REVIEW: Buttermilk Pecan Chicken w/ Crispy Brussels Sprouts

Not really a chicken guy. Pork's my thing. Found this recipe again on Food Network's 5 Ingredient Fix for Buttermilk Pecan Chicken and thought I'd give it a try.

Everything was pretty tasty. I baked the chicken instead of deep frying for healthy's sake. The buttermilk marinade helped keep everything nice and juicy.

Crispy Brussels Sprouts w/ Granny Smith Apples was a surprisingly good combination. Of course topped with bacon. Everything is better with bacon. I'll try that recipe again.

Hatch Green Chile Demi Baguette thrown in for good measure. Those HEB Central Market creations sure are good.

All in all not as complicated as yesterday's meal and Thor knows I'm trying to keep things simple.

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REVIEW: Creole Catfish w/ Green Tomato & Walla Walla Onion Gratin including Creamed Corn no Cream

The problem I have been having w/ recipes lately is that they take way too much prep time. Time is precious.  Prep is annoying.  Such was the case tonight w/ this meal I found on the Food Network from the 5 Ingredient Fix show.  It didn't help that I had forgotten to purchase bacon that was necessary for two of the dishes.  Had to drop everything and go stand in line with the Yuppies at Sun Harvest for a slab of bacon.  This threw off all my timing.

So if you are into sodium overload on your catfish, follow these recipes to the T.  If you are more BP conscience, then cut the Creole Seasoning in half and save your life.

The Gratin dish was quite tasty but I was unable to get the Creamed Corn to cream properly.  All I could think of was Rudy's BBQ creamed corn and how I had failed miserably on my own attempt at creamed corn.

Trying another one of this show's meals tomorrow.  I will allow more time for prep.

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REVIEW: Tito's Mexican Resaturant

Breakfast after the Today Show San Antonio Thingy Thing w/ @arios5 and Jessica.  This restaurant is in South Town or is it King William.  Either way it's close to where Jessica lives by La Tuna.

Having been up since 3:30AM, I was starvin' Marvin by the time we left the Today Show taping.  Had two Picadillo Breakfast Tacos and a Machacado Breakfast Taco for good measure because I was just sooo hungry.  I ate them all up so it was difficult to gauge whether they were THAT good or I was THAT hungry??  I'll say there good just to be on the safe side.

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The Today Show visits San Antonio---I win tix---I have a blast.

Thanx to @LouRamirez from KJ97 for the tix.

So I won these tickets for front row seats to the Today Show taping in San Antonio on Twitter.  BTW---I heart Twitter.  Got instructions for the passes and was told to be there no later than 4:45AM.  I ask 4:45AM????
Yup, we had to be there that early to check in and we were the only ones there to view the taping of the bull riding segment.  Pretty cool.

Impressions:  Hoda is really tall and very, very friendly. 
Kathy Lee Gifford loves the babies. 
NBC runs this show like a swiss watch. 
Campanas de America are not so controversial after all. 
And if you are going to have a minor heat stroke sitting behind us, get up and leave. 

My pix album is here. Enjoy.

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REVIEW: Leftovers- Spaghetti with Pinot Grigio and shrimp.

There is just something about left-overs and today's sampling is no different: Spaghetti w/ Pinot Grigio & shrimp. 

Took forever last night to peel and de-vein the shrimp. Tedium is not a friend of mine. But fresh is always best.  The recipe called for clams as well but Lincoln Heights HEB did not have any fresh claims in their seafood department??  So I thought I would substitute mussels but the ones they tried to sell me were dead or dying.  Such sad attention to detail in that fish market. So a double order of shrimp it was to be then.

Shallots; garlic; sun-dried tomatoes & arugula round out the dish's components.  Oh yeah---and Pinot Grigio.

This meal was quite tasty and easy to prepare except for the prep of the shrimp.  And of course, even better the next day.

Sopping up bread was Hatch Green Chile Demi Baguette.  Awesome.

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The Resurrection of my iPhone (or) A Pitcher of Mojitos

With the recent death of my 37 day old iPhone 3G S documented here, I was indeed in a small time funk.  Made my appointment at the Apple Genius Bar at the Apple Store @ North Star and was prepared to be disappointed.  I was instead pleasantly surprised.

The only thing that could have made my experience at the Apple store better was to have been served a pitcher of Mojitos.  From the concierge who checked me in, to Diego who handled my transaction, I was treated like I was the only one in the store when in fact the store was completely packed with patrons.  

Diego poked, prodded and pinpointed the problem: my 37 day old iPhone had a bum battery.  They gladly replaced my old phone with a spanking brand new phone.  No questions asked.  I was impressed and the whole transaction took less than ten minutes of my very important and busy schedule.  LOL. 

Although I did not receive that pitcher of Mojitos today, the fantastic service I did receive at the North Star Apple store was undeniably a refreshing treat. Kudos Apple Kudos.

New iPhone is quietly restoring my photos; music; memories; etc.

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Review: CHUY'S @ the Forum

Chuy's used to have a location in Alamo Heights.  It did quite the business there but yet it moved north on 281 to a larger, new location.  Now they have opened a 2nd location on IH35 in Selma @ the Forum.  It is in the location of the former Camino Ranch, a steak house. The former location was a classy steak joint w/ high end furniture and decor.  It could not survive this economy it seems. As with all Chuy's, this new location has been made to resemble a Mexican junk yard? This is my first trip to this location. 

I think I always have liked Chuy's because of the green chile connection.  In August they bring the Hatch Green Chile from New Mexico and try some way to incorporate the famous green chile into every meal, even desserts.

I always start with a cup of green chile stew as my appetizer.  It really isn't in on the menu but they always accommodate my request.  Not at this location.  They said they were still working the kinks out of the menu and could not serve me a cup tonight.  Boo.

Tonight I had the Elvis Presley Memorial Combo, commonly referred to as the #2.  It consists of three different types of enchiladas:  a Beef Tex Mex Enchilada; a Cheese Ranchero Enchilada and a Chicken Tomatillo Enchilada.  Also a crispy taco and chile con queso wing.  I guess they are working the kinks out of the menu on this dish too because tonight this was not a tasty dish.  The corn tortillas were hard and difficult to cut with fork and the ranchero sauce on the middle enchilada was not very tasty. The tortillas were thin, dry and difficult to chew. The crispy taco was very good though as was the swirl frozen margarita and table salsa.

Maybe in two months or so this place will have worked the kinks sufficiently out of the menu to warrant a second try.  I hope they have the kinks ironed out before they have their Hatch Green Chile Fest in August.

On a lighter note, as we noticed the time and in 15 minutes it was time for HBO's True Blood, we motioned to the waitress and she quickly delivered the ticket and cashed us out for the evening. She didn't disappear after serving us as waiters seem to do in San Antonio. She deserved a big tip just for that great gesture.  We made it to the tube in time to see the blood orgy. LOL.

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Apple iPhone dies (or) How many ways I find to say the word NOTHING.

I am numb.

It is my sad duty to inform you that my new iPhone 3G S died today @ approximately 2P Central Time.

I was riding around with S doing nothing in particular. Had finished shopping @ HEB Central Market and asked if I could use the car charger as I had noticed earlier that the battery was getting low.  Plugged it in and Nada.  No familiar beep of the interface between phone and charger. Nothing.  I tried to turn it on but the screen was black.  Tried the familiar reset technique of holding the sleep and home buttons at the same time.  Not anything. Returned home and plugged it into my home computer.  Zilch. 

Drove to the North Star Apple Store after letting iPhone charge for an hour and headed to the Genius Bar.  Teenage Emo boy stopped me before I could get to the counter.  He said they were completely booked with appointments today but that I could set one for tomorrow.  I told him I needed to have my phone replaced today but he said there was nothing they could do without an appointment.  I think he could have offered to see if they had appointments at the La Cantera Apple store location. Zero.

S says I should be angry but I am only dead. Like my 37 day old iPhone 3G S.  Had the original iPhone for two years without one single incident or problem.  We shall see if Apple is able to resurrect or replace my iPhone tomorrow?  And it better not be for naught.

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FROM THAI LAO on RECTOR

Ordinary.

Sent from my iPhone
Michael Saiz

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ON REACHING 1000 FOLLOWERS---AGAIN!!!

So on 7-11-09 I reached a milestone: 1000 followers. It was cool but last week I lost over a 100 followers on one day. Really? Was it something I said?

Twitter intimated it was a glitch that they were working on behind the scenes. Well, a few days later I am back at 1000 followers. I'm thinking with no thanks to Twitter as my follower count just increased slowly back up to 1000 day by day. Oh well.

My first 1000 was documented here. So hooray---again! See you next 1000---again?

Thank you.

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FROM TIP TOP CAFE ON FRED ROAD

Sometimes you just need some comfort food. Sometimes you just need the TIP TOP CAFE on Fred Road. Even when the line to get in is local favorite is out the door and down the street---you wait for the good home-cooking inside.

Of course we always start with the onion rings. Tonight was no different. Always fresh and always way good.

Obligatory Chicken Fried Steak: gravy on bottom and big enough to fill up your plate. Big enough to fill your belly. Tasty enough to make a difference. Always.

No room tonight for dessert. Even brought the Chow Chows left over steak for the family that has coronary disease together stays together.

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FROM SMASHBURGER @ PARK NORTH

Heard about this new burger joint that was new to San Antonio &
decided to go before the DCI Southwest Championship on Saturday night.

S said they have a concept where they pound the burgers on the grill.
I was expecting a show. There was no show.

We get to the Park North location around 3p as the marching
competition started @ 4p. The place was near dead. I only mention
this because you know how San Antonians love to check out new
restaurants. This place in North Park had only been open a week.

The interior looked like sort of Ruby Tuesday's knock-off. The decor
was modern and clean. I didn't quite know if I should sit down and
wait for a waiter or go to this short unmanned counter. I went to the
unmanned counter and waited for an attendant. One came eventually and
we placed our order.

I had the smashburger and smashfries and water. She gave me a baby
cup for the water. I asked for a larger cup and she said it was their
policy to give out the baby cup. I joked that I would raise my hand
each time I would need a refill and she could come and do so. She was
not amused. Neither was I. My straw was larger than my water cup.

The burger and fries arrived promptly. The dressings on the open
faced burger looked ill. Not that they weren't fresh but the lighting
in that restaurant did not do them any justice. The pickles and
tomatoes and onions all looked pale. I put the burger together and
take a bite. It was OK. The bun quickly became soggy due to all the
grease from the meat. The fries were heavily salted and seasoned with
a strange mixture of spices.

Turns out this restaurant is really a fast food joint. All they are
lacking is a drive-thru window.

We decided we would not be in a hurry to come back to this joint
because the next time I am in the mood for a fast food burger I will
stick with Whataburger. The burgers may get cold on the ride home but
at least I know it is something I will enjoy.

Sent from my iPhone
Michael Saiz

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THE LATEST IN SENIOR CITIZEN T-SHIRTS

Couldn't find these on the net so just added them myself to my own bloggy blog.  Enjoy.

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FROM BANGKOK 54 on NACOGDOCHES RD

Nacogdoches Road is undergoing all kinds of major construction so it is surprising that a business would start-up during all that mess. Met up with neighbors Alma & Ralph & friend Irma at Bangkok 54 Thai Cuisine for some good food and good conversation. This restaurant got good reviews by the local newspaper food critic so we thought we'd give it a try.

We started out with the Kanom Jeep: steamed dumplings with minced pork, Thai herbs & water chestnuts served with Thai sweet brown sauce. This was pretty good and would definitely have it again. The presentation was well made.

We also had the Summer roll: mixed rice noodles with vegetables and shrimp. This was super fresh and super appetizing.

I was able to substitute pork for the tofu on the Pad Woon Sen Jae: Stir-fired bean noodles with eggs, tomatoes and onions. It was good but could have used another notch up the spice ladder.

Everyone enjoyed their respective dishes and said they would come back again. All in all the prices were reasonable; the wait staff was fast and courteous and the food was tasty. I will try this place again too. Maybe for lunch.


.

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LEFTOVER SEAWORLD SAN ANTONIO PIX

…as if I was gonna eat a fish sandwich at a marine park.

Boy we are fortunate to have so much going on in San Antonio that a staycation isn’t such a bad idea. Next week is the DCI Southwestern Championship @ the Alamodome. Then the weekend after that is Six Flags Fiesta Texas. Woo Hoo.

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THOUGHTS ON MY MOTHER'S RECENT OVARIAN TUMOR SURGERY.

So my mother Alice was diagnosed with an ovarian tumor on June 8^th. She is a two time breast cancer survivor. My mother lost her husband Tommy three years ago to his own bout of cancer. He was my step-father and my brother’s father. She now only has me and my brother Mark. She is 62 years old.

My mother lives in Portales, New Mexico. Portales is rural. Surgery was scheduled on 6-25-09 in Lubbock, Texas. Everything was in order with surgeon, hospital and insurance. On day before surgery my mother received a call that the surgery had been cancelled: hospital issues. My brother had already left his home in Flagstaff, Arizona when she called him with the news. He turned back around home. It is a 9 hour drive from Arizona to Portales. I had not yet left and was not inconvenienced. It is also a nine hour drive for me to Portales.

Surgery was rescheduled with a hospital that was in network. How the insurance didn’t realize this mistake to begin with just stymies me? So the new surgery was scheduled for University Medical Center on the campus of Texas Tech University for 7-6-09. My brother cancelled his already scheduled vacation to Mexico. I took off from work.

My brother picked up my mom from Portales and drove her to Lubbock the night before the surgery. We all met up at the Hawthorn Suites. Super nice: more like a boutique hotel in NYC than typical Lubbock fare. My mom stayed behind to cleanse her colon per doctor’s orders. I and my brother Mark and his wife Katy started our culinary tour of Lubbock. We ate at Orlando’s Italian Restaurant. We had pizza and salad for my nervous stomach.

Next day we woke up early to take my mom to the hospital. She kept telling us where to park but her idea of the front was my back and my front was her back. We drove around the sprawling facility until we were able to find the proper entrance. We checked her in and almost immediately she was whisked to the prep area. My step-aunts: Gloria, Beatrice & Marylou drove in from various parts of New Mexico to be there for her. They were only able to visit ten minutes at the most.

So they tell us to wait in another waiting room. People come and go. We remain behind. It is now after 1PM and no word on my mother’s condition. Katy goes to the desk and makes an inquiry and it is then we learn that my mother has not even started her surgery. Mark and I are escorted to the prep area where they are just about to whisk her off to the operating room. She asks me to make sure her feet have socks on return from her surgery as she has a serious case of the cold feet.

We take this opportunity to go eat lunch. Something quick and easy is what we all vote for. We end up at Taco Villa. They have this fast food joint chain in Clovis, New Mexico. Katy is from Clovis. It is nothing but a Taco Bell. I experience instant nausea.

It is now about 3:30PM. The surgeon takes us to a little room to tell us about the surgery. He says her tumor was classified as a borderline tumor. This means they have to wait for the pathology reports to determine if it is cancerous. He is of the opinion that it is NOT cancerous. He shows us pictures of the tumor. We are floored. It was 10+ pounds and watermelon shaped. It had grown through my mother’s back and belly area. She also had another tumor that was tiny but growing on her other ovary. They did a complete hysterectomy and removed both tumors.

My mother was mostly incoherent. We find out she has an incision from upper chest to lower abdomen. A large incision was needed to remove the tumor intact. My mother reveals that all along she was in deep pain but that the pain she feels from surgery is way less and worth it all.

My mother is in the women’s ward and nursery ward. All the nurses are wearing blue scrubs. We later find out the infants are tagged to ward against theft. Apparently they steal babies in Lubbock from the nursery? This sign was in the elevator area.

When I entered the elevator with my BABY brother no alarms went off. I was jipped again.

We continue our culinary tour of Lubbock. Mark wants Thai food so I pull out my handy dandy iPhone and click the Urbanspoon App. Find the top rated Thai place in Lubbock. Enter the address into the navigation screen of my Honda Ridgeline. The restaurant is closed and looks like it has been closed quite a while. I find another Thai restaurant but being smarter than a fifth grader I call our 2^nd choice first to determine if they are open. Turns out they are on holiday and closed. Frustrated, we eye a Johnny Carino’s and settle for that restaurant. We go to the front door and there is a sign on door that indicates it is closed for A/C repair. Seems the culinary gOds are not on our side tonight.

Mark see’s a Hooters and as he has never been that is where we end up for the night. It was not what he expected and his wife is not amused and she refuses to take our pictures. We have to take our own pictures.

So as my mother recuperates on day three, we learn that Lubbock is in the grips of a heat wave today. I just having left the San Antonio heat wave was not laughing.

So the surgeon comes in and informs my mother that she is able to leave the hospital that night. We are ecstatic. The floor doctor comes in and says no. Apparently floor doctor trumps surgeon. My mother is on a liquid diet and discovers that she has an aversion to broths.

We continue our culinary tour of Lubbock. Katy having inquired with her Face Book Friends finds us another Thai place to try. Again I call the restaurant because what if this week is traditionally a Thai holiday? It is open and we proceed to Choochai Thai. It is a hole in the wall but once we receive and taste our food it is instant joy. This place had possibly the best Thai food I have ever eaten. Seriously, it was that good.

Pleased with the fact that our mother is doing well and will probably be released in the morning, we venture around the fine town of Lubbock. Having grown up in Portales, a mere 90 minutes away, Lubbock was always the big go-to-city for fun and entertainment. We find the Buddy Holly statue and my brother makes it his Face Book avatar.

I find Buddy Holly’s signature glasses and immediately decide to take them home with me.

We decide to get to the hospital early on Thursday. The doctor and the gaggle of interns have already visited my mother and released her from the hospital. She is happy. She looks way better already. That huge tumor had begun to take all my mother’s nutrients and finally she was beginning to regain her color and disposition.

Having already made arrangements, my brother was to drive my mother the 90 minutes home where her sister Patsy had agreed to be her caretaker for the next ten days. My mother released me from my duty and I headed the seven hours home to San Antonio. I was emotionally drained.

My mother continues to recover but we all remain positive thinkers. We await the results of the pathology reports but are confident that they will only confirm what we already know: no cancer.

Thanks to everyone who kept our mom in their thoughts. She appreciates the prayers as well.

Here she is earlier this year at her first Spurs game. I don’t think I have ever seen her so happy. I eagerly await your return visit mom.

As a weird side note and I’m not quiet sure how old this song is but my mother always thought the Kenny Rogers + Dottie West classic: What Are We Doing In Love was actually What Are We Doing In Lubbock. What were we doing in Lubbock indeed mom?

MSaiz

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From Golden Wok on Wurzbach...

I always enjoy the Spiced Rubbed Ribs and the giant bowl of House Special Won Ton Soup at this restaurant. Golden Wok is a locals favorite. Usually I stay away from Chinese cuisine because they all seemed to have been Americanized beyond recognition but S enjoys this place so we go to satisfy that Chinese fix.

The Koi fish up front are always a welcome sight.

Was supposed to go the Silver Stars game tonight but that plan fell through. This is stop #1 on this Friday Holiday Eve Night.

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MI TIERRA CAFE Y PANEDERIA

BRUNCH:

Serenaded by the roving Mariachi.

MI TIERRA CAFE Y PANEDERIA

BRUNCH

The cousins outside the cafe.

MI TIERRA CAFE Y PANEDERIA

BRUNCH

My Mother's Father's Brother's Son's Daughter was in town w/ her family so we met for brunch @ the famous Mi Tierra Cafe in Market Square. Officially Melanie is my 2nd Cousin.

Obligatory photo of me eating food w/ my Melanie.

Her family is both beautiful and gracious. Thank you for brunch.