For Halloween this year, we asked you to dress up your pets as food, and you delivered. Several entrants had very cute dogs (and I think a couple of other creatures in there somewhere) dressed up very adorably, but didn’t make the cut because they didn’t fit the theme…
You know you’re a native Arizonan when it’s 60 degrees outside and your thoughts turn to wintry things. There I was, enjoying a late-night dinner on a restaurant patio after work when I got in the mood for a warm nightcap. Dinner was hearty, so coffee sounded good. What should…
The (Sort Of) Guilty Pleasure: Satisfries Where To Get It: Burger King, locations Valleywide Price: $1.49 and up; 20 to 30 cents more than the regular fries depending on size. What It Really Costs: Less damage than your average fry. Don’t eat more to compensate. If there’s one practically universal…
As the days get shorter and the weather turns cooler, my cocktailian thoughts turn toward darker spirits. Out go the gin and rum, and in come the whiskey and brandy. And I start to get more of a taste for after-dinner cocktails. Lately, I’ve been in the mood for whiskey…
The Guilty Pleasure: Raspberry Rose Macaron Where to Get It: Essence Bakery, Tempe or Arcadia Price: $1.40 for the small, $3.25 for the large What it Really Costs: There are nuts in the shell, and raspberries in the filling. Convince yourself it’s good for you. It’s hardly a secret that…
I have had more than a few people lately ask me . . . What’s a good drink to serve at my Halloween party? The easy answer is: Take your favorite punch recipe and add a block of dry ice to it to create a layer of billowing fog. Dim…
From time to time, Chow Bella’s contributors challenge one another to a showdown: Make the best dish you can, using one common ingredient. This time (naturally), it was pumpkin. For the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing the results, and at the end, we’ll let you know who won. Today:…
I had a lot of fun last week covering wacky food at the Arizona State Fair. However, there were a few things I missed out on for one reason or another. Some things weren’t yet ready to serve on opening day. On other dishes, my grease quota for the day…
This time of year, a favored drink special of many bartenders is a cocktail that evokes the taste of warm apple pie. Or at least, it’s supposed to taste like apple pie. More than a few I’ve had these days taste like nothing more than apple juice spiked with Red…
Did you adore our recent list that featured pets in food costumes? The moment you’ve been waiting for has arrived. We want to see your pets in their food-inspired costumes. Dachshunds dressed as hot dogs, Chihuahuas in enchilada costumes, let your imagination run wild. Dress your pet as food, and…
Lovers of deep-fried foods, rejoice! The Arizona State Fair is now in full swing. Whatever food you can think of, the odds are good that someone has deep fried it, covered it in bacon, or both. We went out this weekend to indulge in some of the more unusual eats…
As crafty as some of my favorite bartenders are with their cocktails, I’m surprised that the old, forgotten Boulevardier cocktail is just starting to gain traction. Quite a few libationists I know drink Negronis with abandon. Most of these same folks also greatly enjoy whiskey drinks, especially ones made with…
The Guilty Pleasure: Jack’s Munchie Meals Where to Get It: Jack in the Box, locations Valleywide Price: $6. What it Really Costs: Staggering amounts of calories, fat, and sodium. If you’re in the target demographic, you won’t care. Jack in the Box doesn’t usually do much to advertise to folks…
The Guilty Pleasure: You name it, deep-fried, bacon-crusted, and/or chocolate covered. Where to Get It: The Arizona State Fair, October 11 through November 3 (closed Mondays and Tuesdays) Price: Fair admission plus a few bucks. What It Really Costs: Your waistline is already quaking with fear, isn’t it? Guilty pleasure…
These days, a sure sign of autumn’s arrival (or at least what passes for it in these parts) is the reintroduction of pumpkin spice-flavored everything on store shelves. I have a better idea. Let’s break out the Chartreuse. What is Chartreuse, you ask? For starters, it’s a yellow-green color. It’s…
The Guilty Pleasure: Agua Vita Where to Get It: Paletas Betty, Tempe(and soon in Chandler) Price: $3 or $4 depending on size What it Really Costs: [reads the ingredients] Wait… this is good for you?! Not long ago, I found myself at the Chow Bella HQ underground lair, discussing recent…
Cocktail trends come and go. I was talking with some friends, and realized that the appletini had quietly become passé a few years ago. I do have a certain nostalgia for them. I blame their popularity in my nascent drinking years. I remember extensive discussions with friends about what places…
Years ago, the signs of autumn’s arrival were geese flying south, leaves changing color, and a chill in the air. If you were a foodie, all you had to look forward to was the release of that year’s Beaujolais Nouveau a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving. None of these came…
Goodness, I’ve been getting lots of questions lately. I love it. Send me more! Leave them in the comments if you so desire. This week’s burning question reads: “What’s the difference between white and green crème de menthe, and white and dark crème de cacao? And why is it ‘crème’…
The Guilty Pleasure:Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit Mix Where To Get It: Your favorite grocery store The Price: About $2.25 (plus a couple pantry staples) What It Really Costs: Depends on your feelings about baking mixes (and partially hydrogenated oil). If you’ve been reading my Guilty Pleasures articles for a…
Did you adore our recent listthat featured pets in food costumes? The moment you’ve been waiting for has arrived. We want to see your pets in their food-inspired costumes. Daschshunds dressed as hot dogs, Chihuahuas in enchilada costumes, let your imagination run wild. Dress your pet as food, and get…
A curious reader recently asked me: Why do all you bartenders love Fernet Branca so much? You know, that’s a really good question. I partake in Fernet Branca on a semi-regular basis. I enjoy it enough that I’ve written about cocktails with it. But calling Fernet Branca an acquired taste…
