My husband and I just got back from a wonderful trip to Dallas. I had intentions of writing while I was gone but we were so busy! We had such a great time, Dallas is a beautiful city and the food is amazing! They have a great appreciation for food, and using high quality mostly local and/or organic ingredients.

We went to the Dallas Museum of Art on our second day. It was amazing and huge! I don't think we got through half of it!

Don't be fooled by their name, Max's Wine Dive is not a dive! They have a huge selection of wine, the wine list was more extensive than their food menu.

We took my parents to Phil's Grill this weekend. This is my Husband's favorite place to get a burger. It is pretty unique because you build your own burger. You customize everything about it with the wide selection of meat, bread, toppings, cheese and sides.

Saturday we had a beautiful party at Anadell's Plantaion for my Nana's birthday! Everything was beautiful and delicious! It was a perfect way to celebrate this wonderful woman who has had such a huge influence on me and of corse my cooking. She has always been an example of hospitality and I have done my best to follow her example. In my family, we defiantly show love by serving people and feeding them! Thank you Nana for teaching me how to care for people and cook great food!

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!

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!

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.

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!

Obviously, I didn't make this but y'all should know about one of the best places to eat in New Orleans!! If you've never been, go!! How it works is you order the type of sausage you want, which is served on a beautifully made, steamed and toasted sourdough bun. Then you put whatever toppings you want on it! Or if you are adventurous, or just can't make up your mind because everything looks so good, you can order your dog Chef's Choice and they will create a glorious masterpiece on top of your hot dog. Go on a nice day and bring a bunch of friends so you can enjoy your hotdog the way it was meant to be enjoyed: outside, probably sweating (because its probably hot outside) and laughing!