He's back...

Just when I thought I was so over chipotle, he seduced me again.

But he didn’t do it alone this time. He called in the big guns – fried potato chips. Damn. He knows my weakness and exploits it, clever little chile, that one.

I lost interest in him, even with his smoky hotness, when every time I turned around, there he was. He was smothering me!

Chipotle mayonnaise. Chipotle salsa. Chipotle hummus. Chipotle, chipotle, chipotle. I was sick of the little smoked jalapeno.

But then, the brainy folks at Kettle Foods decided to pair my ex with evaporated sugar cane juice, and dust their thick, crunchy, organic potato chips with the powdery elixir.

Oh… my… goodness… resistance is futile… smoky… sweet …organic.

He’s back and I couldn’t be happier.

I only have one tiny comment for the folks at Kettle (OK, two). First, I realize you’ve trademarked Chipotle Chili Barbeque™, but did you know that “chili” means bowl of stew? “Chile” is the correct spelling when you mean the actual chile pepper, according to Webster's Culinary Dictionary of the Arts.

Never mind, I just have to thank you for coming up with a fantastic flavor combination that made realize that I really can’t live without him – my little hot, chipotle.

Chocolate to the rescue...

I was going to blab blog about summer zucchini, and what do to with them, since they seem to be multiplying in my crisper drawer, but then I sat down for a quick lunch and my whole world just came to a screeching halt.

I heated up some veggie beef skewers in a chipotle BBQ sauce (an item I picked up for a study I was working on), made by a company called it’s all good (liars). The picture on the package looks enticing, like real grilled beef kabobs. To be fair, the package gives directions for grilling and sautéing but I took the quick microwave route.

The first thing I noticed when I cut open the bag (once they were heated) was the smell. My two puppies noticed it before I did, thinking I was making them a mid-day snack. I can’t even describe how awful they taste. Vegetarians are never going to win me over with this kind of stuff. Thank goodness for the little bit of kick from the chipotle sauce.

The first ingredient is water, followed by soy protein, vital wheat gluten, natural flavors, and then modified vegetable gum. What the heck is modified vegetable gum? And honestly, I don’t know what natural flavors they put into this, enough to be the third ingredient, yet taste like anything but natural.

I had to eat a New Tree cinnamon-kissed chocolate bar just to wash the taste out of my mouth.

Where Is She?

I did not fall of the face of the earth, contrary to my lack of blog posts. I just happened to have bit off more than I can chew – or juggle – at the moment. I spent 26 hours this weekend racking my not-so-pretty little brain for a food trends study. And before that, I crammed in a few restaurant reviews for PHOENIX Magazine and The Arizona Republic. And before that, I researched and wrote a huge coffee story for the fall edition of Edible Phoenix. And before that…. You get the idea.

So, I’ve not forgotten about all you faithful readers (all two of you?) and I hope to get back on track here shortly. In the meantime, how about a quick little recipe for Lemon Carrots? Doesn’t that sound refreshing and healthy? I could use a little dose of healthy – I’m back on the review trail in a few minutes.

Lemon Carrots

2 cups baby carrots

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

2-1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Boil carrots in water salted with 1/2 teaspoon of salt until crisp-tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and pat dry. In a saucepan, combine sugar, lemon juice and butter. Bring to a boil and cook until slightly thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in carrots and cook until heated through about another 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serves 4. (Recipe from The Great Ranch Cookbook, by me.)

Love, Luna

Luna bars are my go-to breakfast when time is short and I don’t feel like whipping up something fabulous, like raspberry French toast, or pecan and pumpkin pancakes.

Each bar is only 180 calories and chocked full of vitamins and minerals. The best part is they taste like a candy bar, only not nearly as cloying. My favorite flavor is Nuts Over Chocolate, a peanut and dark chocolate concoction, but I also love Iced Oatmeal Raisin and Peanut Butter Cookie.

And now I’ve discovered they've just introduced Luna Bar Minis. Woo hoo! Each little nugget is 80 calories and about three bites – just enough to sweeten my mouth and squelch any late morning tummy rumblings. The trick will be to not open more than one…or two.

More for Me

The best bite of dessert I think I’ve tasted is one of Eugenia Theodosopoulos’s French macarons. (That is how they are spelled, with one “o”.) And they are simply divine. Eugenia and her French husband own Essence Catering and Essence Bakery Café in Tempe, Arizona. She is considered the best caterer in town.

Eugenia brought a tray of her mini caramel cream-filled macarons to a reception yesterday at the Phoenix Zoo. I had four. My friends told me to leave some for other people. I tried, but if you’ve ever tasted one of her macarons, you understand how difficult that is. They are light, airy, chewy, and delicious.

She says that she’s developing some new flavors. She’ll introduce raspberry and then peanut butter, espresso and maybe even pistachio to add to her chocolate and caramel flavors. That makes me happy because that will leave more of the caramel ones for me.

Step Away From The Plate

I’m starting to sound like my parents. “Back in my day, (fill-in-the-blank).”

This fill-in-the-blank rant is about whippersnapper servers clearing plates from the table before I’m finished eating. I remember a time when servers wouldn’t even clear one plate until all diners at the table had finished, and it is still done that way in fine dining restaurants and in casual restaurants where management has properly trained their staff. If a diner pushes a plate to the edge of the table, that’s one thing, but otherwise, leave the stinking plate alone, please.

My husband says everybody does it now – it’s becoming an epidemic. It’s the young servers most eager to clear the table. It’s worse if the restaurant is slow and the servers are bored (why not go polish glassware?) but I’m wondering if perhaps this new generation has multitasking issues. Walking by a table on the way to the kitchen, they feel compelled to grab something, to save a step later? It’s so annoying!

We’re having dinner with friends at a casual but upscale burger restaurant the other night and our server (and every other server in the joint) is constantly picking at our table, trying to remove something. WE’RE STILL EATING, mind you, burgers in hand, sweet potato fries still on the plates, and they're trying to take them away. Good grief, kids. Let us old folks eat in peace… you’ve got a lifetime to clear plates.

Yin & Yong

That’s not a typo. I know the phrase is yin and yang, the Chinese philosophy that two opposite, yet complementary forces join to create unity.

My yin and yang is more yong. I tend to pair opposites that are not quite complementary to each other, but in my mind, create balance. My wacky, off kilter sense of balance. Here’s an example.

I am not the healthiest person on the planet (that would be my husband) but do love the idea of doing something good for my body once in a while, just to offset that extra beer I drank or that dessert I just had to eat in the course of my work. (Seriously, I could just have a couple bites to evaluate that sweet thing, but if it’s good, it’s gone.)

Right now I’m drinking green tea. After a big cup of coffee in the morning, I make a cup of green tea. I usually pour it over ice, especially now since it’s so darn hot. I don’t know what polyphenols are, but apparently they’re good for you, and green tea is chock full of them. Don’t worry, I haven’t gone completely nuts. I sweeten it with Splenda. I’m sure that’s not good for me. See? Balance.