Wednesday, October 12, 2011

I'm Back In Town...




Huge Ass Beers! That could be the phrase for the entire trip we took a couple of weeks ago. My boyfriend and I decided it was time to pack up for a couple of days and head down to New Orleans for a fun filled weekend and some good ole football. We spent the entire time eating good food and making new friends. We spend 5 days down in the Quarter right off of Bourbon St. so you can imagine what we did....



We stayed at the Dauphine Orleans Hotel. It was a great stay. There were some hiccups on my part but the hotel staff fixed them right away. We stayed in the Deluxe Main House room. It was a king size TEMPURPEDIC!! The pillows were soft and the bed sheets were white. Just what I love.



The room itself was not very big but still enough room to move around with free wireless and cable. There was a desk, which was useful since I brought my laptop.


A mini fridge was in the room also. We bought a case of water for when ever we didn't want to pay 1.50 for a bottle downstairs.




The bathroom was decent but not a lot of counter space. I did not like the fact that the shower liked to surprise you with either super hot water or cold water. I found out how fast I could take a shower on that trip.



There was also a TV and coffee maker. I usually use the coffee maker when I go to hotels but we just decided to go eat breakfast the whole time we were there so there was no need to use it. The storage underneath also provided extra space for us to put our clothes.




Of course New Orleans is knows for their strong drinks and good food, and we had both. There was this little place down the street from our hotel that served breakfast. We had to wait a little bit (which was aggravating) but it was good. And the funny thing about breakfast in LA is that there are always grits served with it. Since I love grits I had no problem scarfing them down every time.




We went to dinner one night at this place called Pat O'Brien's (apparently they are famous all over the US but it was the first time I heard about it) I got a trio of goodies. Red beans and rice, jambalaya, and crawfish ettoufee. And of course couldn't miss out on the HURRICANES!! WOW was it good.




And of course beingets with chicory coffee and steamed milk. Just as good as I remember when I last had it.



Another breakfast..See what I mean about the grits?!


SO I guess this is the part that I tell you what happened each day we were there. It took about 5 hours to drive there and when we got to the hotel the first day, we were ready to hit bourbon and start the drinking. Another thing about New Orleans is the music. Jazz and Cajun bands everywhere. It's all about the old school music and maybe a few clubs had rap music along the way.

When we got to bourbon it was around 4pm (HAPPY HOUR 3 for 1) and all of the bands were already playing in the bars and the bartenders where ready to get people drunk. This first bar we went to had a Cajun band and we sat down to have a grenade and listen to the good music.



When we were finished at the first bar we went a little down the ways to another and met this couple that was from England. It was their last day and we just decided to buy each other a round and talk it out. They were telling us that it would be nice for us to come to England and we agreed but it was a shame I didn't get their email. It would of been a great trip and to see them again. That night we went to bed at 9pm.....Great first day.




The next morning we got up (with my hangover and all) and went to Cafe Du Monde...Had the usual and walked around to see some sights.

Painting and street performers where already out at 9am in the morning. I always love going past the paintings and seeing how talented all the artist are.

Also went into see St.Luis Cathedral. It always takes my breath away on how beautiful this place is. The last time I went into this place was with my mom and I thought about her when I walked in there. You can pay to light a candle for a loved one or just walk around and look at the beautiful sculptures and front alter. Breathtaking!!!



The next night we wanted to hit bourbon again...I asked my childhood friend if she would meet me there because she still lives there and I hadn't seen her in 10years. We went into another bar and a band was playing. We sat down and just waited for her and met a girl there that had worked there before and was just hanging out. I struck up a conversation with her and she was just the nicest person...






This is her and as you can tell I am a little buzzzzzzed! HA! Good Times! Unfortunately between me trying to find my friend (who had made it down to the quarter ) and my boyfriend thinking I ditched him I didn't get to see my friend till a couple of night later. That night we went to bed at 11pm...Learning to pace ourselves each night we went out haha




The day after we decided to meet a couple of Texan fans (Houston Texans football team name) at this place called Rita's Tequila House. My boyfriend is a member of texantalk.com and was talking to a couple of people that said they were going to the game in New Orleans like us and wanted to meet up and maybe tailgate on Sunday.







Margarita!!! Strong!!!



Here is everyone... getting to know each other. GGOOO TEXANS!!


Afterwards we decided to go to a bar (AGAIN) and just drink and have a good time. This one was playing rap music and of course some skanky girls decided it was time for a booty contest. Kind of funny to watch. After we got tired of that we decided to go upstairs to the balcony and just do some people watching.




After that we decided to go take a nap because later that night we were meeting my friend to do some more partying. Here we are at about 1am having a good ole time. I missed her so much and really wish I could see her more often. Oh yea and that's a daiquiri in my hand (another famous drink besides the hurricane) Did you know that in New Orleans they have drive through Daiquiri places that sell the alcohol daiquiri's by the gallon??! I did but thought I throw that out there.





Another fun thing about my boyfriend is that every time through out the whole trip he saw someone with Texans gear on "representin" he said TAKE A PICTURE!! I thought it was the funniest thing...Take a look (this is only half the people I shot with Texans gear on)














The next morning was game day...Back in Houston my boyfriend email the St. Arnold's ( a beer brewery that makes specialty beer) and got us passes to the tailgating in New Orleans..It was huge and had everything there from drinks to food. AND IT WAS ALL FREE...My kind of party





This was the food station. There was red beans and rice, seafood, wings, and the best barbecue and potato salad I had in a while (sorry Texas it really was good).


A live band with a great music, the lady sang old and new music with a little Cajun twist.



And there where plenty of firefighters and policeman there soaking up the fun as well...Minus the beer



During the tailgating we saw a familiar face...I don't know what his name is but the guy on the left (Texan colors) is famous at the home games. He always sits in the bullpen (section right behind the goal line that everyone stands up for) and I guess New Orleans' famous representative "The Pope". Of course he is not a real representative of the pope hence the beer in his hand. He goes to all of the Saints games and sits in the front row with his wife in the Super dome. He was even asked by the mayor or New Orleans to say a prayer before that party after the Saints won the Superbowl a couple years back.




This is us...Very nice man and his wife. And sorry about the pic of me the sun was in my eyes and I hadn't started drinking yet..It was 10am






On the way to the stadium we came across this site. This is something New Orleans decided to build after they won the Superbowl. It is called Champion Square. The funny thing was is you see the while building to the left?..You pay 75.00 to go in the air conditioning and sit. That's what the "Pope" said anyway. He thought it was hilarious.




This is the inside of the dome. It was really crowded and I was glad Houston has such an open stadium. I was a hassle trying to get around everyone and find our seats. The onther thing that was bad were the steps going down to find our seat. I twisted my ankle trying to step down and no people I was not drunk. I swear!!




It was increadibly loud in there and I think it wasn't because the people are loud I think it's because of the dome shape. We did loose the game but it was a fun time.


There were somethings that I wish that I did like hang with my brother more, see someother friends, and maybe look at my old neighborhoods where I grew up but that just means that I will just have to make another trip down there next year. We decided that since we had such a good time in New Orleans that every year we will go to an away game in another city...Next year San Diego.....Hopefully



Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Green Chili Mac

So, I know I haven't posted in a while. I have been a bit busy with school and working so here is something that I made the other night that was worth posting. In September at a little Mexican restaurant called Chuy's they have a green chili festival. They made all of their dishes with green chilies and even sell them by the pound.





I looked up a recipe from this other blog spot that you can view here http://thewellfednewlyweds.blogspot.com/2011/01/chili-mac-with-corn-and-green-chiles.html . Very good recipe.





Let get started. You will need the following




Cheese, Garlic, Ground Beef, Tomato Sauce, Corn, Spices, Green Chilies and Elbow Macaroni














First you want to boil the macaroni and if want to do a little time management you can cook the ground beef while the mac is cooking. After the mac is done you should rise with cold water to stop the cooking process and set aside.




After the beef is cooked you should add salt, pepper, chili powder, minced garlic, onion powder and cumin and stir for 5 mins. After that you need to add the tomato sauce and a can of green chilies and simmer for 10.


Then add the mac, 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cheese and a can of corn. This is a funny picture because I decided to mix the whole thing in the casserole dish because my pan was too little.







After all is mixed nicely, set your oven to 350 and cover the top with cheese. I love cheese so I added a gracious amount. Bake for 15 minutes or until nice and bubbly.











Monday, April 18, 2011

Seafood Gumbo

I have been missing my home town New Orleans quite a bit. I always love the food that comes from that town and I can cook just about everything under the sun. I make great red beans and rice, dirty rice, and jambalaya! The only other thing that I have never tried to make is Seafood Gumbo. I have always been afraid of it and the roux. Finally the other day I decided it time to concur your fear and just do it. So Sunday I made Seafood Gumbo and here is how it goes. I got the recipe from a cookbook that I bought with Cajun recipes. They always turn out good.

Ingredients:
Onion
Green Bell Pepper
1 celery stalk
White and Black Pepper
Salt
Thyme
Cayenne Pepper


Meats......
Blue Crab(yum)




Shrimp with skins and heads. (You'll find out in a minute why)





Crawfish






The first step is to make your seafood stock. Take the biggest pot you have and fill it up half way with water. Tap is fine.


Boil the crab in one pot and the shrimp skins and heads in another. Your house will fill up with the smell of seafood (which I have always loved).




Crab boil





This is the shrimp...





While that is boiling you can chop up your veggies like so...








You should have let the seafood boil for about 30 minutes and this is what it looks like after. Looks gross but smells great.







If you can try and let the crabs cool off before you go digging for meat. Unfortunately there was very little in this thing so I guess you could say I used it just for the stock. Good thing I got it on sale.





Time to make the roux....(brown thickener, for those that don't speak cooking)







Equal parts flour and oil into the pot.





Mix it well before you turn the heat on because it will cook oh so fast. I did use a spatula for the stirring part and you just stir and stir until the color reminds you of chocolate.





Looks like this on a finished product. I tried to get the different stages but it was hot and it cooked way to fast. After you get the desired color you put in the veggies and cook for 5 minutes. This will slow the cooking down and not burn the roux.




Add the diced tomatoes




Scrape, scrape, scrape your little heart out for another 10 minutes for everything to cook together. Also don't forget to add the seasonings at this point and a spoon full of minced garlic.




Add Bay Leaf (well in my case I added 2)




Put in the stock and cook for 1 hour.




Add the meat and stir. Take off the burner and let sit for 20 minutes. It taste better later then right out the pot.




This is the finished product and yes it was as good as it looks. I paired it with some garlic bread.







Monday, April 11, 2011

Spring Bed

Winter is now officially over and Spring is in the air. I looked at my bed spread one day and said to myself...."Nancy it is time to change those winter downer sheets to and upper spring look. So I thought cheap and pretty and what did I come up with??? WALMART!! I wanted to have flowers but I didn't want it to be over whelming. So I looked around and I found a great pattern by Better Homes and Garden. It is a dark pink color to match the flowers that are on the quilt. I picked a quilt style because it's cool enough that I don't have to turn down the air conditioner to 70 at night to stay comfortable.
This is the pillow over....

Up close is really pretty.


Finished result. Love it!

Thursday, March 31, 2011

P90X

Hey everyone out there. I haven't really been doing a good job with keeping up on my blogging so I thought I give an update on how everything is going. Lets start with the family life. I am still not married but happily in a relationship. My sister's little bundle of joy is now 3 months old!! And Rocky is just doing the same old thing that he has been doing since the beginning...Eat, Sleep, Poop! I am still in college and inching towards the finish line. I hope to be a senior by the fall and get my class ring. It just seems so hard to keep up with school and work full time all in one year. My brother is in new Orleans doing his own thing and I miss him so much. Hope fully later this I plan to take a trip down there and visit and even see the Texans play some football. The next best thing in my life is a little workout video called P90X. There is the poster up at the top. It is basically a 3 month ordeal to change your whole body. My workout routine got off on a rough start. I started the first week fine and then BAMMM..Sickness strikes me and I'm out for the second week. I start again and BAAMMM.. the sickness that didn't go away before decided to bombard me again and I'm out for anther week. It has been about a month but i can already see the results. I work out 6 days a week and rest on the 7th. It is changing slowly and the workouts are really intense but it is worth it all the way. I will hopefully keep you updated on other things and maybe this weekend I can get some cooking recipes up. Something I haven't posted before. Anyway TTYL.