» Restaurants http://momcooks.net Food Blogging, Reviews, and Giveaways from a Busy WAHM of Three Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:14:54 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://momcooks.net http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s197/table4five/cupcake-1.jpg El Azteco Cheese Dip http://momcooks.net/2011/06/26/el-azteco-cheese-dip/ http://momcooks.net/2011/06/26/el-azteco-cheese-dip/#comments Mon, 27 Jun 2011 00:11:22 +0000 Elizabeth http://momcooks.net/?p=2338

This weekend was my husband’s 25th High School Reunion, and a good friend came into town that we hadn’t seen in over 20 years. Like my husband, she grew up in East Lansing, and the restaurant she wanted to go to on Thursday night was the infamous El Azteco. Opened in 1976, El Azteco [...]]]>

This weekend was my husband’s 25th High School Reunion, and a good friend came into town that we hadn’t seen in over 20 years. Like my husband, she grew up in East Lansing, and the restaurant she wanted to go to on Thursday night was the infamous El Azteco. Opened in 1976, El Azteco (or just El Az, pronounced “El Ez) has been THE place to eat in downtown East Lansing ever since.

When it first opened, El Az was in the basement of a row of buildings. There was a set of steep, slippery steps leading down to the door, and on weekend nights, the line was up the steps and down the sidewalk to get in. Once through the door, your senses were assaulted with loud classic rock on the radio and a haze of smoke, mostly clove cigarettes from Campbell’s Smoke Shop next door.

People were willing to put up with a dark, loud, smoky restaurant because the food is SO GOOD. Simple, authentic Mexican food, as in, the owners, chefs, and most of the wait staff are from Mexico. We have many favorites there, and one of the ones we had on Thursday was the cheese dip, served with homemade tortilla chips while you wait for the rest of the food.

I wanted to know how to make it, so I googled, and found a blog post on Forest Street Kitchen that also includes the recipe for El Azteco’s famous Topopo Salad. She got it from a reader who swore her to secrecy, and that reader got it from a former El Az employee who swore HER to secrecy.

 

El Azteco Cheese Dip

16 oz sour cream
16 oz cottage cheese [Note: if using a very dry cottage cheese, you may need to reduce the amount of Monterey Jack Cheese in order to get a sufficiently moist dip].
16 oz shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
one dash Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 bag lipton onion soup mix minus the dried onions (you’ll end up with just under 2 teaspoons of the spices)
3 minced jalapenos minus the seeds
1 and 1/2 bunches of scallions chopped.
Mix the sour cream, cottage cheese and add Worcersterhire sauce, garlic powder, and onion soup mix. Stir.

Add the jalapenos if you’re using them,  the scallions,  and the Monterey Jack cheese.

Refrigerate at least 2 hours; overnight is best.

]]> http://momcooks.net/2011/06/26/el-azteco-cheese-dip/feed/ 10 New SIMPLE & FIT Menu at IHOP http://momcooks.net/2010/11/21/new-simple-fit-menu-at-ihop/ http://momcooks.net/2010/11/21/new-simple-fit-menu-at-ihop/#comments Mon, 22 Nov 2010 01:56:34 +0000 Elizabeth http://momcooks.net/?p=2086 IHOP, or International House of Pancakes, has teamed up with Healthy Dining to make nutrition information available to customers looking for more information about the meals they order.   Twelve dietitian-approved IHOP menu items are now available  at HealthyDiningFinder.com,

“IHOP understands guests are looking for smart yet simple solutions that balance their [...]]]>

The IHOP logo
Image via Wikipedia

IHOP, or International House of Pancakes, has teamed up with Healthy Dining to make nutrition information available to customers looking for more information about the meals they order.   Twelve dietitian-approved IHOP menu items are now available  at HealthyDiningFinder.com,

“IHOP understands guests are looking for smart yet simple solutions that balance their craving for delicious meals with their interest in eating right when dining out,” said Carolyn O’Keefe, IHOP’s senior vice president, marketing. “IHOP’s partnership with Healthy Dining is one of several steps we have taken to provide guests with tools to make informed decisions at mealtime.”

IHOP has also revamped its menu with a new look, helpful nutrition tools and even more lower-calorie options. IHOP now offers more than 30 SIMPLE & FIT under 600 calorie selections including every item on the Just for Kids menu, as well as a number of tips on how to enjoy lower calorie versions of IHOP classics.,

Of the twelve IHOP dishes listed at HealthyDiningFinder.com,  five are highlighted on the site’s new “Sodium Savvy” section as entrées that contain 750 mg. of sodium or less, and appetizers, side dishes and desserts that contain 250 mg. of sodium or less. The twelve IHOP dishes include:

· SIMPLE & FIT Fresh Fruit and Yogurt Bowl – A light and refreshing bowl of seasonal fresh fruit topped with low-fat strawberry yogurt and granola (2 servings fruit/veg)
· SIMPLE & FIT Blueberry Harvest Grain ‘N Nut Combo – Two Harvest Grain ‘N Nut pancakes loaded with blueberries and topped with fresh slices of banana. Served with scrambled egg substitute (.75 serving fruit/veg)
· SIMPLE & FIT Fresh Fruit Crepe – Two crepes topped with fresh fruit, low-fat strawberry yogurt and granola (1.5 servings fruit/veg)
· SIMPLE & FIT Whole Wheat French Toast Combo – Two slices of whole wheat French toast topped with fresh slices of banana. Served with scrambled egg substitute and two strips of turkey bacon (.75 serving fruit/veg)
· SIMPLE & FIT Two-Egg Breakfast – Scrambled egg substitute, two strips of turkey bacon, whole wheat toast and fresh fruit (1 serving fruit/veg)
· SIMPLE & FIT Two X Two X Two – Egg substitute with two buttermilk pancakes and two strips of turkey bacon
· SIMPLE & FIT Veggie Omelette with Fresh Fruit – Made with mushrooms, green peppers, onions and oven-roasted tomatoes (2 servings fruit/veg)
· SIMPLE & FIT Spinach, Mushroom & Tomato Omelette with Fresh Fruit– Made with fresh spinach, mushrooms, onions and Swiss cheese, and is topped with diced tomatoes (2.5 servings fruit/veg)
· SIMPLE & FIT Simply Chicken Sandwich – A tender grilled chicken breast on a toasted Romano-Parmesan bun with lettuce and fresh tomato includes a side of fresh fruit (1.5 servings fruit/veg)
· SIMPLE & FIT Take Two Combo with Half Turkey Sandwich and Fresh Fruit– (1.25 servings fruit/veg)
· SIMPLE & FIT Grilled Balsamic-Glazed Chicken – Grilled tender boneless chicken breast topped with sautéed mushrooms, onions, diced tomatoes and a balsamic glaze. Served with a side of broccoli and a house salad with reduced-fat Italian dressing (2.75 servings fruit/veg)
· SIMPLE & FIT Grilled Tilapia – Seasoned fish grilled to perfection then topped with a medley of sautéed mushrooms, onions and diced tomatoes. Served with a side of broccoli and a house salad with reduced-fat Italian dressing (2.75 servings fruit/veg)

Okay, those sound seriously good!  I like eating out because it means neither Chris nor I have to cook and we don’t have to bug one of the boys to clean up, but it’s so hard for me to find restaurant meals that fit my diet.  Most restaurant meals are way too big and have just ungodly amounts of sodium and fat.  Knowing that IHOP has the SIMPLE & FIT menu makes me 100% more likely to go there the next time we eat out!

In addition to the nutritional information for specific items available on HealthyDiningFinder.com, nutritional information for IHOP menu items is available at IHOP.com.

To find an IHOP restaurant near you, please visit www.ihop.com. Follow IHOP on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ihop.

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]]> http://momcooks.net/2010/11/21/new-simple-fit-menu-at-ihop/feed/ 3 Where to get really great food in Las Vegas http://momcooks.net/2009/09/26/where-to-get-really-great-food-in-las-vegas/ http://momcooks.net/2009/09/26/where-to-get-really-great-food-in-las-vegas/#comments Sat, 26 Sep 2009 20:10:33 +0000 Elizabeth http://momcooks.net/?p=1128 Does a Las Vegas buffet conjure up images of the Griswold family piling their plates high with heat-lamped fried chicken and soggy French fries? Well, it won’t any longer. This foodie’s paradise offers smorgasbords of the world’s finest, from fresh snow crab legs to Kobe beef to caviar. There is something for picky kids to [...]]]> Does a Las Vegas buffet conjure up images of the Griswold family piling their plates high with heat-lamped fried chicken and soggy French fries? Well, it won’t any longer. This foodie’s paradise offers smorgasbords of the world’s finest, from fresh snow crab legs to Kobe beef to caviar. There is something for picky kids to culinary connoisseurs. So, of course, Oyster Hotel Reviews reporters fed themselves like kings for months at buffets all across Vegas. Many plates later, they compiled a list of the Best Buffets in Las Vegas.

Oyster Hotel Reviews is the only source — on or off the web — for the world’s most comprehensive, independent, professional hotel reviews. With cameras in hand, their reporters visit each hotel anonymously, and assess it on more than 70 different measures — everything from best hotel restaurants to the best hotels for celeb sightings. The site offers more than 50,000 photos and covers 100s of hotels. Compare the exaggerations and distortions of the hotels’ own Web sites with Oyster’s honest reporting and photos, and you’ll never stay anywhere without an Oyster reality-check.

BEST BUFFETS IN LAS VEGAS

1. Bellagio

Centrally located on the Las Vegas Strip, Bellagio’s buffet is widely considered to be the very best. Its carving station goes beyond the usual prime rib to include St. Louis barbecue ribs and chicken Wellington. The large variety of cuisines includes Italian, Japanese, Chinese seafood, and American. It’s not the cheapest — $14.95 breakfasts, $19.95 lunches, $23.95 weekend brunches, $27.95 weeknight dinners, and $35.95 dinner Saturdays and Sundays, when the buffet includes Kobe beef — but it’s worth it.

2. M Resort Spa & Casino

Studio B, the buffet at the newly opened M Resort, serves upwards of 200 dishes a day. At lunch and dinner, the buffet even includes free beer and wine — perhaps as incentive to lure diners to the hotel’s location, 10 miles from the Strip. In terms of quality, the food is on par with other top Vegas buffets, including the highly touted one at the Bellagio, but the prices are lower (breakfast is $11, compared with $14.95 at Bellagio, for example).

3. Rio All Suites Hotel & Casino

The remarkable all-you-can-eat Village Seafood buffet at the Rio is well worth the short trip from the Strip. Serving snow crab legs, Cuban shrimp stew, Baja fish tacos, mussels, and fresh-shucked oysters (all flown in daily), the buffet bests the 300-plus mediocre dishes at the hotel’s Carnival World buffet. A new sound and light system in the dining room accompanies videos about ocean species, fishing, and the culinary arts. At $38, it’s pricey, so swing by the lobster station to get your money’s worth.

4. Wynn Las Vegas

The buffet at the Wynn, the ”Las Vegas Review-Journal’s staff pick for best buffet in Las Vegas in 2009, is on the high end of Vegas buffets ($34.95 weeknight dinners). But for that price, diners get 16 staffed cooking stations, including ones serving seafood, Italian, Mexican, and American cuisine, and an impressive dessert spread. Plus, in contrast to most Vegas buffets, the grand dining room is large and airy.

5. Paris Las Vegas

The whimsical, Disney-esque Le Village Buffet at the Paris — voted best buffet by the Las Vegas Review-Journal three years in a row — has five cook-to-order stations, each serving a different regional French cuisine. Lines can be long, and the gooey pie filling on top of the Belgian waffles is no substitute for real fruit, but Francophile diners with American appetites won’t find such a vast spread of French food at a better price ($15 breakfasts, $25 dinners).

6. Flamingo Las Vegas

Unlike most Vegas buffets, which tend to be dark and windowless, the scenic Flamingo Paradise Garden Buffet overlooks the streams, gardens, and live flamingos of the hotel’s wildlife preserve. For food, your best bet is the $20 champagne brunch: some 60 different breakfast foods, including made-to-order omelets and waffles, corned beef hash, and smoked Norwegian salmon. The $22 dinners, however, are no better than average (except for the crustacean corner).

7. Treasure Island

The Treasure Island buffet is not the biggest on the Strip, but with a chef who makes salads to order, a custom pasta station, sushi chefs on the floor, and barbecue, it’s definitely a notch above the typical Vegas all-you-can-eat spread, and all for a reasonable price ($14-$22 breakfasts, $22-$26 dinners). Plus, the food is fresh and the servers are attentive.

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