Farfalle with Tomatoes and Corn

Good weekend!

I told you that from time to time I would share some recipes with you that I find are worth the type. This past week the Mrs. and me were trying to think of a new way to get our kids to eat pasta. They were getting sick of spaghetti and mac&cheese. I thought if we used a different noodle it might spice it up and seem like a new meal. With kids ranging from 5-12 it's hard to find one thing they all like. We decided to use a box of Barilla Piccolini Mini Farfalla as the little bow ties might pique the kids interest. On the back of the box was a recipe for "Mini Farfala with Tomatoes and Corn". We looked at the ingredients and figured out we had everything it required and thought what the heck. My wife cooked up some chunks of chicken that we could throw in and it was awesome. It reminded me of a light lunch pasta you would get at most Italian restaurants. So here it is:

• 1 box Barilla Piccolini Mini Farfalle
• 28 ounce can diced tomatoes or 2 pounds plum tomatoes (we used the canned but I bet it tastes great with the fresh tomatoes)
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp chopped onion (I prefer yellow)
• 1 15 ounce can of corn drained
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese grated
• 4 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

PLACE the fresh tomatoes (if using plum tomatoes) in boiling water for 30-60 seconds to blanch; peel the skin, remove the seeds and chop.....come to think of it that's why we elected to go with the canned, allot easier! SAUTE onion in olive oil over medium heat for 5 minutes COOK pasta according to package directions ADD tomatoes to skillet and simmer for 3 minutes; season with salt and pepper ADD corn and simmer for 2 minutes DRAIN pasta and toss with sauce STIR in cheese and basil before serving.

This will make a huge bowl that you can heat up again latter in the week and add another meat like some Italian sausage, salty prosciutto or sirloin steak like I did with our left over steak from Maddox that I couldn't finish on my birthday.

Get some garlic bread and a salad to throw on the side and chase it with a nice cold Coke. Num, num!

Enjoy!

PIZZA!

It's Friday tomorrow and that usually means pizza in my household. We hold Friday night movie/pizza night and my kids have come to expect it.

What makes the perfect pizza in my mind? It has to be the right combination of crust, sauce, cheese and toppings. When one of those dominates the other your pizza is out of balance with the force and therefore affects ones enjoyment. Have you ever had a pizza with too much sauce? All you can taste is tomato paste and the pizza will be very tangy. Or if there is too much cheese it will slide off taking the toppings with it and then you have to get a fork and who wants to eat pizza with a fork (unless it's deep dish). I do watch out for Greek style pizzas with feta cheese as I feel the feta overpowers a lot of  the other flavors on the pizza. If there is too much crust you can get bloated real quick. Loads of toppings is probably the least offensive of this group as sometimes I feel like a mambo-combo with lots of stuff and sometimes I just feel like pepperoni but a lot of onions can kill your taste buds real quick.

There are so many different types of pizzas and pizza restaurants. Some pizza joints specialize in specialty pizzas like "The California Pizza Kitchen". I've sampled about a dozen of their specialty pizzas on the road as well as locally and have enjoyed them all. There is always a debate which area of the Country has the best pizza. The thin crust specialty pizzas of the west coast, the deep dish pizzas of Chicago, or the fold able pizzas of New York. I don't know what kind of pizza's they eat down south but if I had to pick one style I would probably pick.....all three as I have favorites in all types.

Here is a list of some of my favorite pizzas and pizza joints:

• Pier 49 San Francisco Sourdough Pizza - Barbecue Chicken - One of the first specialty pizzas I ever tried and loved. Great combination of chicken, sauce and onions. The crust is good enough to eat on its own as well.
• Brick Oven Pizza - Italiano Romano - This pizza joint from Provo just recently opened in Layton and has excellent pizza. They truly have pizza pie which is a cross between a regular pizza and Chicago deep dish. Their homemade root beer is excellent. It's fun to check out their menus from the 50's as there was a pizza with tuna fish on it. Yikes! Seafood pizzas are big on the coast and should stay on the coast.
• The Pizza Factory - This is a chain that started in St. George and has moved across the state. There pizza reminds me of Shakey's Pizza that used to be here and is all over the west coast. My kids go for the bread twists and make sure you get the dipping sauces. It's thin crust but has the right balance I look for in a pizza as well as a killer salad bar.
• Pizza Perfect (Centerville, UT.) - This is a very local joint but their crumbled sausage is awesome and they have a yummy chewy crust that holds up well. Their blue cheese dressing for their salad is excellent.  Robintino's (Bountiful, UT.) is another local recommendation.
• Papa John's - Barbecue Chicken Bacon - This is my favorite chain pizza joint as I love their crust that reminds me of a soft pretzel. 
• The Pie Pizzeria - When I want a gut-bomb pizza this is the place. Their 10 pound pizzas are made for hungry college kids but I can usually down at least two...pieces. Get their meat lovers and you will feel your blood pressure rise....in a good way.
• Cinegrill (SLC, UT.) - Nothing too crazy about their pizzas but they just taste homemade if I had an Italian grandmother that made pizzas. Sounds corny but try them. Their house dressing and lasagna is also highly recommended.

So there are a few places and specialty pizzas to try. There are also pizza joints around the country I will mention when I focus on those cities in future entries so stay tuned and have a yummy weekend!

Carson

My TOP 5 Local

Can I just start this with I'm through with winter! I ski about once every 5 years so winter just doesn't excite me at all. I build one snowman a year and go sleigh riding once a year and since I can do that all in one week winter should only be ONE WEEK! I loved how Christmas day was 45 degrees and sunny and then the next day it snowed non stop and the snow hasn't melted since. There are probably a few Christmas presents I lost from the car to the front door frozen out on the front lawn.

But enough about that. I'm excited to list my 5 favorite local restaurants. I personally think Utah has some of the best food in the world. It really is a mixed bag of all countries. I used to live in Roy and there is a Chinese restaurant for every 20 citizens up there. In Syracuse we have a pizza joint for every 20 citizens. But it's only a 20 minute drive to get Greek, Indian, Vietnamese, Colombian, Chinese, Japanese, Italian etc...which is nice. I've eaten from Logan to St. George, from Moab to Delta so I've covered this great state and have compiled the following:

1. Maddox Restaurant, Perry, UT. I've been going there for the last 35 years and since I'm not quite 40 that means all my life. My grandparents had been going there since they lived there in the 40's. It is where I had my first steak that I can remember and my menu item of choice is the spicy sirloin with a baked potato and marinated mushrooms. When you can enjoy a steak without cutting a lot of fat off of it and without doctoring it up with Heinz 57 or A-1 then it's a winner in my book. The buffalo steaks are just as good but I still go with the cow 90% of the time. But before I move on let me tell you about their rolls and corn bread spears. I can eat a basket of those and it would be well worth the trip from anywhere in the state. The rolls are better than any I had in grade school (when grade schools used to cook the food themselves and you could smell the rolls cooking at the other end of the school, shout out Centerville elementary tigers!) They are so soft and fresh. WARNING: They will bring you as many baskets as you ask for. So you can fill up on them before you know it and then you might as well get your meal to go so be careful. The corn bread spears are just as tasty and I like adding a dollop of butter and shot of honey on each bite. Awesome!  http://www.maddoxfinefood.com/
2. Red Iguana, Salt Lake City, UT. When I think Mexican food there is only one place that jumps right to the front of my grey matter and that is this place. Now I want to say that Utah has some of the best Mexican in the country. But when I want what I feel is authentic Mexican I head here. I think it's because of the mole sauces that they use. It gives many dishes a different taste that you don't find at other Mexican restaurants. My menu item of choice is the Puntas with the almond mole. I've had so many of there menu items and they are all excellent but this one is the cream of the crop. As with Maddox rolls do not tank up on the chips and salsa as you want to be ready for the main course even though I could eat a couple of baskets.     http://rediguana.com/home.html
3. Martine Cafe, Salt Lake City, UT. I've had french onion soup in Paris but nothing compares to the french onion soup at Martines. Their lunch specials are excellent and I always garnish them with this soup. There dinners are just as unique and delicious. There menu changes every so often so every time I go I'm excited to try something new. Once the downtown City Center project is completed it will be even harder to get reservations so hit this place sooner rather than later.     http://martinecafe.com/
4. The Other Place Restaurant, Salt Lake City, UT. The Greek community in Utah is amazing and I will dedicate an entry on that alone soon but there is one dish at one Greek restaurant that makes me Opa! and its the Mezidakia plate at The Other Place. When I was working downtown a gentleman came in for a loan and mentioned he owned this restaurant. I had never heard of this place and thought what a strange name for a restaurant as there was nothing Greek about it. He invited my manager and I over for lunch and ordered us this plate. It has chicken and pork chunks that have been marinating for days so the pork is as tender as the chicken. You also get some dolmadis (stuffed grape leaves), tomato's, cucumber, feta cheese, kalamata olives and a side of pita bread. So simple but yet so satisfying. I can't help but think people have been eating this dish for thousands of years. There's nothing like a good souvlaki stick as well. I just wish they had their own web-site????  http://utah.citysearch.com/profile/10384514/salt_lake_city_ut/the_other_place_restaurant.html
5. Mandarin Restaurant, Bountiful, UT. I have favorite Chinese dishes at so many restaurants around the state but I always compare them to the Mandarin. If you didn't grow up in Davis County you will definitely want to Map quest it as it's right in the middle of a residential section of town but come by car, train or camel. Every dish has it's own signature sauce that makes it unique. Some places the Mongolian beef tastes similar to the cashew chicken but not here. My menu item of choice IS the cashew chicken. Talk about fresh and tasty. Nothing deep fried here. Just excellent flavors dancing all over your mouth. I love the beef and asparagus when its in season. Their five taste shrimp is a signature dish as well. The ambiance makes it even better as you'll think you dropped into a restaurant on the Yangtze River when you visit.     http://www.mandarinutah.com/

There you have it! I think I've given you enough options for every weekend over the next month so go try them. Please let me know what you think!

Until next week!
Carson

My TOP 5 National

A new year and a time to start fresh. One of my resolutions is to get my kids to eat more veggies. If only I could get them to taste like Doritos or Milk Duds!

I promised last week to list my top 5 national and local restaurants so another one of my resolutions is to follow through on my promises. Before I do let me break down how I arrived at both:

National: By national I mean a restaurant outside of my home state of Utah. We have been inundated with national chains recently i.e. In-N-Out and Cheesecake Factory so they would not count as national anymore. If any restaurant on my national list ends up coming to Utah I will move them to local or substitute them with a new one. Ah the power of your own blog!

Local: Local means just that. Located in my home state of Utah. I've lived in Texas and Alberta, Canada and will list my favorites there in due time.

I will list my top 5 national first with the accompanying URL so you can check out locations and menus. I will give a brief description of the story behind each one. I will story the national ones this week and the local ones next week as we live in an attention deficit society and I don't want this blog to be 10 pages. Of course all of the following met my Road Commandment qualifications.

NATIONAL TOP 5: (is that ominous enough!)

1. The Boat House restaurant on the island of Coronado, San Diego, CA. I was on a work related review when a group of us stumbled onto this place cruising around San Diego. We had hit Old Town and the Gas Lamp district but one night cruised out to this island to check out the hotel that was used in the Marilyn Monroe movie "Some Like It Hot" (if you have not seen it go buy it, it's a riot). It met all of my Road Commandments so we decided to check it out. I ordered the macadamian crusted halibut as you have to go seafood on any coastal visit. It came with a salad, killer rolls, garlic mashed potato's (instead of the rice) and asparagus drizzled with a rosemary butter sauce. To this day my favorite dish I've ever eaten. I have been back a few times and it is just as good so I know it wasn't a fluke. My travel mates let me sample their dishes and they were all great but they all wanted more of my halibut. I've referred this dish and restaurant to many and have not heard any bad reviews so go and do thou like wise!                             http://www.boathouserestaurant.com/
2. Cherry Creek Grill, Denver, CO. This was referred to me by a co-worker who had spent tons of money at the near by Cherry Creek Mall shopping. My menu item of choice is the Prime Rib French Dip sandwich. You heard me right! Prime Rib!!!!! The issue I've always had with french dip sandwiches is the bread. It usually gets soggy and falls apart before you can get it to your mouth. This roll they have the Prime Rib piled on soaks up the au jus and it permeates the meat so each bite blows up in your mouth, in a good way. Awesome! It used to come with shoe string fries but now it comes with their seasonal veggie which makes you feel better about eating healthy anyway. Cherry Creek is part of the Hillstone restaurant family and when you click on the Cherry Creek tab on the link below it will show you a picture of this heavenly sandwich:                 http://www.hillstone.com/
3. Claim Jumper, located in most western states. A few employees at a bank a co-worker from Houston and I were working at in southern California recommended this restaurant. I knew of a Claim Jumper restaurant in Park City but this is not the same place. The menu is as big as the Cheesecake Factory and the portions are huge. My co-worker got the turkey dinner that had what looked like the whole breast on his plate. I went with the ribs and cheesy potato cakes. You also get your choice of bread and I go with the sour dough roll that is right out of the oven. I've had a bunch of dishes there as my family enjoyed eating at the one just out side of Disney Land when we were down there a few years ago and even the kids loved it. Warning: I didn't like the french onion soup however as the onion petals were too big. Maybe that was just the one in Vegas but I thought I would throw that out there anyways.        http://www.claimjumper.com/
4. Lou Malnatis Pizzeria, Chicago, IL. A lady I was traveling while in Chicago was raving about the deep dish pizza at Lou's. We ate at the one in Schaumberg and it didn't disappoint. Deep dish in Utah usually means grease dish. The dough is either underdone or saturated with grease. This pizza was at least 4 inches thick and the crust was perfect. The toppings were very fresh and the sausage was to die for. Now there are a lot of deep dish places in Chicago with Uno and Duo's being most familiar but I would give Lou's my business. You can even order their frozen pizzas on line and have them delivered here. Nice!          http://www.loumalnatis.com//
5. Knowlwoods, So. CA. chain. OK all of you In-N-Out fans. No disrespect to you but the best burger in California is located here. I would put it up with Crown Burgers or Training Table here in Utah. The BBQ beef sandwich is a monster and fantastic. The grilled salmon was excellent as well. The fries and onion rings are done to perfection and the atmosphere at their locations make it memorable. A must visit when taking the kiddies on a vacation.         http://www.knowlwoodrestaurants.com/

So there you have them. As we move along through the year I will isolate my top 5 in certain cities and also list recommendations to cities I have yet to travel in as more and more people are giving me recommendations. Keep them coming as I would like to make this a one stop shop for good grub!

Have a great week!