Me, My Family and Favorite Food Quotes

"Sure I have a favorite meal of the day; at breakfast it's breakfast, at lunch it's lunch and at dinner it's dinner." -My dad

Dad grillin on the patio in San Antonio

Dad: Hey Catherine is that an Orange Soda?
Me: Ya!
Dad: When I was little in Mexico we use to drink something just like that but we drank it...
Me: Out of a bag with a straw? AHAHAHA




Dad, Me and Mom at my Grandparents house in Calvert

"Red meat is not bad for you. Now blue-green meat, that’s bad for you!" -Tommy Smothers



"I want my meat Moo'in!" - Tito



My brother Tito at Christmas

"Catherine trust me, all you have to do is marinate it in Beer and Tabasco." - Tito




Tito crusin down the Brazos

Me: Eat it Sallie Jane it's pork loin with bacon!
Sallie Jane: I don't like pork...
Me: What family do you come from?!?!?



My sister Sallie Jane



Sallie Jane, Me, Tito

 

4th of July Cake



Family Party at Jakes in Calvert, Tx

 "I would be so happy if my house always smelled like there were onions and garlic cooking and I always smelled like vanilla." - Me
 

Me: Mom, you can't eat pasta and bread in the same meal, that's what makes you fat..."
Mom: Ok, we'll have a salad and skip dessert
Me: What? Are you crazy! We have to have dessert
Mom: We'll there's nothing sweet
Me: What do you mean we don't have ice cream?!?!



Mom and Petra

"There are many foods out there that are worth being fat for. Plus, if your food tastes good and keeps bringing people back, who cares if you're fat?" - Me 

Tito and Me eating ice cream in Oregon



"I'm kind of a picky eater... Catherine, this is delicious!" -Cindy Barerro


Me and Cindy TX A&M ring dunk 2010

"Catherine, can I be your brownie tester?" - Mallory Sampson 

My cousin Mallory and Margarita at the Ranch in Calvert

"Catherine, thank you so much for the cookies and homemade salsa, the cookies crumbled and the green salsa exploded but it was all delicious!" - Mallory Sampson 




Mallory and Caitlin

 "Sex is good, but not as good as fresh, sweet corn."

-Garrison Keillor



"It's sad when you plan your vacation around where you want to eat." - Ashely Rasner
 



My best friend Ashley

"I'd like to find the guy that invented cheese and buy that dude some cheese." - Ashely Rasner

Ashey and her BF Van

Ashley: Khaki (me) what is in menudo?
Me: Basically all the intestines and other gross stuff
Ashley: Ok, I'll have that...
 



Me and Ashley out on the town

And in ending I will leave with pictures of the other things we eat down here in Texas...
 (We practice legal and fair hunting in our family. That means none of the game animals were shot out of season, we work hard to preserve the species and all the meat was used and eaten.)


What a minute! That's my cat Willie Nelson in a spurs jersey!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Here we go...


What? No thats our dog Biscuit



Uncle Tucker and his Buck



Tito and Me catfishin

 "I love animals, they're delicious!" - bumper sticker

Tito and a wild boar (DELISH!)



Mom and Dad and a Bass (too small to eat but tastey)



Dad, Clay and Wild Geese

Catfishin at the Lake



Tito, Mallory and Armour after a duck hunt (my second fav to eat next to dove)

 I hope that if ya'll are not familiar with Texas ya'll come soon!



Tito's pet Turtle (the flag was for Texas pride and so we could find him in the yard)



Halloween "Pupcakes"

Halloween is my second favorite Holiday, next to Christmas, and one of the things I look forward to the most is making goolish treats. This year I was fortunate to have started my employment in Dallas where I watch my 2 year old cousin Birdie. She will be the cute little blonde who will be in most of my entries through Christmas. This year me, Birdie and my aunt Stacy decided to make Halloween Cupcakes, or "pupcakes" as Birdie calls them. To make things easier we decided to go with a box cake mix, I like Pillsbury Yellow Cake Mix, but it is really up to you on the brand. The reason I go for yellow cake mix is you can easily dye it with food coloring, add a few extra flavors such as Vanilla, Nutmeg and  Cinnamon for the Holidays (remember a little bit of nutmeg goes a long way).
I am NOT a fan of store bought icing, I think it tastes like paste mixed with way too much sugar, so I always make my own and it is really simple! If you buy a package of powdered sugar there is usually a recipe on the back, that is what we used. It is basically just Powdered Sugar, Butter, Vanilla, and maybe Milk or Water. I wanted chocolate icing so I just melted some chocolate chips in the microwave (a little bit at a time stirring a lot so they melt nicely) and added them to the mixture. 
Once they bake the fun part begins, decorating! I got sprinkles, marsh mellows, candy, and pretzel sticks and here are the results...

This is a great way to get into the Holidays! Carve pumpkins, make sweets! So if you missed Halloween it's ok because you have both Thanksgiving and Christmas to make up for it.Help brine the Turkey, make rolls and bread, pumpkin flavored things such as ravioli, tarts, and of course pies. And with the endless selection of cookie cutters these days you can make Thanksgiving and Christmas cookies! Just make sugar cookies, cut out shapes (not too thin), make icing and dye it, then decorate to your hearts content! Good colors for fall and Thanksgiving are brown, yellow, orange and black. Good Christmas colors are green, red and white. The Holidays really aren't the same with out family and food and when you can combine the two and make things everyone will enjoy it makes it that much more special! Happy Holiday Decorating!

Hidden Treasures- Dallas

Zaguan Latin Cafe and Bakery is DEF my favorite restaurant in all of Dallas. It's wonderful! The one I always go to is on Oak Lawn in Uptown literally around the corner from my aunt and uncles house and I have yet to make a trip to Dallas without eating there. It offers a wide range of Latin American dishes that are sure to satisfy everyone in your family!

When you first walk in you will see two big glass show cases filled with every Latin bakery you could think of and even some you did not know about. The greatest thing about this place is that it is Latin Food, meaning there is a dish from just about every country in Latin America. It's not just Colombian food or Argentinian food, its all that and more! From the Breakfast (which is my favorite), Lunch, Dinner, Specialty Cakes, Sweets, and Breads.

The food is great! My favorite thing to eat, especially for breakfast, are cachapas. This is a traditional Venezuelan dish sold as street food and made from corn, these are sweet, and they are flattened like a bigger thicker tortilla and filled with any ingredient you can think of. For breakfast I like scrambled eggs, cheese, black beans, plantains, and salsa. This way I get sweet and savory in the same bite! For lunch they fill them with either beef and cheese or chicken and cheese. They also have arepas which are to the Venezuelans and Colombians what the tacos are to Mexicans. They are a sort of sandwich also made from corn. This is what I had for lunch filled with shredded beef and tastey melted white cheese, that tasted to me like panela or queso Oaxaca.


The eating damage had already ensued here

 Other dishes include pabellon, empanadas, milanesas, aroz con pollo, hallacas and much more. Some of their breads and sandwitch options are ham and cheese cachitos, guava and cheese bread, dulce de leche cheese bread, and so on... The choices just gets more and more tastey.

aroz con pollo

Something that I recommend trying are their "aguas" or "smoothis" which are made from fresh fruit and mostly there is no sugar added because it is not needed. In the latin culture we drink a lot of "aguas" which means "waters" and they are basically just water of fruit, agua de guayaba (my favorite), agua de mango, agua de sandilla (watermelon). They are delish and great for kids! My 2 year old cousin Wesley Bird or "Birdie" loved her agua de sandilla. And her rice, and her beans...

So  next time you are in Dallas go check out Zaguan!

http://www.zaguanbakery.com/

Hidden Treasures- San Antonio

                             

San Antonio holds a great secret, even though if you are from San Antonio it is no secret. This place is Chris Madrid's.

I have searched high and low and have yet to find a burger place quite like this one. Chris Madrid's is a San Antonio landmark! It opened in January of 1977 as a burger and taco place but the burgers were such a hit that they lost the tacos all together. The atmosphere is unlike any other with indoor and outdoor seating and a bar. The windows in line are filled with bumper stickers (we added a bumper sticker from my Uncle's Campaign for congress so look for it! Its blue with white writing and says "Tucker Anderson Republican for Congress"). The walls have t-shirts hanging, news articles and more to look at while you wait. One trip I saw a bio on a famous chef who runs one of the nicest restaurants in San Antonio and all he talked about was Chris Madrid's! 

You stand in line, order your burger, get your number and find a seat, be mindful, this place is always crowded but that is part of the fun! If you show up and there is a line out the door don't worry! I have never seen anywhere as organized and good at moving people like Chris Madrid's. When they are really crowded employees will take peoples order from the line and you never have to wait too long. Even if you are in line for 30 min it won't take more than 10 to get your burger.

The options are few and that is because there is no need for a big menu, the burgers are amazing! The crowd favorite is the Cheddar Cheezy. It is a delicious burger with cheddar cheeze oozing out the sides! The patty is peppery, the bun is the right size to get your mouth around and the toppings are fresh. The fries come separate and are the perfect size for sharing.

So if you are in San Antonio visiting or live there and still have not gone you HAVE TO CHECK IT OUT! This place is an institution and you won't be disappointed I promise!

Chris Madrid's is located on Hollywood and Blanco and their website is http://www.chrismadrids.com/.

State Fair of Texas

Everything is bigger in Texas so, everything has to be bigger at the Texas State Fair! Just ask Big Tex:

Cotton Bowl Stadium and Big Tex are the symbols and center of Fair Park in Dallas, Big Tex even talks! Equipped with his boots, cowboy hat and Texas accent why would he not be the perfect symbol for such a location as Fair Park? Late September through mid October the festivities begin! Rides, Auto Shows, Livestock, and yes, lots of food!



The State Fair is the deep fried capital of Texas for sure. The most famous being Fletcher's Corny Dogs, the birth of all corny dogs. These are def over the top! With a semi sweet cornbread coating and a hot dog in the middle, these need no mustard or ketchup.

Although there are many attractions at the fair most people come for the food. Because of this, Big Tex Choice awards were born in the 2005 fair year. It is a competition between the concessions at the fair and must be food the fair has never seen. Past winners have been: Viva Las Vegas Fried Ice Cream, Fried Coke, Fried Latte, Texas Fried Cookie Dough, Chicken Friend Bacon, and this years Fried Beer™ andTexas Fried FRITOS® Pie !




Fried Beer

 For more details, tickets, attractions, past food winners, dates and more check out their website at: http://www.bigtex.com/sft//index.asp

Wrapping Things Up in Tokyo

When it comes to eating in Tokyo I have 3 pieces of advice, 1) eat where the people are, 2) be a tourist and 3) try everything!
Eat where the people are means, if you are hungry and you are walking around trying to find a place to eat go in somewhere that is crowded. The reason I have not specifically named the places I have eaten (besides Vampire Cafe and other theme restaurants I will talk about soon) is because I don't know the names. If there is even a visible sign it is all in Japanese. If you see a place that looks hoppin, it is because the food is good! This has not failed me once. Around 6 pm here in Tokyo the locals begin to get off work and go straight for food and drinks. This will allow you a window between 6 and midnight (you don't want to miss your subway home) to mix it up with them and eat where they eat. Something I recommend for late drinks and "finger goods" are these small stand up bars. The idea is to stand at a small table, drink, eat, get a little loud, and hang loose . They are a lot of fun, the food is amazing, and they are always packed.



fried octopus balls at a standing bar in Tokyo 



Be a tourist means, go to places that are recommended in travel books, online or on TV. See what is popular in Tokyo and go check it out! This is where I discovered the 3 theme restaurants I visited, Vampire Cafe, Ninja Restaurant and Cat Cafe. The Ninja Restaurant was amazing! When you walk in you are greeted by a hostess who claps her hand and a ninja appears from the wall! You are led through a maze of narrow corridors where you come upon a small surprise, I wont give too much away. Once you are inside the dining area it is a wonderland of dark stone halls, ninjas, private dinning rooms, green smoke, and calming fountains. Our table was in a private room, closed off with beautiful thin wooden sliding doors. We took off our shoes in order to sit in the traditional room of bamboo floors and padded chairs on the floor, they even offered you arm rests! We had a beautiful view of green smokey tunnels under the walk ways above and a bamboo fountain. The food matched the ambiance, pricey and delicious! We had duck carpaccio, octopus, and beef cheek disguised as a fish.

The cat cafe was not really a "cafe" more of a place
to go play with cats and have a drink and maybe a snack. But they are very famouse here in Tokyo and if you are a cat person  I reccomend you checking it out. It is cheep and a good way to pass an hour in the afternoon.

And try everything means, try everything! I am not big on seafood and that did not hold me back in Japan. The people here live on seafood and me being such a food person, how could I say no? Well I was pleasantly surprised. I ate delicious shrimp at a restaurant from Okinawa (I really and truly recommend the food from Okinawa, esp their signature pork dish! It is by far the best thing I ate on my trip), spicy squid with onions at a restaurant on the street, octopus at least 3 different ways, sushi, and so much more. So even though you are sure you don't like something, try it anyway. One ingridient, such as shrimp, is prepared in comepletely different ways in different countries, you may end up likeing it. So say yes, take a bite, and if you don't like at least you tried it but, I'm sure you will like it.