Real Men Make Mom Quiche.

Mothers' Day will be this coming Sunday, but unfortunately, my son William will still be in Pennsylvania. However, he has decided to move here; the tickets have been bought, vacation time has been scheduled and he'll be arriving the weekend of May 26th. We're all feeling a bit excited and nervous at the same time; it's been three years since we moved to Utah and he decided to stay behind. Talk about new adventures!

Anyway, if he was here for Mothers' Day, I would love to see a demonstration of the culinary skills he acquired while working as a cook. Now we've all heard the saying, "real men don't eat quiche"; well I want to see it made. I know he reads my blog, so Bill, pay attention as you'll be tested soon after you arrive and settle in.

Quiche was already written about in January 2011, but I'll do a quick recap.

Basic Quiche

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups half n’ half
4 eggs, beaten
1/8 tsp salt (can be adjusted up or down dependent on ingredients added in)
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1 – 9” unbaked deep dish pastry shell

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F. Combine half n’ half, eggs, salt and pepper. Pour into pastry shell; bake for 45-50 minutes, or until egg mixture is golden brown and set.

See guys, easy peasy, so now I'm going to throw in a curve ball...Asparagus. It's basically a super vegetable; low in calories and sodium; contains zinc, iron, folic acid, vitamins A, C, E and K and whole bunch of other minerals I won't bore you with. The popular type seen in stores is a green color which will become woody as it grows older. The tougher the stem, the older the asparagus, so look for those young, tender shoots.

There is a white variety which is basically the green type that has been grown inside a hill of dirt; the sun kept off of it to keep photosynthesis from occurring and turning the vegetable green. I love this type in Vietnamese Crab Asparagus soup, and I'll post that recipe one of these days.

For the quiche, I steamed 10 spears of asparagus till fork tender; and sauteed a quarter cup of diced onions in butter, on medium heat, till soft, but not browned or burned. I added the onions and a half cup of shredded Swiss cheese to the basic quiche mixture. After pouring the mixture into the pie crust, the fun really began. I started to place the asparagus spears in a tree design, cutting some of the spears in half to make smaller "branches" for the tree. Now the spears will float a bit in the liquid, so don't expect a perfect design, but from the picture above, I'd say it came out kind of cute.

So there's the challenge for you real men out there; make a quiche for your mom on Mothers' Day. It might not turn out perfect, but in her eyes, you, and it, will be.

Mary Cokenour

Bugles Adds Sweet to their Salty.

In 1966, a cone shaped snack made from corn and fried in coconut oil hit the market; it became a big hit. I was a little kid then and I still remember my first box, yes, they came in a box, of Bugles. Even though they have flavors called Sour Cream and Onion, Nacho and Barbeque; the original flavor was always my favorite. If I wanted a little extra something, I would dip them in French onion dip, but that's about all.

Then they decided to add two new flavors to the line up; Caramel and Chocolate Peanut Butter. At first I was hesitant to try them, thinking that the corn taste would not pair well with the sweet flavors, but I was pleasantly surprised.

The Caramel Bugles have a tendency to be broken up in the package. Though they have a nice, smooth caramel flavor; the coating is hard and seems to make the crispy corn snack break more easily.

The Chocolate Peanut Butter has a more silky texture on the outside, so the crispy cone stays intact. The peanut butter flavor is more predominant with this snack; and it is listed higher up on the ingredients list. The chocolate flavor comes from cocoa and is very faint.

Surprisingly, a 2/3 cup serving has either 19 or 20 grams of carbs, depending on whether you're indulging in the caramel or chocolate peanut butter. However, don't get me wrong, I'm not proclaiming this to be a 100% healthy snack, but one you don't have to feel as guilty about. If making a snack mix for a party, definitely include both of these products.

Mary Cokenour

Wagon Wheel Pizza Doesn't Roll for Me.

Wagon Wheel Pizza

164 South Main
Monticello, Utah, 84535

(435) 587-2766

Website: N/A

First off, let me state that I was asked to do a review of Wagon Wheel by an anonymous commentor on my food blog page for Thatzza Pizza, a newly opened pizza competitor for Wagon Wheel. Remember folks, I'm a pizza snob and very tough when it comes to pizza reviews. I've traveled to many places in and out of the United States, and trying pizza whenever I could was always on the list of things to do.

Wagon Wheel Pizza was established in 1984 and is owned by Susan, a former resident of Florida. When entering Wagon Wheel, it looks like a typical pizzeria with booths lining one wall and a few tables here or there. After about a 5 minute wait while Susan finished prepping a pizza for the oven, my order was taken, and questions answered, with a friendly smile. I was told my order would be ready in 25 minutes, but it actually took 45 minutes which gave me time to see some of my food prepared.



The Meatball Sandwich consists of three frozen 2" meatballs that are defrosted in the microwave, mixed with sauce and then heated again in the microwave. They are sliced in half, placed on an untoasted 6" sub roll and garnished with slices of green bell pepper and onion. Once unwrapped, the sub cannot be picked up to be eaten as it has become a "hot mess" with the roll falling apart from not being toasted. A fork is a must if you order this sandwich.


If you want chicken wings, you must ask for them as they are not listed on the menu; they come with a choice of two sauces: hot or bbq. They are baked on parchment paper, so do not expect a crisp texture since the wings are basically steaming in the fat coming off the wings and caught on the paper. While the chicken was fully cooked with a mild bbq flavor, the thick, gummy skin was totally unappealing.





The pizza at Wagon Wheel does not use the typical Utah style of crust, namely focaccia bread. The crust is thinner, allowing for a browned and crispy texture.

The sauce, while having a good flavor and you can see the herbs, is smeared thin; the cheese is thick, but not the creamy, gooey type that one associates with pizza. To get a single bite of cheese with crust, you must completely bite through the slice, or the cheese comes sliding off in a complete sheet. As the pizza cools, the cheese congeals more and the crust becomes very tough.

To be fair, I have to say that Susan was busy prepping food, checking on the oven, plating food, while her two workers were either filling salt and pepper shakers, or filling a drink order for 8 people - 2 drinks at a time; guess the employee didn't know how to carry a tray. The drink order employee then completed the meatball sandwich; was going to put it in the oven for toasting and then changed her mind. That was a big mistake in my book.

Mary Cokenour

Got Spaghetti? Make Potpie!

Yes, you read the title correctly; I'm going to tell you how to make potpie with spaghetti. Now I know you're thinking, "how do you make a traditional potpie with spaghetti as a topping? Hint: the spaghetti is not a topping, but a main ingredient. Curious?

Well it all began when I was reading some recipes at an online recipe site and saw "Spaghetti Alfredo". Curious, I checked out the ingredient list and preparation. Basically it was cooked spaghetti mixed with cream of mushroom soup, milk, chopped broccoli and topped with sharp cheddar cheese. My thought was, "Alfredo?" I was not getting the picture, especially with the sharp cheddar cheese.

Now I needed to make dinner and thought (yeah, I do a lot of that) that it was time to be adventurous once again and play with my food. I make an awesome chicken pot pie, but didn't want to deal with a pie crust or biscuits. Remembering the recipe I just mentioned, the lightbulb flashed on, why not use potpie ingredients, but mix it in with spaghetti? The result? Not only was it a quick meal to put together, but the scent made me salivate, and the taste was just oh so good!

So here you go, "Spaghetti Potpie Casserole". Now doesn't that look num yummy?  Needing a recipe for a get-together; consider this one next time and prepare to be praised.






Spaghetti Potpie Casserole

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp butter, divided in half
½ cup each diced red onion and red bell pepper
1 lb cooked spaghetti, kept warm
3 cups chopped, cooked chicken breast
1 cup fresh or thawed frozen peas
1 cup parboiled, diced carrots
1 can (10.5 oz) each cream of celery and cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp each crushed, dried thyme and parsley
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup finely shredded Mexican blend cheese

Preparation:

In a 10” skillet, medium heat, melt one tablespoon butter; add onion and bell pepper; sweat till softened, about 3 minutes; do not let vegetables brown or burn.

Preheat oven to 350F; smear bottom and sides of a 3 qt. casserole dish with other tablespoon of butter.

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix softened onion and bell pepper together with all ingredients, except the cheese. Spread evenly into casserole dish and top with cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes; until cheese is completely melted, but do not let brown.

Makes 8 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Village Inn Restaurant and Bakery

Village Inn Restaurant and Bakery

3715 N Kasper Ave
Flagstaff, AZ 86004

(928) 526-5330

Website: http://www.villageinn.com/


After a long five hour drive to Flagstaff, we decided to stop at the first diner looking place we saw, and that was the Village Inn Restaurant and Bakery. Considering it was lunch time, there were very few customers inside; but we were greeted in a very friendly manner and drinks were served immediately.


The food here is average, budget friendly for travelers, and while average, still tastes fresh and good depending on what you order. I had the Club Sandwich with Fries; what I really liked about this sandwich was that they used real, roasted turkey breast and baked ham; not thinly sliced cold cuts you can get in any supermarket. The fries were seasoned, crispy outside, fluffy inside; I was pretty satisfied with my choice.


My husband though was not very happy with his sandwich; the Grilled Chicken with Swiss cheese and Avocado slices. He said that the chicken was dry and rubbery, he could barely taste the cheese, but the avocado was a nice touch to an overall "blah" sandwich.


Since it was Wednesday when we ate there, we received a free slice of pie. We both chose the Blueberry Lemon Supreme, since the photo staring us in the face looked so enticing. The pie was very good; crust was light and flaky, the cream cheese filling was smooth and creamy and the mixture of lemon with blueberry was perfect. The hostess and waitress bragged about the pies at the Village Inn, and rightly so.

To be fair, if I was staying in Flagstaff for an extended period, I would give Village Inn another try; most likely the breakfast menu, so I could try the Eggs Benedict.

Mary Cokenour

Flagstaff Chocolate Company

Flagstaff Chocolate Company

120 North Leroux, Suite 103
Flagstaff, AZ, 86001

(928) 779-5611

Website: http://www.flagstaffchocolates.com/

On the corner of Birch and Leroux are located the Old Town Shops of Historic Downtown Flagstaff, Arizona; and this is the home of Flagstaff Chocolate Company.



Besides their handmade chocolates, truffles, brittle and fudge; there is an assortment of covered apples. They sell many of the popular name brand, and not so famous, candies; also bulk candies such as jelly beans and gummies. I purchased a one pound box of assorted chocolates, and as you can see from the photo, they not only look pretty, but delectable. I can attest to the fact that they are! The chocolate is smooth and luscious; the fillings are packed with flavor.

Walking around the historic downtown of Flagstaff, there are many little shops to browse and buy in; but don't go home without stopping at the Chocolate Company and purchasing some of their delicious candies. Not going to be in Flagstaff any time soon, then go to their website and order online....no excuses there, just delicious indulgence.

Mary Cokenour

The Pizza Trilogy Goes Quad.

I've been out here in Utah for three years come May. It seems that no matter where I go, pizza seems to be the same style - thick and bready; very little sauce, heavy on the cheese, light on the toppings. Being a New Yorker, this is a mystery to me and I constantly ask, "Why?" The answers vary from "it's the water", "it's the altitude" to "we can't get the same flour here as they use out East". That last one really makes my eyes cross. I make my own pizza at home, use the local water, granted the altitude is 7100 feet above sea level, but white flour is white flour.

Then one day it dawned on me so brightly; the pizzerias in Utah are making their crust out of Focaccia bread dough. This dough is kneaded only once, punched down, topped and left to rise again; hence the thicker and breadlike texture. Pizza dough is kneaded twice, once before and once after rising. It is stretched out to a 1/4 inch thickness after the second kneading, then topped and baked.

So the pizza trilogy went: Neapolitan,
Chicago Style and
Sicilian.

Now we have a fourth style - Utah's Focaccia Style Pizza. I guess if this is what you've grown up on, have never experienced pizza from different regions, then this is the best that you'll ever find. Personally, bread is bread, pizza is pizza and Utah style pizza leans more towards being a fancy bread than an actual pizza.

Focaccia Bread

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1 (.25 oz) packet active dry yeast
1 1/3 cups warm water (110 F)
3 Tbsp olive oil, divided by 2 Tbsp and 1 Tbsp

Optional Ingredients: chopped fresh herbs, shredded or grated cheeses, thinly sliced or diced vegetables

Preparation:

Into a large bowl, sift together the flour and salt; make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Sprinkle in the sugar and dry yeast; carefully pour in the water; let stand for 5 minutes while yeast begins to react. Add 2 Tbsp of oil and carefully begin stirring the flour into the wet center gradually incorporating all the flour.

Place dough on floured board and knead until smooth. Brush ½ tsp of remaining olive oil into a clean bowl; place dough in bowl and turn once to coat both sides with oil. Cover with a clean linen towel and let dough rise for one hour.

Brush a teaspoon of oil onto a jelly roll or round pizza pan. Punch the dough down and place onto the pan; press the dough out to a ½ inch thickness. Brush with remaining olive oil; with tip of index finger, or handle tip of a wooden spoon, dimple the dough in 2 inch spaces. Sprinkle or place optional ingredients on top of dough; let rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375F; bake bread for 25-30 minutes; until browned on top. Remove to wire rack to cool slightly; best served warm.

Makes one bread.

Mary Cokenour