Tasty Thursdays :: Modern Steak

I know it's Thanksgiving and I should be writing an article about turkey, pumpkin pie or stuffing, but I have to rant and rave about Sam Fox's new restaurant, Modern Steak. This amazingly decorated steak house is located in the new Barney's wing of Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall and it is in line with all of Sam Fox's successes.


The moment you walk in, you are greeted by several hostesses all wearing the same adorable dress (I may ask for a job, just to get one). To your right is a small, but efficient bar with one bartender in particular who makes a killer appletini. I am once again in love with the attire the staff is wearing as the cocktail waitresses are adorn in navy short jumpers with a pink or purple satin waist belt. So cute! I would really appreciate it if someone could please send me one. Thanks!

On to the food, we sat down and were greeted by a very professional waiter who again was dressed to the nines, but kept it real with chuck taylors. We started dinner off with the Crispy Shrimp served with a Sweet Chili Aoili. Delicious... The special that night was a wild mushroom miso soup that almost everyone at the table ordered. I myself went for the Caeser salad which was perfect. My friend Mary had the lobster chowder which also looked amazing.

Now for the main course! I had a very hard time deciding what to eat as the entire menu sounded delicious. I ended up with the Maple Bacon Glazed Salmon and Amy & I split a side of their macaroni and cheese. This was the perfect combination because as I scooped mac & cheese onto my plate chunks of bacon from my salmon just happened to mingle with it, creating a magical flavor. My dish came with two filets of salmon on it, of which one was a tad bit under cooked, but I was so full by that time it didn't make a bit of difference. I notified the bus boy just for their own information and he promptly sent our waiter over who took my meal off the bill, no questions asked. I was definitely not looking for a free meal, but it was amazing customer service which I adore. The other people I was enjoying dinner with ordered everything from steak to lobster and crab. Everyone seemed very happy with their selections.

I am very grateful to the Black family for allowing me to join in their celebration that night. I will definitely visit Modern Steak again soon. Did I mention Mary Black got to meet Sam Fox? All-in-all the restaurant was beautiful, the service was fantastic and the food was amazing. Can't wait to go back! Thank you Sam Fox for feeding me well.

Things I love :: Ike Ndolo's New Album

If you know me, you know that I love Christian music. On a daily basis, I listen to K-love and KTAR, I know I'm a dork. Lucky for me, I have a number of friends who are in Christian bands. I am so excited to share my friend Ike Ndolo's new album with you all. It is truly amazing and I can't say enough good things about it.

The album titled, "We are the Beggars", debuted at #5 on the Christian album list. I am so proud of the band and can't wait until they are on the radio, which I'm sure will happen soon. Click here to sample 12 of 14 songs from "We are the Beggars" and feel free to download it off itunes. And if you want a live sampling, join us tonight, from 7-10pm at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel church in Tempe, for the CD release party. I hope you enjoy his music as much as I do.

Tasty Thursdays :: Liberty Market

From the creators of Joe's Real BBQ comes Liberty Market! This amazingly quaint little market is full of delicious treats, from brick oven pizzas to hearty sandwiches and paninis to caprese pasta salad and a fantastic coffee bar. I've only been here twice, but each time I find a new reason to love it.

On both occasions I indulged in the Italia panini with a side of the Caprese Pasta Salad. They are delicious and a perfect compliment to each other. Every time I go, I stare and begin to drool at the three-layer red velvet cake that sits behind the glass and every time I thankfully convince myself that if I ate that much red velvet, I may very well pass out.

Needless to say, you need to venture out to downtown Gilbert to give Liberty Market a try. It's pretty much my new favorite spot. Hats off to you Chef David!

Picture Perfect Tuesday :: Mr. & Mrs. Bradley Opitz

Photo Courtesy of Man in the Moon Studios

Congratulations to my dear friend Megan for marrying the man of her dreams. Bradley is such a wonderful guy and I couldn't be happier for the both of them. Their wedding was beautiful, so I though I would share some pictures of their big day.

Photo Courtesy of Man in the Moon Studios

We had so much fun, the ceremony at Brophy Chapel was just gorgeous. From there, we had some time in between the ceremony and the reception so we headed down light rail to Seamus McCaffrey's Pub just off Central Ave. I have decided that all weddings need to incorporate this little extra play time. After we had a few Irish Car Bombs and a Guiness we headed to the beautiful Heard Museum. The cocktail hour was delicious, the dinner was phenomenal, the cake and mini-milk cartons were awesome and we had so much fun dancing the night away to the live band.

Photo Courtesy of Man in the Moon Studios

Thank you Megan and Bradley for allowing us to share in your special day! You are going to have such a wonderful life together. Now all I have to do is figure out when I'm coming to Georgia! :0)

Tasty Thursdays :: BBQ Chicken

I saw this recipe on Home Made Simple and it looked delicious so I took a stab at it and it WAS delicious! This sauce is great with other meats too and makes a great dipping sauce. So here it goes.

Tip: I put the chicken in the oven first and then started to make the sauce for timing sake. Also, you can make this with boneless skinless chicken breasts or bone-in chicken pieces. Directions are the same for both. For two of us, I halfed the sauce recipe and did three chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs.) Enjoy!

P.S. This one's for you Dani!


BROWN SUGAR BBQ SAUCE

INGREDIENTS
1 32-oz. bottle of ketchup
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/4 cup molasses
1 tablespoon Liquid Smoke (mesquite or hickory)
1 bay leaf

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients in a large sauce pan and simmer on low heat for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Spoon generously over Perfectly Baked Chicken and serve.

PERFECTLY BAKED CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS
6 lbs. chicken, cleaned
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and cracked black pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Rub each piece of chicken generously with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.
2. Place chicken pieces in a 9”x 9” (or larger) baking dish and place in oven. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until skin is golden brown and meat is cooked through.
3. Remove baking dish from the oven and coat generously with Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce. Return to the oven for 10 minutes, then serve.

Picture Perfect Tuesday :: Wicked

So my wonderful husband took me to San Francisco for our one year anniversary. Part of the plan was a night out to see, my favorite musical, Wicked. It was my second time seeing the show, but Chris' first. We had front row seats. It was amazing. To top it off, one of my old choreographers was in the show. It was so great to see him up on that big stage. After the show I begged Chris to hang out by the Stage Door with me to see if we could catch Alex (my choreographer). Unfortunately after about a half an hour we figured out that he had snuck out fast! Fortunately, as we decided to leave, Vicki Noon came walking out and I got a quick picture with her. She played the role of Elphaba and was absolutely amazing! Her voice was phenomenal! So here is my Wicked picture. :0)

Chicken Garcia

One of my favorite types of foods is casseroles...all of them. If it has some sort of creamy soup as an ingredient and involves layers and baking, count me in. That being said, this recipe is one of my favorites. Just a warning, like most casseroles, it makes a TON of food and makes great leftovers.

Chicken Garcia
Preheat oven to 400 degrees

4lbs chicken tenders, boil the chicken and then shred it (if chicken is frozen, be sure to thaw first) 1 lg bag of shredded cheddar cheese

1 family size can cream of chicken soup

1 family size can cream of mushroom soup

1 lg jar Pace picante sauce (mild, medium or hot)

2 dozen corn tortillas

Cut the tortillas in triangles
Combine soups, picante sauce and cooked/shredded chicken
In a casserole dish cover bottom with a layer of the cream and chicken mixture, then a layer of cheese, then a layer of tortillas, repeat all layers until everything is gone, then cover entire mixture with cheese
Cover with tinfoil and bake 30 to 40 minutes @ 375 degrees