Blue Rose Cafe

I wish that we had nice enough weather year round to warrant large patios and outside seating areas at restaurants. There is just something about them that seems to make time stand still. However, for the few perfect patio weather days we get here, it's not really worth it I guess. But thank goodness, that's not the case everywhere. Blue Rose Cafe in Tulsa overlooks the Arkansas River and has a huge patio and outside bar. It has a super laid back and rocker chic feel to it. The menu is fun American food, but their specialty are the burgers. I opted for the veggie burger, which was made of rice, black beans, and cheese with some other secret ingredients and was topped with lettuce and onions. The patty was well seasoned, which was nice because sometimes they can be pretty bland. The unique thing about this was the bun. Yes, it looks like a normal bun, but it is almost like a Hawaiian sweet roll... which I wasn't expecting at all. It was good but overwhelmed the more delicate flavors of the veggie burger, so I took half of it off. This way I could really taste the burger and not just the sweet bread. The bun could definitely stand up to the more robust flavors of a normal burger though. The fries were also pretty delicious. They were a bit thicker cut than fast food fries, but not like steak cut fries and had some skin still on. They had sea salt flakes on them, which gives a hint of saltiness without oversalting them. Though it wasn't the best food I have ever had, the view makes up for it. It was a perfect way to spend a lovely fall afternoon, looking at the river and enjoying the breezy, cooler weather while enjoying a good old burger.

Doc's Food and Wine

I love food and pairing it with a great wine and romantic atmosphere makes it even better. This is what a trip to Doc's Food and Wine was like. The bi-level restaurant had a warm and cozy feel to it. I started off with a Papa Doble, which was rum, lime, grapefruit, and maraschino liqueur. Don't be confused like me and think that maraschino means red and cherry flavored. It is made of cherries, but doesn't taste at all like the cherry you put on a sundae. The drink was not at all sweet, which wasn't really my style but at least I can say I tried it. Since it was part wine bar, I figured that I should try some of their wines and I have never had a wine flight before, so now was my chance. I tried the "Old World Whites" flight, which included Domaine de Salvard Sauvignon Blanc, Salneval Albarino, and Eric Chevalier muscadet. I would have to say that the muscadet was my favorite because it had heavy notes of fruit flavor and paired well with the seafood we were eating.

They served the food tapas style, with one or two portions per plate so we got a few to share. The four plates were (starting from the top left hand corner) shrimp and grits, jalapeno calamari, crab cakes, and parmesan mussels. They were all delicious! The shrimp had a bit of a kick to it and the grits were creamy and cheesy. The calamari of the day had jalapenos in the batter and then slices of fried jalapenos served with the calamari. It wasn't too spicy, but did have a great smokey flavor to it. The crab cakes were well-seasoned, the crust had a nice crunch to it, and the sauce added an extra punch of flavor. I was cautious about the mussels because I didn't have a good first experience with them. However, when you add butter, garlic, and parmesan cheese, it will make anything instantly better! They were a great introduction to mussels and had a really great flavor. Plus, they have there own little forks that you use to get them out of the shell, so what's not to like about that?! (Ok, maybe that's just me)

Last, but not least we closed the meal with a heavenly bread pudding topped with a snickerdoodle ice cream. I know it sounds a little weird, but the other flavors were things like skittle, cotton candy, and fruit punch. (I am sure that they are delicious, but none of them seemed to remotely go with bread pudding.) Ayway, the snickerdoodle ice cream was amazing! The bread pudding had a great consistency and tasted like fall. I would have to say that it ranks up there as far as the best bread pudding list is concerned. If you are ever in the area, make sure you stop in because it's a great little place full of charm and great food and drinks.

Breakfast at Cracker Barrel

Living in the South, everyone is so surprised that I have never been to Cracker Barrel before. However, after hearing that they have some fabulous Christmas decorations (yes, I did witness these first hand and they were right), I put it on my "I'll get to it eventually list". So finally I got to it and kicked off my weekend with a delicious breakfast. The other interesting thing that I have heard about the breakfasts there are that they come with a ton of food and are very competitively priced. Again, they were also right about that. Though I went a different route, you could have gotten the Sunrise Sampler, which includes eggs, grits, biscuits and gravy, fried apples or hashbrown casserole, and either bacon, sausage, or turkey sausage for about $8.00. Talk about large portions. Let me just for warn you that this isn't a super healthy place, but I don't eat breakfast like this very often, so I decided to indulge. I opted for blueberry pancakes. They were light and fluffy and filled with blueberries. They were also served with a homemade blueberry syrup. It is not like the fruit compote that has chunks of fruit or that tastes really artificial. It had a syrup consistency and wasn't overly sweet. These were really good pancakes and felt like you were in your own kitchen. It gets very crowded especially on the weekends, so be sure to get there early!

Sweet SIgn

So recently it was my mom's birthday and I decided that I was going to make a piece of artwork for her. I wanted to do something a little bit different and so when I saw this canvas at Michael's, I decided to go for it. Usually when I try to paint something, it never turns out the way I want it to, so I decided to forgo that frustration this time. I had a piece of magenta, textured felted that I used as the base. Next, I created wire letters that spelled out 'mom' (or 'wow' depending on which way you set it down). To make the letters, I took beading wire and then bent it into the shapes with wire cutters. However, I found that you can't make the complete letter and then put on the beads because they don't fit over the bends... I should have know that, right? For the finishing touch, I added three different shaped buttons to opposite corners. It was a simple way to give her a reminder that I am always thinking about her.

Sassy Water

Everyone knows that you should drink at least 8 cups of water a day. However, I have not been very good at that but I have gotten much better recently. I challenged myself to drink more water and came across this recipe on Pinterest. Known as "Sassy Water", this is a combination that is supposed to help get rid of excess water weight. How does that happen when I am drinking water you might ask? This isn't just water. This is water with a few key ingredients...cucumber, lemon, ginger, and mint. The cucumber is a natural diuretic and the ginger helps your metabolism and soothes the GI tract. The best part about this is that it is super simple and refreshing! The trick is to drink the whole pitcher every day for four days and you will be on your way to feeling much better on the inside. It's so delicious I think that I might just make this from now on. It makes drinking plenty of water much easier!

Ingredients:
1 peeled cucumber, thinly sliced
2 small lemons, thinly sliced
12 mint leaves, whole
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

Directions: Combine all ingredients and pour 8 cups of over water over the ingredients. Mix and let sit overnight for the flavors to combine. If you want to strain the water you can, but I had somewhat of a strainer on my pitcher lid, so I skipped that. Then pour yourself a nice big glasses and make a toast to your health. 

Sunday Brunch at Norma's

Brunch is one of my favorite meals because you can have sweet, like pancakes and waffles, or salty, like eggs and hash browns. For me it's always a challenge to pick between the two. However, when I stopped by Norma's at Le Parker Meridien, I was in luck. I got to have a little of both in one dish. When we sat down, the chef sent out a blueberry mango banana smoothie. It was served in this cute little shot glass and was refreshing and light. I could definitely drink that every morning... if someone made if for me of course. The coffee was served in a french press table side, so it was definitely much better than the coffee made in big batches. But that was just leading up to the star of brunch. Super cheesy french toast. I know, I know it sounds odds and I was hesitant at first, but I am telling you it was so incredibly delicious! The bread used was not the traditional challah bread and there were caramelized onions in the middle. (I have no idea how them got them there, but it was such a surprisingly yummy addition.) It was topped with shredded cheese and pepper bacon and served with au jus and maple syrup. I have didn't jump on the maple bacon bandwagon a while ago, but I should have because it's so delicious! This dish was salty and sweet all in one bite - the bread and caramelized onions were slightly sweet, the cheese and bacon were salty, and the syrup was the ingredient that tied it all together. I would have to say that this is by far the most creative and best french toast I have had. If I had my choice, this would be my "go to" for brunch. If you are in the area make sure to pop in an enjoy a delicious brunch, but go early or make a reservation because it fills up quickly.