Fort Worth Stock Show Starts Tomorrow!

It's that time of year again...time for the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo.  Here's a post I wrote about it last year.

Hope to see y'all there!

Fort Worth Stock Show

Abby checking out the goats

Who doesn't love the Fort Worth Stock Show? 

Maddie checking out the goats

First of all, let me apologize for the quality of my pictures - most of them were taken with my phone.

Chicks looking at chicks

Of course we go to the stock show every year.  My husband's birthday just so happens to fall during the time of the stock show, and we love to go and walk around the grounds and have a couple of adult beverages and watch the girls smile when they see all the animals.

I love this man

One of our favorite things to do at the stock show is walk around the exhibit hall and look at all the cool things they have for sale.  Like, for instance, this cool little horse on rollers - you make him go by pushing down on the pedals:

She's as fast as lightning

You might even run into one of the coolest cows around - Miss Elsie of Borden Milk fame:

Maddie petting Elsie

And her son Beauregard:

Girls looking at Beauregard

On our way to the sale barn, we ran into a nice cowboy that let the little ones pet his horse.

My mom & girls petting horse

In the sale barn, there's another area with different vendors.  The girls and I fell in love with this gorgeous chair/chaise.  We'll take one for every room, please.

Yay for turquoise!!

There really are some very talented, creative people out there and a lot of them are selling their wares at the Fort Worth Stock Show.  You really ought to go check them out.

Leaving the Fort Worth Stock Show

There's so much to see and do at the stock show.  You really just have to go and experience it for yourself.  It's legendary, you know!

Sunset @ FWSSR

We had a great time at the Fort Worth Stock Show, just like we do every year. 

(Want to save a little money?  Check out Frugal in Fort Worth's post on how to get discounted tickets to the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo)

Happy Tomato Fresh Salsa

We've discovered something delicious, something fresh, something made with organic tomatoes, something locally made.  It's called Happy Tomato Fresh Salsa.  And...it...is...delicious!  It is the best salsa I have ever eaten.  It is fresh and yummy and just WOW!  

You really have to try some for yourself.  You can purchase this fantastic salsa at Roy Pope Grocery in Fort Worth, Central Market in Southlake and Fort Worth, The Sunflower Shoppe in Fort Worth, and Green's Produce in Arlington.  You can also catch them at the Southside Urban Market. 

They offer original, medium and diablo.  For the holiday season, they've concocted a cranberry / lime flavor that is scrumptious.  All the flavors are delicious (I'm taking my husband's word on the diablo cuz I was a little chicken, chicken, bock, bock, bock to try that one).  I think the medium has just the right amount of kick.

Give Happy Tomato Fresh Foods a like on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.  The owners are super nice and were really informative, plus they're right here in good ol' Fort Worth.  Let's help them grow their business.  Go out and buy some Happy Tomato Fresh Salsa today.

Fort Worth Food Park

Friday night, my husband I made a trip down to the Fort Worth Food Park - you know, one of the places in Fort Worth where all the food trucks park.  We had never been before and we were really excited to go.

We started off by getting a couple of beers from the Cantina there.  We walked around and scoped out all the trucks' menus.  Lots to choose from.  That night these trucks were there:

Lee's Grilled Cheese
Red Jett Sweets
Salsa Limon
The Butcher's Son
The Spanish Lunchbox
Mediterranean Chunky Monkey

Since there was so much to choose from and since we'd never been before, we decided to eat a little something from all the trucks.

We started off at Mediterranean Chunky Monkey.  We ordered the Pitadilla (this dummy forgot to take a picture of it before we inhaled it).  It had feta cheese, and I think Monterrey Jack cheese, and garlic sauce smooshed between two pitas.  YUM!!  The Pitadilla was one of our favorites of the night.  Really good.

The Spanish Lunchbox - Tortilla

Next we moved on to The Spanish Lunchbox.  We ordered the Tortilla.  The tortilla was more like a potato cake made out of potatoes and eggs.  This was yummy as well.  The tortilla was one of my husband's favorites of the night.

Salsa Limon - Steak Taco

Salsa Limon - El Capitan

We made our way over to Salsa Limon where my husband ordered a steak taco, minus the pickled cabbage.  I ordered the El Capitan.  My husband thought the steak taco was good.  I thought the El Capitan was the bomb.  The tortilla was perhaps the best tortilla I've ever put in my mouth.  I fell in love with El Capitan.  The only thing I wished was El Capitan was mucho grande'er.

The Butcher's Son - Voodoo Tots

Next we ordered Voodoo Tots from The Butcher's Son.  These were tater tots with braised beef and grilled onions with some kind of sauce and curry powder on top.  They smelled like Worcestershire sauce.  (My husband went to the bathroom after he brought these to the table and I sat there the whole time not eating these but just smelling them.  All I kept thinking about was my noseholes were filled with the smell of Worcestershire sauce - I was sort of offended by that smell - I'm weird - I'm okay with that.)  The braised beef on these tots was really good.  The curry powder was a little strong. 

By the time we'd eaten everything and drank a couple of beers a piece, we were full.  We didn't make it to Lee's Grilled Cheese.  But we'll be back, Lee's Grilled Cheese, and we'll be paying you a visit, my friend.

Red Jett Sweets - Vanilla Echo & Nuts For Kentucky

On the way out, we stopped by Red Jett Sweets.  Since my husband isn't a big fan of sweets (what a weirdo) I ordered myself a cupcake and we also got a cupcake to take home to our girls.  I ordered our girls the Vanilla Echo.  I ordered myself the Nuts For Kentucky which is bourbon cake, caramel buttercream rolled in candied pecans.  I took a bite of the Nuts For Kentucky - my eyes rolled back in my head and trumpets played and angels sang - I did a few cartwheels and did a little cheer for Kentucky.  Oh my, the icing was knock-your-socks-off good.  I could eat a wheelbarrow full of that stuff.

If you get a chance, stop by the Fort Worth Food Park at 2509 Weisenberger Street which is over off West 7th.  They're open Thursday through Sunday.  Different food trucks are there on different days so be sure and check their calendar.

Polka Dot Design - For All Your Party Needs

Have y'all ever heard of Polka Dot Design?  Well, if you haven't, you're missing out.  They have top-quality stationery items such as birthday party invitations:

Personalized note cards:

Party supplies, such as flag straws:

Personalized recipe cards (gotta get me some of those):

Cool note pads that would make great teacher gifts:

Awesome envelope wraps (they wrap around the side of the envelope and you write the address of the person you're writing to on the front and your address will be printed on the back - really neat idea.)

And they have these cool, little personalized stickers you can use to stick on your Christmas packages:

 They also have personalized iPhone 4/4s cases:

And these really neat, totally customizable and interchangeable Lucite trays:

Polka Dot Design has so much to offer that I could stay on their website for hours.  Their website is so easy to navigate.  They make shopping for things easy.  For example, say you want to order that cute Lucite Let's BBQ tray up there - you click the link to the tray and then listed on that same page will be a list of other things you might need to order, like the kissing pigs BBQ invitation.

Everything Polka Dot Design offers is so modern and chic.  I have fallen in love with some of their designs and the different color combinations they have to offer.

You want to know one of the reasons I really love Polka Dot Design?  Because they're based right here in Fort Worth.  Can't get much better than that.

Oh, wait...maybe you can.

Want to know one of the other reasons why I really love Polka Dot Design?  Because they're offering Fort Worth Mama readers an exclusive 30% discount.  Isn't that awesome?  Who's your Mama?  Just use the code FORTWORTHMAMA30 at checkout.  Also, right now they're offering a $5 flat shipping rate.  Sounds like a great time to order to me.

Thank you, Polka Dot Design.