robirdstx

Last week my GF and I were again in Houston's Galleria area and stopped for lunch at the Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen on Westheimer. The Pappadeaux location nearest us, in Seabrook, was destroyed by Hurricane Ike three years ago and has not yet reopened. So, having been deprived of my Pappadeaux fix for so long, I ordered my favorite - their Crawfish Combination (crawfish etouffee and fried crawfish tails with dirty rice) - So Good! My GF had their Lobster & Shrimp Salad (chilled Maine lobster, gulf coast shrimp, avocado, mango & cashews on a bed of crisp greens with a creamy citrus dressing). She said it was delicious!

I think so and hope so, too.

Last week, my GF and I went to Mambo Seafood at their new southeast Houston location for our LWL meal and, for whatever reason, I totally forgot about taking a photo of our food, to the extent that I even forgot to bring my camera. My GF and I both ordered the grilled shrimp and fish and it was perfect. The seafood came with a huge side of their shrimp fried rice (or french fries) and a side salad with choice of dressing and a roll. I absolutley adore Mambo's fried rice - the best Chinese fried rice, and at a Mexican restaurant. Go figure! I ordered their special fried rice (pork, chicken and shrimp) to go, with the intent to divide and freeze it for future meals. I got almost 2 1/2 pounds of delicious fried rice for $5.99. Can't be beat! And its been divided and frozen, just waiting to be defrosted and warmed when I get the next craving!

Hard cook some of the eggs and leave the mushrooms raw for a Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing.

Yesterday my LWL GF and I went to Tookie's for lunch. Hurray! Tookie's has finally re-opened, after being devastated by Hurricane Ike three years ago, and is now serving lunch in addition to dinner. My GF had introduced me to Tookie's shortly after I had moved to this area some nine years ago and going back together was only appropriate. Let's go inside. Lunch Crowd Wall Art Front side of menu - Note the Onion Rings! Back side of menu - Burgers and More - Decisions, decisions... My GF went for her favorite, the #99 Burger - white wine, cheddar and beef burger with all the fixings. She said it was perfectly juicy and full of flavor. I went with the Chili Cheeseburger. OMG! Delicious! Since the burgers are a half pound each, we decided to share a combo order of the onion rings and french fries. The onion rings are so good! Onions are sweet and the batter is nice and crisp, not at all greasy. At the end of our meal we were stuffed and very happy! And then we bought the souvenir t-shirts!

I don't know who it is but it looks to be a delicious start for the new season.

Thank you! I fried these corn tortillas in peanut oil, for just a few seconds on each side, just enough to make them flexible, and then blotted them with paper toweling. Hi Bruce. Thanks! I have made my own, but I got these at Mi Tienda on the Spencer Hwy. I only have a few left so will be going back soon. I got the 36 count bag, froze them, and just thaw as many as I need at a time. They really are a step above the usual grocery store offerings. Mi Tienda also has really good flour tortillas.

Pork Tacos

Hi Mark, yes it was even better than the crwafish monica from the night before. I had made the etouffee up at the same time I was making the monica, so it got to spend a night in the fridge and developed more flavor. And no, not potato, that is basmati rice sprinkled with a little bit of the cajun/creole seasoning. I don't know why I don't make these two dishes more often! And they freeze well too.

Tonight we used up the rest of the crawfish tails for a batch of Crawfish Etouffee.

This morning I had a two egg omelette with duck fat sauteed mushrooms and onion and a bit of grated manchego.

Yes, very yum! Ingredients include butter, green onions, garlic, half and half, heavy whipping cream, grated parmesan, creole/cajun seasoning, the crawfish tails and pasta. The onions and garlic are cooked in the butter for a few minutes, then the crawfish is added. After another couple of minutes, you add the creams, cheese, and seasoning to taste and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stir often. Cook the pasta, drain and add to the crawfish mixture, toss well and then let sit on very low heat for about ten minutes to come together.

Dinner tonight was Crawfish Monica

Genkinaonna - and apparently, we post at the same time, too.

People look down on TVP, but ever since I did a 10 day survival course and basically ate nothing but TVP, I have a bit of a bent for it..think I'm going to get some this weekend, thanks! RRO - Can't wait to see what you come up with!

It has to be Lawry's on avocado, cottage cheese, and grilled chicken thighs. I'll have to try it on burgers, steak, etc.

Inspired by Panaderia Canadiense‘s QA-BLAT sandwich on the Breakfast Topic, dinner tonight: BLT Salad with Avocado, Cheddar and Black Olives

With it being so darn hot, we've been doing most of our cooking on the grill. Last night we had boneless pork shoulder "country style ribs". After getting some good grill marks, we moved the "ribs" to in-direct heat to finish, slathering them with KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce during the last ten minutes.

Panaderia Canadiense - That looks like what I am now gong to have for dinner tonight! The other morning I found I had a leftover grilled chicken thigh, so I made a faux "fried rice" using TVP (textured vegetable protein). I rehydrated the TVP with chicken stock and added some peas, corn, onion, water chestnuts, and a scrambled egg. Topped it all with crispy chicken skin and some sriracha.

Hi Anna - thank you! rotuts - glad to help! Hi Kerry - Love this! We have dual remotes and sometimes have remote wars.

dcarch - always happy to help! Your Cornish hen and squash blossoms made me think of an American Indian headdress. And the colors reminded me that Fall is not too far away. Just beautiful!

Last week my GF and I drove over to Houston’s Galleria area to lunch at the Canyon Cafe with one of her internet friends, Meg (“met” through an embroidery forum) and her husband, Andres. Meg and Andres were visiting Houston (and other parts of the states) from Uruguay, while on their way to their new home in eastern Europe. I didn't know much about Uruguay, so did a wiki look up before our meeting so I could ask some intelligent questions. LOL We had a wonderful time, spending almost two hours chatting over our lunch. The lighting in the cafe was a bit uneven so some of my photos did not come out but here are the one's that did. We started off with the complimentary chips and salsa. To which we added the Con Carne Queso Dip, as described in their menu: A rich cheese dip made with chihuahua cheese and our spicy beef mix. Served with soft tortillas and crisp chips. Andres and I each ordered the Grilled Chicken Quesadillas - they were filled with caramelized red onion marmalade and mixed cheeses. Served with tomatillo-avocado salsa, chipotle mayonnaise and Margarita slaw. The chipotle mayo was especially good! My GF and Meg ordered fajitas. Meg had the beef and my GF had the grilled shrimp. Unfortunately, those two photos were very blurry, but just imagine a sizzling cast iron platter, piled high with southwest rice and black beans, and topped with grilled beef with onions and peppers or grilled shrimp. But, I did get a good photo of the toppings that came with the platters. The soft flour tortillas came wrapped in corn husks. We all thoroughly enjoyed our food! At the end of our lunch, Meg gave my GF and I a sweet treat she had brought with her from Uruguay. There were two white and two chocolate cookies for each of us. My DH is really enjoying them. After our lunch, my GF and I went shopping at The Container Store. She needed some small storage boxes for her embroidery flosses and I wanted to get adjustable shelves and storage baskets to update my kitchen pantry. So, this past weekend my DH's Honey Do project was the pantry update. This is the before photo, taken for my eG foodblog last spring. Green walls, non-adjustable shelving and no light. Fresh Paint and LED Lighting Added. New adjustable shelves installed. Pantry restocked! I am so happy!

RRO/Kate - thank you for sharing your week. It was great!

Pepperoni and Sausage Pizza with Onions and Jalapenos

This is one of our favorite ways to have chicken cutlets. Sorry, not the best plating, but delicious. Lightly breaded and pan fried boneless chicken breast (pounded thin) with tender, crisp yellow squash, zucchini, white onion, and sweet bell peppers, topped with a bit of grated pecorino romano and, from my garden, fresh boxwood basil leaves.