Archive for June, 2010

Popcornopolis is  California based gourmet popcorn company that prides themselves in being preservative, chemical, and gluten free.  Only the purest ingredients including fresh cheese and butter delivered daily from local dairys are just some of the ingredients going in this delicious popcorn.  On Thursday July 1st Popcornopolis will be opening their newest location in Chandler Fashion Center mall!!  To celebrate they are giving all of their opening day customers 25% off simply by saying the word “zebra” upon checkout. 

The fabulous people at Popcornopolissent me some samples of their fresh gourmet popcorn to try out for myself and I must say I was very tastily intrigued!!  I got to try nacho cheese, caramel, cinnamon toast, kettle corn, and cheese corn and they were all very very good.  Growing up in Michigan I’ve had my fair share of Better Made cheese corn and thought I had been spoiled by that UNTIL I tried popcornopolis.  The nacho cheese was my absolute favorite as I am a fan of spicy snacks.  It is your typical cheese popcorn with a very untypical spicy southwestern punch, so delicious!  The caramel corn was perfect, had a nice buttery caramel homemade flavor to it.  I was a tad sceptical about the kettle corn because I am a popcorn lover and when I want kettle corn I want it hot and fresh right out of the huge cauldron.  Popcornopolis did not disappoint, their kettle corn although not warm, still tasted like it was freshly popped out of the kettle with that crunchy, sugary texture, I loved it.

In addition to your 25% off today at the new Chandler Fashion Square location, Popcornopolisis also giving away a gift basket to one of my readers!!! You really want to participate in this, as this popcorn is out of control good.  Here are the details to enter

1) Become a fan of “Food Tramp Diaries” on Facebook and Twitter (join on either or both if you have both)

2) Become a fan of Popcornopolis  on Facebook and Twitter (join on either or both if you have both)

3) Suggest “Food Tramp Diaries” and “Popcornopolis” to one friend on Facebook

4) Enter a comment on this article to enter

You may enter as many times as you like, however, with each entry you’ll need to refer a new friend to Popcornopolis and Food Tramp Diaries.  I will pull a winner from random.org on Sunday.  Good Luck!!!

As a butcher’s daughter, there’s nothing I like more than a big juicy hunk of raw meat going on the grill!! I’ve been raised that way. I remember many a winter’s night in cold snowy Michigan, my dad would be busting out the weber grill to cook our dinner.  Barbeque is a lifestyle in my family, it just went hand in hand with owning a meat market.

As a big cook/BBQ-er myself, I’m always looking for new spices, sauces, marinades, and rubs to use with my meat. Enter Tony Morales of Desert Smoke BBQ.  He could never find a sauce or rub he didn’t have to doctor up to make it what he wanted, hence, Desert Smoke BBQ was born!!  Desert Smoke sauces are a Carolina ”Dippin-Moppin” style sauce with bold Southwestern flavor that simply cannot be beat.  There are three sauces ($7.95) to choose from: Sweet & Spicy, Raspberry Chipotle, and Pineapple Habenero.  He also makes a Southwestern spice rub ($6.99) which goes perfect on those ribs or chicken you’re about to grill up!  You can purchase them on his website or you can pick up at bottle at Whole Foods Market, Oakville Grocery, and Luci’s Healthy Marketplace in the Valley of Arizona.  My favorite is sweet & spicy.  I made ribs with that sauce last night and the whole family was loving it.  It has a nice little kick of spice, but not too spicy for the little ones (although my kids have been eating spicy foods for awhile now).  The best part is, the ribs were even better today, cold from the fridge…the sauce even tasted better to me being colder.

mmm, so tasty!! Pick up a bottle TODAY!

Desert Smoke BBQ has also been kind enough to do a giveaway on the Food Tramp Diaries.  Entering to win is quite simple.  You can enter as many times as you want up until Wednesday night when I pick a winner!! The winner will get one bottle of BBQ sauce and a spice rub as well.

1) Leave a comment on this post

2) Fan Food Tramp Diaries AND Desert Smoke BBQ on Facebook

3) If you’re on Twitter follow Food Tramp Diaries AND Desert Smoke BBQ on Twitter

Good Luck!!! I will pick the winner Wednesday night courtesy of random.org

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Did you know that Whole Foods Market sells buffalo and bison products?  Every market is different, but at my local Whole Foods Market in Scottsdale I was able to purchase a one pound package of ground bison for only $5.99. 

Bison and Buffalo are grass fed and are a clean and healthy protein source. Containing less fat than skinless chicken breast, bison has the following nutritional advantages:

• As much potassium as a banana
• Higher in calcium, iron, B vitamins, Selenium, protein and nutrients
• Lower in natural sodium, fat, and cholesterol than other meats
• 50% lower in calories than pork or chicken

I took the ground buffalo and cooked it on the stove top and made a delicious buffalo stroganoff out of it, couldn’t even tell that I was eating super low fat meat, it was delicious.

yummy buffalo stroganoff

The chefs at Whole Foods created a delicious recipe for Gorgonzola and Sun-Dried Tomato Bison/Buffalo Burgers. The lean  meat, creamy Gorgonzola and richly flavored sun-dried tomatoes mesh really well together. Just remember to cook the meat a lower temperature for a longer amount of time since the meat can dry out due to the lack of fat. Here’s a link to the recipe: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/1641

 I am giving away a $10. Whole Foods Market gift card to the first person to answer this question correctly, also make sure you’re a “liker” of Food Tramp Diaries on Facebook, if you are not, click here   You will find the answer to this trivia question on Whole Foods Market’s website Please enter your answer below as a comment.  I will inform the winner via email and Whole Foods will send you the gift card in the mail!!

Whole Foods Market boasts to have more than (?) how many stores in North America and the United Kingdom?? How many team members do they employ??

Thank you and good luck!!!!!!!

Wow!! There’s not much more you can say about a place that’s been on “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” , “Chef vs. City”, and “Man Vs. Food”.  I’m pretty sure if over 3 major food shows loves this place, the Food Tramp is gonna be ALL about it too!  Hash House a Go-Go has three locations, the first in the Hillcrest area of San Diego, one on Sahara Blvd. in Las Vegas, and a third located right inside Imperial Palace smack dab in the middle of the Las Vegas Blvd. strip!  They have an amazing menu and also a full bar filled with skilled bartenders who make fabulous bloody mary’s, mimosas or whatever will ale you after a big night of drinking!

In Late May I got a chance to visit some of my favorite friends in San Diego and we decided to hit Hash House up for a little late Saturday breakfast.  My best friend, Jake mentioned that they had tried to go before but it was a very long wait.  I told them wait or no wait, we need to check this place out!  Well, Hash House in San Diego is only open for breakfast till 2:30pm then is closes for a few hours, then re-opens for dinner.  We got there around 12:45 pm and we had a forty-five minute wait.  Waiting for me is no big deal, especially when I’m pretty sure it’s going to be delicious food.  When we saw how many people were gathered in troths outside waiting, we were sure we were in for a treat!  Also, waiting at Hash House is no big deal, the area (Hillcrest) is just beautiful and it’s fun to people watch.  Forty-five minutes went by like nothing at all!   We also had the MENU while we were waiting.  I already knew I was goin’ big or goin’ home!

I opted for the Andy’s sage fried chicken farm benedict ($15.95) .  This breakfast of champions was just amazing.  The combination of a split biscuit, 2 eggs over easy, homemade smashed potatoes, bacon, melted fresh mozzarella cheese, crispy fried chicken and a chipotle cream sauce was enough to give me coronary blockage just looking at it.  It easily could have fed all four of us.  It was an unforgettable combo of some of my favorite breakfast items (biscuit, eggs, bacon, gravy) and dinner items (fried chicken, mashed taters, gooey melted cheese)  all on one huge ass platter.  I got thru about 1/5 of it, then had to request a take away box.

sage fried chicken benedict

The boys were all craving something sweet for breakfast so they all got different pancakes in the form of a “Tractor Driver Combo” ($13.95) which came with two eggs, choice of meat and one ginormous flapjack of their choice..  Jake got Apple Cinnamon , Tim got Brown Sugar Banana,  and Mike got Blackberry Granola.  Now these are not your ordinary pancakes.  They are about as big as a tire and chalked full of fresh yummy ingredients.  Jake’s apple cinnamon flapjack had HUGE slices of granny smith apples and cinnamon galore, it smelled divine!!  How can I lie, they all looked amazing and you know I tried a bite of every one!!

brown sugar banana tractor combo

up close Apple Cinnamon- check out those granny smiths!!

I usually get to visit my San Diego besties twice a year and when I do, I hope I don’t have to beg to come back here.  Although, I’m pretty sure they won’t say no, they were  really diggin those flapjacks!!  Hash House a Go-Go  undoubtedly gets the FOOD-TRAMP-STAMP OF APPROVAL!!

Chef Justin Beckett of the up and coming restaurant, “Beckett’s Kitchen Table”, will be cooking up some amazing appetizers for this event.  It is a fundraiser and tax deductible!  So, show your generosity and enjoy some fabulous food, wine, and silent auction items for a good cause.  Here are some of the delicious creations Chef Beckett will be making for the lovely evening as well as event details.

Beckett’s original grilled cheese bites
shredded zucchini cakes w/ smoked salmon & citrus cream
spinach & feta spanakopita w/ spiced red pepper puree
Schreiner’s hot italian sausage meatballs
summer melon skewers w/ honey mint glaze
stone ground polenta bites w/ heirloom tomato jelly & basil
english cucumbers w/ herbed chicken salad
buckwheat crepes w/ roasted bells & hummus

Celebrating Memories – MISSing Ingredients Cookbook Debut – 
-A fundraiser to provide scholarships to attend the MISS Foundation’s family grief conference in September 2010 in Tempe, AZ.  The MISS Foundation serves bereaved families after the loss of a child.

Where: 8529 N. 15th Avenue, Phoenix, 85021
When: Saturday, June 5th from 7pm-10 pm
Cost: $60pp/$100 per couple (tax deductible donation)
Includes: Valet Parking, appetizers, beer & wine, live entertainment by Nate Nathan, wine auction and raffle

• Appetizer’s provided by Postino Winecafe and Executive Chef Justin Beckett of Beckett’s Table
• Auction items donated by Tarbell’s LaGrande Orange and Postino Winecafe
• Sponsored by Wine PhD
  

Summer Dressy Casual

Register online at: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/650898856?ref=elink

Questions: email Kathy Sandler at benksandler@cox.net or call 480-861-7511