Houston and the Family

It has been roughly 4 months since I've seen my brother, mother, father, sisters and nephew. This past weekend was great. We got a chance to see my little sister (she had a rough start to 3rd grade, but is adjusting well), my mom (who I was really happy to see), my brother (who is always funny, doing well at his job and bought a sweet car), my dad (who is currently remodeling his townhouse - I'm hoping he hires the guy who designed the Door County cabin as his assistant), my sister (who is 4 months pregnant and found a job!), and my nephew (who is running around, cute as can be).

After 7 weeks of teaching kids Spanish, math and science and trying to convince them that it will benefit them a great deal later on in life, Chelsea and I were spent! We had planned on going to Houston at some point between the beginning of the school year and Thanksgiving and we also happened to find out that Chelsea's two favorite bands were going to be in concert, so this weekend worked out really well, especially since it was a 3-day weekend.

As far as culinary adventures go, Saturday's cuisine consisted of Whataburger and fruit salad my mom made us when we got to Houston. Before the concert we went to Berryhill in The Woodlands, TX for some good Tex-Mex. During the concert we resisted buying overpriced food items, but did meet up with one of our co-workers and her husband, who were really nice and bought us a beer!

Saturday night ended really well, and Sunday we had a very relaxing day. We started our day with a light breakfast at La Madeleine, a bakery/french cafe (it's chain restaurant, but I don't think I've seen it outside of Texas...WEIRD!!!). Chelsea had some eggs and an iced coffee and I had some iced tea and oatmeal. For lunch, we went out with my mom, my little sister, and Chelsea to the wonderful Olive Garden, where my sister pointed out that although my mom likes the Olive Garden, she doesn't like olives (my mom ate everything in her salad BUT the olives!)...she's a jokester! Olive Garden was great and afterwards we went to the grocery store for dinner ingredients.

Although it was vacation my parents wanted to have a sit-down dinner but no ideas on what to make. We normally have fajitas for coming-home occasions, but we weren't really feeling the fajitas and neither were my parents. So Chelsea and I volunteered to make dinner. We made the Stoplight Pepper Soup on our blog and it turned out great. My parents loved it and my little sister did as well. We also got to see my little nephew who was walking!!! He turned 1 year on September 23rd. He's not only walking but running, which is sometimes a concern.

After dinner we went to the park where A LOT of my uncles were playing soccer. I also got a chance to see my cousin who I'm really close with. After the park we went back home where my brother and his wife joined us. We hung out for a while and talked about life, work, the city imposing a 40% increase on everyone's water bill, and ideas for Thanksgiving... rumor has it my mom will make Salvadoran food which we'll try to post on the blog! The night ended with a gift from my sister. She had these bracelets in her little jewelry box that she gave to Chelsea and I... I was really touched and happy that I have a thoughtful little sister. Chelsea had some Thank You cards in her backpack and we left her one before we left.

Monday morning we had breakfast with my cousin who I mentioned above and this great restaurant named "The Egg and I". Very good egg dishes and French toast. Our drive back was long, but we finished "The Shack" which we started in August. We had mixed feelings about the book as we listened to it, but in the end we both agree that it was a good book, and we like the overall message that it has. We got a little lost due to some car dancing to Glee and missing our exit, but we found our way back! At 4:20 we arrived to the Valley and started getting ready for tomorrow. The weekend was too short, but full of happiness. UNFORTUNATELY, we dropped the ball on picture taking, but my mom did take some so hopefully we can get them from her. Countdown to Chelsea's trip to see Brady and the Jets as well as Thanksgiving has officially begun!!!

Sugarland + Little Big Town = Happiness

Edwin and I went to Houston this weekend to see his family and to enjoy the sweet sounds of country music (aka a concert of my 2 favorite country bands: Sugarland and Little Big Town). Thank you to IDEA Public Schools for giving us the day off!!!!!! (It was a scheduled bad weather day... The Valley's equivalent of a built in make-up snow day) More on our weekend in Houston later, but here are a few pics from the concert.

Before the show. Can you tell we got there early? We were really excited.

The incredibly talented Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland

Edwin was super pumped when Sugarland sang a Miley Cirus song

The guy from Sugarland (in the hat) gave his guitar away to a girl right in front of us. We think he could see her dancing non-stop the entire concert all the way from the stage. Apparently he missed Edwin and my sweet moves, although I'm not sure how that's possible. Maybe next time. But what's even better than getting an autographed guitar? Having my dream of being on a Jumbo-Tron fulfilled because we were behind the girl. Check.

Brats, Beach, GLEE!!

Life has been full of small joys lately. The weather, while far from "Fall", has turned dry rather than humid. Temps are still in the high 80s, but if I close my eyes the breeze almost makes me believe it is autumn. Also, Edwin and I discovered "Simply Apple" juice which reminds me of cider straight from the orchards. Ah, simple joys.

Another big joy: This GLEE t-shirt that arrived in the mail last week!!! I've worn it 3 times since I got it (on Thursday). Thanks Mom!!!!!

On Friday night Edwin made beer brats. (An upside of summer-like temps: cook outs in October.) He used Octoberfest beer and put onions and red peppers with the meat as it boiled, which turned out to be an excellent combination! They were delicious. We enjoyed our feast in Edwin's backyard/orchard.

On Saturday we went to the beach, which was awesome. Edwin and I bought boogie boards and had a great time with them. It wasn't the best day for it, as the waves were small.... but we wore ourselves out trying to catch the perfect wave! It reminded me of family vacay's! After the beach we went to Padre Brewing Company for dinner. We lucked out and got Octoberfest beer that had finished brewing that day! It was awesome! The food was good too... we got Wisconsin cheese curds that could rival Culver's.

I don't have to teach this week because Edwin's kids are taking district exams... Good for me, stressful for him! This weekend we are going to Houston to see Edwin's family AND to see Sugarland & Little Big Town in concert! I am beyond excited! Stay tuned!

New Cart!!

Mr. Gonzalez, my co-worker, built me a new cart!!!!! Check out this beauty!!

Hot soup on a hot day...

... Cools you down? It's been really hot here in the RGV. Surprise, surprise. The 3-day weekend was great, but in our opinion way too short. For our friends in Brownsville and San Benito because of the tropical storm, they were able to extend their vacation until today. Unfortunately, they used up their bad weather day, so they will not be off in October... but we will!!!

School has been business as usual. Kids being kids and teachers trying to make it until 3:45 pm. This week, after an amazing weekend of eating, we were inspired to make a good meal for two. On today's menu: Chili Spiced Chicken Soup with Stoplight Peppers and Avocado (we posted the recipe a couple of months ago), and bruschetta with fresh baked bread, pesto, goat cheese, zucchini, and grape tomatoes.

The ingredients for the bruschetta are as follows:

1 french baguette (I was able to make some with the dough from my baking book)

Goat Cheese (we used the crumbles)

Pesto, homemade or store-bought

Grape Tomatoes

1 zucchini

olive oil or canola oil

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Slice the baguette diagonally into thin slices, about 1/2 inch thick.

2. Spread a couple of crumbles of goat cheese on top.

3. Bake in oven for 7-10 minutes

4. Saute zucchini until tender, about 4-5 minutes

5. Cut grape tomatoes into halves

6. When baguette slices are baked spread the goat cheese around, add a layer of pesto and arrange zucchini and grape tomatoes on each slice.

7. Enjoy!

This meal was much needed. The bruschetta was inspired by a meal we had at Whole Foods. Eating it almost transported us back to Austin. IT WAS SOOOOOOOO GOOD YOU SHOULD TRY IT! (Chelsea talking now) Seriously, this bruschetta is to die for, as is the soup. Four stars.

Buen provecho!

Labor Day in Austin

Last year on Labor Day we were teaching- trudging through the first few weeks of school. This year, our wonderful employer gave us the day off!!!!!! As it should be. Seeing as I had to take the GRE in San Antonio on Saturday, we decided to make a weekend out of it.... Not that we needed any arm-twisting- we get out of the valley every chance we get!!

On Friday night Edwin and I drove to San Antonio. We had dinner at The Cove, a restaurant I had seen on the Travel Channel awhile back. It's kind of a dive (fitting, as I had seen it on Diners Dives and Drive-Ins), but had great food. They feature sustainable, local and organic meats. Edwin had a lamb burger and I had a bison burger. Yum!

On Saturday I took the GRE. It sucked, but I think I seem to have gotten the score I needed for education programs. It's a good thing I don't want to be an engineer though, as my math score was less than stellar. While I was beating my head against a computer screen, Edwin saw a movie- something about the girl with a dragon?? He liked it. After the test we drove to Austin, the promised land as far as Texas is concerned. Soon after arriving at the hotel, we set out for Whole Foods. Some of you may remember from past posts how we feel about Whole Foods, but it bears repeating. IT IS PHENOMENAL. At this "grocery store", we had dinner, wine-tasted, bought freshly ground chocolate peanut butter and local honey. Can't beat it folks. For my dinner I had DELICIOUS bruschetta: pesto, goat cheese, tomatoes and zucchini. Edwin and I are going to attempt a recreation on Wednesday so stay tuned for pics. Edwin ate pasta which he felt was pretty good.

On Sunday we set out in search of street food. I am fascinated by street food (i.e. food being sold from a truck or trailer on the side of the road), and Edwin has even dreamt of starting his own taco truck. Austin is also known for fabulous street food. Sure enough, we hit the jackpot. We found a few dessert trucks that were featured in various tv shows and magazines (sadly, we did not indulge) and a delish taco truck. Come visit us and we will take you to Austin for these culinary gold mines!

Sunday afternoon we went to see The American, with George Clooney. It was bad- don't go. VERY boring. At night we recovered from our wasted 2 hours with George C. and went to dinner at Stubbs, which is a famous BBQ place. I believe my fam has a bottle of their BBQ sauce in the fridge at home. It was lip smackin good!

This morning we went out for one last meal (the last breakfast, you could say) before returning to the Valley. We went to Polvo's, which apparently is well-known. The food was delish- check out Edwin's breakfast!

I had migas, which are eggs scrambled with tortilla chips, swiss cheese, tomatoes, onions and jalapenos. I have discovered them since setting up camp in Texas and they are awesome. After breakfast we hit the open road and came back to the Valley. Apparently there is a tropical storm set to hit Brownsville tonight, and the schools in those towns have already been canceled for tomorrow. We shouldn't get any effects here, but we'll keep you posted! Happy Labor Day!!

SWAMPED!!

SWAMPED!!!

We received a complaint from an anonymous frequent reader that it has been several weeks since we've posted. Every time we post, we are apologizing for our absence. Alas, we are mustering up energy to update you on life and food. (We are so exhausted we accidentally posted on Chelsea's old blog. Look there for a repeat post!)

School has been hectic. Chelsea's mornings are nearly flawless, while the afternoons provide challenges with defiant children. Funny enough, those challenging children were once my kindergarten students (dodged a bullet there!) However, despite those two afternoon classes, Clase de espanol es muy bueno, amoebas. Chelsea has been doing pilates and making super sweet lattes. She's also been working really hard planning for her school year and studying for the GRE. BTW, THAT'S THIS UPCOMING WEEKEND! We are leaving The Valley tomorrow to go to San Antonio and Austin for the Labor Day Weekend. We will stop in San Antonio Friday and Saturday because Chelsea takes the GRE on Saturday. We are confident that it will go well. She is currently out for the count (our principal has subtly implied that female teachers should wear uncomfortable heels because they are more professional than flats. Her feet hurt.) But the lattes are getting her through!

5th grade has its ups and downs. We've taken a quiz and a test and the results weren't pretty. One student, when given the definition for "Physical Properties", instead of using the words in the word bank to match with the definition, he decided to write in "SCIENCE"... definitely not one of the choices. They do, however, enjoy experiments and we've done the acetone/styrofoam cup experiment which they loved. Overall, they're better than the little ones.

On to food matters. I have gone back to making bread. After a month and half hiatus I finally found the time to make some dough and bake some bread. As you may recall, the last attempt was ok, but "kneaded" (get it!) a lot of work. There's actually no kneading involved, BUT I took Mary's advice and added an 1/8 cup more flour and the dough was no longer sticky and easy to work with. SUCCESS!!! I'm still trying to get the outside to brown a little and since Sunday, I've made 2 loaves, one of which I took to work and had my co-workers try. They liked it, one thought it was too salty which I agreed with. Here are some pictures!

Tonight, Chelsea found a sweet recipe on Cooking Light's website for one of our favorite dishes: risotto. It's a recipe for risotto with fresh mozzarella, basil, and grape tomatoes. We tweaked it by cutting out the basil (we couldn't find fresh basil) and we used parmesan cheese instead of mozzarella (it's kind of pricey), as well as spinach. What we ended up with was very delicious. It tasted like something that should be unhealthy, but with the ingredients we used, it turned out to be relatively healthy. Anyways, we dropped the ball on the pictures, but here is the recipe.

• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 4 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil, divided
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice or other medium-grain rice
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup half-and-half
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup halved grape tomatoes
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 5 ounces parmesan cheese

PREPARATION

Place vinegar in a small, heavy saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook until slightly syrupy and reduced to 1 tablespoon (about 4 minutes). Set aside.

Bring broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan (do not boil). Keep warm.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.

Add rice; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in wine, and cook 1 minute or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly.

Stir in 1 cup broth; cook 5 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next (about 25 minutes total).

Stir in half-and-half, salt, and pepper; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in tomatoes, basil, and cheese.

Place about 1 cup risotto into each of 6 shallow serving bowls; drizzle each serving with 1/2 teaspoon balsamic syrup and 1/2 teaspoon oil.

Et Viola, a delicious recipe. Until next time friends!