Happy Mother's Day weekend to all you moms out there! I hope the kiddos take you somewhere nice to eat and shower you with presents (and if they still need a little help figuring where to take you, send them the link to our Mother's Day Brunch/Dinner Roundup).
My kids, a.k.a. my dogs, aren't the best gift-givers. All they can give is love (awww), so I will not be showered in gifts, but I'll still be out and about eating my way through the weekend.
Here's what's on my plate...
Eat This: Sunday Brunch at The Duce -- When I asked The Mom where she wanted to go for Mother's Day, all she said was "different" -- that's it. Different. Just different. So I'm taking her to brunch at The Duce in downtown Phoenix. I can't think of anywhere more unique than The Duce! For Mother's Day, the vintage bar/restaurant/gym/store/hang out will be hosting a little party from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. complete with hula-hooping, karaoke, boxing lessons, and, of course, plates of their amazing Baked Cinnamon Pecan French Toast and plenty of mimosas made with hand-squeezed orange and grapefruit juices. Or maybe we'll skip breakfast and go straight for their Strawberry & Pecan salad with Crow's Dairy goat cheese, fresh strawberries, glazed pecans, and a honey strawberry vinaigrette. Then again who needs food when you can get a bloody Mary in a mason jar?
Drink This: One Pint of Cask Conditioned Double Cascade Dry Hopped Victorian IPA at Whole Foods Chandler -- Tonight is craft beer night at The Watering Hole bar, inside Whole Foods Chandler, and you need to be there not only to indulge in delicious pints of craft beer, but you only have two days left to cast your vote for Phoenix in the BeerCity USA poll (if you don't know about BeerCity USA, then you'd better click here). The folks from Sonoran Brewing and The Brews Bros will be in house helping you cast your vote. Once you've cast your vote, you can score a pint of your choice of beers for just a buck. If you have already voted, prove it and the boys will reward you with a $1 beer. I'll be sipping on a cool, hoppy cask conditioned Double Cascade Dry Hopped Victorian IPA. See ya there.
Bake This: Roasted Artichokes -- So you went down to Crooked Sky Farms in South Phoenix and you hand-picked about 20 gorgeous artichokes. Now what? Roast those suckers. I found this handy guide to roasting and eating those difficult veggies and if you've ever blindly tried making whole artichokes and completely failed (like me), you need to give this a read. The only thing it's missing is the melted butter to dip the tender leaves in but it's still a nice step by step reference. Dig in!
