Dallas, Texas

About a week ago I went to Dallas for a soccer event. I was truly surprised by how much Dallas has to offer, aside from what you see on TV; Donna Decorates Dallas, Khloe & Lamar, Real World Dallas to name a few shows... Our trip was March 31st - April 8th and the weather was great, there were a couple of hot days but it wasn't uncomfortable. I've decided to do a quick recap on our trip.

Texas De Brazil

For the second time in the past 5 years I've been able to go to Texas De Brazil! If you haven't been and your a meat fan you have to go! The first time I went was in Miami and it was amazing. It is a Brazilian Churrascaria and they do have something for everyone. The cost is a bit steep, $45 for dinner, but it's worth it. In Dallas I became a member, it was $59 and it includes 12 50% off coupons, worth every penny. This picture was from the first trip...

This is how it works; There is a salad bar full of anything you could possibly want there are at least 40 different items to choose from. Some of my favorites were the imported cheeses, Greek olives, lobster bisque, fresh buffalo mozzarella, blue cheese and red grape salad, and the scalloped potatoes. The server brings out sides of sauteed brown sugar bananas (AMAZING) and mashed potatoes.

Everyone gets a plastic button the green side is "ON" and the red side is "OFF". When your ready to move on from the salad bar to the meat you turn your button on, that is when the fun begins. I would say there are about 9 servers that each come out with different types of meat on 2 foot long skewers. From what I remember they had; chicken wrapped in bacon, brazilian sausage, filet, filet wrapped in bacon, flank steak, sirloin, leg of lamb, lamb chop, and a couple different cuts of pork. Each type of meat is cut off table side and placed on your plate. My favorite was the filet mignon wrapped in bacon. I think I could have had only the bananas, the lobster bisque and the filet and been perfectly content. Drinks and dessert are also worth a try, the Brazilian cheesecake was really good.

Since there are only a few Texas De Brazil locations nationwide I will have to take a trip to the Las Vegas location if I want to go again this year. I am actually interested in trying the Brazilian steakhouse Fogo De Chao in Los Angeles, which is similar to Texas De Brazil. Dallas does have a Fogo De Chao and an american steakhouse called Perry's which are both highly spoke of.

Entertainment wise Dallas has a ton to offer, we didn't have enough time to take it all in!

Pete's Dueling Piano Bar

There are two pianos facing each other and the patron can request songs by filling out a form and placing it in front of a "piano man". Pete's is part of a chain which also has a location in Las Vegas. www.petesduelingpianobar.com/

Nasher Sculpture Center

The first Saturday of every month this museum has free admission.

The M Line Trolley

We rode the trolley to the museum. This trolley service is free and is operated by volunteers. We hoped on at the Mc Kinney Ave. stop, it runs every 15 minutes or so. It was really neat when the trolley changes directions, the seats all flip around to face the opposite side!

Top Golf

Digital driving range. The balls all have micro chips in them that are scanned and when they land in a certain section the player is awarded points. The price was decent at $5 a game you get 20 balls. Each bay is set up with a table and a few chairs, the food and beverage service comes around to take your order. The facility provides players with a set of clubs for free. They also have three mini golf courses.

The Sixth Floor Museum

The day we visited this museum was a bit crazy to say the least. It was tornado day in Dallas! When we arrived at the museum they had evacuated and they were just starting to allow customers back in the building. This museum is where JFK's assassin shot from.

Babe's Chicken http://www.babeschicken.com/

This place was cute! They serve family style so you get unlimited sides with the purchase of a meat entree. It was $11.99 for pretty much everything on the menu except the catfish was $12.99. It was good to share meat and order a "vegetable plate" which was only $6.49 (unlimited side items makes up the vplate). The smoked chicken was my favorite and the BBQ sauce was better than any I've had in a long time, def. home made. The salad was pretty tasty it was just romaine lettuce and a house dressing. The biscuits were great and the gravy was homemade also or you could use honey which was set out on the table. The other sides were cream of corn and green beans. They're known for fried chicken and the chicken fried steak they were also pretty good. The entrance/waiting area was really neat. It was an outdoor area with a water mill and seating. The servers had mics and sang every so often which added to the atmosphere!

Chicken Noodle Soup

I started working full time back in December 2009 and I haven't really taken the time to blog!

Today I came home and made chicken noodle soup for the FIRST time ever. Growing this was a staple in our family, we always served chicken noodle soup with bread and grated pecorino romano cheese. I remember going over my grandparents house and grating cheese by hand until we had enough to fill a plastic green container. I'm so thankful for Trader Joes, I can just go buy the cheese already grated! Cheese wasn't standing in the way of me and chicken noodle soup though, I put off making it for the past 5 days... I was dreading cooking a whole chicken. When I was at the grocery store I tried convincing myself that I could just buy one of the rotisserie chickens instead! I watched someone make chicken noodle soup with a whole chicken a couple years ago and it scarred me for life. Two words: chicken organs. Yuck! I was able to overcome my fear just like Julie Childs was able to bone a duck! I had a few incentives to consider of course; it has been getting cold, I have been sick for the past week, and I also was able to use my Paula Dean stock pot for the first time.

Ingredients

- 1 Onion

- 1 2lb Package of Carrots

- 3 Stalks of Celery

- 15 tsp Chicken Bouillon

- 1 Whole Chicken

- 1 tsp Poultry Seasoning

- 1/3 Cup Grated Pecorino Romano (or parmesan cheese for garnish)

- 1lb Pasta (I prefer rotini)

Directions

Add the chicken bouillon and water to a large stock pot. Rinse off the chicken using cold water and season with poultry seasoning. Place the WHOLE chicken in the boiling water and let it cook for about an hour and a half. Remove the chicken from the water, once the chicken has cooled off separate the meat from the bones. In the mean time, peel and chop the carrots, celery, and onion. Add them to the chicken-less broth and bring it to a boil. In a separate pot boil water for the pasta let the pasta cook for 8 minutes so its a al dente. Once the pasta is done combine the soup with the pasta and serve. Top with grated pecorino romano cheese.

Tuna Burgers

• Avocado Topping

  • 1 avocado, peeled and mashed with 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/3 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 1 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Dash cayenne pepper

  Directions

  Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. (If you don't have a food processor you can mash the ingredients by hand.) Chill and serve.

  
  

  

  
  

  Ingredients

• 2 cans albacore tuna, drained
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 3 tablespoons chopped pickles
• 1 tablespoon chopped pimento, optional
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons bottled horseradish
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 slices of monterrey jack cheese
• 1tomato sliced and lettuce for topping

• Directions

Combine tuna, bread crumbs, and egg. Add the onion, pickles, celery, pimento, lemon juice, horseradish, garlic, and pepper, and mix. Form the mixture into 4 patties. Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat and cook the patties, covered, until golden brown. Carefully flip the patties and cook the other side for 4 minutes. Add the slice of cheese for an additional minute or so until it melts. Top each tuna patty with a tablespoon of the "Avocado Dressing", lettuce, and a couple slices of tomato.

This might sound like a strange meal, but its really good, you won't be disappointed. I m addicted to the new "Oroweat Sandwich Thins" they make a great substitute for hamburg buns. I usually serve the burgers with a salad, sweet potato french fries, or a pickle and chips.

These are the bun replacements I was writing about.

Kodak Moments

Everyone's heard the saying, "A picture says a thousand words..." I love photography so much that I have to share some of my shots on this blog.

Pumpkin Soup

Its Pumpkin Season!

Everyone knows fall translates into: pumpkin picking, trick or treating, pumpkin pie, pumpkin seeds, and PUMPKIN SOUP??? That's right, pumpkin soup! I was craving something different. In California, it's still roasty toasty outside... today it was over 100 degrees! Somehow my boyfriend managed to get sick, so I figured I would make something to 

help sooth his sore throat. I know, how nice, I was in a good mood. 

I baked two pumpkins and roast the seeds. I cut the pumpkins in half and baked them cut side down on a greased cookie sheet for 45 minutes. I scooped out the pumpkin filling, added 4 tablespoons of butter, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 cup of brown sugar. For some reason I don't think the pumpkin was the right type of pumpkin for baking, the taste wasn't quite what I was looking for. I had to revert to plan B, canned pumpkin. 

Don't make the mistake of purchasing "Pumpkin Pie Filling".

Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 fresh bay leaf
• 2 ribs celery with greens, finely chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning or 2 teaspoons ground fresh or dried thyme
• 6 dashes of hot sauce, or to taste
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 (28-ounce) can cooked pumpkin puree
• 2 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 loaf crusty italian bread
• honey for a garnish
  

Directions

Heat a medium sized soup pot over medium to medium high heat, and melt the butter. Add bay leaf, celery, and onion. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper. Cook for 6  minutes, or until tender. Add flour, poultry seasoning and hot sauce, to taste, then cook flour for a minute. Whisk in chicken stock and bring liquid to a bubble. Whisk in the pumpkin in large spoonfuls to incorporate it into the broth. Simmer soup 10 minutes to thicken a bit then add brown sugar a little bit at a time, next add in the cream and nutmeg. Reduce heat to low and keep warm until ready to serve. Place soup in a blender in batches until smooth. Serve immediately, with a drizzle of honey in the center of each shallow bowl. Cut up the loaf of bread into slices, and serve with the soup.

Enjoy!

Potato Bacon Pie, With Homemade Crust!

Pie For Dinner? 

I know some of you out there are thinking, wow this girl is crazy, but it has bacon in it! If anything you will ABSOLUTELY love the crust. It will be something you will make for years to come. 

Pie Crust

2 sticks of butter, cubed and chilled (1 cup)

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons ice water

      Place the butter, flour, and salt into a food processor, then pulse lightly just until the mixture looks like wet sand. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing briefly after each spoonful of water. Keep adding water until the dough just begins to form into larger clumps. Transfer equal amounts of the doughinto 2 ziplock plastic bags and form each into a disk. Let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Remove 1 of the disks from the bag to a flour coated surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a 10-inch round. Gently fit the rolled dough into a 9-inch  pie pan, and refrigerate while you prepare the filling ingredients.

Yield: 2 (9-inch) pie crusts

Ingredients

6 strips bacon

3 sprigs fresh thyme

1 cup heavy cream

2 Pie Crusts, recipe follows

3 medium potatoes peeled

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese

1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese

1 egg yolk, whisked with a teaspoon of water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F

In a frying pan over medium heat, cook the bacon until just crispy. Pat the oil off with a paper towel, then crumble once the bacon is at room temperature.

In a small saucepan, heat the thyme and cream over low heat to a simmer. Turn off the heat and let sit for about 5 minutes, then remove the thyme sprigs.

Remove the pie pan from the refrigerator. Slice the potatoes in half and then finely slice the potatoes. 

Working in circles, arrange the potato slices in the pie crust, make sure to sprinkle each layer with salt, pepper, and about 1/4 of the crumbled bacon, and a layer of cheese. Continue layering until the pie pan is nearly full. The last layer should be with only cheese. Then, pour the cream over the pie.

Roll out the remaining disk of refrigerated dough. Cover the pie with the dough and crimp the edges closed. Brush the top and edges of the crust with egg wash. Make a few slits in the center of the top crust, for the steam to escape. 

Place the pie pan on a baking sheet. Bake the torte until the crust is browned and crispy and the potatoes are cooked through, about 50 to 60 minutes. If the crust edges get too brown, cover them with some strips of aluminum foil. Remove the pie from the oven and let rest at least 15 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.

If the pie isn't as cheesy as you would like it to be, you can make a side of cheese sauce to add to each serving. I didn't use enough cheese when I made my pie, and I went and bought some cheese the next day. I made the sauce for the left overs. 

Cheese Sauce

2 Tablespoons Butter

1 Tablespoon Flour

1/2 Shredded white cheddar cheese

3-4 Tablespoons heavy cream or milk

Add the butter to a sauce pan over medium to high heat, turn the heat down to medium, then melt in the cheese, whisk in the cream one tablespoon at a time, if the consistency isn't as thick as you hoped add a tablespoon of flour. Serve immediately. 

Sloppy Joes, With a Surprise Ingredient!

I took a trip to Massachusetts for a week, and then spent the weekend in Costa Mesa, CA. I've been home for two days now, and I still haven't made it to the grocery store. I hate going between 5PM - 8PM its always a mad house. Needless to say, I still have to eat! Last night around 5:30 my stomach gave me the hungry growl. I looked through the cabinets and fridge to see what I could whip up. I found a can of Sloppy Joe sauce and thought to myself, "I'm sure you can do better than that Heather"! I checked the freezer for some ground beef, score! Here is a quick and easy dinner that makes approximately four-five sandwiches with ingredients that are usually just lying around. 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/4 pound lean ground sirloin or ground turkey
• SURPRISE! 1/2 pkg of beef or pork hot dogs diced (Or 3 hotdogs for those less daring cooks!) 
• 1 package of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon steak seasoning 
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2-3  tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons BBQ sauce
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 cup tomato sauce (I used crushed tomatoes, and threw them in the blender for a few seconds)
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine spread.
• 4-5 hamburger rolls 

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over med-high heat. Add meat and break up any big pieces as it browns. Add diced hot dogs after 4 minutes then cook 4 minutes more. Add the onions to the pan and cook until soft, an additional 6 minutes. In a bowl mix the spices, sugar, ketchup, BBQ, Worcestershire and tomato sauce. Pour sauce over the meat and simmer a few minutes to combine flavors.

While the sauce is incorporating its flavors into the meat, pre-heat another skillet. Spread butter onto the inside of the hamburger buns. Grill the inside the bun, face down on the skillet for 3 minutes over med-high heat. (I place a plate on top of the buns to speed up the grilling process.)

Slop the meat mixture onto buns, sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Recommended Sides

• Corn on the cob
• Bake beans
• Caesar salad
• French fries (sweet potato or regular)
• Chips & a pickle (quick & easy)
• Potato salad or pasta salad

Remember, I said I haven't been to the grocery store... so I just served it with Doritos and a bottle of IBC Rootbeer! Next time I will definitely serve it with a side of B&M Baked Beans! 

Side Note* After we finished eating last night my boyfriend said, "are you going to make this again?" I replied,"yea I'll make it again". He looked at me with a big smile and said, "you better it was really good!" ~SUCCESS!

Cherry Cream Cheese French Toast

Yum! A few of the kids on Ricky's soccer team spent the night on Monday, and we didn't quite have enough milk for all of them to have cereal... So I was trying to think of something I could feed them, but I would also want to eat. French toast came to mind, a quick and easy favorite of mine. Sunday someone brought over a few bags of fresh cherries.

Fresh Cherries + Cream Cheese + French Toast= Happy Heather

Cherry Syrup

1 1/2 cups fresh cherries, pitted

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 cup water

1 cinnamon stick or 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 vanilla bean, split or 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 T-1/4 cup of your favorite syrup (optional)

In a medium non-corrosive saucepan place water, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Add cherries and simmer for about 20-30 minutes. Continue to simmer until the cherry mixture is thick and the cherries are soft. Add syrup and simmer for about 10 more minutes. Cooks Note: Add less syrup for a thicker end result. Pour into a container and refrigerate until ready to use. 

Cream Cheese Spread

1/2 Block of Philadelphia Cream Cheese Softened

1 T sugar

Fold sugar into the cream cheese, and set aside.

French Toast 2-3 Slices Per Person Yield: about 4 Servings

3 Large Eggs or 4 Medium

9-12 Slices Sara Lee White Bread

1/4 Cup Milk or Half & Half

1/2 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

Pam Cooking Spray

Ground Cinnamon for Sprinkling

1/2 Tsp. Butter or Margarine per serving

Pre-heat a medium sized frying pan on low-medium heat. Whisk the eggs, milk, and vanilla together. 

Sprinkle cinnamon on top of mixture. Lightly spray frying pan with PAM or similar cooking spray. One slice at a time coat both sides of the bread in the egg mixture, adding cinnamon as needed. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side, usually 3 slices will fit in the pan at a time. 

Spread cream cheese mixture over french toast. Top with cherry syrup and pieces of the fresh cherries. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.