Trip to Top Water Grill ~ San Leon, Texas

Last month for on "fat Tuesday" we headed south to a little bayside town called San Leon.  We had been patiently waiting for the reopening of a restaurant we loved called TopWater Grill.  It was destroyed (as much of this little town was) by hurricane Ike.  We first discovered TopWater from friends who read about it in Southern Living who ranked it as one of the 10 best "seafood dives" in the south.  That's all it took to get my husband there and the food kept us coming back.  It took over a year for the owners to rebuild but it's back and just as delicious as before.

Tour of Hubbell and Hudson

For Valentine's Day last weekend we took my mother to Grimaldi's for lunch.  Not quite next door, but right around the corner from it is a fabulous little market called Hubbell and Hudson.  My hubby loves this place and I have to admit that I do too because it is not your everyday grocery store.   Since my mother had never been we decided to give her a quick tour before lunch. I love that today's phones have cameras because I can discreetly take pictures, which is what I did!

Right when you enter you see the Bistro, which we have not eaten at yet but after peeking inside, I want to soon.  The deli area is to the left.  To the right of the bistro are stairs leading to their Viking Cooking School where anyone can attend and learn how to prepare a variety of meals from experienced chefs.   My youngest daughter, Megan, bought a class for her and her boyfriend to attend in March as a birthday/Valentine's Day gift. I can't wait for them to go and let us know all about it! Hubby and I have wanted to take a class since it opened last year.

Here are a few of the salads that are made fresh each morning.  The homemade mac and cheese caught my eye, yummm...

Around the corner is the deli, which has the best sandwiches.  You can order one to go or take it upstairs along with your favorite beverage and salad and enjoy your lunch in a quaint little eating area that overlooks the store.

There's my hubby and mother.  What are they eating?

Oh, aged sharp cheddar cheese, I think I'll stop and taste too.

So, is it looking like just a typical grocery store?  Well, I thought so to until I saw the homemade pasta...

and the incredible wine selection...

or the many different varieties of olive oils!

So, how do you pick one?  Well you can try each if you want. I tried one plain...

and one with seasonings.

Coffee anyone?  The fresh coffee bar is fabulous.  Every coffee imaginable is available to purchase and have ground fresh.  There are even coffee fire logs!  I have never heard of such a thing but I'm intrigued.

This is my hubby's favorite part of the market. 

Here he is gazing at the aged beef.

They have a large selection or organic fruits and vegetables.

I don't know why I took a picture of the Le Creuset display, I can't afford to buy them, but a girl can dream.  By the way, the tiny little cast iron pot is $55.  We had to look twice to make sure it wasn't a mistake!  Didn't dare look at the price of the large ones.

The bread section is divine, many different types.  We  decided we needed to came back after lunch and buy some to take home.

Just around the corner from the bread are a variety of delicious looking desserts.  I thought the heart shaped pastries looked pretty and tasty.

At this point we were starving so we headed to Grimaldi's for lunch but returned with full tummies and bought some bread, cheese, salami and a greek pasta salad to snack on later.  I love pasta salads, they remind me of summer.  Below is an easy recipe for a tasty greek salad and a gyro sandwich.  Can't wait to make them both for my family on a warm spring day in the near future (crossing fingers)!

Greek Pasta Salad

4 cups penne or other pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
Salt and ground black pepper
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
3 plum tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup chopped green pepper (optional)
1/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper (optional)
1/2 cup KALAMATA Pitted Greek Olives, halved 
3 scallions,chopped
1 cup crumbled feta cheese


Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and transfer to bowl. Add  cucumber, tomato, peppers, olives and scallions.  In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper to taste. Add to pasta mixture, toss to combine.  Add feta just before serving.  


*A helpful tip when making pasta salads is to save a little pasta cooking water to stir into the salad if it needs moistening at serving time.

Crockpot Gyros

1 slow-cooker liner
2 lb boneless beef chuck steak, about 11⁄4 in. thick
1⁄4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
1⁄2 tsp salt
1⁄4 tsp pepper
pocketless pitas

 Yogurt-Dill Sauce
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 cup diced seedless cucumber
1 Tbsp snipped fresh dill
1⁄4 tsp salt



Line a 3-qt or larger slow-cooker with liner and place beef in the liner.  Mix oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper in small bowl. Pour over beef, turning to coat. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours until meat is tender. Meanwhile, combine the yogurt-dill sauce ingredients, cover and refrigerate.  Once beef is done, remove to a cutting board and slice. Return beef to juices in slow-cooker to keep warm. Warm pitas as package directs; top with sliced meat, dill sauce, and your favorite veggies.  I like to add a little tomato and sliced purple onion to mine.  Serve with greek pasta salad.

The Taste of the Town

Last night my husband and I hit the Taste of the Town event for the first time.  It took place at the Marriott on the Waterway here in our town.  For a $25.00 entry fee you can walk around, from booth to booth, sampling delightful tastes from the various participating local restaurants. You can also enjoy a variety of drinks from area wineries and breweries.  Sounds like fun to me!  So right after school we headed to the Marriott eager to see if this event was all that we hoped it would be.  I can tell you now, we were not disappointed!

A view of the Waterway 

The first booth we hit was Landry's who had a crew making and frying fresh crab cakes. You can see a tray of them sitting on the table below. We had to stand in a long line to get our taste but it was well worth it. So much that I got back in line and had another!

Pardon my hubby's blurry phone picture but I had to get a snapshot of this little yummy to remind myself to research a recipe for crab cakes later.  It was also the last picture taken because we were too busy trying to get to all the vendors and taste every bit of food.  After about three hours of grazing we called it a night.  Although everything was good, the crab cake remained my favorite.  So Last night I did a quick search for a good crab cake recipe in hopes of whipping some of my own up this weekend for the whole family.

  Picture from Food Network

My search led me to Paula Deen's recipe which looked simple enough.  After reading through numerous reviews of the recipe I decided to take give the original a little tweaking.  Below is the revised version that I am going to give a try tomorrow. 

Ingredients:

• 1 pound crabmeat
• 1 sleeve of Ritz crackers, crushed

• 1/4 cup minced yellow onion
• 1/4 cup minced red bell peper 
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 egg, beaten 
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning
• 1/4 tsp. Emeril's Original Essence
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• Dash cayenne pepper
• Panko breadcrumbs, for dusting
• 1/2 cup peanut oil
• A dab of butter, for sautéing vegetables

Directions
Sautee onion and red pepper in butter until soft.  Let cool.

In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients, except breadcrumbs and peanut oil.  Place the mixture in the refrigerator for an hour and a half.  Remove from refrigerator and shape cooled mixture into 4- 6 patties and dust with breadcrumbs.  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, carefully place crab cakes, in batches, in pan and fry until browned, about 4 to 5 minutes.  Carefully flip crab cakes and fry on other side until golden brown, about 4 minutes.  Serve warm with your favorite sauce.  Yummm...can't wait to make them!  Hope mine look half as pretty as Paula's pictured below!

Picture from Food Network

Scarecrow Festival ~ 2009

Last fall my mother, the girls and I all attended the annual Scarecrow Festival in Chappell Hill, Texas.  Chapplle Hill is a small town between Houston and Brenham.  In addition to the Scarecrow festival, there is a Bluebonnet Festival held each spring.  During the weekends of the festivals the one main street that goes through Chappell Hill and several side streets all close down. A variety of vendors from all over the country spill into this tiny community and fill the streets and surrounding open fields. You can find all kinds of neat stuff ranging from arts and crafts, antiques, home décor, clothes, purses, artwork and a whole variety of festival food.  I have even talked my husband into coming along in the past with the fact that he could walk around while enjoying a sausage on a stick and a cold beer.  There's definitely something for almost anyone! 

Another neat thing about this little town is that many of the homes are on the National Register of Historic Places.  Here are just a few you'll finding strolling the streets of Chappell Hill:

I would love to just have a peek inside!

This is a bed and breakfast called The Stagecoach Inn.  I need to convince my husband to spend a night here...

I've never pictured myself living in a small town, however every time I go back I find a house that would be the perfect place to quietly reside.

There is also a beautiful church in the center of town.  It's a popular place for weddings...can you see why?

One of my favorite places is a quaint little shop on main street called The Bluebonnet House and Garden Center.

Why is this a favorite shop of mine?  Well, they sell what I have found to be the best smelling candle ever made by a company called Candleberry! 

Every time we visit Chappell Hill I have to stop in and buy my favorite scent, Hot Maple Toddy. My husband spoiled me and ordered me a cookie jar one for Christmas, it's enormous!

This should last until we go back this spring!

I hope you enjoyed a glimpse of this tiny town with a huge heart.  If you live in the Houston area and love small town festivals, then when the weather warms and spring rolls around I would highly recommend swinging by for the Bluebonnet festival. You’ll not only enjoy a fun day of browsing through all the booths and taking in the small town atmosphere, you’ll also enjoy some beautiful scenery on the way!

Pizza Heaven

A couple weeks ago, during my winter vacation, my hubby Richard and I ventured out to a new pizza place in our area called Grimaldi's Pizzeria.  They're originally out of Brooklyn and  are unique due to the fact that they cook their pizzas in coal-fired brick ovens giving them a "smokey flavor and a crisp crust."  Since it was new and the talk of the town we got there early to avoid the crowds.  We arrived on a dreary day at noon to a plesant atmosphere. 

The Waterway right by Grimaldi's

Grimaldi's

They have a nice outside seating area but it was freezing so we headed indoors. 

Once inside we were seated and waited on promptly. I ordered a house salad and this is what arrived on our table. Can you believe this is a salad for one? It was as yummy as it looks!

Then our pizza came and I was in heaven.  It was delicious!  I love a good thin crust and theirs was the best I've had since living in Texas.  We will be back!