Houston Recap
If you’ve been following along on my IG, you’ll know we just returned from a 6 day trip to H-Town and it did not disappoint on all things food!
We actually went because my husband is a huge Texans fan, so we were graciously hosted by some people within in the organization who showed us what the true meaning of Southern Hospitality really is. We were taken for a tour, got field passes then had amazing seats for the game against the Buffalo Bills on October 6th, 2024. Bonus was our AMAZING win with 2 seconds on the clock!
But as much as I could go into what an amazing experience that was, this is my food blog so I’m sure you’re here for the food highlights so let’s get to it! Here are some of the gems we encountered while down in Texas!
Feges BBQ
Feges is a renowned spot owned by a wonderful couple Patrick and Erin. Their culinary background and love for proper craft BBQ came together in 2018 when they opened this highly recognized BBQ joint, that has since been awarded some of the Top BBQ Restaurant accolades in the country. We went to the Spring Branch; the restaurant is spacious with indoor and outdoor seating and a fun spot for kids to burn off some energy in the presence of their um, interesting looking mascot, “Cupcake”.
We ordered an assortment of food, probably more than we needed but we absolutely had to try it all.
The ribs were on point, but the brisket was the star for me, simply because I have never in all my years had something melt in my mouth the way it did. It truly blew my mind and I spoke about it for the remainder of our trip. It actually made me sad when we left. We also ordered the Whole Hog Platter, which is a “Carolina-style whole hog with cracklin chopped in, mop sauce, and charred coleslaw on top of hog fat cornbread”. I can’t even explain the texture party here and you know I’m alllll about textures! Special mention on the money cat potatoes; wicked side to compliment the meat platter.
We also ordered, and I know this sounds odd, PB&J wings. They gave an Asian fusion vibe with the peanut flavour, then the grape jelly gave the sweet notes and the sriracha a little punch of heat. It’s one of those things that just work. They actually put the recipe on their site!
My burger connoisseur son ordered their burger and ate it faster than I could get a bite and my chicken nugget expert daughter loved their chicken and gave their fries rave reviews (and my kids KNOW burgers, nuggets and fries haha).
Anyway, if you’re ever down there, check them out. It’s a must. We left with T-Shirts, a couple bottles of BBQ sauces, stickers and very full, happy tummies.
Tacos Doña Lena
This award winning Mexican restaurant had the honour of being my first PROPER Mexican experience. Or should I say, gave ME the honour. Houston is actually the farthest I’ve been down in the states so I’ve never had to honour of having proper Mexican food Cali or Texas style. It’s been something I’ve dreamt of, and here at home, we simply lack in the Mexican food scene. There are some gems around the city but down in H-Town, the options are endless.
Leave it up to me to go to the front counter and order just shy of 20 tacos. I didn’t intend on ordering quite that many but there were so many different types of meat, plus the option of corn or flour tortillas, I simply couldn’t narrow it down.
That said, I think we may have left one uneaten. The food is everything my taco dreams are made of. We went back a couple days later for late night takeout because I couldn’t imagine only having it once.
We ordered Barbacoa, Carne Ranchera, Bistek de Puerco, Chile Negro con Carne, Pastor and Tinga de Pollo. What is the definition of each? I can’t remember but order it all. Just. Order. It. All.
Including the Mango and Pineapple-Cucumber Aguas Frescas. A Mexican Coke too.
And get all the salsas. Bonus if you eat in: bottles on the table.
Star Pizza
Recommended to us by a friend down in Houston, this pizza was an awesome late night takeout option when we didn’t want to resort to quick serve fast food (we weren’t sacrificing any meals in our short time there!). Originally from Connecticut, our friend told us this gave proper NYC vibes. It was delicious.
Good to Know - it’s an AYCE on Tuesdays and Fridays between the hours of 11 and 2, which includes regular pizza and DEEP DISH! Timing didn’t work for us but if (when) we go back down, we may just do that!
Truth BBQ
We wanted to go to Truth’s original location but time didn’t permit so we went for second best option: we stocked up on BBQ at the NRG Stadium. Truth has moved into the stadium for off the chart game day eats. I actually ran into Leonard, the owner there and chatted for a few minutes; super cool guy who knows his stuff and has brought BBQ to the stadium without sacrificing an ounce of quality. Brisket was awesome and the tater tot casserole was on point.
We were disappointed.: to not make it back to the original location but will next time for sure.
Pho Saigon
We decided to try out this famous spot for a light dinner one evening. Broth in the pho was flavourful and we had a rice dish on the side too. Lots of locals, good parking, and super quick service.
Now let’s chat coffee and sweets.
Red Circle Ice Cream - churros galore, waffles and amazing ice cream
https://www.redcirclefranchising.com
Milk + Sugar Ice Cream - Amazing homemade ice cream with creative mix-ins, and seasonal options… three words: Thai Milk Tea.
https://www.milkandsugarcreamery.com
Voodoo Doughnuts - a huge menu of giggle-worthy flavours of doughnuts. It was next to impossible to select just a few. Definitely worth a visit.
https://www.voodoodoughnut.com
Pudgy’s Fine Cookies - HUGE soft cookies, so many flavours and served WARM. Heaven. We got the white chocolate Oreo and it was a perfect shareable. I was also told their Bananas Foster is a fave amongst locals.
https://www.pudgysfinecookies.com
Slowpokes Cafe and Eatery - we went for a midday coffee run after lunch at Feges BBQ and it was the perfect pick me up. Tons of options; I was blown away by the Lavender Honey Latte. I had it iced and immediately wanted a second!
So that’s it… I mean, we crammed a LOT into the short time we had there. I also got to try In-N-Out for the first time and later found out they have a SECRET menu, which explained the crazy fry concoction I saw being made in the kitchen that definitely wasn’t on the storefront menu.
I guess that means one thing: we need to go back.
That said, we barely scratched the surface in Houston. We were cramming in as much as we could but there was so much we simply couldn’t squeeze into our days. The food scene is some of the best and let me reiterate, the people are some of the coolest around. Chat with some locals, chat with restaurant owners, pick their brains, hear their stories. I find such inspiration from meeting people like that..
The love for good eats can be felt everywhere in H-Town.
Mel
PS: The food truck scene was amazing too… make sure to keep an eye out as you’re driving around for amazing food trucks all over the place!
One year later…
It’s been a minute. Let’s catch up…
Hey….
It’s been a minute. More than a minute, I know I know.
Life gets in the way but I’m still here, cooking, baking and not slowing down.
Unfortunately, sometimes certain things fall onto the back burner. Well, that’s not exactly true. The website hasn’t fallen onto the back burner in terms of desire to be here, to create and to bring you the joy that food brings me. But let’s take a second and drop a little truth bomb.
The World Wide Web can be a discouraging place.
I’ve been turned down for certain things that help websites run. I’ve been told I need more traffic, but how does one get traffic when you’re alllll the way down the search engine and when your content, no matter how good it is, isn’t being seen by people?
It’s been a slow uphill climb, and combined with the hectic life of a full time working mom of three, it’s also proven to be a tricky juggling act.
I almost decided to close up shop and close down the website and “wait for a better time”. I had some hard conversations with myself and have listened to how much the people around me truly back me, but I really did have to buy into it, believe it for myself if you will. But I’ve snapped out of it, made some investments into me, and into this, and I’m ready to start again.
I have so much content for you. So many recipes, and so many great inspirational dishes that I truly believe you will enjoy. I have been spending a lot of time organizing and figuring out the best approach to this. A way to showcase my creativity both as an artist and a foodie. I hope that it all shines through and you can feel the love that I have for this.
Bottom line: I just need to show up, be here and keep creating.
Thank you for being here. Big changes are coming.
Mel
Salt Vs. Salt Vs. Salt
Salt Vs. Salt Vs. Salt - What Gives?
Himalayan (L), Diamond Kosher Salt (R)
In most of my recipes, you’ll come across the term “salt, to taste” in my ingredients list. I rarely will tell you how much specifically to add.
Why is that, you ask?
Well, there are a couple reasons.
The first reason is because there are various types of salt and each one has a different level of “saltiness”. So, what 1 teaspoon of one type of salt tastes like will be significantly more (or less) salty than another.
Let’s discuss briefly below:
Table Salt: otherwise known as iodized salt, this is the one type I don’t even keep in my pantry. It is the least natural of the salts and has iodine and anti- caking agents. It’s also VERY salty and can be used too liberally if you aren’t careful.
Sea Salt: I keep sea salt on hand and use it to salt water for pastas, potatoes and vegetables. It is salt produced by the evaporation of sea salt. You’ll find many types, including pink (or Himalayan). I find it salty, but much easier to control. A good staple in my opinion.
Kosher Salt: my all time favourite salt is Diamond Kosher Salt. It’s the least salty but can take a little getting used to because you need to be way more heavy handed with it. However, I recommend it to people just getting into the swing of cooking because it’s much easier to add salt than to take away so you can always taste and add more. It’s more expensive but worth every single penny.
There are other salts, like maldon, which are finishing salts, flaky in texture and used when you want salt that doesn’t dissolve immediately (i.e. on cookies).
The second reason I don’t give measurements on salt is because how much salt can vary depending on other ingredients you choose, that I can’t control. This can be something as simple as a boxed broth. If you use low or no sodium then you need to use way more salt than someone using a regular broth. It can also be adjusted based on your taste, health needs, and overall taste for salt in your food.
I hope this helps. Never be afraid to salt your food. You can start with less then add more until you get comfortable with the type of salt you’re using.
One tip if you do overdo it with salt in a dish, like a sauce or soup, is to toss a potato in. The potato will soak up the salt and may very well save your meal.
Hope you learned a little something!
Until next time,
Melissa
Week 1 - i finally did it.
It all begins with an idea.
First of all, welcome and thank you for being here! This website has been such a learning experience for me (in a good way!), and is going to be a work in progress. I will make changes, change themes, move things around and then hopefully find a groove; a groove that works for me and most importantly, keeps you coming back for more! I welcome suggestions, comments, and of course if you notice anything that doesn’t work right, please let me know. I’m updating both desktop and mobile versions of my site so I may miss things here and there, especially while I’m navigating around this whole thing! You can send me a message in my Contact page!
At the bottom of my page is a link to recent IG activity. Pretty well everything I do here will be shown in some way, shape or form over there.
I hope to eventually get a star ratings system up on my recipe, as well as a Print button. That will come in time (i.e. when I figure it out… suggestions welcome!). For now, there is a comments section where you can ask questions or post feedback.
Ummm, I think that’s all for now. I appreciate you so much and hope that while this journey is new, that you will continue to check back, try out a thing or two and maybe find some inspiration in the kitchen.
Until next time,
Melissa