Homemade Hibiscus

One night, before attending a play at Dallas’ new Winspear Opera House, we decided to try Hibiscus. We had heard how great it was from friends and for a wedding shower gift, we were given a $50 gift certificate, so we decided to give it a try.

Let me just say, if I could make babies with Hibiscus…I would. It’s that good. It is one of the best meals we have ever eaten, and well, we eat a lot of meals. Everything we had was unbelievable. We had a lump crab appetizer, we each had salads (I had the bungalow, Lane had the wedge), for our entrees I had the short ribs and Lane had a filet. (He says it’s in the top four best steaks he’s ever had.) We shared their famous macaroni and cheese and had their sour cream apple pie with lavender ice cream for dessert. It’s making me salivate just thinking about it.

The only problem with Hibiscus is that it’s really expensive. Let’s just say that our $50 gift certificate didn’t even cover the tip. It was really worth it, but now we have to save up to go. So, instead of dropping lots of moola on dinner there, I decided to re-create our dinner here at home. I went to Central Market and got everything I needed and literally spent the rest of the day in the kitchen. Side note: I am currently reading Laura Bush’s “Spoken from the Heart” book and she remembers her mother spending all day in the kitchen…from 5:30 a.m. to after dinner. I have so much more respect for my great grandmother, whose reality was very much similar to that of Mrs. Bush’s mother’s. Lane’s mom also spends a lot of her time cooking when we come visit and I am so thankful. That’s hard work!

So, the menu for our homemade Hibiscus dinner was:

Appetizer: Crab meat with Avocado, Fresh Horseradish and cocktail sauce

Salad: Hibiscus Bungalow salad with Iceberg Lettuce, Tomatoes, Candied Pecans, Smoked Bacon, Avocado, Blue Cheese and Lite Honey Mustard

Entree: Filet Mignon

Side: Gourmet Mac and Cheese

Dessert: Sour Cream Apple Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream

Recipes:

Crab Meat with Avocado, Fresh Horseradish and Cocktail Sauce

Holy crustacean! Do you know how expensive lump crab meat is! Central Market only offered it in 1 lb. containers. Your options were jumbo lump ($26/lb), lump ($16/lb) or claw meat at ($8/lb). I was blow away. I knew we didn’t need a whole pound of crab, and didn’t really want to pay that much for it, so I decided to come up with something else. Well, long story short, I had a craving for crab, so I went to the Whole Foods down the street where I got 1/2 lb of claw meat for $7. Darn it! I should have gotten it at CM. Oh well. In retrospect, I should have just sprung for the lump or jumbo lump. While it was still delicious, it would have been a little better with the better quality meat.

1 avocado, split in half with the seed removed

1/2 lb. crab meat (spring for jumbo lump if you can)

Fresh horseradish, grated

Juice of half of a lime

Cocktail sauce, to taste

Split the avocado in half and place each half on a serving plate. Fill top of avocado with 1/4 lb. crab meat. Top with fresh grated horseradish and a squeeze of lime. Serve with cocktail sauce. Serves 2. Enjoy!

Bungalow Salad

1/2 head iceberg lettuce, torn

1 large tomato, diced

4 slices Applewood smoke bacon, cooked

Pecans, toasted in butter and brown sugar

Blue cheese, to taste

Honey Mustard Dressing, to taste (the Hibiscus salad is served with a mustard vinaigrette, which I couldn’t find. I should have just made one considering the lite honey mustard dressing I used was very watery.)

Assemble all ingredients and mix. Serves 2.

Filet Mignon (From previous Blog Entry)

Gourmet Mac and Cheese (adapted from Epicurious)

Hibiscus has amazing mac and cheese. It’s just really good. My friend Tamara is also and fan and when she asked for the recipe, they would only tell her the types of cheese needed. So she passed that information along to me and tried to figure it out. Well, while it was good, I forgot to add the cream cheese, so it was missing a creamy factor. Lane loved it and it had a very mild flavor. I think I’ll keep trying (or just get takeout mac and cheese from Hibiscus!)

3/4 pound elbow macaroni

For topping

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cups coarse dry bread crumbs

1 cup coarsely grated extra-sharp Cheddar (about 4 ounces)

For cheese sauce

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 3/4 cups whole milk

3/4 cups heavy cream

4 cups coarsely grated cheese (about 1 pound)

(I used about a 1/2 cup each of Port Salut, Parmesean and Mozzarella. For the rest, I used extra sharp cheddar. I should have also used about 4 oz. of cream cheese.)

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F. and butter a 3-quart shallow baking dish (13x9 casserole). Fill a 6-quart kettle three fourths full with salted water and bring to a boil for macaroni.

Make topping:
Melt butter and in a bowl stir together with bread crumbs and Cheddar until combined well. Topping may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.

Make sauce:
In a 5-quart heavy saucepan melt butter over moderately low heat and stir in flour. Cook roux, stirring, 3 minutes and whisk in milk. Bring sauce to a boil, whisking constantly, and simmer, whisking occasionally, 3 minutes. Stir in cream, cheeses, mustard, salt, and pepper. Remove pan from heat and cover surface of sauce with wax paper (put wax paper directly on the cheese sauce surface).

Cook macaroni in boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water and drain macaroni in colander. In a large bowl stir together macaroni, reserved cooking water, and sauce. Transfer mixture to baking dish.

Sprinkle topping evenly over macaroni and bake in middle of oven 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden and bubbling.

Sour Cream Apple Pie from Simple Recipes

This is pretty tasty. The crust wasn’t my favorite…it kind of tastes like pop tart crust, but you don’t taste too much of it because the flavor of the pie is pretty strong.

1 cup sour cream
2/3 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
3 cups peeled, sliced tart apples (about 1 1/4 pounds of slices)
1 9" unbaked pie shell, frozen or chilled in the freezer for at least 30 minutes (see pâte brisée recipe)

Topping
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Mix together all ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Chill until needed in the recipe.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Beat together sour cream, sugar, flour, salt, vanilla and egg (can beat by hand). Add apples, mixing carefully to coat well.

Put filling into a pie shell and bake at 400 degrees initially for 25 min.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with Cinnamon Crumb Topping. Bake for and additional 20 more minutes.

Let cool for a hour before serving. Serves 8.

Lane was a happy man, post dinner!

Destin or Bust!

This past weekend, I had the honor of going to Destin with my best friend, Mary C., and her precious family. It was a last minute thing and I was going to help out with her two girls, and,  since I don’t work in the summers it’s easy for me to get up and go!

I was so excited about the trip. I had never been to Destin before and was looking forward to spending time with their family. Little did I know how much I would learn about motherhood and what a difficult job it is…(More to come on that.)

Mary C’s in laws were very generous and allowed us to fly on their private plane. This was wonderful because we could fly right into Destin, and it makes flying with an active 2 1/2 year old really easy. I’ll be honest and say I was a little nervous to fly privately. I hear all too often about accidents and just was unsure. Don’t worry that I researched every aspect of this plane and it calmed my fears (along with a lot of prayer!). The plane had two pilots and really was designed for safety. Our flights there and back were wonderful and I definitely think I could get used to it!!

As we were driving from the airport to the condo, we were talking to the driver about the effects of the  recent oil spill on Destin. While the oil hasn’t reached the white sand beaches of Destin yet, they have still felt the effects. Our driver said their business was down by 50% and that everyone was being affected. Everyone who relied on tourism for their income was experiencing negativity. It breaks my heart for places like Destin that wouldn’t survive without visitors. Apparently they can submit paperwork to BP claiming their losses, but none seemed too hopeful about reclaiming their money. What a horrible event that has caused so much damage to so many aspects of our lives.

Anyway, we were able to stay in a condo in Sandestin that was just off the water. It was BEAUTIFUL. You forget that you are in the United States, let alone the Gulf of Mexico, with its white sand beaches and crystal clear water. Well…crystal clear water after the 20 feet of green booger sea weed (as seen in the picture below)! I was able to swim out to a sand bar with Mary C. (only after downing a few cocktails since we would be swimming through an area known for housing sharks) and once we got back, I pulled GLOBS of this sea weed from my bathing suit. It was kind of comical. I think I created a spectacle on the beach as I was digging in my suit pulling out massive amounts of green goo .

The best part about this weekend was that I got to spend lots of time with Mary C’s daughters, Caroline (2 1/2) and Maidie (12 weeks). I loved every single second of it. Most of the time, I stayed in the condo with Maidie while Bill and Mary C. took Caroline to the beach or the pool. Then, Maidie and I would meet them for lunch or they would come back and we’d all take naps. I learned so many things in the past 5 days. I started to make a list on my trip:

1. Kids don’t travel lightly. They require lots of stuff. MC always had a bag of goodies for both girls and was always prepared. I wonder if her brain hurts sometimes from having to think so far in advance.

2. Diapers need to be changed..frequently. I felt like I was either always changing Maidie’s diaper, feeding her or snuggling her to sleep. It was a constant 3 hour circuit, but one that I absolutely loved. She is the PERFECT baby and to see her gummy smile all day just makes my heart happy. At one point, she fell asleep on my chest and I didn’t know if I could be any happier. We are best friends.  

3. The guy from Blues Clues, Joe, is creepy. His rendition of Little Red Riding Hood still haunts me. Good thing it kept Caroline entertained.

4. Speaking of Caroline, I learned that 2 1/2 year olds are awesome. She is so sassy and funny and sweet and amazing. She never stopped cracking me up. I learned a lot about discipline and how to choose your battles. I learned that you can easily prevent a meltdown by pulling “surprises” out of your purse. I learned that she is really, really smart and doesn’t forget things. One night while MC and Bill were at dinner, Kiwi (her nickname) and I were watching a movie. She said she wanted some milk. So, I, not being her mother, also offered her a snickerdoodle cookie that I made. It was a massive cookie and she was so excited. Well, the next night, we were in the same situation. She said she wanted some milk. So I got up to get her some and as I was walking into the kitchen she also, conveniently said, “And I need a cookie too.” Who am I to argue?? This time her cookie wasn’t as big, it still cracked me up. I created a monster..a cookie monster.

5. I learned how to swaddle and also learned that I’m bad at it. I just couldn’t get Maidie tight enough in her little burrito. She would somehow always get her arms out. I did really love to swaddle her though. It was like a new trick I learned and I like doing it. I am really tempted to try to swaddle Knox right now..although he might not appreciate it as much.

6. I learned that I am OK with tee-tee and poo-poo. It doesn’t bother me. But, I am NOT OK with spit up. The smell of vomit, even though it came from the cutest baby on earth, does not bode well with my stomach. I had to immediately change myself and Maidie. I think I’m going to have to get over this some day!

7. Finally, I learned that being a mom is not easy. Mary C. amazed me. She is incredible. I told her that I would have to take lessons from her when it was my time to have kids. She seems to stay calm in all situations and has unending patience. She knows the right times to discipline and the right times to let it go. After these five days, I am even more in love with this family, but I am especially in awe of my own mom and all the moms out there who successfully raised children. I have a new respect for you. I understand now that you probably never got much sleep or ever truly enjoyed a meal when your kids were around. I understand that you sacrificed your desires so that your kids would get what they wanted. I understand that your second child probably spent more time in their bouncy seat or swing than your first, and that’s ok. I understand that just looking at them warms your heart and seeing them grow and learn is daily and it’s amazing. I understand that a smile from an infant or a hug from a toddler can completely change your mood. I will forever be grateful for this trip.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the trip:

Caroline’s lollipop lipstick application provided sticky cheeks!

Happy girl, getting ready to fly!

My new best friend, Maidie!

  Such a beach girl!

 

One of many times we rode the merry-go-round!

 

The whole family.

Merry-go-round..round 2.

We spent a lot of our time in the Village of Baytowne Wharf.

 

Such a good girl, sharing her ice cream.

My amazing family for the week!

I love them so much!

look whoooo’s having twins! (not me, FYI)

Today we got to shower one of my best friends from college, Jodi, and her TWIN boys!  She is just perfectly happy and pregnant and super cute. We can’t wait to meet Jensen and Noah, but in the meantime, we decided to celebrate their mama and give them lots of goodies!

Along with Banner, Meredith and Jodi’s sister in law, Laura, I helped host the most precious shower. Jodi picked out the cutest nursery fabric for the boys that has owls all over it, so we decided to run with it. Meredith was gracious enough to open up her GORGEOUS home and we had a Hoot!

Banner made a diaper cake and to decorate it, I made little felt owls, similar to the pattern on the nursery fabric. Ban helped me sew them up and they ended up being really precious.

I also made Vanilla Bean Cupcakes that we decorated with fondant owls. I have never made or worked with fondant before (see recipe below) so it was quite a comical experience. I used almost an entire tub of shortening and had have powdered sugar in every crack and crevice in my kitchen. I think for my first time, however, it turned out great. (I still have lots leftover if anyone needs chocolate or blue marshmallow fondant!)

Everything turned out really cute and the boys have lots of good gifts! Can’t wait to meet you Noah and Jensen!!

Now for the fondant recipe… In my past experience eating fondant, it just doesn’t taste good, so I searched high and low for the perfect recipe. This one was recommended to me several times, so I went with it. While the instructions were easy to follow and its texture was perfect, I still wasn’t sold on the taste. I think the lemon flavor might be a wee much. I think it needs that acid to cut the sweetness, but maybe not as much. I might cut out the lemon extract next time and do all vanilla, while leaving in the fresh lemon juice. It makes a MESS, so be prepared. Also be prepared to slather Crisco on your hands like there’s no tomorrow.

Rhonda’s Ultimate Marshmallow Fondant

15 oz. mini marshmallows
2 T water
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
2 tsp light corn syrup (helps w/ pliability)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp lemon extract (I will leave this out next time and do 1 1/2 tsp vanilla)
2 lbs (approx 7 C) confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1/2 C Crisco or vegetable shortening  (or, in my case, an entire tub)

Grease microwave proof bowl w/ Crisco. Also grease wooden or heat proof spoon. Pour marshmallows and water into bowl. Microwave for approximately 2 minutes stopping and stirring at 40 second intervals. Mixture should be soupy.

Take out of microwave and immediately add corn syrup, lemon juice, salt and extracts. Stir well. Sift confectioner’s sugar into mixture, one cup at a time. After approximately 5 cups, grease your hands well with Crisco and knead the mixture in the bowl. Add the sixth cup and continue to knead. Now grease your work surface well and turn mixture out of bowl onto counter. Sift remaining sugar, re-grease hands, and knead well. If mixture seems soft, add one additional cup of powdered sugar.

Shape into a mound and put a coating of crisco on outside. Double wrap in cling wrap and insert into ziplock bag. Press air out of bag and seal. Allow to rest overnight, but, can be used after sitting for a few hours.

When ready to use, have powdered sugar and crisco handy. I greased my surface and rolling pin and then went after it. I found it was easier to roll out smaller pieces than the entire mound of fondant. It’s really forgiving and I’m excited to continue working with it!

Weddings are F.U.N.

This past weekend, Lane had the honor of serving as a groomsman for one of his best friends, Brandon. I of course, was so excited to join! Brandon and Courtney got married overlooking beautiful Lake Travis in Austin and we had an amazing weekend. The wedding was beautiful and it was great to catch up with some of Lane’s friends that we don’t see very often.

(Sadly, I took lots of pictures at the rehearsal, and not a lot at the wedding)

One of my favorite parts of the weekend, though, was that Lane and I were both reminded of how wonderful marriage is and how blessed we are to have each other.  This was our first wedding to attend together since our own, so it was really amazing to get a new perspective on how special of an event it is. We were so excited for Brandon and Courtney to experience this magical thing called marriage! Listening to the ceremony really made my heart smile. To have a partner and best friend for life is such an incredible thing. I know B & C are going to love being married!

It was also  really fun to catch up with our friends Bobby and Leslie. They live on the other side of the state and have crazy schedules, so we really enjoyed spending time with them…especially at 3 a.m. driving around Austin. :-)

 

So, yay for weddings. Fun for all and what an incredible gift from God!

The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." …For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. Genesis 2:18 & 24

And finally, I couldn’t post without mentioning my new obsession..Hey Cupcake! I’ll spare you the story, but I call little Airstream RV’s “nuggets” and really want one. Well, when I came across a Cupcake Nugget…I almost had a heart attack. I really want one!! Sadly, they were closed when we went so I didn’t get to taste, but you can guarantee that I will be back!

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Chocolate ButterCreamCheese icing!Yes, please!

(sorry for the crappy picture. My tiny camera is not as awesome as my mom's Nikon D90 that I was using.)

Wow. Seriously, these are amazing cupcakes. I wanted a recipe for vanilla cupcakes, but really wanted it to be extraordinary. I wanted people to tell that they were homemade and not from a box. So, when I came across Annie's Eats version, I was sold. Everything Annie makes is amazing, so I knew these would be as well! Plus, I got to use a vanilla bean, which I have always seen used on cooking shows so I felt super chef-like using one. I had a bit of a hard time locating the vanilla bean in my mega grocery store (no thanks to the man who said "no, i've never seen one in the 5 years I worked here." Little did he know, they were right over his shoulder. It was really fun to be able to split it and reveals its amazing goodness. This batter makes at least 28 cupcakes so my little KA stand mixer was working hard, but I am glad I had a stand mixer to make them. I don't know if it would be possible without one because it takes quite a bit of time to make them and it's nice to walk away while everything's mixing.

I first made them for Jake's birthday sports cupcakes but I'm not sure Jake's 5 year old classmates had the palate to distinguish the vanilla bean goodness, but they ended up looking cute!

After Jake's birthday cupcakes, I decided to make them again for my monthly Cupcakes and Cocktails girl's night, and our family's crawfish boil. Sadly, I didn't take any pictures of the finished product until after they had been tossed around in their storage container, hence the horrible picture above. Anywho, they were even more delicious the second time around. The girls couldn't get enough at C&C! The chocolate buttercreamcheese (you have to say it all as one word!) is AH.MAY.ZING. I have to really talk myself out of making a batch just to eat with a spoon by itself. I discovered it from the genius that is Bakerella and it is my new favorite icing recipe! Enjoy!

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes from Annie's Eats

3 cups cake flour

1 tbsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
16 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1¼ cups buttermilk, at room temperature
1 tbsp. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. Set aside.In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk together and set aside. Add the butter to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Scrape the vanilla bean seeds into the bowl of the mixer with the butter and discard the pod (or reserve for another use.) Beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until light and creamy in color. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for one more minute.

 Add the sugar to the butter mixture, ¼ cup at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition. Mix in the eggs one at a time until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Combine the buttermilk and the vanilla extract in a liquid measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for 15 seconds longer.

 Divide the batter between the prepared paper liners, filling each about 2/3 of the way full (you will likely have batter left over after filling 24 wells.) Make sure you don't over-fill the liners. It makes for a mess...trust me. Bake 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Replace paper liners and bake remaining batter if desired. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired.

Yield: approximately 30 cupcakes

Chocolate ButterCreamCheese Icing adapted from Bakerella

1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder ( I used the normal Hershey's Cocoa powder)
1 box (1 lb) confectioner’s sugar (I find that Domino is the best)
1 tsp vanilla
1-3 Tbsp whipping cream

Cream the butter and cream cheese with a mixer, about 1 minute. Add the cocoa and vanilla. Add the confectioner’s sugar in small batches and blend on low until combined. Scrape down sides with each addition. Add 1 tablespoon of cream at a time until you get the consistency you desire. (I add the cream after the cocoa and vanilla and after each addition of sugar, but just a teaspoon at a time.)

This icing is great because it sets really well and doesn't melt like a normal cream cheese. And, did I mention, IT'S AH.MAY.ZING!

Emmaversary

I've had this written since Monday, but I'm just now able to get it out.

Monday marked two years since I last saw Emma Lou. I am still as heartbroken today (I am tyring not to cry as I write this) and not a day goes by that I don't think of her. She was an amazing dog and I am so thankful for the short time that I had with her. I am also thankful that I took so many pictures of her because they are nice to be able to go back and look at. It's amazing what an impact pets can make on your life. I mean, who else is beside themselves (and sometimes gets so excited they pee on themselves) to see you when you walk in the door? Who provides hours of laughter without even trying? Who else loves you just as much, even after you scold them for peeing on your bed (yes, twice she peed on my bed)?

Pets are truly a blessing and, to the 2 of you that read this, please go home and hug your pets and show them a little extra love. I feel so blessed to have been raised in a family where pets were valued and treated as members of the family. I hope to impress those same values on my children.

My favorite memories of Emma:

Having to put sunscreen on her "nose ring" as my dad called it, losing her the first night I got her (she was hiding in the pillows on my bed), riding on the jet ski with her in her life jacket, sleeping with her between my legs and under the covers, her yelling at me a lot, having to carry her around the bear trail because she refused to walk, her love for my dad and his love for feeding her waffles and cheetos, all of her costumes, including her zebra bikini, her sausage  years, her kissable cheeks, jax trying to nurse from her (see above picture) her snatching and scarfing my kolache....the list goes on and on.

I love quick craftiness!

 

My friend Susan knows I love little quick sewing projects and sent me a link to this tutorial by Delilah's Momma. So, while my kids were watching a movie, (what?? it's TAKS week and I only have one class a day. Don't judge me) I whipped up this little guy from some scraps I had in my room. It's a precious business card/gift card/ID holder. The best part about it is that I got to use my amazing Janome Memory Craft 9700 embroidery machine. I love sewing on it! Janome's are wonderful machines and RISD has the priviledge of working with Thomas Sewing Center for all of our sewing needs. I enjoy working with them on a personal level too. They are good people. Anyway, this was sew easy (giggle) and took me 20 minutes from start to finish, and that time included getting all of the equipment out and situated. My next step is to figure out where the embroidery would go and do one that way. I can imagine myself putting my ID and credit card in this and carrying it in a clutch instead of carrying my big wallet (big in size, not in contents...that's for sure). Enjoy!