Mining Camp Restaurant

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Posted on 30th May 2010 by fasolane in Restaurant Reviews

The Mining Camp Restaurant in Apache Junction has atmosphere.  The kids had a great time exploring the gift shop full of old west trinkets and Arizona history.  The entertainment was fantastic.  Two old west hillbillies with guitar and washtub bass played music, did magic tricks, and a bit of a comedy show.  The kids (and most adults) were completely in awe of the card tricks and bit of magic.

The food? Not the greatest in the world, but worth it with the coupon and the summer rates and the fact that kids under 4 eat free.  All you can eat family style.  Ribs, chicken, and ham.  Dinner rolls, raisin bread, stuffing, gravy, green beans, baked beans, and coleslaw.  Cookies for dessert.   Both kids devoured the ham, which had a bit of a pineapple glaze on it.  The ribs were decent.  Sweet bbq sauce and the meat was tender, if a bit fatty.  The chicken comes with a heavy yellow gravy, but if you ask for the gravy on the side, the chicken was actually a nice baked chicken, moist, and with decent flavor.  The baked beans were tasty, if a bit sweet.  The coleslaw was excellent.  The dinner rolls were light and fluffy.  Lemonade, iced tea and water are complementary.

There is a side menu you can order from with steaks and prime rib that cost extra.  My sister had the prime rib and said it was very good.  One downside to the place is that if you ask for seconds on the dishes, you can’t bring food home in to go boxes.  Not sure the logic of that since they just throw the food out anyway, but thems the rules.

The Goldfield Ghost Town and Mine are just up the street and worth the drive if you make a day of it.

You can pan for gold, take a train ride, watch an old west gun fight, or just explore the town.  Details at http://www.goldfieldghosttown.com/

It’s worth the drive to see the sun setting on the Superstition Mountains and sit and eat a meal with family and friends.

Lentils and Rice

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Posted on 25th May 2010 by fasolane in Recipes

Another meatless Monday recipe.  High fiber, low calorie, lots of veggies.  Enjoy!

  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup lentils
  • 1/2 cup brown rice
  • 14 oz vegetable broth
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 T italian seasoning
  • 1/2 pkg frozen spinach
  • 1/2 cup carrots, diced
  • 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. Heat oil in large pot.  Add onions and cook until translucent.  Add garlic, cook another minute or two.
  2. Add broth and water and bring to boil.
  3. Add lentils and rice and return to boiling.
  4. Add spinach, carrots, seasoning and cook (simmer on med/low) until rice and lentils are soft (about 45 minutes.)
  5. 5 minutes before cook time ends, add sliced mushrooms.
  6. Add salt and pepper to your preference.

We All Have Something

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Posted on 21st May 2010 by fasolane in Just Blogging

What is the one thing that just grosses you out more than anything else in the entire world? For some it is vomit. Others, feces.  Some might be grossed out by flies, or birds, or maybe it is small rodents.  For me? Maggots.  And to my wonderful surprise this morning, my kitchen was filled with them.

It all started last night around midnight.  Obi-Wan Kenobi, the obnoxious cat, brought a bird into the house.  My fearless husband, even with his irrational fear of birds, managed to get the still living and breathing bird outside, lock the cats and dog inside, and the house was safe.

In the morning, I got up first, as I do every morning, fed the dog, made coffee and looked outside.  Nothing.  So I opened up the dog door and let the cats live the dream outside.  The kids got up and were eating breakfast.  I was reading the paper and enjoying my first cup of coffee.  All of a sudden, devil cat streaks across the yard with a bird flapping it’s wings in his mouth.  I get up, lock the dog door, run outside and wrestle the still flapping it’s wings bird from the cat’s mouth.  Throw the cat inside and attempt to save the poor little bird by getting in out of the back yard and into the front. (You Tube needs a video of a woman in her pajamas chasing a bird around the backyard with a pooper scooper.) This takes about 10 minutes. Tops.

As I am nearing the back door to come in from my heroics, I hear the kids talking.  ”Cool!” “Pets!” “There are so many of them!” “We should name them!” Huh? To my utter disbelief, I walk in and the floor is covered with these little yellow worm-like creatures, about the size of inch worms, just mingling around. Gag reflex kicks in.  It’s like in the movie Poltergeist, when the guy sees the maggots on the meat and starts peeling his face off.  (Which I think may be the reason for my irrational fear of maggots in the first place.) I want to just peel the skin off of my body.  But my kids are watching.  I can’t show fear. I must be brave for the children.

I grab paper towels and start squishing them. They don’t squish. They crunch.  More gag reflex. Must be strong.  I lose count around 150.I put the kids in charge of pointing them out for me. I am dying inside.

Later, while discussing what must have died in the house for this phenomenon to occur, we learn that they may not be maggots at all, but a kind of inch worm that lives in a yellow flowering tree in AZ. But how did they get in so quickly?  Or they could be mealworms.  Again, where the frick did they come from?  I am still itching all over.  I know I’m not the only one with an irrational fear of something.  But come on? What are the odds? I didn’t even get to finish my coffee.

Crock Pot To The Rescue

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Posted on 20th May 2010 by fasolane in Recipes

I love my crock pot (slow cooker if you will.)  I use it at least once a week, sometimes twice.   Easiest, tastiest dish. I don’t have a name for it.  Maybe I’ll call it Italian Chicken?

  • 6 to 8 chicken legs
  • about half a bottle of italian dressing (I use Kroger brand “Zesty Italian”)
  • 1 cup (ish) chicken broth

Yep, that’s it.  Put everything in the slow cooker and set to low for about 6 to 8 hours (use enough broth so that all the chicken is covered.)  Chicken is so tender if falls off the bone.  Serve it with a nice italian salad (bagged salads work great in a pinch) and dinner is served.  The whole house smells like you’ve been slaving over a hot stove all day.  Fancy it up? Sure, serve it with some stove top, or better yet, make real stuffing, wrap it in tin foil and bake it over the chicken right in the crock pot.  Enjoy!

Costco, What Would I Do Without You?

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Posted on 19th May 2010 by fasolane in Restaurant Reviews

So it’s not exactly a restaurant, and not the best food in the world, but it sure is wallet friendly and the kids love it.  Where else can you feed the entire family for under $7.00?  Sure, you probably should add the cost of the membership in, but over the course of the year, I eat here enough that it pays for itself.  Sure you also need to add in the cost of that box of Shamwow’s and that tub of cookie dough that should last longer than it does and that gigantic Toy Story coloring book with stickers…

The pizza is decent.  The polish sausages are actually pretty good.  And then for dessert? Walk around the store and make sure you try all the free samples (you don’t actually HAVE to purchase anything, even if that roasted tomato and cream cheese dip on those sesame crackers was pretty awesome.)

If you don’t have a membership, find a friend who does and crash their party.  Costco is more fun with friends.  Browse the book aisle and pick up that latest Glen Beck abomination or one of the many vampire novellas that I do not understand the attraction to.  Walk up and down the clothing aisles and find a cute top or some workout shorts or my favorite yoga pants (seriously, I love them.)  And then, of course, the food.  10 gallon jar of pickles? Check. 50 count of granola bars? Check. 8 pounds of New York Strip? It freezes well.

Sometimes I am not so sure I am getting a deal on things.  I’m pretty sure the cereal at the local grocery store is the same price, if not cheaper when on sale.  That’s what the barcode scanner on my new phone is for!  And don’t forget those electronics. TV’s, cameras, computers…oh my!  Return policy can’t be beat.  And the 2 year limited warranty? Better than most stores.  And bikes.  And you can even get an oil change and new tires while you shop.  I believe you can even book a cruise there.  I haven’t done that yet.

So anyway, to while away an afternoon, Costco can’t be beat.

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