then, was Kung Pao Shrimp a'la Allison, thanks to this "copycat" recipe.  I'm not sure it's copying the Pei Wei version, but it was fun to bring down the wok for an evening.
What I really found interesting in this recipe - which was a little warm without the umame flavor that I was looking for, so I'll have to up the soy next time - was that the shrimp were tossed in corn starch and the egg white before hand - it made a kind of breading that the sauce stuck to quite nicely.
The best thing about the homemade version was not just that I knew everything that went into it (including the local green garlic, green onions, carrots, and sugar snap peas) but that those fresh veggies made the plate look soooooooo pretty:

I omitted the peppers (didn't have any) and added
tofu and used shrimp instead of chicken,
but otherwise followed the recipe pretty closely.

HRH got her own little plate with brown rice, two pieces of tofu, carrots, and one sugar snap pea.  She inhaled the rice (Zooey dutifully caught every grain that fell on the floor) and carrots but only took a small bite of the pea.  As for the tofu, "I'll eat the tofu later.  When I'm older."  Oh, well.  She got plenty of fiber and other good things from the rice and carrots.  And the handfuls of roasted unsalted peanuts that she ate while helping me make a few dressings and whatnot for the week.

Thai One On

This post has been waiting for me to write it for about two weeks, but when you have a full time job and just dream of blogging full time, well....
Anyway, a few Fridays ago, HRH went off to Nana's to spend the night, so Scott and I were left to our own devices for the evening.  We did what other couples whose two-year-old is packed away at the grandparents' - we went car shopping.
(For the record, I want the Subaru Forester)
Driving in circles for several hours is surprisingly hungry work, so Scott suggested we make an actual date of our free evening and go to dinner.
I know - weird, huh?
Since we are, like, five seconds from Historic Downtown Chandler, we headed to Latitude Eight, a Thai restaurant that until that evening I thought held the Chik-Fil-A® Curse.
What's that?  You don't know what the Chik-Fil-A® curse is?  Well, as you may know, Chick-Fil-A® is closed on Sundays, and it seems that whenever I have a hankering for a peach milkshake, it's ALWAYS on a Sunday.  Likewise, it seems that whenever one of us thinks of going out for Thai food and suggest Latitude Eight, it's a Sunday, and they are closed, too (This same seems to also hold true for my attempts to go to Hobby Lobby, although I think Scott is really happy I rarely get to cut loose in a ginormous craft store with no chaperone).
Fortunately, it was Friday, so it was open.

So Go Downtown - Things'll Be Great

I only have three more days of jury duty.  While it's been a truly fascinating experience - I really don't get why people try so desperately hard to get out of it - the toll of being gone from my job twice a week is truly taking a toll on me, and I'm looking forward to having those two days back so I don't feel compelled to stay up until all hours in order to get assignments graded and returned, etc.  I am thankful that I have an exceptionally supportive department chair and principal, and my other department members and colleagues have offered some fantastic encouragement as well.  Everyone should feel so fortunate in their workplace.

But I think one of the best aspects of being on jury duty is that it has forced me to be in downtown Phoenix all day for each of those two days.  Now, many large cities that I have visited have a bustling atmosphere, and Phoenix is not that different.  During the day.  But in past years, unless there was a sporting event or concert, the city practically rolled up the sidewalks come 5PM.  That's the thing about the Phoenix Metro Area (known to locals as The Valley) - since we have everything we might "need" in our own particular suburbs, there isn't that same need to head downtown.  While we do go to Mrs. White's Golden Rule Cafe with friends every New Year's Day (gotta get those beans and greens!), usually we stick close to home.  Why go to Majerle's near the ballpark when there is one in Chandler (same could be said for Coach and Willie's now, too)?  Who needs to go to the comedy club on Jefferson when the Improv is in Tempe?  And don't get me started on parking - it's a b****.

Pizza! Pizza! (and a tribute to Frau Ramm)

I just returned from my trip to the Pacific Northwest.  While I didn't get to as many places as I had hoped, I still managed to chow down at a few venues that you NEED to know about.
Most people have heard about the Pike Place Market in Seattle.  It's a fantastic market.  But one wonderful aspect of the PNW is that there are farmers' markets everywhere.  The rain that many people bemoan allow veggies and fruits of all kinds to grow easily all over the western half of the state.  Olympia, my home town, has a rockin' farmers' market that has been a staple for years, so it was fantastic to be able to hit it.  I was jealous of all of the stands that offered plants that could be taken home and popped in the ground.
Well, of course, HRH was bored, even after she got a balloon butterfly, and she promptly asked for ice cream.
Have you ever seen three-color cotton candy flavored ice cream?  Neither have I, and while just the name makes me cringe, she yummed it up as fast as she could.

Decadent Phourth

Happy Independence Day!  I am sitting here on the couch, drinking an Arnold Palmer, flat exhausted from the long weekend.

It was worth it.

Saturday I made this cake:

Isn't it pretty?  I don't often make cakes anymore, and I most certainly don't have the time to decorate like I used to, but we had friends stop by on their way home from Tombstone, and since we rarely see them (they live in Lake Havasu City), I wanted to make sure that we had a nice afternoon.
Thus, after lunching at San Tan Brewing Company, I proudly served my little white cake.
Or...

And the Man at the Back Said "Everyone Attack"

This morning we went down to Casa Grande and had breakfast at Big House Cafe with Scott's mom.  I was disappointed with my florentine omelette, but I think that's because I really wanted to order the corned beef hash but didn't as I felt I needed to behave, gastronomically speaking after a weekend already full of bacon.  The omelette was good, mind you; I just wish I hadn't seen (and sat, staring at) the specials board, on which the chalk words corned beef hash taunted me, in size 72 font.
Scott, on the other hand, was unencumbered by some inner voice telling him to order wisely, and he selected the Barnyard sandwich - a whopper of a meal between a large roll.  The sandwich included eggs, cheese, a breaded pork cutlet, ham, and bacon (I think that's it).  It was so repulsive it was almost pretty:

The side of potatoes (yes, it totally came with a side)
was also slathered in cheese.

Zzzzzzzzzz...

This past week has been insane, busy, and insanely busy, so nothing much exciting happened, other than the fact that I discovered more tomatoes on the plant, and I believe that the potato that HRH and I "planted" (it got yucky so I let her throw it in the ground) is actually growing.
I've fallen off the movement and eating well wagons, to so I need to get back up on both of those.  There's really no excuse - I have just been taking the "easy" way out in between work, potty training relapses, and jury duty.
Yep - jury duty.  I have been called to sit, so I'll be doing that for a bit.  I won't be talking about the goings-on (since that's, you know, not allowed), but I will have the opportunity to try some downtown restaurants, so hopefully I can report back on some tasty local joints.
And speaking of tasty local joints, if you are in the East Valley, you may want to give Crackers and Co. a try.  We met some friends who are in town for the weekend there for breakfast this morning, and we were quite impressed.  HRH inhaled 4 rashers of bacon and nearly an entire bowl of fruit; Scott had a chorizo-carnitas skillet, which he said was very tasty, and I had the California eggs benedict.  It was nice to find a local place and spend some time with good friends.
Short post tonight - I'm beat from my busy day and busy week.  Hopefully I'll be much more interesting next post!

Olive You, Mom

"If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands?"
                 ~~Milton Berle

When I was about four years old or so, my dad convinced me that the thing my mom wanted most in this world was a pink plastic yard flamingo.  Imagine my excitement in having a dad who would help me obtain this unconventional holy grail of gifts and my near giddiness in being able to offer it to my mom to show my appreciation for everything she had done for me up that point in my short life.
Pinky I bit the dust several years ago, but I made sure my mom wasn't without her requisite dose of 1950's kitsch for long, and Pinky II now resides in her front yard.
Regardless of what else I do for my mom on Mothers' Day through the years (and I feel fortunate that I may still do so), that will always be, in my mind, the best gift I ever gave her.
I have yet to be blessed with a Pinky of my own, but I did receive from HRH some ASU PJ pants (someone with sharp teeth and no impulse control tore a hole in my other ones when she was a puppy) and an ASU running shirt, so I am calling this Mothers' Day a win.

Lunch Date

Due to fortunate circumstances, I was able to meet Scott for lunch today.  It was nice to get out for lunch, as I am usually scarfing it down over my desk around 2:00 when I realize I'm starving.
We met at Gilbert Pizza, which is located just across the street from the Gilbert Civic Center.  During lunch, the restaurant only offers walk-up service; you have to go for dinner if you want them to take your order at your table.  However, you get the best view of the pizzas they offer, including a baked ziti pizza (yes - pasta on pizza - it's like some sort of carb lover's holy grail) and a chicken marsala pizza, if you walk in and order a slice for lunch.
And all you need is one slice.  Uh, and some garlic knots.  They are also delicious, so don't overdo it on the pizza.
I had the spinach and ricotta slice.  There were mounds (literally mounds) of gooey ricotta covering large pieces of dark green spinach.  Yum - cheesy and spinach-y!  It didn't take me long to inhale my slice and the three knots that were my allotment.  The knots are garlicky and cheesy, too, so I was a happy carbaholic.

Do you see the ginormous globs of ricotta?  Beautiful.

Sushi in the Sky With Diamonds

We have a kind of unspoken agreement in our house that even if we are dirt poor, we will go out at least two times a year - for our birthdays - and it shall be grand (the whole decadent philistines thing, doncha know?).

What REAL sushi looks like!

All I wanted this year was sushi.  I mean real, honest to goodness sushi, with raw fish that melts in your mouth.  As I had made this mandate a good while ago, Scott had been on a search for such a place, and he found it in Shimogamo in Chandler.

My birthday being on a Wednesday, we didn't bother to make reservations, and we were able to walk right in and sit at the bar.

Our chef Al introduced himself and explained the four specials of the night.  He was great - it was clear that he loves what he does, and he had a great rapport with the group of three sitting a bit farther down the bar, clearly some of the many regulars who were there that evening.  He was willing to not just give us the rundown of what was in the various rolls but also to educate us about the different fish that they had, where the fish was from, and more.  It was a meal, a show, and a lesson all in one!

The Dark Side of Local

Yesterday, we went to the Phoenix Zoo, which was a good time and perfect for two little ones to burn some energy.  We didn't see everything, which is normal for parents who insist on bringing their kids.

After two hours in the sun, we were hungry, and we headed out to lunch.  While I wasn't able to think of a local place before we left, as we were driving (and detoured, thanks to an event at Tempe Town Lake that I had totally forgotten about), I saw one restaurant that we love - Chompie's.
I turned in, and we went inside to wait for a seat (it was PACKED).  And wait.  And wait.  HRH went "potty" twice.  The girls danced and jumped to the amusement of many.  And we continued to wait.  Finally, we inquired at the hostess desk as to the wait, and we were met with with a rather snotty reply.  Then we watched a party of a similar number, which came in after we did, get seated.  That was it.  We left.  As we did, I asked the same hostess to please take our name off the list.  Her response - "Yes, ma'am," but without any tinge of politeness that one might expect with such words.
Yes, I realize that the place was busy.  I mean hopping - all the tables were full.  But I was, quite honestly, mortified that the local choice I made (and had actually talked up the other day) was such a terrible example of hospitality.
We ended up at a national chain at Tempe Marketplace, where we were greeted with a smile by every staff with whom we came in contact.
While we didn't stick around long enough for me to take the issue up with the manager (after about 45 minutes, we needed to get something in the girls' tummies before a meltdown was imminent), I did send an email to Chompie's, and if I hear nothing by tomorrow, I will be making a call.
I do plan to continue buying local, but it is to be noted that the one good thing about national chain consistency standards is that the standards are generally high (not a hard and fast rule, but generally).  I do hope that Chompie's will make a note of this, as there were clearly other unhappy people in the waiting area, and make some changes.  Until they do, though, I will be avoiding it; there are, after all, several other great local places that will offer their clientele a pleasant experience.
Please note - my intent is not to speak poorly of Chompie's.  However, I think that it's vital for both those large, locally-based companies who urge Arizonans to support them over companies headquartered outside of the state as well as those smaller Arizona-only places such as this one who do the same to ensure that those people whom they court have as fantastic an experience as possible, in a similar manner to the experiences I have had at Run AZ and Wildflower Bread Company.  If my simple (and long-winded) plaint can help local companies, then perhaps I've made a positive out of a negative.

Heading South

After the Ryan House Run yesterday, Veronica and I headed to Tucson for a work event (we did get to go home and shower/relax before we had to leave).
Now, we left early for one reason: dinner.  We had talked about eating dinner beforehand for a while, and well, Man vs. Food, you are a quite the influence (after all, we DID run 6.2 miles that morning, so we were more than allowed to indulge).  The episode in Tucson helped us narrow down our selection to Lindy's on 4th or El Guero Canelo.  Now, while the menu at Lindy's looks uh-may-zeeng, we decided on El Guero Canelo because 1) it was closer to our destination and 2) two friends of ours told us to go there if we had to choose (although both said good things about Lindy's, too, so the decision was still a difficult one).
So we walk in and stared, dumbly, at the menu.
"What are you gonna get?"
"I don't know... what are you gonna get?"
"Not sure."
"The tortas look good."
"I'm definitely getting menudo.  Or maybe..."
After a good five minutes to such scintillating conversation, we both settled on the carne asada caramelo, as well as a side order of fresh flour tortillas and a Coke® (people in Arizona and other SW states will understand why we got a Mexican Coke®).
O.
M.
G.
Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo delicious!  The caramelo was awesome - it was cheesy and full of pinto beans and carne asada.
There was less small talk as we inhaled everything (as Sun Devils in a Wildcat city, we also were careful not to be snarky at the amount of red and blue).  So so so good.  Thank you, Adam Richman.
Then... well, we wanted ice cream.
Beep-bop-boop-bope-bop-bope-beep (that was me dialing our friend's number, in case you weren't sure)
So in luck - there was an ice cream shop not far from our location that she emphatically recommended - Santa Barbara Ice Creamery.
I had a double scoop because I couldn't choose between the chocolate peanut butter and the chocolate raspberry truffle.  In hindsight, I don't know that I ever could - they were both so very tasty.
I was super bummed that I had left the camera at home and couldn't take pictures of our Tucson eating extravaganza, but I'm sure I will head to Tucson again at some point, and I'll be sure to snap some shots of whatever I hork down then.
In the meantime, enjoy this clip from the MvF episode (despite the dude wearing Arizona stuff... he can't help it).  We didn't have the Sonoran dog, but we both considered it.

The only bad thing about going somewhere that was featured on MvF - I had a dream last night that I tried to complete a food challenge, which appeared to consist of eating a large bowl of nanner puddin' as well as a large burrito.  I'm almost thankful to the dog for waking up at 4:30 with a potty emergency!

Reason to Buy Local/Seasonal #2

This weekend has been great, and we're only halfway through!  Local businesses are to thank for my positive outlook.
Last night (Friday), we went and met some friends at a local sports bar/restaurant that they like.  It's just OK as far as food goes, IMHO, but it is right next door to Run AZ, where I have been hoping to go since London's Run for some new running shoes.
I was first turned on to Run AZ, which has two locations (one in Gilbert and the other in Ahwatukee), by a friend of mine when I was looking for new hiking shoes.  He suggested I go there, as they would find me shoes that worked with my feet and stride.  I know that some stores put people on a treadmill and all that business, but not at Run AZ.  When asked, the staff will tell you that the treadmill test only is helpful if you only run on a treadmill.  However, they can pretty much take a quick look at you in your stocking feet (I had to apologize for not shaving, as I had to roll up my pants past my calves) and then another of you walking, and they can find shoes that work for your arch, the amount you pronate, etc.
I tried on a pair of Saucony®, which is what I wore when I ran track in high school (so, so many years ago now), a pair of Asics®, and two pairs of Nike®.  While I liked the Saucony® shoes (the first pair I tried on), I loved one of the pairs of Nike®, which actually kind of surprised me.

Already put my Nike® iPod sensor thingy on it - ready to run!

I also picked up a new running shirt - blue, to help me "celebrate" Colon Cancer Awareness Month (March).
While I would have gone to Run AZ anyway, I was even more pleased to have a coupon that had come with my "bag o' shwag" from London's Run, so I managed to make the trip for under $100 - pretty exciting.
Zooey and I went for an inaugural run with them this morning, and it was great except for the fact that my iPod died three songs in, and since I can't stand running without music, I made it a 3.5 miler instead of a 5.5 miler.  I'll be charging the PowPod tonight so we can take our last long run before Run for Ryan House next Saturday.
Not that I was sad to cut the run short.  Earlier this week, Wildflower Bread Company held a Facebook/Twitter haiku contest.  The winner received free pancakes.  Well, being an English teacher/total nerd who used to hold poetry slams in class, I had to enter.  Guess what - I WON!!!!!!!!
Here was my winning entry:

Sweet, fluffy mouthful

burgeoning maple or fruit;

total satisfaction

They're soooooo fluffay!

So, after we picked up our veggies this morning, we headed over to the Chandler Mall so I could hork down some lemon ricotta goodness, served with some warm blueberry compote (delicious combo with the maple syrup and lemony pancake).  Scott tried their new brisket beef sandwich, and HRH took down some more bacon and fruit, washing it all down with milk.
Both Run AZ and Wildflower Bread Company clearly appreciate their customers and their community, whether that is shown by finding the right shoe for each customer or giving away free meals in a fun way.  Not that national chains aren't appreciative of their clientele, I'm sure, although the way McDonald's® has handled what I like to call its oatmeal kerfuffle doesn't really show that it has interest in being HONEST to its customers, something that I also find important.  But these two local businesses, as well as many others, can best interact with and respond to its clientele in a way that McDonald's® only can by supposing that Wisconsonites might enjoy the McBrat.

Reason to buy local/seasonal #2 - they clearly value and respect their customers!

Clase Para Hacer Tamales!!!!!!

I had been looking forward to this weekend for some time.  Early in December, our friend Cisco, who has been friends with Husband since they were 5 or 6, sent out an email that said (I'm paraphrasing, but it's pretty accurate), "Hey, my mom is coming to teach me how to make tamales - anyone else wanna join?"

Um, YES.  Yes, I do.

Like the penultimate student that I am, I showed up on time.  Early.  With a notepad to take copious notes.

I'm sorry - I can't share the recipe.  I was sworn to secrecy.

Actually, that's not true.  I'm just not sure that three pages of notes that is mostly no measuring and mentions of "to taste" will translate well.  The most important lesson I learned in the tamale-making process is that this, like many family recipes, is that it's all in the practicum, not the theory.  I can do my best, but really, if this is something that you are interested in adding to your repertoire, I recommend that you do what I did - get someone you know to tell and show you and make you get your hands messy.  And take notes; you will forget things, so take notes.

The tamales that we made are New Mexico style.  Of course, then, we started with the world-famous Hatch chiles.

When purchasing Hatch chiles, you can get mild, medium, or hot.  We used mild ; I think I'd like to try medium next time.  When broiled (and then boiled and then pureed), the chiles took on a sweet and fruity smell - delicious!

The hojas were already soaking when I got there; it's important, said Mama Connie, to buy the hojas that are in the plain plastic bags - no real label (of course, you will need to go to a Mexican market, but that's no problem, as El Rancho is just mere minutes away!

The hojas are soaked to get rid of any silk and dirt that may be left.

All right, here is where the tricky part came in - getting the right amount of masa and filling into the hojas.  We used a red pork butt for our filling (by "red," I mean the color of the chile - there is red chile, and there is green chile), but you can use darn near anything - chicken, beef, vegetables - there are even dessert tamales that are amazing.  The pork was so simple - it was thrown in the slow cooker overnight with just a touch of water (you could use broth, too, but this butt did NOT need it) and an onion that had been quartered.
Since the hojas can be various sizes, there isn't a "use a teaspoon of this or a tablespoon of that" here.  So, you have to get enough masa to coat the hoja, but not too much that you have barely any filling (no one eats the tamale for the masa), but also not too little so that the tamale doesn't "seal" when rolled.

Thanks to Vanna - I mean Dana, my hand model :)

Since we were all learners, we all did everything, from spooning the masa to rolling the tamale for steaming.  I think ideally it would be faster to have an assembly line approach - one person for the masa, one person for the filling (or one person per filling, if you have several), etc.  Several former students have told me that the assembly line process is the one that their moms, tias, and abuelitas follow, so I have to infer that it is tried and true.

We made about 7 dozen - not bad for 15 pounds of pork butt and 12 pounds of masa!  

Finally, it was time to steam.  We had a few pasta pots, but this can be done with just a few in a rice cooker, too.  It is this point at which a person can freeze the un-steamed tamales.  When it's time to cook them, they can be easily defrosted (in the fridge, people!) and then steamed.

OK, here is another difficult part for anyone who is theory-minded - there is no set time - you steam them until they are done.  You will KNOW that the tamale is done when the masa is firm - by firm I mean spongy, but it doesn't leave a dent when you press your finger into it (gently, of course - you are not searching for a pulse).  Mama Connie demonstrated how to test and showed us both done and un-done ones - you really can tell.

The tamales will steam for a while, and while we were forced to wait, we took some fresh tortillas and made burritos with the red pork that was left over.  That was pretty darn filling, but we managed to savor the fruits of our labors.

Steaming hot and muy delicioso!

Connie kept telling me to sprinkle a bit of cheese and a little more chile over it, but they were SO good "neat" that I didn't take the time.  My steps included only:

1. Unwrap.
2. Inhale.
3. Repeat.

The best part of this class was that this was a take-home project I got to put IN the fridge instead of ON it!

A few things to add here:

• There are three types of masa - we used the prepared, which made it ready to go one it was stirred.
• We added some of the chile to the masa as well.  For dessert tamales, you could add cinnamon sugar, and there are even stores (like El Rancho) that sell dessert masa; it will have pineapple or other fruit already mixed in.
• This is a messy process.  Cisco called me to tell me to bring an apron as well as the containers for leftovers.  If you like your kitchen pristine, don't make tamales.  But if you like tamales, suck it up, because it's worth it.
• I mentioned that these are New Mexico style tamales.  There are also Sonoran style, which includes jalapeño strips and/or olives.  They are not bad, but this is the tamale I know and love.

I am pleased to note that I also obtained several chiles with which I can make my own chile (sauce), thanks to Cisco.  I'm hoping to make it soon... I'm already upset about the thought of eating that last delicious tamale!
My most sincere thanks to Cisco and his entire family for a great day; I truly appreciate the opportunity to share the day with everyone and to be honored with this recipe.  I hope that I can do them all proud.
That night we had pulled pork - same cut of meat, but Scott broke in his new smoker, and we had Carolina barbecue.  By the end of Saturday, I was absolutely satiated with porky goodness.

Today, then, was NO PORK SUNDAY.  I had corned beef hash at Chompie's for breakfast instead.  It was amazing, just like everything is at Chompie's, and of course far too much, so I wasn't able to clean my plate.  I think, though, if I had, I would still be hating myself.  I didn't even need to eat lunch - that's how full I was.  I was sad, though, that because we were there for breakfast, we didn't get the plate of freshly made pickles.
Aside from being a pork-free zone day, it is also the day before my mother-in-law's birthday. This year, she requested that we make dinner, since we always make "fabulous" meals (only when she comes over - when no one is around, I'll eat a spoonful of peanut butter and chocolate syrup and call it dinner).
I was asked to serve shrimp or crab as well as asparagus, so of course, I looked for a shrimp and asparagus recipe.  I found this hot garlic shrimp and asparagus recipe from Cooking Light, but I made a few modifications (I know you are surprised):

• One reviewer said she used artichoke hearts instead of asparagus, so I decided to try that.  I would do this again, but next time use at least one jar of the marinated hearts and use the oil to cook everything in order to add a touch more depth.
• I didn't measure the garlic, but I'm pretty sure I used more than the allotted amount.  Same for the red pepper flakes.

The asparagus was actually a side - it was roasted with a little olive oil and S&P, and then I drizzled a pecan brown butter over it right before serving.
The recipe also calls for a baguette, so I used the rest of our mini baguettes, which were perfect for sopping up the liquid in the bowls of shrimp.  They were a little too crusty for anything else at this point, again making me determine that I need to cut the dough into 4 instead of 6.

For dessert, I didn't have time to make a cake.  I was learning how to make tamales, and since I brought a few for an extra "birthday present," I was given a pass.
Instead, we stopped by The Coffee Shop for a sampling of their cupcakes.  If this name sounds familiar to you, it's because these ladies won an episode of Food Network's Cupcake Wars.  Right next door to Joe's Farm Grill (featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives on the same channel), this place is generally hopping, and their cupcakes are incredibly popular.
I was sad that there were no red velvets left, but I picked up a good amount of the offerings:

• Chocolate with chocolate buttercream (vegan, according to the label)
• Lemon
• Cherry
• Cookie dough
• Bubble gum - I took the guy's advice on this one, and I thought HRH might like the bright color of it, so I got two so that she could have her own.

So, after dinner, we sliced them all up (except the bubble gum one that was given to HRH in its entirety) and had a little cupcake tasting.
Honestly, I wasn't super impressed.  With the exception of the chocolate, which tasted like chocolate, the overwhelming flavor of all of the cupcakes was almond - cherry and almond, lemon and almond, bubble gum and almond, etc.  I had noticed an almond flavor when I had a red velvet cupcake a few months ago, but I figured that was a one-time occasion.  However, I guess it wasn't - with all but one of five cupcakes having this almost overpowering - if not completely overpowering, in the case of the cookie dough -  the flavor for which the cupcake was named was more than disappointing.  Almond extract is quite strong, stronger than, say, vanilla extract, so it needs to be used with caution.  And, in my opinion, not everything should taste like almond.  I was really hoping for a good lemon cupcake, so the fact that the almond outshined the lemon in both the cake and the icing made me less likely to obtain a cupcake from The Coffee Shop again.
But they sure were pretty!

Before I sign off, I don't feel that I can properly post this entry without noting the utter sadness I felt nearly the moment I left the tamale class on Saturday; I headed to the store to pick up a few things for dinner, and I immediately heard on the radio of the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, federal judge John Roll, 9-year-old Christina Green, Dorthy Murray, Dorwin Stoddard, Phyllis Schneck, Gabe Zimmerman, and 12 others whose names have still been withheld.  I mourn with the families of Judge Roll and the others who lost their lives; violence is never the answer - while it may seem like a short-term solution, the consequences always - ALWAYS - outweigh any "benefit."  I pray for the recovery of Congresswoman Giffords and the others who remain in Tucson hospitals, and I am thankful for those two people - heroes - who tackled the alleged shooter before more could fall.  But we must remember to have compassion for everyone in this matter.  Everyone.  Now is not the time for judgement, and I am not in the place to judge.  My place is to have compassion for the victims AND for the alleged gunman.  Compassion will get us through this, and compassion will help prevent acts such as this in the future.