Home is where the food is

Houston, TX

I got a nice break from the muggy rainy Boston spring weather and went home to sunny Houston, TX for a weekend. People say that Houston is one of most diverse cities in the U.S. which is something I can definitely vouch for, given the food that I consumed throughout my weekend there.

Day 1: Chinese, King Bo II restaurant in Sugar Land, TX 

Local chinese food around the corner from my house...I've never been their for lunch, but my parents wanted to wine and dine, so... no complaints! So, this meal is $6.50 and let me tell you what you get....1. soup or salad 2. crab rangoon or egg rolls 3. white rice or fried rice 4. choice of an entree. ALL FOR $6.50! Pictured above fried rice, crab rangoon, and sesame chicken. Slightly pictured: jasmine tea. Not pictured: egg drop soup = so yummy.

Day 2: Italian, Brio in Memorial area Houston, TX

A little background on the city of Houston: its a little mix of everything... you have suburbia, the city, the country, all in one big city. They recently developed this placed called Town and Country in Memorial where my mom looooooves to have lunch with her other desperate housewives (ok only 50% true), but its super chic and posh and filled with great food!

We went to this place called Brio I ordered the Pasta Carbonara, and after just coming back from Rome... this pasta felt just like Italy! You can really tell when a restaurant uses fresh pasta and fresh ingredients in their dishes, it makes a big difference, and its really worth it! Not pictured: the great dessert trio we devoured because it was just so delectable and my stomach was thinking for me at the time, but it consisted of  2 nutella cannolis (um.. SO GOOD), bread pudding, and creme brulee. Each had an Italian twist to it, molto buono!

Day 3: TEX MEX the last day... Pappasitos- Sugar Land, TX 

 Living in Boston, a girl doesn't get much Tex Mex... or she gets really bad Tex Mex. Its not the same in Boston, they can't replicate it, never have, never will, but its fine because I still love Boston and their fabulous lobsters.
 Anyways, pictured above was my brother's meal - or remnants of his meal, because my stomach thinks before my brain does and I forget to capture the fabulous fajitas my mom and I split (sizzling on a platter, with grilled onions, and a side of melted butter *droool*) Ok, so I believe he had a quesadilla platter with a taco and extra filling...um, all for like $7.50 (p.s. you can tell my parents live for lunch specials, and this place had lunch specials on a Sunday! Its rare to find Sunday lunch specials so... cure that hang over, and after church get some tex mex at Pappasitos! worth. it. ) 

Houston is worth visiting y'all!

VIVA ITALIA!!!

Can I just say something? Italian food is the best food in the world. HANDS DOWN. I spent 10 days in Italy and had the amazing opportunity to enjoy a real homemade Italian meal. There are a couple of things you have to understand about Italian eating.Pretty much, Italians have several courses in ONE sitting.
 

Check out this casa, so gorgeous... I want to live here!

1. Ok, you start with the pasta, in this case Lasagna. By the way, this was the best lasagna I've ever had! The sauce wasn't too tart, and there was just the right amount of meat and cheese. Oh and the pasta was cooked perfectly, so fresh, so good.

2. The family set up a grand dining table of food to feast on AFTER the meal:

So, as you can see from the above pictures there was an assortment of great great food. Mozzarella, foccacia, salad, beans (like special Italian beans) which you eat with parmegiano reggiano, spicy prosciutto, non spicy proscuitto ( which the family made themselves, somehow?), there was also sun dried tomatoes (homemade), and this other sort of bread... which you eat the cheese and the prosciutto with. I need to adopt this family and have them introduce this to the US because it was delectable. Molto buono!

3. Dessert

...the name of the cake slips my mind at the moment, but again it was a nice way to finish off a hefty meal. The cake was almost like a pie- in the sense that it was dense but light at the same time, had an egg custard taste to it and wasn't too sweet.

4. Espresso!!

Its small, but strong...so, beware! Brewed to perfection (in a french press, on a stove), end the meal in the most relaxing way possible. This is the life!

My friend at Whole Food's

Ever been to Whole Foods and wonder how they make these amazing cakes? Well, last week when I was there I met a group of pretty cool guys who worked at the bakery...and they bake everything there! I would love to come in for a demonstration or a small class to learn how to bake these cakes.

The shortest season.

The days that we get so little of...

I mean, its kind of gorgeous. Boston is a completely different city when the sun decides to shine...it may be 50 degrees outside, but that doesn't stop girls from coming out in dresses, shorts, and hats. The month of April is fully dedicated to these beautiful blossoms...they come, they go, then it rains. =(

Gelato = better than American ice cream

So I just got back from Rome and had the opportunity to experience a gelateria on literally every block. Gelato, I would have to say is its own species...I think its a lot better than "ice cream" even though it technically meaaaannns ice cream, yeah its not. The featured flavors above are pistachio and hazelnut, pronounced "pis-ta-kee-oh" apparently.