Ohio Nachos with Blue Alfredo

One of the first foods I tried after moving to Columbus, Ohio, was "Ohio Nachos."  Unlike typical nachos, the Ohio version uses potato chips and a creamy blue cheese sauce. My version includes colorful vegetable chips and smoked blue cheese. Crunchy, smokey and bright, this dish is a unique, easy, scrumptious, happy hour snack. 

Vegetable chips
8 oz. of your favorite Alfredo sauce
6 oz. smoked blue cheese (creamy is best), divided
2 T. Fresh Parsley
Pinch of nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350.  Place the chips on a cookie sheet, place in the oven and warm briefly.
Add 4 oz. of the blue cheese to the Alfredo sauce.  Stir to combine.   Warm the sauce over low heat on the stove or in increments of 30 seconds in the microwave until the sauce is bubbly and the blue cheese has been incorporated.  Add the parsley and nutmeg.  (The nutmeg helps cut the richness).

Plate up your chips and carefully pour the blue alfredo on top.  Sprinkle with the remaining blue cheese.  

RR :: Valle Luna

A few months ago, my friend Kelsey told me about Restaurant.com and their great deals on restaurant coupons.  They had a sale going on where you could buy a $25 gift certificate for only $2.  It was too good to pass by, so naturally, I told Sean.  The three of us ended up buying several certificates so we could eat out and save some serious cash.  What we didn’t know was that we all bought certificates for the same restaurant!  That’s right, we had each purchased gift certificates to Valle Luna.  I guess that goes to show you just how much we all love this restaurant!

We had a good laugh about our lack of coordination, but in the end, we were incredibly pleased because it just meant that we could eat at Valle Luna at least three more times. 

When you go to Valle Luna (and you know you want to!), make sure you arrive with time to spare because there will be a line out the door.  It’s a fairly large restaurant too, so you know it’s worth the wait!

Each time we eat at Valle Luna, we never miss out on the margarita of the day:  blue agave, melon, prickly pear, etc.  They’re all delicious and incredibly refreshing.  This, combined with the bottomless chips and salsa is a perfect start to our Mexicana meal.  Now, I have to be very honest with you.  Every time I eat here, I tell myself I’m going to try something new.  I try to convince myself to be adventurous and go out on a limb to explore the menu.  And everything on menu is good - I've tasted Sean and Kelsey's meals!  But, when it comes down to it, I lose my "cares to the wind" mentality and go with my trusty favorite:  The Machaca Beef Chimichanga with Green Chile sauce.  It's THAT good!  This dish is hearty and comforting and packed with rich flavor.  Exploring menus are great, but sometimes it's just as good to stick with a classic.  It's what I crave each time I think about Valle Luna and I will probably order it each and every time I go to this restaurant in the future.

Valle Luna
3336 W Bell Rd
Phoenix, AZ 85053
(602) 993-3108


 www.valleluna.com