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

Hanging the Oil Tapestry...Finally!

My husband bought me this hand painted oil tapestry at our local Junior League Nutcracker Market, not last year but the year before. Yes, since Christmas 2008 it has not been hanging in the place it was intented for, but rather in a random spot in our bedroom. Why, you may ask? Well, getting it hung in the place I envisioned it proved to be more than what I bargained for.

The wall along our curved staircase has been bare since we moved in and when I found this reasonably priced oil tapestry I thought immediately of how pretty it might look hanging there. So my husband bought it for me as an early Christmas gift and we brought it home and got ready to hang it.  We quickly realized an extension ladder would be needed and since ours was being borrowed by friends at the time we decided to do it after the holidays. So I hung it in our bedroom "temporarily"  where it has remained until today, more than a year later.  Better later than never, that's our motto!

Getting the tapestry to its final destination was no easy task. First, my husband had to find the stud close to the middle of the staircase wall.  Then, we had to decide how high to hang the tapestry.  After trying to use a tape measure and picture what it would look like at different heights we finally decided to get the ladder, lean it about in the middle of the wall and go from there. So we did and then it was time to get to the job of hanging.  Did I mention I was the lucky one who got to climb up the ladder or that I'm afraid of heights?  

Well, it's true and despite my initial refusal, I managed to overcome my fear and got the job done when we realized it would be safer for my husband to stand on the stairs and stabilize the ladder just in case it started sliding. My knees were shaking the entire time but I did it. I love how it looks, and believe me if I didn't I would make myself because I won't be climbing twenty feet on a ladder anytime soon!

         

Kitchen Valances

Yesterday I began the task of hanging the valances sewn from a McCall's pattern sometime ago.  As you can see from the picture below my kitchen eating area was less than cozy.  Long ago, I had tab curtains hanging in my kitchen but wanted a more tailored look so I took them down and my kitchen has remained as pictured since.

This is what the valances looked like before they were hung.  I needed to run an iron over them to get the wrinkles out from being stored away for too long. 

To get a custom made look I had to attach the valances to plywood boards, which I purchased from Home Depot and had covered with material using a staple gun.

This was the tricky part of this project.  I first pinned the valances to the boards, making and spacing pleats evenly apart.  Below is what an attached valance looked like.

The pleats needed ironing to stay put.  You'll notice the top of the board looks unfinished, but that's alright since it will not be seen. 

Then it was time to attach the valances to the wall. I used corner braces again purchased at Home Depot.

I measured and drilled the braces in the middle of the boards and on the ends of each.

Getting the valances attached to the boards on the wall was a little bit of a challenge, however, with help from my husband, my measuring tape and a level the job got done!

Looking better already!

The pleats are still not lying completely flat so I will probably steam them later this week.

But for now, I'm happy.  Next on my list is to make cafe curtains to hang below the valances!

Goodbye Again

Brit is back in College Station.  Meg rode along with her yesterday while my mom and I followed.   Two cars full of stuff she insisted she needed at her apartment.  The one good thing about driving to College Station is that it's only about an hour and a half from where we live.  After unloading the cars and helping her organize a few things we all went to dinner and then it was time to say goodbye.   Goodbye is so hard, which I'm sure is why my husband opted to stay home with our senior dog Maddie.  It was more bittersweet than usual since she will be staying in College Station until she graduates next December.  I will miss her... 

So Brit leaving means Milo is gone as well.  He became my lap dog over the holidays.  This is him sitting on my lap while I watched the movie "Julie and Julia" on a chilly, December morning before anyone else was up.  We were early morning buddies over the holidays.  I'll miss him too but I know how much he keeps Brit company when she's away from home.

She's only been gone a day and I already find myself reminiscing about the time she was here with all of us. It's hard to believe that Meg will be going off to college next fall as well. Where did the time go? At least we have memories and pictures to capture these precious moments in time. The girls have always been close but I've had the joy of watching them go from "just sisters" to truly best friends. Their time together this past month has been really special.

One night during the Christmas holiday they stayed up late and made gingerbread cookies together. How sweet is that? We were already asleep but woke to a bunch of these adorable guys and surprisingly no mess in the kitchen! Brit's boyfriend snapped the picture above of them in the middle of the gingerbread making. Thanks Adam!

Perfect Pizza Crust

A couple weeks ago had lunch at a new place in our town called Grimaldi's.   We loved the pizza and this past weekend did our best to recreate the crispy coal oven cooked crust we had savored at the pizzeria.  My husband has made some very good homemade pizza in the past but he could never get the crust to be quite right.  So after a few minutes of research on the internet I found a very simple pizza dough recipe at a website called Fine Cooking.  As we looked over the site we also discovered a very important tidbit of information that we now know is the key to a perfect crust. Apparently you are suppose to put your pizza stone on the lowest rack of your oven set at 500 degrees and let it heat for 45 minutes to an hour.  News to us! 

So we made our dough and let it rise,

topped it with homemade sauce and some of our favorite ingredients,

and were ready to put it in the preheated oven onto a very hot pizza stone.

Here's my happy hubby with his almost ready to go in the oven (he almost forgot to put cheese on it).

This is when we ran into a problem.  It was almost impossible to get the pizza from the baking sheet to the hot rectangular stone in the oven.  This is where a pizza peel would have come in handy. 

It took some creativity but he got his pizza and the others we made that followed into the oven and on the stone without any major catastrophes occurring.  The trouble was worth it though, the crust was perfect.  Before we make pizzas again, however, we will be taking a trip to Sur La Table to gaze at all the different pizza peels and stones they have in their beautiful store and then probably head on over to Target to actually make our purchases! 

Easy Pizza Dough Recipe

1 package (2-1/4 tsp.) active-dry yeast

1-1/2 cups very warm water (110°F)
18 oz. (4 cups) all-purpose flour; more for dusting
1-1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. olive oil

Directions:
Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and set aside. Meanwhile, put the flour and salt in a food processor fitted with the steel blade; process briefly to mix. With the machine running, add the water-yeast mixture in a steady stream. Turn the processor off and add the oil. Pulse a few times to mix in the oil.

Scrape the soft dough out of the processor and onto a lightly floured surface. With lightly floured hands, quickly knead the dough into a mass, incorporating any bits of flour or dough from the processor bowl that weren't mixed in. Cut the dough into four equal pieces with a knife or a dough scraper. Roll each piece into a tight, smooth ball, kneading to push the air out.

Put the dough balls on a lightly floured surface, cover them with a clean dishtowel, and let them rise until they almost double in size, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, turn your oven on, with the baking stone in it, to let the stone fully heat.  Bake until the edges are golden, about 8 minutes. Using a peel, a wide spatula, or tongs, remove the pizza from the oven.

No Cook Pizza Sauce

One 14-ounce can whole peeled san marzano tomatoes, drained
One 6-ounce can tomato paste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 tbsp. Garlic powder
1/2 tbsp. Whole oregano, fresh chopped or dried flakes
1/2 tbsp. Basil, fresh chopped or dried flakes
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Black pepper, ground


Place tomatoes, tomato paste, olive oil, and spices in a blender or a food processor. Blend or process until smooth.

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!

Trust the Lord

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3: 5-6

Early this past December I attended an all day writing conference with several co-workers. We attended on a Wednesday, which made it a fun adventure for the four of us since as teachers we are not usually out in the "real world" during school hours. The presenter was very animated and for the most part held the attention of the audience with lots of hands-on activities and great ideas to take back to our classrooms. Even so, as the afternoon rolled on I found myself drifting off thinking of the many things on my "to do" list. I'll blame it on the mild case of ADD I "suffer" from and the fact that we had just returned from an hour and half lunch break (another rare luxury for those in my occupation). As the conference was coming to a close the presenter read a quote, "Where have you been and where are you going?" She asked us to reflect on the question for a moment and then write our thoughts down using as much imagery as possible.  What could I picture my life as?  A rollercoaster? The seasons?  After a second or two of pondering I settled on a road and proceeded to write, "I am standing somewhere on the long, winding road of my life. I can turn around and see where I have been. There are plenty of unexpected curves and the occasional bumps that have kept my life from being far from predictable. There are also long stretches of road so beautiful that if given the chance to, I would journey back and stay if even for just a moment. It's the road I've traveled, my life, and I know it. Yet when I turn to face what lies in front of me, I am met with uncertainty.  Where am I going?  Where does this road lead?" That was all I had time to write.  After a couple minutes of some brave souls sharing what they had written our presenter gave a  few closing comments and the conference was over. However, the question, "Where are you going?" stayed with me.  I don't know if recently turning 40 along with facing the fact that our youngest will be leaving for college next fall made the question have such a powerful impact on me, but I found myself thinking about it in the days that followed. Had I made a difference in the world? How will I be remembered? What have I done lately to make my life and the lives around me better? I thought the questions might consume me. Then at church the following Sunday when the priest gave us a moment to pray for the intentions in our hearts I simply prayed to God for guidance in finding peace with this matter. I left church that Sunday and didn't give the question anymore thought until a couple weeks later while out shopping for a last minute Christmas gift for my hubby. As I went to pay for the gift I found I saw a familiar face standing behind the checkout counter. The young girl was a former student that I taught years ago. Right away she recognized me and announced to the girl standing beside her that she had been in my third grade class. She added that I was her favorite teacher. Her comments were very sweet and I was flattered. I have to admit though that I was feeling a little old at the same time. She told me that she was a sophomore at Texas A&M studying to be a teacher. I told her I was an A&M fan since I had a senior there this year.  I paid for my gift and wished her good luck. Then she told me something that I feel was a little gift from God in response to my prayer to Him weeks before. She said, "I want you to know that you're the reason I am becoming a teacher."  Wow, what can you say after such a comment?  As soon as I got home I told my husband who didn't seem half as surprised as I had been.  So, as a teacher, what did I learn? Well, things I knew all along but I guess needed reminding of. We all make a difference every day of our lives, big or small, positive or negative. Our future, however, can be uncertain. The best way to deal with this uncertainty I found first hand is to pray for God's guidance and trust that the path He leads us down is the one we were meant to follow.

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!