Food Lush

The Place for Sunday Brunch: the Blue Mesa Grill

By Julie

I love brunch. There’s just something so decadent about it, like it almost requires you to laze at the table long enough to bridge two meals. And the fact that there often is bubbly alcohol involved is a nice bonus.

Surely you could have brunch any day of the week, but it seems to be a more traditional activity on Sundays, when most of us have the best chance of having enough time to do it justice. Consequently, there are bunches and bunches of Sunday brunches for us to munch(es). OK, I’ll stop now.

I’ve been to a wide variety of Sunday brunch offering hither and yon, but for my time and money, I highly recommend the Sunday brunch at the Blue Mesa Grill (with several locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area). As the name of the place alludes, this is a Mexican restaurant that serves us a plethora of south of the border treats to sample. It’s all you can eat, so I definitely advocate sampling everything you can handle.

The menu includes several of the restaurant’s signature dishes, such as adobe pie (a baked masa cup filled with goodies like black beans or chicken), blue corn enchiladas, and their famous sweet potato chips (the best I’ve ever had, and I fancy myself a connoisseur); traditional omelet and Belgian waffle stations; chef specials that change on the whim of who is manning the kitchen; and an enormous dessert table including fresh, hot, homemade churros. And did I mention you also get all the mimosas, poinsettias (that’s a cranberry and champagne mimosa for the newbies out there), or plain old champagne you’d care to sip?

It’s very reasonably priced ($17.95 as of this writing), but I’ll let you in on a (probably well known) secret. If you sign up for their Chileheads Club, they will send you an e-mail coupon for a free brunch the month of your birthday. So if you’re in the area on a Sunday and looking for a place to relax away the morning (or afternoon) with some stellar eats, hit up the Blue Mesa. You won’t be disappointed.

How I Ate Out For Free For A Whole Day

by Jen L.

I'm no Extreme Couponer, but I do know how to take advantage of a good deal every now and then.  I recently happened to score some pretty sweet deals in a variety of ways and I set out to spend an entire day eating for free ... in restaurants. Here's how I did it:

Breakfast:

I have a My Panera card from Panera Bread, which is like one of those cards you get at the grocery or drug store that goes right on your keychain.  Each time you make a purchase, they scan it and you earn fabulous rewards.  I cashed in my rewards and scored a free breakfast sandwich and medium cup of coffee.

Lunch:

My lovely parents gave me a Chick-Fil-A cow calendar for Christmas. I LOVE the Chick-Fil-A cows and I really love the fact that each month on the calendar contains a coupon for free! food!  This month's offering was a free 8-pack of nuggets.  I used that coupon along with a gift card (left over from my Christmas stocking) which contained just enough to get myself a sweet tea. 

Dinner:

Our locally-owned Mexican restaurant is AWESOME. They have the best Enchiladas Verde I've ever eaten.  Once a week, they do a buy-one-get-one-free promo at dinnertime.  My husband ordered a giant burrito, I got free enchiladas AND a free drink.  Sure, we paid for my husband's food, but I, me, Jen ate for free.

Have you ever scored a meal out for free?

Help me plan a 30th birthday dessert

By Natalie

My husband is turning 30 in May, and I need to prepare a kick booty dessert. Any ideas? Here's my front runners:

Pecan Pie

German's Chocolate Cake that I posted about here

Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake

Which one should I make? Maybe you have a better idea? Or you have an amazing recipe for pecan pie, German's chocolate cake, or chocolate sheet cake? Help!

Photo credit: foodnetwork.com

 

I Love Pie: Strawberry Rhubarb

By Nora

As the title of this post clearly states, I love pie. I make it as a dessert for almost every major holiday, and if it's in the house it almost always gets eaten within a few days (usually by me). I haven't been all that adventurous when it comes to baking pies, however, but I was inspired during last week's trip to the grocery store by the blushing red stalks of rhubarb in the produce section.

On the spot, I decided that it would be a very spring-y thing to do to bake a strawberry rhubarb pie for Easter, even though I had no previous experience with the curious rhubarb. In fact, I had to look it up on Wikipedia to find out if it was a fruit or vegetable! The verdict: "Rhubarb is usually considered to be a vegetable; however, in the United States, a New York court decided in 1947 that since it was used in the United States as a fruit it was to be counted as a fruit for the purposes of regulations and duties." So there ya go.

So I used my handy dandy new All Recipes app on my iPad to search for Strawberry Rhubarb pie recipes, and came across this one, which, simply put, TOTALLY BLEW MY SKIRT UP. It was the perfect combination of tart and sweet, and the crumble topping complemented the texture of the filling so well that it nearly brought tears to my eyes. Believe me when I say this was absolutely the best homemade pie I have ever tasted. In fact, it was so good that i'm going to try to branch out and bake some other types of pies i've never attempted before, so I'll report back to you on the results over the next few months. 

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Pie

1 egg
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 lb fresh rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 pint fresh strawberries, halved
1 9-inch unbaked pie shell or ready-made pie crust

Crumb Topping

3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup cold butter
1 unbaked pie shell 

In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg. Add the sugar, flour and vanilla; mix well. Gently fold in the rhubarb and strawberries until combined. Pour in pie shell. For the topping, combine flour, brown sugar, and oats in a small bowl; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over the pie filling and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 35 minutes more or until golden brown and bubbly.

 

The pie before I covered it with crumble topping and put it in the oven. 

A slice with whipped cream just before I shoveled it down my pie hole.

To Eat in Dallas: Roma's Pizza & Restaurant

By Jennie

Something I love almost more than a deliciously expensive Fancy Night Out or even more than a deliciously inexpensive drive thru In N Out burger (holla!) is finding a delicious place that is still a well-kept culinary secret. Meaning, it's cheap, it's delicious, it's not crowded, and the staff are as friendly and welcoming as they can be.

(It's hard to find places like this, isn't it? They either go under before the world can discover their awesomeness or the world discovers their awesomeness and prices go up, long waits start happening, and the quality suffers.)

So, when I find one, a part of me wants to tell NO ONE STAY AWAY FROM MY PLACE and part of me wants to tell EVERYONE BECAUSE IT'S SO GOOD OMG.

I'm going for the latter today, clearly.

If you are in Dallas and you can get to Greenville, try Roma's Pizza & Restaurant.

If you order like I did, you are served a heaping basket of garlic rolls with steaming marinara sauce, a crisp and cold house salad, and a cheesy, saucy, heavenly hot slice of lasagna, with a soda on the side all for ... $7.03. That was the grand total. FOR ALL OF THAT.

SEVEN DOLLARS AND THREE CENTS.

Go there. Go there soon.

Recipe Round-Up: April Showers Bring May Flowers

By Nicole

[image via Whipped]

As we wrap-up April and take another step toward summer with May just around the bend, let's check out some of the fabulous recipes that have popped up in food blogs over the past week. Enjoy!

Apricot Walnut Rugelach

Radish and Apple Salad

Pear Kimchi and Blue Cheese Salad

Maple Mousse in Chocolate Dipped Almond Bowls

Ale Braised Short Rib Sandwich

Pork Belly and Braised Endive Sandwich

Chocolate Biscuit Cake (aka Prince William's Groom's Cake)

Blueberry Jam Barbecue Sauce

Fish Ponchartrain

Asian Meatball Soup

Hot Pimiento Cheese Dip

Muscovado Semifredo, Roasted Rhubarb and Shortbread Crumbles

Chocolate Pistachio Fudge

Product Review: Wilton Bundt Cake Pan

By Dani

Spring has sprung, officially, which means that the roadside stands are bursting with strawberries and I am aching to make pound cakes (and gobs of whipped cream) to eat them with.

Pound cakes taste better in bundt pans, obviously, and as a bundt pan connesiour I have realized that Wilton brand bundt pans are the only way to make a self-respecting, fresh-strawberry-worthy cake.

It has handy-dandy handles for plopping out baked cakes onto a cakestand and fluted edges that lend themselves nicely to non-cake-breakage and general prettiness. Plus, the nonstick coating is far superior to anything else I've tried and perfect for thick, sticky recipes. Basically, it's the nicest pan I've ever used. You should get one.

Unfortunately, these are harder pans to find than, say, Calphalon, hence why the only picture I could find was of a used pan, resting sadly on a dusty armchair. However, if you do manage to scrounge one up, hang on to it ... and maybe I'll grace you with the Best Pound Cake Recipe Ever, next week.

{Photo courtesy of ioffer.com and a lady named Mildred. Ok, so I'm not sure about Mildred, but I am sure that she loves this pan, hence why it gets a cushy seat.}

Melange Creperie, Houston

By Jessica

Unfortunately for me, Houston (the City of, I mean, the people would dig it) has been slightly slow to embrace the foodie food truck explosion that seems to be taking hold in other cities across the country. I see tweets from friends in Portland, New York, Seattle, San Franscisco, and even Austin praising the delights they are scarfing down from their local food trucks and it makes me seethe with jealousy. Up until recently, our only common food truck option has been the umpteem taqueria trucks that are parked at gas stations and construction zones all over town.

Enter Melange Creperie. While not technically a truck -- it's a food cart or stand -- it's certainly filling a very definite foodie void with its delicious crepes. Located for the majority of the week in the parking lot of Mango's at 403 Westheimer (on Wednesdays they are at the City Hall Farmer's Market) and providing Parisienne style crepes filled with fresh, seasonal ingredients to a growing pack of hungry customers. Let me just caution you now, that pack of hungry customers? It can be fairly substantial and the wait might be longer than you are expecting but two things 1) it is totally worth it and I mean that, I take my food very seriously 2) they offered us the option to pre-pay for our order and come back instead of waiting. We chose to wait it out and just enjoy a rare breezy day with our fellow food lovers, taking in the delicious smells. Of course, those smells also became comically torturous as we waited, adding to our hunger.

For our first outing, my husband and I both had savory crepes: all the way crepe-hot (with the additional of sambal) for him and cheese enchilada with avocado for me, but I know that a sweet crepe, a big hit with the children in the crowd, is in my future. The crepes were perfectly delicate, yet substantial, the ingredients not too sparse, nor overwhelming thanks to being evenly distributed and for the price ($5-$8) amazingly filling and tasty. I look forward to checking back, as the menu changes, to see what I will try next time.

Also worth mentioning, I live over 20 miles away from Melange Creperie (total drawback of suburban living) and I would do that drive over and over again, no problem. If you are in town, or just come for a visit, I highly recommend you check out Melange Creperie. Follow them on twitter @MelangeCreperie for daily times, specials and more information.

Feed Me: California Crispy Chicken

By Elisabeth

I mentioned last week, a handful of my friends brought over dinner to my house since having our 3rd baby. One of my favorite meals was from my friend Allie, from Eat at Allie's. This chicken was moist (hate that word), had great flavor (LOVED the addition of lemon) and was the perfect meal for tired parents. (Definitely sibling-friendly too!) With the addition of Parmesan Crusted Asparagus , Smoked Cheddar Mac n Cheese (HELLOOOOOOO) and a delicious homemade Oreo brownie contraption, we were definitely set up for the night and had plenty for leftovers the next day.

California Crusty Chicken

Recipe: Eat At Allie's

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 1/4 cup corn flake crumbs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Combine the melted butter, lemon juice and lemon zest in a shallow dish. In a separate shallow dish, combine the corn flake crumbs with the salt and pepper.

Dip the chicken in the lemon butter mixture, turning over to coat both sides. Next, dip the chicken in the cornflake crumbs, turning it over to coat both sides.

Place the chicken in a well-greased baking dish. If you have any lemon butter remaining, feel free to drizzle it over the top.  Bake at 350 for an hour.

 

{photo credit: eatatallies.com}

Eat your Veggies, Fool: This ain't no rabbit food!

by Caitlin

So last week I waxed on and on about being green and eating veggies and Earth Day and the green things again and etcetera. So, vegetables, yes, good. But unless you’re planning on digging carrots out of the ground and plopping them directly in your carrot-hole, dirt and all, then veggies require a little work. Aside from frying them and/or covering them in cheese, here are my two favorite (healthy) methods for making them not only palatable but something to look forward to. 

(Writer’s note: I find the word ‘veggies’ to be annoying in an overly cheerful way. But I find typing out ‘vegetables’ repeatedly to be annoying in a time-consuming way. So overly cheerful wins out for now. Until I just shorten it to veg. Which, come to think of it, sounds sophisticated and somewhat British. Veg it is!)

Delicious VEG over heinously ugly but most-delicious-ever Yankee Pot Roast. [Photo credit: Me.]

Veg Delishifying Method #1: Roasting

I know that Jonna became obsessed with roasting this winter, and I did too. The hardest part of it is the trimming and chopping of the produce. The rest pretty much takes care of its delicious, delicious self.

Are you ready? This is very complicated.

Preheat oven to 400. Trim and chop your veg as you please, doing your best to keep the pieces about the same size. Toss them in enough olive oil to get them lightly coated. I've found that this is about a tablespoon per sheet pan of vegetables.  Salt and pepper to your liking. Maybe add some chopped garlic if you’re feeling crazy. Spread in a single layer on roasting pan or cookie sheet. Place in oven. DUNZO.

Just give them a stir/turn/shake around every 10 or 15 minutes until they’re at your desired doneness. In our house we like to leave them in there for up to an hour, until they’re nice and caramelized and the little bits have gotten all nice and crispy. Go ahead, dare to leave them in there a bit longer. You won't be sorry.

Roasting works exceptionally well for brussel sprouts, cauliflower, onions or spring onions, carrots, mushrooms, parsnips, broccoli, sweet potatoes (regular potatoes need their own post), or any combination of the above. 

See? A combination with lots of brown and crispy bits. [Photo credit: Me.]

Bonus: My husband Zach once roasted a bunch of veg with bacon fat instead of olive oil. Clearly I made a wise choice in my spouse.

Testimonial: Over the winter my cousin was in town with her family, and we served them this. Her 10-year-old demanded the recipe and they’ve been making them ever since. Do you need further endorsement than a 10-year-old asking for vegetables?

Method of Delish #2: Garlicky and Lemony

Good for: Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, carrots, parsnips, and broccoli, plus greens like kale, spinach, and chard.

 

Do you have any idea how hard it is to make a photo of kale look TASTY? [Photo credit: me.]

Greens: Heat a teaspoon or two (or more, if you want. I don’t care.) of olive oil on low-medium heat and saute a ton of garlic (I have yet to find an amount of garlic that is too much for this. I think I am up to 8 or 10 cloves now) until it's getting translucent but not brown. For love of god don't burn it. Burned garlic is of the devil. Throw all your washed, trimmed greens in, and squeeze a lemon over for flavor and so it can steam. Add some salt and pepper, and voila.

Heartier veg: If you’re doing one of the denser, heartier vegetables, you'll want to brown it first to get some color and flavor, and cook it a bit longer. It's also a good move to chop them a bit finer so that they cook more evenly and quickly. Once you've done that:

Saute your garlic and veggies in olive oil until they're at your desired doneness, deglaze with white wine or stock, throw in some salt and pepper, squeeze half a lemon over it. Add a sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan if you please. Et voila. Dunzo. 

Any questions? 

(No seriously. I realize these are not scientific recipes by any stretch, and I'd be happy to answer any questions.)

What’s your favorite way to cook vegetables?