Paletas Betty - A Cool Spot in Chandler

I have now experienced Paletas Betty three times and each time has been a refreshing pleasure! The first time I tasted Paletas Betty was when my friend Iris treated me for my birthday in the begining of this year. We picked out several flavors and then brought them home to share with the family. We cut up the paletas in cubes, so that we could all sample every flavor! I can't recall all the flavors we tried that evening. I remember loving them all. But, being the spice loving kinda gal that I am, I had to try the mango con chile. It was a zippy treat, that was at the same time sweet/tangy and cold/hot. I'm not going to share next time.

The second visit, I attempted to treat my friend to her first Paletas Betty. But, I didn't recall that they only take cash or check. I wasn't able to get cash from the nearby Irish pubs ATM. (That's another story, that ended in tears, to say the least.) But, Betty being so thoughtful and wanting me to have a happy experience that day, bought a Paleta of my choice to cheer me up. That's not something she does on the regular, I'm sure. But, it certainly locked me into loyal fan status, as if the freshly hand crafted frozen pops aren't enough. The Mexican hot chocolate was delicious, by the way. My friend Ninette was pleasantly surprised by her Arroz con leche...nice & creamy & just the right amount of sweetness.

On our third visit this Sunday, we multiplied into a group of 7 adults and 2 energetic toddlers. Our group tried had Mexican Chocolate, Arroz con Leche, Sandia (Watermelon/mint), Puro Mango, Nuez (creamy roasted pecans), Fresa con Crema (Strawberries/Cream) and Platano (bananas foster/caramel/rum). There was not a popsicle stick left unlicked in our bunch.

Our two rambunctious toddlers amused themselves for a long time with the stickers that come with each pop, as the adults chilled on the mod indoor seating, sipping on complimentary water infused with orange slices and mint. For fun, you can also bring your Paletas Betty sticker with you on your travels and photograph it in interesting places. Email it to them, and if chosen, you can win a free paleta! Lastly, let me just say, these are not ordinary popsicles. You can tell that these are hand crafted with lots of attention and love, with only the best ingredients. They have some heft to them and will be a perfect after meal treat on a warm-scorching hot AZ day.

I'll be keeping my eye out for their "carrito" rolling around the Downtown Chandler Farmer's market every Thursday. You can also hire Paletas Betty for your event and they can even create custom flavors for your event. I only wish they were around back in '05 for our wedding!

*Please note: Paletas Betty currently accepts cash and check only.

p.s. Betty shared her recipe for her mango chile paleta < here >

My First Pair of Adidas

What: Hey Joe! Filipino Street Food
Where: Tempe Outrigger Regatta AZ Ohana, Tempe Town Lake
When: Apr 9, 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Description: Look for Garlic Fried Rice and Over Easy Eggs in the Morning


Obviously, these are not the kind of Adidas to lace up for your next race.


Believe me, it wasn't my first choice on Hey Joe's menu. We came out for the #5 "The Hey Joe" consisting of one Pork BBQ, one Chicken BBQ & two pork Lumpia ($8) and to watch the 6th Annual Tempe Outrigger Regatta AZ Ohana races.



Unfortunately, the combination of an unusually cold day & a row of tents full of hungry outrigger athletes meant that the truck was SOLD OUT of FOOD even before my family arrived at noon! Too bad we didn't follow them on twitter, because Brian apparently tweeted about how they ran out of food earlier. If you're a die hard Hey Joe! fan, you better follow their tweets!


Disappointed but still determined to eat something, anything from Hey Joe's truck - I insanely asked if they were out of Chicken Feet. To my dismay, they weren't! So, after a bit of some more good natured prodding - I coaxed Chef Brian into also selling us his last four bananas. The Adidas and banana-ques totaled $10.


The vegan banana-que came out first. The warmth of the banana-que really hit the spot as we stood out in the cold lakeside air. We gobbled down four! Nevertheless, we just wished the banana was much sweeter. Hey Joe's banana-Q's were lightly caramelized with sugar. Brian explained that's how a lot of his customers like it. I still requested that he try making it the way I like it - encrusted with a thick caramelized shiny sugar coating.

We were pleasantly surprised that the guys inside Hey Joe's truck rummaged up a nice complimentary sampling of their atchara, one lumpia aka egg roll and their VEGAN -Organic Mung Bean with Coconut Milk and Local Spinach aka Ginataang Mongo.


Coconut in this vegan version is a refreshingly different flavor than what I'm normally used to in my family's mungo dish. I'd order the full size portion of this, if we venture out to the Phoenix Downtown farmer market tomorrow where Hey Joe and other trucks from the street food coalition will be.

What: Phoenix Public Market
Where: 14 East Pierce Street Phoenix
When: Apr 20, 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM

But I'll be experimenting with coconut in my next batch of non-vegan Humble Mungo Guisado, with pork, shrimp and patis. Hey Joe's pork lumpia was tasty, with a hint of citrus. If given the opportunity, I'd have pounded half a dozen of those. But I'd need two scoops of rice and a side of Thai Sweet Chili sauce. Their atchara of pickled green papaya & ginger, although not spicy, was still satisfyingly crunchy, tangy & sweet. (It's a perfect pairing with any BBQ skewer.) It especially helped me through my first experience of Adidas. Which I found, of course, tastes just like chicken! It was actually not bad. But, I won't be ordering it again. Once passed the familiarly tasty crispy skin, I just couldn't bring myself to eat the chewy sinews between the tiny bones.

I can't believe I ate it, but at least I tried it. But, this along with the other two items listed under "For The Brave" on Hey Joe's menu (Balut and Chicken Ass) are definitely ones to pair with beer if you go out to the Bikini Lounge this Friday, April 22 9:30 pm - 2 am on 16th Ave & Grand Ave. Be sure to check their online calendar for their next location. I couldn't find a review for Hey Joe! on Urbanspoon yet, so I put in a request for it to be added to their databanks. But I give Hey Joe's a 4 out of 5 for their mungo & accomodating service.

---update--9:07pm
I just got an email from jen @ urbanspoon. she added Hey Joe! per my suggestion. awesome.


Still needing to fill our gullets, we headed over to the nearby Paradise Hawaiian BBQ across from the ASU stadium. We recieved lukewarm service with our affordable combo plates of delicious korean kalbi, rice, noodles, meat jun, chicken katsu, seaweed salad and mac salad. We were so hungry. We pounded the food before we could even take a picture. (Side note: They don't have a restroom, no diaper changing table and no children's high chairs. I believe there's a restroom outside of the building, somewhere...I guess that's part of the college town atmosphere.) Well, I will say this, eat there. You'll most likely enjoy whatever you order, regardless of the lackluster service & lacking comforts.

Cake Pops - Round 1

I'm so smitten by Bakerella's cake pops and all the cake pop versions that have popped up. Especially Papertreats woodland cake pops:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/papertreats/4146549643/in/set-72157622247904362/

I figured they would be super cute for my daughter's first birthday coming up next month. So, despite the odds, I managed to make my first experimental batch. But there were several casualties. This shroom was top heavy and crashed with the weight of the choco dip.

I'll have to make sure i push the stick all the way up the shroom cap next time. It'll also be a good idea to not bring out all of the pops from the fridge. Just take out a few at a time, to keep them cold during the dipping. I also suggest using a little brush to paint on the choco dip.

Yet these were still delicious, moist and most important to me - not too sweet. I did alter the recipes that I found online for the "glue" frosting. I used only 3/4 cup powdered sugar instead of a whole dang box that most recipes called for. It's even less than the 2 cups called for in some "less sweet" recipes. But, I did add 3/4 cup coconut cream powder and 1/2 serving (about 2 oz) of unsweetened organic applesauce. (Yes, I borrowed it from my daughter's food drawer...tsk-tsk-tsk....shhh, don't tell her.)

These are the almost finished cake pops. The owls and hedge hogs don't have their faces painted on yet. The mushrooms need they're classic spots. But, I'm starting to think, realistically I don't have time to do all that anyways. Don't they look cute as is?

Dark Choco Cake recipe used:

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/dessert/recipe-dark-chocolate-cake-014696 (i sub'd milk with soy milk because that's what i had in the fridge...it turned out fine to me. next time i'll try it with milk to see the difference)

"glue" frosting:

blend all of this together on med speed: 1 pkg of cream cheese, 1 stick of butter, 1 tsp vanilla, 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar, 3/4 cup coconut cream powder, 1/2 serving of unsweetened applesauce (about 2 oz).

My Review of Pumpkin and Banana Baby Food - 6 pack

Originally submitted at Diapers.com

Plum Baby - Pumpkin and Banana - 6 pack

Our pouches enable us to naturally preserve the flavors and freshness of our foods without additives or preservatives. Using only organic fruits and vegetables, our unique recipes are gently cooked to preserve nutrients.

...

Pumpkin and Banana Baby Food - 6 pack

Pumpkin+Banana=YUM!

By cactusmango from AZ on 6/30/2010

 

5out of 5

Pros: Tasty, Easy to Use

Best Uses: Meals, Snacks, Infants, Toddlers

Describe Yourself: First Time Parent

Pumpkin+Banana=YUM! Its like smoothy...i had too stop myself from eating it all. my baby loved it all up.

(legalese)

Potluck Potato Salad

Summer time is here! What better way to welcome the hot arizona temps, than with Pool Party Potlucks? Our little family of three will be attending our first one today, carrying with us a nice big vat of potato salad. {Never mind the diet, besides I invested in a new tankini that I can wear comfortably while pounding all the yummy food!}

This potato salad has bright flavor yet is quite filling, so it'd be an insult to call this a side dish. One sad thing about this, is I forgot to grab a bag of pistachios! Ay-yay-yay! I hang my head low and pout. But, I'm hoping the pound of fried chopped bacon {thanks dar} might distract the pool party peeps from what's missing. Maybe they won't even know. But I know.

MarMar's Potluck Potato Salad

2 c Olive Oil Mayo
1 c Dijon Mustard
3 t roasted organic garlic
2 red organic apples
3 calamansi
2 c chopped celery
2 c chopped red onions
6 hard boiled organic eggs
1 package bacon
10 regular sized red potatoes {I deliberated long and hard about getting the organic bag...but, it was $3 more, so I caved I got regular instead}
4 sprigs fresh organic dill
ground dill weed, salt + pepper to taste

1. Wash and quarter potatoes. Boil in lightly salted water & garlic until fork-tender. Remove from water and let cool in fridge.
2. Using same the same boiling water for your eggs. Cook until hard-boiled. Let cool then peel and chop.
3. Fry bacon and chop when cool. Reserve bacon grease. Set aside.
4. Chop onions and celery and saute in bacon grease. Set aside.
5. Rinse and chop dill.
6. Rinse and chop the apples and squeeze calamansi {or lemon} on it to keep it from browning.
7. Mix the mayo, ground dill, salt, pepper, chopped fresh dill and roasted garlic.
8. In a large bowl, hand toss all the ingredients. {If you have pistachios, go for it! You'll love 'em.}
8. Put back in fridge to chill before the party. When transporting it, put it in a cooler.
9. Oh, and don't forget, to compost your veggie scraps and eggs shells ;)

Happy Memorial Weekend!

Humble Mungo Guisado

I've been craving this for a long while and finally whipped up a batch yesterday. There is something so comforting and wholly satisfying about sitting down to a humble steaming bowl of mungo guisado.

I usually call my mom, for cooking instructions, but since she's is in the Philippines right now, I had to suffice with following recipes I found online. You can easily make this a vegetarian dish and it will still fill your tummy with goodness.





This is what I gathered online: Pre-boil the mung beans for about 30 min. Stir occasionaly to make sure the bottom doesn't burn. Sautee slices of pork in onions, garlic and tomatoes and patis (fish sauce) to taste. Stir in the cooked mung beans, along with as much broth as you want. I prefer my mungo to have lots of liquid. (Add shrimp and spinach) I would prefer to add kangkong leaves, but can't find them here in the desert. I'll have to see if LeeLee's or Mekong Plaza sells anything like it. But, a good alternative is spinach. Serve over steamed rice or eat without rice.

Here's a great video that I followed.  If you understand Tagalog, then the video will be easy to follow.  But, if not, here's the recipe that I followed from Panglasang Pinoy

Enjoy!

Gingerroot - 1st Impression

"Will go back for more." by CACTUSmango (1 review) February 17, 2009 - Likes it - I can say that I have stopped over for just a quick bite. I was running errands along Chandler Blvd. and my curiousity brought me to their hidden spot.

I loved loved loved their Kalamansi juice. It was spot on authentic, refreshing citrus drink that I enjoyed while living in the Philippines...It didn't taste watered down nor sugared up. This alone is cause for me to go out of my way to come back to Gingerroot.

I also ordered the Lumpia or Crispy Spring Roll appetizer to go and ate it while driving around doing my errands. They were piping hot, perfectly crispy on the outside, and the ground pork filling was tender with finely chopped chestnuts adding a nice delicate texture. Since, I was eating this in my car, I only occassionaly got to dip my Lumpia in their sauce, but, I must say...very nice, sweet 7 sour sauce. Also, the price of $7 for the Lumpia is well warranted, because they do not just give you three small rolls. There were roughly 8 pieces. I didn't get an exact count, because I ate them so quickly. Nor did I take any pictures, again, because I gobbled these up.

The gentleman serving me was friendly & informative. The food came out quickly. My hubby & I are planning on going there to try their dinner menu this Thursday. One thing I didn't tell my hubby, is that I saw they have a Magic Mic set up in one corner...If you know me, then you know how excited I was too see that.

And I'll be back to give an update with photos.