Pin a Day: Hummus Crusted Chicken

Everyone usually has the same New Year's resolutions and they all seem to fall apart after about a month or so of trying them out.  This year, I am hoping to explore healthy options for meals during the week, because I love to indulge on the weekends.  I am also trying some new foods with the hope that my palate has changed since my pickier formative years.  One recipe that fit the bill for this goal was Hummus Crusted Chicken.   On the positive, it was fairly healthy and contained at least 4 ingredients that I love: hummus, chicken, lemon, and onions.  On the uncertain side, it had zucchini and yellow squash.  I hated zucchini as a kid and as I've gotten older, I realize that I don't hate it, but I definitely have preferences on how its cooked.  I really haven't had much experience with yellow squash, so I was a little concerned.  To make the dish, I started by preheating the oven and spraying my dish with cooking spray.  I got a little overzealous with the spray apparently, as I was later sliding all over the kitchen.  Next, I had my sous chef work on chopping the zuccchini and yellow squash.  I seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper.  Once the vegetables were cut, I mixed them in a bowl with a splash of olive oil and seasoned them with salt and pepper.  Now, I was ready to put everything in the dish.  I started with the vegetables, then added a layer of thinly sliced lemons, chicken, hummus, paprika, and a squirt of lemon juice.  I put the dish in the oven for 30 minutes and let the oven do its magic.  When my 30 minutes were up, I plated the chicken and veggies, added a roll, and prepared to enjoy.  This dish was really good!  The vegetables were tender and flavorful and the chicken was juicy, but cooked. The flavor of the hummus and lemon made me forget I was eating something that I had previously deemed disgusting.  This recipe was simple and yielded great results, so we will definitely be making it again.  I have also learned that I was definitely a lot pickier than I am now, so there are probably many things I should give a second chance.  (But not seafood, I just can't eat my friends from the sea.)

Passport to China

Last night was a cooler and rainy evening, but we were in the mood to try something new.  There was lots of fog, so we didn't want to go too far.  Fortunately, Mike and Yelp reminded us that there was a Chinese place close to us that we hadn't tried yet.  Sichuan Bistro was close to home and had excellent reviews, so we decided to give them a chance.  It was a small restaurant with a few tables, but it was mostly full, which I took as a good sign.  We were seated in a booth and took a few minutes to browse the menu.  Ultimately, I selected orange chicken and Mike picked braised beef.  We also ordered some steamed pork buns.  We had a little bit of a wait for our food and then the large quantities began to arrive.  After seeing our food, we definitely could have split a dish along with a few appetizers.  We will have to remember this tip for next time.  My orange chicken was so yummy.  Mike felt it rivaled PF Changs in the level of goodness.  It had just the right amount of spice and sweetness from the orange peel and peppers.  It was served with a white sticky rice that was good, too. 

Mike's braised beef was the house specialty, so he had high expectations.  When it arrived, it smelled and looked delicious.  It was also served with sticky rice.  The beef had great flavor, but was a little bit fatty for our taste.  It also was served with what we believe was marrow, which is not really our thing.  It was a good dish to try, but I am guessing that Mike will try something different next time. 

Finally, our steamed pork buns arrived after our main course, which seemed a bit odd.  However, they were worth the wait.  They tasted like warm, soft biscuits with a well seasoned pork meatball in the center.  We did a pretty good job on the food, but there were definitely leftovers.  I am happy to report that the orange chicken was just as fabulous the second time.  The staff was all very sweet and attentive contributing to the inviting atmosphere.  This was a great choice for a rainy, foggy Saturday and with a menu full of enticing items, we look forward to our next visit. 

Pin a Day: Healthy Chicken Lo Mein

After a hunt for a few ingredients that Target was missing, I finally tried a new recipe last night.  Even HEB didn't have the ingredient I was searching for, but I found a suitable substitution.  We love Asian food and try to eat a little healthier during the week, so I decided to make Healthy Chicken Lo Mein.   Unfortunately, the ingredient I couldn't find was essential to making a little bit healthier.  I had a hard time finding the correct noodles, so I just used some regular lo mein noodles.  In the future, I might try World Market or an Asian market to find a healthier noodle option.  I may even consider making some zucchini noodles.  This recipe was pretty simple, fairly healthy, and yielded delicious results.  I started by making the sauce.  I wisked together soy sauce, BBQ sauce, sesame oil, garlic, brown sugar, and. cornstarch.  I set that aside and started working on the noodles.  I started some water boiling and boiled my lo mein noodles about 6 minutes.  When they were done, I drained them and ran them under cold water.  I set those aside and let them dry, as much as possible.  Next, I started chopping up my veggies, which included green onions, a red pepper, and celery.  I sliced my chicken thin and then got some vegetable oil cooking.  I added the chicken to the vegetable oil and cooked it through.  I removed the chicken from the pan and set it aside.  Next, I cooked the veggies about 3 minutes or until tender.  I added the chicken, noodles, and sauce back to the pan.  I cooked it a few minutes to allow all the flavors to mingle.  Finally, it was ready to eat.  The flavor was great and we both enjoyed this dish.  Aside from the celery and noodles, all the ingredients are things I usually have on hand, so this could be easily made most days.  I could definitely see adding in additional vegetables or using other meats, as well.  This was a great basic recipe that provided us with a delicious meal and plenty of leftovers.

Pin a Day: Reese's Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Each year I ask Mike what birthday treat he might like, and I always get one of two answers.  He either doesn't care or he wants something that may be a little bit more difficult than what I normally do.  This year was no different and he gave me no guidance.  We ended up getting quite full at dinner, so not having a birthday treat was ok.  I still felt like he needed a treat, so I headed to my Pinterest boards and searched for something that might be similar to a favorite recipe that I misplaced.  These Reese's Peanut Butter Cupcakes sounded perfect.  After starting the process, I was also glad I hadn't cleaned my kitchen because I created quite a mess with cocoa powder.  I started by mixing the dry ingredients in a bowl, which I set aside. In my stand mixer, I combined the butter and sugar until it was nice and fluffy.  Next, I added in the eggs one at a time and the vanilla.  Next, I rotated adding the dry mix and sour cream, mixing and scraping the bowl between each addition.  Next, I added in some mini Reese's peanut butter cups into the batter.  I divided the batter amongst baking cups and baked them for about 17 minutes.  I did 1 and 1/2 batches, which made just over 2 dozen cupcakes.  I was glad to have extras to share with Mike's friend from work and a few for our favorite beer tender.  While the cupcakes were cooling, I got to work on the frosting.  I mixed together peanut butter and butter.  Then, I added in powdered sugar and milk until I reached the ideal consistency.  I only made a single batch of frosting because we don't like our cupcakes over frosted.  Once the cupcakes were cooled, I frosted them and topped each with 1/2 of a small Reese's cup.  The results were amazing.  The cupcakes were rich and chocolatey.  The are a bit dense, almost being more of a brownie cup consistency rather than a true cupcake.  The frosting was sweet, but understated.  Overall, I was very pleased and delighted that they paired nicely with milk, hot chocolate, and coffee.  These were a great belated birthday treat for Mike and would be a hit with any chocolate/peanut butter lover.

What Happens in Vegas

This year we tried something totally new and different for New Year's Eve-we left our house!  Mike and I have spent many New Year's Eves together now, as friends, dating, and married.  For many years, we hosted a Games Night style party for all of our friends in St. Louis, complete with prizes and a champagne toast.  Upon moving to Texas, we made fabulous appetizers, played games, and took time to enjoy our lives as a couple.  So this year, we were invited to a New Year's Eve/1st Anniversary Party at Whitestone Brewery and decided to give it a chance.  Whitestone Brewery is about 1.5-2 miles from our house and the weather here was delightful, so we walked there to safely enjoy our evening.  When we arrived, we were greeted by some of our favorite beer tenders, who exchanged beer for pictures of them.   

Next, we headed out to the patio, where most of the action was happening at that point.  The patio was host to Jimmy Vega's Smokehouse, a photo booth, live music, and for a bit- a tshirt screening truck.  It was close to 7 pm, so we ordered our food and enjoyed our beers and the live music, as we waited for dinner.  The music was awesome and even inspired me to pick up a tshirt to commerorate the evening.

It took a while for our food to arrive, but it was definitely worth the wait!   We picked two different entrees, with the intent to share the food items.  Our first choice was the grilled beef tenderloin over roasted horseradish potatoes with a malt thyme compound butter and green beans.  This was delicious!  The beef was cooked perfectly and the butter compound set it over the edge.  The sides were yummy, too.  Everything had so much flavor and blended well together.  

Our second entree was mocha marinated smoked pork tenderloin over poblano grits with a porter demi glacé and green beans.  This was another great option and may have been my favorite because I love grits!  The pork was tender and the marinade was fantastic.  The grits were amazing and the poblano gave them just a little bit of a kick.  After the amazing meal, we were super full, so we opted to skip dessert.  The food was fabulous and we were sad to hear that the menu was a specialty menu.  However, we were later told that Whitestone is trying to get them to come back on a a more regular basis.  We enjoyed the music for a while and took advantage of the photo booth while it wasn't too crowded. 

We ended up missing out on the tshirt truck, as we didn't realize they weren't staying very late. Our disappointment was eased when we ran into some of our trivia and pub club friends who invited us to play some Cards Against Humanity with them.  We had so much fun playing games and enjoying the music of the dj, another trivia friend.  Our evening ended with dancing to great music, a toast, and a long walk back home.  We ended 2016 with a fabulous time and hope that is a good sign of what is to come for 2017.  Happy New Year! 

BBQ Fit for Queen

Once again, we've been introduced to some fabulous new food, thanks to our beloved Whitestone Brewery.  At the Pub Club Party before we left for St. Louis, we had the chance to try Bohemian BBQ.  There was a sampling of food for the Pub Club members and the day we came back to town, they were at Whitestone again.  Now that we've had two chances to check them out, its time to talk about how fabulous the food is.  At the Pub Club party, the menu consisted of ribs, pulled pork sandwiches, brisket Mac and cheese, and queso with brisket.  The food was delicious.  I'm not normally a ribs person, unless they are made by my dad, but these were pretty good.  Texas BBQ is not known for sauce and these ribs tasted great without sauce.  The meat was tender and easy to eat.  The pulled pork had great flavor and wasn't dry.   I think my favorite thing was the brisket Mac and cheese.  The delicious brisket combined with yummy mac and cheese was so tasty.  Finally, the queso with brisket was a little bit of a let down because it needed a little bit more brisket.  We were pleased with the food, but we knew it was a special menu for the party, so we knew we had to try it again.

The day we came home from St. Louis, we were craving some Texas BBQ and we had no food in the house.  Facebook told me that Bohemian BBQ had their truck at Whitestone again, so I knew it was meant to be.  We literally dropped off our bags, picked up a grocery list, and headed to Whitestone for some brews and 'cue.  I decided to give the brisket nachos a chance.  I was hoping that they would be better than the queso at the party.  I was correct.  These nachos were covered with a great ratio of nacho cheese and tender, smoky brisket.  Mike opted for some sort of BBQ Frito pie and he loved it, too.  We were definitely pleased with our choice that night and look forward to trying more food from Bohemian BBQ next time they are at Whitestone. 

There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays

This year we were able to go visit our family and friends in St. Louis for Christmas.  As always, we had a wonderful time catching up with people and enjoying fabulous foods, at places both old and new to us.  So, St. Louis friends and family, pay attention, I'm going to give you some ideas of places to visit, whether new or forgotten.

 My mom and I got a chance to try a brand new restaurant, Signature Sandwich Company.  This new place was located right across the street from my first job, Fritz's, in Old Town Florissant.  The restaurant is tiny, but cute and we were excited to see that there was a little bit of a line when we arrived.  It took us a bit to decide, but I finally settled on the buffalo chicken brioche (which happened to be the special of the day) and the kickin' chicken soup.  My mom opted for the turkey wrap and potato salad.  While we waited for our food, we had a chance to talk to the owners.  Our food arrived quickly and was tasty.  The buffalo chicken was well seasoned, but not overly spicy or dripping with sauce.  The bread was toasted to perfection.  My soup had great flavor, but wasn't as spicy as I had hoped.  Maybe, my Texas exposure has made me tough!  My mom liked her food, too.  This was definitely a great lunch choice and I highly recommend Signature Sandwich Company to anyone in Florissant during lunch time.

Buffalo Chicken Brioche

Turkey Wrap

Kickin' Chicken Soup and Potato Salad

One thing that Austin is missing is great Italian food.  So, when we come home to St. Louis, we make sure to eat our fill, especially when it comes to pizza and toasted ravioli.  We had the opportunity to try an Italian place we'd never been to with Mike's family.  Charlie Gitto's claims to be the originator of the toasted ravioli.  While, I don't know if that's true, they definitely had the best toasted ravioli I've ever had.  It was hand breaded and not uniform.  It melted in your mouth and we ate 2 orders so quickly that I didn't get a chance to snap any pictures.  I ordered a delicious open faced steak sandwich.  The steak was cooked to perfection and then placed on cheesy garlic bread.  It was topped with a yummy herbed butter and served with homemade French fries.  Everyone enjoyed their meals and it was nice to try a place that was new to us. 

Steak Sandwich at Charlie Gittos

When in Florissant, its customary to have Old Town Donuts.  They are the best donuts.  Mike tried to tell me that one of our Texas places was better, so I had to remind him that he was incorrect.  My dad and I got up early one morning and I was treated to a ride in his new car, complete with seat warmers!  I thought I might have a tough time choosing, but in the end, I opted for the chocolate cream filled, a cinnamon sugar cake donut, and a maple bacon long john.  All the donuts were amazing and Mike was reminded that there is no donut like an Old Town Donut! 

Our trip fell during the holidays, so much of our time was spent with family, but we did sneak in a few chances to meet up with a few friends.  We got to see 3 of my oldest friends and their families.  It's always fun to catch up, take a trip down memory lane, and see who can be the most amusing to the children!   

Sassy! 

In addition to great Italian food, we love beer!  My dad reminded us of a way that we could have both, without leaving Florissant.  We headed over to Cugino's/Narrow Gauge Brewery for great Italian food and a new craft brew experience.  Cugino's used to be Domenico's, which had been owned by the Arcobosso family.  Both Mike and I grew up on pizza and salad made by this family and Cugino's is the closest place to get that experience.  We ordered salad with the signature dressing and tons of provel cheese.  Next, we had to decide on pizza and we ordered the Big Dave, which was covered in meat and a sausage and cheese pizza.  The pizza didn't disappoint, with its thin crust and ooey gooey cheese.  Finally, a few of us sampled the Narrow Gauge Beer.  We got the Old Town Porter, which was great.  Most of their beers were IPAs, which weren't to our taste, so we also enjoyed beers made by other companies from their extensive guest tap list. 

Old Town Porter

House Salad

The Big Dave

Our trip was fabulous and full of family, friends, and food!  It's never long enough, but we also missed our new home in Austin.  Hopefully, we've given you some new ideas of places to visit in St. Louis and if all else fails, we'd love to host you here in Austin and let you experience some of the many wonderful places the city has to offer.

Pin a Day: Ginger Molasses Cookies

This Tuesday was a busy day in the kitchen.  First, I made the dough for cookies, which had to sit for 3 hours in the fridge.  Next, I made some yummy Buffalo Chicken Lasagna for dinner.  After dinner, I finally got to make these Ginger Molasses Cookies.   I doubled the recipe because I wanted plenty for Mike's office, us, and our friends at Geeks Who Drink Pub Trivia at Whitestone Brewery.  These cookies were interesting because they involved using several ingredients I've never used in cookies before, including ginger, cardamom, and pepper.  I started by letting my butter sit out a bit, so it would warm up to room temperature.  Next, I mixed together flour, cocoa, ginger, pepper, cardamom, and baking powder.  In my stand mixer, I combined butter and more ginger.  I didn't buy fresh ginger to grate, so I used about 1/2 the amount in powdered ginger instead.  Next, I added in sugar and brown sugar.  I mixed until it was light and fluffy.  The next step was to add in the molasses, which added to the rich flavor.  Finally, I mixed in the dry ingredients.  I covered the bowl and let it chill for several hours.  When I was ready to make the cookies, I had to let it sit out on the counter for a bit so I could scoop it out.  I used my scoop and rolled the dough into balls, rolling them in sugar before placing them on cookie sheets.  I baked them for 8 minutes at 350.  I allowed them to sit on cookie sheets for 10 minutes before removing them to cooling racks.  My doubled recipe made about 4 dozen small cookies.  Mike and I were eager to try them and found them to be interesting.  They had so much flavor, so we only needed to eat 1 or 2 cookies.  They were a hit at the office too, but they really went big at Whitestone.  The cookies tasted so good with beer!  We shared with our favorite bartenders, quiz master, and fellow trivia geeks.  I was concerned that they might be an adult cookie, but even a couple of kiddos seemed to like them.  This recipe was a hit!  If you are searching for a different cookie, this might be a recipe worth trying.

Pin a Day: Buffalo Chicken Lasagna

Tuesday was a busy day in my kitchen.  Not only was a trying out a new cookie recipe, but I also tried this recipe for Buffalo Chicken Lasagna.    The original recipe was a Weight Watchers version, but I used some different ingredients that made it a little less healthy.  I started by cooking my chicken with a little bit of chicken broth on the stovetop.  While that was cooking, I started prepping my other ingredients.  I preheated the oven to 350 and greased my dish.  In a small bowl, I combined my ricotta cheese (part skim, not fat free) and the egg substitute.  In another bowl, I combined pasta sauce, buffalo sauce and water.  When it was cooked, I added the chicken to the sauce mixture.  Next, it was time to layer.  I started with a layer of sauce and topped that with noodles.  I did not use whole wheat noodles, because I have someone who is not a fan.  I did like that I didn't have to precook the noodles. On top of the noodles, I added a layer of ricotta/egg mixture.  I continued layering until I finished with a sauce layer.  I added aluminum foil to cover it and placed it in the oven for an hour.  After an hour, I sprinkled it with pepper jack cheese and let it cook for 10-15 more minutes.

When I pulled it out of the oven, it looked amazing!  I let it sit for about 5-10 minutes to cool and avoid lasagna soup.  I was super excited to try this because we love buffalo chicken and we've been eating lots of Italian lately.  Once it was a little cooler, we served it with a drizzle of ranch dressing to bring out all the buffalo flavors.  It was so yummy!  I loved the combination of lasagna and buffalo chicken!  It was a nice hearty meal that will provide us with plenty of leftovers during this busy holiday season.  I am sure that this recipe will make it to our menu again and I look forward to it with a few tweaks. 

Pin a Day: Easy Crockpot Potato Soup

Yesterday, it finally started to feel like the holidays here in Austin.  It was perfect timing to try out this new recipe for Easy Crockpot Potato Soup.   It was super simple to make and didn't taste bad either.  I pulled out my trusty crockpot and added frozen hashbrowns, 3 cans of chicken broth, a can of cream of chicken soup, half an onion and pepper.    I stirred it up and let it cook on low for about 6 hours. After 6 hours, I cubed some cream cheese and added it to the soup.  I let it cook for another hour and the cream cheese hadn't melted completely.  I turned it up to high for about 15 minutes, while I baked some rolls.  The end result was a warm, creamy soup.  We topped it with cheddar cheese, chopped bacon, and scallions.  It was delicious, maybe not as good as Houlihan's, but it worked great for us.  This will definitely be a repeat on our menu.  Bonus, it was perfect for today's chilly weather!

Pin a Day: Low Carb Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Lazy Sundays are the best day to try a new recipe and yesterday was no different. I wanted something different and I got it in this recipe for Low Carb Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole.  The idea behind this casserole was pretty simple, but it was a little time consuming.  After preheating the oven and buttering a casserole dish, I removed the meat from a rotisserie chicken and placed it in the dish.  Next, I had my sous chef chop some ham and placed that on top of the chicken.  The next layer was swiss cheese.  The sauce step was the most time consuming step and was probably the most difficult.  I made a roux with butter and flour.  Then, I added in milk and stirred over heat until it thickened up.  Next, I added in lemon juice, dijon mustard, salt, white pepper, and paprika.  I kept stirring until it boiled.  I, carefully, poured the sauce into the casserole dish.  Next, I melted some butter and mixed it with panko crumbs, dried parsley and seasoned salt.  I sprinkled that on top and placed it in the oven to cook for 45 minutes.

Fast forward 45 minutes and we have a fragrant casserole that is golden brown ready to eat.  We let it sit about 5 minutes to cool and then dug in.  It was oohy gooey delicious!  The melted goodness of chicken, ham, and cheese with the crunchy crumb topping was amazing.  We each went back for seconds and Mike went back for a few more bites!  Other than the butter, this was overall not too unhealthy of a dish.  After last night's popularity, this is a dish we will be making again in the future. 

Pin a Day: Oatmeal Snickerdoodle Muffins

Tuesday was another baking day for me and I opted to try out a new recipe.  I wanted to make enough to share with friends at trivia on Wednesday, but not so many that I had too many leftovers.  So, I tried out this recipe for Oatmeal Snickerdoodle Muffins.  I knew they'd be a hit with Mike because he loves snickerdoodles and I thought that the oatmeal would be a great addition and make them a little bit healthier.  I whisked together the dry ingredients in the stand mixer after preheating the oven and putting muffin liners in the muffin tin. Next, I mixed together the eggs, milk and vanilla.  I poured the wet ingredients into a well formed in the dry ingredients and mixed them until just a little flour remained.  Finally,  I added in the melted butter and mixed it until fully incorporated.  I had enough batter for a dozen and a half muffins, which seemed like the perfect amount.  I sprinkled them with a cinnamon sugar mixture and then I baked them at 375 for 15 minutes.  They smelled delightful and tasted great with our afternoon coffee.

They were a big hit at trivia night, too.  Unfortunately, they didn't bring us luck and we came in 4th place, but we still had a fun time.  This is definitely a recipe that I will try again.   

Scenes from an Italian Restaurant

We had a very simple Thanksgiving this year with just the two of us.  It was low key, low stress, and I only made the foods we really loved!  We enjoyed leftovers on Friday and by last night, we were ready for something new.  Despite being a restaurant mecca, good Italian food is very hard to find.  I am already counting down to our trip home for Christmas where I can have all the provel cheese and toasted raviolis I want!  Thanksgiving morning, I went out to get Thanksgiving Day donuts, a long lived Kupfer tradition, and stumbled across a new place called Gino's Italian Restaurant.  I mentioned it to Mike and we decided that's what we wanted.  It had mixed reviews on Yelp, so I didn't have high hopes, but decided to give it a shot.  We got there around 7 pm, a typical dining hour in Austin, and it was pretty busy, which I took as a good sign.  We were promptly seated and began browsing the menu.  I saw toasted ravioli on the menu and was excited until I learned they were stuffed with cheese, not beef.  They may have been good, but I was looking for traditional t-ravs.  I ended up ordering the baked ravioli and Mike settled on the Chicken Sorento. 

Both dishes were served with side salads and we enjoyed bread with the seasoned olive oil.  My ravioli was perfect.  It had cheese baked on top, with tasty sauce, and well seasoned beef inside.  I also felt like the portion size was perfect for me.  I ate the whole entree and didn't feel overly stuffed.  Mike's chicken was yummy, too and was served with a large side of spaghetti.  We probably could have split his dish. 

Since we skipped appetizers, I really wanted to try a dessert.  Our waiter highly recommended the lemoncello cake and we took his suggestion.  It was reasonably priced and perfectly portion sized for people who were a little bit full.  It was delicious with a great lemon flavor and cake that was tender and not dry.  Overall, we were very impressed and may have finally found our go to place for Italian foods in Austin. 

Pin a Day: Garlic Bread Steak Sandwich

Yesterday we went on a long walk to work up an appetite for dinner.  The weather has been gorgeous this week and we have just enough time between the end of Mike's work day and the sun fully setting to get a good walk in.  Last night, I decided to try these Garlic Bread Steak Sandwiches.   I had Mike cut the peppers and steak while I started carmelizing the onions.    I also threw some tots in the oven.  Once my onions had cooked, I added in the sliced steak and cooked it until it was almost done.  Then I added in the chopped peppers and cooked until it was fully done.  Meanwhile, I spread some mayonnaise on my cut French bread and sprinkled it with garlic powder.  I put the bread in the oven to toast for a few minutes.  I immediately put steak on the toasted bread and added a slice of white American cheese to each sandwich.  They were delightful!  The peppers added a nice kick to the steak and the garlic bread was exceptionally well seasoned.  In addition, the white American cheese melted nicely and added the perfect creaminess.  For those who don't like spice,  you could try a milder pepper or skip them all together.  This also made great leftovers for lunch today and would probably make great nachos too.  It was quite similar to something Mike makes, so this recipe was a winner in our book.

Rockin the Rose and a Blast from the Past

This weekend we headed to the Domain for movies, shopping and good eats.  I was successful in finding a new pair of pants at a decent price and we were happy with our choice to see Dr. Strange at iPic.  We had the chance to visit our favorite stores and see all the new stores at the Northside of the Domain.  I was really excited to see the new Nordstrom's and Warby Parker.  There were also several new stores opening soon and more new restaurants.  We headed over to Rock Rose for dinner and had some decisions to make.  It was hard to decide if we wanted to go to a new place or something tried and true.  Eventually, we opted to head to Thai Kun.  Upon arriving, we were told the food was inspired by Northern Thai food, amongst the spiciest in the region.  It took us a long time to make our selections, as we were warned of the spice and told that some of the dishes were meant to split.   

Eventually, we selected the Thai Chicken Nuggets with a sweet and spicy sauce as an appetizer and the Ribeye to split for our meal.  The chicken nuggets were good, but there was a lot of skin and crispness and not much meat.  The sauce was delicious and I kept it to try with our meal.  We ordered the ribeye medium, instead of the medium rare they typically served it as.  We were happy with our decision.  The meat was juicy and delicious.  It was served with sticky rice, cabbage, cucumber, and a spicy sauce.  The rice and cabbage complimented the steak and went well with the sauce from the appetizer.  The spicy sauce was too much for me and it was a spice that built on itself.  Fortunately, we were able to wash it all down with a Pearl Snap.  Thai Kun was definitely an adventure for our taste buds and I am glad we stepped outside our comfort zones. 

On the way home, we decided to hit a new spot to Cedar Park, but an old favorite of mine from my college days.  Mike had never experienced the wonders of Andy's Frozen Custard, so it seemed liked a great night to try it.  Mike always goes for a chocolate malt, but I had a harder time making a selection.  While I typically love all things pumpkin, I do not love pumpkin pie, so I skipped out on the pumpkin pie concrete.  Instead, I had them create an old Fritz's favorite of mine-the Toffee Crunch.  You can't go wrong with caramel and heath mixed in a concrete.  We were both pleased with our choices and we will be returning. 

Pin a Day: Lemon Garlic Pasta

I've been trying to use up various extra ingredients that I have in my pantry and freezer.  A perk to this is cheaper grocery bills and getting to use some of my favorite ingredients in new ways.  This recipe for Lemon Garlic Pasta was pretty easy and it was all things I have around the house.  I started by boiling the water and making my pasta.  I used spaghetti noodles because I had an abundance, but you could use any type of pasta.  I also did a half recipe, as Mike and I didn't need a whole pound of pasta.  Once the pasta had cooked, I started on the lemon garlic sauce.  I cooked the garlic in olive oil until it was golden in color.  Next, I added in lemon juice, bouillon, and pepper.  I cooked that until it dissolved.  After it was ready, I added the sauce and parmesan cheese to the pasta.  I served it with salad and topped my pasta with a little pasta sprinkle from Savory Spice shop.  This would be a great meal for Lent or a meatless Monday.  It would also taste great with grilled chicken or roasted tomatoes added to it.  Its nice to know a new recipe that I can make easily with items on hand.  I am sure I will make this again at some point.

Pin a Day: Taco Egg Rolls

Asian and Tex-Mex are two of our favorite cuisines, so when I found a recipe that combined them, I had to give it a try.  When given the choice, Mike requested that I try out these Taco Egg Rolls.   This recipe was super easy and the results turned out pretty decently.  I started by browning the ground beef.  You could also use ground turkey if desired.  I then mixed in my favorite taco seasoning, Penzey's Bold Taco and allowed it to simmer for a bit.  I pulled the skillet off the heat and mixed in a package of shredded cheddar cheese.  I couldn't find the full sized egg roll wrappers at the store, but I did find the wonton sized wrappers.  So, I used my small portion scoop and added a bit of the taco mixture to each wrapper before folding it in half.  I brushed each wonton with a little bit of olive oil.  I cooked them for 5 minutes on each side at 375.  The result was crispy taco egg rolls.  I had mine with salsa, while Mike tried his with guacamole.  We really liked them and made some for lunch the next day, too.  These were similar to mini tacos and would be great as appetizers, too.  

A Slice of Italy

On Saturday, we got a late start on our day and headed out to Wolf Ranch for some shopping and dinner.  I did not have a very successful shopping trip.  I had things in mind to buy, but they may not exist.  Fortunately, dinner turned out way better than shopping.  After taking a bit to debate the various places in Wolf Ranch, we narrowed it down to Milano Trattoria Pizza and Pasta.   I had been wanting some good Italian food, which is pretty hard to come by in Austin.  It was really cute on the inside and reminded us a little bit of the first Italian place we'd visited in Georgetown, Paisanos.  After getting a little advice from our waitress, I opted for the Fettucine Ragu and Mike got a pepperoni pizza.  My pasta had Italian sausage, onions, delicious red sauce, and plenty of parmesan cheese.  It had great flavor and after my side salad, there was definitely plenty to bring some home as leftovers.  Mike's pizza was yummy, too and he must have really enjoyed it because he had no leftovers.

The food was great, the atmosphere was cute, and the service was nice, too.  We will likely be returning to Milano Trattoria next time we are in the mood for some tasty Italian food. 

Pin a Day: White Chocolate Butterscotch Cookies

I like to bake on Tuesdays so Mike can share with his work friends.  This week, I was also thinking we might have a bigger crowd at trivia, so I decided to make a double batch of these White Chocolate Butterscotch Cookies.   The recipe claimed to make 2 dozen cookies, so doubling it didn't seem like a bad choice.  However, when all was done I think I had 6.5 or 7 dozen cookies, which was definitely more than I needed.  The cookies were pretty standard, however, instead of only using butter or shortening, they had 1/2 butter and 1/2 vegetable oil.  I started by creaming together the butter and sugars and then adding the eggs one at a time.  Next, I added in the vegetable oil, almond and vanilla extracts.  I think the almond extract added a really great flavor to the cookies.  Per standard cookie recipes, I mixed the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and slowly added them to the wet ingredients.  Once complete, I added in the butterscotch and white chocolate chips.  The dough was so big that my mixer had a little trouble getting everything mixed.  I used my handy portion scoop to separate the dough into cookies and I baked them for about 7-8 minutes at 350.  I let them sit on the baking sheets about 5 minutes before moving them to wire racks for cooling.  We tried a few with coffee and were very impressed.  They were soft and crispy at the same time and had a great fall flavor.  Mike had plenty to share with friends at work and we had lots to share at trivia.  We quickly became popular when we shared with several people at the bar.  This was a great recipe, however, I probably did not really need to double it.  

Pin a Day: Spaghetti Squash Yakisoba Style

Several weeks ago, my sweet friend, Ashley, sent me this recipe for Spaghetti Squash Yakisoba Style.    Ashley has gone mostly gluten free, but she is always looking for recipes that the entire family can enjoy.  She knows that Mike and I love Asian cuisine and that I like to try and keep weekday meals healthy, so I can endulge on the weekends.  This recipe definitely fit the bill.  Ashley also made the suggestion to substitute chicken for mushrooms, which is the preferred protein for both of our families.  I started by cooking the chicken in a skillet in a little bit of chicken broth.  Meanwhile, I poked my spaghetti squash and cooked it about 12-15 minutes in the microwave, checking at 3 minute intervals to see if it was done.  I cut the spaghetti squash after removing it from the microwave, but had to let it set a little bit before I could remove the seeds and scrape it.  Much like a pumpkin, you have to scrape out the seeds and some of the slimy guts.  Next, take a fork and run it over the flesh of the squash and it should flake into spaghetti like pieces.  I set those aside and started working on the dish.  I heated up some vegetable oil and cooked some onions.  Next, I added coleslaw mix and red pepper flakes.  I used a bit more coleslaw to include plenty of veggies.  I cooked that a few minutes and added my cooked chicken.  After cooking that a few minutes, I added in my spaghetti squash and the sauce and allowed that to cook.  We topped it with some sesame seeds and were ready to eat.  This was a great dish and we both went back for seconds.  I loved how healthy it was for us and still had great flavor.  Ours had an extra kick as I tend to go heavy handed with red pepper flakes.  This is a great dish if you are looking to eliminate gluten, want a new use for spaghetti squash, or just want to try something new.