salsa df recipe

i share another favorite recipe on i scream for sunshine this week: salsa df. it's the perfect combination of tomatillos, garlic, avocado, and cilantro.

lime cilantro sorbet & my experiment with corn syrup

i think i've found my new favorite sorbet flavor: lime cilantro. it's amazing. i share the recipe over on i scream for sunshine.

2013 -- week 27 -- a kitten birthday, homemade pizza, and a lazy holiday weekend

i can't believe it's already july; i feel like this year just started. but i guess we've been busy and, as they say, time flies when you're having fun. and this week was definitely fun.

on monday we had a birthday party for cornelius, our cute but precocious kitten. he turned four, and one can only hope that as he ages, he's finally starting to slow down. he's a super lover kitten -- he's always looking for a lap to take a nap on, or a body to lean against -- but he's also wild. over the years we've called him a raccoon, a black bear, a panther, and a master buggy hunter because he's always getting into things he shouldn't and rummaging around. he's become quite adept at opening cabinet doors, and any day now he'll be able to get into the bathroom by himself. despite all of his hijinks, he's still my baby kitten. happy birthday bug.

on wednesday night we decided to try making homemade pizza. we cheated a little -- we bought pizza dough from trader joe's, but that's only because we were so nervous to make our own dough and we really wanted to try out our pizza stone. we had some problems at first rolling out the dough, and then again when we tried to take the pizza off the peel and put it on the hot pizza stone, but we were resourceful and made a calzone instead. and it was delicious.


we especially enjoyed the holiday and the opportunities it provided for us to hang out with friends and eat well. on the fourth we ate at new restaurant, robert's. we'd heard that it's supposed to have amazing cinnamon buns, so we got up early on thursday to give it a try. and we were pleasantly surprised, because not only were the cinnamon buns huge and delicious, but they also had homemade pie! and i can't resist homemade pie for breakfast; i am my father's daughter after all.

for the weekend, we met up with friends at the salt river and went tubing. we went tubing last year, so we had an idea of what to expect, but it's a lot more fun with a large group of people and beer! it's so relaxing floating down the river; there's nothing to worry about (except reapplying sunscreen!) and it's refreshing being in the chilly water when it's 100+ degrees out. if you live anywhere near a river and tubing is an option, take one day and float your river -- you won't regret it.

what did you do for the holiday weekend?

eat yourself fat, tucson.

do you ever notice yourself (or your family) going to the same restaurants over and over? maybe even ordering the same thing every time you go? us too. 

so we've been making a conscious effort to check out new restaurants. but we try to not eat out during the week; we make food every night and eat the leftovers for lunch. but we like to splurge during the weekends. nothing big -- we rarely go out for a super expensive meal -- but we do like to try new places and see what our city has to offer. 

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frost

every year the tucson weekly does a "best of tucson" list, which is how i learned about frost. they didn't win this year -- they came in 2nd place to the HUB -- but they've won for the past four years. so when i found myself in the same shopping center this past friday i had to stop in. there were tons of amazing looking flavors, but lemon is my go to -- it's nice to have a base by which to compare different brands to. and this lemon gelato (sorbet?) did not disappoint. it was creamy, tart, and refreshing. my only complaint is that there was so much of it. (i know, lamest complaint ever.) but it was just me, and i just wanted a taste, and $4 is a little steep for a small size cup of ice cream. i would just love it if restaurants and stores would carry a $1 mini tasting cup size. 

there are 2 locations:

7131 n. oracle road

7301 e. tanque verde road

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miss saigon

Gỏi Cuốn Tôm Thịt (2) Vietnamese spring roll: Shrimp and broiled pork, shredded greens, and vermicelli wrapped in chilled rice paper.

Milk Tea - Trà Sữa Taro (Khoai Môn) and Almond (Hạnh Nhân)

Chả Giò (5) Vietnamese fried egg rolls.

Phở Tái Chín Bò Viên Rice noodle soup with rare tender beef slices, broiled beef slices, and meat balls.

we've been to miss saigon before, but normally we get takeout. this time we decided to eat in and see how the food would look if it wasn't in styrofoam containers. as usual, the food was good and the boba tea is awesome. the portions are large, so we had some food to take home afterwards; the pho makes great leftovers. the service was quick and efficient without being pushy. my only complaint was that the spring rolls seem to be heavy on the iceberg lettuce. the peanut sauce is delicious, but it doesn't make up for the fact that half of the spring roll is boring lettuce.

located at: 1072 n. campbell avenue

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poco and mom's

as soon as we sat down the waitress came up, put two menus on the table, and asked us this question: "you want to go on an adventure with me?" she was lively, and seemed to be talking about the food, so we said yes. 

then she asked us the following four questions:

breakfast or lunch?

spicy or not spicy?

meat or no meat?

chicken, beef, or pork?

with those four answers she determined what we should each order.

Green Chile & Cheese Enchilada with Red Pork

Silver City Breakfast: Golden Hashbrowns with Grilled Onions, topped with fresh Hatch Green Chile Sauce, Melted Cheddar Jack Cheese, and Two Eggs Any Style. Served with Homemade Refried Beans and a Flour Tortilla.

man does that waitress know what pushes our buttons -- this may be the best (new) mexican food we've had since moving to the southwest. all of it's homemade (except the tortillas) and all of it is crazy delicious. too bad it's on the east side of tucson, otherwise this could be our new breakfast spot. as it is, it's definitely worth the trek. and i recommend the green chile salsa, on anything.

located at: 1060 s. kolb road

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cafe passe

we've been passing this place on 4th avenue for the better part of year, and have heard that it's an awesome spot -- they have live music, an outdoor sitting area, and they serve booze. really, what more could you want? it's a cafe, so it has coffee, tea, etc. but they also have light snacks: breakfast sandwiches, paninis, and salads. and i'm assuming they have wifi by the sheer number of people with laptops that are camped out there. the food was good, but nothing extraordinary. the atmosphere is what's up. the small art gallery, the live music, and the outdoor bar are adorable and charming. and the fact that they sell wine, beer, and cocktails may make this my new summertime hangout spot.

 located at: 415 n. 4th avenue

 

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cafe marcel

who doesn't love crepes? they are huge, thin pancakes filled with delicious goodies. done. we ordered a sweet crepe, albeit one of the few without nutella in it, and it was awesome. they even split it for us so i didn't battle it out with rcg to make sure i got my fill. much like cafe passe, it is a super cute cafe, but there is way less foot traffic and may be a quieter place to hang out and do work. plus, they definitely have free wifi and the food was better. it was just so cozy, i would love to come back and order a proper lunch -- one savory crepe and one sweet (with nutella!) -- and hang out or read.

apple, pear, brie, and honey crepe

located at: 344 n. 4th avenue

 

food trucks at the gem show

everywhere you go, the new food fad is the food truck. it's awesome; it's a restaurant that moves. the only thing better than a restaurant that moves is a bunch of restaurants that move and all hang out together. read: a food truck round up. we've been to a couple already, but there was no way we could pass up this one up: 22 food trucks, an 80s cover band, and the gem show. done.

and per usual, the food trucks did not disappoint.


the twisted tandoor

red goat curry ($5) & chai ($1.50)

it was awesome to try the goat curry -- you don't see goat on a lot of menus so that was definitely fun -- because it was spicy, but not too spicy. and the chai was a wonderful addition; it cut the spice and kept us warm.

the mobile bistro

lobster cake with cajun remulade
wok char salmon with wasabi mesquite honey glaze
french dip sliders with havarti cheese and au jus
(3 tapas for $8 or 4 tapas for $10)

this was our first time trying the mobile bistro and it was AMAZING. it is such a novel idea to serve tapas out of a food truck, but they did great. the lobster cake was moist and flavorful, the salmon had an awesome blend of spicy wasabi and sweet mesquite honey, and the french dip slider was a mess in the way that only delicious food can be. this was definitely our favorite truck of the night.

foodie fleet

sweet potato fries with sriracha mayo ($3)

we have a sordid history with foodie fleet -- the first time we wanted to try them, they sold out. the second time, the food was awesome. and then this time, our third go around was a mix of happiness and sadness -- we wanted to try the sweet potato fries and a belgian waffle. the belgian waffle was sold out (sadness), but the sweet potato fries were think and delicious. and the sriracha mayo was a nice addition. i think we'll try foodie fleet again, but the fact that they so easily sell out of stuff is cause for concern.

serial grillers

psycho: sliced ribeye, grilled onions, jalapenos, avocado, tomatoes, cilantro, mayo & pepper jack cheese ($8)

 this is our second time trying serial grillers, and it was no less amazing this time than last. in fact, it was so good last time that we ordered the same thing the second time. keep up the good work serial grillers, and if you wanted to drive by my house and drop off some sandwiches, i will always welcome that.

mafooco

korean tacos (3 for $7)

we've eaten at mafooco more times than i can count, and everytime it has been great. the korean tacos are made with a sweet sauce, but the self-applied sriracha really brings out the amazing in the flavors. they also have kimchi quesadillas, which are equally awesome, although they are normally sold with just kimchi and cheese, i recommend adding some of the beef to them for a more well rounded flavor.

smokin' hot barbeque

carolina style pulled pork sandwich with champagne vinaigrette cabbage slaw ($8)

our friends ordered this for the main reason that it was carolina style. and if the noises they were making while eating it are any indication, this pulled pork hit the spot. this sandwich got two greasy, finger licked thumbs up from a north carolina native.

if you want more information about local food truck round ups, check out the tucson food truck roundup's facebook page for event dates and times.

cookie exchange: the event

omg.

we have so many cookies to eat.







below are pictures and recipes
for all of the cookies that i received
at my cookie exchange.

october food swap: the haul

oh man.

october's food swap
was even better than
september's.




there were almost twice as many people
and there was some way cool stuff.


unfortunately i got there late
so i only have pictures of our haul,
but some of the things up for trade were:
jalapeno jelly
orange blossom caramel sauce
prickly pear juice
pickles
plum chutney
cactus dressing
zucchini bread
peanut butter cookies
mexican wedding cake cookies


plus the stuff we got:

    honey wheat bread                 sweet spicy salty hazelnuts

      pesto                                 chimichurri sauce

date & pecan goat cheese                    pickled peppers      

cucumber infused vodka and spiced pumpkin ice cream




quite a haul, no?




let the fattening begin.