Mellow Mushroom has come to Metairie! I normally avoid chains at all costs, but I'll make an exception when it is local or natural food. Mellow Mushroom serves food that "you can feel good about eating", as they say in their menu. We started off with the Enlightened Spinach Salad that was awesome! It had everything that I love in a salad: lots of spinach, something crunchy, they had Granny Smith apples and homemade candied pecans, something sweet: dried cranberries, and a ton of cheese: crumbled feta. They house make most of their dressings and the Esperanza dressing is their signature. We enjoyed it!

Brussels Sprouts were one of those things that I didn't have until I was able to have a kitchen of my own. So when I bought them I was kind of leery, assuming that they were this awful vegetable moms mad their kids eat. I roasted them in a steamer bag and was so impressed! They have a leafy, juicy texture and a bright, green flavor and soak up anything you put on them.
Oh! And fun facts about Brussels sprouts! I always thought they were Brussels sprouts but they are (capital "B") Brussels because they originate from Brussels. Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and lettuce are in the same family which makes sense because they have a similar shape and flavor. This was one of the more interesting things I learned in my biology class in collage. Probably because it had to do with food. Go figure...

I know there are about 1,034 ways to make fish tacos but this is how I made them yesterday.

So I found the secret to Vietnamese Coffee! It's not the coffe, it's the filter! I bought my new coffee filter at the Oriental Market in Metairie. I am so excited! To make it put 2-3 T of sweetened condensed milk in a mug.

My husband and i had a much needed date day today. We started out in Uptown at Refuel. I had the Huevos Rancheros which were perfect! Two corn tortillas topped with black beans, cheese, two perfectly cooked fried eggs, peco de gello and ranchero sauce. They serve it with whole grain, rye or sourdough toast and a side of your choice. I got the potatoes. Chris had the Baja omelet, a three egg Moslem with avocado, bacon, and cheese topped with Spicey Ranchero Sauce. Yum! Chris said that was the most he'd ever heard me talk during a meal. I think that means we haven't seen each other enough. But we really enjoyed Refuel and will defiantly be back. The Southern Pecan Coffee was great but I would love to try a latte!

My housemate made this yesterday for lunch and it was AMAZING! I love all things lemon and all things garlic so put the two together and I'm a happy girl!

We visited the Insectarium yesterday with my family. We had fun looking at all the bugs. In the middle you can sample some of the crunchy critters. They had a Taco Mealworm Dip and chips, Banana and Cricket Bread, Crispy Cajun Crickets, and Cinnamon Bug Crunch.

This turned out fantastic and ALLL the chicken was devoured quickly. I wish I'd made more! It takes some time to make but it is worth it!!

We ate at That's Amore tonight for dinner. Chris has wanted to take me for a while so we finally went. His mom, Chris and I devoured about 3/4 of this monster and it was fantastic. Tons of cheese and a flavorful acidic tomato sauce on top of it all. We got a spinach, feta and garlic 14" pizza. Their veggie and supreme sounded great but Chris and I have very different tastes in pizza and the toppings we got are about the only thing we can agree on. Not if, when you eat at That's Amore it is a good idea to call in your order at least half an hour before you get there because it takes about an hour to cook. Next time you feel like being stuffed full of cheese visit this place!