SCHUHBOX: Austin

Showing posts with label Austin. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Home Slice

White Clam Pizza: OUR FAVORITE!

The logo says it all . . . Home Slice is the QUEEN of pies. There is nothing like it, you have to know it to enjoy it. I don't know what else to say, if you go one place in Austin to eat, GO HERE!

I am not sure what we enjoy more . . . the food or the T-Shirts, they are both fabulous and we can't get enough of either one. Clever, silly and cute, the shirts, not the food always spur conversation.

Start with the garlic knots, especially if you have to wait, most likely unless you visit on a very OFF hour. Chewy and served with a side of pure tomato sauce, they are a great preview of what is to come.

Pizza by the slice is amazing, Bo loves the calzone, but Beep and I can't resist the white clam pizza, WOW! If you had told an Indiana farm girl that she would be one day eating clam pizza, I would have said, "NO WAY," but I must admit it is a mouthful of happiness.

Smarties: The perfect way to end the meal.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Green Mesquite

A family and Austin favorite we have at least one meal per visit at Green Mesquite! Casual and quick, this joint offers great food and funky, only in Austin, atmosphere. Dine inside in the summer, but sit outside in the "picnic" dining area when the weather is mild. Enjoy live music while you dine on this perfect blend of BBQ and comfort food.

I left MY comfort zone and tried something different this trip! I tried the cheese steak taco basket, recommended by our waiter. Soft tortillas filled with tender well seasoned beef, gooey cheese, caramelized onion and pico de gallo, they were fantastic.
Paired with perfectly lightly dressed slaw and fresh cut fries, need I say more. Beep stuck with his staple, as did Camille, half a chicken with fried okra for him and the pulled pork sandwich for Camille.

Bo stuck with a comfort food favorite, the chicken fried steak. Big hit, an Austin home town favorite, he polished off every last bite.

Cam had the chopped beef sandwich, yummy!

Other don't miss items on the menu if you have a crowd to help you out are onion rings, po boys and chili cheese fries with chopped beef. Save room for dessert, a cobbler or pie with Amy's ice cream of course. It might be tough! A hospitable staff and old school atmosphere, Mesquite is a must visit in Austin.

Prodigious Gadgets of Gastronomy

I have decided to list some of my favorite cooking tools. I would love to add pictures, As they say, it is better, worth a thousand words and all, but I can't quite figure it out. My descriptions may not do the object justice, but considering that I am techno challenged . . . I will have to figure the picture thing out later.

Butter Bell
I love this and so do my kids. If you love butter like we do, you will love it too! There is nothing better than spreading soft butter on warm toast. The butter bell allows you to keep soft butter on hand while keeping it perfectly fresh for weeks. The only problem at the Schuh household, we go though our butter much quicker than that. The official site follows, http://www.butterbell.com

The OVEN SQUIRREL, I know what you're thinking, and no this is not some sort of road kill cooking technique, it is actually an ingenious tool. Cleverly designed to save you from burns and your kiddos from the fear of touching things in the oven.
The Oven Squirrel allows you to safely push and pull hot oven racks without risking a burn. Just as much fun to use as it is to look at, you pull with the ears and push with the paws. What a great gift for the cook who has everything, including children!

Pourfect Bowls, http://www.pourfectbowl.com. The Nike of mixing bowls. The designer of these bowls thought of everything . . . no spill, easy fit handle and a lip that grips the edge of the bowl you are pouring into. Check out the demos on their page. If you have kids who like to get in on the action or do a lot of baking you will love these bowls!

Desiccants, http://desiccantsonline.com. Food safe desiccants can be a life saver when humidity is high in your home and you want to store foods that need to remain crisp. Simply keep some of these handy and you won't have to worry about soggy meringues or pastries.

Favorite New Food Find

Julian's

All natural recipe European Style Pretzel Baguette

The only place I have found this delicious treat is Central Market. (frozen food area) Two crispy, buttery, perfectly salty loaves of pretzel bread, if you can find it, try it!

I did find it listed on shop well, here is the link.

http://www.shopwell.com/julians-recipe-baguette-pretzel-european-style-butter-sea-salt/frozen-bread/p/5597100226

Della, Basmati Rice

Hawaiian Lehua Honey & Sweet Cream
We have been loving this HAAGEN-DAZS flavor for quite some time, I just haven't thought about listing it on the blog.
Beep fell hard for this fantastic flavor! He is such a softy. It is not easy to locate these days, the only store that is currently carrying it in our area is Central Market.
Don't mistake it for Haagen-Dazs' other honey flavor, there is no comparison. The ribbons of sweet golden honey are a perfect balance to the richness of the sweet cream base of this ice cream!!!!

Paesanol
First cold pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil! A cloudy rich green oil that is simply amazing. Beep, Cam & I were at Jimmy's this weekend and we could barely fit through the isles. Note to self . . . visit Jimmy's during the week when they are not having a free food and wine tasting. Needless to say we skipped the meat counter and an endless wait time and just grabbed some necessities. Beep was making white clam sauce and wanted a new olive oil and boy did we find one!
The Paesanol is freshly produced oil bottled immediately after the first pressing in mid October. It is undecanted, therefore appearing even cloudier and greener, more herbaceous and pizzicante in flavor. Produced only once a year, since 1916 in Sicily, this oil is like no other. We got our 1 liter bottle for $14.99.

Roasted Beets
Red or golden . . . washed, roasted in the oven with S&P, a little olive oil and some water or broth are terrific. Cover and roast at 350 until fork tender, peel, slice or dice. Eat directly out of the pan or dice and toss with simple vinaigrette and add to any salad. YUM YUM!

Roquefort Societe Abeille
Only the creamiest, perfectly spotted blue, slightly salty, cheese I have had lately. Spread on a slice of apple or pear for a delicious treat.

SCHUHBOX

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Home Slice

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Green Mesquite

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