Happy Birthday Rachel!

My very good friend, Rachel, is turning 30 on Tuesday...April Fools! Saturday we joined her, some friends and family for dinner, drinks and a great time. I'll admit that I ate entirely too much and Jason probably drank too much, but it was completely worth it! When we hang out with Rachel and her family, things can get a little crazy. Especially when Jason and and Sid (her cousin) are in rare form. Sid is a shot guy. He loves to start the night with a shot of tequila and manages to somehow talk Jason into joining him. Though now that I think about it, I actually think Saturday was the first night in a long time where they didn't take tequila shots. Instead they stuck with drinking Dewar's & Water.

For dinner we went to Taste of Texas. In my opinion, this is one of the best places in Houston for a steak. If you live in Houston and haven't been, make a point to try it for a special occasion. If you don't live in Houston, just file this away in case you ever visit. It's a little strange to go to a really nice steakhouse and venture to a salad bar, a la Steak Kountry Buffet, but who can complain about a full array of salad choices and huge blocks of cheese?!? We started with Texas Quail Bites and Jalapeno Stuffed Shrimp. This was my first taste of quail, but I really liked it. I can't personally comment on the shrimp, though, because I don't eat it but the rest of the table seemed to love it.

I ordered the 6 ounce Center Cut Fillet wrapped in Bacon and Jason ordered the New York Strip Sirloin. We shared Asparagus in Hollandaise sauce and Texas Au Gratin Potatoes. My steak was perfect - part of the reason I love Taste of Texas, but Jason said next time he'll order the Rib Eye. I can't blame him - my two favorite steak options are Rib Eye and Fillet...New York Strip just isn't the best cut of meat. It was cooked well and had a good flavor, but you can't beat the marbling on a Rib Eye. Paired with the Cambria Bench Break Vinyard Pinot Noir...it was a great meal. Especially when we finished with Key Lime Pie and Snickers Pie...which is more like a rich cheesecake and not so much a pie.

After dinner, the we had drinks a The Capital Grille. Before we knew Sid, he was a server at Capital Grille, so he knew a few people working there. This can be a good thing and a bad thing! The good thing...your drinks will be mixed with a heavy hand. The bad thing...your drinks will be mixed with a heavy hand! Though I tend to stay away from vodka, we ordered a round of Stoli Doli (a 21 day pineapple infused vodka) and also ended up with some fruity shots...I have no idea what those were! The waitress (a friend of Sid's) gave us an order of Creme Brulee topped with fresh berries that was fantastic!

To finish the night, we went to the Tasting Room in Uptown Park Plaza. I have been to another Tasting Room location, but I think I like this one best. They have a huge outdoor seating area and we lucked into a table on the end of the patio. Three bottles of wine later...and it was time to go home! Actually, we realized that before we finished the wine. Probably a good thing. We ordered a white wine (I have no clue what), the Trinchero Family Pinot Noir (a Napa Valley Pinot) and the EVIL Cabernet Sauvignon bottled by R Winery (the "EVIL" is upside down and backwards, bottled in Australia).

Shaking things up...

I don't cook enough. It's a fact, not an opinion. We tend to eat leftovers pretty often or we'll just wing it. Jason's favorite "wing it" meal is chili dogs (with canned chili), but he'll settle for "ghetto nachos"...meaning we make queso from Velveeta and a can of Ro-Tel, pour it over some chips and go do town. Very exciting. And yes, we eat Velveeta. I know some people think it's a sin...but I think that it's just too easy and I'll admit a little yummy.

So, because my weekly menu can occasionally include cereal for dinner or a handful of frozen french fries, I decided to add some other aspects to my blog. From now on you'll see a few more entries of what we eat when we're out or what we eat when we're at friends houses. Hopefully it won't be too boring...

Recipe Exchange: Chalupas!

I will fully admit two things about this recipe. First, I thought chalupas were either some sort of taco things...or beans, lettuce and cheese on a fried corn tortilla. Second, I was really intimidated by this recipe. But...I succeeded! We went to a friends house to hang out and drink some beers, so I used that time to try out the recipe. However, I forgot my camera at home and we ended up eating the whole batch of chalupas! It was so good!! Hopefully this does not violate the What's Cooking Recipe Exchange rules...

Chalupas from Food Network

• 2 1/2 pound pork loin roast
• 2 cups pinto beans, rinsed
• 4 large tomatoes, peeled and diced
• 6 fresh green chilies, roasted, peeled and diced
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 T chopped garlic
• 1 T oregano
• 2 T chili powder
• salt and pepper
• water

Place the roast, and all remaining ingredients in a large stock pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 3 hours. Remove the meat and continue to cook for another 2 hours, stirring occasionally until the beans are tender.

Shred the meat and discard the fat. Return it to the pot and continue to cook for another hour, stiring often. Add more water if needed, until it thins out.

We served ours like a soup with chips, shredded cheese and some pico on top. For a crowd, this is perfect! I will probably make it again when we have guests over...but I will say you need a long day to do so.

I am not spoiled.

Ok, maybe I'm a little spoiled. But I try not to admit it. I think that since I was the first granddaughter, some of my aunts and uncles tend to spoil me. For instance, I love BBQ ribs. Pork, beef, doesn't matter. For someone who does not like getting dirty, I will tear up some ribs. My uncle Kenny makes some pretty darn good smoked ribs! Anytime I go home and he knows I'll be around for a meal, we're getting ribs and I get my own rack to take home. This year for Easter we had are usual ribs and I signed up to bring Pinto Beans as a side.

I don't really have a recipe for these, I just make it up as I go. And I tend to make way too much! I fed 20 people for Easter and still threw a large bowl in the freezer.

Pinto Beans

• 1 large bag of Pinto Beans
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 jalapenos (I just slice the sides of them so they will flavor the beans)
• 2 bay leaves
• salt
• pepper
• Tony Chachere's seasoning
• 2 cans stewed tomatoes
• 2 cans chopped tomatoes with green chilies

Rinse and soak the beans at least 8 hours, or overnight. Drain the water and return them to the pot. Add enough water to cover the beans, and all of the ingredients except the tomatoes. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes after about 2 hours of boiling. The entire cooking process should take 2.5 - 3 hours, or until the beans are tender. This will make a very large pot of beans, so if you buy the regular size bag, cut the rest in half.

Master Baker!

Well, not really. I'd say I'm more of a...OK baker. But, I took the Master Baker Challenge for March head on! The challenge was to make something using your favorite Easter candy. I don't really have a favorite. I try not to discriminate when it comes to candy, I give them all equal share in my stomach. :-) So I asked Jason for his opinion and he replied "those malt-ball things that are shaped like eggs." Perfect - my sister, Lindsey, had a birthday on Thursday and those are her favorite candy...so it made for a great birthday treat.

Now...what do I do with them? After much searching online, I found a recipe for Whopper Brownies. Of course, one main ingredient was 1/2 cup instant malted milk...and I did not read that until I was about halfway into the whole process. At that point, I said forget it and just left it out. Since I really don't know how they should have tasted, I can only say that they did taste pretty darn good!

Whopper Brownies adapted from aaa-recipes.com

• 11 1/2 oz milk chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup instant malted milk (I left out)
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/4 t salt
• 1 cup Whoppers (or Robin's Eggs) chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 and grease and 9*13 pan. Melt the chocolate and margarine over low heat, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Beat in sugar, vanilla and eggs. Stir in remaining ingredients except the chopped Whoppers. Spread the batter in the pan and sprinkle with the chopped Whoppers. Bake for 30-35 minutes, cool completely.

It slices, it dices...

Ok, well, almost. The in-laws were here this weekend and they seem to be fans of the gadgety as seen on TV stuff. Hey, if it works I'm all for it! So that meant that while shopping Saturday, my mother-in-law bought me the Vidalia Slice Wizard! I'm always a little skeptical of the "as seen on TV" stuff, but I will say that this sucker works! We intended to make garlic mashed potatoes last night for dinner, but Jason wanted to try out the new toy...and loved it. He also managed to slice about half of a clove of garlic as well, but I'd stick with something larger than garlic.

I also made Roasted Broccoli for the first time! I read about it in another What's Cooking nestie's blog (however, I can't remember whose it was!) and thought it would be good to try. We love broccoli and usually just steam it with a little Parmesan cheese on top, but I wanted to try something different. This was perfect.

We cooked our favorite Grilled Pork Tenderloin. I really don't have a recipe for this because Jason just wings it! However, it always turns out really good! The pork is seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. He then mixes a sauce of bottled BBQ sauce, ketchup, salt, pepper, garlic, onion powder, worcestershire sauce and brown sugar. The pork is rubbed with the sauce before we throw it on the grill.

Rosemary Roasted New Potatoes

• 4-5 new potatoes
• 1 t salt
• 1-2 t black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 t onion powder
• 1 T dried rosemary
• 2 t dried thyme
• 1/2 t ground oregano
• 2-3 T olive oil, to coat

Slice the potatoes (or dice them) and toss with the seasoning and olive oil. Spread a thin layer on a baking sheet and bake at 415 for 30-40 minutes, until tender.

Roasted Broccoli

• 3 bunches fresh broccoli
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-3 T olive oil
• 1-2 T balsamic vinegar
• salt, ground black pepper and red pepper flakes to taste

Cut the broccoli so that you have the small florets only. Toss with the remaining ingredients, making sure to coat the vegetables. Spread on a baking sheet and roast in the oven at 415 for 20-30 minutes.

The best of both worlds

I love ice cream. It is my favorite thing to eat. I'm on a diet, but Friday while we were walking around the Strand in Galveston, my father-in-law mentioned ice cream and, well, I melted. I proceeded to eat a cup of Pistachio Almond Blue Bell ice cream and I loved every fattening bite of it.

A few years ago, my in-laws bought me an ice cream maker for Christmas. I was one very excited person! I can say, though, this is where Jason and I disagree. I think that ice cream should be anything but plain! Who wants boring old Vanilla? Give me Mint Chocolate Chip. Or Tin Roof or some Rocky Road. Anything but plain old Vanilla. Jason, on the other hand, thinks ice cream should be enjoyed in its pure form. Thus the reason I've probably only made Vanilla twice and I made Chocolate for the first time this week. We tend to compromise with Strawberry. But since I was making two batches, I got to pick one of them.

Vanilla Ice Cream from Cuisinart

• 1 cup whole milk (I use fat free)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1-2 t pure vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer or whisk to combine the milk and sugar until dissolved. Stir the heavy cream and vanilla. Turn on the mixer and pour the mixture into the freezer bowl. Let it mix until thickened, about 30 minutes.

Chocolate Ice Cream from Cuisinart

• 1 cup whole milk (again I used fat free)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 8 oz bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate (I used semi-sweet)
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1 t almond extract

Heat the milk until it bubbles around the edges. In a blender or food processor, pulse the chocolate and sugar until it is well blended. Add the milk and continue to blend until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl and let it cool completely. Stir in the heavy cream, vanilla and almond extract. Chill for at least 30 minutes. Turn the machine on and add the chilled mixture. Freeze for 25-30 minutes.

Paula would be proud...

Jason's best friend came in last weekend from Wilmington, DE. Though he's born Canadian, he grew up in Northeast Texas. And this guy is Texas. In order to visit him, we have to buy our way across state lines with cans of Ranch Style Beans. Yes, I'm serious. His wife does not understand the concept of Ranch Style Beans. I, having grown up in Texas, realize there is really...well...just nothing else like them. Most of the time I use them in my Taco Soup, but I promise you can eat just them. Because his wife was treating him to a weekend in Texas for his 30th birthday (one man's dream come true) we figured that a good Southern buffet of food would be the best idea.



The guys (Jason, his best friend and his two brothers) planned on going gulf fishing that Saturday morning, but missed out because of weather. We planned to fry the fish they caught, but since that was not happening...Kroger came to my rescue. I found a great recipe in my Southern Living cookbook that gave us the perfect Fried Catfish. Throw in some french fries and hush puppies...and you have a really good Southern meal! Oh yeah, we did have some homemade Guacamole, stuffed jalapenos and bacon wrapped dates...but stuff like that gets eaten before you can take photos!


Fried Catfish from Southern Living

• 1 cup flour
• 1 T salt
• 2 t black pepper
• 2 t red pepper
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 2 1/2 cups cornmeal
• 1 T garlic powder
• 2 T dried thyme
• 1-2 T cayenne pepper
• 10 (6-8 oz) farm raised catfish fillets
• cotton seed oil (or peanut oil)
• Lemon wedges

Combine first 4 ingredients in a shallow dish. Stir together buttermilk and egg in a bowl. Combine cornmeal, garlic powder, thyme and cayenne pepper in another shallow dish. If you have more fillets (like we did) just keep adding to each mixture as needed.

Dredge the catfish in the flour mixture, dip in buttermilk, then toss in the cornmeal. Pour oil into either a large cast-iron skillet or a deep fryer. Heat to 360. Fry the catfish in batches until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.

If you are frying the fish and hush puppies, be sure to fry those first so they don't taste like fish!

Oh, we also bought a 6 pound can of Ranch Style Beans for the birthday boy...but sadly, those did not get cooked. I think his wife was also very pleased that they were left in my kitchen. I'm not sure I can find a use for 6 pounds of beans...

I made someone's day!

It was so sweet of Melissa to pick me as a "You Make My Day" award winner. Melissa is about to start the Wilton Cake Classes and all I have to say is - you better redo your budget! I can't walk through a store without running to the cake aisle and dreaming of stuff I just have to have. I can't wait to see her cakes!

I try to give all of the blogs out there a fair shake, even though I'd get fired from work if I read all of them! So...Brooke, Carrie, Erica, and Jaime...you make me smile. And you make me hungry!

Cheeseburger in Paradise

I participated in my first cooking challenge this week! Elly, with Elly Says Opa (http://ellysaysopa.vox.com) created the Eat to the Beat challenge. And, as usual, I waited until the last minute.


The challenge was to cook something that represented a song. I didn't want to bake because I really don't need the added calories right now. So I took Jason's suggestion and we had Cheeseburgers for dinner last night, a la Jimmy Buffet.

Cheeseburger is paradise.

Heaven on earth with an onion slice.

Not too particular, not too precise.

I'm just a cheeseburger in paradise.

We typically cook turkey burgers, which I love, but last night Jason wanted beef. Good old red meat. Man, I forgot how good it was! Plus, I think this is the easiest thing to cook for dinner. No recipe to follow, just do what you want. I love it.

Cheeseburgers

Season 1 lb ground beef with whatever you like! We added salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder, some Season All, and a Mesquite BBQ rub. I also tossed in a little Reduced Fat Crumbled Feta Cheese. The burgers were thrown on a grille at Med-Low head and cooked about 3-4 min on each side. Right before they were done I added two slices of Kraft Fat Free Cheese Singles.

Spicy Sweet Potato Fries

Cut two large sweet potatoes to resemble fries. Toss with enough olive oil to coat, salt, pepper, and Tony Chachere's seasoning. Cook in the oven at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, turn the broiler on at the end to help them crisp.