Welcome to Rodeo Houston!

If you know anyone from Houston, you know that March is rodeo season and the whole town smells like barbecue. I will admit that country music is not my favorite, but I am a HUGE fan of the food! There is really nothing like it and literally you have to watch what you eat the rest of the year to be able to indulge in its deliciousness. You just have to embrace the fact that everything is deep fried and then you are ready to go. The best part about it is that every year they somehow manage to find something new to deep fry. Chicken fried deviled eggs. Yes, I know its a very odd combination and I will be honest and say that it really wasn't my favorite but as least I gave it a try. Really it was a texture thing for me, but the egg was coated in a chicken tender coating and I can't honestly say that I know what the filling was. If you are feeling adventurous, give them a try or you can opt for the cricket pizza... and no I will not be trying that! I just can't do it. Though the eggs weren't that amazing, the seasoned fries made up for it.

You can't leave the rodeo without trying some deep fried dessert. This trend started with the fried twinkie and then the snickers and Oreos. I can say that the Oreos were heaven in a bag, but then I discovered the fried cookie dough and it was game over. Fried cookie dough is melting chocolatey goodness sprinkled with powered sugar. The dough melts into the funnel cake batter coating and it becomes heaven on a stick. This is the perfect dessert for everyone that eats the raw cookie dough, even though the package says do not consume raw. This is probably literally a million calories, but I can promise that it will be totally worth it! Let me just say that in no way are the fried Oreos bad, I just happen to think that this is better.

Don't fret though if cookie dough isn't your thing. You can always try the fried cheesecake. This is a rich creamy cheesecake center covered in a cinnamon graham cracker crust and then covered in funnel cake batter. Like all deep fried desserts, it gets a healthy dose of powdered sugar. I think that the cinnamon graham cracker crust is what makes it so awesome because it's unexpected. Make sure that you share this with a friend as it is very filling. The cheesecake filling is light and fluffy and actually better than some cheesecakes I have had. Whether you are going for the food or the entertainment, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has something for everyone and will be a truly memorable experience.

Magical Maggiano's Meal

Maggiano's is one of my favorite Italian restaurants and was so excited to hear that the butternut squash ravioli was back. In celebration of girls' night out, we went to check it out. We started off with a goat cheese, roasted pear, and arugula bruschetta. It was an interesting combination of spice from the arugula, sweetness from the pear, creaminess from the goat cheese and the crunch from the bread created a well balanced bite. It was a great way to showcase yummy fall flavors.

I always look forward to seasonal offerings, so it was a no brainer for me to try the butternut squash ravioli. I am not usually a squash person, but I do like butternut squash. It may be because it is slightly sweet or that everything tastes better topped with butter and sugar. These were topped with a light sauce and the filling had hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. The sauce was a cross between a red sauce and a cream sauce that completed the somewhat delicate flavors in the ravioli.

To finish off this perfect fall meal, I sampled the pumpkin pecan praline cheesecake. You didn't get just a slice, you got your own mini cheesecake dusted with powdered sugar and sugared pecan pieces. This was a super rich cheesecake that had a nice pumpkin flavor. The addition of the pecan added crunch and depth to the flavor. This was not just another piece of pumpkin cheesecake. Maggiano's always impresses me with the quality and creativity of their dishes. This was a meal that just screamed fall comfort. Though this special offering is no longer available, I will try to patiently wait until next year when it comes back.

Turtle Cheesecake

I am usually fairly good at taking baking risks, but for some reason I have always been a bit intimidated by the cheesecake. Maybe it's because I have had many a pieces of cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory and didn't want to disappoint myself, but when I saw this recipe on Pinterest for turtle cheesecake I couldn't pass it up. So I set off to find a spring form pan to make my cheesecake. Looking at the recipe, I found that there weren't any crazy ingredients and the process seemed fairly straightforward. Feeling a bit more confident, I started. This was a chocolate swirl cheesecake on a graham cracker crust. It called for chocolate graham cracker crumbs, but I could only find the plain ones and didn't feel like making my own. 

To make the crust, combine the butter and graham cracker crumbs. Then press it into the pan and part way up the side. To make the filling, start by mixing the sweetened condensed milk and cream cheese together. Add in sugar, lime, eggs, and vanilla. Then start the process of melting the chocolate chips in the microwave. This is a slow process because you don't want to burn the chocolate and if you microwave it too much it starts to harden. Once the chocolate is melted, you scoop out about half of the cheesecake mixture and mix it in the chocolate. Alternate between the plain and chocolate filling, starting and ending with the plain filling. Take the spatula and even out the filling before baking at 300. The trickiest part of making the cheesecake is the baking time. You don't want it to be underdone, but you don't want it to be over done it.

The recipe calls for a bake time of 1 hour and 15 minutes, but mine ended up being in for almost about 1 hour and 45 minutes. I found it hard to determine when the center moved just slightly, so I probably baked my for longer than was necessary. Allow it to cool completely, before drizzling on the caramel and chocolate and then topping with pecans and chocolate chips. In the end, I was fairly pleased with my cheesecake. I was very proud of myself for taking on the challenge and managing to produce something that was pretty decent. Don't be afraid to try something new! Chances are it isn't as hard as you think it is and you very well may surprise yourself. If something goes wrong, just realize you learned what not to do. Knowing that my first attempt wasn't a complete disaster has made me excited to make another one.

Pecan Pumpkin Perfection

So you know it's about to be the holidays when... restaurants start bringing out the seasonal menu items. I was so excited when I saw that The Cheesecake Factory was serving the pumpkin cheesecake and the pecan pumpkin cheesecake! I decided to go for the pecan pumpkin cheesecake which is a combination of pecan pie, pumpkin pie, and cheesecake. The bottom layer is a graham crust and then the gooey caramel pecan pie filling. It isn't overly sweet and balances well with the pumpkin. The top layer is a light, fluffy pumpkin cheesecake. It has a great pumpkin flavor that is laced with cinnamon and nutmeg. The sweeter pecan layer adds depth to the pumpkin cheesecake and the pecans add crunch and texture. This really is the best of both worlds, so you never have to choose between pumpkin and pecan pie. So hurry on into The Cheesecake Factory and grab a slice before it's gone! 

Glass Wall

Let me just first start off by saying that the Glass Wall is an absolutely fantastic place! The ambiance it cozy, relaxing, and modern. There are tons of candles mixed with shades of cream and aqua. It is a fairly small place, but it doesn't feel crowded. I am so glad that I got to try here for Houston Restaurant Weeks! I started off with a chicken and tarragon ravioli. It was served with fennel and snap peas in a prosecco and herb butter broth. It was light and buttery, there were tons of textures going on, and the sauce didn't overwhelm or overpower the dish. It was delicate and the perfect way to whet your appetite for the rest of the meal to come. Since I went with a friend, I also got to try the crab cake which was served with house made potato chips, and coleslaw. The crab cake wasn't too dry and the chips added the perfect crunch to the dish. The sauce was a peach aioli which I would have never thought to pair peach and crab. But I guess that's why I just enjoy the dishes that someone else creates!

I tried a Black & Blue martini that was a combination of blueberry, cherry, and vanilla vodka and served with a slice of orange. It was a little bit like a slushy because there was a tiny bit of ice in it. The orange add a slight citrus zing to it, creating a full developed palette of flavors.

For dinner, I ordered a corn flake crusted chicken fried steak. First, let me just say that I have never order this type of dish before, but it was such a creative dish that I just had to try it. It was accompanied by a corn relish and cheesy mashed potato goodness. It had a delicious gravy that had a faint bit of heat and helped to add the extra oomph the dish had. The crust was crispy and the mashed potatoes were amazing... sad to say that they are one of my food weaknesses. For not having tried may chicken fried steaks, I would have to say that there are very high expectations now.

Last, but certainly worth the wait, is dessert. I opted for a cherry and chocolate bread pudding drizzled with chocolate sauce and freshly whipped cream. The bread pudding had a nice texture where the bread and the custard melted together so that it didn't feel like you were eating cubes of bread. The cherry added a deep fruit flavor and the whipped cream added a touch of sweetness. The tiramisu cheesecake was topped with a cappuccino cream molded perfectly to the shape of the spoon.

Overall, this was an absolutely amazing meal and I can't wait to go back and try it again. If you haven't had a chance to stop in, be sure to do so! Just a heads up, they aren't open on Sundays, so don't wait until then. Let me know what you think when you try it out. Houston Restaurant Weeks, benefiting the Houston Food Bank, will be ending soon so don't delay anymore. Try something out before it's too late!

Celebrating National Cheesecake Day

I hope that everyone got a chance to celebrate National Cheesecake Day yesterday. I headed on over to The Cheesecake Factory and picked up a slice of the Peanut Butter Cheesecake Chocolate Cake. This was a stacked cake with layers of cake, peanut butter, and cheesecake with chocolate chunks and peanuts. It was topped with a light chocolate ganache type icing and swirl of peanut butter icing. It was delicious! The chocolate cake was moist and held it's shape pretty well. The saltiness from the peanut butter helped to balance out the sweetness from the cheesecake. The crunch of the peanuts and chocolate chunk provided a nice texture. If you like chocolate and peanut butter, this is the perfect cheesecake for you! But really you can't go wrong with anything you pick from The Cheesecake Factory. Enjoy!

Pizza Perfected

One of the great things about going to a new place is that you get to experience their food culture and Tulsa seems to be a place that isn't overrun with national food chains. They have a ton of smaller, local restaurants which is great for getting a taste of how it is to live in the city. I was lucky enough to get taken out to an absolutely fabulous pizza place called Andolini's Pizzeria, located in one of the little hot spots of Tulsa. It has a great vibe and was full of energy. You can watch them making the pizza and hand tossing the dough. They have a great selection of wines and beers. They even have beer flights served in a pizza paddle. We decided to go all out and so we started off the meal with some fried mozzarella. The cheese is made in house and you can definitely taste the difference. It was creamy and silky with the perfect, crispy coating. The marina had tons of flavor and was the perfect finishing touch to the cheese. Adding oregano to it was a great way to add a tiny bit of earthy goodness. However, it was just as good plain as it was with the marinara and it was quite possibly the best fried mozzarella I have ever had.

Next, we opted to split a pizza that was half "Frederico" and half "Andolini's Combination". The Frederico was a white pizza with alfredo sauce, baby spinach, mushrooms, and speck. What is speck you may ask? It is smoked proscuitto and pretty delicious, even though I am not a huge fan of proscuitto in general. This pizza was delightful and everything blended together so well. The other half was an upscale supreme pizza with lots of veggies and meats. The best part was that there was the perfect amount of sauce. It wasn't overwhelming and balanced well with all the yummy toppings. They know how to do pizza because there was plenty of toppings, so that it didn't feel like you were just eating crust and sauce. Honestly, it was too hard to say which half was better, but they were both winners!

Ending the meal on a sweet note is a nice treat for me, since I don't usually order dessert. I love tiramisu, so when I saw they had a gluten free tiramisu and cheesecake dessert, I got really excited. Named the "Tiramocha", this seemed like a great twist on two classic desserts, so we decided to give it a try. Honestly, I had no idea what to expect, but fell a little flat. It had a very interesting flavor and texture. It was served with some shortbread like ladyfinger cookies dusted in powdered sugar that were really good with the tiramocha. It added tons of flavor, but overall I was not really pleased with it. I guess it was one of my not so awesome dessert choices, but luckily the bf was a sport and muddled through with me. This isn't something that I would order again, nor would it be something I recommend, but at least now I can say I tried it. Overall, the meal was delicious and if I lived there is would definitely make my list of favorite places in Tulsa. If you are in the area, you need to stop by and grab a piece of this perfect pizza pie!