Coming up with a menu for our food truck The Blacktop Grill is one of the most creative,exciting things I've been a part of. Our first year, I calculated we ate 150 hot dogs.Sorry body. This was a necessary evil in order to achieve perfection. Bacon was a must, and all beef dogs were a must from day 1. It was also important that our buns and tortillas were made at a bakery and locally hand crafted. So much love has gone into this menu.

The chile relleno hot dog actually started out as a joke. We were sitting around after an event at Dragoon Brewery talking about ideas. A friends mom suggested we make chile rellenos because everyone loves a chile relleno. From that conversation came the chile relleno hot dog with locally roasted fresh hatch green chiles. This one is killer.

The Shanghai came from my famous Sriracha coleslaw recipe used at home to top fish tacos, pork tacos and pulled pork. Srirracha is the secret ingredient here,but the rest remain under lock and key. The freshness the crunchiness and tart mixture make this new one a crowd favorite.

The Hawaiian hot dog came from experimenting with sweet hot dogs. At one point we had marshmallows chocolate and peanut butter involved. None of it was good. Trust me. We realized all along that what we needed was something fresh. Fresh crushed pineapple is the key to this one. The pineapples or hand-picked and hand chopped.The coconut is also hand roasted. If this isn't gourmet and love I don't know what is.

The fancy quesadilla came from trying to incorporate more healthy fresh items into the menu. Organic spinach is perfect for this. I'm also a big fan of feta cheese. The twist on this is the spicy Srirracha powder added at the end. I like to think the name came from me. I need more than just a plain quesadilla.Im so fancy,you already know.

A lot of love,dedication, time and creative genius went into making this menu. The worst thing in the world is when somebody orders a plain hot dog. Think outside the box friends! No we don't have ketchup, and no we don't have mustard. Your order will be labeled "the lamo". We are not a traditional Sonoran hotdog cart. We are gourmet Foodies. Each one of these creations is our twist on on the norm.

Click the picture below to find out more about the Blacktop Grill

Spent the morning of halloween at the farmers market at St. Phillips Plaza. I love the cold crisp air of October and supporting all things local. A little pricy, but well worth the nourishment and excitement I think. I found a cute little juice bar, Bao, and locally hand crafted english toffee. Lets be honest, the hand crafted sweaters,beads and blankets are nice, but I'm here for the food.

Bap menu at St. Phillips Plaza, had the breakfast Bao and shared it

Steamed Bao in bamboo, soft, steamed bread with fillings

5$ Bao was worth the price, sharing one made a good snack. Next time will try the vegetarian.

Chorizo and egg Bao with Sriracha sauce.

Juice Bar Pure Love Juice on 1980 East River Road, Tucson, Az is located below a pilates studio.

Pure Red, includes Cucumber, Celery, Lemon, Carrot, Beet, Orange, and Ginger. $8.50 for 24 oz. Pictured here

Spent a total of $18.04 at the juice bar including a cure all shot of ginger, a french pressed coffee, an espresso shot and the pure red drink. ( for two ). Pricy? yes. Nourished? absolutely.

On the way home from the farmers market we stopped at the Tucson Tamale Company on the North side.( more food). He had the thanksgiving tamale, basically everything thanksgiving rolled into masa. This was ok. I had the vegetable curry tamale and it was amazing. I am now contemplating making these for the holidays. Can't wait to run this idea by the most traditional Mexican woman I know, my mom. This will not go over well. Stay tuned.

Food truck life

Farmers Market at St. Phillips Plaza