Banana French Toast
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

1 Cup half and half or milk
2 Eggs
2 TBSP maple syrup
1/8 tsp salt
8 Slices Texas Toast(or your favorite bread)
4 TBSP butter
4 Bananas, thinly sliced
GARNISH: Ground cinnamon and maple syrup

In a shallow bowl whisk together half and half, eggs, maple syrup and salt.

Dip bread in egg mixture. Let each side soak 30 seconds. Transfer bread to a baking sheet and let stand 1-2 minutes

Melt butter in large frypan over medium heat. Add bread slices and cook 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from frypan and keep warm. Repeat with remaining bread.

Garnish French toast with banana slices, cinnamon and maple syrup

Cucumber Dip
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Other Time: 1 hour

1 Large cucumber
1 8oz package of cream cheese(softened)
1/2 Cup mayo
2 TBSP finely chopped onion
1 TBSP lemon juice
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Peel cucumber if desired, then finely chop.

In a medium bowl combine cucumber, cream cheese, mayo, onion, lemon juice and garlic powder. Cover and chill minimum of 1 hour.

Serve with crackers, pita bread or cocktail bread, chips or an assortment of fresh vegetables.
Wine Pairing: Pinot Grigio, Reisling or Pinot Noir. Beer Pairing: Lager, Pilsner, Stout or Porter

Shrimp Fried Rice
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

1 1/2 Cups uncooked white rice(I use brown rice)
3 Cups water
4 TBSP olive oil(EVOO)
1 Cup fresh bean sprouts
1/2 Cup chopped onion
1 1/2 Cups cooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
without tail
1/4 Cup chopped green onion
2 Eggs beaten
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
4 TBSP soy sauce
1/4 tsp sesame oil
GARNISH: Green onion stems and sesame seeds.

In a saucepan bring water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Set aside and allow rice to cool. (you can substitute minute rice, or I like the Uncle Ben's brown rice in the pouch for a quicker way to go)

Heat a large skillet or wok for 2 minutes and when hot add EVOO, bean sprouts and onions. Cook for 3 minutes, mixing well.

Mix in cooled rice and shrimp and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Mix in green onions, eggs, salt, pepper, soy sauce and sesame oil. Cook another 4 minutes, stirring continuously until eggs are cooked and everything is blended evenly. Garnish with green onion stems and sesame seeds. Wine Pairing: Chenin Blanc, Gewurztraminer or Zinfandel. Beer Pairing: Amber Ale

Another Guest Recipe......

The stuffed mushroom recipe was submitted by Kristyn McDonald, and was actually another of the appetizers we had at the crawfish boil. I can tell you that she actually doubled the recipe and had enough mix for over 100 mushroom caps. I must also tell you that they were pretty amazing and I definitely ate my share of them and more.

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes

20 Each large white mushrooms(1-2 inches in diameter)
 3 TBSP chicken stock
6oz Crabmeat-DRAINED(reserve liquid)
1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 Cup Italian style breadcrumbs
1 Cup whipped cream cheese
1 Cup sour cream
2 tsp minced garlic

PREHEAT OVEN  TO 350 DEGREES

Clean mushrooms by wiping them with a damp cloth. Lightly coat a 13x9 baking dish with nonstick cooking  spray. Remove stems from mushrooms and finely chop half the stems(discard remaining stems) and set aside.

Place mushroom caps in a large pan over medium-high heat with enough water to cover them. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain off water.

In a large bowl combine crabmeat, mushroom stems, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, breadcrumbs, cream cheese, sour cream and garlic. Add 3 TBSP of the reserved crab liquid and mix well.

Shape into 20 1 1/2 inch balls. Place one crab ball into each mushroom and place in baking dish fill side up. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese. Bake 20 minutes or until cheese melts and mushrooms are heated through. Wine Pairing: Pinot Grigio, Shriraz/Syrah or Pinot Noir. Beer Pairing: Amber Ale or Porter.


Recipe contributed by: Kristyn McDonald

Arizona Renaissance Festival

Almost missed this one......this is the last weekend of the Renaissance Festival for the year. Go on out and enjoy a day in the sun with lots of free entertainment and shows. It's a great way to spend a day with the family. If you go look me up I will probably be there.

Arizona Renaissance Festival
12601 East U.S. 60 Highway
Apache Junction, AZ. 85218

Ticket prices: Adults $22, Kids $12, 5-12(under 5 are free) Seniors $19(60 and over). Make sure to checkout Fry's Food Stores for discount coupons. Parking Is Free. Some of the shows are not suitable for the children.
Open 10am-6pm on Sat & Sun, rain or shine.

Family favorite.......

The enchilada recipe listed below is a family favorite of mine and the rest of my family. It seems every time family is in town this is the one dish they all want to have. It's a very simple dish to make and most of us usually have about 90% of the ingredients on hand to begin with so we only need to pick up a couple items from the store to finish it with. Enjoy!!!

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20-25 minutes                                                        

2 QT saucepan of water
1 LB boneless chicken(breast or tenders)
1/4 diced white onion
1 TBSP chopped garlic
1 tsp sea salt or kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 10 3/4oz can cream of chicken soup
1 7oz can diced green chili's
1 Jar green chili sauce( I prefer 505 sauce, 32oz size)
6-8 Flour tortillas(burrito size)
2 Cups grated cheddar cheese
Garnish: Sour cream, Salsa, Grated cheddar cheese


PREHEAT OVEN TO 400 DEGREES


Combine first 5 ingredients and simmer over medium heat in saucepan until chicken is no longer pink. About 15-20 minutes. Drain into colander and pour ingredients into mixing bowl.

 Use hands or two forks to shred chicken while still warm. After chicken is shredded combine with cream of chicken soup and green chili's and mix thoroughly.

 Lightly oil a 13x9 baking dish and coat with 2 TBSP of green chili sauce. Spoon mixture into tortillas and roll, then place into baking dish seam side down. Depending how full you stuff them you should get 6-8 enchiladas out of this recipe. Pour remaining green chili sauce over the top and cover evenly, add any remaining chicken mixture to the top at this time. Cover with 1 1/4 cups of the grated cheese.

 Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and enchiladas are heated through. Garnish with sour cream, salsa and grated cheese. Makes 3-4 servings of two enchiladas each. Wine Pairing: Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Shiraz or Pinot Noir. Beer Pairing: Any of your favorite Mexican beers will work but if you want to turn up the heat try it with a good India Pale Ale(IPA)

Surprise.......

 I must say the recipe listed below was quite a surprise to me. A true pesto is made with pine nuts, but lets face it not many of us have pine nuts just laying around the house waiting to make a pesto sauce, so I used whatever I had available at the time. I have also made a pesto using cashews which was quite good. The surprise "potatoes" were just that...a wonderful surprise. I am not a fan of cauliflower at all so I was quite skeptical of this recipe from the beginning, but I am definitely a believer now and will probably use this healthier version quite a bit from now on. Believe me if you don't tell anyone you did it they will be hard pressed to guess. You could also bake the chicken instead of pan fry it, but then you would miss out on the crust created by coating the chicken in Parmesan cheese. As always I will be looking forward to your comments and feedback when you make these dishes.

Stuffed Chicken Breast w/ Artichoke Pesto and Surprise "mashed potatoes"
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 8-12 minutes

1/2 Cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 Cup jarred marinated artichoke hearts packed in oil(reserve 1 1/2 tsp oil)
1 tsp chopped garlic
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp fresh lemon peel(1/4 tsp dried lemon peel)
2 TBSP chopped walnuts(or any available nuts)
3/8 tsp ground black pepper
4 Each 5oz boneless chicken breast(1/2 inch thick)
1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
2 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese

Combine the basil, artichokes w/oil, garlic and lemon juice in a blender or food processor for 10 seconds, making sure to scrape the sides of the cup while blending. Add lemon peel, walnuts and 1/8 tsp of ground black pepper and blend 10 more seconds, scraping sides to ensure everything is well blended.

Place chicken breast on cutting board w/tip toward you and thickest side toward your cutting hand. Place other hand on top of chicken breast, while slicing the chicken breast down the middle but NOT all the way through. Spread the top half of the chicken breast open and if needed cover with plastic wrap and using a meat mallet flatten chicken breast so it is even all the way around, to ensure even cooking.

Place 2 TBSP of artichoke pesto in the center of the bottom half of chicken, but leave about a 1/4 inch border around the edges, fold the top half of the chicken back over to cover the pesto. Heat EVOO in a non stick fry pan over medium heat.

Combine Parmesan cheese and remaining ground pepper together in a small bowl and rub on both sides of the stuffed chicken to coat. Cook chicken breast 4 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Serves 4.
Wine Pairing: Chardonnay, Reisling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, or Merlot

Surprise "Mashed Potatoes"
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

4 Cups cauliflower florets(about 1 large head, cut down and all stems removed)
1 1/2 Ounces butter
1 1/2 Ounces half & half
Pinch of salt
Pinch of ground black pepper
1 TBSP minced garlic(optional)

Steam or microwave the cauliflower until soft. Puree in a blender or food processor, adding the butter and half & half to taste. Season with salt and pepper. I added the minced garlic to give the "potatoes" a little more zip.

To make the dish a little healthier you can substitute I Can't Believe it's Not Butter and Fat Free Half & Half for the regular items listed above.

The first Guest recipe

The recipe listed below was actually submitted by Cara Goodwin. She is a culinary student at Estrella Community College and a great pastry chef in the making. She was also my partner in crime this year for the Crawfish boil and did most of the prep work. Cara also contributed some other fine dishes to the party as well as the chocolate tarts.

Petite Chocolate Fruit Tarts
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Other Time: 1 1/2 hours to complete

1 1/2 15oz packages refrigerated piecrust
2 Each 4oz semi-sweet chocolate baking bars, chopped
1 Cup whipping cream
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Sweetened whipped cream
Ungreased muffin pans

PREHEAT OVEN TO 425 DEGREES

Unroll piecrusts, and stack on top of one another. Cut piecrust stack 3 times using a 3-inch round cutter, making 30 rounds. Press rounds into bottoms of ungreased muffin cups. Dough should come halfway up the sides, forming a cup. Flute edges with a fork if desired. Bake rounds at 425 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until golden in color. Let cool on wire rack in pans for about 10 minutes, then remove from pans and place cups on wire rack to cool completely, about 20 minutes more.

While cups are cooling combine baking chocolate and whipping cream in a heavy saucepan over low heat, and cook stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and salt. Set aside to cool for 30 minutes.

Add approximately 1 Tbsp chocolate filling to each of the 30 cups, cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1 to 24 hours. Before serving you can garnish with fresh fruits (ie; sliced strawberries, bananas, kiwi, or your favorites berries) and a dollop of whipped cream or you could add whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Either way they will be a hit. Wine Pairing: Shiraz or Pinot Grigio


Recipe contributed by: Cara Goodwin 

Tribute to Top Chef season 8 finale

With the season finale of Top Chef airing next week I wanted to re-post the recipe that I submitted to Top Chef when I tried out for season 6 in Las Vegas. It was Elk and Chorizo meatloaf with Green Chili mashed potatoes and sauteed asparagus. All the recipes for this dish follow below and can be found under the recipe label to the right of this post. I wish Mike and Richard the best, even though I am pushing for Mike(I am really tired of Richards whining) and I just think he was the better chef all around this season. So if you watch the show it should be a great finish either way. I hope you enjoy the recipe I've included and if you happen to try any or all of it please send me a comment and let me know what you think. ENJOY!!

P.S. You don't have to use Elk if it is not available, you can use whatever types of meats you have on hand.

Elk and Chorizo Meatloaf
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 1/4 hours(plus 5 minutes rest time)

3 Cups soft bread cubes(about 4 slices cut in 1/2inch cubes)
3/4 Cup of milk
2 eggs beaten
1/4 Cup finely chopped onion
1/4 Cup finely chopped celery
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1 LB ground elk
1/2 LB ground pork
1/2 LB chorizo

Glaze: 1/4 Cup ketchup and 1 TBSP corn syrup. Mix together and set aside.

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES

Soak bread cubes in milk. Add beaten eggs and combine. Add onion, celery, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and mix throughly. Add meats making sure to mix everything together well so all flavors will be even throughout the meatloaf. Place into a standard size lightly oiled loaf pan. Bake uncovered for 1 hour. Remove from oven and cover top with glaze mixture. Return to oven for 15 minutes more. Let rest for 5 minutes before cutting and serving. Makes 6-8 servings.
Wine Pairing: Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Merlot, or Pinot Noir

Green Chile Mashed Potatoes
Prep Time: 20-25 minutes
Other Time: 5 minutes

4 each medium potatoes
4 each red potatoes
2/3 cup of milk
4 TBSP butter
1 7oz can of diced green chile's

Peel all potatoes and cut into quarters. Cooked covered in a pot of boiling salted water, about 20-25 minutes.
In a separate pan combine butter, green chile's and milk and simmer until butter is completely melted. Puree mixture in blender When potatoes are done cooking, drain at once, removing as much water as possible. The dryer the potatoes the fluffier they will be. Place in mixing bowl and using hand mixer on slow speed gradually add puree mixture until potatoes achieve a smooth, light and creamy texture. Serve hot.

Chipotle Brown Gravy
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25-30 minutes

1/2 Cup butter
1/2 Cup flour
1/4 Cup ketchup
2 Cups cold beef broth
1 clove minced garlic
1-2 tsp of adobo sauce(sauce out of the canned chipotle peppers)
A little of this sauce goes a long way, start small and add more if you desire.
Salt and Pepper to taste

In medium size pan melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and stir for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Whisk in 1 cup of cold broth until thoroughly combined, then add in all the rest of the ingredients including rest of the broth. Bring to a simmer whisking continuously. Reduce heat to low, simmer 20 more minutes stirring occasionally.

Sauteed Asparagus w/garlic
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10-20 minutes

1 TBSP Olive Oil
1 Bunch fresh Asparagus(bunch=1pound)
3 Cloves mince garlic

Snap ends off asparagus where they want to break naturally. Heat oil in fry pan over medium heat until hot. Add the garlic and asparagus cover and cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally, or until asparagus is tender. If you like your asparagus well done leave in pan another 10 minutes.

Crab and Shrimp Quiche
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40-45 minutes(plus 10 minutes rest time)

1/2 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 TBSP sliced green onion(green part only)
2 TBSP diced red pepper
1 TBSP flour
1 6oz can crab meat-DRAINED
1 4 1/4oz can shrimp-DRAINED
1 1/2 Cups half and half
3 eggs beaten
1 9inch pie shell-UNBAKED

PREHEAT OVEN TO 425 DEGREES(place rack in lowest position)

In large mixing bowl combine shredded cheddar, green onion, and red pepper with flour. Add crab and shrimp, half and half and eggs. Mix until well blended and pour into pie crust. Bake 20 minutes. Reduce oven to 325 degrees and bake another 20 minutes longer or until firm in the center. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting and serving. Garnish as desired.

Wine Pairing: Gerwurztraminer, Chardonnay, or Pinot Grigio

3rd Annual Crawfish Party Pics

Look at that steam

The family 

Look close and you can see the claw marks on the side of the cooler

Time for their bath

This is what the night was all about

Caught one trying to escape

Me and the folks having a great time

As promised here are some pics from the recent crawfish party......a great time was had by all except for the guest of honor I suppose(crawfish). There was plenty of food and spirits to go around

My first official restaurant review

With the Glendale Jazz and Blues fest soon upon us, I have decided that it is only fitting I start my restaurant reviews in the downtown Glendale area. So over the next couple of weeks I hope to post several reviews from my visits and give you the chance to decide for yourself. I hope my comments, advice, or concerns will help you make some more informed choices. That being said please click on my restaurant reviews page and read all about my experience at Zing.

Please take a moment to check out the upcoming events page for things happening around town. Feel free to email me suggestions on possible topics, recipes, events, or any other things you may be interested in that pertain to this site. I look forward to your input and suggestions.

Coming Soon.......

Hello my friends and welcome to my new page. In the days, weeks and months to come while learning the ropes of the whole bloggers world I will be posting what I know best......food. It will feature restaurants, both local and places I visit while traveling as well as some of my favorite recipes created and tried by myself as well as friends and other chefs in the business. I hope you will enjoy this site as much as I will creating it. I look forward to your comments and feedback. Stay tuned