Pin a Day: Cilantro Lime Chicken (Slow Cooker)

My hours at my new job have made daily dinner plans a little bit different than in the past.  I have been trying out fewer new meals in the oven since I don't get home until later most nights.  I am open to trying new recipes for the slow cooker and I tried one of those on Monday.  Last weekend, I made ahead a batch of Cilantro Lime Chicken.   Mike and I worked together to get this meal started.  I added some chicken breasts to a gallon sized freezer bag.  To that I added some frozen corn, a can of black beans, lime juice, minced garlic, cumin, salt and pepper.  Mike chopped up an onion, cilantro, red pepper and a hatch chili.   I put it all in the bag, mixed it up, and froze it.  The night before I wanted to make the meal, I pulled the bag out of the freezer and stuck it in the fridge.  I dumped the contents of the bag into my crockpot on Monday and set my timer for 8 hours and cooked it on low.  Mike shred the chicken when the timer rang and had cilantro lime chicken tacos.  I had some a bit later when I got home from work.  It definitely made plenty of food, but it was missing something.  It needed a little more flavor or spice.  For leftovers, Mike added a little sriracha to kick it up a notch.  I ate leftovers the next night in the form of a burrito bowl with rice and sour cream.  The chicken would also be great to use on nachos.  This chicken was very versatile and with a little more spice will be gracing our table again soon.

Burgerlicious!

On Friday, we headed to Whitestone Brewery for burgers and beers before we hit the grocery store.  We know how to party, huh?  That night's featured food truck was Svante's Stuffed Burgers.  They have both a store front and a food truck, as well as doing catering, so we figured they'd be pretty good.  The truck featured grassfed burgers, which I've given mixed reviews in the past.  However, I really liked these burgers.  I had a very simple burger with cheese.  I loved the flavor and it was cooked perfectly.   

Mike ordered the Space Jam burger, which included bacon onion jam, pepper jack cheese, and garlic aoili.  He liked his burger, too.  Finally, we split an order of space jam fries, which had bacon onion jam, pepper jack, garlic aoili and chipotle aoili.  We enjoyed the fries and of course had to try the seasonal pale ale at Whitestone.  It was a tasty evening and this is definitely a food truck I'd try again.  We might even have to try their permanent restaurant, too! 

Slice of Life

This Saturday, after a day of errands, all we wanted to do was stay at home and snuggle with our sick puppers.  We had leftovers and freezer food, but nothing was really appealing to me.  For a rare change, I was the one who suggested pizza.  Mike is always down for pizza so we decided to try Local Slice Pizza.  We had heard good things about them and bonus, they delivered.  After debating the menu, we ended up picking a Hawaiian pizza, with sliced pork belly and pineapples.  The customer service rep was very friendly on the phone and let us know our pizza would arrive in about 40 minutes.  The delivery guy was nice too, and arrived earlier than expected.  It was a solid pizza.  Great flavors, good thickness of the crust, and large slices.  I think I ate 2 and Mike finished 3, leaving us with a couple of leftovers.  The pizza also held up overnight and was great cold for lunch the next day.  I am eager to try more of their pizzas and possibly even the garlic knots on a day I'm a little bit hungrier.  I have a feeling this will become one of our go to take out places. 

Hop on Pop

Now that I have free time on weekends, we take advantage of the opportunity to run errands together and sometimes we get to try new things, too.  On Saturday, we stopped by Kerbey Lane because Mike was craving some eggs and pancakes.  Near Kerbey Lane on 183, there is a newish place I've been wanting to try.  We stopped by Austin Gourmet Popcorn.  It was a cute store with tons of candy, fancy sodas, and of course, popcorn.  They had flavors ranging from the very basic to the more bizarre.  All the employees were super sweet and encouraged us to try as many flavors as we wanted.  I finally narrowed it down to try beer cheese, sour cream and cheddar, Windy City (Chicago style), and the Austin mix (white cheddar and caramel).  I loved the first three flavors and was a little disappointed by the Austin mix.  I felt like it wasn't cheesy enough.  Eventually, we opted to purchase a small bag of each the beer cheese and the Windy City mix.  They also invited us to join their rewards program, so we can receive discounts and freebies.  We will definitely be back to try more popcorn flavors and try out some of the candy, as well. 

Brew'au

Last week, I ended up working a few early shifts at work and had a chance to hit the Brew'au at Whitestone Brewery.  We were excited to try Waha Nui' Puka Dog Grill and watch the hula dancers.  As soon as we arrived, Mike went to pick up some beers and I got in line to order our hot dogs.  The name of the food truck has to do with how the hotdog is stuffed in a special hole in the bread.  They used polish dogs, which had almost a sausage taste to them.  The Polish dog was the reason I was willing to try the hot dogs at all!  There was a little bit of a line when I went to order and their ordering system didn't seem to be as well organized as many of the other trucks we've tried. 

I opted for the Original, which had a bun, polish dog, Waha Nui sauce (Lemon garlic), pineapple relish, and guava mustard.  Mike picked the Fire Dog, which had the bun, Polish dog, jalapeño sauce, mango jalapeño relish, papaya mustard, and sweet hot sauce.  We had a side of Miss Vickie's kettle chips too.  The hot dogs were really good.  Our only complaint was that the condiment was mostly on the first bite and then deep down in the bun, due to the way the hot dogs were shoved in the hole in the bread.  Otherwise, they were great and it was another Whitestone food truck win. 

After dinner, we enjoyed another brew and waited for the hula dancers.  Little did we know, that not only would we see a show, but we also got to be a part of the show!  I was selected for the first group to hula and we learned some basic moves with pineapple (right hip) and coconut (left hip).  It was fun and the video even made it to their Facebook page.  Mike got selected for the second, much harder hula dance.  It was an all male dance and it was much more difficult to learn and follow along.  We also enjoyed the Hawaiian decor and had we worn Hawaiian shirts, we may have enjoyed prizes as well.  Overall, it was a great night and we can always count on Whitestone to deliver a fabulous time. 

Pin a Day: Thai Chicken Tacos

Yesterday, I planned to try out a new recipe, however,  sometimes it's a good idea to read over the recipe in advance.  So I changed my plans, and made Thai Chicken Tacos for dinner tonight instead.   I started the meal last night by marinating the chicken.  To make the marinade, I mixed together lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, vegetable oil, fish sauce, sriracha, garlic, ginger, cilantro, and green onions.  I pounded my chicken inside a large ziploc bag, added the marinade, and let it work its magic overnight.  Today, I had my sous chef chop up some red pepper, cilantro, green onions, and peanuts.  Meanwhile, I heated the grill pan and mixed up my peanut sauce.  The peanut sauce consisted of peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, sriracha, garlic, ginger, and hot water.  I whisked that until it made a thick sauce.  Once the grill was heated, I placed my chicken in the pan and cooked each side for about 6 minutes.  I let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before I cut it into bite sized pieces and began taco assembly.  We used our favorite HEB tortillas and added chicken, peanut sauce, shredded carrots, red peppers, cilantro, green onions, and chopped peanuts.  The tacos were so tasty.  It was a very light tasty taco and my favorite part was the peanut sauce.  It was the perfect blend of sweet and spicy.  I would probably eat the peanut sauce all by itself.  This recipe will also provide Mike with a few days worth of lunch, which is always a good sign in my book.

Pin a Day: Summer Vegetable Risotto with Grilled Chicken

On Friday, I had finished a long week of training, came home, and took a nice long nap.  Then, I was ready to try a new recipe, Summer Vegetable Risotto with Grilled Chicken.   I had tried some risotto recipes in the past, but I was eager to find something simpler and that didn't take quite as much time to cook.  This recipe ended up being a fabulous choice.  It was simple, had ingredients I love, and made just a few servings of leftovers, instead of a ton.  I started by melting some butter in my French oven and then sautéed some onions for a few minutes.  Next, I added the arborio rice and garlic and toasted it for about 2 minutes.  I quickly deglazed the pan using some white wine.  I just used a white blend for this recipe.  Next, I added the chicken broth, stirred, put the lid on and cooked it for about 10 minutes.  Next, I added milk, Italian seasoning, frozen peas, and frozen corn.  Here was the substitution piece.  I used Italian seasoning instead of Tuscan seasoning and I decreased it to a few teaspoons.  I also picked frozen peas and corn for the veggies, but the possibilities are endless.  Pick whatever you have or is in season.  I continued cooking until the liquid was absorbed.  While the risotto was simmering, I got my grill pan ready by heating it up and brushing it with olive oil.  I massaged some lemon pepper seasoning mix on some chicken breasts and cooked them about 7 minutes on each side.  I let them sit a few minutes before slicing them.  After the risotto finished, I added some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.  I plated the risotto with a few strips of grilled chicken on each portion.  It was delicious.  The creamy risotto paired well with the seasoned grilled chicken.  It was a filling, yet not heavy meal and made excellent leftovers, too.  This is definitely one I'll be making again soon.

What You Taco-ing about?

For a few weeks, on our drives south on 183, we have seen a new place open up and been a little curious.  Then, I got an email about Yelp's new and hot spots and it made the list.  So, we had a little free time last Saturday and decided to head to One Taco.  It definitely had the vibe of a former food truck that now has a store front.  We read the reviews on Yelp and used that to help decide what to order.  We started with chips and Queso.  I ordered a steak taco and Mike picked a steak taco and a carnitas taco. 

Chips and Queso

The Queso was a thick melty white cheese blend.  It wasn't spicy, but it definitely had some flavor to it.  The chips were not quite as salty as I typically prefer, but they were sturdy to allow for good dipping.  My steak taco was yummy.  The steak was delicious and tender.  I also really liked the avocado sauce on it.  It was not spicy, but it was creamy and flavorful.  Mike also enjoyed the carnitas taco, which had great flavor.  This was a great meal, but the restaurant is pretty tiny and while we were there, they definitely ran out of indoor seating.  If I am in the area, I will definitely eat here again, but I'm not sure if it beats Torchy's for my favorite taco place. 

Steak Taco

Steak Taco and Carnitas Taco

Pin a Day: Easy Strawberry Cupcakes

This blog entry has been several weeks in the making.  Initially, I had made the cupcakes to serve at a games night with some good friends, but then poor Cecil got sick and we had to change our plans.  I knew Mike and I couldn't eat 2 dozen cupcakes, so I froze them immediately.  Then, I had a gathering with some friends and I defrosted the cupcakes, made the frosting, and bingo cupcakes in a flash.  There were a few mishaps along the way, but overall I liked the recipe and it was perfect during fresh strawberry season.  I used this recipe for Easy Strawberry Cupcakes.   I started by prepping my muffin tins and preheating my oven to 350.  Next, I mixed together the cake mix, pudding mix, Greek yogurt, oil, water, eggs, and vanilla.  Then, I gently folded in the diced strawberries.  I baked the cupcakes for about 22 minutes and let them cool completely.  Then, I ended up freezing them.  I pulled them our the night before I was using them, so they had time to thaw.  A few hours before my gathering, I made the frosting.  I started by beating the butter for about 5 minutes.  I must admit, it was a hot day and I feel like I may have overbeat the butter because the texture was a little off on my frosting.  Next, I added in the powdered sugar, making a huge mess of my kitchen, which is the norm when working with powdered sugar.  I added in the vanilla and strawberry purée.  I added a lot of strawberry purée because I wanted a great color and strawberry flavor.  I felt like the extra strawberry helped the frosting lose some of the overly sweet taste.  I was a little bit worried about the frosting melting off the cake, so I did some major fridge rearranging to get the cupcakes to fit for a little bit.  Then, I bought beer and had to make the decision which to keep in the fridge-cupcakes or beer.  The beer won, because nobody likes warm beer.  The cupcakes seemed to go over well at the gathering, despite the frosting being slightly melty.  Afterwards, the remaining cupcakes went into the fridge.  The next morning, the frosting was the perfect consistency and it made a delightful breakfast cupcake.  Overall, I think this was a good recipe.  I hope to try them again, when I have the time and weather to make them right.

Grass is Always Greener...

On July 3rd, we were feeling kind of lazy.  We had spent most of the day just hanging out and relaxing, but we still had to eat.  We decided to head over to Whitestone to use our 20% off train tickets and pick up our pint glasses.  There was also a food truck we had never tried, so we thought we'd give it a shot. That night's truck was Grassfed ATX.  It was not crowded and we got a few beers while we waited for our burgers to cook.  The nice thing about food trucks is that they don't have a totally extensive menu, so it makes choosing a bit easier sometimes.  

Menu

Mike opted for the Reuben burger and I went traditional with the cheeseburger.  Our burgers were served with potato chips.  These burgers were just okay.  We could tell by tasting them that they were healthy.  They just had that taste to them.  They weren't bad, but they definitely were missing a bit of flavor.  They also had organic cheese, which was nice and creamy.  I loved the idea of a grass fed burger, but the reality was that this burger was nothing special.  I have had some grass fed burgers that are quite delicious, so something was just missing from this one.  It wasn't horrible by any means, but it also wasn't a truck I'd seek out by any means.  We did love our beer and pint glasses, and we still feel like Whitestone could become our own personal Cheers.

Reuben Burger

Cheeseburger

All Aboard!

Last Saturday, we tried something new and fun.  There is a steam train that runs through Austin that has its depot right by our house.  We've been wanting to try it out for a while, but never found the right trip or weekend to fit it in.  Now that I have weekends off, my options have opened up quite a bit.  We found a train ride that was the Beer Flyer, featuring beer from Whitestone Brewery and food from Bellini's, one of our favorite restaurants.  It was a pretty hot day, so we were glad that the train was air conditioned as we boarded for our 3 hour tour.   

Train station

Our car

The train was pretty cute and it was an actual car from the 1940's.  We had volunteers from the Austin Steam Train helping us get seated and told us a little bit about the train and our trip.  We rode the train from Cedar Park to Bertram and back.  We got to see some cute little towns and even a few fireworks as it was July 4th weekend.  We even had a birthday boy in our car, who got a rap and serenaded by the whole car.  Shortly after we left the station, we were served our first course.  From Whitestone, we got the Cedrela Hefeweizen.  It was aged with cedar so it had a different taste that many hefeweizens and was quite tasty.  It was paired with a bruschetta.  Both the items were light and fresh.

Hefeweizen and Bruschetta

Next, we had a white pizza paired with the Long Gone Blonde.  The pizza was full of flavor with a garlicky white sauce covered in cheese.  The blonde was light and perfect for a hot summer day.   

Blonde and White pizza

Our main course was a meat pizza paired with the Lazy Day IPA.  I'll be the first to admit, that I don't care for most IPAs.  This one wasn't bad.  I probably wouldn't order it as my favorite, but I wasn't going to turn down beer.  The pizza had a great flavor and was nice and filling. 

IPA and meat pizza

Finally, on our way home, it was time for dessert.  For dessert, we had the Porch Daddy Porter, paired with cannoli.  The dark beer was a perfect match with the sweet creamy cannoli.   

Porter and cannoli

Another perk to our trip, was that we got to hear about the beer from Ryan, the head brewer, at Whitestone.  He told us about each beer and things he did to make his stand out from other beers.  We also liked that by taking our train tickets to Whitestone later in the week, we were able to get 20% off our bill and pint glasses.  Bellini's also gave us a coupon for our next visit. This was a fun and relaxing evening.  It combined food and beer we love with a new experience.  I can't wait to try another evening on the steam train.  Maybe next time, we will ride the wine flyer or a murder mystery tour.

Ryan, the brewer

Pin a Day: Chicken Yakisoba

Sometimes, I feel like an expert in the kitchen and so I ignore or change some of the directions in a recipe.  I'm pretty confident in my skills, so this usually turns out okay.  I didn't follow directions the other day when I made this Chicken Yakisoba.  Not following the directions meant I didn't get nearly enough leftovers of this yummy dish!  I decided to half the amount of ramen noodles because I was afraid 2 packages might make too much.  Wrong.  I should have made a second package.  I started by boiling the water for the noodles.  Next, I heated up some oil in my skillet.  I cooked the ginger and then added the chicken.  Once the chicken was cooked, I added the veggies and cooked them until they were wilted.  Meanwhile, I cooked my noodles and mixed up my sauce.  I poured the sauce onto the chicken-veggie mixture and stirred until it was coated.  Finally, I added in my ramen noodles and realized that I really did need more.  It just meant our dish was a little lighter on carbs.  We really enjoyed this dish and next time I'll think twice before changing the directions to a new recipe.

Pin a Day: Baked Ziti with Ricotta

This week, I started a new job and tried a few new things.  The first new recipe I tried was Baked Ziti with Ricotta.   This recipe was a little time consuming, but produced great overall results.  This would also be a great meal for Lent, as it was meat free.  I started by boiling the water for the noodles.  Next, I got to work on the sauce.  I heated up some olive oil and sautéed garlic and onions.  Then, I added the crushed tomatoes, spices, and basil leaves.  I let the sauce simmer for about 20 minutes and got the rest of the dish ready.  The noodles had boiled so it was time to work on the cheese mixture.  I mixed together ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, an egg, salt, and pepper.  Next, I mixed the cheese mixture, noodles, and part of the sauce together.  Now, it's time to assemble.  I started with half the noodles and covered them with dollops of ricotta cheese.  Next, I put the rest of the noodles on top.  I added the remaining sauce and topped with ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, and basil leaves.  I baked it at 375 for about 20 minutes.  I served it with salad for a yummy Italian meal.  We liked the ziti and it made plenty of leftovers.  In the future, I might prep this ahead of time so I just have to bake it that night for dinner.  

Pin a Day: Thai Basil Fried Rice

Our family loves Asian cusine, whether I am cooking it or going out to eat.  It can be healthy, it's filling,  and often times a recipe makes plenty of leftovers.  This recipe for Thai Basil Fried Rice fit those categories.   I started by making the rice ahead of time.  The recipe said you could make it a few days in advance, but I don't think that far in the future.  I made mine after lunch and let it cool until dinner.  I started by making the sauce by whisking together fish sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar.  Next, I heated up my handy dandy Le Creuset braiser with some oil and cooked my onion, jalapeño and garlic until tender and aromatic.  I added in my chicken and sauce and cooked until the chicken was cooked through out.  Finally, I added in the basil and rice and cooked until the basil was wilted and the rice was warm.  We tried it without adding anything and the base flavor was excellent.  It was a solid Asian dish, but it was definitely a level 0 spicy.  Mike added chili paste to his second helping and found it to be the correct level of spice.  When I had leftovers, I added the chili paste and a little bit of the spicy Asian mustard and it was perfect for me.  Not only was this great that Friday for dinner, but it definitely provided us several lunches as well.  This was one leftover that did not have to get pitched.  We ate it all!  This is a dish I will definitely be making again and possibly soon.

Pin a Day: Peanut Butter Brownies

Friday night, I headed out to a birthday party for my dear friend, Sparkles, a former coworker of mine.  We were going to a karaoke bar, but I always think that a birthday treat is appropriate for a birthday party.  I didn't have a specific request from the birthday girl, but I knew I couldn't go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter.  I decided to finally try this recipe for Peanut Butter Brownies.   For most of my life, I've always felt that a box mix for brownies was sufficient, however, after trying this recipe, I know that I am now a brownies from scratch kind of girl.  I actually baked the brownies on Thursday evening to ensure that they would be plenty cool before I frosted them.  I doubled the brownie recipe because I wanted to make a 9x13 instead of a 9x9 because I wanted to make sure we had plenty of brownies.  I started by melting unsweetened chocolate and shortening together on low heat.  Next, I stirred the sugar and peanut butter into the chocolate mixture.  Next, I mixed in the eggs, one at a time.  Finally, I added in the vanilla.  In a separate bowl, I mixed my dry ingredients and slowly added them to the chocolate mixture.  I poured the mixture into the pan and cooked it at 350 for 20 minutes. I let my brownies cool over night to make sure they were plenty cool.  While I did double the brownie recipe, I did not double the frosting recipe, as I know that most frosting recipes make way more than is needed.  I knew I could always make more if necessary, but that was not the case.  For the frosting, I started by creaming the butter and peanut butter until it was fluffy.  Next, I added in the vanilla.  The next step was to add cocoa and salt.  Finally, I added the powdered sugar and milk.  I found the frosting to be the perfect consistency, so I did not have to add any extra milk.  I frosted by brownies and then topped them with miniature Reese's peanut butter cups.  I knew that it was a hot day and I'd have to travel about 20-25 minutes to get to karaoke, so I popped the brownies in the fridge until I was ready to go to make sure my frosting was fully set.  Right before I left, I cut the brownies and headed out.  Sparkles and the gang were excited to see that I brought treats and they were enjoyed by all.  There were even a few left for Mike to taste.  This was a delicious recipe.  I loved the addition of peanut butter to homemade brownies and the rich, fudgey frosting.  This recipe is a definite must for any chocolate peanut butter lover!

Back to the Shack

Yesterday was hair cut day for the boys and I was running them all over Round Rock and Cedar Park to get their summer cuts.  After Mike's haircut, we wandered next door to a recently opened Taco Shack.  While Taco Shack, as a chain, has been open for 20 years, this location is new and we have never been before.  After perusing the menu, Mike and I made our selections and made our way up to the register to order and pay.  Mike was hungry and went for the soft taco plate.  He opted for a chicken fajita taco and a beef fajita taco.  The plate also included rice and beans.  He said it was pretty good, but he definitely liked the chicken taco better than the beef, which is usually a rarity here in Texas.  I got the chicken quesadilla, which was a lot of food.  Inside the tortillas was chicken, cheese, peppers, and onions.  They served it with a side of sour cream, which made for a great meal.  Mike also tried two different salsas, which both had quite a kick to them.  While our food was fine, there is much better food nearby at Torchy's and other Tex Mex places.  It was convenient after the hair cut, but I don't picture us seeking out the Shack on purpose. 

Pin a Day: Turkey Stuffed Peppers

In my free time and my quest to eat a little bit healthier, I tried a new recipe this week for Turkey Stuffed Peppers.   My mom will probably laugh a bit that I actually tried and liked this recipe, as I hated stuffed peppers when I was a kid.  I am sure that this recipe is pretty close to the one she used in the past, but my tastes have definitely changed.  One key difference in our recipes is the pepper.  Mom always used green peppers and I used red peppers.  I don't know why this makes a difference, but I love red peppers and for whatever reason, I don't like the green ones as much.  First, I preheated my oven, prepped my peppers and got the rice started.  Next, I sautéed some onion and garlic and then added my ground turkey and seasonings.  Once the meat was cooked, I added some tomato sauce and chicken broth and let that simmer.  I mixed that with the rice and then stuffed the peppers.  I put a bit of shredded cheese on each pepper and poured some chicken broth in the pan.  I covered the pan with aluminum foil.  I baked them about 40 minutes and pulled them out when I could smell them.  The peppers were quite tasty.  We each had a 1/2 pepper with some salad.  I made 3 peppers total cut in 6 halves, but I had enough stuffing for more.  We plan on using the stuffing for tacos or nachos.  The only thing I would really change about this recipe is that I might add some more spices, as it seemed a little bland for my taste.  Otherwise, this recipe was great and a healthy way to have a Tex Mex dish.

Pin a Day: Beer Crockpot Chicken and Crunchy Asian Broccoli Coleslaw

I have a little bit of time in between my old job and my new one so its time to get caught up on blogging and take some time to try some new recipes and restaurants.  Last week, I tried two new recipes that were big hits for our family.  The first was Beer Crockpot Chicken.   This was a great recipe to throw in the crockpot and forget about. I put my frozen chicken breasts in the crockpot and covered them with a bottle of beer.  I used Honey Brown because that's what I had on hand, but you can use your favorite beer.  Next, I added in my spices and set the crockpot on low for about 8 hours.  Right before we ate, I pulled out my bear claws and shredded the chicken.  We served ours like wraps/tacos in tortillas that night, but the chicken would be great as a sandwich, salad, or nachos, too.  The chicken was tender and delicious.  Plus, it made plenty for leftovers.  I probably should have froze some for another meal too.

Beer Crockpot Chicken

Meanwhile, I also wanted a side dish that was light and healthy.  I opted for a Crunchy Asian Broccoli Coleslaw.   I have made a similar recipe before, but when I went to get my trusty recipe, the link was gone.  I always have luck with Kraft recipes being easy and successful, so I selected this recipe as a copycat.  I mixed one season packet from the ramen noodles with the salad dressing.  I broke up the ramen noodles an put them in a large bowl along with the broccoli slaw mix, nuts, and sunflower seeds.  I added the dressing and stirred everything well.  I put the slaw mixture in the fridge to marinate all day so it would have good flavor for dinner.  Success again!  This was a great recipe, however, it made a huge amount.  This is the perfect dish to take to a pot luck meal in the summer time.  In the future, when making it for just us, I will likely half the recipe.  This night's meal was a huge success and was a perfect summer meal without making our kitchen too hot.

Crunchy Asian Broccoli Coleslaw

Melts in Your Mouth, Not in Your Hand

This weekend was another foodie weekend with our dear friends, Ashley, Jason, and baby Ethan.  We attempted to fit in as many culinary experiences as possible.  I think we did a great job showing them our favorite treats in Cedar Park.  Every place we took them was way more crowded than usual, which is a great sign for our favorite places.  On Saturday, we headed to Whitestone Brewery with two missions: 1. Great beer and 2. To try a brand new food truck, Melted Grilled Cheese.   

Whitestone was pretty busy that day so we immediately got down to business.  We located a table and the boys got drinks taken care of.  There was a Southern Rock style band jammin on the patio and they were decent.  Once the beers were obtained, we headed out to check out the menu.  As we read the menu, we were having a hard time because each option sounded better than the last one.  Eventually, Mike and Ashley both picked the Hill Country Toast, I went for the Great White plus bacon, and Jason picked the Bulgogi Monster.  For sides, we tried the toasted tots with queso mole and the Asian Crunch Salad. 

menu

We sat and enjoyed our beers while waiting for our food to be done.  We were so excited when it arrived to our table.  Everything was amazing.  The Hill Country had pork, red onion jam,  BBQ sauce, pepper jack, and tots all on Texas toast.      The Great White had mozzarella, provolone, Parmesan, basil and roasted garlic.  I added bacon on recommendation of the girl taking our order.  The toasted tots were cooked to perfection with a thick creamy queso mole.  Each bite was better than the previous and we all definitely enjoyed our comfort food. 

Hill Country Toast

Everyone who worked the Melted truck was super friendly and helpful.  The other great thing about this truck is that it's grilled cheese with a mission.  A portion of the proceeds from the truck go to helping social injustice abroad.   

Great White with Bacon

Once again, we had another great trip to Whitestone and another great weekend with our friends.  We definitely look forward to trying more items off Melted's menu and hope to see them at Whitestone again soon! 

Tater tots with Queso mole

Pin a Day: Lemon Buttermilk Sheet Cake

This Saturday, I was working a later shift at work so I decided to make a treat for my friends before I went in.  I opted for this Lemon Buttermilk Sheet Cake because it sounded like a refreshing treat for summer.  This treat was really yummy and disappeared fast at work.  A few changes I might suggest, is that this is best served cool, so to make sure to keep it refrigerated and maybe to halve the amount of glaze on the cake, as it was a bit sweet.  I did love how fluffy this cake was and the delicious lemon flavor.  I started by prepping my oven and my pan.  Next, I mixed the dry ingredients in one bowl and my liquids in a measuring cup.  I feel like two key ingredients were the cake flour and buttermilk so make sure you don't substitute on either of these.  In my stand mixer, I mixed together lemon zest and sugar, which smelled amazing.  I pulled out 1/4 cup of this to use as a topping later.  One coworker joked that this would make a great sugar scrub and I think I agree with the addition of some coconut oil, perhaps.  Next, I added the butter to the sugar mixture until it was light and fluffy.  Then, I added the eggs and the yolk, one at a time, mixing between each.  Finally, I added the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the liquid ingredients in 2 parts.  I put the finished mixture into my prepped cake pan and baked it for about 28 minutes.  While the cake was still warm, I prepared my glaze, by mixing together powdered sugar, buttermilk, and lemon juice.  I added a little extra buttermilk to thin out the glaze.  I poured the glaze on the warm cake and then sprinkled the lemon sugar mix on top.  I put my cake straight into the fridge until I had to leave for work and put it back in the fridge as soon as I got to work.  I only experienced a little melting on the car ride to work, which is a feat as it starts getting warm quickly here in Texas.  The end result was a delightful, refreshing summer treat.  Lemon for the win!