Food for Thought

8th Annual Polish Festival: Saturday, March 5th and Sunday, March 6th.   If you find yourself pining for pierogis or if you go crazy for kielbasa, head over to the Polish Festival in Phoenix this weekend! What an opportunity to expose your family (no matter what your heritage) to rich culture and its many traditions ...right here in Phoenix!   All aspects of Polish culture will be enjoyed and celebrated at the Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish at 2828 W. Country Gables Drive in Phoenix. The festival will feature Polish song and dance, as well as an array of sumptuous Polish main dishes and desserts, as well as refreshing imported Polish beer.   There will be a raffle, a kid’s area, and a Polish souvenir boutique, so there will be something for everyone. Admission and parking are free!   www.polishfestivalaz.org Hours: Saturday: 10AM to 9PM; Sunday: 10AM to 6PM   Directions from North: Located at West Country Gables Drive and 29th Avenue. Travel I-17 to exit 211 (Greenway Road).... More

The newly-reopened Eddie V’s Prime Seafood at their new location in the Scottsdale Quarter is a Godsend. Jaime and I tried it on Friday night and every bite was amazing ...Maryland Crabcake in a Spicy Remoulade, Lobster Bisque served with what seemed like a half of a lobster tail in the middle of my soup bowl, Scallops sautéed with citrus fruits and almonds and brown butter, Roasted Chilean Sea Bass – every bite a dream! I haven’t had seafood like this since I left New England, and it was a long time overdue! I love that the dessert wasn’t an afterthought (both literally and figuratively), which is often the case even in the most elegant restaurants. I will dream about the Bananas Foster Flambe with Almond Ice Cream (pictured) and Godiva Flourless Chocolate cake until we meet again!... More

On the Jersey Shore, they fry them. At Chompies they make them “half sour” and in the Valley there is no one who does it better than the family owned local business, “Pickled Perfection” (www.pickledperfection.com). If you have had the chance to make it down to the Farmer’s Market at Norterra on the first and third Wednesdays of the month, chances are that your kisser has been puckered by the taste of the amazing pickles and other ingredients that they have pickled to perfection. This family pickles everything from asparagus to eggs, and all of them good! You can catch them at the farmers markets in Tempe, Scottsdale, Glendale, Downtown and Carefree as well, or check them out online.... More

Would you like to plan a home-cooked romantic dinner for your sweetie, but you aren’t sure of what to make or how to make it? Executive Chef of Banner Thunderbird Hospital and Anthem resident, Jaime Palenque, will be demonstrating a “romantic and heart-healthy” menu of Sautéed Chicken Breast with Apples, Mediterranean-style Quinoa, and Asparagus with Roasted Garlic this Sunday morning at 9:50AM on Channel 3’s Sunday morning cooking segment. I happen to know the chef, and I know that he is talented as well as entertaining. The only challenge is coming up with a Valentine’s Day dinner that will impress him ...oh, the pressure!... More

If you are still searching for something sweet for your sweetie on Valentines Day, look no further. Julia Baker of Julia Baker Confections is a rockstar when it comes to specialty chocolates – they are like none other. They play like a concert symphony in your mouth – each one a different composition. I had the pleasure of visiting Ms. Baker in her home a few years ago for a private tasting, where I learned that the culinary “rockstar” has catered to many other rockstars and celebs, including Bono and U2, Paris Hilton, Jennifer Aniston, Britney Spears, and Alicia Keys who has called her “breathtakingly talented.” We are lucky to have her right here in the Valley – take advantage of your proximity, and visit her shop, or order online at www.juliabakerconfections.com.  ... More

If you are looking for a perfect way to “warm up” this weekend, come to the St. Rose Chili Competition on Saturday at The Good Shepherd Mission in New River (45033 North 12th Street, New River, Arizona 85087). It will be held from 11AM to 4PM, and everyone is welcome. I will be serving my father’s time-tested Chili recipe, “Pete’s Chili.” In fact, if you come by and introduce yourself, I will give you a free taste of chili! The day will be fun for the entire family – rides, games, a bake sale, bingo, and raffles. See you there!  ... More

I made TheDailyMeal.com’s “Top Ten Most Powerful People in the Food World” list!   ...and so did you. Others who made the list include Michelle Obama for her fight against childhood obesity, restaurateur Alice Waters, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, and CEO of Apple, Inc, Steve Jobs (for the contribution of the amazing food apps available for the iPad and iPhone). Of course, the ultimate power belongs to “You,” listed at number one. You are “head foodie” in your home, and you make the choices concerning what is in the pantry, and what goes in to your mouth. The list is presented below in its entirety. Have a wonderful weekend ahead, and exercise your power wisely!   TheDailyMeal's top 10 most powerful people in the food world:   10. Jim Skinner, president and CEO of McDonald's Corp. 9. Sam Sifton, New York Times restaurant critic 8. Mike Duke, president and CEO of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. 7. Brooke Johnson, president of Food Network 6. Alice Waters, restaurateur 5.... More

What a wonderful morning ...we went to an early mass today, then headed over to try Café Aroma on the West side of Anthem.   The Swedish Pancakes were light and fluffy (pictured). Jaime’s Steak and Eggs were beautiful, and the girls enjoyed their Mickey Mouse Pancakes. Our visit was comfortable, servers were attentive, and ambiance was perfect for a lazy Sunday morning.   Next time, I am going to try the Eggs Benedict. Welcome to the neighborhood, Café Aroma!  ... More

One of the best and most useful gifts I received for my bridal shower was a recipe box that my family compiled for me – they had collected family recipes from many of the people who would be attending the shower. That was more than eighteen years ago, and I still use the recipes on a regular basis. In fact, it is my main “go to” source when I am making dinner for my family.   I realize that no matter how many “gourmet” recipes that I print month after month for ImagesAZ, some of the best recipes are the ones sitting right in our family recipe boxes. It is in this spirit that I would like to invite readers to post on my blog their favorite family recipes. Choose good ones – we may ask to print it in our next issue! What good are recipes if they are not shared?... More

This Christmas I received a wonderfully-thoughtful present from my Mom ...a cooking lesson at Sweet Basil Cooking School in Scottsdale. This was my kind of cooking lesson ...a demonstration that the school calls “Lunch and Learn!” We walked in at 12 noon, took our seats at the comfortable counter where we watched a demonstration by a local executive chef, and were served a delicious lunch of Grilled Marinated Flat Iron Steak with Sautéed Red Onions and Sweet Potato Fries with fresh herbs. Dessert was a warm Peach Cobbler with Vanilla Ice Cream. We went home armed with recipes to try on our own. Sign me up again ...what a great way to spend lunchtime! Check out their schedule for January and February on their website: www.sweetbasilgourmet.com and please let me know if you sign up for a class!... More

We are planning our Christmas menu, and it occurred to me that while I have some favorite dishes, we have no true family culinary traditions for this holiday. I know that there are some very strong family traditions out there, many of them tied to your family’s cultural heritage, such as the Italian “Feast of Seven Fishes.”   So, one of my Christmas wishes is to learn about YOUR family traditions. What really MAKES your Christmas, from a culinary point of view? Please share by posting below!  ... More

What are just some of the benefits of buying local products? They include personal service, accountability, and the satisfaction of knowing that you are contributing to your local economy. The inherent benefits, of course, include great taste and quality ingredients. Customers of Rainbow Valley Farmer’s Cheese get all of this and more. I became acquainted with their products at the Chiles & Chocolate Festival held at The Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix in November (thanks for the “heads up,” Mayhew Family!), and everything I tasted was like pure, edible heaven. Their fresh churned butter (which comes in flavors like Garlic, Honey, Raspberry Jalapeno, Lemon, and Chile Lime, among others) is fantastic, their handmade Farmer’s Cheese and Mascarpone Cheese is a dream come true. Because it was a warm day, and we were about an hour from home I skipped buying the dairy products and opted for the Kalamata Olive Tapenade – great on crostinis or crackers! All of their products... More

Don’t kid yourself ...gelato isn’t just for summertime. However gelato covered in olive oil - I’m not sure what time of year that is appropriate for! I stopped into Grateful Spoon Gelato, attached to La Grande Orange for a Chocolate with Olive Oil, Sea Salt and Whipped Cream Sundae. At first it seemed very decadent and European. Sort of like chocolate covered bacon (sold, by the way, at our local World Market). By the end of the sundae, when there was olive oil swirling around the bottom of the bowl, it just seemed wrong! If you have run across any unusual dishes or pairings in the Valley, please write to me at thewordnerd@thewordnerd.com.... More

I thought that I had covered all of the things NOT to do with Tom Turkey in ImagesAZ’s November issue. It turns out that I was wrong! If I had considered the perils of deep frying, I might have included something like this ...... More

Last weekend I found a new reason to love La Grande Orange in Arcadia (www.lagrandeorangepizzeria.com; 602.840.7777; 4410 N. 40th Street, Phoenix) beyond their gourmet sourdough crust pizzas and their fresh from the farmers’ market salads ...the handmade English muffin. Now, I don’t mean to brag, but I am a bit of an English muffin connoisseur. There are only certain English muffins that I let cradle my cream cheese or butter. Eggs Benedict on the “wrong” English muffin is hardly worth having. I am well aware that there are disk-shaped breads masquerading as English muffins on our grocery store shelves. Bloody imposters! However, once you have an English muffin at LGO, the bar will be irrevocably raised. LGO uses a recipe that was used when the light, airy muffins were created in London in the late 1800s. They use a sourdough starter, with a blend of three organic flours and no fats. The muffins are made in a griddle instead of baked in an oven, which apparently makes all the... More