If you thought making salsa was hard, I am going to show how to make easy salsa verde in 20 minutes.
Here is what you will need:
1lb of Tomatillos 1 White Onion 1 Serrano or Jalapeño Pepper 1 Garlic Clove 1/2 cup of Cilantro Salt to taste
Makes about 2 cups.
Instructions:
Tomatillos have an outside layer, called a husk. Shuck the husk of the tomatillo and leave the tomatillo whole. Discard the husk, you will not need it.
Line a baking sheet with foil and spread the tomatillos out on the baking sheet. Cut the onion in four pieces and place on the baking sheet.
If you like a lot of heat in your salsa roast the serrano pepper along with the tomatillos and onion without removing any seeds. For less heat, use a jalapeño, and remove half or all of the seeds.
Make sure the top rack in your oven is about six inches from the broiler. Slide the baking sheet in the oven and let the vegetables roast, turning them over every 5-6 minutes until all sides are roasted.
When finished, transfer everything, including the juices to a food processor or a blender. Add the fresh cilantro, garlic clove, and blend.
Add salt to taste, grab some tortilla chips, and enjoy!
Easy Salsa Verde in 20 minutes or less.
What is your favorite kind of salsa, red or green?
Leo’s Chorizo Burrito is the most delicious chorizo burrito I have ever had. Slightly spicy and packed full of flavor.
We have eaten our fair share of chorizo, so when we walked up to the counter we immediately asked, how is the chorizo? The counter person said, “We have the best chorizo. No lie.” He was not lying!
Here is how I order my Leo’s Chorizo Burrito:
Light Egg, Extra Cheese. The Chorizo burrito also has potatoes inside, leave them alone. The potatoes are nicely proportioned within the burrito.
They have other items on their menu. They are all good, but Leo’s Chorizo Burrito is the star of the show.
TIP: Leo’s Tacos & Burritos is closed on Sundays and Mondays
Total Cost: $9.78
Location Visited: 10277 W. McDowell Road Avondale, Arizona 85392
You know when you see a mass of people waiting to be seated at a restaurant, long lines at a retail shop or anywhere, you think, whatever they are selling must be good.
This was Drunk Munk. Twice, I had eaten at a restaurant across the street and each time I noticed the loads of people at Drunk Munk, having such a good time. I made a mental note to add Drunk Munk to my must-try list.
My husband and I finally stopped by for happy hour. This is what we had:
Bottle Rockets $12
Pork Pot Stickers $12.50
Spicy Teriyaki Ribs $14.50
Bikini Girl Cocktail $14.50
Flower Goddess Cocktail $12.50
I listed the regular menu pricing. During happy hour there are select menu items half off. Everything we ordered was on the happy hour menu.
Although everything we had was scrumptious, I would not pay full price for anything we had.
The Bottle Rockets were the best! Shrimp, cream cheese, scallion, wrapped in a spring roll wrapper, and fried. The Bottle Rockets were served with sriracha and sweet chili orange sauce. The Bottle Rockets are even worth trying to duplicate at home.
The Pork Pot Stickers were good but nothing special. A bag of Trader Joe’s pot stickers is comparative for much less and a larger quantity. My family hates it when I compare dining out food costs to grocery food costs. haha
Spicy Teriyaki Ribs were tasty, tender and dipped in the standard teriyaki sauce you would find at your local Asian restaurant. While eating the ribs, I said to my husband, it felt like it should have included a side of rice.
The cocktails! The drinks! The libations! Whatever you want to call them, they are why everyone at Drunk Munk always seemed so happy and having a wonderful time. The cocktails were superb.
My husband had the Bikini Girl cocktail, much like a Pina Colada. I had the Flower Goddess Cocktail, mimicking a Sex on the Beach cocktail. There was no skimping on the liquor. I had to ask the bartender to add a little more juice to balance out the drink for me.
So, if you are looking for great drinks, hit up Drunk Munk for cocktails, sit under the cute tiki hut outside, and order a few appetizers.
Total bill without tax and tip: $66 regular menu price $33 happy hour menu price
Location Visted: The Drunk Munk Tiki Bar & Restaurant 7133 E. Stetson Drive, Suite 1 Scottsdale, Arizona 85251
I learned about Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant from my co-worker. He knows all about the speakeasies, wineries, and bars. He is very thorough in his analysis, so I took him at his word when he said the winery was cool. I do not know if my restaurant experience was in the forefront of my mind, but I vaguely remember him not really raving about the restaurant side of things, but going into detail about the winery. As you read on, you will see why both sentiments may be the case.
I made a reservation through Open Table the same day, and we ventured out. Make a reservation more than a day in advance if you want to be seated indoors, because reservations fill up fast. We were able to snag a table outdoors on the patio. Thank goodness the weather was nice, cool, and misters going made it a bit chilly for me. Good thing, I always have a jacket for backup.
Patrons’ attire ranged from dressed up to casual. We were somewhere in between.
When you first walk-in there is a retail area where you can purchase Cooper’s Hawk branded wine, wine glasses, and other wine accessories. As you walk through the retail shop, the reservation check-in area is situated right outside the restaurant entrance. Off to the left, the wine tasting area spans across the side wall, and it was packed full of wine tasters. The wine tasting does not take reservations and is on a first-come, first-serve basis. The attendants said to allow 45 minutes to one-hour for the tastings, if you plan to participate before a dinner reservation.
With the reservation we waited approximately 15 minutes for our table to be ready. Once we were seated, we were offered two complimentary wine tastings each. I tried two white wines, Gewürztraminer and Blanc de Blanc. I appreciated them both, but I was surprisingly delighted by the Gewürztraminer. I had previously researched this wine, and it was described as the “grown up Moscato.” That description was quite accurate, a white wine, sweet but not too sweet and delicious on its own.
I was feeling adventurous, so I already knew I would order a wine flight as opposed to a single glass of wine. The flight allowed four options. You can choose a pre-selected bubbles, white, red, or lux flight for $18.99-$22.99. You can create your own flight for $21.99. I built my own flight, two white wines, Cooper’s Hawk White and Reisling. I also added two red wines, Cooper’s Hawk Red and Lux Cabernet. The two red wines were not my favorite. One, I am not a fan of wine being served warm, even though this is the red wine etiquette. I wanted to break all the rules and add a few cubes of ice, but I did not. Two, one of the red wines was spicy. I am also not a fan of wines that leave a hotness on your palate. I chose the reds to accompany my main dish, which was beef. Both white wines were shockingly smooth, and delightful. Made me regret choosing reds, at all. I enjoyed both whites overall, but the Riesling most of all.
Moving on to the underwhelming part of the evening, the food, and maybe I should not say it was completely underwhelming. The Brussel Sprouts were amazing. This is what we ordered:
Key Lime Pie – Fresh-Squeezed Citrus, Graham Cracker Crust, Whipped Cream, Lime Dust, $10.99.
The braised short rib was edible, but I had to jazz it up with parmesan cheese, and then I could eat at least half of it with the added cheese flavor. I should have been warned when the people at the table next to us left their Short Rib Risotto unfinished. The turkey burger was nicely seasoned with natural herbs but lacked salt. The Shrimp & Scallop Risotto arrived late, and it is not pictured because it immediately went back. The Shrimp & Scallop Risotto lacked and missed the mark all the way around. Aesthetics, flavor, and timeliness. I was shocked to learn this dish is a chef’s recommendation on the menu. It should be removed immediately from the entire menu.
Both desserts were complimentary, due to the late food and the lack of quality of the Shrimp & Scallop Risotto. I did not try the Reese’s Ice Cream Cookie, but can you go wrong with Reese’s and Ice Cream? I hope not. The Key Lime Pie was very good. I am a Key Lime Pie connoisseur, so take my word.
Despite the not-so-great experience with the main courses, overall, I would return to Cooper’s Hawk Winery, and indulge in their extensive wine list. As my co-worker described it, it is certainly a great place. The winery is impeccable. We decided as a group that if we must eat when visiting Cooper’s Hawk Winery, the appetizers are the way to go, because have you ever had a terrible appetizer, anywhere?
There are several locations across the United States. In Arizona, there are four locations, Chandler, Gilbert, Scottsdale and Surprise.
The blog world says that a good blog post should be at least 500 words, and that is even short if you want true engagement.
I am willing to risk it for this blog post, because Crust Brothers Pizza does not need 500 words to get the point across that their pizza is piping hot, crispy pepperoni, thin crust goodness!
Ya’ll, Crust Brothers Pizza is 30-miles from our home, and we have been to Crust Brothers quite a few times. We drove to their Scottsdale location not knowing we would be overjoyed with the oohhh… ohhh… ahhh… ahhh… juggling and burning in our mouths from their simple pepperoni pizza. Let us be clear, my use of the word simple is by no means to say that their pizza is boring. It is so simply good that it is superior to many of the over-complicated pizzerias around the valley.
Crust Brothers Pizza has 4.7 stars out of 5 on Google, that is what drew me to Crust Brothers in my search for the best pizza around. I can confirm that the reviews are real. Well, I cannot confirm that they are real, but from our experience they are very real. Even if they are not, my review is certainly real and worth a drive.
Crust Brothers Pizza has a full menu of pizza, salads, baked subs, and so on but I am a pepperoni pizza girl.
I would ask that you to let the folks over at Crust Brothers know that I sent you, but they do not know me. Laughs Out Loud!
We ordered a 16” pizza for $20 with pepperoni for an additional $2.50. We shared it amongst 2-3 people each visit, with leftovers each time.
You can visit their Scottsdale, Arizona location and my fellow pizza connoisseur sister informed me that they have a new location in Tempe, Arizona.
Let me know your favorite pizza spot in the comments, so I can add them to my list to try!
Location visited: 7342 E. Shea Blvd., #11 Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
New Location: 5100 S. McClintock Dr., Units 101 Tempe, Arizona 85282
Sharonda Shariee - Life, Curiosity, Meaningful Experiences 