Texas Style Food: Handmade Spicy Pork Tamales

 

I love tamales. I hate paying $2 each for them though.  We were invited to a family tamale making day by my friend Steven. I watched and helped with the masa application on the corn husks. It was fun and I just knew I would end up doing it myself.  And I did. It is amazing what a Boston butt pork roast can become.  Homemade sauce, made from spicy smoked Ancho chiles. The photo above was my final product: 5 dozen spicy pork tamales.  They are delicious.  It is easier than you might think!

 

 Ready to steam!

Steaming away under cover of a cotton napkin - helps concentrate the heat and steam for a delicious finale!

Restaurant Favorite: Bar Americain, NY

I had the good fortune to have dinner at Bobby Flay's Bar Americain in New York City when I attended BEA (Book Expo America) last year.  It was a perfectly wonderful meal. My old friend SueE and I broke tradition and eschewed Ruth's Chris which has always been our staple when we get together.  I am happy we did.  Sue was a bit late and I opted for a martini and some oysters on the half shell with a chipolte mignonette. It was so good, had she been any later I might have had another half dozen.

 I had the blackened ribeye and duck fries as an entree, but I think I could easily have had a few appetizers and another martini and called it an evening.  Dessert?  No thanks... any oysters left?

Question: Why A Blog?

I've been reading blogs for a long time and wanted a place to aggregate some I enjoy and to provide links to them for friends. I started this some time ago, but really didn't do anything with it until now.

I want to share things I like - food, clothes, travel, cars, all kinds of things ... stuff that makes me smile.  I love to cook. I love my family. I live a charmed and completely blessed life. 

Clothes. Well, there's a little problem. I have an admitted addiction to shoes. And bags. And suits. Shirts. Yeah, pretty much all of it. I have a few ties that I have had for years, some that I just can't let go of because they either remind me of a certain time, or because they just still look great; timeless.  I've found how to "recycle" some of my clothes, shoes and accessories on eBay.  I enjoy doing that when I have time for it, which is rare these days. I need to do more. Space is at a premium.

I hope you enjoy this, and if not?  Keep it to yourself .

Hotel Love: Omni Hotel Dallas TX

I took this photo at the new Omni Hotel in Dallas on January 19th. Sitting in the lobby restaurant, Texas Spice, having a complimentary lunch from the hotel (my room wasn't ready yet), I looked up and saw the lights and glasses and thought how it might make a nice photo.  I like the way things line up; I like symmetry and this was the perfect chance to try out my new Nikon D5100 DSLR.  I like the reflection in the lower portion of the light bulbs and the way the light works. I think it came out nicely!

This is a view past the bar, looking out at the Dallas skyline.

Electric Mirror - TV behind the glass.

OK, so everyone liked gadgets, right?  The bathroom at the Omni was really nice.  I would kill for the TV behind the mirror in my own bathroom.  Heck, I'd kill for the whole bathroom - it was big and really nicely done.  

The view out of my bedroom Window.