Gabriella's - Always a Favorite!

My sister and I really, really, REALLY wanted to try out one of the newest eateries on the island Thursday night.  We'd had a lazily tiring day on the beach, laying under umbrellas for over 5 hours, with only a break for a walk to Wanna Wanna for lunch and some time bobbing in the quiet waves.  We had a menu we picked up at Paragraph's on Padre Blvd for Windy City, purveyors of Chicago Hot dogs and Italian Beef, and that is where we headed... to sadly be greeted by a big old closed sign in the window.  At 6:00ish, we thought that must be a mistake and jiggled the door handle.  Alas, it was locked.

We were re-loading into the car and someone came to the door and opened it, apologizing, he had to close for a family emergency.  I sure know how that goes, so we assured him we would be back another time.  And I will :-)

That left us with the need for an alternative low-cost dining selection (it's been an expensive few weeks for this writer - lots of company).  Sister said, kind of hesitantly, "is Gabriella's too expensive?".  Well, of course it is, but once that light bulb was lit, there was no turning it off...we looked at each other and said "let's do it" - we giggled that we had certainly gone more upscale than our hankering for hot dogs!  She took pity on my pocket book and offered to treat the teen (we were going dutch this evening) and both gave him a talking to about not ordering the most expensive thing on the menu - trying to keep him in a specified budget (LOL - really?) and on we rolled.  I expected a long wait...July evenings are not times I traditionally enjoy eating out on the island.  We were fortunate to have arrived just when we did, because we were seated immediately and had really excellent service from our waiter.  Dang, I wish I recalled his name.  He was great!

We, of course, had their hot bread and fabulous dipping oil (fried garlic, herbs, balsamic vinegar, olive oil - yum) and their salad and mini antipasti tray to get started.  Excellent as always - and we ate two baskets of bread (oink oink).

I have always wanted to try their Dominic's Truffle Chicken - everyone raves about it - but I always think "fried chicken at an Italian Restaurant???" and order something else.  Today, however, I was in the mood to give it a whirl.  It is a half of a fried chicken - and I'm sorry Mom, but it is quite possibly the best fried chicken I've ever eaten.  Even better than Mom's and better than my own.  Just perfect - so crispy - I was moaning as I ate it.  I ate every single bite of that bird except for the leg, which I shared with the teen.  It is served with garlic mashers slathered in truffle gravy.  Sorry to say, I didn't like that at all.  I'm not a truffle fan (well, unless it is of the chocolate variety LOL).  I'm also not a fan of garlic mashers.  But that chicken rocked my world and I was filled to the gills!

Sister had Pasta Pomodoro and she said it was spicy and excellent.  The teen had the same ravioli with marinara sauce as last visit...sister sampled the sauce and said it was excellent as well!

By golly, if we weren't stuffed enough the guests at the next table over had to be served dessert...damn them!  It made us want dessert.  They were having banana splits and a piece of Italian Wedding Cake with White Chocolate (groannnn).  Sister let the teen select the dessert...I could have told her it would be tiramisu...and it was.  Not my sister's favorite, but I told her she would be surprised.  She WAS surprised.  Said she had only had tiramisu at chain restaurants and had not been impressed.  This was obviously freshly made and light and outrageously delicious.  No picture because we all dug in like piggies and thought of it about halfway through the decimated dessert...and it was no longer photo worthy :-)  but it was surely good, good, goooood!

She announced, as we exited the restaurant, "tonight, the walk on the beach is not optional - it is mandatory".  I agreed.  As I type this she is laying in her bed, sound asleep, no beach walk, in a food-and-sun-induced slumberous coma.  Sweet dreams sister.  Zumba will kick our butts tomorrow!

Bon Appetit, Y'all!!!

Clayton's Beach Bar & Grill

While I have not actually eaten food at one of South Padre Island's newest waterfront bar and grills, we did stop in to "check it out" on Wednesday afternoon.  My sister ordered a strawberry margarita swirly and the teen and I just had sodas.  I sipped her margarita and it was delicious!

The good things I noticed about Clayton's were, of course, the view, the cool sea breezes, the location on the north end of town (next door to La Quinta) where it is a trifle less crowded, the friendly staff, the comfortable NEW furniture (not the typical plastic chairs of many ocean front deck eateries) and ... well, again, the view!

I'll certainly want to go again when we haven't just eaten.  Now that I know where it is, I'll be wanting to check out their goodies.  The menu seems to offer the fairly typical water-side eatery selections...but we all know the quality of said "standards" can vary greatly from place to place.  I'll keep you posted as I sample!  In the meantime, here are a few photos I snapped with my cell phone camera, of their menu - everything sure sounds tasty!

Great location (used to be an oil company retreat for their execs - totally remodeled) and nice beachy decor will be a siren song for tourists and locals alike.  Hopefully the extensive bar and menu lives up to the location!

Sure hope so - because I definitely like the vibe!

Bon Appetit, Y'all!!!

SHRIMP SCAMPI

In a concerted effort to give my sister, Sheryl, every morsel of shrimp she could possibly want while here visiting the island, we have a list of "places she wants to go" and a couple of places she hasn't been before.  We started at PadreRitaVille so she could experience their big pile of nachos.  We actually shared them and elected to have beef instead of shrimp...but the teen had Grilled Shrimp Alfredo...which was incredibly good...as were our nachos.  She loved the homemade chips.

After a walk on the beach last evening we both crashed in order to get up relatively early and take the teen to his volunteer job at the Sea Life Center and then go to Zumba.  Peter worked us but we really enjoyed it and after recuperating for an hour, taking showers, and picking up the teen, we all went to Pirate's Landing for lunch.  I had a Frequent Diner gift certificate for a free shrimp cocktail so we started with that.  Jumbo sized shrimp - only had 4 on the dish instead of the 6 described on the menu...hmmm.  Sister had her mandatory grilled shrimp salad...and I must say, that was a very generous amount of shrimp on that salad!  Looked great.  The teen had their lunch special fried shrimp basket with humongous steak-type fries and I had their Patty Melt with the same fries - incredibly delicious all around.

After the gorge fest, we stopped at Delicious Seafood aka Dirty Al's Seafood Market and picked up some jumbo shrimp and then, after dropping off the shrimp in the fridge, I gave her a tour of the island since it has been a year since her last visit.  We stopped in at Paragraph's on Padre Blvd and managed to scoop up 5 books and visited with Joni and Griff and the Book-ends.  We drove as far north as possible - but found the road blocked off far short of the usual "end of pavement".  Guess the dunes are still on the road.  We then stopped in for drinks at the newly opened Clayton's Beach Bar and Grill (will write more about that tomorrow) and enjoyed some ocean front deck time - what a great location!

We finally made it home and enjoyed sitting on the couch for a bit and catching up with the news.  

I had planned a couple of meals to prepare at home (to mix in with the eating out) and tonight was Shrimp Scampi night.  It turned out delicious so I finally have a post of something I prepared again.  We had some leftover Dulce de Leche Banana Cream Pie for dessert after a 30 minute evening walk on the beach.  Thursday is "being lazy on the beach day" where we will start some of those books and be ladies of leisure, possibly strolling down to Wanna Wanna for burgers for lunch.  Tonight though, it was Shrimp Scampi, a side salad, and garlic toast.  Simple, really easy to fix, and delicious.  Here's the way I do it!

SHRIMP SCAMPI My Way

Ingredients:

5-6 Jumbo shrimps per person - peeled, deveined, sliced in half down the middle
2 large cloves garlic - finely minced
3 shallots - finely minced
1/4 cup sweet cream butter
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Fresh Basil - to taste
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Whole Wheat Cappellini

Method:

Heat butter and olive oil in large saute pan over medium heat.  Set pot of salted water to boil for the pasta. Don't drop the pasta yet.
Add garlic and shallots and saute until softened, but not browning (if so, your pan is too hot - lower the heat).

Add the shrimp to the oil and butter pan and drop the pasta into the boiling water (my pasta takes 3 minutes to cook).  The shrimp will be ready before the pasta is because it is thin if you have halved it long ways.

Pull the pasta with a pasta fork and place it into the pan with the shrimp.  Toss thoroughly.  Add the torn leaves of basil and the Parmesan cheese and toss.  Add a bit of the pasta water if too dry.  Plate and serve.

A very simple and fast meal.  The most laborious part was peeling and cutting the shrimp...and really that wasn't much trouble at all because there were just three of us - didn't need a ton of shrimp.

Served with a tossed salad and garlic toast, it was filling and everyone walked away happy!

We briefly discussed how we might lower the calories...and then shrugged, "nah", why bother...it's just too good.  I guess you could use less olive oil and more starchy water...but really...it's pretty delicious just the way it is :-)

Bon Appetit, Y'all!!! 

Most Requested Restaurant

I'm in Dirty Al's Overload!!!

Everyone wants to eat at Dirty Al's now when they come to visit.  I've taken my oldest son last week, my husband yesterday, and my sister reports it is on her "must go" list when she arrives today.  All of our visits have been to the Dirty Al's at Pelican Station - a much less crowded, and slightly more upscale Dirty Al's venue.
Can a person overdose on shrimp???

Yesterday, my husband had the fried shrimp platter, the teen had his requisite bacon burger and fries, I had another Lupe's Mexican Shrimp Cocktail (in a feeble attempt at taking care not to gain back the 10 pounds I've lost from Zumba during a week of non-Zumba and lots of food), and the star meal of the day - actually of the entire week - was my son's Snapper Rockefeller.  I gave it a thumbs-up, high five, "way to go", awesome grade.

It is a generous filet of snapper (likely Scarlet Snapper) blackened gently (guessing using their Dirty Al's Cajun Seasoning, also available for sale at their Seafood Market), topped with a deliciously tasty Rockefeller sauce which includes 3 cheeses, some big sauteed shrimp, and spinach.  Sides of lightly garlicky mashed potatoes and some very nice julienned zucchini and carrots, lightly seasoned with some sort of oriental seasoning...maybe just soy sauce?  Couldn't quite place it, but it was perfect.

Anyone who likes a sauced filet of fresh tasting fish would find this offering to be scrumptious.  It is $19.99 on the current menu and well worth it.  We all tasted it and rolled our eyes in appreciation!

Well, let's see what the next visit brings...I know it will be within the next week.   All of our visits have been at the Pelican's Station location - not even attempting the island locale with the holiday crowds!

While we were there, I asked everyone to step over to the Delicious Seafood Market - I hadn't been in a while and wanted to see what they had to offer.  Today they had a gorgeous selection of whole snapper and many sizes of shrimp.  They had some lobster tail and some other white fish (possibly the Vietnamese fish I had issue with last time I went there).  My primary complaint was no labels and no prices in the seafood counter.  Didn't see any meat products this time - the entire case was seafood.  That's probably a good thing.  It didn't smell fishy and all looked nice and clean.  Big requirement for me!  We didn't buy anything as the boys were heading back to Austin...but I'll likely stop in for some shrimp this week so I can make something yummy for my sister while she's here.  Sure wish they'd put prices on their product.  I hate "just asking".  Unfortunately, it's details like that which will send me down the road to Quik Stop!

It used to be Pirate's Landing that everyone wanted go to...sorry to the Pirates, but Dirty Al's has moved into the #1 most requested restaurant location for my guests.  Arrrr Matey, the "big two" in the area always have a competition going. :-) 

We'll see what the sister requests this week besides Dirty Al's.  I'll keep you posted!

If you are looking for a list of all of my restaurant reviews - look at the top right side bar for a link that says RESTAURANT REVIEWS...they are in alpha order, with multiple reviews in chronological order, most recent first.  If you are visiting the island...enjoy your time and please take your trash when you leave the beach.  Please be especially attentive to all things plastic - bags, bottles, bottle caps, can collars, balloons, fishing line etc.  All those things that sea life think are food, eat, and get sick or die.  Keep our beach beautiful and the sea life happy!

Bon Appetit, Y'all!!!

Shrimp Boil!

Happy 4th of July, Y'all!!!

My older son's last night on vacation, winding up on the 4th of July - and he wanted a shrimp boil.  Nothing works better for a big old pot of shrimp boil than your turkey fryer!  Clean that puppy out, make sure you have plenty of propane, and a safe place for cooking...you are set!  We stopped in at Quik Stop for a pound and a half of jumbo Gulf shrimp, grabbed some beef sausage links, new potatoes, fresh corn on the cob, and some Zatarain's Shrimp and Crab Boil in a bag from HEB and we were set.

After bringing the water to a boil in the big container that sits on the flame, drop the perforated basket in with the bag of shrimp boil in it.  Bring it back up to boil and then we dropped the pieces of fresh corn on the cob (shuck and clean all the silks... and cut into 3 pieces for each cob) and the cleaned up new potatoes (leave the skin on)...let them boil for about 15 minutes (almost fork tender, but not quite there).  Drop the shrimp (shell on) and the sausage (cut into 2-3 inch pieces).  Boil just until the shrimp turn bright pink and begin to curl - do not overcook.

Using the hangar shaped device, pull the perforated basket and allow to drain...be very careful it is some hot liquid!  Have a large bowl ready with a hot pad or a towel underneath to place the basket in for transport to the table.

Have the table prepped with overlapping sheets of waxed butcher paper.  (If you have a wooden table, you might want to put a couple of towels underneath the paper to ensure the heat doesn't damage the wood)  Completely cover the table with butcher paper...and dump the entire basket of food onto the paper...dig in - use your hands...fun, fun, fun!

We also served some steamed and buttered broccoli on the side and a hot loaf of French whole grain baguette.  A side of melted butter and some homemade shrimp sauce (easy - ketchup, creamy horseradish, and fresh lemon to taste) were served in ramekins.  The only think that would have made it better would have been the addition of crab...unfortunately the only crab we found was Alaskan king crab and a big leg cost about $30+...and it wouldn't have fit in our pot, even as big as it was!!!  We skipped the crab this time.

Again, I tried to take photos about halfway through the chow down...but was waved away by those chowing down...I gave in and put the camera away (not very graciously I will say).  My son tells me I am obsessed with taking pictures of food.   They just don't get it.  I love writing my blog and "seeing" the results makes it all the more appealing!

Oh well - take my word - it is a fun meal, eaten with fingers (and a fork if desired)...and once again, we waddled away from the table.

If you have never done this, you must...easy to do in your kitchen on a smaller scale...just use a big Dutch oven and make sure you have enough pan for all the stuff going in!  It's an incredibly fun, and delicious, meal!  After a day on the beach...it can't be beat!

Bon Appetit, Y'all!!!

Saturday Night Supper

My eldest son loves to grill.  We shopped at the Blue Marlin Friday night (the local IGA store on the island) and with the holiday crowds, it was quite interesting.  Finding any vegetables that looked good was trying to say the least!  Can't wait until the Sunday Farmer's Market on the island.

My hubby had arrived to join us and the night's dinner plan was Pork on Pork...bacon wrapped pork tenderloins with nothing more than some fresh ground pepper for seasoning, grilled on a charcoal fire with a little wood smoke for even more flavoring.  We were roasting sweet potatoes, coated with a bit of butter, poked with a fork, and wrapped up in heavy duty foil for a side, threw together a nice salad, and planned on finishing with the luscious  Dulce de Leche Banana Cream Pie that the "big boys" didn't have the opportunity to try when I made it previously.  They  sat at the counter and watched me put it together.  They seemed pleased.

I had a little quiet time while my oldest and my husband walked down to Wanna Wanna for a margarita since the one my eldest got Friday was so awesome...I changed into my swimsuit in preparation of heading down to the chairs and umbrella on the beach.  I needed to enjoy the beautiful weather for just a bit.  Love the sound of waves and the breeze of the ocean...not much can be found that is any better!

Well, the big boys arrived back with their margaritas in hand sooner than expected (you can take them "to go" and walk on the beach)...both were full of reports on the crowd and the apparent up charging of drinks for the holiday crowds.  The $10 margarita from Friday was now $13 and had less tequila than the better one of Friday.  Oh well.  They said people were 4 umbrellas deep on the beach front (yep, that's a holiday week-end) and Wanna Wanna was standing room only, so they strolled back down to our beach access and headed back to the house to acquire a/c and shade.  I decided to wait until the 5:00ish time of day to head over for beach time...people start to return home or to their condos/hotels by that point of the day.  Unfortunately, the beach rental services pull all chairs and umbrellas at 6:00 so we enjoyed the water and our seats for just an hour, and then strolled the beach before returning home for showers and the preparation of another awesome holiday week-end feast.

My son is a grill master.  The charcoal roasted sweet potatoes were perfection with dollops of sweet cream butter on top of their split middles, the bacon wrapped pork tenderloins (we cooked two) were seared and crisped on the outside and presented with a lovely smoke ring and tender juiciness on the inside.  Yummm.  The salad was basic but the cucumber was amazingly sweet and the tomato was perfectly ripe and smelled the way a fresh tomato should smell.  I made some deviled eggs at the last moment to add to the feast.  That plate was empty in short order...in fact every plate was cleaned of every morsel of food.  I offered dessert and everyone groaned but accepted.  The Dulce de Leche Banana Cream Pie was as awesome the second time I made it as it was the first time.  Matter of fact, I'm thinking, a serving of that with a cup of coffee sounds kind of good for breakfast. ;-)

Here's the way I make my deviled eggs - it's super simple and very tasty:

DEVILED EGGS my way

Prepare boiled eggs - look at the how to boil eggs post if you don't know how to do the easy-peel eggs.
Cut the cooled, dry boiled eggs down the center (long-ways) and remove the yellow center to a small bowl.
Using a fork, smash the yellow centers until finely crumbled.
Add enough Miracle Whip Salad Dressing to make it creamy.
Add about 1 teaspoon yellow mustard for every 5 egg yolks.
Add salt, freshly ground pepper, and a small amount of onion powder to taste.
Either pipe the mixture into the egg white "cups" or spoon it in.
Refrigerate until ready to eat.
Simple, basic, and perfect for a back yard barbeque!


Ann, if you are reading this - Nelson is happily baying outside at the people walking to the beach, Mister Mister is curled up with the teen, and the two men are still crashed.  Hope you are having a wonderful time. (nothing like a personal note in a blog post - LOL)

I didn't take photos because dinner came together so quickly I didn't have time and since we didn't eat until 9:00 at night, we were so famished we attacked our meals...if I'd dragged out the camera, I would have been snarled at!  Frankly, I didn't even think of it!!!

Hope all my American readers are having a great Fourth of July Week-end...Happy Independence Day Week-end!

Bon Appetit, Y'all!!!

Guests Still Here!

I'm going to give a brief post with restaurant updates - whenever you have company, you end up in a lot of restaurants!

Pirates Landing, June 28, 2011
After a wonderful morning with Scarlet Colley doing a dolphin watch, we descended on Pirate's Landing so my son could have his mandatory Shrimp Po'boy.  We had an exceptional waitress named Jennie and she "ta da" brought us fresh hot rolls (see previous post).  She said it is not the standard but she likes to do it.  Guess I can't count on it, but it was a great way to take the edge off of the hunger!  The orders were Shrimp Po-boys (on their homemade bread), Fried Fish Po-boy (huge portions), the teen's requisite burger and waffle fries, and the grandkids got chicken strips and a grilled cheese.  Everyone raved that their food was awesome, and I concurred.  Pirate's Landing is back in my good graces!



Shrimp Haus, June 29, 2011
During the strong rain storm (an outer band of TS Arlene), we took shelter at Shrimp Haus since we were spending the day at Schlitterbahn Water Park.  We were chilled from the strong wind and I had a great cup of chili chicken soup (a spicy broth, generous chunks of chicken, corn, cilantro), and an appetizer of "Bahnditos" which were like a chimechanga...burrito sized tortillas wrapping up shrimp, cheese, peppers, and other goodies...then deep fried.  Served with a spicy mayonnaise for dipping, it was pretty darn good!  The eldest had shrimp ceviche with fresh tortilla chips...he said the chips were stale so that was a misnomer.  The shrimp ceviche was "pretty good" he said.  My middle son's fish tacos were thumbs down.  The grandkids had a kid's meal pizza and a chicken strips meal - both were good they said.  The teen had...you guessed it, hamburger and fries.



Dirty Al's Pelican Station, Port Isabel, June 30, 2011
Awesome food, rotten service.  Either our waiter was spread too thin or he just was inattentive.  We sat with empty drinks for some time and he didn't stop back to see if we needed any condiments after the food was served so my son's food got cold as he waited for someone to come so he could get some Dirty Al's sauce for his shrimp platter.  We had fried calamari and the Mexican Shrimp Cocktail (again with the packaged crackers which made me unwrap about 10 packages!).  The food was really good.  The oldest son tried to get a margarita with no sweet and sour...but our waiter couldn't seem to grasp the concept so that was less than optimal again, in the service arena.



Bayside Cafe and Deli, Laguna Vista, July 1, 2011
The oldest son and I went for a late breakfast - he said it's not a trip to Mom's house without eating at "Sandy's place".  He went wade fishing all morning out in the bay in front of the condo and was starving when he came in.  I had dropped the teen off to work at the Sea Life Center and so we headed over to the cafe for a basic breakfast - eggs, bacon/sausage, hash browns, toast/biscuits, coffee/juice.  We both inhaled our food in about 15 minutes and sighed happily.  Thumbs up for the local joint!



Wanna Wanna, July 1, 2011
We walked down the beach and stopped at Wanna Wanna for some nachos and drinks.  My oldest son had a delicious margarita on the rocks.  So many places use sweet and sour in their margaritas...which he doesn't like...and they used lime juice with the triple sec and tequila.  I sipped it and it WAS very good.  The nachos were crisp and generous...the teen and I just had soft drinks.  Very pleasant sitting on the outdoor deck by the ocean.



Grapevine Cafe, July 2, 2011
The oldest, the youngest, and I all went for breakfast at Grapevine this morning.  Grumpy teen made the atmosphere tense, but the food was outstanding and the service was fast and efficient.  Nice.
The teen had thick French toast with a side of bacon, and it looked delicious.  The elder had eggs ranchero with refries, homemade tortillas, an extra side of bacon and hashbrowns, and fresh squeezed orange juice.  He was a totally happy camper.  I had a fresh fruit, granola, and yogurt parfait which was delicious, as usual, and I had a side of bacon and a cup of Pura Vida coffee...strong but good.



Other than that, we've made spaghetti at home, homemade pizzas from the dough I prepped, pigs in a blanket for breakfast, and a traditional eggs, sausage, and biscuits breakfast another morning.  The elder son grilled some dynamite steaks last night at my friend Ann's house.  We had grilled purple onion and bacon-wrapped grilled asparagus to go with them.  Their dog, Nelson, thoroughly enjoyed the porterhouse bone and has become best buds with my older son.  Outstanding meal, with fresh sweetened strawberries over angel food cake with whipped cream for dessert...can you say waddle, waddle???

That's the food report...it's going great so far...it's 4th of July week-end, the island is hopping, and the weather has cleared up and is great!  The only down side is lots of sargassum on the beach from TS Arlene and still having very high tides thanks to the tropical storm as well.  Still, no place I'd rather be!

Bon Appetit, Y'all!!!

Preparing for the Grandkids

My brain is in hyper-organization mode this week.  We have the teen's benefit 5k, Run To Hear, this week-end, with all the associated travel and prep work, and directly after that I have various family in town for a total of nine days.  LOTS of planning to do.  I woke up this morning and started making lists (gosh, I love lists).  When to shop, what can I pre-bake, what activities to do, checking the fishing reports, considering sleeping arrangements while travelling as well as the guests in our tiny condo, alotting sufficient travel times, the teen's volunteer schedule, my Zumba schedule ...it's a busy two weeks! 

I'll be making chocolate chip and sugar cookie dough today, scooping it, and freezing it...baking it off for fresh homemade cookies (an expectation at Grandma's house) when the kidlets are here.  I've planned the menus...we don't eat out much with the grandkids for dinner.  They are tired and irritable after hours in the sun - on the beach, in the pool, at Schlitterbahn - dining out is not all that fun with irritable children and tired parents.  I made homemade pizza dough today and froze individual pizza sized balls.  They will thaw and rise and they'll be happy to each stretch their crusts and make their own pizzas one night.  A big crockpot of spaghetti will be a wonderful thing after their first day at the beach - when everyone is drained and not up to much cooking.  We can prep salads and garlic toast before leaving the house...upon return all we have to do is cook the pasta and broil the toast...voila, dinner will be served.  I'll also lay in paper plates...because I am not doing all those dishes!!!  Fajitas another night are an easy meal...with some frozen leftover beans from a previous meal, refries will be a fast side dish.  I'll have to make a Dulce de Leche Banana Cream Pie one morning ...because I know my kids are gonna love that addition to Mom's repertoire!

Two of my adult children will be here - they'll want time to have a little night life (I'll happily crash with the kids!).  Add the upcoming Fourth of July traffic to the mix.  Holy smokes!  It's quite the production.

I'm up for it...but don't be surprised if you don't see new posts here for a while...if I find time, and have anything new to present, I'll sure post it...but I think it will be sparse posting for this blogger for the next two weeks.  Lots of my blogger friends are asking others to be guest bloggers while they go out of town...this is obviously an issue for lots of foodies out there!  I hope my readers don't abandon me...but mostly I hope everyone is having a happy summer...I'll be back before you know it!

Bon Appetit, Y'all!!!

Slow Cooker Beef Fajitas

When the temperature outside is consistently nearing 100 on my deck in the afternoon, grilling out doesn't sound appealing.  Besides that, everything is so very dry, even though I use a propane grill on my 2nd story deck, I'm deathly afraid of fire in the midst of this drought.  So, when I saw a post on the flipflop wine Facebook page talking about slow cooker fajitas I knew I would want to try that.  I scanned the recipe and thought, "hmmm, how about adding some Pinot Noir to that?" and filed it in my mental recipe box :-)

Last night I moved a skirt steak down from the freezer into the fridge thinking it would be a good day for a slow cooker meal...we have a long list of cleaning chores to do because company is coming and this is the only week-end we have available for "deep cleaning" before they arrive.  The teen is volunteering, he has speech therapy, we have a benefit 5k to work on this week, and that just fills our calendar to overflowing.  So, good day for slow cooker meal!

I took the meat out this morning to finish the thaw but sliced it when it was slightly frozen...makes for much easier slicing when it has a bit of a freeze on it - not solid, of course, just firm enough to make the job a tad easier.

So, let's get started!

SLOW COOKER BEEF FAJITAS
Adapted from My Happily Ever After Recipe

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pound skirt steak - sliced against the grain
1 large jar of Salsa (I used Clint's Texas Salsa and Pace Thick and Chunky because I didn't have 1 whole jar)
1/2 large sweet yellow onion - sliced in half moon slices and broken apart
1 bunch green onions, cleaned and large chopped (both white and green parts)
1 large or 2 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 Persian lime or 3 key limes - juiced (I needed to use up some key limes I had, so used them)
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Lawry's season salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cominos
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup flipflop Pinot Noir

If you compare the original recipe you will note I do not add peppers to the slow cooker.  The teen is not a pepper fan, and I'm hoping he'll like this a lot - didn't want to risk it by adding a known dislike. 

Method:

Prepare your slow cooker with a liner if desired.  I hate scrubbing a crock pot since mine is in no way "non-stick".  I like to prep all my meat and vegetables first...it makes the "putting it together" so much easier.

Put 1/3 of your salsa into the bottom of the slow cooker.
Place your sliced beef skirt steak pieces in next.

Add the 2nd 1/3 of your salsa on top of the skirt steak.
Add your sliced onions, green onions, garlic slices, and lime juice for the next layer.

Add the dry seasonings next.

Top with the final 1/3 of the salsa. (I rinsed my jar with about 1/4 cup water and half of the wine and added that too).

Pour in the red wine....it will make its way down to all the levels :-)

Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 1 hour, stir everything around, reduce to low and cook for at least 6 more hours...more is fine, it just gets more fall-apart tender.

Five hours into the cooking process - smells incredible!

Drink the rest of your Pinot Noir with your fajitas.

You'll need grated cheese, sliced avocado, cilantro, sour cream, fresh tomato, some pickled red onion...whatever toppings you enjoy...and of course some deliciously fresh warm tortillas to envelope all the tasty deliciousness.  (Also, don't forget to have some extra salsa for serving - I used all mine in the recipe!)  My family always laughs because I put so much on my fajitas I can barely get it into my mouth.  Well, why not, I say!  This time was no different.  The only thing I'd do different is turn the slow cooker off while the pieces of meat were still intact.  The teen didn't like that it was little pieces of meat (because they fell apart they were so tender).  I also would not make two tacos at a time when serving.  There is so much juice, even using a slotted spoon and allowing draining time, that the second tortilla was unpleasantly soggy half way through eating it...and I ended up using a fork to finish it off.  The flavor was delicious though!  What an easy dinner after a busy day...maybe not the traditional smoky grilled goodness of fajitas...but definitely a nice alternative for the slow cooker kind of day!

If you wanted, you could also serve any leftovers over a mound of rice the next day...or even topping some scrambled or fried eggs for a take-off on huevos rancheros if you reduced the broth a bit.  I'm going to remove the beef and any solids to a container and reduce the sauce by half...I may even put in a couple of teaspoons of masa harina to thicken it up....and then add the meat back in before storing for another day.  Yum!

BON APPETIT, Y'ALL!!!

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MANUEL'S in Port Isabel

It was late, I'd barely had any breakfast, I'd Zumba'd away what there was...and the teen and I were starved for lunch.  We were just down the road from Manuel's, and after hearing good local feedback, we decided to try it for the first time.

I don't carry much cash, and having heard it was a "cash only" establishment, I am frequently "out of luck" when I'm in the area.  The sign on the door definitely says No Credit Cards, No Checks...Cash Only.  I had cash today so we stopped in.

The teen is a huge Al Pacino fan so seeing about 6 Scar Face posters as soon as walked in gave him a happy buzz from the get go.  Friendly faces abound, despite it being at the end of their day (breakfast and lunch only...they close at 2:00 and are closed on Mondays).  That's always a good sign!

We were seated and ordered our Diet Coke and Sprite to drink.  Our efficient and happy wait staff took our orders...the standard burger and fries for the teen and I had the 3 beef enchilada plate with rice and beans.  (You know I'm always on the lookout for good Mexican food).  Man, I should have come here before.  I was watching the other table deliveries as well...everything looked delicious that was being served!

Warm chips and some muy caliente salsa were served while we waited for our meals...it's the kind of salsa that doesn't burn immediately but you can't stop eating it because your mouth is on fire...so long as you are eating it, it's tolerated...just don't stop.  I should have known...lots of jalapeno seeds visible!  Good chips and good salsa.

The teen said the burger was excellent.  The patty was large...and he orders it plain and dry, so the meat is of prime consideration.  The bun was toasted and fresh looking.  The fries were thick steak cut fries and he said they were good.  My order was outstanding.  Tasty enchiladas, excellent refried beans and Spanish rice...you can tell these were sides that didn't come out of a can - they were made, I would guess, right there in the kitchen.

The price for lunch was $18.69 plus tip.  We were filled to the point of feeling stuffed and needing a siesta...but no time for siestas today :-)

I'm happy to find another great local restaurant that makes good enchiladas.  Other reviews I've read rave about their breakfast.  I don't go out for breakfast much, but when I do, I'll be sure to remember Manuel's and give them another try!

SPI FLIP FLOP FOODIE RATING:

3 1/2 – Yummy - I feel my flip flops wanting to head back from time to time!

Bon Appetit, Y'all!!!

CHOCOLATE SPONGE CAKE WITH DECADENT FILLING

This week has been slow to get back to a normal week.  There's been so much to do and to prepare to do next week...I have not baked at all...and dinners have been fly by the seat of your pants and "hope there's something in the pantry" to pull together!

I saw Stephanie Jaworski, of JoyofBaking.com, posted a video demonstrating chocolate sponge cake, rolled up with a raspberry cream filling.  I watched the entire video and started thinking about how much I'd always wanted to make a sponge cake, but for some reason, I've shied away from them.  Her demonstration made it look "doable".  If you decide to make this and have not made one before, I'd greatly encourage you to link to her video (below the title of the recipe) and watch the entire thing.  Great demonstration.  I am not a big fan of raspberry cream filling - it's not one of my favorites...but the stuff inside woopie pies IS a favorite...and I started asking myself if I couldn't just whip up some marshmallow fluff and some whipped cream and lay that down for the "roll up" part of the deal...sounded REAL good to me...so Wednesday, that was my afternoon activity.

CHOCOLATE SPONGE CAKE
Adapted From Stephanie Jaworski at JoyofBaking.com

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs, separated while cold, allow to come to room temperature
• 1/4 cup granulated white sugar, plus 2 tablespoons more, separated
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted, and cooled to room temperature (I used Callebaut Semi-sweet chocolate chunks and melted them in the microwave) 
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Chocolate melted and cooled

Eggs Separated and to room temperature

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit with rack in middle position.  Prepare a 17x12 inch sheet pan by spraying pan with vegetable spray (like Pam or Mazola or one of those).  Cut a piece of parchment paper the size of your sheet pan, place it on top of the sprayed surface, then spray it and the sides of the pan with a baking spray (like Baker's Joy) that has both oil and flour in it.  Set aside.


In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the 6 egg yolks and 1/4 cup of granulated sugar on high speed until the mixture becomes thick and light yellow and fluffy.  This will take about 5 minutes.  When you raise your beater the mixture will fall back on itself in a slow ribbon. 

Egg yolks and sugar to slow ribbon stage

Next add the vanilla extract and mix well.  Add melted room temperature chocolate just until incorporated.

Chocolate mixed into egg yolk mixture

If you are like me and only have one bowl for the stand mixer, transfer this mixture to a large bowl, scraping out every little bit!  Wash your mixer bowl thoroughly, with soap and hot water to ensure no oil is left in the bowl and dry thoroughly.  Squeaky clean!!!


Return mixing bowl to stand mixer and add the egg whites.  Attach the whisk attachment and beat on medium until foamy.  Add the cream of tartar and beat at medium-high until soft peaks form.  Raise the speed to high and slowly add, bit by bit, the 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar.  Beat until stiff peaks form.

Stiff peaks!

Place 1/3 of the egg whites in the egg yolk and chocolate mixture and mix well to lighten.  Fold in the 2nd third of the egg whites, being careful not to deflate.  You'll have noticed there is no leavening in this cake - the egg whites do all the work.  Add the last of the egg whites and gently fold.  It's okay if there are a few white streaks...it comes together in the oven.

After lightening, added another 1/3 of the egg whites to chocolate mix

the batter is ready!

Spread the batter into the prepared baking sheet and using an offset spatula, evenly distribute it to the edges of the pan.  Gently tap the pan and you'll see bubbles popping. 

batter in the pan - gently tapped - to pop some of the bubbles

Bake until cake has lightly puffed and has lost its gloss (15-17 minutes).  It will spring back when lightly touched.  Remove from oven and place on cooling rack.  Cover the entire cake with a clean, lightly dampened cloth while cooling so cake top does not dry out and crack when you try to roll it.  I sprayed my cloth with a spray bottle.  It takes at least 30 minutes to cool.


Slide the cake, still on the parchment paper off of the pan.  If any sides are attached, loosen them with a sharp knife before removing the cake.  Mine slid out like "buttah".

Cooled cake removed to counter on parchment

MARSHMALLOW WHIPPED CREAM


1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 7 oz. jar Marshmallow Cream
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract


In bowl of stand mixer with whisk attachment, whip heavy cream and vanilla until soft peaks.

Whipped cream

Add the entire jar of marshmallow cream and whip on high until well incorporated and firm peaks form. 

The Marshmallow Creme mixed into whipped cream - yum!

Spoon all of this decadent whipped topping onto the top of the cake (still on the parchment) and spread evenly to all sides with an offset spatula.

Filling on the cake - and rolling begins - gently separate from paper

You can roll the cake long or short...obviously short gives you a taller cake with more rolls.  Long will give you a shorter cake and would be nice for "small bites".  Since this cake is literally melt-in-your mouth, I wanted big pieces :-)

This is where I might advise, once again, to take a peek at Stephanie Jaworski's video.  It really helps you get the technique of using the paper to help roll the cake with the filling.

Sprinkled with powdered sugar...or some cocoa would be good

Holy deliciousness Batman...I ate two pieces already...and it's not dinner yet!  I did share a piece with the teen...who was, surprisingly, not as impressed as I was.  He said "it's okay".  Perhaps you need to have a more mature palate to appreciate the melt-in-the-mouth light chocolately AWESOMENESS of this cake.  I don't care if I have to eat the whole thing by myself.  I'll just go swim laps or something...

OMG - this is so light and delicious...melts in your mouth - you'll notice - NO FLOUR in the cake!

I think the teen thought this was going to be like a Little Debbie Swiss Roll...but it's not...although, I may have to work on that...hmmmm...

BON APPETIT, Y'ALL!!!

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