Roasted Accordion Potatoes

I'm always on the lookout for recipes good for entertaining. My general criteria for such recipes includes: moderately simple preparation, nice presentation and flavorful yet still on the healthy side of the cooking spectrum.

I recently found a new addition to my entertaining repertoire, courtesy of Smitten Kitchen – one of my favorite food blogs. Trying the recipe meant I would have to use a mandolin for the first time. From the many accounts of mandolin induced injuries I’ve heard, I was especially careful and methodical as I sliced my potatoes. I am happy to report that my mandolin use was injury-free – hopefully I didn’t just jinx myself for next time!

Other than creating my own recipe name, I mostly followed Smitten Kitchen’s recipe. I altered the recipe only slightly as I did not have any shallots on hand. Instead, I thinly sliced a yellow onion and layered within the potatoes slices. I also omitted the red pepper flakes and opted for freshly cracked pepper. Upon tasting, I was equally pleased with the presentation as I was with the taste.

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Smitten Kitchen

Boozy Berries

In celebration of the summertime fruits currently filling the produce section of the grocery store, I was inspired to make a healthy and fruity dessert. And really, who doesn’t like a little adult beverage twist to a healthy snack?

The recipe – (I acknowledge the loose use of the word here) - is very easy. It’s as follows:

Fresh berries of choice, thinly sliced
Dessert wine, chilled
Low-fat, organic vanilla yogurt
Lime zest

Layer the berries in a clear drinking glass or container, drizzle berries with dessert wine and chill. When ready to serve, place dollop of yogurt on top of fruit layers and garnish with lime zest. Serve chilled.

Food Trucking ...

Along with my food adventuring friends, I raced around town today in pursuit of the food trucks from The Great Food Truck Race t.v. show currently being filmed. To start off, we successfully chased down the Roxy’s truck at Washington Park. We sampled Roxy’s Rosemary French Fries drizzled with a savory garlic and herb cheddar sauce. We also tasted the Vermont Cheddar Melt with applewood bacon and caramelized onions. Roxy’s sure knows how to turn out a delicious gourmet grilled cheese sandwich! We also tried the Mint and Pear Lemonade. It was quite mild in flavor but hit the spot on a hot day.

The next food trucks we caught up to were the Hodge Podge and The Lime Truck parked on Colfax outside the Denver Biscuit Company. From the comfort food menu of Hodge Podge, we sampled the Lobster Roll. This dish was light and generously filled with 5 ounces of beautifully red lobster and topped with bright green arugula.

From The Lime Truck, we missed the chance at tasting the sold out Crab Burger and went with the Fat Mussels. The “Fat” referred to the sauce being made from our local Fat Tire beer. The mere ordering of mussels from a food truck proved that the offerings of modern day food trucks are nothing short of gourmet. We quenched our thirst with Lime’s Mango Lemonade. One word – yum!

With full stomachs, we made our way to the Café Con Leche truck parked outside of the restaurant, Cuba Cuba. While the menu offerings were tempting, our afternoon of eating left little room for more. So we supported the truck by ordering a Café Con Leche which was very hot and wonderfully sweet. It served as a perfect dessert for our food trucking day.

My favorites from today’s sampling were the Rosemary French Fries, Lobster Roll and Mango Lemonade. Also, the food truck guys from Roxy’s were especially fun. They even gave my momma a Mother’s Day gift of Vermont Cheese. So very nice of them.

If you missed the trucks today, there is still time to try them tomorrow. The buzz is a couple of the trucks will be at Washington Park and another at Great Divide Brewing Company.

Keep on food trucking …

Food Truck Race!

Have you heard of the Great Food Truck Race? No need to worry because while it sounds reminiscent of childhood pastimes of chasing after the music from the ice cream truck that’s 2 blocks away, no actual running is required.

Instead, this particular food truck race is a foodie competition show from the Food Network. In its second season, Food Truck contestants from around the country travel together to compete for bragging rights and a hefty cash price.

Want to actually taste the food fare from these trucks? Well you can. Their racing journey has already begun and will be making a pit stop in Denver this weekend! This means, we all have the chance to be part of the show and taste the trucks’ fare before watching it on television. Track down the trucks this very weekend.

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Westword - Food Trucks
Food Network
Food Network - Food Truck Race, Season 1

Dine & Dish: Pinkberry

I’ve developed a new food obsession courtesy of Pinkberry. The swirls of frozen yogurt are sour and tangy - and in my dessert cup, fruity too. To add to your frozen treat are the offerings from a colorful toppings bar that ranges from fresh fruit to cheesecake bites and yogurt chips.

In my cup were swirls of mango and pomegranate frozen yogurt with raspberries, strawberries, granola, and carob chips. Yum!

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Pinkberry