Illinois - "The Prairie State"

Illinois is a state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 5th most populous state and 25th largest state in terms of land area, and is often noted as a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago (Illinois' largest city) in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal, timber, and petroleum in the south, Illinois has a diverse economic base and is a major transportation hub. The Port of Chicago connects the state to other global ports from the Great Lakes, via the Saint Lawrence Seaway, to the Atlantic Ocean; as well as the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River, via the Illinois River. For decades, O'Hare International Airport has been ranked as one of the world's busiest airports. Illinois has long had a reputation as a bellwether both in social and cultural terms and politics. Although today the state's largest population center is around Chicago in the northern part of the state, the state's European population grew first in the west, with French Canadians who settled along the Mississippi River, and gave the area the name, Illinois. After the American Revolutionary War established the United States, American settlers began arriving from Kentucky in the 1810s via the Ohio River, and the population grew from south to north. In 1818, Illinois achieved statehood. After construction of the Erie Canal increased traffic and trade through the Great Lakes, Chicago was founded in the 1830s on the banks of the Chicago River, at one of the few natural harbors on southern Lake Michigan. John Deere's invention of the self-scouring steel plow turned Illinois' rich prairie into some of the world's most productive and valuable farmlands, attracting immigrant farmers from Germany and Sweden. Railroads carried immigrants to new homes, as well as being used to ship their commodity crops out to markets. Springfield is the capital of Illinois with a population close to 150,000 people. It is the largest city in central Illinois. As part of our journey of "Eat in All 50 States Without Leaving the Valley", we decided to try the cuisine of Illinois. Although the Deep-dish pizza and Chicago-style hot dogs is nationally the most famous signature of Illinois; the Italian Beef Sandwich is a winner among old-schools and natives of this state. Italian beef is a thinly sliced, briefly simmered in heavily seasoned beef broth and loaded on a dense Italian roll - cane be topped with sautéed bell peppers or an oily mix of pickled hot peppers and vegetables called giardiniera, but it must be juicy. Pro's way to order Italian beef is to requesting it "dipped" so the entire sandwich is briefly dunked in the rich juice. A few place were recommended to try the Italian Beef such as Lobby Burgers, Chicago Hamburger Company and Dazzo's Dog House which are located in different part of the valley. However, we chose Defalco's Italian Eatery in Scottsdale, AZ. The DeFalco's family has based their business on three basic principles; always use only the freshest and highest quality ingredients, make DeFalco's Italian Deli & Grocery a place like no other, and always treat people like family. For over three generations, these three principles have embodied what DeFalco's Italian Deli & Grocery is all about. The DeFalco family emigrated from Abuzzi Italy, into Toronto Canada, in 1903. There, the first DeFalco's Italian Grocery was born. After many successful years, John DeFalco moved to Michigan, where he met and married Dora DeAngelis. Dora's family Immigrated to the United States, from Rome Italy, several years before. John and Dora opened up a well known, neighborhood tavern, called the Venezia Inn. Here, Dora began serving home made pasta dishes while John made home made Italian sausage for the hungry patrons. Dora would use the same recipe for the sauce that her Nonna (grandmother) had made many years before. John had learned the art of sausage making from his father when he was a young boy in Italy. Their son Geraldo (Jerry) and his wife Judith DeFalco, have nurtured the old recipes, which are still used today. Although Defalco's has changed quite a bit over the past 32 years, the commitment to use only "the highest quality" ingredients to make their sauces, sausage, and pasta dishes will never change. Today DeFalco's is in Scottsdale and is STILL family owned. Geraldo and Judith can still be seen there making the same recipes that have been handed down for over 100 years. They have passed their vast knowledge on to their son, Anthony, who feels blessed to be able to carry on such a rich tradition of food, culture and family. Walking into the place, the use of the taste of the "old world" and the "new world" combined, at DeFalco's, can clearly be seen. John and Dora moved to Phoenix, Arizona where they had planned to retire. John and Dora's son, Geraldo, however had the desire to keep the family's legacy, for authentic Italian food, alive. Defalco was opened in 1972 in Phoenix, AZ.

Minnesota - "The North Star State"

Minnesota is a state in the Midwestern United States. Minnesota was admitted as the 32nd state on May 11, 1858, created from the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and part of the Wisconsin Territory. Its name comes from the Dakota word for "clear blue water. Owing to its large number of lakes, the state is informally known as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes." Its official motto is L'Étoile du Nord (French: Star of the North). Minnesota is the 12th largest in area and the 21st most populous of the U.S. States. Nearly 60 percent of its residents live in its largest city Minneapolis and the capital Saint Paul metropolitan area (known as the "Twin Cities"), the center of transportation, business, industry, education, and government and home to an internationally known arts community. The remainder of the state consists of western prairies now given over to intensive agriculture; deciduous forests in the southeast, now partially cleared, farmed and settled; and the less populated North Woods, used for mining, forestry, and recreation. Minnesota is known for its relatively mixed social and political orientations and its high rate of civic participation and voter turnout. Until European settlement, Minnesota was inhabited by the Dakota and Ojibwe/Anishinaabe. The large majority of the original European settlers immigrated from Scandinavia and Germany, and the state remains a center of Scandinavian American and German American culture. In recent decades, immigration from Asia, the Horn of Africa, and Latin America has expanded its demographic and cultural composition. Minnesota's standard of living index is among the highest in the United States, and the state is also among the best-educated and wealthiest in the nation. In continue to our journey of Eat at 50 States without leaving AZ, we decided to try to the famous dish in Minnesota. Minnesota is famous of its "hotdish" pronounced "Hoddish" and "Jucy Lucy". Though it was impossible to find a restaurant that serves hotdish, we decided to stick with Jucy Lucy. Hotdish is a casserole with creamy vegies topped with crispy tater tots. Its main ingredients are onions, ground beef, green beans, corn kernels, cream of mushroom soup and shredded potato nuggets. This dish is perfect for serving at large gatherings. Our third journey was to dine at "Cold Beers and Cheese Burger" a restaurant in Scottsdale, AZ that serve Jucy Lucy on Wednesday, April 8, 2015. This restaurant spell their Jucy with an "i". The correct spelling of Jucy Lucy - with our without the "i" is an ancillary dispute between the two Minneapolis bars (Matt's Bar and the 5-8 Club) that claim to have invented the dish. Finer points aside, the agree about the important stuff: A Jucy Lucy is a hamburger with molten cheese core that gushes out when you bite into the patty. Lacking the volcanic heat of its Minnesota-based dish, the Jucy Lucy served at Cold Beers and Cheeseburger isn't quite as likely to cause the third degree mouth burns. This dish is recommended to be cooked Medium. Minnesota is also famous for another dish named Lutefisk (Norwegian) or Lutfisk (Swedish) which is a traditional dish of some Nordic countries and also a no joke in Minnesota. It is made from aged stockfish (air-dried whitefish) or dried/salted whitefish and lye (lut). It is gelatinous in texture. Its name literally means "lye fish". There is no restaurant in Phoenix that serve this authentic dish, however, the local chapter of the Sons of Norway can accommodate those who craved Lutefisk! Stay tuned for our upcoming new journey to dine in another state without leaving Arizona.

Louisiana - "The Pelican State"

Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Louisiana is the 31st most extensive and the 25th most populous of the 50 United States. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Some Louisiana urban environments have a multicultural, multilingual heritage, being so strongly influenced by a mixture of 18th-century French, Spanish, Native American, and African cultures that they are considered to be exceptional in the US. Before the American purchase of the territory in 1803, the current Louisiana State had been both a French colony and a Spanish one. In addition, colonists imported numerous African slaves as laborers in the 18th century. Many came from peoples of the same region of West Africa, thus concentrating their culture. Majority of Louisiana cuisine is influenced by its multicultural heritage. It is difficult to pick only one dish as a signature, Louisiana is famous for Etouffee, po'boys, boudin, jambalaya and Gumbo. Though rare in New Orleans, the potatoes salad is common in other parts of state, and is thought to be a contribution of German immigrants who settled around what later became known as Lac Des Allemands (Lake of Germans) Continuing our journey of trying signature dishes of all 50 states without leaving, AZ we stopped at "Flavors of Louisiana" an small restaurant in Avondale, AZ. This restaurant specializes in Authentic cajun food. Cajun food is often thought to be spicy hot when in actuality real cajun food is what the owner call spicy flavorfull not spicy hot. The restaurant offers Gumbo, Po-boys, Red Beans and Rice, shrimp creole, Crab Landry, Etouffee, and a selection of fried foods which include Catfish, Tilapia, Aligator, Crawfish, Shrimp, Oysters, and Chicken. We are a small restaurant with seating for up to 32 guest. Established in 2008, the "Flavors of Louisiana" was a dream that Jennifer G. has had for a long time. She loves to cook and enjoys people enjoying her food. She is from Baton Rouge, and being raised in a pure cajun home, she could not find any cajun food restaurants in this area that served the kind of food she grew up with. She was a pediatric nurse for 24 years and left nursing to just stay home. A little restaurant became available in Avondale and she and her husband decided to give it a try. So along with their daughter Holli, they opened Flavors of Louisiana that is serving Louisiana signature dishes and is a favorite among many. Please follow me at my facebook Albums for more pictures. https://www.facebook.com/hedy.naraghi/media_set?set=a.10206495574046742.1073741834.1191720698&type=1&pnref=story