Heim BBQ

Heim BBQ is our second stamp in our BBQ Passport! We visited over our Anniversary week, and had a yummy lunch!

I got the Big Cat Sandwich again, yum!! Hubby got Brisket, Sausage, Potato Salad, & Green Chile Mac & Cheese. I tried a bite of his potato salad, it was creamy and delish. Of course the mac & cheese is always a great option! We shared the Bacon Burnt Ends, oh my, those flavorful smoky pieces of bacon will bring you back for more!

Thank you Texas Monthly for our BBQ Passport & for planning our meals for a while ;)

10 Years on Top of The World

Yesterday was our 10 year anniversary! For lunch we went to Sal's, which is where we had dinner the night he proposed :)

This is also where we had our rehearsal dinner, we really love Sal's Pizza! We were fortunate enough that Sal was there yesterday so we could share the good news with him.

We then rode the McKinney Avenue Trolley. This is a great date idea! It is free transportation around a small circuit of Dallas that takes about an hour to complete.

You can hop off and back on at the stops, they come around about every 20 minutes depending how many cars they have going. This Trolley car is named Petunia :)

Headed back to the spot he proposed!!

We first went to the Bar & Lounge at Five Sixty Restaurant to have an appetizer & drinks. We shared calamari with a pickled ginger vinaigrette. It had fresh jalapeno mixed into the hot calamari which gave each piece a nice bite. However, we found the calamari to be hit or miss, some pieces were very good and others were quite chewy.

To drink Hubby got a Barrel Aged Old Fashioned which was both of our favorites. I got the Yakuza with was lemony and gingery and very good.

We sat at the edge of the bar by the window so we could see Dallas as we spun in a 360. In an hour you will make the full circle, and then it was time to go to the newly remodeled Geo-Deck.

This spot right here is where he proposed to me 11 years ago! Overlooking Downtown Dallas & Old Red Courthouse.

This time we stayed long enough to see the sunset

This was such a special day to return to Reunion Tower!

I am the luckiest girl in the world, being on top of the world with my perfect man! Here's to the rest of our lives!

Valentine's BBQ

Happy Valentine's Day!! We were trying to find a casual place that wouldn't be packed today, so I turned to my D Magazine BBQ issue.

There it was, Top 5 BBQ, #8 on D Magazine's top 20 BBQ joints in Dallas. Even better, it was only 15 minutes from our home!

This is a tiny place with only a couple tables, so we decided to bring our Valentine's dinner home and eat it while watching Mad Max, one of my Christmas gifts from Hubby :)

Our reviews:

First of all these are some of the nicest guys! We were asking about their sauce options (regular, hot, and atomic) and they had us come over and try each. Telling us what made them special, and then telling us about their different sausages. These guys are passionate about BBQ!

Both of us agreed that the sausage was the best, and the ribs were also amazing. I love dry ribs! The brisket was good, but not better than the ribs or sausage. I was not a fan of the pulled pork, but I've never had pulled pork that I was a fan of. I'm pretty much ready to quit wasting stomach space trying pulled pork ;) Hubby, who is in the pulled pork is good camp, really liked this pulled pork :) so I would listen to him! The mac & cheese had a sharpness to it that I can't put my finger on, but really liked! The cabbage tasted like it came from Grandma's house :) The potato salad was tangy with mustard, and the beans were a little spicy and a little sweet, but not quite cooked long enough. These sauces though, ya'll, I would eat a shoe coated in their sauce! This is coming from someone who rarely likes BBQ sauce, their hot and their atomic are smokey, spicy, and tasty! And if you are on the side of there should be more cookies in pudding then you need to try their banana pudding. It has no bananas, just thick banana flavored pudding with a box of cookies in every bowl ;)

We thoroughly enjoyed our Valentine's dinner! Now excuse us as we go watch our movie :)

Fresh Fish

On our quest to eat healthier, I decided to find a way to make fish that Hubby would eat! The first step was starting with the freshest fish I could find, which led me to Atkins Seafood.

This is a tiny half fish market half seafood lunch spot in Waxahachie, TX.

So of course I got lunch before buying my fresh fish :) Blackened Fish Tacos with pineapple salsa, and a side of black bean salad. These were hands down the best seafood tacos I've ever had! I thought the black beans could have used a little more seasoning, but they were a nice complement to the spicy fish.

Then it was time to pick what fish we would be having for dinner :) The lady behind the counter told me, you pick your fish and pay for the whole thing, then if you would like they will fillet it for you.

She told me Red Snapper was their most popular fish, so that is what I chose, and I got it filleted with the skin on.

Then I brought it home to cook :)

Blackened Red Snapper

9oz Red Snapper Fillets, skin on (about 2 fillets)

2 tsp canola oil

1/2 Tbsp Salt

1/2 Tbsp Paprika

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1/2 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Mix salt, paprika, garlic, cayenne, and pepper together in small bowl.

(What you see in this pic is twice as much seasoning, I ended up only needing half, and adjusted suggested measurements accordingly)

On Clean work surface cut several small slits in skin to keep it from curling while cooking. Flip fish and generously season meaty side. Heat small cast iron skillet over medium heat. If only one fillet will fit in you skillet, then add 1 tsp oil and allow to heat without smoking. If both fillets will fit, then add 2 tsp oil and let heat. Once oil is hot, place fish, seasoning side down into skillet and set timer for 3 minutes.

After 3 minutes flip fish and allow skin side to cook for 2 minutes. Remove fish and allow to drain on paper towel lined plate. At this point you can add the second tsp of oil and second fillet if you did not cook them together. You can peel the skin away from the fish before serving, or the meat will gently flake off the skin while eating.

I also made Crustless Swiss Chard Pie from The Skinnytaste Cookbook to go with our fish.

Blackened Red Snapper, Crustless Swiss Chard Pie, Sauteed Green Beans, and homemade (kinda) Horseradish Sauce ( 1 single serving size fat free greek yogurt, 1 Tbsp Penzey's Horseradish dip mix, 1 tsp dried dill)

Served on our fancy china ;)

It happened ya'll! Hubby said the fish was his favorite thing on the plate! This is a man who has always hated fish! I was so excited! Fresh fish is clearly the key!! Hubby's mom also really enjoyed it. Though she said it was pretty spicy, so take that into consideration when using the cayenne. We all also really enjoyed the swiss chard pie! We always enjoy sauteed green beans (I had to have something on the plate that we had eaten and liked before!) The horseradish dip was surprisingly good on the swiss chard, however I thought it had a tangyness (hello greek yogurt) that did not meld well with the fish.

I highly recommend this dish! And if you too are hesitant to eat fish, find a fresh fish market, and let them change your mind!

Celebration Dallas Style

Today My Love & I are celebrating our anniversary! This pic is 15 years ago when we first started dating compared to today, our 9 year marriage anniversary, having breakfast at Cafe Brazil :) Which apparently is where we went to breakfast last year as well! 

Then we went to the Nasher Sculpture Center.

This is the first sculpture the Nashers collected :)

Life imitates art!

I wonder how Picasso would feel about selfies? ;)

Then we walked across the street to the Trammel & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art, which was open this time. We walked around the courtyard on our Art Walk for our 6 year Anniversary :)

They have an exhibit of wooden Tibetan book covers. They are beautiful and a great piece of literary history!

This is essentially a book spine, this is the side you would see on the shelf, and the carvings tell you which book it is.

They were so intricate!

My Love had to ring the bell!

Our next stop was Maple & Motor.

Someone is getting a little impatient with my obsessive picture taking ;) We shared the cheese fries with bacon and jalapenos, they were not skimpy on the toppings! My Love got a bacon cheddar burger with a fried egg and grilled jalapenos and onions. I got a bacon pepperjack burger with chili, grilled jalapenos, and onions. They were both great burgers, but we agreed we would skip the bacon next time. It was not crisp enough to be on a burger, so one bite and the whole piece tried to come out.

Of course, because today was a celebration, we had to get dessert on our way home! :) We did a Google search for ice cream and found Carnival Barker's.

There is no indoor seating, you order at the window, and eat at this very cool street sign table :) I got Nutella ice cream, which was creamy and chocolately! My Love got an Old Fashioned Vanilla Malt, it was heavy on the malt and delicious!

Happy 9 year anniversary My Love! This year has been quite the year, but together with God we can do this! Thank you for a wonderful day, and a wonderful life together! I love you!

Valentine's Date

Happy Valentine's Day!! Pictured here is our Valentine's Blizzard, Texas Style! Sorry to those who have been living in an actual blizzard, but your snow pics have been making me jealous!

Tonight, being the fancy & romantic people people we are, we decided to try Dallas Grilled Cheese Co in Bishop Arts. What says I love you more than melted cheese and toasted bread?!

We made the right choice! I got The Rustic which is; 3 cheeses normally on rustic white bread which they were out of, so they subbed sourdough ( my favorite bread ever!). My sandwich was yummy! Cheesy, crispy bread, so good! My Valentine got Fried Bologna, which I did not try because yuck! However, he liked it :) but he did say the cheese in mine was more flavorful. The quick pickle they skewered to the top of the sandwich needed to be multiplied! Still crispy cucumber texture, but slightly vinegary & slightly sweet, I could have eaten a jar of them ;)

After our sandwiches we walked over to Cretia's. We have a bit of an obsession with their cheesecake brownies :)

Just look at that brownie!

I hope everyone had a wonderful day celebrating love today! Happy Valentine's!!

My Truck

This is my very first vehicle :) 1997 Ford Ranger, I love this truck, I drove it for 12 years! But it was stolen from our driveway almost 3 weeks ago :( I did not handle the situation well at first, I discovered I was to emotionally attached to an object. I asked for a lot of prayer & prayer works!

Today Hubby & his Dad went truck shopping based on a list we compiled from online ads. This 2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac was #1 on my list, and they decided it was in great shape & bought it for me! :)

It is beautiful & I am very thankful!!

Def Leppard Concert

Last week Hubby & I got to go see Tesla, Styx, & Def Leppard at the Gexa Energy Pavilion!

Guy Fieri recently opened a burger stand inside the Gexa Pavilion, & I was super excited to try it out!

We got the Makin' Bacon (a cheeseburger topped with a "patty" of bacon) & the Johnny Garlic fries. Sadly, the cheeseburger was pretty much tasteless :( I had been so excited to eat a burger from "flavor town", but I'm pretty sure they didn't even season the meat! However, I would have eaten a vat of those fries! It's a good thing Hubby & I really love each other, because these are not date night fries! Fried to crispy perfection, then covered in fresh minced garlic, powdered parmesan, & fresh parsley, they were wonderful! We did not finish our burgers, but we licked the fry bowl clean ;)

I had never been to Gexa before, but thanks to Groupon we were able to get lawn seats, which were perfect! First we saw Tesla, who we had never heard of before, but once they started playing Hubby realized he knew several of their songs. Even though I didn't know any of the songs, they put on a great concert! Next was Styx, who I have never been a fan of, until this concert! They also put on a great show! Which made Hubby very happy, he never understood how I didn't like them :)

Lastly, the reason I was so excited, we saw Def Leppard! I love their music, but not just that, I have always had a special place in my heart for drummers ( I did play percussion in Jr High & High School band!). So I have always wanted to see how this talented drummer plays using his feet & only one arm! The concert was awesome! & Rick Allen did a drum solo that had the whole place on their feet cheering! This was a night to remember!