lemniscate

One of the Frugal Gourmet's old books had a casing-less kielbasa recipe. It called for cooking the sausage in boil-in-the-bag foodsaver bags. I guess kind of like sous-vide.

It's not a problem in Asia only. The Mexican shrimp farms have been a problem with diseases and pollution for well over a decade. Link goes to an article from 2002 Mexican Shrimp farms This is the price paid for lower cost, more accessible seafood. I discovered a shrimp farm here in Arizona that does farm sustainably and clean. But it costs more to buy their shrimp.

I was thinking about a reverse truffle. Like making peanut butter flavored marshmallows and when smoothing them into the pan, quickly shoving a dark chocolate kiss or chunk down in a grid pattern. Hopefully (!!?) when they are cut later there will be a marshmallow encased chocolate.

We are staying at the Legacy Golf Resort on S. 32nd St between E. Southern Ave and E. Baseline Rd; I think it's pretty close to the airport. How far is a drive into Scottsdale? There seems to be a lot of choices there. Binkley's menu looks good with great fish selection which I love. I have also looked at the pictures of all the meals you had at See Saw, molto e...I am drooling just thinking about them. Greasewood Flat looks interesting. The kids will love the open space and a different dining experience. Please keep the suggestions coming. I am complying a list to bring so we can go to a recommended place wherever we happen to be. Thanks again. ← You really aren't far from Los Dos Molinos if you like hot Mexican food. This place is quite renowned for the heat in its foods. Pretty popular and definitely local. It's located south of Baseline on Central near South Mountain Park. Drive up the mountain to the towers for a fantastic view of the Valley. There's lots of hiking and biking there too. For a more mellow but different Mexican style food, try La Parrilla Suiza in Mesa off Stapley and US60. Mexico-City style is what it serves which is grilled meats, chorizo, really good chicken soup and a tasty trio of table salsas. This is a casual kid friendly place and there are Mariachis on the weekends. They also have normal Sonoran style food on the menu too. Greasewood Flat is at Pinnacle Peak in Scottsdale, probably 30+ miles away from where you are staying. The 101 North (and South) to Scottsdale is murder at rushhour weekdays. I suggest leaving well before 4:30 to avoid the worst traffic that direction. Rawhide Wild West Town is now south of Phoenix on the I-10 at Wild Horse Pass. There's a cowboy steakhouse and and all that goes with a wild west town. And of course the Indian Casino for the adults. Kai at the Sheraton is highly rated dining, Native American inspired menu. I have not been but have read the reviews. Hope this helps.

Try to get out to Greasewood Flat if you can. It's approximately across from the Four Seasons, down a short hill, but a world away from the chi-chi Scottsdalia that surrounds it. It's an outdoor burger and brew place. The main bar building is an 1880's bunkhouse. It's not touristy, it's the real thing. There are barrels to start your own fire when the sun starts to set, a concrete "dance" floor and live music Thurs-Sun starting at 7pm. The kids love it there, great burgers and hot dogs and chili and lots of "junk" to look at. You can buy a bag ( or bring your own) bag of marshmallows to roast over the fire. I like Thursdays the best, not crowded, no parking problems, and music. Fri-Sun can be a zoo. "We're sorry, we're OPEN" is the first sign you see as you walk in. It's a great place.

I'm looking for a good version of the Shanghai Soup Dumpling in Phoenix. I've only had it in LA and the Bay Area and have no idea if there is a restaurant in Phx Metro that serves them. Seems PF Changs and Pei Wei have become the official "Chinese" cuisine here locally. A couple of good Chinese places near me have closed recently. Do any of the restaurants at the Chinese Cultural Center serve these dumplings? I haven't been back to that since shortly after it opened.

I got a brochure in the mail regarding this new smaller neighborhood grocery store. Apparently it's owned by Tesco, the UK grocer. Does anybody have any experience shopping at one of these? It sort of sounds like a more direct competition to Trader Joe's.

IKEA has been selling elderflower syrup. Do you think adding the syrup to drinks would make a passable substitute for St. Germain?

Castries sounds very good, unfortunately it looks like there's no distribution to the Western US yet. But I googled Peanut Punch and with a little white rum, it looks pretty easy to make at home. I was thinking it would go well in hot chocolate for a winter warming adult beverage. It would probably be a very rich drink though.

Does anyone know of a peanut liqueur available in the states? I'm not looking for a creme liqueur, I'd like a clear one. I see references to "peanut liqueur" but no brand names. I'm game to try to infuse something at home. Do you think just tossing crushed peanuts in clear alcohol would give any drinkable mixable results?

Yeah, I really prefer Stanley's. Schriener's has been "the" Brat in Phx for decades and they are good. I even tried the Pork Shop's brats and I like Stanley's better. But I just realized I've never tried the Brat at Ted's. I will rectify that situation post haste. Stanley's also makes me happy because they carry "cottage hams" which were the bastion of the Polish easter breakfast in Hamtramck.

The White Hot with a Loganberry drink makes me a very happy girl. I haven't found another dog outside Ted's in the Phx area, aside from the Costco Polish, that I like. I tried a Chicago style dog place in Mesa, but is was "meh". The hotdogs from Stanley's Sausage on McDowell are soooo good, but I bought a bunch for home cooking. I think they serve them hot as part of their sandwich menu. Maybe that's a contender for a shot at the title. Their brats are the best I've ever had also. (edited to answer my own speculation) Yep, they do have it on the sandwich menu. #13 Double Natural Skin Hot Dogs Mustard, tomato and onions. HEATED $ 3.10

In the refrigerated section: The herb-marinated in olive oil fresh mozzarella. The carnitas and barbacoa. Carnegie Deli pickle spears. The uncooked tortillas. The grape tomatoes. The romaine lettuce. The cheese selection (especially now as the Holidays are approaching, they seem to load up on some great stuff. The last couple years they had the Guinness infused cheese for Ireland! yum!). sliced Salami and sopressata and roast beef. Organic milk. Eggs. Frozen section: Tilapia loins. Grocery section: Columbian Supremo coffee beans. Chicken Broth. Long grain rice. Kirkland Olive oil Kirkland Balsamic vinegar. Dried fruits: apple, pear, blueberry, mango. Bacon Bits Adult Beverages: Kirkland triple distilled French Vodka. ****Rotisserie Chicken of course***** We have a Costco Business store here in Phoenix also. It caters to all kinds of businesses, but restaurants are a huge customer there. Any member can shop there also. Lots of open stock pots and pans (by the piece, not the set). I got a Sitram saucier there for about $30. They had Sitram pressure cookers for around $40 one year. I gave a couple as Christmas presents. My occasional items at the Costco Business (besides kitchenware) are: Quarts of heavy cream. Torani caramel sauce. Elbow macaroni and egg noodles. (the regular Costco does not stock these) Wedge of gorgonzola (another thing the regular Costco stopped carrying) Restaurant rye bread (sold by the loaf). I <heart> all my Costcos. (we even have a Costco Home furniture store here......)

Great blog. I have a question regarding a chain of restaurants in Mexico City. There are called La Parrilla Suiza (The Swiss Grill). We have a few in Arizona and I really enjoy the "Mexico City style" food there. But I've wondered, since I really have no idea what Mexico City style should taste like since I have never been there, how are these restaurants regarded in MX? Is it considered quality food or something akin to real-Italian-food vs. Olive-Garden-Italian-food? I really like the chuletas and their chicken soup is phenomenal. The table salsas are the best in town (by my standards) also.

I had huitlacoche soup in Mexicali once. It was very tasty. Wouldn't hesitate to eat it again. When I was growing up we grew 100 acres of super-sweet corn and always threw the "smut" ears away. Little did I know that "smut" was a delicacy.

I live in Phoenix and do a fair bit of solar cooking. Mostly I roast potatoes and vegetables. I also baked apples with success. I bought a Global knock-off cooker off ebay and have had a great time experimenting. My cooker is a metal box with a glass lid and a parabolic aluminum collar. I have found I need to 'vent' it a bit because of the moisture that comes off what is being cooked. It is not dry like an traditional oven. I need to find one of those black splatterware covered roasters because I think that would enhance the heat gain. I've gotten temps of 325-350 during the hottest parts of the day. You have to keep repostioning it to follow the sun and the temp will vary significantly even on days with just a few clouds drifting around. I've avoided raw meats so far, just used sausages and ham in the dishes I've made.

I like Poche's sausages a whole lot. Especially the alligator sausage. Located in Breaux Bridge LA Poches Market

Wow. Thank you. I didn't even know such a thing as Google Books existed until now. There's some treasures there! I love eGulleters................

Well, I really liked these shrimp. I compared them to the Costco frozen shrimp and the Desert Sweet Shrimp are very superior in texture and flavor. I just did a simple peel and eat serving. The Desert Sweet were called "e-z-peel" with the vein removed. The shells were very easy to remove. Everyone at the dinner preferred the "local" shrimp. They were sweeter and crisper. I will be buying them again. The Costco shrimp, which I had been buying all along and liked just fine, had a mustier flavor and kind of a wateriness to the texture. So, now I have been schooled a bit on shrimp quality.

Yes, it seems Arizona ordering makes it more economical. I ordered the jumbos and it was about $5.80 shipping. I'll post a review when I get them.

http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/food/188064 I'm going to try these very soon. I'm impressed with the technology and attention to quality. I need to be schooled on shrimp. I didn't realize most shrimp we eat is not from the US. http://www.desertsweetshrimp.com/index.html from the article: "Fry them, boil them, grill them, chop them into salads. Everybody loves shrimp — tasty, succulent and straight from the Arizona desert. Uh, that's right, some of the best-tasting shrimp you can buy, according to its own surveys, comes from a shrimp farm in Gila Bend, which is southwest of Phoenix along Interstate 8. Shrimp in the desert? Sort of takes the sea out of seafood. The farm raises "desert sweet shrimp," a product it shamelessly declares to be "the world's best-tasting shrimp." Gary Wood, whose family owns Desert Sweet Shrimp, said that in taste tests at fairs and exhibits, their shrimp wins 95 percent of the time. It is lower in iodine and contains less salt and no additives, he said. " This is cute! quote: "He said the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago buys his shrimp to feed its exhibit animals because the product is pure. Some animals practically demand the desert shrimp. "Otters are finicky eaters," Wood said." The "green" part described: "Our niche is we're locally grown, and it's sustainable aquaculture," Wood said. "We don't ever discharge the water." The water from the ponds is used to irrigate other crops, alfalfa and olive trees. "We've shown the plants grow twice as fast with this system," Collins said. That led to two new products, a buttery-tasting olive oil, also sold on the Internet, and a thriving nursery trade in landscape olive trees. The smart water system used on the farm was studied at the University of Arizona's Environmental Research Laboratory, where researchers, including Kevin Fitzsimmons, have been developing healthier shrimp stocks and eco-friendly production techniques." (edited for clarity and in case the link goes bye-bye, thanks gfron1!)

When I microwave poach, I slightly pierce the yolk ( I use a steel swizzle stick) and then cook. I've never had a yolk go "pop" on me. I learned the poke method off the net some months ago.

The margarita flavor is very very good. I have been known to "recipe" that with the jalapeno jelly belly for an extra zippy taste. The raspberry and chocolate pudding is my favorite-ist combo. Juicy pear is the flavor that wins solo. and I like the buttered popcorn too. (oh and the chocolate covered ones are called JBz and the Jelly Belly seconds (imperfects) are called Belly Flops)

When I was a kid, a guy named Euell Gibbons came out with a book on how to eat "nature". I was fascinated and I think I found the recipe for sumac lemonade in his book. Edible sumac grew all along our riverbed, as did elderberries. I made sumac lemonade several times. I remember boiling the berries and then adding lots of sugar. The berries are furry, the little furs will float in the water so straining the solution makes it more palatable. IIRC, it was alot like lemonade, we kids liked it.