Poblano Cream Soup

Posted on December 15, 2017 by ttimmons

INGREDIENTS

- 1 1/2 pounds fresh poblano chiles (8 large)
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 whole clove or 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 4 whole allspice or 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 cup mild olive oil
- 1 medium white onion, chopped (1 cup)
- 4 large garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
- 3 to 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream

PREPARATION

Roast chiles:
1. Roast chiles on their sides on racks of gas burners, 1 or 2 per burner, on medium-high (or on rack of a broiler pan about 2 inches from heat), turning with tongs, until skins are blackened all over, 4 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl, then cover and let stand 20 minutes. Peel chiles, then stem, seed, devein, and coarsely chop.
Make soup:
1. Heat spices in oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring, until fragrant and oil begins to simmer, 1 to 2 minutes. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add roasted chiles and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
2. Purée chile mixture with cilantro and 3 cups broth (total) in 2 or 3 batches in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), about 2 minutes per batch.
3. Return mixture to cleaned saucepan and add cream. Bring to a simmer, adding more broth to thin if necessary, and season with salt.

The Human Bean

Posted on November 24, 2017 by ttimmons

I love this location because it’s always close by when I’m either running an errand in Tempe or at something related to ASU. They are about a mile south of the 202. My Dad once lived in Ashland, OR years ago and I vaguely remember going through the original Human Bean drive-thru there. That’s where this company got their start. They are known for their hand-crafted espresso drinks and fruit-infused smoothies. And of course every drink is topped with a white chocolate espresso bean. They have a program called the Farm Friendly Direct that allows them to work directly with the farming communities that harvest their beans so that they can build long-term relationships with them. This location has a double drive-thru or you can walk up to the window. You order directly from the barista and not through some intercom which I love. The baristas are usually high energy and very friendly. I haven’t tried one of their teas yet, but I really enjoyed their popular Granita drink. During the holidays they do holiday style cup that is pretty festive.

Elite Event: Lettuce Be Healthy at Fresh Millions

Posted on February 1, 2017 by ttimmons

This was the perfect Yelp Elite event to start off the new year. Especially after two months of holiday parties. Fresh Millions is a fast-casual “eat healthy” concept food chain that has endless combinations available from their menu. They offer lunch or dinner entrées that include made-to-order gourmet salads with a variety of mix-ins, hot bowls, soups, and grilled paninis. They first opened in 2015 and locations have been popping up all over the Valley since then. People love choices these days and Fresh Millions allows you to choose what you want on your entrée. You basically order on one side of the stainless-steel counter, pick your toppings, pay at the other side of the counter and take your food to a table. For bowls, you choose your base (brown rice, noodles, spinach, romaine, etc), a protein (chicken, shrimp, steak, tofu), a sauce (basil pesto, Thai peanut, green curry, etc) and four mix-ins. You can even go half-and-half base and do rice and romaine/spinach. The cooks will mix and sauté up your creation and you can watch the magic happen right over the counter as they are an open kitchen. For the little ones, they have a healthy fresh kids’ menu. If you are in a hurry and don’t want typical unhealthy greasy fast food, this is the place to go.

We had a Yelp Elite event at Fresh Millions to celebrate their grand opening location in Gilbert. I love these events that introduce me to new places around the Valley. I also love getting more acquainted with my fellow Yelp Elites as these are the people with the most knowledge of where the best eats are in the Valley. We were given sandwich and salad samples and able to create our bowl. For dessert, we had a table full of yummy cookies to choose from. This was a fun event and I look forward to a return visit.

New Year’s Hoppin’ John

Posted on December 31, 2016 by ttimmons

– from azcentral

Ingredients

8 oz pork tenderloin
2 Roma tomatoes
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 1/2 cup water
1 cup jambalaya rice mix (half a 12 oz package)
1 can (about 15 oz) black-eyed peas

Cut pork into bite-size pieces and chop tomatoes. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Salute pork until browned and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove pot from heat. Move pork to a plate and cover to keep warm. Carefully add water to pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in jambalaya and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. Meanwhile, rinse and drain peas. When rice is done, turn off heat and stir in pork, tomatoes and peas. Cover with lid and let sit off heat 5 minutes.

Dick Clarks Corn Fritters

Posted on December 31, 2015 by ttimmons

– from Rachael Ray magazine

INGREDIENTS
1 15 ounce can creamed corn
4 large eggs
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
2 tablespoons sugar
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup flour
Cooking spray
Unsalted butter, melted, for serving
DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl, combine the creamed corn, eggs, frozen corn and sugar; season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle in the flour gradually, whisking constantly to avoid lumps, until just combined.
Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Drop tablespoonfuls of the corn mixture into the pan to form small pancakes. Cook until lightly browned on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Serve with the melted butter.

Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Cranberry Quinoa

Posted on December 24, 2015 by ttimmons

– from Taste of Home

Ingredients

2 cups chicken broth
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 fresh thyme sprig
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 green onions, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
2/3 cup dried cranberries
2/3 cup chopped dried apricots
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2-1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon salt

CHICKEN:
3/4 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 large tart apple, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup apricot preserves
2 tablespoons butter
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (6 ounces each)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

In a small saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Add quinoa and thyme. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat; fluff with a fork. Discard thyme.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add green onions and celery; cook and stir until tender. Add cooked quinoa. Stir in the dried fruits, lemon juice, lemon peel and salt.
In a large saucepan, mix the first six chicken ingredients until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until slightly thickened. Add the apple, cranberries and walnuts. Stir in preserves and butter until melted.
Cut a pocket horizontally in the thickest part of each chicken breast. Fill each with 2-3 tablespoons quinoa mixture; secure with toothpicks. Place remaining quinoa mixture in a greased 1-qt. baking dish; cover with foil. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Carefully brown stuffed chicken on both sides. Transfer to a greased 13×9-in. baking dish; pour apple mixture over top.
Bake chicken and quinoa, at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in chicken reads 170° and quinoa is heated through. Serve chicken with quinoa. Discard toothpicks before serving. Yield: 6 servings.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Posted on December 17, 2015 by ttimmons

– from Rachael Ray magazine (I added some of my own seasonings to this recipe)

INGREDIENTS
2 large cloves garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 teaspoon dried sage
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 trimmed pork tenderloins (about 1 pound each), at room temperature

DIRECTIONS
Position a rack near the bottom of the oven and preheat to 500 degrees . Mince together the garlic, salt, sage and pepper. In a small bowl, combine with the oil. Rub all over the meat and place the tenderloins side by side but not touching in the smallest roasting pan that will hold them. Roast for 10 minutes, flip over and roast again until the internal temperature registers 155 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 8 minutes more. Let rest for about 10 minutes (the internal temperature should reach 160 degrees ). Slice into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

Flagstaff

Posted on December 27, 2012 by ttimmons

Flagstaff is this small town in northern Arizona that is home to Northern Arizona University. The infamous Route 66 also passes through the city. I love the mom and pop stores and restaurants in Flagstaff. I always regretted not attending NAU so I could have experienced living in a small town. But what Flagstaff is most popular for is Snowbowl ski resort. Students spend their weekends there and it’s only a few hours from the Valley. I skied for the first time here as a kid and have brought my boys up here many times. We came up here for a fun few days after Christmas. We skied, boarded and did some sledding in some pretty cold and snowy weather.

Christmas Party

Posted on December 15, 2012 by ttimmons

I love Christmas parties. It’s fun to see everyone get dressed up and celebrate the holidays together. I am blessed to be a part of a wonderful group of friends that I get to do life with and grow in my relationship with God with. We had a white elephant gift exchange and lots of great food. What a great night of fellowship!

Ice Skating

Posted on December 7, 2012 by ttimmons

You can tell it’s the holidays in downtown Phoenix by all the decorations that are going up. I grabbed some coffee at 8th Day and then headed down to the art walk for First Friday. I really enjoyed seeing all the Christmas lights and the people all dressed up warm for the cold weather. One of my favorite things to watch this time of year is the ice skating rink at Cityscape. Situated next to their large Christmas tree, the ice skating rink offers some fun people watching moments. I had a blast strapping on the skates and hitting the ice.

Ice skating at Cityscape in Downtown Phoenix

Already a huge hockey fan, my fascination with outdoor ice skating started in Atlanta in 2007. I was at an event with my friend Shauna and we made a promise to each other to ice skate at the outdoor rink in Centennial Park before we left. But because of our tight schedule, it never happened. Then I had another chance to do it there with my girlfriend Ashleigh and once again it never happened. I was determined to skate on an outdoor ice skating rink in a cold weather city. I took my kids once at the Del in San Diego, but ice skating on the beach in San Diego just wasn’t the same. So Ashleigh finally took me skating at the Rockefeller center in New York. It was kind of a childhood dream come true after years of watching scenes of people skating there on TV. It was short-lived because I had a foot injury, but worth it. I’m looking forward to finally skating in Centennial Park next month when I visit Atlanta.

Ice Skating at the Del in San Diego with my kids in ’07

Ice Skating at the Rockefeller Center in New York in ’09