Things ARE Bigger In Texas

I am going to dedicate the next few blogs to some of the most exciting culinary-related things I’ve seen and experienced here in Texas.  I know you’re probably thinking ‘doesn’t this girl do anything but eat and photograph her food?’.  The answer is sort of… but I do, in fact, do a lot of eating and photographing of my grub.

On Sunday Evan and I tested out the beer garden on the Katy Trail.  The atmosphere was great, tons of outdoor and indoor seating, corn hole, bikers and huge goblets of beer.  We ordered the onion rings and oh. my. gosh. 

I'd like to know where to find an onion that big

Look at them!! Massive and delicious.  And they were served with ranch dressing, also known as my weakness when I’ve had a beer (or two…).

We also had prime seating here; we were near the door so there was a nice breeze but we could also watch the cars pull up for valet.  There are some amazing cars here in Dallas, most of them driven by busted guys who are dating beautiful women that are way out of their league! 

This is a trend we’ve noticed since moving to Dallas.  In this situation, I lucked out- I’ve already got my man.  But poor Evan, I’m sure he’s looking around thinking ‘Damn!  I could have moved to Dallas and met a sweet southern belle that’s way out of my league!’.  Instead, he’s stuck with me, the sweaty Yankee with the fro.  

Sweaty yankee with a fro who loves her some onion rings

Texas Bake

Happy Memorial Day weekend!  

I loooooved this four-day break from work.  The weather was the hottest it’s been since we moved here; it hit 101° on Saturday afternoon!  Needless to say, I spent some time at the pool to cool off.

I met a new friend at the pool this weekend while I was getting my bronze on.  In between all of the sweating and the chatting we spent about three hours outside and I got burned pretty badly.  I thought my SPF 15 would be OK… and it was not. 

Ow.

To protect my poor skin I spent most of Sunday inside or out on the deck with our new patio furniture doing some wedding research.   At least I could enjoy the beautiful sunshine and keep myself in the shade.

Bamboo tables and chairs

Adventures on the Katy Trail, Part Deux

After a day off at the pool yesterday, I went for a run on the Katy Trail (even though it was 129302183 degrees) and it was a people-creepers heaven.  I saw so many great things that I could literally dedicate this entire blog to my observations.  I won’t, because I feel that my life should be about more than watching people on a 5K path, but it would be entertaining if I did.

Happy Memorial Day!

First I saw an elliptical-bike.  Let’s call it an elliptibike (it’s actually called an ElliptiGO- check it out!).  I had never seen one before, it looked almost futuristic!  I could never ride it in a public place like this without taking out dogs, children or power-walkers but to see it in action was pretty cool.

There were also a lot of abs out on the Trail.  No, no, not mine! With all of this warm weather people are just running around, literally, without shirts on.  So let me get this straight, I either have to wear cute, functional workout clothes or none at all?  Oh, Texas.

The only other person I saw wearing a shirt was also rocking an old cotton t with “Stop Pre” on it.  This brings me straight back to my track days when all of the emaciated boys idealized Pre.  Personally, I loved Flo Jo and those nails.  But Pre, Pre was it for those guys. 

Finally, I wanted to share something about myself that may not be widely known.  No, no, not about my high school track legacy.  About my iPod.  Yes, the iPod from 2006 that’s black and white and still functioning.  Weird that I haven't seen any of these on the trail...

Just bringing sexy back, that's all. 

Showtime!

On Thursday night I ventured to Music Hall at State Fair Park to see 9 to 5, an off-Broadway production of the Dolly Parton musical. The play was cute, I wasn’t sure where the storyline was going when the show started but I was pleasantly surprised. 

Section QQ- where the ballers sit

Naturally, there was an unexpected adventure built into the experience that made this more than just a simple play. 

Earlier in that day I smashed my pinky toe into the couch.  Great way to start the day.  It didn’t hurt that much throughout the day but when I went to put on heels the pinky wasn’t having it.  So to start the night off, picture me hobbling.

I also decided to try out the bus system in Dallas to get to the show and found a stop across the street from my apartment complex.  Convenient!  As I stood at the stop in my little theatre-going outfit, the bus sped right by me.  Great.  I called a taxi because I wasn’t sure about the parking situation at the venue or the neighborhood it was in and I didn’t want to end up with Ev’s car in the hood. 

I got there with time to spare to explore the venue, which was described as “charming” online; I’m going to sound like a snot right here but “charming” was an overstatement.  The auditorium at Staples HS is “charming”.  JJ is “charming”.  This venue was outdated and far from “charming”.

At least the view of downtown was charming!

The crowd made up for it as I spent my time people-creeping (my solo version of people watching) before the show instead.  I finally found the typical Texas hair I had been waiting to see along with plenty of potential Biggest Loser contestants and cat ladies.

At one point I thought I saw one of the girls from my tornado-incident earlier this week.  During intermission I teetered over to her seat to say hi.  I’m sure you could have guessed that it wasn’t the same girl.  If you did, you’d be right!  The girl I approached and her friend were very nice even though I must have seemed like a complete coockoo bird.  Did I mention that no one dresses up to go to the theatre here?  Well they don’t… and I did.  Way to blend, Michelle, way to blend.

To top this ice cream sundae evening off with a cherry I waited for over 30 minutes for a cab to come pick me up after the show.  Literally everyone had left the venue and I was left standing at the valet with the house manager and one of the ushers.  It was very kind of them to make sure that I didn’t wait alone but seriously, this is my life.

Movie Date

Last night I treated myself to a little solo movie night to see Something Borrowed.  I knew it would be tough to convince Evan that he would love a rom com like this so I decided to save that battle for something really important, like when West Side Story comes to town. 

This movie theatre in my neighborhood, The Magnolia, is one of those theatres that serves more than just your usual snacks.  You can get beer, wine, TOBLERONE, all sorts of yummies.  There’s even a full bar there.  I chose the Chardonnay and they gave me my own mini bottle and a plastic cup.  Straight class.

You can't really see it, but that's a serious spread

The movie was adorable, Evan would have hated it, but I will definitely be revisiting this place when a more couple-friendly movie is playing.  You know, like Thor.

Tornadoes = Bad, Flowers = Love

Ok, so I don't want my tornado experience to completely overshadow what wonderful a surprise I received early in the day yesterday.  No, not a new fear of tornadoes.  And no, not the urge to purchase adult diapers in preparation for the next big storm.  Although both are true.

I received these lovely flowers from my Nana and Pop pop!  They are seriously the greatest... even though I'm still waiting for that Godfather sandwich.

So pretty

Since I'm not used to being home alone, especially during the day, the delivery man scared me silent when he banged on the door mid-afternoon.  My tactic?  Stay quiet so he thought no one was home then wait a few minutes until the coast was clear.  I think I am turning into a paranoid hermit.

Real Dangerous Things

Yesterday I lived through the first bout of Southern weather that I had never experienced before.  I consider myself a tough Northerner, we get blizzards and nor’easters for cheeses sake!  But yesterday’s tornado watch/warning was petrifying.  A bunch of twisters touched down around the city over a 2-3 hour period last night and I almost lost it.  And the siren that goes off as a warning?  Seriously horrifying.  

Warnings earlier in the evening.. pre freak out.

For a few panicky minutes, I forgot how to use the internet so I called my parents for advice (they live in CT.. not exactly tornado alley).  They recommended I ask the neighbors what they do during storms like this one- great idea!  I hadn’t met any of my neighbors yet but after knocking on the first two doors to no response I figured they had either high tailed it out of town or hidden in a fall out shelter somewhere.  The third door yielded better results and a nice guy named David recommended I pray (how comforting) and crack my window to equalize the pressure in my apt.  Thanks David.

About 10 minutes later he knocked on my door and asked if I was interested in coming with him to the first floor where his fiancé and a few of her friends were waiting out the storm.  Since all of my regularly scheduled TV programming was being interrupted by severe weather warnings I decided to go with him. 

Cue the Depends

I ended up meeting a bunch of very sweet girls who opened up their home and offered me wine while we waited for the storm to subside.  Now that is some southern hospitality.  Baseball sized hail came down around the city and some damage was done but luckily, from what I can tell, Dallas remained relatively unscathed by the storm.

Lesson learned, get to know more people on the first floor in case another storm comes barreling through Dallas County.  Oh, and make sure there’s some wine handy to calm any nerves.

Dangerous Things

So far I’m really loving my new kitchen.  There’s tons of counter space for me to get messy and plenty of storage space for me to stuff things like fondant and colored sprinkles.  Evan’s even agreed to leave my pink KitchenAid on the countertop, which is the only gender un-neutral thing in here.

Hello granite countertops!

I haven’t done much baking since I’ve been here because I can see nothing but bad coming from working from home surrounded by fresh baked cookies or a cake.  That's why when I saw this recipe on the Food Network I thought it might be a nice treat to make for dessert on Saturday.

I’ve already made a second batch since then.  This Mocha Meringue Bark is a problem. 

Oh my yum.

It’s easy to make (only five ingredients!) and it’s not coated in butter so I don’t feel that bad about eating it.  The downfall to having this after dinner is one of the ingredients is instant espresso powder, also known as dark brown crack.  I was up almost all night on Saturday after I had one (fine, more like three) pieces of bark.

And look how pretty it looks sitting on my countertop.  Couldn’t you just eat it all?  Me too…

On the Katy Trail

Yesterday I went for my first run on the Katy Trail.  The Katy Trail is a paved path 5K long that welcomes bikers, runners, walkers and pets from all over Dallas.  It goes through parks and over highways, from the mysterious “M” streets through Uptown to Downtown, where it ends near the American Airline Coliseum (aka awhere the Mavs play). 

You can walk your dog here, but pick up the poo.

My apartment complex is right off the Katy Trail as are a bunch of other things including an Austin-style beer garden.  I’m not sure what that means aside from a place you drink outside but I am sure that there’s nothing more motivating than running by a group of your peers to get the old caboose in gear.

The entrance from the Katy Trail to my apt complex

Can I also take a quick moment to mention that I’m not sure when people stopped wearing soccer shorts and college t-shirts to exercise?  I never really got the memo.  I have a few cool UA things thanks to my dear Erin but aside from that I look like a scrub compared to these cute Dallas girls in their coordinating outfits. 

I can’t decide if I should get on board or keep kicking it old school in my old cotton t’s.  Let’s be honest, my fro doesn’t fit in here anyways, I don’t think wearing cute workout clothes is going to be my ticket to blending.

Weird Things

Every time I shop in Dallas I always keep my eye out for things on-shelf that I’ve never seen before.  Better known as “weird things they sell in TX that I can’t find in CT”.  Aside from wine in the grocery store (I still can’t get used to it!), I found these odd facemasks in the beauty aisle the other day.

Weird things

This poor women has fruit bursting out of her eyes on almost every package. In what world is that relaxing?  And the color of these masks are upsetting to say the least.  What if you were chilling with one of those masks on, dozed off for a sec and woke suddenly to see a bright red face in the mirror?!  I would think my face was burning off or I was bleeding to death.  Is that a dramatic reaction?  Sure, but red?  On your face?  Why!

At least the blue one could pass as some sort of Avatar or Blue Man Group face paint, but still.  Gross.

Highway Honesty

One thing I’ve come to appreciate about Texas highways is the honesty.  Sure, I never know where I am, nothing looks familiar and it looks like there’s new roads being built everywhere, but I know what to expect when I exit.

Don't worry, I wasn't driving and taking pictures.. this time.

Merritt Parkway, take note.  It would been nice to inform your travelers that your exit ramps are short, curvy and punctuated with stop signs before they're forced to slam on their breaks to avoid crashing into oncoming traffic.

Anyways, that being said, these signs are everywhere and make me laugh every time I see them.  It's the little things.

Wine in the Big D

Last night I dragged Evan to a wine tasting at a nearby wine bar.  I wanted to get out of the apartment where both of us are currently working in an effort to avoid becoming a hermit.  Or, hermitizing.  There was beer there, so that managed to keep him happy. 

I was blown away by this place- they have over 48 wines “on tap” to sample.  The way it works is you post up at a touch screen “station”, swipe a preloaded wine card (essentially a debit card for wine that you preload with $ for tastings) and a bartender comes by to pour you a taste.  You can also choose to buy full bottles of wine if you find one that tickles your fancy (I did, Penfolds Thomas Hyland Riesling- yumm).

Walls of wine

They also host events where they do themed tastings- last night’s was a (RED) tasting of seven different Penfolds wine for $10.  All of the proceeds went to the charity and all of the wine went to me.  Seriously though, there wasn’t a huge crowd so the “tastings” were more like “full glasses of wine”.  Amazing.

The spread

The last time I had Penfolds wine was when I visited Steve in Australia.  I was 19 and legally able to drink down unda so we purchased cheap chuck to enjoy responsibly for the few glorious legal days that I could.  And wouldn’t you know it, Penfolds was that cheap (albeit delicious) chuck!  Everything is coming full circle for me down in Dallas.

One more thing, can we talk about how the floors were made of cork??  Clever!

Feet

Evan's Office aka Man Cave

This is the first officially complete room in the apartment.  Evan’s "office". 

Here he is working diligently from his home office while I creep around taking pictures of him without him knowing.

Sleuth photography

This is the other side of the wall and the closet that I secretly plan on using for things that I have no other place for.  Hand weights.. ribbon.. you know, the important things.

Closet of important things

Man chair

We’re almost finished with a few of the other rooms, just a trip or two to Homegoods and we should be made in the air-conditioned Texas shade. 

This Little Piggy’s from CT...

Yesterday, I found this on my front door step.

Piggie Pies Pizza & Pasta

Either this was a casual door-stop drop from my local pizza place or I’m offended.

On the bright (fat-kid) side, now we have our first take-out menu!

Dog Food vs. Tortillas

For those of you who were lucky enough to attend JMU, you’ll fondly remember the scent of the air when it rains or when it’s a little breezy.  DOG FOOD.  It was the unmistakable stench of the poultry factory nearby and one of the only really unappealing things about JMU.  That, and the lack of men on campus.

Anyways, one of the most wonderful things I’ve come to find about my neighborhood is how it smells in the morning.  Fresh tortillas!  And oh mama, do they smell amazing when they’re being made.  I’m guessing that the smell is coming from one of two (if not both) Tex Mex restaurants near my apt in the West Village. 

Tex Mex in the West Village

Taco Diner and Mi Cocina are across the street from one another but owned by the same parent company- interesting, right?  I haven’t tried Mi Cocina yet but you already know how I feel about enchiladas.  And if you don’t, I hope you never find out (for your sake).  I turn into a rabid beast in the presence of enchiladas.

The Dallas Dart

Today I tested out the Dallas public transportation system and I took the Dart, Dallas’s version of the subway.  

Interesting art underground...

It’s an underground/above ground train that whips around the city and you can use your tickets on either the train or the bus.  My train stop is about 10 minutes away from the apt and it’s a big hub for a couple different lines.  

Naturally, no one checked that I had purchased a ticket

I’m making it my goal to drive as little as possible while here in Dallas to get the most out of living in a city.  So far so good!

Before...

Here are some "before" pictures of the apartment.  I'm sure no one will be surprised to see my crap lying around and solo cups scattering the countertops.  Lighting was also clearly an issue as I took these in the bright sunny afternoon on Sunday.  

Evan and I now share a big walk-in closet that is most likely his least favorite room in our new space (images not included to spare myself the embarrassment).

All of our boxes have been unpacked and we starting hanging pictures today!  It's finally starting to feel like we live here a week after arriving- not bad!

Living Room

Living Room/Breakfast Bar/Dining Area

View of front entrance

Kitchen

Evan's Office 

Evan's Office.. again.

Bedroom

Bathroom, my sink

Bathroom, his sink

View from patio off dining area

The First Casualty

From what Evan and I can tell, all of our things made it from CT to TX in one piece... except for this sad wardrobe box.

RIP

Before and after pictures of the apt to come this week!  Brace yourselves, it's going to be exciting.

A Breakfast Surprise (and not the gross kind)

I woke up to an exciting surprise this morning- my lovely friend Erica (and former co-worker at Marketing Drive) was in town for a wedding this weekend and was still around this morning to meet for breakfast. 

Nice sunglasses

It was so great to see a familiar face in my strange new city.  She’s a rip, so spending time with her and her great bf Scott was a nice way to start off my day. 

Sadly, Evan had to stay behind at the apt to wait for the movers.  Their ambiguous timeline meant that they could have arrived with our things at any time between 10 and 2 (last time they were 1 ½ hours early).  A boring job, but someone had to do it. 

I’m sure he had a better time watching ESPN; the service at the swanky hotel restaurant we ate at sucked and the food was mediocre.  At least the company was fantastic.

Redemption Song

Fine, I'll admit it.  I prejudged that adorable pizzeria with its ridiculous Godfather sandwich.  Dinner last night was actually pretty good.  I was expecting something subpar because we’re so far from NY pizza but I was impressed!

Bruschetta 2X!

Despite Evan’s face, he thought this bruschetta was delectable too.  I think he's getting sick of me taking pictures everywhere we go, and more specifically, taking pictures of him... oh well!

This Post Is For Nana

In searching for a pizza place to try for dinner tonight, I came across the menu at a local pizza and wine bar.  They had me at the appetizers as the first four items on the menu contain cheese.  Evan was sold on the on the mozzarella sticks stuffed with prosciutto.  

I get it, we have an unhealthy relationship with salty meats and cheese.  

Before I get to my point, let's go back a few weeks to a lunchtime visit to Nana and Pop Pop's.  On that glorious day, Evan and I were treated to a "Godfather" sandwich from an Italian shop in Yonkers, NY.  That sandwich contained more cured meats that I could even count and it was seriously delicious.

Now you can understand why this "sandwich" list is where things become suspect:

A Godfather without salty meats?!?!  This is a disgrace!  

I'll let this one slide because, again, I think fried mozzarella with prosciutto sounds too good to pass up, but I don't like this one bit.  And to make things worse, now I'm in the mood for the real Godfather- Nana, can you FedEx one down?  Thanks, love ya :)

Neighbors Are Friendly In Texas

What a week!  As Friday came to a close and this crazy week began to wind down I decided that it was about time for a glass of vino.  Naturally, I didn’t think about how ill-prepared my kitchen was for this simple indulgence and as it turns out, I don’t have a wine opener or wine glasses.  Both are packed and en route to Dallas, which did me no good last night. 

Our apartment complex!

This ‘situation’ forced me out of my apartment and into the wild world of my complex where I met two lovely neighbors who leant me their wine opener.  Sure, I felt like a total boozehound knocking on strange doors in need of a corkscrew but I guess this is my equivalent to needing an egg or a cup of sugar.

Cheese and pickles and olives, oh my!

After my ‘glass’ of wine (aka white wine in a red solo cup) Evan and I ventured out to the West Village for some apps at the Lemon Bar and onto McKinney Ave for dinner at the Idle Pub.  Both areas were super busy and had been that way since around 2pm that afternoon.  I’d like to know what all of these Texans do for a living because I want to find a job where my Fridays end after lunch.  Sounds nice, right?

This weekend is supposed to be beautiful by my standards and cold by Dallas standards- a pleasant 73° average for both Saturday and Sunday.  I still think Evan should slather on this SPF just to be safe- who knew they made it this high?!

Retailers on Roids

Not only do I have a Target, a Walmart Market and an Albertson’s within walking distance of my apartment, they are all suped up versions of the ones we have in the Northeast.  My Target... wait for it… has a wine aisle!  Could you just die?! 

I was happy as a clam when I remembered that most civilized places allow humans to buy wine where they purchase their groceries, home goods and packaged goods.  What a concept, CT!   My Target even has a section where you can buy fresh produce.  Sigh.

I <3 Target

Just look at it.  I think my camera is hazy because this is sort of my version of heaven.  I was also in dire need of some sleeveless dresses because I am a horrendous packer and it’s about a billion degrees here. 

OK, that’s dramatic, but it is hot here.  And I am an awful packer.

Things I Love About Texas.. Tex Mex!

Taco Diner!

Since our luggage won’t arrive until Sunday (ugh!!!!!), Evan and I have decided to eat two meals in and one meal out for the next few days.  There are only so many things that can be made in a microwave. We also don’t have anywhere to sit except for the air mattress, so really, we need to get out of the apt to explore and find a place to sit.

Fish Tacos!

Our first dinner was at Taco Diner, one of the first restaurants we ate at when we first visited Dallas.  I love diners.. I love tacos (and enchiladas!) so that was a natural choice.  I bypassed the enchiladas verde this time (which, trust me, are divine) and tried a new dish- fish tacos!  There were made of pan-seared tilapia filets with achiote citrus marinade and a guajillo infusion.  No hablo taco? 

That translates to delicious.

Arkansas Is Worse Than New Jersey

Crossing the Mississippi... notice all of the dead bugs on the windshield. 

Once the sun set, we made our way through our beloved Memphis and across the Mississippi River into what I now consider to be my new New Jersey.  No offense to Hoboken or Sochas, but New Jersey gives me the schkeeves.  Yesterday, Arkansas brought that feeling to a whole new level.

Even in the dark, we saw the affect the flooding had on this already questionable state.  Sarcasm aside, my heart really does break for the southerners affected by this tragedy but all that water made the air stink, sort of how the air smells when you drive through New Jersey. 

We had originally planned to make an overnight stop in AR after the highway detour that was in place due to the flooding.  But after stopping at a gas station and seeing the creeps that are out after midnight on a Monday, we were hell bent on getting over the border to TX.  Our car was filled with our most dear belongings (Evan’s guitars, my KitchenAid) and we didn’t want to risk losing our things to a hill-people break in.

Out first look at Dallas around 6am

That being said, I think our actions speak louder than words here- we had been in the car for almost 20 hours and instead of stopping in Arkansas, drove straight through to Texas. 

Maybe our experience there was an anomaly, I hear Bentonville (where Walmart is headquartered) is lovely but I don’t think we’ll be taking a day trip to Arkansas anytime soon.  Except, of course, to visit Bill Clinton’s birthplace.