99 Ranch Bakery

So, don't let the name fool you. 99 Ranch is not a jumbo dollar store. It is an Asian Grocery store off of the i-10 which helps save my gas so I don't have to drive all the way to Chinatown. I think one of my favorite things about this place is the bakery. You get a tray and your own tongs and you can browse through all the baked goodies. I like the onion rolls with bacon and the yellow custards. One savory treat and one sweet treat - awesome! I have also tried their chocolate bread and hot dog bread. So if you are looking for something delicious, tasty, and affordable, I recommend you taking a visit to the 99 Ranch Bakery.

November Foodie Projects

Whew! There has been a lot of cooking going on these past few weeks. It all started when I decided to make pumpkin cupcakes for our "All Things Pumpkin" contest. I placed 2nd in the workplace competition. Man, I was robbed. Then, there were a couple of potlucks for work and with friends. For work, I made this delicious acorn squash with nuts and berries in a butter and brown sugar sauce. It was divine! For friends, I made some king ranch chicken which is my favorite potluck dish to make.


On the night, we went to the symphony, I made a couple of steaks for me and the beau. They were quite, quite tasty. I just chopped up a little bit of basil and mixed some olive oil, salt and pepper to the leaves. I rubbed the steaks on them, and I put them in my handy, dandy crate and barrel grill pan. While that was cooking, I boiled some red potatoes, then placed them in the oven. Once soft, I grilled them in the tasty meat juice from the steaks. I also cooked some asparagus in a simple pan with olive oil in the oven. The meal was very tasty! And, I had a very happy beau.

What is it about cinnammon rolls that are so lovely and tasty? One morning, Jacob asked me if I needed anything from the store, and I shouted chinnammon rolls please! Awww! So divine. There's just nothing like the quick and simple Pilbury dough can of this stuff.

Finally, my last challenge was helping my father and brother with Thanksgiving dinner. Since my mother had to work all day, we were dad's support staff. My brother cooked potatoes au gratin, asparagus, and a pumpkin cheesecake. All while studying for his CPA exam! Isn't he awesome. I did a repeat of the acorn squash, mini empanadas, and made the famous pecan tarts for the meal. My mother also had me fry some eggrolls! I blame those for ruining my turkey dinner. Those eggrolls are too addictive. :)

Taste @ Thelma's

It was my day off, and I wanted to grab lunch with one of my favorite friends, Albert! At first I wanted to eat a good burger, then we scrambled to find a place that wasn't crowded. Then, we moved on to barbeque. Mmmm... moist, delicious brisket... how joyous!

Albert knew just the place to take me. We drove to Thelma's at 3755 Southmore. So, the building didn't look like much, the ambience isn't hip or happening, but what they lack in both of those areas, they make up in their food. I ordered the brisket with two sides (potato salad and green beans). I had so much beef that I had plenty of leftovers. The meat is moist and you can tell it has been smoked slowly and with lots of love. The sweetness of the sauce pairs well with their sweet iced tea (which has a bit of lemonade in the mix). My friend Albert tried their chicken and brisket with dirty rice. He said that he regretted the chicken choice and will be ordering the ribs and brisket next time. If you want to take some out of town guests to a good bbq place, Thelma's is it.

Indian Delight

So, last weekend, Jacob invited me to have dinner at colleague's house with him. It was a little unexpected and I wasn't sure what I was signing myself up for as we took the drive down there.

We were welcomed by Mr. Gosh, an older Indian man, who was wearing traditional Indian clothes. We sat and talked to him, and he was eager to have a conversation with Jacob about teaching and his life in India. After a while, a man with a shitar came and Mr. Gosh busted out his drums! And, we were treated to an incredible live jam session! It was very relaxing listening to their music (it almost made me fall asleep!). They played music for us for two straight hours! It was incredible.

Afterwards, Mr. Gosh's family invited us in the kitchen to sample some delicious Indian fare - curried goat, curried fish, curried lentils, rice. It was all tasty! What I love about foreign families is that they are always so hospitable, friendly, and welcoming. They are also so willing to get the best foods, plates, and drinks out for you. I think that's the greatest elements of eating. How it brings people together to talk and to share.

Taste @ Washington Grill

So, my beau loves watching football and we decided to invite friends to get together and watch the Texans vs. the Colts last night. As we thought about all the places we could enjoy watching the game, the beau suggested Washington Grill. We went previously and enjoyed the back patio and Thursday Trivia Night. With a huge screen to watch games and delicious foods, we new the patio would be the perfect spot.

Our friends met up with us and were pretty impressed with the set up. They never saw such a huge backyard patio, and they did enjoy the huge projector screen for Monday night football watching. Unfortunately, it was an off night because they had one bartender and one cook. So, it was almost the end of the 2nd quarter by the time we got our food. Luckily, the bucket of Shiner tided our group over. But, for a hot dog, fries, and shrimp appetizer, I considered that way too long.

Fortunately for them, the spices on the fries and tastiness of the shrimp made up for the long wait. And since our previous visit had good service and good gastropub food, we will let it slide. Eventually, a waitress did come around and help us that evening. I just attribute it to being an off day at an establishment that is still trying to find their groove.

But, if you are looking for a fun place to enjoy high quality pub food with a nice patio area, I think this is your spot. So, the staff has some kinks to work out and their interior could use some sprucing up (my friend compared the inside of the building to a sparse country dance hall), but I'm willing to come back and see what new improvements they'll have.

Cooking with Kale!

One of my purchases from the Canino's Farmers Market was kale. I really wasn't too sure what to do with my kale at first. So, I did a little research. Because of the toughness of the kale, it was recommended that you massage it. And, it's pretty easy - all you do is rinse the leaves, dry them, and put a little sea salt over it. Rub it in a little and let it sit while you prep the rest of your veggies. Voila- now, you have nice tasty kale leaves.

My dinner group was in a pinch and needed some help. So, I decided to share the wealth of kale and make my massaged salad. After rubbing in the leaves, I added chopped sweet tomatoes, fresh mozarella, marinated artichokes, guacamole, and chick peas. I added a little bit of pepper, olive oil and basalmic vinager. I let the salad rest for a couple of hours, and had a tasty salad that the group was pleased with eating.

I was gonna have a repeat of the same recipes since I still had more kale leaves for Jacob, but unfortunately, the kale ended up getting frozen in the fridge. So, I had to re-group and modify my recipe. I ended up creating a kale saute. I mixed in sweet tomatoes, ground turkey breast, and hard boiled eggs with a chili sauce and soy sauce melange. It turned out not bad. (Not good, but still edible and interesting.)

So, for a little over a dollar, I was able to create some pretty healthy dishes with some kale. I've heard that baked kale chips are surprisingly good. I think this will be my next kale experiment.