Spaghetti squash as an alternative to pasta is great when the mood hits for a light dish. A usual preparation is to serve it pasta style with a rich meaty tomato sauce. In this recipe it serves as the base for our meatless Monday dinner topped with sautéed zucchini ribbons,…
“Rice pudding should be incredibly easy to make,” I said, unpacking the boil-in-bag rice. “You just boil it in the water for a few minutes and dump in the ingredients, right? Eye roll. Ok, so my experiment with rice pudding wasn’t quite that bad. But it’s true that until this week, I’d never…
Whether you’re a CSA devotee, a farmers’ market weekender or consider ketchup a veg, we’ll bring you fresh inspiration for how to prepare our local produce. This week’s harvest: Mustard Greens So, this week we’re delving into the happy land of mustard greens. Mustard, for me, evokes thoughts of Grey…
Another week has come and gone leaving us to ponder the upcoming events that will shape our lives and, more importantly, our dinners out. But before we move on, let’s have one last look at the blog posts from this week. The 70’s Called…They Want Their Brownies Back! Caramelpalooza 2011…
Arizona Beer Week, once upon a time just a twinkle in the eye of desert-dwelling beer lovers, is now upon us — and has grown to juggernaut proportions. As our mom likes to say, you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a beer week event. With somewhere in the…
What happens when an executive chef loses the top-of-the-line stainless steel commercial appliances, professional tools and cache of underlings that he’s used to? Either he rises like cream to prove he’s got culinary game without the fancy extras, or he sinks like poached eggs to the bottom of the pot…
Ignite Phoenix 9 happened a week ago, and we at Chow Bella are still aflame about the food-related topics discussed. As food writers and lovers of fermented liquids, we were most excited about the presentations of Maureen Basenberg, founder of the Arizona chapter of Girls’ Pint Out, and Pavle Milic,…
How fun is this new book planned by Dirt Candy NYC? Dirt Candy NYC is a brilliantly named vegetable based restaurant in NYC and is one of the only Michelin-recommended vegetarian restaurants in America. Even the most tired home cooks will drag their weary rears to be inspired by the…
We chatted yesterday with Emilio Morales of Sunshine Moon Peking Pub about everything from the family of 10 he grew up in to a mutual distaste for Andrew Zimmern. He shows us today how to make kung pao scallops. As Morales warned us in part one on Tuesday, Asian food…
Editor’s note: “Baked” is a new series that will appear on New Times’ food blog, Chow Bella (phxfood.com), to get you ready for the implementation of Prop 203, the medical marijuana law. The first time I made brownies, I was living with my mom and nana. My mother had moved…
We got word that Arizona was going to get its very own beer week back in November and we have been giddy ever since. More than just a one-day beer festival, we would finally join the ranks of real cities and get a whole glorious week! But when we heard…
Sauce. Cheese. Dough. Pizza-making might seem like a simple endeavor, but there are dozens of factors that go into determining what makes a quality pie. Most are personal preference: wood fired versus oven baked; thin crust or deep dish. Hand tossing, sauce consistency and type of cheese also affect the…
Unlike Taco Bell, who is currently dealing with a lawsuit claiming their “meat filling” contains only 36 percent beef, Wendy’s newest menu item, the Asiago Ranch Chicken Club, falls under its current advertising slogan, “You know when it’s real.” Pressure’s on, pigtails, don’t mess this one up. The Asiago Ranch…
Keyon FareghiYesterday we chatted with Emilio Morales of Sunshine Moon Peking Pub about what has brought him to this point in his life. Today our conversation continues as we discuss his plans for the future, Korean food and Anthony Bourdain. Morales comes from quite a large family, which has contributed…
Catch a free screening of the documentary Lunch Line at the downtown ASU campus February 28. It’s a regular smorgasbord. Seems like everyone is trying to improve school lunches these days. Of course there’s Michelle Obama. And our Michele Laudig blogged about a recent event in Scottsdale that brought chefs, and students together…
When we visited Barbara Gardner at Let Them Eat Cake, we didn’t find the Michael Jackson Cupcake. Instead, a tribute to I Love Lucy was on display, and that is what Barbara likes to do: switch up flavors, decorations and continue to create beautiful and whimsical cake designs. Today Barbara shares…
After a recent announcement stating that steak would be getting sacked from its menu and chicken would be the fowl focus, El Pollo Loco rolled out two new fish tacos as a limited-time offer. What the cluck? Why now? Of course — Lent starts in March. How could my guilt-ridden…
We can already tell that this competition is going to be sticky. Chow Bella and Smeeks are proud to announce the line-up of candymakers for Caramelpalooza 2011 — a free, open-to-the-public caramel tasting to be held Friday, March 11, at 7 pm in the parking lot at Smeeks candy…
Transitioning from the corporate life to running a restaurant of your own is no easy task. Close to 28 years in the making, Sunshine Moon Peking Pub in Old Town Scottsdale shows it can be done. Emilio Morales of Sunshine Moon, shares his journey from sous chef with P.F. Chang’s to…
Ignite Phoenix 9 happened Friday, and we at Chow Bella are still aflame about the food-related topics discussed. If you’re unaware, Ignite Phoenix is an event at which citizens of the Valley’s creative community get on stage to present short, five-minute lectures about the things they’re passionate about while slides shoot rapid-fire…
We popped into Chakra 4 Café and Tea House Saturday to start off our Valentine weekend with a Chocolate Festival. Chocolate vendors Lisa Reinhardt, Wei of Chocolate, and Michelle Calio, Calio Confections were there to entice customers with their lines of organic, fair trade and vegan chocolates. Kita Centella, owner…
There are days, even meatless days, when the craving for a burger takes over. Portobello mushrooms are the perfect replacement for a beef patty along with custom toppings (raw or sautéed onions, avocado, fresh tomatoes, fresh greens, cheese) on a toasted bun. The mushrooms are great on the grill, but…
