Thanksgiving 2012

This year, Ryan and I hosted our first Thanksgiving Dinner for our families. Everyone who lives in town was able to come. My parents were there as were Ryan's grandpa and Pat, his sister Laurel, my Aunt Mare and soon-to-be Uncle Bob and my grandpa. Ten in total! Quite an undertaking considering we make everything, and I do mean everything from scratch. Mom and Mare brought appetizers and Laurel brought a pumpkin pie, but Ryan and I made everything else. The menu included:

Pioneer Herb-Roasted Turkey with a Sage Gravy

Southern Style Cornbread Stuffing

Orange and Ginger Scented Cranberry Sauce

Sweet Potato Puff

French Cut Green Bean Casserole

Homemade Honey Wheat Rolls

 

Pumpkin Pie

Vanilla Cheesecake Pecan Pie

Pear and Sparkling Cider Cocktails

It was wondeful to have everyone join us in our new home. I see many more family Thanksgivings to be hosted in the Alexander house!

Disney Dining

One of our favorite parts of any vacation is the dining experience. While at Disney, you will eat at some of the best restaurants around, in my opinion. We ate at some old favorites as well as some new restaurants that have now made the favorites list. Below is a short list of where we ate with a general rating and a very small commentary on each.

TUESDAY

Restaurant Marrakesh

3 out of 5
Excellent atmosphere and yummy food. We enjoyed the music and belly dancer and had some of the best couscous Ryan and I had ever eaten.

Yachtsman Steakhouse

5 out of 5
This is, by far, one of our new favorite Disney restaurants. The service was impeccable and the steak I had was prepared perfectly. The manager also called our room and left a message to ensure that we had an excellent time while visiting his restaurant. Excellent experience and even better food!

WEDNESDAY

Biergarten Restaurant

5 out of 5
This was an experience I wasn't looking forward to. It seemed like I wouldn't care for much of the food they would offer, but it was a buffet, so as long as I found one thing to eat, I would be happy. Plus, Ryan was really excited about going here. I was shocked! The food was excellent and I found a lot of things I really enjoyed. They also had a polka band that was quite entertaining. A new favorite we will definitely visit again!

Teppan Edo

3 out of 5
We had been here before and liked it so we went back. The food is always overcooked, because it is more of a show than dinner. I am absolutely in love with the Cherry Blossom Martini they serve here, but the food is pretty bad, so we probably won't go back again.

THURSDAY

Liberty Tree Tavern
\
3 out of 5
This was an okay restaurant. It kinda reminded me of a Black Eyed Pea. I just had a burger, but it was pretty good. It was better than eating a slice of pizza while sitting on a curb at the Magic Kingdom, but the service was slow and the food was just so-so. I don't think we'll be going back again.

Citricos

5 out of 5
This restaurant was a true surprise. I am not usually a fan of the restaurants at The Grand Floridian Hotel as they are all kinda stuffy, but this was the exception. The service was amazing, best we had, and the food was even better. I had the best pork belly ever and I'm not even that big of a fan. This is for sure a new favorite and we will be back!

FRIDAY

Food and Wine Festival

5 out of 5
What can I say? All different tastes, small samples, and they count as snack credits? Amazing!

Nine Dragons

3 out of 5
The food was amazing. Well, at least mine was. Ryan said his wasn't edible, which is saying a lot because he has never turned his nose up at anything. The atmosphere was awful and it felt very impersonal. My food was the only reason this restaurant didn't score lower. We will not be returning here.

SATURDAY

Sanaa

6 out of 5
Yes, you read right. Sanaa scored a 6 out of 5. This is just to make the point that this is, by far, my favorite Disney restaurant. The food is excellent and truly unique. A blend of African and Indian. I guess it is an acquired taste, but Ryan and I love it. Plus, this time we had mango lassis where were amazing! Great atmosphere, I mean where else can you dine and look out the window at giraffes and zebra? Plus excellent food and great service. How could it get any better? Yum!

Kouzzina

5 out of 5
This restaurant was a bit of a surprise for me. It wasn't my first choice, but Ryan was really excited about going, so we did. The dilemma I had was that none of the food sounded good to me, basically because everything had tomatoes in it, but what I ended up ordering was beyond excellent! They had the best bread and olive oil followed up by the best "lasagna" I have ever had. If you ever visit, make sure you order the lasagna. You won't be disappointed!

SUNDAY

Food and Wine Festival

5 out of 5
Yum!

California Grill

3 out of 5
Surprisingly, I didn't enjoy this restaurant as much as I did on our last vacation. The rock shrimp salad was still amazing. But, my steak was not so good. I hate a sauced steak, so I guess it was my fault for ordering it, but yuck. Then, the key lime cheesecake for dessert, it was awful. Inedible for me, although Ryan thought it was okay. All in all, I really don't want to go back here.

MONDAY

Food and Wine Festival

5 out of 5
Yum, again!

Review: Kashi Chocolate Squares

Last Friday, I received a sample of Kashi's new Chocolate Soft-Baked Squares in the mail. I was excited because I like most everything that Kashi makes and all of it is pretty healthy, which is always a plus. So, how did these taste? They were pretty darn good if you ask me! They are tangy and taste like real chocolate. Unfortunately they are a bit dry. Also, if you are wanting something super sweet, these aren't for you. They are great if you are trying to eliminate white sugar, as they are sweetened with sweet potatoes, organic agave syrup, and cane juice.

It does confuse me as to why they can't call them brownies. I am sure it has to do with the ingredients somehow, but I didn't know the term brownie had some strict definition. They are actually a lot like the Little Debbie brownies you had as a kid, minus the frosting and much drier.

These certainly fit into my current diet, as they contain 4g of fiber, 10g of whole grains, and are only 160 calories per square. I only wish they sold these at my grocery store, Market Street, so I didn't have to make a separate trip to the Super Target to get them. Anyway, I obviously think they are worth the trip!

Fried Food Finalists

So, here's a list of the Fried Food Finalists for the 2012 Big Tex Choice Awards:

Chicken Fried Cactus Bites – Fairgoers will stick with these hand-picked prickly pear cactus pads, thinly sliced, chicken battered and deep fried to perfection. Served with a combination of sweet & spicy secret jalapeno ranch, and agave nectar dipping sauce.

Deep-Fried Divine Chocolate Tres Leches Cake – A slice of chocolate tres leches cake soaked in buttermilk batter, and fried to perfection. A light sprinkle of cinnamon, topped with whipped cream, fresh strawberry slices and peaches are drizzled with a yummy syrup.

Deep Fried Jambalaya – A State Fair spin is given to this Cajun classic. This “from scratch” jambalaya is created using shrimp, cajun sausage and seasonings, then coated in lightly seasoned flour and fried to a golden perfection. This deep-fried Southern delectable will be served with a side of “made in house” spicy ranch sauce. *WINNER: BEST TASTE*

Deep Fried Mac-N-Cheese Slider – This three-cheese mac is baked until golden brown, battered in bread crumbs, deep-fried until crisp on the outside, warm and gooey on the inside. Placed on a slider bun with a griddled beef patty, this southern-style invention almost calls for a rocking chair and a front porch.

Fried Bacon Cinnamon Roll – Deliciously fresh cinnamon roll dipped in a special sweet pancake batter, rolled in crispy fried bacon crumbles, deep fried and sprinkled with powdered sugar. It’s a main course and a dessert all in one. *WINNER: MOST CREATIVE*

Fried Mexican Fire Crackers – A yummy, spicy chicken, cheese and jalapeno mix wrapped in fresh-made masa dough and deep fried to a crispy, crunchy, explosion of flavor. OLE, JOSE!Served with fiery TNT sauce.

Fried Pork Wing - This juicy morsel is slow cooked for six hours then lightly deep fried, rolled and tossed in a smoked bacon chipotle glaze. Accompanied by old-school homemade potato chips lightly dusted in barbecue seasoning, it’s a sure crowd pleaser.

Picnic on a Stick – Pieces of delicious spicy fried chicken alternate tater tots and slices of dill pickle. Repeated three times on a stick then dipped in batter, rolled in bread crumbs, and fried until golden brown, this picnic wouldn’t be complete without its choice of BBQ sauce, ranch, or honey mustard. BYO ants.

Here's my quick take.

Cactus: I love cactus, so I would actually be excited to try this one.

Tres Leches: For as much as love cake and cupcakes, tres leches is not one I'm a fan of. Eww.

Jambalaya: This could go either way, and it all depends on the houmemade jambalaya.

Mac-N-Cheese: No need for the beef. The rule my husband and I have for this challenge is that the items have to be eaten as is, otherwise, I would ditch the beef.

Cinnamon Roll: Bacon? Good. Cinnamon Roll? Good. Fried Bacon Cinnamon Roll? Good!

Firecrackers: Depends on the masa. This, just like the jambalaya, could go either way.

Pork Wing: Yes. This sounds normal, and good. Although I am never a fan of meat with a bone still in it.

Picnic: I don't know when tator tots made their official picnic debut, but overall I bet this would be tasty.

Which one am I most excited to try? The Fried Bacon Cinnamon Roll. Least? Tres Leches. That's just not my thing.

Assuming Ryan and I find time to get out to the State Fair of Texas this year, I'll let you know how the Fair Food Challenge 2012 goes.

Even More Foodie Finds Additions

Check out the new additions! Bakerella, Ezra Pound Cake, How Sweet It Is, and Sing for Your Supper. All great blogs you can find on the Foodie Finds page. Food = Love.

New Addition to Foodie Finds: Serious Eats

Check out my newest addition to the Foodie Finds list: Serious Eats. This is a great food blog which has videos, pictures, and some stellar recipes. Also, this blog is like five blogs in one. If you're at the top of the homepage, you can click through to blogs dedicated to hamburgers, pizza, drinks and sweets. Now who doesn't love those kinda categories?! The pages are a little busy so it can be a bit hard to navigate, but the information on this website is well worth the hunt! Check it out on the Foodie Finds page or by clicking the link above.

I Love Yogurtland

I love Yogurtland! Ryan took me today as a surprise! I had Kona Cofee, Pistachio, and Dulce de Licious yogurt. They were all yummy, but the Dulce de Licious was simply awesome! I also added Strawberry Popping Boba just to try them. I have never had boba tea, but I think I might like it because this boba was amazing! And then I threw in a few Frosted Animal Cookies, just because they are tasty. I love this place. Yum! What a great Saturday suprise!

Christmas Cookies

We made christmas cookies. What else is there to say?

Oh yeah.

YUM!

Almost Turkey Time

So, it's almost Thanksgiving and, although I'm not a big Turkey Day person, it's always great to spend time with family. Thanksgiving isn't really my thing because I am not a big turkey person. Although my husband makes the best turkey I've ever tasted, I really don't like the bird or it's counterpart, gravy.

Anyway, this year we are headed to my parent's house where Ryan will cook all day, filling the house with wonderful, calorie-free smells. We are responsible for the turkey, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, green beans and pumpkin pie. My mom is making sweet potatoes and a pistachio salad. She is also making things to nosh on throughout the day and during the Cowboys game. Of course we will also be watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, one of my favorites, as soon as Ryan gets to the house after he and some friends run the 2011 Turkey Trot in Downtown Dallas.

It's shapping up to be fun holiday. Pictures to follow!

A Saturday Treat

Somehow I became a part of the Tiff's Treats email distribution list. I have only been to Tiff's Treats once with a friend of mine. It was the downtown Dallas location, which may have been the first local one. Anyway, I received an email about their Grand Opening event in Richardson. Since all of the proceeds went to the Make-A-Wish foundation, in particular to a little boy named Jackson, and they were selling a dozen cookies for $3 each, I had to go.

Ryan and I got there about 11:30am. The line wasn't too long, maybe about 30 or so ahead of us. The radio station Mix 102.9 was there and Jimmy John's went along the line and gave out free sandwiches. At around 12pm, we were still in line, and Jackson arrived in a limo with his family. Jackson is a sweet little 7 year old boy who has a brain tumor and his Make-A-Wish is to go on a cruise with his family. He was so incredibly sweet and even helped take cookie orders and deliver them to awaiting hands. Also, Tiff herself was their with her founding partner. It seems they both go to all of the Grand Openings. That was neat and nice of them.

At about 12:30pm we got to the front of the line and decided to order the maximum of 6 dozen cookies, 2 each of Oatmeal Raisin, Chocolate Chip and Snickerdoodle. The other neat thing about the event is that they had $6,000 worth of prizes hidden in the boxes. That means that we had six chances to win. They had a table set up when you walked out of the store to check each box for a prize. They checked ours and we won...a pair of Dallas Zoo tickets. Ugh, Ryan and I are both not zoo people. Oh well. It was nice to win.  But wait, once we got out to our car and opened one of the boxes we found we had also won tickets to the Dallas Opera. Yay! Much more our thing! The tickets are worth $143 each and we are excited to go.

So for $20, all of which goes to Jackson's wish, Ryan and I got 6 dozen cookies, two tickets to the Dallas Zoo and two tickets to the Dallas Opera. Not a bad haul for a good cause. We even delivered a box of warm, fresh cookies to my parents, so we spread the wealth.

I will be on the lookout, hoping that Tiff's Treats will have many more grand openings we can attend and both enjoy cookies and support a great cause!

2011 State Fair Food Challenge

OMG! When Ryan and I go to the Texas State Fair it's pretty much about the food. We always go to try the Fair Food Challenge, which involves eating the top foods that year. This year, we made it all the way through 8 items. The rules are that we can only order one of each thing to split and that we don't deviate from the items except for with beer. Otherwise, we would never be able to finish. So, it's ranking time.

1. Bananarito - Banana coated in cinnamon sugar, wrapped in a flour tortilla, fried with chocolate sauce, whipped cream and a cherry
2. Walking Taco - Taco meat, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese on top of crunched up nacho cheese Doritos.
3. Hans Kraut Balls - Saurkraut and sausage balled up together and fried, dipped in cranberry jelly
4. Fried Pineapple Upsidedown Cake - Pineapple ring dipped in cake batter then fried and topped with whpped cream and cherries
5. Fried Autumn Pumpkin Pie - Pumpkin cream cheese filling surrounded with dough and fried.
6. Buffalo Chicken in a Flapjack - A buffalo chicken strip coated in flapjack batter and fried, dipped in syrup.
7. Deep Fried Salsa - Salsa balls coated in tortilla chips and fried, dipped in nacho cheese sauce.
1,378,129. Fried Bubblegum - Bubblegum flavored marshmallows fried.

All of the above items were pretty good, except for the Fried bubblegum. It was one of the worst things I have ever tasted. It may have won most creative, but there is no way it would have ever won best taste. I can't wait for next year's Fair Food Challenge!

Restaurant Week 2011

Restaurant Week, or restaurant couple of weeks, extended from the end of August to the first week of September this year. Ryan and I were able to go to our choice of restaurants for two of the three weekends it ran. The first week we were in Colorado so we weren't able to go anywhere.

Two weeks ago we went to Pappa's Bros. Steakhouse in Dallas. We had been there once before, although it has been about three years back. The service was excellent, but the restaurant was packed, so it was a bit noisy. I had the cesar salad, fillet and key lime pie. Ryan had the house salad, fillet and  chocolate peanut butter cake. We both had a glass of wine and Ryan ordered a desert wine. The desert wine was supposed to taste a lot like grape jelly which should, of course, go well with a peanut butter cake. It was simply disgusting. It tasted like cough syrup laden with granulated sugar. All in all, though, the food was 9/10, the service was 10/10 and the ambiance was 6/10. Last time, when it wasn't crazy busy Restaurant Week, Pappas would have gotten a 9/10 ambiance.

Yesterday, Ryan and I went to The Oceanaire, a seafood restaurant located in the Westin Hotel at the Galleria Mall. Neither of us had been before, but we were both impressed from start to finish. I had the Texas bibb salad, lemon butter sole and bread pudding. Ryan had the clam chowder, black and bleu redfish and bananas foster split. We also each had an oyster as an appetizer just to try. I had never had oysters before, so it was quite the experience for me. I like the oyster okay, but I guess I don't really get what all the hubbub is about. They also brought complimentary sourdough bread and fresh pickled veggies that included pickles, radishes, carrots, cucumbers, black olives, celery and banana peppers. I tried all of the veggies except for the peppers. Ryan said they were fairly spicy, so I wasn't interested. Overall it was one of my favorite restaurants I have been to in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. The food was a 10/10, the service was an 10/10 and the ambiance was a 9/10. The only reason ambiance didn't get a 10/10 was because of a slightly annoying family next to us that acted as though they had never been to a restaurant before. They spoke very loudly and constantly took pictures. Anyway, The Oceanaire is a place I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a great seafood restaurant.

As you can see, we had a nice time in a cozy, romantic booth at The Oceanaire. We can't wait for Restaurant Week 2012!

A Must Add to Foodie Finds

I have a select few blogs that I have added to my Foodie Finds section of Love at First Write. Although not a blog like the others which are all recipe based, this blog for sure deserves a place on the short list. The Disney Food Blog.  This blog offers in-depth news about food and restaurants in Disney's parks and resorts, along with reviews and photographs of and about anything food-related in Disney parks, resorts, movies, and events. They even have a Disney food reference index for go-to info about Disney dining discounts, Disney dining plans, dealing with special diets at Disney, restaurants at-a-glance, menus, and more.

I am a Disney fan, as it is. That is where Ryan and I had our Honeymoon and we plan on going back next year we love it so much. I will definitely be using this guide to help us plan for our next trip!

PS: They even have a cute little icon they have created for their blog. So cute!

Recipe: Quarter Pound Bacon Cheeseburgers

Today I decided to make Quarter Pound Bacon Cheeseburgers for dinner. They were some of the best burgers I've ever had, save In & Out. Let's just say they were some of the best homemade burgers I have ever had. The recipe goes a little something like this:

1 lb lean ground beef
1 1/2 tsp. chopped garlic
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1 egg yolk
3/4 cup bread crumbs
10 shakes liquid smoke (approx. 1/2 tsp.)

I mixed all of the above together with a large spoon. I then used a 1/4 lb. burger press I had given Ryan for Christmas to make four even patties. Although I think they might have tasted a bit better if I had done them on the grill outside, it was just too hot. So, instead I used our griddle indoors.

Just listen to that sizzle!

Toasted bun, melted cheese, fresh cooked bacon, tender and flavorfilled patty. What a beautiful burger!

Taste of Dallas 2011

A quick rundown of all of the foods Ryan and I sampled at the 2011 Taste of Dallas:

• Beef and Lamb Gyro
• Green Chile Pork Taco
• BBQ Brisket
• Ceviche
• MGD 64 with Lemonade
• Blue Moon Summer Seasonal
• Hot Dog
• Iced Tea
• Gelato (Ryan - Salted Carmel, Char - Carrot Cake)
• Yakult Probiotic Drink
• Pineapple Mango Smoothie
• BBQ Pork Rib
• Smores Cupcake
• Drinks (Ryan - Water, Char - Diet Coke)

A successful journey through the various food options, if I do say so myself. The best things? Torchy's Tacos (Green Chile Pork Taco) and Meringue Bakery (Smores Cupcake). The worst thing? MGD 64 with Lemonade. It was absolutely disgusting.

I can't wait for next year's TOD!

Progressive Dinner Sundate

Today, Ryan and I had our first Progressive Dinner Sundate. It was super fun! We started off our Sunday by heading to the local PGA Superstore.  We ended up getting two golf push carts. Although we belong to the country club, it still costs $15 a person for us each time we want to rent a golf cart for a round. This means that our $260 investment will pay off in just 9 rounds. Not a bad deal.  I got a slate grey one and Ryan's is red.

After shopping at the PGA store, we decided to go tooling around at the Frisco IKEA. I love that place. It is so neat to look at all the cheapo furniture that is actually pretty nice looking. But, my favorite part of going to IKEA, besides the people watching, would have to be eating at the IKEA cafeteria. This is where we started our progressive dinner. We ordered the best dang Swedish Meatballs ever! I love that they come with the ligonberry sauce. So damn good!

Next on the progressive dinner list? Cheesecake Factory.  I told Ryan that I wanted to go somewhere with really good dessert. He hit the nail on the head. We had an excellent entree -- Chicken Madiera -- which was enough food for three people. We split it, thank God, as it was two chicken breasts, topped with cheese, mushrooms and madiera sauce, asparagus spears and two potatoes worth of mashed potatoes. It was good as you can see below.

 

We of course had cheesecake as well. Vanilla bean.  It was creamy and good.  All in all it was a good day that helped me to get my mind off of mom's upcoming test results. More about that tomorrow...

New Member Golf Outing

Yesterday Ryan and I played in the new member golf outing at Brookhaven. We played in a foursome with two other men, Blake and Adam.  They were both great golfers and about the same level of play as Ryan, so I know he had a great time. I had fun too, although I wasn't a great help to the team. We played the outing as a scramble, so I was happy just to have had two drives that were playable for the team. We ended up scoring somewhere in the middle of about 10-12 teams. We may not have come in first, but for me it felt great to not come in last.

After the round, we sat down to fresh grilled hamburgers and brats, homemade potato salad and cole slaw, chips, cookies and a keg of beer. It was a bit hard to find a shady spot, but we did find one and enjoyed a wonderful meal with Blake and Adam. 

All in all, a great day!

Taste of Addison and Beethoven's Ninth

Yesterday Ryan, my parents and I went to Taste of Addison for the first time. Last year, we went to Taste of Dallas, so we thought this would be similar.  In fact, it was much bigger and better. There were many, many more food booth options, tons more vendor tents and much better musical talent. Ryan and I shared the following:

Spicy Tuna Roll
Coastal Crepe
Turkey Meatballs with Mango Chutney
Vegetable Samosas
Buffalo Wings
Chocolate Chip Cookies
FUZE Orange Mango
Shiner Bock Beer

It was a lot of fun and I can't wait to go back next year!

Ryan and I left the Taste of Addison in the early afternoon to head home and shower and change so that we could head to the Dallas Symphony.  We watched Beethoven's Ninth while I occasionally checked the Mavericks' game score and shared it with those around me who were interested. It was a beautiful symphony and I especially enjoyed the choir. After the symphony, we were pretty hungry, so we found an IHOP to stop and have a quick bite.  It was around 11:30pm at this point.  Unfortunately, we didn't know that it was prom night, so soon the restaurant was inundated with loud and raucous high schoolers. We left soon after, vowing to never make that mistake again. Here's to a wonderful, fin-filled day!

Tower Club One Last Time

What an awesomely gorgeous night at Tower Club Dallas! Seeing as how we will soon be losing some of our ClubCorp club benefits, we decided to take one final trip to Tower Club for dinner and a view.  We went with my parents and had an excellent night toasting to many recent successes: Ryan's new job, Ryan's excellent grades, and of course us being debt free! We started off with sushi and some of the best meatballs (veal and pancetta) I haver ever had.  Then, Dad and I had steaks for dinner, although I added a side of lobster mac and cheese to mine. Yum!  Ryan had lamb and my mom had chicken.  We then had desert.  My dad and I had creme brulee while Ryan had a blood orange and meyer lemon ricotta cheesecake. All of the food was excellent, but the company was even better.  Cheers to whatever comes next!

Nothing Much

Nothing much has been happing lately.  Simply a lot of work, a little golf and some relaxation time. Seeing as how today was Easter, Ryan and I celebrated with 9 holes of golf at Brookhaven's President's course followed by dinner at BJs.  It was excellent.  I played horribly overall, but had a few really great shots. I am slowly getting better at golf, I think, it just feels like the way I play is shifting right now.  I feel like I am starting to understand how to place the ball as opposed to simply praying that I actually hit it.  I think I have many years to come of playing many wonderful courses with my husband.

Happy Easter!