Calabacitas!

SORRY!  I totally forgot to put my Calabacitas recipe in the last blog post - Here ya go!  


P.S. This is GREAT by itself as a side, in corn or flour tortillas, with eggs, accompanying some grilled chicken, vegetarian pizza topper, etc., etc., etc,!! It really is super versatile and incredibly delicious.

Calabacitas


3-4 yellow squash
3-4 zucchini
3 ears of corn (roasted or grilled w/ corn cut off)
5-6 roma tomatoes
1 large onion
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
Olive oil & butter
Salt & Pepper to taste


Saute together garlic and onion slightly before adding remaining ingredients.  Mostly this is cooked until the squash and zucchini have broken down, and almost formed a chunky sauce of sorts. Sometimes I like to leave a little bite to my veggies, depending on what I am pairing it with.  To add a little more flavor or variation, sprinkle in fresh herbs such as sage and basil for an Italian twist.  Top with fresh cilantro for a fresh Mexican bite and flare.  Add chopped jalapenos for a spicy variation or poblanos for a little less heat.  


Enjoy!

All Rolled Into One...

Since I am a little short on time lately, I am going to have to share a few of my latest restaurant experiences all at once.  I honestly can't even remember all the places I've eaten at since my last entry, unfortunately, but there are definitely a few that stick out.

1899 Bar & Grill

This place IS going to get their own blog entry eventually...but first, I have to try out the rest of the menu, since literally everything sounded delicious.  First off, we ordered the bruschetta, which was covered in a gooey balsamic reduction - to DIE for!  The only thing is, we probably wouldn't have ordered an appetizer had we known what we were going to get with our meal.....Homemade focaccia paired with not only olive oil & balsamic vinegar (my fav.), but prickly pear butter, pesto butter, and regular for you purists.  HOLY MOLY!  Okay, I still haven't gotten a good enough camera to take with me to restaurants yet, so I can't show you the picture of the beautiful presentation that this bread and butter came in.  It was impressive, to say the least. 

For dinner, I wound up ordering the salmon, which was covered in a delicious sweet chile and coconut milk sauce and served with wild rice and broccolini.  Ty ordered the Achiote Chicken, which was smothered with a vibrant red rub and topped with some sort of creamy jalapeno amazing-ness.  Not only that, but the mashed potatoes were ever so carefully posted up in a fried potato cylinder.  This was not only crucial to the presentation of the dish, but also the flavor and texture of the normally boring mashed-potato side.

We finished with the beignets served next to chocolate gelato.  Sure, beignet is just a fancy word for fried yeast dough, but these were spectacular, and the gelato acted like a yummy chocolate sauce.  It is easy to say that this student and teacher-run establishment has already made its mark with exquisite presentation and dishes that are far from ordinary.

Cafe Ole

This locally owned and eclectic "Cafe" is also far from ordinary.  When you walk in the restaurant, you are greeted by an ambiance that is hard to describe.  It feels homey, comforting, and smells incredible.  You can buy T-shirts, homemade aprons, and prickly pear syrup by the front entrance.  Once past this first area, you are taken through what feels like an elaborately decorated family room of sorts.  The first thing that ran through my head was "Wow, I want my house to look and feel like this when I'm a grown-up."  

Even though it was a windy day, we decided to sit outside in the sunshine of their lovely outdoor patio area.  I remember their special of the day being something like a chicken enchilada with creamy mushroom sauce, which I tasted, since Ty ordered it, but MY dish was taking up ALL my attention.  I ordered the Calabacitas Enchiladas...First of all, they have an entire Calabacitas area on the menu!  For those of you who don't know what calabacitas is, there will be a fabulous recipe for my version at the bottom of this blog entry.  Theirs was exceptionally delicious, and so was their Blackberry Iced Green Tea.  Oh, and the tea is huge and comes with free refills...if I hadn't drank 3 glasses I might not have had any leftover food for lunch the next day. 

I have yet to go back and buy some prickly pear syrup, but it is in my thoughts almost daily for some reason, so once I get it, I will share some sort of awesome recipe with you!   

These two restaurants are very different...Cafe Ole is comforting and welcoming, homey, and down right delish Mexican, not to mention a long time local favorite.  1899 Bar & Grill is new and fresh, has modern and sophisticated decor and a menu full of Southwestern inspired choices and delectable eats.

I HIGHLY recommend both!  In fact, I am going to have a hard time deciding between the two places for dinner tonight...any voters?!

And the Winner is....

Kelsey Nichols!!  

You are the winner of a $25 gift card to any local restaurant of your choice!  You will receive an email shortly letting you know how to go about getting your awesome prize.


The more people that "follow" me on Blogspot, the more SWEET contests I can have, and the cooler they will be!  


Thanks for supporting me, I hope you continue to do so in the future.  And hey, tell all your friends!  :)

...Keen-What??

Quinoa (keen-wah) is my new favorite grain.  I know, there are LOTS of types of grains, like delectable couscous, arborio rice (used to make risotto and risotto = heaven), homemade PASTA for cryin' out loud?!  

Let's start with the first question.  What is quinoa?  It is actually a seed that comes from a type of goosefoot related plant. It is a strange looking grain, but don't let that put you off, because it is super healthy!  Quinoa is a complete protein, contains essential amino acids, dietary fiber, phosphorus, and is high in magnesium and iron.  Not only that, but it is 100% gluten free.  Talk about super foods.

Here is a recipe for a delicious cold quinoa salad with citrus-garlic vinaigrette that happens to be gluten free, dairy free, incredibly good for you, and super tasty to boot...

Quinoa Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

You can make this recipe at any yield you like, just change quantities as needed.  This is to serve 20+ people, so you might want to cut back a little bit!  Or not...leftovers of this are awesome as well!

To Begin:

Make 1 box (2 C. uncooked) quinoa in salted water as the box directs. Cool.

Boil 1 cup frozen edamame for 3 minutes. Cool. 

Add to quinoa and edamame

:

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 orange bell pepper, chopped

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1 C. grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 English cucumber, chopped

Citrus Vinaigrette

Whisk together: 

2 cloves garlic, (depending on size and preference) smashed with kosher salt until it forms a paste

1 T. fresh oregano, chopped

1 T. basil, chiffonade 

1 orange, zest & juice

2 lemons, zest of 1 & juice of both

Extra virgin olive oil to bind & flavor - approx 1/3 C.

Salt & pepper to taste

Toss with quinoa, edamame, chopped veggies, (feta cheese, optional, not dairy-free) chill, and enjoy!

My Heart Belongs to Texas...

Okay, okay...So I've never been to Texas.  Hell, I'm not even sure if I've ever thought of visiting the Lone Star State (until recently).  I couldn't even tell you very much about the place except that they like their BBQ with dry rubs, and no sauce!  Which, I am dying to try...Okay fine, I guess that counts as a visitation notion.  Oh, and I know a few cities because they have sports teams. At some tom-boyish phase of my life I was obsessed with basketball and memorized every city and their team.  

 ...My apologies...I have been sick for over a week now, and this daytime cold medicine makes me want to ramble on about useless and totally irrelevant, yet semi-interesting topics like my childhood obsessions (POGS).

Back on track - I have few things that I am actually willing to deem one of my favorite foods.  The reason being, I love SO many things!  Artichokes with melted butter and lemon juice is WAY up there, but two things that almost never fail in helping me drown my sorrows are ice cream and chocolate. 

I know exactly what you're thinking, "What the heck does Texas have to do with ice cream and chocolate?!"  

Just hold on to your undies, folks, I'm getting there!

Living in a small(ish) mountain town, there are hardly any ice cream shops to choose from and certainly none of them would ever have something as smooth and creamy-delicious as gelato.  One day, however, while browsing the frozen dessert section in my local grocery store, I stumbled upon a row of small clear containers that I had never seen before.  These little clear containers with dark brown lids contained some of the most beautiful looking deliciousness in plastic that I had ever laid eyes on.

I didn't even notice the price, because right there on that little plastic container was a label that read "Talenti Gelato e Sorbetto".  Back up....Gelato?!  Okay, no one I know has ever tried to package this, and I haven't even seen it in real life for over 7 years (yes, I'm quite deprived, I know..).  Chocolate ice cream is my weakness, so just glancing at their Belgian Milk Chocolate made my knees quiver.  I bought it without hesitation, even though a pint cost almost as much as my second favorite ice cream brands' half gallon tub.  

THANK THE STARS I did, because I have an addiction that I am proud to be a dedicated junkie to.  This is seriously the most delicious sweet thing I have ever put in my mouth, and that is saying A LOT.  Creamy, rich, delectable, full of intense flavor...This isn't just convenience...it is the best gelato I have ever tasted.  I am never at a loss of words...and Talenti, you have shut me up.  I can't even believe that something from a grocer's freezer isle has excited me so much, so I did something I rarely do...I looked at the nutrition facts.  Much to my amazement, I can count all the ingredients on one hand, and not only that, I can pronounce them all and find them in my own kitchen on a regular basis.  Not only THAT, but they are using dairy products that are rBGH and rBST (hormone) free! ALSO,. if you're lactose-intolerant, their sorbettos are absolutely sublime - you are definitely not being shorted flavor here!

This company is dedicated to making delicious, traditional gelato and sorbetto (sorbet) and they have knocked it out of the park!  I know this isn't a local restaurant, or something I've made on my own, but I HAD to share my gelato glory with you all!  

Here is a link so you can figure out how to get your hands on some of this amazing stuff...

http://talentigelato.com/StoreFinder.aspx 

In closing, Talenti rocks my world....And the next time I write a blog I'll try not to be on cold medicine, it obviously makes me ramble.

Rules Shmules....No really, here are the rules:

SO...I think there might be some confusion on just what "following" means...

You can see my "Followers" to the right of this blog, and in order to appear on that list, and be entered into the first of hopefully many drawings) you must click either the "Follow" button, right above the "Followers" list, or for some, on the top left-hand side of the blog's screen.

If you haven't heard, you will be entered into a drawing to win a $25 gift card to the restaurant of your choice, and like I said, I hope this is just the first of many drawings or contests to win cool stuff. 
The more people I have on my Followers list, the more awesome the prizes will be, so help me by following and sharing!

Don't worry, I don't send out spammer emails or anything like that. I just post blogs that contain reviews on restaurants, good and bad.  Oh, I also LOVE to cook, so there will be more delicious recipes to come!

I also love a good critique, so if you ever try out one of my recipes, please let me know how it turned out!

 

CONTEST!!

HELLO to all you LOVELY ladies 'n gents!  

If you FOLLOW my blog between now and May 15th, you will be entered to win a $25 gift card to any local restaurant of your choice!

Not only that, but if you mention @MyMouthToYours on Twitter, or post a link to http://www.frommymouthtoyours.blogspot.com on Twitter OR Facebook, and you will receive FIVE extra entries into the drawing!

Okay, now if there is anything cooler than a (basically effortless) gift from a total stranger....please post it in the comment box so we can all benefit. :)

Triple D...

BRANDY'S RESTAURANT - Flagstaff, AZ

I must admit, I have been a lover of Food Network since it was added to the basic cable channel lineup. One show in particular always has the ability to make my mouth water,
and that show is Diners Drive-ins and Dives, hosted by Guy Fieri.
His over-the-top personality is great entertainment, but I really only watch it for the food.

He has visited Flagstaff twice now, but the episode that stuck in my head was for Brandy's Restaurant. Now, I grew up in Flagstaff and Brandy's had always been known as a great place for pastries, a cappuccino, and maybe a turkey sandwich on your lunch break. I had no idea they were even open for dinner,
my favorite meal. Since then, every time we pass it I think about how we need to eat there for dinner, and I tell myself to remember the next time we are in a conundrum...
Whenever that same ol' question comes up, "Where do you want to eat?" my boyfriend and I always say the same thing, "I don't care." You know that we both care, we are just too lazy or indecisive to come to a decision, which is usually why we wind up ordering chinese take-out...(not that there is anything wrong with that, just don't ask 50% of Americans' digestive tracts...)

LUCKILY...
I just downloaded the Urbanspoon app to my smart-phone!
This thing is awesome. Even though we "shook" it at least 30 times, which was very satisfying, it reminded me somewhere in there about this amazing restaurant I have forgotten about over and over again.
Tyler was skeptical at first, and we actually decided last minute on sushi, but I missed a turn (this happens often..) and he suggested we just go to Brandy's,
and I very happily accepted.

When we got in there, there were only two other tables seated, but it smelled incredible, and we were both starving. Their dinner menu was a lot larger than I expected it to be, since they open so early, and apparently have separate menus for each meal. I had a very hard time deciding, because everything I read sounded delicious. I finally decided on their version of "Beef Stew"
and Ty ordered one of the pasta dishes they had on special for the night.

I'm not sure if I was just incredibly hungry, or whether it was out of sheer excitement, but when the food came out of the kitchen I found myself saying "Oh my GOSH!" and literally giggling and giddy. My crap-tastic cell phone camera gives this dish NO justice! It was the most beautiful red-orange color, brimming with fresh spinach, freshly sauteed vegg, and melt-in-your-mouth beef tenderloin. Not to mention, this was all piled on top of a mound of tasty mashed potatoes, which the menu referred to as a potato cake. It was amazingly delicious, and the poblano peppers that are mixed in with the veggies create a
lovely southwestern flare, which is actually a theme of the dinner menu.

I'm not really sure what else I can say about this but GO TRY IT!
Oh, and it was only $15.99...
I had absolutely NO problem forking out less than $20 for a dish made with beef tenderloin,
because that is normally the minimum you would pay for something like this.

Ty's pasta was only $11.99 and was piled high with artichoke hearts, veggies, grilled chicken, and a delicious cream sauce. I can't go into much detail because after I took a bite of his,
I couldn't leave mine alone anymore!
He loved it though, and actually looked forward to eating the leftovers.
Tyler doesn't usually even take his leftovers home, if that says anything for ya!

Somehow, we had room for a (perfectly made) latte and desert, which was...get ready for this...Chocolate Bread Pudding Fruitcake with Banana Cream and fresh fruit compote.
I thought this was 3 different deserts until it came and was one fabulous little concoction.
 The "cake" was moist and had the feel of a dense bread pudding, the banana (whipped) cream was fabulous
and had JUST the right amount of flavor, and the compote was the perfect balance.

The desert didn't last long enough to snap a picture...That says a lot!

I have a feeling that Brandy's Bakery & Restaurant
will become a dinnertime staple....
I want to go back for the 10 other things on the menu that made my mouth water!

Gold Dust Woman

Phoenix, Arizona

First of all...Stevie Nicks is one of my all time favorite female vocalists. She was flawless at her show on Friday night with Rod Stewart. Rod...Well...All I can say about him is that he sure can dance for being 70!
Of course we had to travel to Phoenix to see a show of such caliber,
so I get to enjoy (or not..) some grub along the way!

For lunch, we walked down the street to a lovely place that I, of course, had never heard of:
Duck & Decanter. I couldn't decide for the longest time what I wanted to order, but eventually settled on The Genoa, which consisted of genoa salami, italian herb cream cheese, roasted tomatoes, and fresh spinach. It was delicious! The only complaint I had was that the bread was so crusty, all the sammie innards were slipping out of the other side with each bite. Whatever, not everything can be perfect, and the bread was great. I also ordered the 5-Mushroom Soup, not only because I love soup (yes, even in the 85 degree Phoenix weather...) but I also love love love anything with mushrooms in it. It was oddly familiar tasting, resembling (to a T) the lovely mushroom soup at a local eatery here in Flagstaff, Mountain Oasis. This leaves me wondering...is there some sort of gourmet soup supplier that they buy these soups from, or do you just happen to have incredibly similar mushroom soups?
I think this will remain a mystery...
I do have to say, they had some pretty awesome and random kitchen items including
the most beautiful ($160) french press I've ever seen!

NEXT ON THE LIST.....Dinner @ BRICK

I was incredibly excited when we walked into this place. The decor was modern, yet still inviting, and the smell coming out of the front door was mouth-watering. They had lost our reservation, but were more than apologetic and sat us right away. On the way to the table, however, there was a young lady that seemed to be in a rush and when we were led in front of her, she seemed to get frustrated, so I apologized. She said "Its OK," very quickly and scooted around us. When I was sitting at the table, I noticed that she was actually a waitress! None of us had any idea, because the waiters and waitresses were all in free dress. You couldn't tell any of them apart from a normal, daily restaurant-goer.
Why have such a classy atmosphere if you can't even tell who works there because they're wearing casual dress that doesn't match whatsoever.
Anyway, their cocktail menu was rather impressive, and I fell in LOVE with my drink,
the 44th & Huck. It was made with huckleberry vodka, peaches, and the last ingredient slipped my mind after my entree was presented to me. It was fresh, delicious, and had just the right amount of sweet and tart. Would absolutely recommend!
I went ahead and ordered their Lemon Parpadelle pasta, and almost sh*t my pants when I saw that it cost an extra $6.00 to add chicken. Really? $6.00? I better be getting a whole damn roasted chicken! Of course I didn't add the Royal Chicken to my pasta, and was very sadly disappointed when it arrived and literally....just had pasta. There was my tiny little $12.00 mound of parpadelle pasta with a sprinkling of parsley on top. I thought to myself...this better taste damn good. Well....it was rather bland. I could hardly taste the lemon, and the sauce itself was lacking flavor...salt, even. My mother let me finish off her INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS cobb salad, so I wasn't as upset as I originally was. That is another thing...their salad was amazing, and my Aunt's burger was HUGE (and apparently rather tasty). SO...My mistake for ordering the wrong thing, but it makes for an interesting review!
We had two Groupon coupons and they graciously let us use them both,
which is normally against their rules.
We were very thankful for that, and went along our happy little way.

Lesson learned...
If you want to order the $12 pasta, make sure there is more than noodles involved....
you'll be a lot happier.

In the end, we were incredibly stoked to see Stevie, she most definitely made my April...and Rod's band member inspired me to play mandolin and fiddle!
We'll see how that goes...

Leftovers.

.POSOLE.

Tyler, my boyfriend, rarely surprises me. One day, however, we were standing in his kitchen and he was proudly showing me everything he got at the grocery store. We came upon the freezer, which is normally packed to the brim with four twenty-somethings' Red Baron Pizzas and Michelina's Mac & Cheese Wheels, and he pulls out roasted green chiles and a bag titled "posole". I admit, I was surprised. Ty has always loved Mexican food, but I never expected him to buy the ingredients to make some from scratch!

A few days later, we bought some more ingredients...Chicken, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, bacon (for the pork flavor) and various spices including cumin, chile powder, thyme, mexican oregano, etc. Oh, not to mention our secret ingredient, Chiu Chow Chili Oil. I know, I know, not Mexican. Delicious nevertheless, and packed with dried chiles, fermented garlic, and YUMMINESS. Who can blame me? I will say, that huge heaping spoonful of the chili oil made it quite the sinus clearer! So, you might want to nix that and use it for extra heat with all the fresh toppings that go along with, and make, this comforting and simple dish.

We did our thang with that posole, let me tell you! It was uber-delicious. Topped it with thinly sliced radish, queso fresco, fresh squeezed lime juice, cilantro, and last but not least, homemade fried corn tortilla strips. That was about a month ago, and tonight we are taking the leftovers out of the freezer and recreating the gloriously spicy experience. Aren't you thankful for leftovers? We sure are, especially after a long day at work. Whats easier than throwing a frozen chunk of delicious into a pot and letting it heat up? Well I just can't think of anything.

I will upload a photo later, and you will be jealous.

Ok, ok...Don't be jealous, just make it!

Posole Verde con Pollo

1 pkg. frozen "posole" kernels *Do not get "hominy"*

1 lb. freshly roasted green chiles or 1 pkg. frozen diced green chiles

2 lbs. chicken, skin on bone-in

1/2 pkg. bacon, diced

1 lg. onion, chopped

2 carrots, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

4 cloves chopped garlic

Mexican oregano, thyme, salt, & pepper to taste

Toppings:

Thinly sliced radish

Queso Fresco (or another mild white cheese)

Freshly squeezed lime juice
Chopped fresh cilantro
Fried tortilla strips

Render bacon in large pot, set aside. Sear chicken on both sides until brown and the skin is crispy, set aside. Saute vegg and garlic together until onions are translucent. Shred chicken, toss it and the bacon (optional) back into pot. Add green chiles, posole, and enough chicken broth to cover all ingredients in pot. Bring to boil and simmer on medium low until posole* is tender. Serve with toppings and enjoy!

**"Posole" is the UNcooked version of "hominy" which is precooked. Try looking in your grocer's freezer section, as "hominy" is usually canned.**

NEXT TIME I will use my nice camera and make it look at good as it tastes, I PROMISE!