Sometimes when you crave comfort food, only a massive bowl of creamy macaroni and cheese will do the trick. In a pinch, you can always rustle up the store-bought version, but why not treat yourself and make it from scratch?
Welcome to the dog days of summer. Since the Valley is collectively pouting about the heat, we thought it might be a good time to provide a refreshing cocktail recipe that you can make at home. Grimaldi’s Pizzeria recently rolled out a couple of summer cocktails, including the Berry Ginger Fizz that's guaranteed to be a showstopper come cocktail hour.
If you’re getting ready for your 4th of July bash and just can’t face tending the barbecue in 105-degree heat, executive chef Jason Diaz of Social Hall offers an alternative. Instead of barbecue grub, try making Cubano sandwiches with house-made pickles.
If you’re a watermelon lover, your season has finally arrived! Grocery stores and farmers’ markets are stocked with ripe, juicy watermelons just waiting to be cracked open and enjoyed.
It’s hard to pick up a dinner menu these days that doesn’t feature scallops in some form – from sautéed in olive oil to drenched in browned butter and coated with panko crumbs.
The Grill at Quail Creek, a restaurant at the Robson Resort Community in Green Valley, offers a pan-seared scallop dish that executive chef Aris Cabrera says is the restaurant’s most popular menu item. “I really love the contrast with the sweetness and the spiciness and the earthy flavors of ginger and lemongrass,” he says.
When the weather forecast promises a seemingly unending stretch of of 100-degree-plus days, it’s hard to think about cooking with any form of heat. If you’re in the market for a cool dessert with a minimal amount of stove time, Robert Richter of Chandler-based Robert’s Catering offers up Lemon Snow Pudding. It even sounds chill.
According to the American Egg Board, the United States produces around 75 billion eggs a year, representing about 10 percent of the world’s supply. That’s a mind-boggling amount of eggs and cause for celebration just in time for National Egg Day, Sunday, June 3.
It’s Memorial Day weekend, which marks the official kickoff of summer barbecue season. If you’re hosting or going to a gathering over the holiday weekend, don’t just offer up a boring dessert like chocolate chip cookies or brownies. Why not try making a zippy, summer-y key lime pie with a pretzel crust?
There are many ways to eat fresh peaches, but have you ever thought about grilling them? This week, executive chef Robert Nixon of Toscana’s Restaurant & Lounge at PebbleCreek (Robson Resort Communities), offers up his grilled Arizona Peach Flatbread recipe.
The recipe calls for pizza dough, which you can pick up at Trader Joe’s in lieu of making it yourself, but Nixon says you can also use lavosh or French bread. Arizona peaches are coming into season, so it’s the perfect time to for some local fruit love. “The season is about two months,” he says. “All the farmers’ markets are going to have them soon.”
In February, Oregano’s Pizza Bistro rolled out the Power Greens Salad because Oregano's founder, Mark Russell, joked that he wanted a healthy salad he could eat after going to the gym, says Nadia Salem, Oregano’s Director of Culinary. So Salem and Russell put their heads together and came up with a kale-heavy salad that customers can’t seem to get enough of. “It gives you so much power and energy because of the protein and vitamins,” Salem says. “It’s been such a popular salad for us.”
If you're hankering for pasta carbonara, but want to forgo the eggs and heavy cream (not a traditional ingredient, but many recipes include it), Needle Rock Kitchen & Tap executive chef Paul Steele has lightened up the recipe for you. Instead, he uses heart-healthy olive oil.
While the nights are still balmy, you might be looking for a reason to eat al fresco. Jeff Coonce, executive chef at Robson Ranch Grill in Eloy, shares a steak recipe that’s great for entertaining and is partially cooked on the barbecue.
The peak season for English peas is short, says Jacques Qualin, chef de cuisine of The Phoenician’s J&G Steakhouse. “At the beginning of spring, the peas are really tender and sweet.” So, once in a while – not every year – Qualin puts sweet pea soup on the menu for about 6 to 8 weeks to take advantage of the season.
RecipesRecipe Friday: PNPK Broccoli Salad
Marilyn HawkesApril 13, 2018
When Grape Bistro owner Kellie Pruitt unexpectedly lost her 17-year-old daughter in July 2016, she stepped away from running the Scottsdale restaurant. "My whole life went crazy after that," Pruitt says. The restaurant stayed open while she spent time trying to heal. She hiked a lot on Pinnacle Peak and decided to reopen the restaurant under the new name, PNPK, as an homage to the mountain that helped her cope with her unimaginable grief.
Spring has officially arrived and Valley chefs have been busy testing out recipes and writing menus. In mid-March, Doughbird, Sam Fox's pizza and rotisserie chicken concept, rolled out a new happy hour bar menu (from 2-5 p.m.) with $4 slices of pizza and a couple of other snacks, including roasted shishito peppers.