MIA

I know, I've been Missing In Action.

I believe this is the longest I've gone without posting something on this blog, which is horrible. I've been overwhelmed with being a graduate student. Surprise, surprise for any other readers who understand the pain and suffering that is associated with being a graduate student. And for those of you who don't, it's horrible, trust me. Don't do it! My only hope is that it'll all be worth it once I'm done and can officially be called a DOCTOR. *fingers crossed*

I just started my first semester as a TA (teaching assistant), and it's been interesting teaching mostly freshmen who don't seem to really care whatsoever. I guess they like wasting their parents money, and their education. Thankfully, not all of my classes are this way. I do have some promising students mixed in. I'm still trying to figure out how to memorize all 70+ student names. On top of keeping up with grading multiple weekly assignments from each student. I teach ALL day on Tuesdays. If I'm lucky, I can have a chance to eat lunch in between labs, but other days, I will probably have only 15 minutes to eat.

I've been trying to keep that in mind and pack extra snacks so my stomach doesn't start growling while I'm trying to teach. My stomach is loud, no one wants to hear that. I have fallen more and more in love with KIND bars. I wrote an earlier post about them, but hadn't tried as many of their flavors then.

From left to right: Almond and Apricots (in yogurt), Blueberry Pecan, Pomegranate Blueberry Pistachio, Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew, Sesame and Peanuts

My favorite is definitely the Sesame and Peanuts and Pomegranate Blueberry Pistachio. If I'm craving chocolate, I go with the sesame one, if I want something more fruity, I go with the latter.

I have also been storing mini-bags of popcorn in my snack drawer at work, and fruit in the mini-fridge. I usually like to have a variety of fruit. Recently I've been really liking fresh mandarin oranges, red grapes, blueberries, pineapple, pears, and blackberries. I usually buy whatever is in season or on sale at the grocery store. I'm not a really picky person when it comes to fruit as long as it's sweet and juicy.

Anybody else have to plan their lunch around other obligations?

Note: All products were purchased by me, with my own money. All opinions are my own.

What?! Tiramisu Ice Cream!!

I was soooo excited when I saw this at the grocery store, Blue Bell Tiramisu ice cream!

I've never attempted to make tiramisu because it's always been really intimidating to me (maybe one day!), so this ice cream was perfect for me to feed my tiramisu cravings. It has a nice mix of coffee flavor with whipped topping and caramel sauce swirled through, and chunks of cake pieces and dark chocolate. The dark chocolate is my favorite addition to this ice cream.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Note: Products were purchased by me, with my own money. All opinions are my own. 

TWO for Me, None for You

Sorry I haven't been keeping up with my blog posts! I've been really busy with work and cumulative exams. Not the best combination for someone who already feels like a walking zombie all the time. Anyways, because of all the studying I've been doing, I decided to take advantage of Starbucks buy one get one free seasonal drinks.

Caramel Brulee Frappiccino

The caramel brûlée frappiccino is my all time favorite Starbucks drink! I always anticipate it eagerly around the holidays since it's offered only seasonally.

This Starbucks special is only offered from 2-5pm at participating locations until tomorrow, so take advantage while you still can!

Note: Products were purchased by me, with my own money. All opinions are my own. 

Too Cold for Snow?

I always hated the fact that you could only get snowcones during the summer, but you don't have to worry any longer because Bahama Buck's is open all year long.

Half key lime pie and coconut cream pie with extra cream

You can get your snowcone fix anytime of year, with any flavor you desire. Bahama Buck's has a vast variety of flavors to choose from, and other menu items such as smoothies, paradise fruit, and even coffee drinks. The fact that they're open all year long, have some of the best shaved ice I've ever had, and have a ton of flavors is a plus, but they're pretty expensive for a snowcone. I do not indulge very often, but this is the place to go when it's cold outside!

Note: Products were purchased by me, with my own money. All opinions are my own.

He Wants Janie, or was it Jenn?

This is Janie...the Janie Roll. This roll consists of unagi (grilled eel), shrimp tempura, and cucumber rolled uramaki style; topped with avocado, masago caviar, and sesame seeds. This roll was probably the highlight of our meal because it was unique, and had a mix of interesting textures and flavors, especially between the unagi and masago.

Janie Roll

This was the first time I've ever been to Sushi Zushi in the Domain, and I was very impressed with the quality of the food, service, atmosphere (though it was a bit dark), and the portion sizes of their happy hour rolls. They have Happy Hour from 3-7pm, so we took advantage of some of the cheaper rolls listed on it. We also ordered a couple of rolls from the main menu, and goodness, their menu is very intimidating because of its huge size. The waitress was very patient with us though, which was really appreciated.

I really liked all the rolls we ordered, but was not very impressed by the cheese appetizer. I do not remember the specific name of it, but it tasted just like fried mozzarella cheese sticks but without the flavor of the Italian spices, and it had this interesting sweet sauce. Thankfully we didn't spend too much on it since it was on their Happy Hour menu, I can't even find this appetizer on their main menu.

Fried cheese?

The three rolls we ordered off the Happy Hour menu were the Key West Roll, Spicy Salmon Roll, and Philadelphia Roll. I was expecting fairly small rolls since most places that have a Happy Hour menu reduce the sizes of their rolls during this time, but I think each roll was "normal" size. 

Key West Roll and Spider Roll

Since I was expecting smaller rolls, I was expecting to have to order more food halfway through. I ended up not having to do this, and both of us were really full and satisfied at the end. The Key West Roll consisted of shrimp tempura, avocado, and cucumber topped with eel sauce. The other rolls had the same ingredients similar to other sushi places.

Spicy Salmon Roll and Philadelphia Roll

The location of this particular Sushi Zushi is great since you can go walk around and shop in the Domain afterward. I love shopping, especially on a happy stomach!

Caliente!

Hmmm...this post has nothing to do with Mexican food, BUT it does deal with spicy food!

Cajun food is something I don't get to enjoy that often since I currently do not live in a city that offers fresh seafood. We're in a desert I tell ya! I don't always trust the quality of some of the seafood that's shipped in. Thankfully, Austin offers some great seafood options, and one of those is French Quarter Grille.

Blackened catfish topped with crawfish etouffee

The restaurant has such a cute interior that's cozy and comfortable. It's not too expensive considering how much seafood you're getting in your entree. Though I went during lunch, so I'm not sure if there's a difference in prices between the lunch menu that I saw, and the dinner menu. I was worried that they would skimp on the seafood portion, but they definitely did not.

Blackened catfish topped with crawfish and shrimp gumbo

I was so full afterward that I didn't order dessert, but I really wanted to. They had a few different kinds of Creme Brulee (regular, chocolate, raspberry) and cheesecake. Other items I want to try off their menu in the future are their Fried Green Tomatoes and their Cajun Crawfish Cheesecake (I believe that's what it's called). It apparently is a special appetizer that is not listed on their menu, but has a lot of hype behind it. I overheard one of the waiters describing it to a nearby table when they were ordering. 

Don't be nervous that the words crawfish and cheesecake are together! Would you be brave and try it?

BBQ or Barbecue?

If you live in Texas or ever visited Texas, you have to try the BBQ.

Combination Plate: Sausage, Ribs, Brisket

I went to the original Salt Lick in Driftwood, Texas when I was visiting Austin. It's about 30 minutes southwest of town. I recommend getting there early though because they usually have a long wait. We had to wait approximately 45 minutes, and we arrived around 10:30-11am.

This is probably some of the best BBQ I've never had in Texas, well anywhere actually. The various meats (beef ribs, brisket, sausage) were tender and flavorful, and their bbq sauce had the right balance of sweetness, tanginess, spiciness, and savoriness. It was also nice being able to order a combination platter because I have a hard time just choosing one item. I'm usually not a huge fan of sides, and tend to be really picky about them...especially when it comes to sides served with bbq. Their sides (cole slaw, beans, potato salad) could stand on their own though, and were not overwhelmed by the presence of the actual bbq itself.

Do you call is barbecue or BBQ?

"have one's cake and eat it too"

Sorry about all the posts only involving restaurant reviews in Austin. I promise I will start posting recipes again soon! I still have a few more posts from when I was in Austin since I've been back twice this month, once for a bridal shower, and the most recent was for my best friend's wedding!

Everyone that knew beforehand who was making the couple's wedding cake and the groom's cake were really excited, especially if they watched Cake Boss from TLC.

White Chocolate Champagne cake

Brian Stevens of Crazy Cakes made both the wedding cake and the groom's cake. Go check out his website, his gallery of cakes is AMAZING! Some of his cakes are so intricate that they don't even look like cakes, but more like sculptures. I was amazed when I saw both cakes in person.

Double Dark Chocolate Stout Beer cake

Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to meet him when he delivered the cakes because I was busy helping to bride get ready, but his work says it all. The cakes were also really tasty, and both cakes were unique flavors. The wedding cake was a white chocolate champagne cake, and the groom's cake was a double dark chocolate stout beer cake. My favorite was definitely the groom's cake, it was very moist, rich, and smooth, and the flavors were perfect together!

I never thought I would be at a wedding with Darth Vader.

Korean Food

Korean food has become one of my favorite types of Asian food. Everything is always really flavorful, and you can't go wrong with the cute side dishes called banchan that come with your meal.

Galbi/Kalbi with banchan

I went to the Korean Grill in Chinatown Austin for my Korean food fix while I was visiting. I ordered the Galbi/Kalbi (different restaurants spell it differently), which is marinated pork or beef short ribs that come out on a sizzling plate with onions, similar to how fajitas are served at Mexican restaurants. You can really smell the aromas when the plate is making its way to your table.

A fun thing when it comes to Korean food is that most entrees are served with banchan. Banchan are various small appetizers ranging from kimchi, pickled cucumbers, tofu, bean sprouts, daikon, egg omelet roll ups (I'm pretty sure that's not the correct name) etc. Don't be fooled by how small they are, most restaurants will refill them!

 

My favorite out of all of the side dishes are the pickled cucumbers on the bottom right corner of the photo above.

I'm Cookie Monster!

Fresh, warm, gooey cookies delivered to your door. What more could someone ask for?

Tiff's Treats was always so tempting when I lived in the dorms at UT, especially if there was a lot of studying involved. It was a great snack and excuse to eat sugary things when I was studying hard for exams.

Their packaging is always really nice.

  

My favorite are their chocolate chip cookies...a classic! What's your favorite kind of cookie?

Oh So Fulfilling

I first tried Sao Paulo's when I was a student at UT. I used to only stick with the Tex-Mex they had because I was intimidated by the Brazilian part of the menu, plus I really didn't understand what a lot of it was. Thankfully, I finally started trying items from the Brazilian entrees, and I haven't gone back to the Tex-Mex side since!

Feijoada (black bean stew)

Feijoada shown above is a black bean stew with a mix of sausage, beef, and pork. It is served with a side of rice, collard greens, farofa (toasted maize flour), and pao de queijo (cheese bun made with tapioca flour). The Bife A Milanese pictured below is a lightly breaded pan fried steak covered with ranchero sauce and served with a side of mashed potatoes, vegetables, and pao de queijo as well. The vegetables are a mix of corn, tomatoes, collard greens, and mushrooms; and is a great balance against the steak. I usually end up eating all of the vegetables before everything else. 

Bife A Milanesa

Sao Paulo's has such a great atmosphere in the evening. They dim the lights and each table has a small oil lamp. It's a great romantic spot for dinner!

Madam Mam's

Madam Mam's has a huge menu now! It's pretty much a book. They seem to always change something every time I go back. Last time it was their choice of tofu; they now have a choice of fresh or fried. I always go with the fried.

They have some of the best Thai tea, though it is really sweet. I usually like to let the ice melt down a bit before drinking it. I also love the color of Thai tea...maybe I'm just easily amused.

Thai Tea

One of my favorite go to dishes is the Pad Sea Ew with the flat noodles. This time I got fried tofu with it, but I also like the beef and shrimp versions as well.

Pad Sea Ew with fried tofu

With their new menu now, it feels even more intimidating to decide on what to order than before. It's great they have such a great selection of Thai food, better than many other restaurants, but it takes me forever to choose something.

If you have a SWEET tooth

Cold sweet treats are always great if you don't want something too heavy. Rita's Italian Ice is just the place to satisfy that sweet tooth and to cause a brain freeze.

Gelati = frozen vanilla custard and key lime Italian ice and mango Italian ice

Their Italian ice is made fresh daily with fresh fruit, which adds some dimension to the texture and flavor. It doesn't taste fake like many ice cold treats. They also have a good variety of frozen custard flavors compared with other places. The frozen custard is very smooth and creamy, but it's a bit too sweet for my taste. I can only take small doses at a time.

The highlight of Rita's is definitely their Italian ice!

It's Sushi Time!

Anytime I'm around the UT campus, I'm nostalgic. 

I have to go to Sushi Niichi whenever I'm around campus. It has always been one of my favorites because of their great lunch specials and happy hour. Of course they're not the best if you compare them with places like Uchi, Mushashino, etc. but for the price, they're fantastic. At least for me.

My favorite roll is the Blue Moonlight, which has spicy tuna and tempura shrimp inside, and salmon, tempura flake, and spicy Japanese mayo on the outside.

Blue Moonlight

We were too hungry and I forgot to take a picture BEFORE we started eating. We got the Blue Moonlight and Dragon (crab stick, avocado, cucumber on the inside, and grilled eel and avocado with teriyaki sauce on the outside) rolls; and a few nigiri pieces (Unagi - grilled eel, Binnaga - white tuna, and Masago - fish roe).

Do you like sushi?

Your Mom's!

"Get Stuffed at Your Mom's!"

If you want to go somewhere quirky, I recommend Your Mom's Burger Bar. They're known for their unique stuffed burgers. These burgers are fairly messy, especially mine because not only did I have a 1/2 lb. stuffed beef patty with monterey jack cheese and chorizo, but also a fried egg with lettuce, tomato, onion, and a guacamole and chipotle lime spread. I chose to have it on white bread, but you can also get your burger with wheat.

Frida Kahlo with fries

The Marie Laveau was more Cajun in its flavors. This burger was stuffed with monterey jack cheese and boudin, blackened Cajun style, with lettuce, tomato, onions, and a roumalade sauce.

Marie Laveau with onion rings

Overall, I liked the quirkiness of this place and the variety of burgers you can choose from, but did not really like the atmosphere. The seating is in a covered outdoor area that gets insanely hot, especially during the summers and also on top of the heat coming from the kitchen...it's not very comfortable. I recommend getting take-out instead.

Can I have a bowl of rice with that?

Rice Bowl Cafe opened after I moved from Austin, but I heard many great things about this place from friends that I knew I had to try it when I was in town. The noodles for their noodle soups are made fresh, so they have a distinct chewy texture that's delicious and filling.

Szechuan Beef Noodle Soup

The portions are also very large. I can usually get two meals out of an entree. I ordered the Pork on Rice which has this really flavorful sauce that's perfect with the crispy pork, and comes with one of my favorite Asian veggies, bok choy. And yes, it came with two huge pork fillets!

Pork Chop on Rice

My friend ordered a tofu dish. I believe it was the Bean Curd Homestyle, but I'm not positive. Tofu can be really good if you know how to make it correctly, and Rice Bowl knows exactly how. This dish has a good balance of flavor and spiciness, but it's also light because of the great mix of vegetables. I had to help myself to some of my friend's food. That's what friends are for, right?

Bean Curd Homestyle

There are so many other dishes I want to try in the future. Hopefully I'll have a chance to go back soon.

I Heart Queso

I've been insanely busy with traveling to Austin (for a bachelorette party) and preparing for a major presentation. Thankfully the presentation is done and over with! Sadly, I wish I was still in Austin. I lived in Austin for many years and a part of my heart will always be there. *sniffle* Okay, enough with the sappy stuff and onto the mouth-watering food!

The bride-to-be and I went to one of our favorite places to eat, Kerbey Lane Cafe. It has some of the best queso in town, awesome breakfast that is served all day/night, and many other great entrees ranging from Bacon Wrapped Pesto Chicken to Bison Picadillo Enchiladas to seasonal favorites like Pork Milanese and the Pesto di Pistachio Pasta.

Menu

I like Kerbey Lane because they always serve great tasting food anytime you're hungry (they're open 24 hours). Plus, I'm in love with their queso.

Cowboy Queso

The Cowboy Queso consists of black beans and guacamole drowned in white queso and topped with pico de gallo. I'm usually not a big fan of black beans, but this appetizer is surprisingly really good with the black beans.

I was having such a hard time deciding on what I wanted to eat that day because Kerbey Lane has such a variety in their menu. I ended up going with breakfast, which you can never go wrong with! I ordered the Breakfast Platter with chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, and fried eggs over medium.

Breakfast Platter

We were both so full that we could hardly move, but it was worth it!

be KIND

One of my recent obsessions are KIND bars.

Almond & Apricot and Cranberry Almond + Antioxidants. I've had both of these, and they're both really delicious!

I never thought I would like a granola bar that much, especially some of the flavor combinations they have. All of the ones I've tried so far, such as Mango Macadamia + Calcium, Almonds and Apricots in Yogurt, are really amazing though. Plus, they're healthy for you!...Unlike some of the granola bars out on the market that contain a lot of sugar and processed junk. They are all natural, have a low glycemic index, 5g of fiber, non gmo, and have low sodium; and are free of gluten and wheat, trans fats, dairy, and sulphur dioxide.

What's your favorite flavor?

Note: Products were purchased by me, with my own money. All opinions are my own.