berry crack pie

This recipe has moved to my WordPress blog.  You can get it here: Berry Crack Pie

Brioche with Strawberry Butter

Makes 16 small brioche

Dough Starter:
2 tablespoons water, at room temperature
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
½ cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 large egg

Flour Mixture:
1 cup plus 1 ½ tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
½ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, cold
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft

Egg Glaze:
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon cream

1. One day or up to 2 days ahead, make the dough starter. In the mixer bowl, place the water, sugar, instant yeast, flour, and egg. Whisk by hand until very smooth, to incorporate air, about 3 minutes. The sponge will be the consistency of a very thick batter. (At first the dough may collect inside the whisk, but just shake it out and keep whisking. If it’s too thick to whisk, it means you’ve added too much flour and will need to add a little of the eggs to be added Step 3.) Scrape down the sides of the bowl and set it aside, covered with plastic wrap.
2. Combine the ingredients for the flour mixture and add to the sponge. In a small bowl. Whisk the flour with the sugar and yeast. Then whisk in the salt (this keeps the yeast from coming in contact with the salt, which would kill it). Sprinkle this mixture on top of the sponge. Cover it tightly with plastic wrap and let stand for 1 hour at room temperature. (During this time, the sponge will bubble through the flour mixture in places; this is fine.) Refrigerate the dough for up to 24 hours.
3. Mix the dough. Add the 2 cold eggs and mix with the dough hook on low (#2 if using a KitchenAid) for about 1 minutes or until the flour is moistened. Raise the speed to medium (#4 KitchenAid) and beat for 2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl with an oiled spatula and continue beating for about 5 minutes longer or until the dough is smooth and shiny by very soft and sticky. It will mass around the dough hook but not pull away from the bowl completely. Add the butter by the tablespoon, waiting until each addition is almost completely absorbed before adding the next tablespoon, beating until all the butter is incorporated. The dough will be very soft and elastic and will stick to your fingers unmercifully, but do not be tempted to add more flour at this point; it will firm considerably after chilling.
4. Let the dough rise. Using an oiled spatula or dough scraper, scrape the dough into a 1-quart dough rising container or bowl, greased lightly with cooking spray or oil. Lightly spray or oil the top of the dough and cover the container with a lid or plastic wrap. With a piece of tape, mark the side of the container at approximately where double the height would be. Allow the dough to rise until doubles, 1 ½ to 2 hours.
5. Chill the dough. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour to firm it; this will prevent the butter from separating. Gently deflate the dough by stirring it with a rubber scraper or spatula, and return it to the refrigerator for another hour so that it will be less sticky and easier to handle.
6. Deflate the dough and allow it to rest, chilled. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and press or roll it into a rectangle, flouring the surface and dough as needed to keep it from sticking. The exact size of the rectangle is not important. Give the dough a business letter turn, brushing off any excess flour, and again press down or roll it out into a rectangle. Rotate it 90 degrees so that the closed side is facing to your left. Give it a second business letter turn and round the corners. Dust it lightly on all sides with flour. Wrap it loosely but securely in plastic wrap and then place it in a large zip-seal bag. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or up to 2 days to allow the dough to ripen (develop flavor) and firm.
7. Shape the dough and let it rise. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and gently press it down to deflate it. Cut the dough into 16 pieces. Without a scale, the easiest way to divide the dough evenly is to lightly flour your hands and roll it into a long cylinder. Cut it in half, then continue cutting each piece in half until there are 16 pieces. Pinch off a little less than ¼ of each piece, for the top knot. Roll each larger piece of dough into a ball and press it into a prepared brioche mold. With lightly floured hands, shape each of the dough pieces reserved for the topknots into an elongated pear form. Using your index finger, make a hole in the center of each brioche, going almost to the bottom of the mold, and insert the elongated parted of the topknot deeply into the hole. Cover the molds loosely with oiled plastic wrap and let rise until the edges of the dough reach the top of the molds, about 1 hour.
8. Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 425, 1 hour before baking. Have an oven shelf at the lower level and place a baking stone or baking sheet on it before preheating.
9. Glaze and bake the brioche. Lightly beat together the egg yolk and the 1 teaspoon cream for the glaze. Brush the top of the brioche with the egg glaze, being careful not to drip any on the side of the pans, or it will impede rising. Allow to dry to 5 minutes and then brush a second time with the glaze. Use greased scissors or a small sharp knoif to make a ¼ inch deep cuts all around the base of the topknot so it will rise to an attractive shape. Set the molds on a baking sheet and place them on the hot stone or hot baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted under a topknot comes out clean (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center will read about 190).
10. Cool the brioche. Remove the brioche from the oven and unmold them onto a wire rack. Turn top side up and allow them to cool until barely warm.

Note: The small brioche can be reheated in a 350 oven for 5 minutes.

For the strawberry butter

1 1/2 cups butter, at room temperature

1 cup good-quality strawberry preserves

1. Place the butter in the work bowl of an electric mixer and beat on high until light and fluffy. Add the preserves and beat until well combined.
2. To serve, spoon or pipe the flavored butter into 2-tablespoon ramekins or onto side plates. 

Note: Keep refrigerated in an airtight container. This spread will last for two to three days.

Bananas Foster Bread

3 cups all purpose flour 1 ¼ tablespoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 medium ripe bananas, peeled
8 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more for the pans
1 ¼ cups dark muscovado sugar
¼ cup plus 1 ½ tablespoons dark rum
2 large eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 375, butter a 9X5 in loaf pan, set aside
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
3. Cut the bananas and butter into approximately ½ inch pieces. Place the bananas, butter, and sugar in a pot set over medium heat and bring to a slow simmer. Cook the mixture until the butter is fully melted and the bananas are falling apart. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
4. Pour the banana mixture into a blender, add the run and the eggs, and puree until smooth. Quickly pour the banana base into the dry ingredients. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to quickly mix the wet and dry ingredients together until they form a homogeneous batter. Do not over mix. Pour into the prepared loaf pan. Use an off-set spatula to gently smooth the top and then run a finger around the edge of the pan, creating a slight indention in the batter, to facilitate even rising.
5. Place the pan on the center rack of the oven and bake for 50 minutes. When the bread is done, they will feel firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the center should come out clean. Place the pan on a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan and return to the rack to cool completely.

Butterscotch Brownies with Brown Sugar Icing

Brownies:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups firmly packed golden brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups chopped pecans, toasted

Icing:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups firmly packed golden brown sugar
4 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup half and half
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. To make the brownies: preheat the oven to 350. Line a half sheet (13X18 inch) pan with aluminum foil and grease with butter or cooking spray.
2. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the 1 cup butter and the 3 cups brown sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract and continue beating for another minute.
3. In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture on low speed until incorporated. Stir in the pecans.
4. Pour into the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Bake until the bars are set and slightly puffed, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely before icing.

1. To make the icing: In a saucepan set over medium heat, melt the 1 cup butter and 2 cups brown sugar. Once the mixture is lightly bubbling, decrease the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally for 2 more minutes; set aside.
2. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the powdered sugar, half and half, and vanilla on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the melted butter mixture and beat until combined.
3. Pour over the cooled brownies and spread evenly. Let the brownies sit for about 30 minutes to allow the icing to firm up before cutting into about 30 squares.

Left uncut in the pan, the bars will keep at room temperature, covered, for up to 3 days. Cut them the day you will serve them.

Coconut Biscotti

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. coconut extract
1 cup flaked coconut
3 oz. dark or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar, eggs, vanilla and coconut extracts. Beat on medium-low speed until thick and smooth, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the flaked coconut with a spatula.
3. Turn the dough out onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Divide into two equal segments and form each into a log 1-inch deep, and approximately 4 inches wide. (Be sure to leave room between the logs as they will spread during baking.)
4. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack. Using a serrated knife, cut the logs diagonally into 14-20 slices, depending on thickness. Lay the slices on their sides and bake for 10 minutes. Flip the slices over and bake for 10 minutes more.
5. Place the chocolate into a heatproof bowl. Microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring in between, until completely melted. Drizzle over the biscotti and allow to cool until the chocolate is set.

Apple Cheddar Cake

3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. table salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
6 Tbs. milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 large tart apple, such as a Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch dice

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan and dust with flour. Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
2. Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary. With the mixer on medium-low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
3. Turn the mixer to low speed and add 1/2 of the flour mixture. Stir in the milk. Stir in the remaining flour mixture until just combined. Stir in the cheddar cheese and apple.
4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, invert it onto a wire rack, and then turn it right side up on a rack to cool completely.
5. Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 2 days.

cupcakes in honor of national nutella day

who doesn't love nutella, well I do!!  if you've never tried it, you should, it is just chocolate and hazelnut butter that is terrific on anything from toast to strawberries.  today is national nutella day and in honor of that I made these nutella and vanilla cupcakes.  here is a link to the recipe: nutella and vanilla cupcakes I could not find any chocolate wafers at the grocery store, so I made these, which michael thought was great made into cookie sandwiches with nutella in between.

peanut butter banana blondies

this is my variation of a recipe from the fat witch brownies cookbook. if you love to bake brownies, this cookbook is a must have, it is so wonderful. it's also a great gift, all the brownies cook in a 9X9 inch square pan and the book is sized so that it fits perfectly in the pan. for this recipe be sure to use very ripe bananas, you can always stash the bananas in the freezer once they get ripe and save them for whenever you want to make this recipe. also, I find that these are great for breakfast. makes 12 to 16 brownies.

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups very ripe bananas, mashed (about 3-4 bananas)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 3/4 cups unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or banana chips (optional)

1. grease a 9X9 inch baking pan with butter. dust with flour and tap out the excess. preheat the oven to 350.
2. in a bowl, mix the butter, vanilla, and sugar into the mashed banana with a fork. add the beaten eggs and continue mixing until everything is well combined.
3. measure the flour and salt and sift together directly into the banana batter and mix until will combined. stir in the peanut butter chips and the walnuts or banana chips, if desired.
4. pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. remove from the oven and cool on a rack for 1 hour. cut just before serving.

Fruit Cobbler

I usually do this with blackberries, but it is great with any fresh fruit.

2 cups fresh fruit, washed and chopped if needed
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup self-rising flour (you can use all-purpose flour instead, but the self-rising works better)
1 cup sugar
butter for the pan

1. Pre-heat oven to 350
2. Butter an 8-inch square or 9-inch round baking pan
3. Spread the fruit out on the bottom of the pan
4. In a bowl mix together the buttermilk, flour, and sugar until well combined (don't worry if it has a few lumps in it)
5. Pour the mixture over the fruit spreading out to cover all the fruit
6. bake for one hour, until golden on top or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean
7. Top with vanilla ice cream or cool whip and enjoy!

cake balls

today I finally got to try out the cake ball at the olive branch here in waco.  I have been reading all about them on leah's blog and I couldn't wait to try them.  so, when mike said he wanted to have lunch at olive branch today, I was all for it, not only for the great food, but so that I could finally try the cake balls.  mike got me one of each of the ones they had today, peanut butter and caramel and chocolate and strawberry.  they were as wonderful as I had hoped, wonderfully moist cake (the peanut butter and caramel one even had peanut butter inside) and delicious coating (frosting?).  I can't wait to go back and try all her flavors!

strawberries foster

so, friday night, for dessert, I had the most wonderful dish that was like bananas foster, but they made it with strawberries.  of course, mike and I had to try our hand at making it and it turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself.  here's our recipe

3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
dash of cinnamon
2 shots of grand marnier
1/2 cup sliced bananas
2 scoops vanilla ice cream
   

1. combine the butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a skillet.
2. place the pan over low heat and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.
3. stir in the grand marnier and the strawberries and cook for 5 minutes to soften the strawberries
4. generously spoon warm sauce and strawberries over the top of the ice cream and serve immediately.

blackberry and apple kuchen

this is a german cake that is served for dessert or breakfast and it is wonderful!  it is a little difficult and time consuming but definitely worth it.  Imperial Sugar makes a turbinado sugar that works great in this recipe.  if you are making this for dessert, serve it with Whipped cream or Ice Cream.

For the cake base:
2 1/4-2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of sugar
Rapid yeast (about 1 teaspoon)
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Grated zest of half a lemon
1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 cup of lukewarm milk
1/4 cup of butter, softened

For the topping:
1 egg beaten with a tablespoon of cream and a pinch of ground cinnamon
1 small or 1/2 medium-firm, tart apple
1 2/3 cups of blackberries
Zest of 1/2 a lemon
1/3 cups of self-rising flour
2 tablespoons of ground almonds
1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/4 cups of cold unsalted butter, diced
2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
2 tablespoons of demerara sugar
2 tablespoons of flaked almonds

1. Put 2 1/4 cups of the flour in a bowl with the salt, sugar and yeast. In another bowl, beat the eggs and add them (with the vanilla extract, lemon zest and cinnamon) to the lukewarm milk. Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients to make a medium-soft dough, being prepared to add more flour as necessary. I generally use about 2 1/3 cups in all, but I advise you to start off with the smaller amount--just add more as needed. Work in the soft butter and knead by hand for about 10 minutes, when the dough is ready, it will appear smooth and springy.
2. Cover with a kitchen towel and leave till doubled in size (an hour to an hour and a quarter). Or, leave it to rise slowly in a cold place overnight. Then punch down and press to line a jellyroll pan measuring 13 by 9 inches. You may think it's never going to stretch to fit, but it will, although you may need to let it rest for 10 minutes or so mid-stretch, especially if the dough has had a cold rise. When it's pressed out on the pan, leave it to rest for 15-20 minutes and then brush with the cream and egg mixture.
3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400° F. Peel and chop the apple and toss it in a bowl with the blackberries and the zest of the other half lemon. Set aside in the bowl for the few minutes it takes to make the crumble topping. Put the flour, ground almonds and cinnamon in a medium-size bowl, stir to combine and then add the cold, diced butter. Using the tips of your fingers--index and middle stroking the fleshy pads of your thumbs--rub it into the flour. Stop when you have a mixture that resembles clumpy oatmeal (this is a very buttery mixture). Fork in the sugars and flaked almonds.
4. Tumble the fruit over the egg-washed dough and then sprinkle the crumble on top of that. Put in the oven for 15 minutes and then turn down to 350° F and cook for a further 20 minutes or so, until the dough is swelling and golden at its billowing edges, and the crumble is set--don't expect it to be crunchy. Remove from the oven and, if you can, wait five minutes or so before cutting it into greed-satisfying slabs.

grandma berger's rice pudding

as I have said before, both my grandfathers were rice farmers and my father's mother used rice in everything she could.  when I found her rice pudding recipe in a cookbook a few months ago, I couldn't wait to try it.  I finally made it tonight and it was as wonderful as I thought it would be.

 

 

1 1/2 cups rice

3 cups milk

salt to taste

1/2 stick margarine

3/4 cup sugar

3 eggs, beaten

1 small (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple
ground cinnamon

1. in a heavy saucepan, over low heat, cook rice, milk, and salt until milk is completely cooked and thickened (it should leave a ribbon when you stir it) about 15 minutes
2. preheat oven to 350 degrees
   
3. remove from heat and stir in margarine and sugar until margarine is melted
4. stir in beaten eggs and crushed pineapple
   
5. pour mixture into an oven-safe dish and bake about 20 to 25 minutes or until slightly firm
6. sprinkle with ground cinnamon once you remove from the oven and serve warm
   

the square bar

so, last night, we tried a new restaurant in waco, the square bar.  it is next to olive branch, where we went for lunch the other day.  everything in the restaurant was square, from the menus to the tables to the plates.

since I had already had dinner, I went for dessert, but the choice was tough, they had so many desserts on their menu that sounded good.  I eventually decided on the bananas foster cheesecake and it was a good choice.  the cheesecake was rich and creamy and the bananas foster topping was perfect.

mike went for the beef wellington sliders, since he h
ad not had dinner yet.  they sounded really good on the menu, but left something to be desired when actually eating them.  they were freshly baked croissants with a really good sauce and sliced roast beef.  they were good, but they would have been even better with a better quality meat.

sopapilla cheesecake, in honor of national cheesecake day

since today is national cheesecake day, I wanted to share with you my sopapilla cheesecake recipe. this recipe is not only wonderful, but it is really easy!!


2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
2 (8 ounce) packages refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine, melted
1/2 cup cinnamon sugar
powered sugar for dusting

1. unroll one package of refrigerated crescent rolls and line the bottom of a 9 X 13 pan.
2. mix together the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, and honey.
   
3. spread over the crescent rolls.
   
4. unroll the other can of crescent rolls and place on top of cream cheese mixture.
   
5. pour one stick of melted butter or margarine over the top and sprinkle with about 1/2 cup of the cinnamon sugar mixture.
   
6. bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
   
7. dust with powdered sugar before serving.
   

my cousin missy's pumpkin bars recipe in honor of her birthday

I'm really enjoying sharing recipes with you on people's birthdays.  today is my cousin missy's birthday and here is her recipe for pumpkin bars and they are so yummy!!

Bottom Layer:
1 can pumpkin (29 oz.)
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. ginger
½ tsp. salt

Top Layer:
1 yellow cake mix
¾ cup chopped walnuts
1 ½ sticks melted butter

1. Preheat oven to 350.
   
2. Mix together all ingredients for the bottom layer. Spread into a glass 9x13 pan.
   
3. Pat yellow cake mix over bottom layer.  Spread walnuts over dry mix.  Cover dry mix with melted butter.
   
4. Bake 45-55 minutes or until golden brown. 

my dad's bread pudding -- in honor of his birthday tomorrow

my dad participates in an annual event "men who cook" where he has to prepare a dish.  this is his famous bread pudding recipe that he prepared the first few years, he prepares different variations of this now each year.

½ loaf of French Bread or any bread (this is best if you let the bread dry out overnight the night before)
¼ cup chopped pecans
¼ cup raisins
1 cup half and half
¼ cup shredded coconut
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs, lightly beaten
¾ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted

1. Break the bread into small pieces and place in a shallow bowl.  Add half and half and milk; let stand 10 minutes.  Crush mixture with hands until blended.  Add eggs and next seven ingredients, stirring well.
2. Pour melted butter into a baking dish; tilt dish to coat evenly.  Spoon pudding mixture into dish.  Bake at 325° for 40 to 45 minutes or until pudding is very firm.  Remove from oven.  Let cool.  Serve topped with whiskey sauce, if desired.

Whiskey Sauce

½ cup butter
1½ tablespoons bourbon
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 egg, beaten

1. Place butter on top of a double boiler; bring water to a boil.  Reduce heat to low; cook until butter melts.  Add sugar and bourbon, stirring until sugar dissolves.
2. Gradually stir about one-fourth of hot mixture into beaten eggs; add to remaining hot mixture in pan, stirring constantly.  Cook, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes or until mixture thickens.

eating in austin

I went down to austin today, to see my wonderful sister-in-law and to spend my williams and sonoma gift card. I will blog tomorrow about the goodies that I got from williams and sonoma, but today, let's talk food. for lunch we went to hang town grill. it was really good, but nothing extravagant.

after some shopping, we decieded to abuelos for drinks and dessert and that was the right choice!!

mike and his sister got the house margarita and I got the tropical margartia, they were all great

we decieded to each get a different dessert and share them and they were all wonderful.

mike got flan (of course)

mel got molten chocolate cake

and I got tres leches cake

our new year's eve dinner

for those of you who know mike and I, you know that we never pass up a chance to cook a wonderful meal and last night was no exception. here is what we had:

cheese and crackers plate
mike has become a big cheese fan lately. so, when he stopped at heb on his way home to get a few things, he got some delicious cheeses for us to try. my favorite was the white stilton with apricots

blackberry bellini

frozen blackberries, champagne, vodka, and blue curacao, with a splash of roses lime juice. delicious!!

zuchini chips with horseradish dip
mike cooked up our zuchini fries sliced as chips, and I made my horseradish dip to go with them.

blue cheese vinegrette salad
this was my attempt to recreate the salad that we like so much at 135 prime. I used field greens with sliced apples, blue cheese, and candied pecans. I used the blush vinegreitte for the dressing. although it was not quite the same, it was a really good salad.

beer battered shimp with red pepper bowtie alfredo

several years ago, at a restaurant called Fish Camp near Gulf Shores, Alabama, we had fettucini alfredo with fried shrimp. ever since then, it's been one of our favorite combinations.

molten chocolate cakes with a shot of bailey's irish cream
since they didn't have mike's favorite dessert the other night at 135 Prime, I decided to try this tonight to see if it would work as a replacement. I made my standard molten chocolate cakes and added a shot of bailey's on the top!

24 hours of great eating

as I have said before, some days the food gods just smile on me, and the past 24 hours have been one of those times.  

on the way back from the family reunion we stopped for dessert at ooh la la in katy. ed, my youngest has really enjoyed telling EVERYONE that we went to OOH LA LA!  I got marble cheesecake that was really good. mike got red velvet cake that he said was also excellent.  ed raved on his cupcake, but he really only ate the icing.

since we were in katy already, we decided to go to swampy's for dinner.  swampy's is a cajun seafood restaurant that has really good food in a laid back atmosphere.  I had a wonderful drink that was a mix of a margarita and a hurricane (I can't remember the name of it, but it was good!) and fried shrimp.  mike had a cajun bloody mary to drink that was seriously spicy.  mike ordered shrimp half and half, which is shrimp etouffe and fried shrimp.  as a side, he got fried cheese grits.  I tried them, and let me tell you, they were really good. you know I love anything fried, especially with cheese!

for breakfast, my mother made her wonderful beignets, or "square doughnuts," as my boys call them.  as I have said previously, we have not had much luck making beignets. so, I got my mom's recipe, and now my fry daddy (michael) can make beignets for me anytime.  they are not as good as cafe du mondes, but they are a very close second!  I will share the recipe with you in a future post.

my favorite restaurant in houston is jax grill in the heights.  we went there for lunch on our way back to waco.  everything that I have ever tried at jax has been wonderful.  although, truth be told, I do not vary much from my standard captain crunch chicken.  I will share my recipe for this in a future post as well, but I have to admit that mine is not as good as jax's.  there is just something better about eating at jax, even the fountain coke tastes better there to me than anywhere else.

we stopped to do some shopping in college station on our way home, so we had wings at the gas station for dinner in college station.  yes, for those of you that follow me on twitter, that is twice in one weekend that I had wings at the gas station.  many of you will not be surprised by that.  one of the things that mike has taught me as a fellow foodie is that sometimes the best food is in the hole in the wall places.  that's why we love diners, drive-ins, and dives.  actually the wings 'n more in the gas station that we stop at is part of a chain, and all the other locations are actual restaurants.  for that matter, this wings location is moving and will be in an actual restaurant the next time we go through college station.  we just like stopping at the gas station one because it is quick and easy to get in and out.  did I mention, the food is really good!!