Back Home

I got back in town last night, and since Josh wasn't back yet, I figured it would be a good night to pick up Thai food, throw on my sweats, and watch the end of the Olympics (I was very sad it had to come to an end...4 more years of waiting). So I decided to try Thai Thai (last time I went was a Tuesday, which happens to be the one day they are closed). They are opened on Sunday, however, which worked to my advantage last night. I wasn't sure what to try, so I fell back on a simple (and not too adventurous) choice, chicken fried rice.

I also ordered Thai Thai for an appetizer, which reminded me of an Indian samosa with a Thai twist. It was chicken mixed with potatoes, onion, and curry, wrapped in an egg roll skin and fried. Both were very good, and extremely generous portions, so I was able to have leftovers for lunch today. I think Josh and I could split that the next time we go. The restaurant is on 50th Street, just east of Slide.


Tonight Josh was finally back in town (hooray!) and we went back to West Crust Pizza. And once again, it was great! This time we tried the West Tuscan, which has Italian sausage, basil, mozzarella, carmelized onions, parmesan, and is suppose to have sundried tomatoes, but for some reason they put roasted red peppers on ours instead. I actually didn't even notice until I was just looking over the menu, so it obviously didn't bother me! I liked the mixture of the spicier sausage (along with the red pepper flakes I always douse my pizza with), contrasted with the sweet carmelized onion and basil. I love that the crust there is thin and crispy too-so delicious! You can find their website here.

Exercise on my part has still been minimal...well, actually, almost non-existent to tell the truth. I have allowed my busy schedule and laziness to take over. I brought my running shoes all the way to Tyler with me and had the best intentions of going for a run, but the chance to sleep in a bit was just too tempting! The weather in Lubbock has been cold, and we have had quite a few wet days as well, so the great outdoors is not exactly calling my name. I enjoy some cold winter days, but after having had some warm, sunny days, I am ready for the spring weather to come and stay for good!

Someday soon I will be giving you a real update of wonderful cardiovascular feats accomplished by yours truly, or at least I keep telling myself that.

Taste of Tyler

This weekend I went to Tyler to visit my family while Josh was out of town. I was able to eat at a few restaurants in Tyler and help my parents make a nice meal for my grandparents as well.

This morning we had brunch at Caffe Tazza. It is a great cafe and coffee bar. For brunch I had an omelet with green bell peppers, salsa, and cheese. I also had this wonderful skinny vanilla latte, which was so delicious, and nice and foamy! I love the atmosphere there, it has a sleek, modern, and comfortable design. You can find their website here.



On Saturday night we made a big meal of burgers, sweet potato fries, homemade salsa, and guacamole. We also had La Diosa Sangria to go along with it. This sangria is from La Diosa, a wine bar and one of my favorite places in Lubbock. You can buy this at many grocery stores or anywhere else that sells Texas wines (even if you don't live in Lubbock). To prepare it, pour the bottle into a pitcher and mix with a liter of Sprite. It tastes great with sliced citrus fruits too!


For lunch on Saturday, my mom and I went to a new restaurant in Tyler called Oliveto. It was good Italian food that was fairly inexpensive in a nice, casual, modern environment. My mom and I split this asiago cheese bread for an appetizer. It had a lot of flavor, and was $4.50-not too bad!

For our meal we split a pizza with pesto sauce, carmelized onions, chicken, and sundried tomatoes. It was pretty good, and we were able to split it, but I think I would have still been hungry if we had not ordered an appetizer.

The service there was good, and they apologized for taking too long getting our food out (although we didn't notice it being too long), so they gave us a free dessert! It was their large cookie with ice cream and milk shots (that was a first, wasn't sure what it was then they first brought the shots out). It was okay, but I felt like the cookie was dry, and didn't taste too fresh. However, it was free, so I can't complain! You can find their website here.

Breakfast Date

Josh left town this morning for a mock trial competition in Phoenix, so we decided to have a little breakfast date before he left. I made bacon, scrambled eggs, and whole wheat toast. I bought this new pomegranate jelly that was really good on the toast. It was nice to enjoy a meal together before he had to leave.

Last night we went out on a date to a new restaurant in town called Rain Uptown. It is on 98th St. between Quaker and Slide. I had been wanting to try it for awhile, so I was glad we finally got to check it out. The atmosphere in the restaurant was pretty nice, and we thought the food was okay, but nothing great. At dinner they serve all Italian dishes, and it's a bit pricey. We don't go out for Italian much, because it is so much cheaper to make it at home, and at most restaurants it isn't that much better than at home. It seems like making above average authentic Italian dishes is an art that few have mastered (especially in West Texas). Also, the wine list at the restaurant was mostly cheap wines you can buy by the bottle at the grocery store for almost the same price they were charging for one glass. If I am going to pay that much for a glass of wine, I would rather it be something unique. I have heard that the restaurant has a really good breakfast, and I think their lunch menu might have a little more variety, so we may try it again, but probably not for dinner.

I will be here in Lubbock by myself tonight, but tomorrow I am flying to Tyler to see my parents. I am looking forward to spending time with them. I am actually flying in to Dallas, and we are going to go out to dinner there, so I will write about where we go, as well as anywhere we eat out in Tyler.

Stir Fry

Last night I made an old favorite of ours, stir fry. I use to make this all the time when we first got married, and had not made it in awhile, so I decided it was time. This is such an easy dish to make, and you can make so many different variations. Last night I made ours with chicken, zucchini, carrots, red bell pepper, green onions, peanuts, and garlic. It is also great with shrimp, or just veggies.

To start, I marinated 2 chicken breasts in this great Teriyaki sauce, which Josh and I both love. I then cut up the chicken into cubes.


This was my prep area before I began. It helps me to have everything prepped and ready to go when I am about to cook. I have here the chicken, chopped zucchini, lightly salted roasted peanuts, chopped carrots, diced green onions, and 1 diced red bell pepper. I also have my wonderful wok! You can make this in a regular pan, but the wok is just so much more fun!

First, I heat the wok on medium-high heat (make sure it is pretty hot before you start cooking), pour about 1-2 tablespoons and make sure it is spread well around the pan. Next, pour carrots, green onions, garlic, and red pepper in the wok. Heat for a few minutes, then add zucchini. It is good to add this later, because it will get mushy if it cooks too long. After a couple of minutes, add chicken, and cook until it is cooked through. Add peanuts at the end and mix around. Serve on top of steamed rice.

We like to top ours with soy sauce, a little more of the teriyaki, and this hot chili sauce (so good). You don't need much of it, it's pretty spicy!

Chilly Day, Warm Food

Yesterday was cold, so I was in the mood for warm food when I walked home for lunch. So, I made a grilled bacon and cheese sandwich. I cooked bacon, Then placed it on bread with cheddar, mayo, and dijon mustard. Then I grilled it on each side for a few minutes. A little tip when grilling sandwiches: place a lid or foil over the pan, and the cheese will melt a little better. Wonderful melty cheese is the key to perfect grilled sandwiches!

On Sunday night I made a last-minute dinner of breakfast quesadillas. I cooked bacon and scrambled eggs, then folded them over in a tortilla. Next, I grilled it in a pan with oil and topped it with chili powder. I served it with my homemade salsa. It was a nice, tasty, quick dinner!

Supper Time!

Tonight for dinner I made pork chops, peas, and homemade macaroni and cheese. The peas were frozen peas heated in the microwave (very simple). To make the pork chops, I seasoned both sides with salt, pepper, garlic pepper, and herbs de provence. I melted a tablespoon of butter on medium-high heat in a pan, then added the pork chops to it. I cooked them for about 2-3 minutes per side, then let them sit on the plates tented with foil for a few minutes. I also poured the remaining butter and bits from the pan on the pork. It was very flavorful. Josh loved them. For the mac and cheese I used a recipe I found in Southern Living a few years back, but I couldn't find it online to share with you. It was good, but I think I want to try some new mac and cheese recipes next time.


Today I went to the Tech Rec Center and worked out on the eliptical machine for 30 minutes, which was good. Then, at home I did some weight and ab workouts. I haven't been doing much running/cardio workouts, but I feel like I have been able to do strength and core exercises since they are easy to do at home.

I have 2 big motivators to help me get in better shape (which is very helpful). First, for Spring Break (which is less than a month away), I am going to Florida with my brother and his family, so swimsuit season will be coming sooner than expected. I just ordered a new swimsuit from JCrew today, and I am hoping it fits well! Also, my sister is getting married in May, and I would like to look good in those pictures (and my bridesmaids' dress)! So, I will keep trying to be healthy and exercising to get ready for both of those events!

A New Twist on Chicken Strips & Fries

Tuesday night I took inventory of what was available in our kitchen, and tried to think of meals I could make with what we had. I had a few sweet potatoes, which I decided to use for sweet potato fries. And I had some chicken breasts, and tons of leftover tortilla chips from our Super Bowl party, so I decided to try out a recipe I found in Southern Living a couple of years back for tortilla-crusted chicken strips. I usually always have a bag of chicken breasts in the freezer, which is easier than just buying a few at a time (and cheaper!). When I make recipes that call for chicken strips, I just cut them into strip-size pieces, instead of buying chicken tenders separately. The recipe was very easy and the chicken tasted great! Josh and I both loved it. I think this would also be a good recipe if you have kids or if you are making food for a big group. The strips are cooked in the oven, so you could cook a lot at one time. You can find the recipe here.

For the sweet potato fries, I cut the potatoes into blocks first, which is much easier than peeling, and makes more even, matchstick-style fries. Then, I cut them into thin, rectangular strips. I put them on a baking sheet, drizzled them with olive oil, then sprinkled the same seasonings from the chicken over the fries (cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt, and pepper). I then baked them in the oven at 475 degrees for 18 minutes (same temp and time as chicken). They were still not as crisp as I would have liked at that point, so I turned the broiler on and put them back in for a couple of minutes, which gave them a nice texture. Just keep an eye on them, they can burn fast!

I served the chicken and fries with the chipotle mayonnaise from the night before and sprinkled with parsley. I like sprinkling fresh herbs on dishes like this to give them a more fresh, colorful look. My theory is, if your food looks good, you will enjoy eating it even more!

Spicy Meals...Mmm!

Tonight Josh had his night class, and I had a meeting, so I decided to try something new for dinner. First I went to Thai Thai, a local place I have been meaning to try, but apparently, they are closed on Tuesdays...so much for that. So instead, I decided I would try Saigon Cafe, which is just down the street from it. It is a Vietnamese restaurant (a first for me)! I asked the woman at the counter for a recommendation, and she mentioned a few things, one of which I tried, the Thit Heo Xao Rau Cai, also known as C-23 (much easier to remember). I ordered it spicy, and it had a nice kick. It is shredded pork in garlic sauce served with white rice. It was really good, very flavorful! I would definitely recommend it if you live in Lubbock. It was also cheap, $6.50 for my entree, which was more than enough food. They do not have a website, but they are located at 4515 50th St., between Quaker and Slide (on the south side of the street).

Last night I looked at what we had on hand at the house, and decided to make some yummy grilled sandwiches (good comfort food). I made the sandwiches with turkey, smoked gouda, bacon (one piece on each sandwich), and made some chipotle mayonnaise for it as well. I grilled it with olive oil over the stove. The gouda is really tasty but not too melty (to use a technical term), so another cheese might be better.

To make the mayonnaise, I placed mayonnaise and a couple of chipotle peppers (they can be found canned in the Latin foods section of your grocery store), in my small food processor and pulsed them together. It was very spicy (which we like), and added great flavor to the sandwich. I think this sandwich would also taste great with avocados or guacamole.

Last night, I decided to try a little at home work out. We have instant Netflix, so I took advantage of it, and tried a pilates video. It was a really good workout, especially for a core workout. I love having instant Netflix and being able to try different workout videos.

Valentine's Day...P.M.

Tonight for dinner, I made steaks, roasted asparagus, and fingerling potatoes. Everything was really good, except the potatoes, which took longer to cook than expected, so I didn't really get them cooked all the way. For the asparagus, I put them on a baking sheet, drizzled olive oil over them, and topped them with roughly chopped garlic and salt and pepper. I baked them in the oven at 375 degrees for about 10-15 minutes (just watch them). This is my favorite way to cook asparagus. It gives it such great texture and flavor.

The best part of the meal was the steak. Josh and I both love steak, and we are pretty picky about how it is cooked. An overdone steak just isn't the same. We both like ours cooked more medium-rare. So, since we have been married, we have tried and failed many times in an attempt to make the perfect steak. We use to always grill them, but recently I have been trying pan-searing then baking. This time, we finally achieved success! We had thick steaks, and depending on the size of the steak you cook, times will vary. I put 1 tablespoon of butter in a pan and melted it over medium-high heat. I patted the steaks dry with a paper towel, then seasoned them on both sides with salt, pepper, steak seasoning, and dried chives (I had them on my spice rack and figured I would give them a try). Then I seared all sides of the steak in the pan of melted butter (about 3-4 minutes total). After searing them, I cooked them in a 375 degree oven for about 10-12 minutes (you can leave them in the same pan you seared them in as long as it is oven-safe). Then, I placed them on our plates and let them rest for about 5-7 minutes. I covered them with the remaining butter and bits from the pan. Man, these were great steaks! My dad would be very proud of me for these (although he may not be too sure about not using the grill)! Josh said it is one of the best steaks he has ever had!

Josh's favorite dessert ever is funfetti cake (just the Pillsbury box mix). It is really funny how much he loves it. I can make cakes from scratch, and although he likes them, nothing compares to the funfetti! They usually have seasonal kinds, so I bought him the Valentine's box and baked it yesterday. I decided to bake it in this Le Creuset heart-shaped dish we were given for our wedding (note: I did not register for this, but Le Creuset is a great brand, so even though it is heart-shaped, I didn't complain)! Well, this was a bad idea. I don't think these were made for baking. The inside did not bake all the way through very well, so although it looks cute, it was a disaster, our first ever funfetti to throw out...oh well (now I know to stick with casseroles for this dish)! Next time I will go back to baking it in my metal cake pans.


Before dinner, we sat in our living room watching the Winter Olympics (which we love), and had this great appetizer. Just take a block of 1/3 less fat cream cheese, and top it with raspberry chipotle sauce, or any kind of pepper jelly. Serve with organic wheat crackers and good wine...yum!

Valentine's Meals..A.M.

This morning, we started our Valentine's Day celebration with a nice big breakfast. I cooked bacon and scrambled eggs with blueberries and strawberries. It was a wonderful way to start the day! I decided to make the eggs extra tasty by scrambling them in the pan with the remaining bacon grease. I know it sounds gross (and unhealthy), but it sure is delicious! You just don't want to make your eggs like this too often!

I bought bacon from the deli counter at the grocery store, where you can buy it by the slice, and it is nice and thick. Then I sprinkled cracked black pepper over it and cooked it in a pan until it was nice and crispy. After removing the bacon, I drained most of the grease (but left enough for some good flavoring for my eggs), then poured the eggs in the pan (after removing it from the heat, because the pan is very hot).

For the fruit, I placed chopped strawberries and blueberries in a bowl, then sprinkled about 1/2 tsp. of sugar over them. Mix it around, and let it sit, and it gives the fruit a nice sweet flavor! This would make a great dessert too.