New addition!

Last time Dad went to visit PawPaw in Covington (just north of New Orleans) he spotted this gem sitting on a shelf! He brought it back to Houston with him and it's now easily my favorite, the second being Dad's old Pentax. It's a Kodak but I keep forgetting to bring it to work to look up the serial numbers so I can date it properly. I like to imagine all the fun things PawPaw and Gammaw would do when they used this camera...all the snapshots they'd take on vacations and road trips...maybe out on the boat.

 

What a great addition. Thanks, Dad and PawPaw!

Scwinnnnnnnnng!

I'm super excited about my new wheels! After enjoying the cruiser for ~2 years , I decided to change it up a bit and try something new. It's alot to learn and I'm vurry scared of cars...but I'm gonna go slow and steady (Not lookin' to win any races...) We're working on getting the boy a bike too so we can explore! Hurray Summer!

Walnut Banana Bread Adventure!

Starbucks' recipe! They just....gave it away...on a recipe card. What's wrong with these people?



Mashin' bananaz.

Addin' walnutz!

...more walnuts on top!

Fresh outta the oven!

With butter... juuuust before going in my belly with a glass o' milk.

This was super easy and so good for breakfast!

Spring Roll Adventure!

This was my first attempt so I went all veggie just to be safe. Use whatever you fancy! I saw a recipe for BLT spring rolls the other day...but bacon? Just seems weird...but it could also be fabulous.

I bought:

shredded carrots ($1.50)

a cucumber (~.50)

fresh mint ($1.70)

fresh cilantro ($1.70)

a jalepeno (~.25)

daikon sprouts (~$2)

House of Tsang Bangkok Peanut Sauce (~$4)

rice vermicelli noodles (less than $2)

rice paper/ spring roll wrappers (less than $2)

Chopped up my veggies/herbs, boiled the noodles for 3 minutes then rinsed them in cold water.

Filled a large skilled with warm water (didn't have a big enough bowl) and dunked the rice paper for 2 seconds. Don't keep submerged for longer, 2 seconds is all it takes. It may seem like it's still a little too crunchy, but I promise they soften up fast.

 Placed the rice paper on a plate, put a little pile of veggies and noodles in the center and wrapped it up like a burrito!

That's it! The peanut sauce already has a bit of a kick to it, but we threw some sriracha in there for good measure. We made 7 and gobbled them all up. So much flavor! We'll definitely be making these often- next time with shrimp!

Enjoy your Gỏi cuốn!

2011 Houston Art Car Parade! * PHOTO HEAVY*

This past Sunday was a beautiful day to sit outside and watch ridiculously adorned cars drive by!

 MY FAVORITE ARTCAR!

HTX Happy Hour is on Twitter!

So lately I've been busy with my new little Twitter venture. I figured I pretty much used my personal account just to tweet about the amazing happy hour specials I would come across (i.e. $1 martini Wednesdays, $1 reuben slider Mondays, etc).  I searched for one a few weeks ago and since I didn't come across one, I took matters into my own hands. So I introduce to you HTX Happy Hour on Twitter.

On it you will find photos, menu uploads, reviews and cheap daily deals from restaurants and watering holes around Houston.

I'm learning so much about so many deals around town, I had no idea Onion Creek in the Heights had Dutch beer Tuesdays where Heineken and Amstel are $2!

Here are a few menu's I've collected so far.

I think doing the research (tasting) may be the best part.