111 replies to this topic

[Kent Wang]

I'm very impressed that Lowe's had kaffir lime. I used to have a tree when I lived in Austin and loved it.

I'm just up the highway, half-way to Houston, in the Clear Lake/Galveston Bay area.

My parents live in League City and work in Galveston.

Those fishcakes look world class.
Do you get stone crabs in Galviston?

Those fish cakes do look great. I've made crab cakes a lot but never thought to make fish cakes.

I don't think there are stone crabs in the western part of the Gulf of Mexico. I've only hear of them from Florida. We just get blue crabs, and plenty of them, too!

[robirdstx]

Time to make the pizza!

But first we have to make the dough.



After resting for about an hour, I cut the dough into four equal pieces. Two pieces for dinner tonight and two pieces to go in the freezer in ziplock baggies, with a little bit of olive oil, for next time.



Here's the first crust. I need to work on my stretching skills. The dough is on a circle of parchment that is dusted with corn meal. And the cookie sheet will be used as a paddle to get the dough onto the very hot steel. The oven had been turned on to 500F about an hour before and then switched to broil. The steel is on a rack set at the highest level, just beneath the broiler.



The sauce goes on the first pie for DH.



Then some diced onions.



A bit of shredded cheese and then lots of pepperoni, hot Italian sausage and chopped pickled jalapenos.



Out of the oven after 4 minutes and 45 seconds.



And the underside.



The second pie is for me, with mushrooms and black olives.



This pie was in the oven for 4 minutes and 15 seconds.



And the underside.



I'd say the steel did a pretty good job. Previously, we would have to par-bake the crust, add the toppings and finish the pie when using our stone. So we saved a step; and DH really liked the way the pepperoni crisped up and the flavor of the jalapenos!

[Sartain]

Beautiful pies! Your stretching skills look pretty good to me. Whenever I try it comes out less round than rectangular-with-rounded-corners. I just call it "free form" - yeah, I meant to do that.

[robirdstx]

Beautiful pies! Your stretching skills look pretty good to me. Whenever I try it comes out less round than rectangular-with-rounded-corners. I just call it "free form" - yeah, I meant to do that.

Thanks! I like that!

[robirdstx]

DH made some Pillsbury biscuits for us this morning. I had mine with a pork sausage patty and a few of those strawberries we bought on Sunday at Froberg's.



Do you remember this from my teaser photos?



I bought this plate at a small pottery in Mesilla, New Mexico a couple of years ago. And today I'm flying out of Houston to El Paso to make my way through the pass and into New Mexico for the second half of this week.

[emilyr]

Galveston Island Part I - Seawall Blvd.
Benno's


We stopped at Benno's for a brew and some fries and had a sit down to listen to and watch the waves. Beautiful day - lovely breeze, low humidity, and temps in the low 70s.

My aunt and uncle live in Beaumont, and when we went down to visit them in the mid- to late-90s, we went to Galveston for the day to hang out on the beach. Around lunch time there was a brief shower, so we went to a seafood place for lunch. I can't for the life of me remember what it was called, but that pic of Benno's looks really familiar. I've been a seafood lover from a long age, and just remember the waitress saying that the shrimp was really fresh then seeing a dolly get rolled by, still dripping, full of shrimp. So that's what I ordered.

[heidih]

What can one say about the pizza pan - wow!

Those fruit trees look kind of tall already- are they dwarf or semi dwarf since you have them in the non-gigantor pots? Good luck on your future harvest- walking out to pick fresh unsprayed citrus is a pleasure I try not to take for granted - plus they are lovely to look at.

[DaleJ]

I use parchment paper under the dough, too. You can forget about stretching if you top the dough with plastic wrap and roll it out with a rolling pin. Works every time and I really get a thin crust.

[Jenni]

And today I'm flying out of Houston to El Paso to make my way through the pass and into New Mexico for the second half of this week.

Two centre blog??

[Pam R]

In addition to the strawberries, we bought this little thyme plant to put in the garden.

This, then your citrus plants -- do you grow a lot of the produce you use?

Your fish then fishcakes look so good to me -- I'd like a plate of each, please.

[Genkinaonna]

Well I'd say the pizza pan was a success...those look great! Looks like we're going to get two for the price of one this week...Texas and New Mexico...have a safe trip!

[robirdstx]

I am safely across Texas, thanks to Southwest Airlines, and into New Mexico!

I took these pics of some of the dining options at Houston's Hobby Airport on the way to my departure gate.

[robirdstx]

My aunt and uncle live in Beaumont, and when we went down to visit them in the mid- to late-90s, we went to Galveston for the day to hang out on the beach. Around lunch time there was a brief shower, so we went to a seafood place for lunch. I can't for the life of me remember what it was called, but that pic of Benno's looks really familiar. I've been a seafood lover from a long age, and just remember the waitress saying that the shrimp was really fresh then seeing a dolly get rolled by, still dripping, full of shrimp. So that's what I ordered.

Hi emilyr, thank you so much for sharing your memory of your visit to Galveston.

[robirdstx]

What can one say about the pizza pan - wow!

Those fruit trees look kind of tall already- are they dwarf or semi dwarf since you have them in the non-gigantor pots? Good luck on your future harvest- walking out to pick fresh unsprayed citrus is a pleasure I try not to take for granted - plus they are lovely to look at.

Yes, that steel turned out to be pretty cool. Can't wait to try it out with naan or other flatbreads.

I think they are both dwarf. I was really, really happy to find them so big. Interestingly, their root balls were pretty small (maybe recently repotted) and the new pots should take care of them for a while. The meyer lemon has lots of flower buds already. And, yes, I think they are lovely to look at, too.

[robirdstx]

I use parchment paper under the dough, too. You can forget about stretching if you top the dough with plastic wrap and roll it out with a rolling pin. Works every time and I really get a thin crust.

Thank you so much for this tip!

[robirdstx]

And today I'm flying out of Houston to El Paso to make my way through the pass and into New Mexico for the second half of this week.

Two centre blog??

Yep, two for one special!

[robirdstx]

In addition to the strawberries, we bought this little thyme plant to put in the garden.

This, then your citrus plants -- do you grow a lot of the produce you use?

Your fish then fishcakes look so good to me -- I'd like a plate of each, please.

Hi Pam, I've had some luck with herbs in my yard; not so much with tomatoes or peppers. We have a lot of big trees that shade most of the yard (and drop a lot of leaves in the pool) but I had a meyer lemon several years ago (can't remember why it did not thrive) and thought I'd try with another one. Fingers crossed!

[robirdstx]

Well I'd say the pizza pan was a success...those look great! Looks like we're going to get two for the price of one this week...Texas and New Mexico...have a safe trip!

Thanks! Made it!

[robirdstx]

We have family coming to Mesilla, New Mexico to celebrate two birthdays that just happen to be on St. Patrick's Day. One birthday is a 75th and the other is a 27th. We will be having our birthday party at a little bed and breakfast named Casa de Rosie in Old Mesilla. Rosie's has two bedrooms and a casita. Other family members will have the two bedrooms but the casita is mine!

Dinner last night was carry out from a local favorite, Andele Restaurante, eaten under the stars on the patio at my Mother's home.

Chicken Quesadilla and Guacamole,



Pork and Chicken Tacos Al Carbon,







and I almost forgot to take a photo, Frijoles Charros.

Edited by robirdstx, 17 March 2011 - 04:05 AM.

[blue_dolphin]

Mmmmm. That take-out dinner looks great! I'd love some leftovers for breakfast

[robirdstx]

Here's my kitchen in the casita at Rosie's.



We will be having our birthday party out here in the courtyard this evening. The door in the background leads to the casita.





Let's go see Rosie's kitchen in the main house



And here's whats for breakfast today.



Rosie makes her own bread and fruit jams.

[heidih]

I want to hang out in Rosie's kitchen! That breakfast looks perfect- I want to dip that well toasted bread into the eggs. The setting is fantastic - looking forward to the festivities.

[robirdstx]

I want to hang out in Rosie's kitchen! That breakfast looks perfect- I want to dip that well toasted bread into the eggs. The setting is fantastic - looking forward to the festivities.

Hi Heidi, Rosie had a smile a mile wide when I told her your comments. She sends her thanks!

[heidih]

I adore pintos. Can you describe the frijoles charros. I did google the term but it seems pretty broad.

[robirdstx]

After breakfast I took a walk over to The Potteries. They are less than half a mile from Rosie's.



The potter wasn't in but when I told one of the other artists that I was doing this foodblog, I was invited into their studio to photograph some of the pieces in progress. These have all been fired once and are awaiting the addition of the final details and firing.



Back to the showroom to shop.







And I selected this bowl to bring home.

[robirdstx]

I adore pintos. Can you describe the frijoles charros. I did google the term but it seems pretty broad.

They were delicious! They describe them as a spicy bean soup on their menu. There were chunks of pork and serranos (I think) in with the beans.

[robirdstx]

After visiting The Potteries, I walked over to Andeles to get these photos for you.







I couldn't get a photo of the tortilla mixing and production itself but I could see a big Hobart mixer and a conveyor belt with lots of tortillas moving along.

[robirdstx]

We had lots of leftovers from dinner last night and they all got brought over to the casita.



Lunch today!

[heidih]

What is your tortilla reheating method of choice?

[robirdstx]

What is your tortilla reheating method of choice?

If I have to reheat them I usually wrap them in a damp cloth and put them in the micro on medium for a few seconds. This time I added the meat and sauce to the tortillas and just covered them with a paper towel and nuked them for about 30 seconds on medium, then added the garnish.