tasty tacos

In my family taco night is a pretty big deal. Not only do we fry our own shells we usually make a bunch of tasty sides as well. My grandmother has taught the entire family well so I am happy to share with you taco night Daniel and I had the other night. We had spanish rice, grandmother's recipe along with homemade fried shells. I would have loved to had beans but the hubs isn't into them so they didn't make an appearance, but over all it was yummy!

This week I am heading to Birmingham for one of my great friends wedding so I will not be around. Have a great week! Until next time...

It's Rodeo time

This weekend is the start of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The bbq cook-off is what gets it started and my hubs and I couldn't be more excited. The rodeo was a huge part of my life growing up so I am ready to be a part of it again. We are heading out with the little man on Saturday to see the sites and enjoy some bbq.

This is not your ordinary rodeo, this is the world's largest livestock exhibition and one of the best ways to experience Houston. Not only does the community get involved by volunteering on different committees (shout out to the Rabbit Committee), Rodeo Houston is the opportunity for young people to receive scholarships and further education. This year it starts March 1 and runs through March 20. Check out their website hlsr.com for a lot more that I didn't mention and see the line-up of country artist coming this year, I'm going to Rascal Flatts!

In honor of the rodeo I wanted to share the delicious pulled pork my hubs made this past weekend. Since we have lived in Texas he has been missing his beloved pulled pork bbq from Alabama and has been wanting to make some himself. I must say, it was so delicious and I am super impressed with his bbq skills. Here is a step by step of what he did...

1 :: brine overnight

2 :: add the rub

3 :: smoke on the pit for hours

4 :: pull the pork

5 :: eat!

Way to go Daniel, it was awesome and I am looking forward to many more of you pulled pork sandwiches. I hope yall have a great weekend... I know I will!

Just a good ole shrimp boil!

Last Tuesday I got a little adventurous in the kitchen. My husband loves him some shrimp and in Alabama the usual seafood boil summer activity is shrimp, for me its crawfish. We live very close to Kemah which happens to be right on the bay. That means fresh seafood is very easy to come by. With that said, my family who are great cooks and happen to love seafood, always want me to pick some up for them from a great local wholesale fish market ( Rose's Seafood). I am always happy to do it but I decided that I should get something out of the deal... whatever they decide to purchase, which is usually shrimp, I get a pound on them!

With that said, we had our selves a good ole shrimp boil at our house. The kitchen was definitely stinky ( that's why boils are usually an outside activity) and when I opened the lid to check the progress I would start coughing because of all the spices.

In the pot we had a lemon, red potatoes, jalapeno sausage from a deer my uncle shoot ( the best ever!), corn, and shrimp. I was trying to find the Louisiana brand shrimp boil but they didn't have it at my grocery so I got Zatarains ( was kind of disappointed). I added Tony C's along with some black pepper to try to get the spice right. I thought I had some cayenne on hand but I think I used it all when I tried to make tortilla soup (it's more than a long story and I will try to share it with you later). All in all it turned out ok, the spice factor was not that great but I didn't overcook the shrimp which was my main concern.

IMAGES:
1. The pot of goodness
2. The spread before we ate

SAW'S BBQ

So my hubby and I headed back to Alabama over the 4th of July. We went for a baby shower honoring our little man to come, Ridge. While we were there we tried to hit up all of our favorite places to eat. I agreed to eat at Saw's BBQ with my hubby because he has been raving over it since he went for the first time not to long before we moved. Let me tell you, I am so glad that we went. I have never had a pulled pork sandwich quite like this... it was the best ever! They are located in Edgewood which is in the Homewood area of Birmingham. You will not be disappointed if you are looking for a great place to eat some bbq!

images:
1. my pulled pork sandwich and potato salad. Did I mention they marinate their pickles in their spicy bbq sauce? 2.The menu with Golden Flake chips and their bbq sauce. 3. The storefront.

(all photos taken by ettie press)

busy week

I was hoping to post something a bit sooner than now and also have some pictures of baby room progress but of course I am not that good. We had a great father's day hanging with my dad at his house and for his gift I made a coconut cream pie, which he didn't share any but he said it was the best he has ever had! This week I am going to finish painting the crib and great ready for our trip to Alabama next weekend. We are excited to see all of our great friends and of course our family there. Got to love baby showers!