Recipe To Try - Mexican Rice

Y'all getting ready for Cinco de Mayo?  Yeah, me neither.  But if you are, here's an excellent recipe for you to try.  It's called Restaurant Style Mexican Rice and it comes from Favorite Family Recipes.

I made the mistake of making rice and beans one time when we were having tacos.  I was actually stupid enough to think that tacos weren't enough -  that we needed more to eat, more, more, more.  Now I have to cook beans AND rice along with the tacos every single time I make tacos.  Learn from me, people...tacos are enough.  But if you ever decide to make beans, try these beans because all you have to do is open a can and throw some stuff in the pot. 

Also, take my advice and make this rice.  I've been in search of the perfect mexican rice and I've tried many, many recipes.  They either turned out too tomato-y or too bland.  Not this one.  Oh, no.  It is just perfect.

What I've Been Working On - Wicker Basket Storage Rack

I bought this at a yard sale for $5.  Somebody had spray painted it black - and it wasn't a very good paint job, I might add.  I wish I had taken a picture of it before I spray painted it white.  (Please don't mind the shoe, the dog bed and the 9,000-year-old floor in the picture - that's just life...my life.)

Anyway, I spray painted everything white, I gave it a splash of turquoise.  Why?  Because I think I might have a slight addiction to turquoise.  Anyway, here it is after a few hints of my favoritist color ever.  (Don't mind the owl - he's just stamped on a price tag I put on there.)

I think she turned out pretty cute.

Texas Music Around Fort Worth Weekend of April 26, 2013

Friday, April 26, 2013

River Trip @ Shady Oak BBQ - 7:00

Space Honey @ The Woodshed Smokehouse – 6:00

Nick Verzosa @ White Elephant Saloon - 9:00 - $5

Big River Band @ Railhead in Willow Park - 7:30 

Brazos Point @ Stagecoach Ballroom - $7

Hill City Band @ Pearl's Dancehall & Saloon - 9:00 - $10

Bart Crow @ Billy Bob's Texas - 10:30 - Start @ $12

K Phillips & the Concho Pearls w/ Elijah Ford & the Bloom @ Magnolia Motor Lounge -10:00

Zach Coffey Band @ Fred's Texas Cafe - 7:00 

Clay Shelburn @ Red Barn BBQ in NRH - 7:30

Benton Lawson Project @ Thirsty Armadillo - 9:30

Austin Allsup @ Red's Roadhouse in Kennedale - 9:00 - $5

Casey Donahew Band @ Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie - $5 before 9:o0

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Brian Houser - Beerman @ Shady Oak BBQ - 7:00

Brandon Giannassi @ The Woodshed Smokehouse - 6:00

Phil Pritchett @ White Elephant Saloon - 9:00 - $5

Jimmy Jones Band @ Railhead in Willow Park - 7:30 

Benji Allen @ Stagecoach Ballroom – $8

Bobby Dean @ Pearl's Dancehall & Saloon - $10

Corey Smith @ Billy Bob's Texas - 10:30 - Start @ $12

Somebody's Darling, Foxtrot Uniform & the Roomsounds @ Magnolia Motor Lounge - 10:00

Sol Tax @ Fred's Texas Cafe - 7:00 

Fish Fry Bingo @ Revolver Brewing in Granbury - 12:00 - $10

Devin Leigh @ Grease Monkey in Arlington - 9:00

The Michael Lee Band @ Red Barn BBQ in NRH - 7:30

Nick Tittle & Blue Town Valleys @ Thirsty Armadillo - 9:30

The Jacob Deal Band @ Red's Roadhouse in Kennedale - 9:00 - $5 

Josh Turner @ Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie - $5 before 5:o0

Recipe To Try - Corned Beef, Cabbage, Colcannon...it's not just for St. Patrick's Day

I've made this meal the past two St. Patrick's Day.  I love it because it's all cooked in the crock pot at the same time, yet it turns in to three separate dishes. 

I found the recipe on Pinterest and here it is.  The only way I didn't follow the recipe was I didn't glaze the corned beef - only because I didn't have any apricot preserves laying around.  The corned beef turned out fabulous anyway.  I was surprised that even my pickiest eaters loved the meat.

The cabbage was all mine because nobody in this family will touch it with a ten-foot pole.  Eating all that cabbage also makes for a nice, peaceful evening alone because for some reason or another, nobody wanted to be in the same room with me.  I consider that a win/win - lol!

 

And then here's the delicious colcannon which oddly enough my husband ate even though it has cabbage in it...maybe it's because he didn't know there was cabbage in it.  I'm sneaky like that. 

What I've Been Working On - Yard Sale Stool

I bought this beaut at a yard sale a few months ago for $8.  The poor thing had seen better days, but I thought it had good bones, as they say, so I bought it. 

The gold velour fabric was brittle, and all I had to do to deconstruct this thing was rip the fabric off - didn't have to use a seam ripper or anything.  I was very careful, though, to rip the fabric along the seams so that I could use the old fabric as a pattern for cutting out my new fabric.  

Now, I'm not the best sewer around, but I thought recovering a stool would be easy.  It would have been super duper easy.  But do you see that piping going around the top and the bottom of the cushion?  I thought that would cause me some serious heartache, but it actually didn't.  I found this great tutorial on Pinterest on how to make your own piping. 

Since I saved the rope from the original piping, it was just a matter of cutting the new fabric on the bias and then sewing the rope into the material.  I figured out that when sewing the rope in the material, you shouldn't get right up on the rope with your seam because after you attach the piping, you might be able to see that seam.  (That makes perfect sense in my head, so I hope it makes sense to y'all - LOL)

Just kidding...this isn't really the after. 

I fell in love with this fabric at Joann's.  It's called Penny Candy.  It made me smile.  And the second I saw it, I knew it belonged on this stool, so I bought it.  

It still makes me smile just looking at it. 

You ready for the real after?  Here it is:

I swear I hugged myself after I finished this thing.

Sometimes you've just got to give yourself a little hug and say, Way To Go!

Texas Music Around Fort Worth Weekend of April 19, 2013

Friday, April 19, 2013

Mike Wissel @ Shady Oak BBQ - 7:00

Blue Hat @ The Woodshed Smokehouse – 6:00

Rachel Stacy @ White Elephant Saloon - 9:00 - $10

Cody Robbins Band @ Railhead in Willow Park - 7:30 

92nd Roadhouse Band @ Stagecoach Ballroom - 8:00 - $7

Jody Nix @ Pearl's Dancehall & Saloon - 9:00 - $10

Scott Lyle Band @ Filthy McNasty's Saloon - 6:00

Gloriana @ Billy Bob's Texas - 10:30 - Start @ $10

Rob Baird w/ Tom Gillam and Robert Cavendar @ Magnolia Motor Lounge - 9:30

Kyle Redd Band @ Fred's Texas Cafe - 7:00 

The Benton Lawson Project @ Red Barn BBQ in NRH - 7:30

Kimberley Kelly @ Thirsty Armadillo - 9:30

Mike Stanley Band @ The Dock on Lake Granbury - 8:00

Velvet Love Box @ Red's Roadhouse in Kennedale - 9:00 - $5

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Casey Thompson @ Shady Oak BBQ - 7:00

Daniel Lawrence Walker @ The Woodshed Smokehouse - 6:00

Scott Copeland @ White Elephant Saloon - 9:00 - $6

Aaron Sandoval Band @ Railhead in Willow Park - 7:30 

Jerry Cook & Loose Change @ Stagecoach Ballroom – $8

Steve Stewart @ Pearl's Dancehall & Saloon - $10

Sam Sliva & The Good @ Filthy McNasty's Saloon - 9:00

Gene Watson, TG Sheppard & Moe Bandy @ Billy Bob's Texas - 10:30 - Start @ $10

No Dry County w/ Jack & the Bear @ Magnolia Motor Lounge - 10:00

Sarah & the Tall Boys @ Fred's Texas Cafe - 7:00 

Maurice Davis Band @ Revolver Brewing in Granbury - 12:00 - $10

The Troubaderos @ Grease Monkey in Arlington - 9:00

Not Exactly Dylan (Classic Rock) @ Red Barn BBQ in NRH - 7:30

Texas Regional Radio Music Awards Shows @ Thirsty Armadillo - 9:30

Charla Corn Birthday Bash @ Red's Roadhouse in Kennedale

Recipe To Try - Crispy Cheddar Chicken

A friend of mine posted this on Facebook last week.  I made it the night she posted it because it sounded so good.  It was really good.  My husband, who is anti-yard bird, loved it.  

I have no idea where the recipe came from, but I'll share it with you.  Hey, that's what friends are for, right?



Crispy Cheddar Chicken

2 lbs chicken tenders or 4 large chicken breasts
2 sleeves Ritz crackers
1/4 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup whole milk
3 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1 teaspoon dried parsley

Sauce:
1 10 ounce can cream of chicken soup
2 tablespoon sour cream
2 tablespoon butter

Crush crackers. If using chicken breasts and not tenders, cut each chicken breast into 3 large pieces. Pour the milk, cheese and cracker crumbs into 3 separate small pans. Toss the salt and pepper into the cracker crumbs and stir the mixture around to combine. Dip each piece of chicken into the milk and then the cheese. Press the cheese into the chicken with your fingers. Then press the cheesy coated chicken into the cracker crumbs and press it in.

Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray and lay the chicken inside the pan. Sprinkle the dried parsley over the chicken. Cover the pan with tin foil and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove the tin foil, bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the edges of the chicken are golden brown and crispy.

In a medium sized sauce pan combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream and butter with a whisk. Stir it over medium high heat until the sauce is nice and hot. Serve over the chicken.

Have Y'all Ever Tried This?

My mother-in-law brought us this a few weeks ago.  These things are absolutely delicious.  So delicious, in fact, that I could eat, like, the whole dang package all by myself.  My MIL bought these at Sam's.

I thought I had mastered the whole Red Lobster biscuit thing when I made Paula Deen's Garlic Cheese Biscuit recipe, but I was sadly mistaken, y'all.  I mean the ones I made using Paula's recipe were good, but they weren't as good as the Red Lobster biscuit mix ones. 

The biscuits from the box mix are crunchy on the outside, soft in the middle and just to die for.  Y'all go buy a box if you get a chance.  Try them out and let me know what you think.  Hope you like them as much as we do. 

(The box mix doesn't come with cheese or butter, so don't forget to pick some of that up too if you plan on making these.)

Texas Music Around Fort Worth Weekend of April 12, 2013

Friday, April 12, 2013

John Driver Band @ Chubby's Burger Shack - 8:00 

Ransom Rhodes @ Shady Oak BBQ - 7:00

Marty Christian (Blues) @ The Woodshed Smokehouse – 6:00

Gary Kyle @ White Elephant Saloon - 9:00 - $5

3 Fools On 3 Stools @ Railhead in Willow Park - 7:30 

Rawstin @ Stagecoach Ballroom - $6

Monte Good @ Pearl's Dancehall & Saloon - 9:00 - $8 

Lee Scheetz & Borderline @ Filthy McNasty's Saloon - 8:00

Hudson Moore @ Billy Bob's Texas - 10:30 - Start @ $10

William Clark Green w/ Brian Keane @ Magnolia Motor Lounge -10:00

Matt Jones Duo @ Fred's Texas Cafe - 7:00 

Choate Country @ The Live Oak Music Hall - Doors open at 7:00, Show starts @ 9:00 - $10

Nick Verzosa w/ Zac Wilkerson @ Grease Monkey in Arlington - 9:00

The Band McGraw @ Red Barn BBQ in NRH - 7:30

Texas Renegade @ Thirsty Armadillo -10:45

Sammy Fox & The Intervention @ The Dock on Lake Granbury - 8:00

TC Fambro & The Copperheads @ Cutting Horse Bar & Grill in Weatherford - 9:00

Kirk Baxley @ Red's Roadhouse in Kennedale - 9:00 - $5

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Brad Hines @ Shady Oak BBQ - 7:00

Songbird Jones @ The Woodshed Smokehouse - 6:00

Jack Doyle @ White Elephant Saloon - 9:00 - $5

Huslin' Jack @ Railhead in Willow Park - 7:30 

Stephen Pride @ Stagecoach Ballroom – 8:30 - $8

Jeff Woolsey @ Pearl's Dancehall & Saloon - 9:00 - $15

Brandon Steadman Band @ Filthy McNasty's Saloon - 9:00

Lukas Nelson & Promise of The Real @ Billy Bob's Texas - 10:30 - Start @ $12

The Crooks w/ Sara & the Tall Boys @ Magnolia Motor Lounge - 10:00

Foxtrot Uniform @ Fred's Texas Cafe - 7:00 

Driftin' Outlaw Band @ Revolver Brewing in Granbury - 12:00 - $10

Jacob Deal @ Grease Monkey in Arlington - 9:00

Acoustic Shade @ Red Barn BBQ in NRH - 7:30

Brandon Jenkins @ Thirsty Armadillo - 9:30

Elaina Kay @ The Dock on Lake Granbury - 8:00

Tommy Alverson @ Red's Roadhouse in Kennedale - 9:00 - $5

Recipe To Try - Charleston Cheese Dip

How can this recipe be anything but good with all that cheese in it -- oh, and the bacon!  You can't go wrong with cheese and bacon.

This is Trisha Yearwood's Charleston Cheese Dip and it is delicious.

Can You Tell Which Thing Is Not Like The Others?

♪♫One of these things is not like the others,
One of these things just doesn't belong,
Can you tell which thing is not like the others
By the time I finish my song♪♫

(I took this picture at a relative's house.  I've seen this many times.  I've always been so awestruck by the organization of everything that I guess I failed to realize how funny that dang rubber chicken looks hanging there among all those tools!  Thanks for the laugh, B-I-L!)

Texas Music Around Fort Worth Weekend of April 5, 2013

Friday, April 5, 2013

The Highway 80 West Band @ Cowtown Sports Bar & Grill - 5:00
 
3 Fools on 3 Stools @ Shady Oak BBQ - 7:00

Mora Collective (Jazz, Progressive) @ The Woodshed Smokehouse – 6:00

Jamie Richards @ White Elephant Saloon - 9:00 - $8

Kyle Redd Band @ Railhead in Willow Park - 7:30 

Ira Bradford & Bustin' Loose @ Stagecoach Ballroom - 8:00 - $7

The Honky Tonkers @ Pearl's Dancehall & Saloon - 9:00 - $8 

Wyatt Norman Trio @ Filthy McNasty's Saloon - 9:45

Kyle Park @ Billy Bob's Texas - 10:30 - Start @ $12

Midnight River Choir w/ Eagle Eye Williamson @ Magnolia Motor Lounge -10:00

Casey Hubble Band @ Fred's Texas Cafe - 7:00 

Quiet Company w/ The Longshots and Sonic Buffalo (Indie, Pop, Rock) @ The Live Oak Music Hall - Doors open at 7:00, Show starts @ 9:00 - $10

Clayton Gardner (Rangers Opening Day Pre-Party Post Game Concert) @ Grease Monkey in Arlington - 4:00

Kolton Moore & The Clever Few @ Thirsty Armadillo - 9:00

Danielle Reed @ Whiskey Girl Saloon - 9:30

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Aaron Sandoval @ Shady Oak BBQ - 7:00

Sean Russell (Indie, Pop) @ The Woodshed Smokehouse - 6:00

Cosmic Dust Devils @ White Elephant Saloon - 9:00 - $6

Gary Kyle Band @ Railhead in Willow Park - 7:30 

Brazos Point @ Stagecoach Ballroom – 9:00 - $8

Amber Digby @ Pearl's Dancehall & Saloon - 9:00 - $15

Foxtrot Uniform @ Filthy McNasty's Saloon - 9:30

Clay Walker @ Billy Bob's Texas - 10:30 - Start @ $12

Un Chien (Alternative) @ Magnolia Motor Lounge - 10:00

Walker & The Texas Dangers @ Fred's Texas Cafe - 7:00 

Nataly Dawn (of Poplamoose) w/ Lauren O'Connell and Sydney Wright @ The Live Oak Music Hall- Show starts @ 9:00 - $10

Songbird Jones @ Revolver Brewing in Granbury - 12:00 - $10

Brian Shuck @ Grease Monkey in Arlington - 9:00

Cody Jinks & his Tonedeaf Hippies @ Thirsty Armadillo - 9:00
 

Austin Allsup @ Whiskey Girl Saloon - 10:30