Havasu's Italian Deli, Linda's Homemade Beef Jerky: Review

Italian specialty foods would be a more appropriate label for Lake Havasu City's Linda's Homemade Beef Jerky. Visitors unfamiliar with the shop might overlook the store if they aren't specifically in the market for beef jerky. While Linda's has excellent homemade beef jerky, available in a variety of styles, it's her homemade sausage, meatballs and lasagna that has made her beloved by locals.

On one Mother's Day I asked my mother-in-law what she'd like me to make for dinner. She wanted lasagna. I'm a fairly good cook, yet lasagna is one thing I do not make well. While some of those frozen grocery store versions of lasagna are fairly good, they weren't what I wanted to serve on a special day. Someone suggested Linda's homemade lasagna. Like the grocery store version, you can get it frozen, yet that is where the similarity ends. Mother's Day dinner was a hit, and I had the added bonus of not having to cook.

I was discussing Linda's with a business acquaintance the other day and he told me he buys Linda's lasagna, lets it thaw slightly, then cuts it into individual portions and refreezes. He has a mountain cabin, and likes to take along the portions as one night's meal. It's like enjoying a gourmet Italian dinner, while eating in. His story reminded me of a houseboat trip we had at Lake Powell. One of our housemates brought Linda's lasagna to serve on the night she would be preparing dinner. The large dish of lasagna didn't fit in the houseboat oven, but it did fit on the barbeque. We learned you can prepare lasagna on a houseboat barbeque.

Another specialty at Linda's is her homemade Italian sausage, which we often serve when we're having a barbeque. The only downside, the store doesn't have supermarket hours, and if we wait until Sunday to pick up the sausage, or after hours, we have to make other menu plans.

Once, when shopping at Linda's Homemade Beef Jerky I made the mistake of buying her fresh mozzarella cheese. It is nothing like store bought mozzarella, which is hard and stringy. Linda's mozzarella had a moist softness and delicate flavor, and before I realized it I had consumed the entire package. I haven't purchased it again, I know my limits. It is too hard to resist.

Linda's Homemade Beef Jerky is easy to find, it is located in the Safeway Shopping center, at 1640 McCulloch Boulevard North, Lake Havasu City, Arizona, just down the street from the London Bridge. Visitors to Lake Havasu City who swing by Safeway to stock up on supplies, can make an easy stop at Linda's for homemade beef jerky and an assorment of Italian foods to make a gourmet dinner.