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Howdy Friends!
Today we are talking about one of my favorite subjects…FOOD! I skipped lunch today after a huge breakfast at iHOP with a teacher-friend Benita. Lemon-blueberry pancakes and turkey bacon. Ha! I was so enthusiastic about diving into my food that I forgot to take a picture, knowing full-well that I would be blogging about food later in the day. So you are going to have to take my word for it that those pancakes were delicious and I ate every calorie.
I want to further preface this post with a disclaimer.
I do cook.
I am no gourmet chef but I can throw together a pot of Hamburger Helper like nobody’s business.
This month, however, PC and I have indulged in more than our fair share of fast food and dinners out. My Prince could truly (and quite happily) eat a McDonald’s cheeseburger and wash it down with a large blue Powerade everyday of this world. Such discriminating tastes! So that is his go-to treat for every season.
And when we aren’t eating at Big Donald’s (as my daughters used to call it) or enjoying Hamburger Helper in anyone of its cheeseburger-y flavors, we seem to frequent the same restaurants over and over and over here in El Paso.
Thank goodness, we have just come back from vacation and I had an opportunity to sample cheeseburgers at some out-of-town McDonald’s (they tasted the same).
This McDonald’s is just west of San Antonio.
We celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary at Joe’s Crab Shack on the San Antonio River Walk.
We don’t have a “Joe’s” in El Paso so this was a new experience for us. We (over-)indulged with fried seafood platters that sounded better than they tasted. I ordered extra hush puppies because this Tennessee girl can never have enough of that deep fried goodness but they were a real disappointment, too.
I like mine sweet and these were just gritty, greasy balls (somehow that doesn’t sound quite right).
We spent that night at the historic Crockett Hotel.
The next day we headed north to meet up with my daughters, brother and sister and each of their families in New Braunfels, described by New Braunfels Dot Com as “a little bit of old Germany smack dab in the middle of the Texas Hill Country”.
I kind of anticipated that we would be enjoying some of those regional delicacies with an el sound at the end…strudel or schnitzel or spatzle.
My sister Valerie suggested we eat at The Grist Mill for dinner that night. The restaurant is lovely: set in the trees on the banks of the Guadalupe River. On their webpage, The Grist Mill describes their menu like this,
“We’ve built our reputation by
serving fresh fish, succulent
chicken, thick, juicy steaks, big
juicy burgers, plus a complementary
array of salads, appetizers and
veggies.”
[source]
I had the fresh fish, not fried but grilled. And no hush puppies.
Guess what PC had?
Here’s a hint.
[source]
No, not a cheeseburger.
A hamburger.
Then some of us (my sister Mimi Val, my niece Shelby, and I) enjoyed some time posing with my granddaughter Cady in the trees, which I do realize has nothing to do with food.
The following evening I cooked.
‘Tis true. I cooked on my vacay.
We were staying in some cabins at the Hill Country Cottage and RV Resort. Really a great place. Read more here.
[source]
I had planned to fix a Mexicali Hashbrown Casserole but was overruled (however, I did make that later at the beach). I wound up fixing queso and chips, fruit salad, cream cheese dip with raspberry-chipotle glaze, baked beans, hot cheesy corn dip
AND
‘Nuff said.
First picture: my bro, bro-in-law, nephew Trey and niece Shelby. Second pic: nephew Jacob, PC, son-in-law Corey and daughter Bren. Third pic: Kevin, Valerie, Roby and Trey.
Valerie and her husband Roby cooked our last evening in New Braunfels and they fixed…
Wait for it, wait for it…
STEAKS!
But no one got a picture of them. You can see my brother-in-law Roby behind me in the first picture, tending the grill while PC keeps him company. But somehow we have no picture of the twelve, beautiful, New York strip steaks Roby cooked to perfection. The middle picture is Valerie’s son Trey, my brother Kevin, Cady, and Kevin’s kids Shelby and Jacob. The third picture is of my beautiful daughters, Brennyn and Lauren.
This post has turned into more of a travel brochure for my vacation.
As well as a culinary tour of my summer eats.
Who knew I had so much to share?
And there’s still more! But I am going to wrap this up for tonight with a picture of my favorite go-to treat. We enjoyed this little pint poolside at the Crockett Hotel. 
I try to have ice cream every Saturday. This was particularly delicious. And it was on a Sundae. I mean Sunday.
Would love to hear about your favorite summer eats and go-to treats. Do you have a special day set aside for ice cream, too? Tell me about it in a comment below.
Then pop over to my blogger buddies’s blogs to see what they’ve been noshing on. If you area a blogger, link up with us by clicking below.
Finally, promise to come back again to read the fascinating part 2 of my summer eats series.
Hugs and kisses,
Here are some of my interesting summer adventures in food. My son has been begging me to take him to torchy’s tacos which he really likes supposedly. So the other day on our way shopping off we went to torchy’s. He ordered chicken and cheese quesadillas, not very exotic. I, on the other hand, had FRIED AVOCADO Taco: HAND-BATTERED FRESH AVOCADOS FRIED AND
SERVED WITH VEGETARIAN REFRIED BEANS, TOPPED WITH PICO, LETTUCE, & CHEESE. SERVED WITH
POBLANO SAUCE ON A CORN TORTILLA. Very Yummy and exotic and THE DEMOCRAT: SHREDDED BEEF BARBACOA TOPPED WITH FRESH AVOCADO, QUESO FRESCO, CILANTRO, ONIONS & A WEDGE OF LIME. SERVED WITH TOMATILLO SALSA ON A FRESH CORN TORTILLA. I knew better to cross to the “other side”. Not yummy and overstuffed. Ick.
I went with friends to The a Republic grill and had a yummy “dietetic” salad and with a whole days worth of calories and that was just the strawberry vinegarettte dressing. We followed it up with Tres Leche cake which I never liked it before but unfortunately was very yummy. I should but because of the people. but I want you to know I was looking out after my health and did not drink a Diet Coke.
Off to Panera bread today for lunch with friends. I need to really stop making friends while I can still fit in my clothes.
So the fresh, fried avocados were good? But not the shredded barbacoa? I am not too crazy about barbacoa, myself. And you are so right about salads. Sometimes they are higher in calories than a greasy hamburger. I tend to pick a hamburger at McD’s because I know the WW Points for it and for a salad, the points are if-ier. Wish we had a Panera Bread here. El Paso is growing up so it won’t be long til we do. Love your outfit for today. Enjoy lunch!!
A couple of sentences above got mixed up. Should have said, we followed it up with translates a cake which I never liked before but unfortunately it was very yummy. Don’t know what the sentence I should but because of the people meant. Just skip that one. Guess I should’ve had my reading glasses on when I typed this.
You always make me laugh.
Everyday is a good day for ice cream! You know I’ve never had hamburger helper…weird? I’ve always wanted to try it, and then I became allergic to everything under the sun…Love seeing all the vacation food! Whenever we’re on vacation I always take pictures but never post them, I should!
When Leslie and I were growing up mom made her own version of Hamburger Helper. We called it Hamburger Yuck Yuck. Not sure we disliked it, it just did not look appetizing. Little did we know she was ahead of her times. Yum Yum I love it now.
I remember Sharon making homemade hamburger helper as a teenager for her whole family. I loved it! She and mom were visionaries! XO
Thanks friend but we never used HH we just made it with macroni and the works! 🙂 Don’t think I’ve made that in a very long time but I do make a pasta dish that’s similar every once in awhile. Can’t eat those carbs and ice cream! 😁
I can just see us in your kitchen on Galaxie. I was so impressed that you could cook! You did it all from scratch and I was amazed. Still amazed by you. You are the total package…great mommy and Minnnie, fabulous sense of personal style, as well as in your home and even in your yard. Terrific housekeeper and homemaker. Super shopper. Loving wife, sister, daughter. Responsible, loving pet owner and my BFF.
Thanks for all those compliments BFF and right back at you! 😍
Relax and rest during your hair appointment today! XO
Hear, hear for ice cream on any day! Yay! I don’t think you are really missing much not having had Hamburger Helper but PC loves it. Like a cheeseburger without the bun. XO
McD’s cheeseburgers are my favourite!!
I like the fries better than the burgers but will gladly eat both and wash them down with a chocolate milkshake. XO
All so yummy summer food! I am a McDonald’s girl – I love their fries, which I hope never change. If they did I don’t know what I would do! (And, I am going to have to refer to it Big Donald’s – ha! ha!)
Lisa
Daily Style Finds
It would really suck (pardon the expression) if McD’s changed their fries. Cannot imagine! But Coke got a bee in their bonnet and changed things up only to change them back REAL quick. Some things are sacred.
Sounds like a fun and delicious vacation! Congrats on 7 years of wedded bliss my friend!
Thank you, sweet friend. It has, for the most part, been wedded bliss. I am paying for the delicious vacation now, in pounds!
YUMMY!! I would eat ice cream every day if I could!! You make me laugh Leslie!!
Isn’t ice cream divine? And the way it goes down so smoothly, it seems like it would be calorie-free like water.
I love how you combined your vacation with all the yummy food into one post! Looks like you had so much fun. Can’t wait to read about part two. I have to admit I’m not much of an ice cream fan – if I’m going to eat the calories, I’d rather have a donut or cupcake!
Well, I have never met a cupcake or donut I didn’t like. I will take all three!!
We did have a great vacation. I have really struggled to get back to normal after sun and surf!
Hey friend! Loved all the pictures! It’s been a busy weekend at my house but you know my go to is ice cream! I would rather have that as a meal any day of the year! I probably need to cut back and just have it on Saturday though.🍦
I’m starving right now!! For me, vacas always revolve around food–looks like you and I think alike! XO
My days and nights, vacations, weekends and weekdays revolve around food. Every waking moment. Glad to have something in common with you, sweet friend! XO