Tag: delicious

adventure

Damn Dallas

2chicksandapen

This post is in reverse, meaning it will begin with the end. My return flight. Shake. Bump. Skip. Double skip. Hop. Ricochet. Shaken profusely sided to side. Slight pause. Forward shake. Ouch just banged my knee. Could we all have just had a concussion from all of the jarring movements in the last few minutes? My bumpiest flight in a long time.

An announcement. Stay in your seats. Turbulence ahead. No shit! Recheck your seat belt. Wow, that’s reassuring: shake. Shake. Bounce. Bump. Hiccups in a plane or that’s how I would describe the air. Shake profusely side to side. Again and again. The old woman next to me braces as if she is ready for impact. The next neighbor clearly states she needs a shot. I’m in the back of the plane. Is the turbulence worse I wonder?

Let me drift back to the happier moments of Dallas. The food. The company. The atmosphere. When I’m in Texas, meat is on my menu. Steak it was. Chef’s special at The Ranch. Filet mignon covered with a house sauce, garlic infused and topped with grilled shrimp. $$$-$$$$ was the listing online but with 4900 reviews I was good to try. The presentation was as amazing as it tasted. Charbroiled to perfection. Complemented by flavorful broccoli. A plateful. Completely finished, of course. The dining was right by the fire pit adding to the ambiance of the evening.

What do you say again? Steak of course. Steak prepared a little differently. No garlic, just nice steak seasoning. A premium cut. Complimented by green chile white cheddar cheese grits. I do believe this was my first time eating grits with steak, but I wasn’t sad about it. For this meal my dinner date and I opted to share a dessert. Our waiter added to the dining experience this round. Our cowboy said to go for the Homestead Cake. He clearly said you could get chocolate cake anywhere. A giant (over 6 foot and full of muscle) cowboy adorned with the hat, big belt buckle and overall manly cowboy-like appeal waited on us with some Texas charm. For the record we didn’t finish the dessert but it was extra sweet and delicious.

In between trips to and from our daily happenings we hit up our favorite coffee shop of the west: Dutch Bros! This place never disappoints. From the great customer service to the flavorful drinks and the cool vibe it highlights on each visit at each location. It was holiday season thus the menu was extra special. My favorite on a cold day was the hot cocoa with whipped cream. Perfection in a cup on a cold day. 

In case you didn’t know, everything is bigger in Texas. The hats. The trucks. The boots. The flags for the state of Texas. The state flag and the United States flag almost always hung in unison. Directly off the highway you would see the flag flapping in the wind. Such a pretty sight to see when the size is so bold and big. Texas is definitely a prideful state as I don’t ever recall seeing so many state flags when out and about in other states.

I couldn’t wrap up this post without noting the chaos on my flight to Dallas. The flashing lights in the airport with the announcement of a building emergency. Coupled with the scene outside my window….

The bookends of this trip were nothing less than eventful. Two different extremes yet I felt the urge to write about both. As a filler I gave you some samplings of my foodie adventures as well. Hope you enjoyed the highs and lows of my damn Dallas trip.

fitness and nutrition, giving

Poke Me Poke Forward

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I’ve made it a point to try new things this year. New things include new foods. Today I experienced my first poke bowl.

I was a bit conservative with my choices but I enjoyed it and thought it was filling. I had double shrimp for my protein. They were small shrimp but they tasted good. I had some roughage in the bowl as well as crunchy onion bits, carrot strings and onion slices. I stayed away from the sauce and raw stuff.

I neglected to save a photo because I was too excited to give it a try. This meal was especially sweet because a loved one sent it to me via Uber eats. It came delivered nicely in a brown bag dropped on my porch. This was also my first time using Uber eats even though I didn’t actually place the order. 

What I learned in the process was how convenient Uber eats can be for somebody you care about that is a distance away. You can easily order online, follow the delivery status and communicate to the recipient for them to follow along as well. I even got a text showing it arrived. So convenient.

In my case this was sent from miles away in another state. I enjoyed the thought of a virtual meal with my buddy who was unable to be with me in person. Such a cool experience. I will be sure to pay this idea forward in the weeks ahead. 

My hope is that I send a meal forward and the recipient is as elated as me and pays it forward to another. Not to make Uber eats benefit but rather to share joy with others through a meal even if you can’t sit across from each other at a table.

Poke forward. That’s my motto for the weeks ahead. Maybe for a meal train for somebody in need. Maybe for an elderly person living alone. So many options.

adventure, fitness and nutrition

Taco Time

2chicksandapen

Let’s talk about tacos for a minute. I’m not a super huge taco fan girl but I do eat them when it’s Taco Tuesday night at home or when my pals want to eat some tacos for a get together. On these occasions I am pretty simple. ground beef or chicken and maybe a sprinkle of cheese and some simple adorns like avocado or onion. Rarely am I ever a shrimp, fish or steak taco girl.

This leads me to an interesting decision. I opted for tacos for lunch on a recent trip. It was a simple choice. Bartaco noted above or street tacos per Yelp were close, within budget and rated high. I opted for Bartaco just because it won on the number of high reviews.

Enter the posh indoor/outdoor venue. A unique set up to start and the flair was added upon seating. You scanned the menu and ordered at will. Meaning if you ordered a steak taco that came out to table. If you ordered a drink that arrived. If you ordered guacamole and chips that arrived. If you ordered off the kids menu that was okay, too. All hit the table in the order each order was placed. For us we had some street corn, some guacamole and chips, a kids taco and then a bowl loaded with all our favorites. I opted for chicken and shrimp. My partner opened for chicken, fish and mushrooms. All were flavored well and had a zesty zing.

All was served on metal trays for added flair. The bill was electronic just like the menu. No real waiting on the check or the service. You decided the speed of service. For us we were limited for time this we ordered a bunch to share and packed up a nice size to-go bag/box. I must also take a moment to explain the to-go setup as I favored it!

I received a bowl and plastic lid for the leftover rice bowl. I received a small box that had an insert to stand up a taco as well as hold a street corn in place. For the added special touch the young lady provided a sleeve of hard shell tacos. The crunch! She packed the crunch to go! For anyone who appreciates a crunch this is such a winning move to elevates one’s to-go image. The crunch is packed separately not to get soggy or lose its appeal. This was confirmation I picked the winning lunch spot.

Not to mention, I had over ordered so now I have an early dinner all ready to go which helps immensely when traveling. Not sure if this is a local spot or a chain but if you are ever in Chapel Hill, North Carolina I recommend Bartaco. The pic below shows that the guacamole bowl was basically licked clean. The crunch I mentioned is the oversized shell below, half eaten. The trays for style points. The corn is obviously flavored well. Need I say more?

dare to be different

Crepe Adventures

2chicksandapen

I got a last minute invite to a breakfast spot I had never been to. I thought of why I shouldn’t go but then said I’ve never been so just go and check it out. I’m glad I made that decision.

It was fabulous! The table of girls did a share order so we could sample and to my surprise I loved all of it. Not just one, but three amazing and oh so different crepes.
First one was a sweet one. Big mounds of Chantilly (whip cream), fresh strawberries, and just a little drizzle of other sweetness. Great presentation and such a delicious delight that seemed so light. Maybe it felt light as we shared. No photo as it was gone fast.

Next one was eggs, chicken, and brie cheese. I wasn’t sure if I would like the chicken but it was flavored so well. Paired with the eggs and cheese was just right. It was not long until it was all gone. Every item on the crepe was just right. The seasoning. The presentation. The flavors. A repeat order for sure.

Number three was mushrooms, mozzarella cheese and strips of fancy bacon. A little crunch. A little munch. A lot of goo from the cheese. Oh was it tasty. Another one down the hatch. There were a lot of mushrooms but they tasted good and were sliced just right. I could see the care of presentation in this dish.

This little place was a great find. We all had so much fun we invited a few friends to go back the next day. Guess we needed to try some more crepe flavor combinations. So many to choose from. I am so glad I took a chance on a new place.

I almost forgot to mention I grabbed a coffee to go. It has a twist I couldn’t resist. Ice cream, caramel, espresso and Chantilly. Yes more whip cream. It tasted so good on my drive home. Sneaking a peek under the lid was confirmation of the goodness.

Until next time. Take a detour. Try a new place for a change. You might be surprised what you find.

adventure

Ice Cream

2chicksandapen

Who wants ice cream? This girl I suppose. I haven’t really beeen a super big ice cream person but in the past few months I’ve been tempted or teased by available options especially when traveling.

I was on trip to Maryland and had a chance to grab an ice cream at a local dairy farm shop. It was delicious. Tons of homemade flavors that were ever so creamy and tasty. This has been my favorite treat this summer and I’d classify it as a must stop again spot.

On another adventure in Colorado I had a different ice cream experience. Here you picked your flavor but you got Mix-ins. I opted for the tasty cream flavor and mixed in some graham crumbles. The little gritty feeling and taste made this one a good choice. On the flip side my kiddo opted for cinnamon ice cream which was good if you tasted it solo but she chose all the crazy fixings like colored sprinkles and others. That dulled the ice cream flavor and left it half eaten or more wasted than eaten. Two similar experiences, two different outcomes. This was good but not great when I consider available options.

I have a spot I hit in the mountains on my travels to the farm. Locally made. Creamy. Limited flavors but the best butter pecan I have ever had. Hours of operation are limited and the lines are long so I don’t stop often. When I do stop, I enjoy the indulgence.

Then I was in the famous area of Hershey, Pennsylvania where I once again landed in an ice cream shop. Here it was Hershey ice cream that was served of course. They had many flavors but not out of this world creations. This was a big disappointment for me. The ice cream seemed like what you would get in the grocery store. A big dud for me.

Now as I got this calendar reminder for ice cream it was yet another sign to see what was out there on my next trip. Cape May, NJ area had a big selection. Funny though I was going to have an afternoon treat before dinner after a day by the ocean. Fate said otherwise. Most shops were closed and don’t open until 4 or 5pm. Had to skip the ice cream as the good rating places were not open during my available time to indulge.

Late night it was for me at the end of the short stay. A trip to Ben and Jerry’s shop on the street. I got two scoops of my favorites smeared on a cookie. No cone for this girl. A soft freshly baked cookie bottom. Such a treat. Maybe the same flavor from the local grocery store but the vibe was present in the locally-owned shop on the stretch of street that folks visited for shopping and dining. This store flavor was different than the Hershey experience above. Kudos to the Ben and Jerry brand for consistency in their deliverables. 

My ice cream adventures surely added to my waistline this summer but it also took me down memory lane. Visits to boardwalks and barn-like shops when I was a kid to get a treat. I even extended the experience to my mom who doesn’t get out as often these days. Taking a pint to go can make for a great delivery to a loved one. It was nice to reciprocate with my kids and share the stories of yesterday when sharing some sweet treats on the road too.

Orange sherbet from the local dairy stand where I grew up will still have my most memorable days of childhood but today I look to add to my list with my kids and savor the flavor of many places in as many new towns as we get the chance to explore.

Travel with an open heart and an eye for adventure but keep Yelp close for a sweet treat stop to fill in a bit of your day. You can skip the calorie or carb count for a few hours!