Do you see that yummy shrimp? It’s called Bang Bang Shrimp. The shrimp are crispy and tossed with a creamy spicy sauce. AND they serve the shrimp with chopsticks. How cute is that? Mom/dad said they were awesome! Can you guess what restaurant it is with the fish in the lower left hand corner?
Aunt Tina took mom/dad to this place when they last visited in May. What an awesome place it was… or maybe it was the awesome food… or MAYBE it was just the AWESOME COMPANY they had at dinner.
Let me start by saying that this posting has LOTS of food in it with pictures. You know my mom and dad – they are professional eaters. They get into trouble every possible way. They called a field trip this past weekend. There is a restaurant about 30 minutes away called The Vortex Bar and Grill in an area called Little Five Points. They say it’s awesome. First off, it’s a bar and most of the workers have tattoos and no one under the age of 18 can come into the restaurant. I guess that leaves me out since I’m just over two – snorts.
This is daddy posing outside of the entrance to the location. I know I’ve talked about this restaurant before but I’m not sure if I’ve posted pictures of the awesome food – which mom and dad say is awesome…. shuffles hooves… I wouldn’t know because someone didn’t bring me home a piggy bag.
Like I was saying, the front of the building near the entrance has the huge skull that you walk through. Scary looking huh? You can see the name of the restaurant on the side to the right of dad’s head. NOTE: Someone told mommy that it looks like daddy has rabbit ears over his head from the jaw line of the skull. Snorts – I think it does too. You?
The day that mom/dad went, there was no line. Usually the line is out the door. Inside of the location, it’s dark and cozy. Mom and dad say the inside is rather small so the tables are tight. You make friends really quick – snorts.
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They started off with a Mighty Meaty Chili. This is how the menu describes the chili – menu wording not mine – just remember that :
“Made with ground sirloin, chipotle & habanero peppers and a secret combination of seasonings but no beans ’cause it’s MEATY. It’s definitely got some heat to it so please don’t order if you’re a big pussy”
Yep, that’s what it says. The picture to the left is of the cornbread that comes with the chili. Daddy says you really needed that because the chili was H.H.O.O.T.T. Thank goodness mom and dad split a bowl – snorts.
Mom and dad followed the spicy chili up with an appetizer of Cheddar Balls O’Glory. That’s what I’m talking about – cheese balls. Licks piggy lips. And of course, I’m going to tell you the wording off the menu… why? Because it’s so interesting 🙂
“A plate full of beer-battered, deep fried balls of cheddar cheese, served with jalapeno ranch dressing. These are by far the tastiest balls you’ll ever put in your mouth. You know you want some, so just bite our cheesy balls”.
Now with all of this wonderful food so far, you know the main meals have to be out of this world! And yeah, mom and dad wanted to sample a lot.
Dad ordered what they called a Meat Packer Melt –
“A sirloin patty topped with sliced turkey, ham, American, Swiss and cheddar cheese all griddled together on swirled rye bread. This is the best patty melt you have ever put in your mouth.”
Dad says this was the bomb! It was deliciously served with tater tots – one of his favorites. The last time he came here, he ordered the Double Coronary Bypass and trust me – he almost had one! He had plenty of leftovers that time. This is what it is:
“One big half pound sirloin patty topped with two fried eggs, six slices of American cheese and eight slices of bacon served between two grilled cheese sandwiches that we use in place of the regular hamburger buns.”
And mom, we can’t leave mommy out. She went grandstand too. She got the Cubano De Libertad.
“A fresh baked roll filled with slow roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, sliced pickles and spicy mustard grilled flat and drenched in Mojo sauce.”
Okay – let me add that this little oinker was not harmed in the making of mom’s lunch. See, that’s how she does me. She runs off and eats pork. Shakes my piggy head. At least she didn’t order the sandwich they call, “Three Little Pigs”… I don’t even want to know what’s on that one – Snorts.
So, that’s my wild humans. If you want to see more of the menu, look here at Vortex. It is by far great reading, mouth watering and delicious sounding. You gotta check it out if you get a chance. Happy Eats!
One night last week, mom was craving pasta. Not just any pasta but a New Orleans Pasta from a local restaurant. Look at this picture. Wouldn’t you crave it too? Mom doesn’t usually crave pasta but when she does, she always goes for this one. It has penne pasta, shrimp, chicken, smoked sausage, peppers, onions and a spicy homemade Cajun alfredo sauce. Doesn’t it look yummy?
The only thing mom hates about this pasta are the shrimp. Why do they keep tails on the shrimp when they serve it in a pasta like this? Mom has to stop and take the time to remove all of the tails so she can jump right in and eat. What do you think about this pasta?
Yes you are right. It is hot outside for any likes of chili. However, we had a couple of rainy days/nights last week. So mom/dad was craving something warm for their bellies. So off they went to one of their local restaurants that has the best chili – so they say – snorts with piggy laughter.
Let me introduce you to some Texas style chili. I give you that it doesn’t look tantalizing. But mom/dad says that it is the best chili that they have had in some time. It has tender beef throughout the chili mixed with secret spices that no one will tell. It all has jalapenos in it so expect some kick to it that stays with you for a bit. Mom/dad both got theirs served with aged cheddar and crackers. You gotta have crackers… or good loaf bread which they also got smothered with butter to combat the heat.
The Olde Courthouse Tavern that is – snorts with piggy laughter. This is Wednesday so welcome to Travels in the South my friends. Mom/dad heard about this fabulous restaurant that is a couple of towns over from us called the Olde Courthouse Tavern. They met some friends and visited it a while back and I’ll tell you something, their food porn pictures made my little tummy rumble with excitement. I’m actually going to have to break up this restaurant in a couple of weeks – there was way too many yum yum’s to share. So today, we are going to start with some appetizers.
Dad is a sucker for fried cauliflower. At this point in his life, if this is the only way that mom can get dad to eat his veggies, so be it – snorts with piggy laughter. The restaurant cuts up cauliflower, batters it (of course here in the south you should learn by now we batter and fry anything and everything) and fry until golden brown. They serve the fried cauliflower with a creamy horseradish sauce on the side. Of course, mom/dad asked for extra sauce. Now again, dad has had his share of fried cauliflower over the years so the question is how did this rank with him? Between grunts of yum and rumblings of I can’t get enough, dad said that the restaurant scored BIG time on this appetizer. Dad said it was some of the best fried cauliflower that he has had in some time. Mom was surprised as well. The bites were cut small enough for one bite and the horseradish sauce had just enough kick to say hello without setting your mouth on fire. Both mom/dad loved it!
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Anywhere that mom goes and sees pretzels, she has to try them. This restaurant has traditional salt pretzels served with beer cheese sauce, one of mom’s favorites. Mom is pretty picky when it comes to her pretzels. If she is going to indulge in any bread product, it better be good. What did mom say about these? She loved them! The pretzels had just enough salt – they weren’t overpowered like some can be that you immediately need water and they had enough salt where you could taste the salt. The beer cheese was creamy and really added to the pretzels. Even dad couldn’t keep his hands off these pretzels. So score two out of three so far.
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Now for the onion rings. Out of the three appetizers, everyone agreed that the onion rings were the least favorite. Don’t get them wrong. They were tasty and crunchy. They looked as fantastic as they tasted. However, they just didn’t have the same pizazz that the other two appetizers had. Yes they would get them again but they wouldn’t be at the top of mom/dad’s list. Now join us next week to check out some entrees that everyone enjoyed – you don’t want to miss it!
Shopping Around the World this month is being hosted by our great friends Shoko and Kali with Canadian Cats – thanks ya’ll! ❤
This month we are highlighting seafood recipes. Now mom/dad usually go out to eat seafood but there is the rare occasion when mom uses the big box in the kitchen for something more than a paper weight and actually cooks dinner. Now having this assignment of seafood, mom thought she would fix one of dad’s all time favorite meals in the world. She fixed it and then dad sat and wondered did he miss an important date? Was he in trouble for something? Did mom overspend on a credit card? What was the special occasion. That’s when mom told dad that she loved him ❤ So, here it is my friends – mom’s seafood special.
Are you hungry yet looking at that picture? I had to fix the hub unit’s favorite meal – ribeye steaks, french fries and fried shrimp. Of course you don’t see the salad on the side. I have to get the hub’s veggies in somewhere with this meal. I’ll tell you the prices for everything and break down the shrimp for you.
◊ Ribeye Steak – I had some in the freezer. I usually buy the entire loin and have the butcher cut them for me. The last time I bought steaks, it cost me around $50 and I got 16 steaks. I then take them home and wrap everything up individually to freeze. By buying the entire loin like this when it is on sale, the price per steak comes out around $3.15 per steak. Two steaks $6.30
◊ Two large baking potatoes. Buying a pack of potatoes at Sam’s Warehouse it costs $8.00 for about 20 potatoes. That’s around $0.40 each potato. Two potatoes $0.80
◊ One pound of fresh shrimp (or frozen but make sure they are thawed out). I got large 31-35 count shrimp this date from the market. They cost right $8.00 a pound. And trust me, I fixed them all for dinner and none were left. My hub will snarf these down like potato chips ❤
So the entire meal will cost less than $17.00 for two people. And yes we could stretch the meal; but, this was the hubby’s special meal and he likes to pig out on it – and you will too.
How to fix the shrimp:
I like to put all of my shrimp in a colander and run them under cold water for a few minutes. This makes sure that they are all thawed out. Shake the colander and make sure all of the excess water is out and pour them in a bowl. Here’s the fun part – making sure they are all clean and deveined. Take this kitchen hint, you can buy them cleaned and already deveined. You may have to pay a little more. I have been cleaning shrimp all of my life. It’s something that my dad taught me so it takes no time to fix them right up. Once they are all cleaned, wash them again to make sure all of the ick is removed. Once you start cleaning the shrimp, you will know exactly what that ick is that I’m talking about – LOL. I like to take a mallet and pound my shrimp out a bit. Don’t whack them too hard. Just enough to smoosh them a little so they will lay flat. (Look at mine above for size for flattening).
In a bowl mix together a cup of flour, a cup of cornmeal, salt, pepper and a little cayenne flakes. In another bowl mix together, milk, 3 eggs, salt, pepper and cayenne. (We like them a little spicy – you put as much or not at all according to your tastes). Go ahead and put your grease on the stuff and let it get hot. Here’s the secret to a really good crust on shrimp or chicken. You want to dip your shrimp in the flour/cornmeal first, then to your wet mixture and then back to your dry. After that, the little shrimp go for a swim in the hot oil. When they turn a pretty brown, they are done. If it’s like our house, most of the shrimp won’t make it to the dinner table because every one is hanging out in the kitchen eating them as they come up hot from the grease. They are highly addictive. Don’t say I didn’t warn you 🙂
Hello friends – welcome to another edition of Travels in the South. This week mom/dad went back for what they know. They went to a local steakhouse that offers an appetizer called “Wild, Wild Shrimp”. Better yet, mom had a coupon for this appetizer so that makes it even better, right?
These shrimp are lightly battered and friend. They are served with different kinds of spicy peppers with a blue cheese dip dressing. If you are like daddy, you pick the shrimp out and leave the peppers – snorts with piggy laughter. But if you are mom, you jump feet first in and eat your way out. Of course, this always goes well accompanied by a glass of Chardonnay, which mom had.
Mom’s soup of choice is her Spicy Cabbage Soup. Doesn’t that sound good just reading it? You can make it as spicy or not as you like. And what’s better than that? It’s simple!
2 cans of mixed vegetables, $2.38
1 can of roasted tomatoes, $1.12
1 package of sirloin, about a pound. On this date it was cheaper to buy it as a small piece of sirloin instead of it already being cubed. It was $6.50 for the pound – which was plenty because dad likes a lot of meat in his soups/stews.
1 head of cabbage, $0.99 for the head.
2 boxes of beef broth, $4.98
Seasoning in the form of pepper, flour, salt and pepper flakes.
Directions: Plug in your crock pot and put on low in the early morning before leaving for work. Pour in the two boxes of beef broth. We get the low sodium kind. Chop up the entire head of cabbage and put in the crock pot. Stir the cabbage in to make sure the broth is covering it. In the meantime, cut up your sirloin into small cubes. You can buy the sirloin that is already cut up – whatever you prefer. This date it was cheaper to buy it whole. Salt, pepper and toss the beef in a light powdering of flour. Put a little bit of olive oil in a pan over the oven and lightly color the beef to brown it. This step of coating the sirloin in flour and coloring it helps to ‘thicken’ your soup a bit and is optional. When this is done, put the beef in the crock pot. Remember to scrape the bottom of your pan with all of the bits and pieces of yummy.
Then add in your canned vegetables, roasted tomatoes, black pepper to taste and pepper flakes to taste. Remember, pepper flakes are spicy. Less is best if you are not sure what kind of spice you want. You can always add more in when you serve the individual bowls. Mom likes to serve it with cornbread or a crusty type bread for dipping. Goes great on cold rainy days or cold winter nights.
Daddy wanted to make sure that he told everyone that wished him Happy Birthday yesterday – thank you so very much. It really touched his little heart. Mom surprised him by coming home early yesterday from the worky place and taking him to one of his favorite restaurants that has all you can eat crab legs. Afterwards, she then took him to a local diner for a small slice of birthday cake – which also happened to be his favorite peanut butter cake. I’m attaching photos for you to see how happy he was my friends 🙂
Dad says it’s all about preparation first so it’s important to have your tools of the trade in hand and ready to go waiting for the endless crab legs to arrive to the party. This is his serious face of bring on the feast.Then when the guest of honor arrives on it’s platter, dad says it’s important for separation. Take each ‘leg’ off gently now. This allows for you to overtake your opponent in a more civilized manner without popping crab legs across the room. I’m thinking with daddy saying that, it’s had to happen to him before. What do you think? Snorts. Then you pop the pieces that you can… gently though. It’s not the time to be strong armed and you want to be gentle with your crab. And sometimes dad says it helps to talk to your food. Mom said she heard him telling these crab, “I know… I can’t wait for you to be in my belly too.”Shaking piggy head. Yes. I truly believe daddy needs professional help… maybe a straight jacket and padded room too. I’m just sayin’.
And if you did all of this, you will be so fortunate to pull out full pieces of crab meat from those succulent legs. Just look at that long piece of meat dad is fixing to devour there. Mom will tell you in a heartbeat, she is pretty lucky to have daddy in her life. Not only is he a great guy but he is a professional when it comes to crab legs and getting that awesome meat out of those shells. When mom’s fingers give in from her arthritis, dad is always a gentleman and steps up to crack hers for her. aaww – isn’t he a keeper?
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And did I say that these crab legs were prepared in a spicy boil. So when you ate them, you got some heat. Not just heat from them being just out of the pot but heat as in spicy heat. After all those crab legs, daddy had to have something sweet that he shared with mom.
Yep, that was ONE slice of birthday cake – peanut butter cake to be exact.
Piglove 