After some lively banter and a meaningless wager, I found myself owing a friend a Mexican Hot Chocolate. He owed me one too.

In Texas we like everything big. We even like to talk big. So after a few more big ego, loud-mouthed, witty exchanges, our Mexican Hot Chocolate swap escalated to a Food Network Style Throw Down.

We set a date and invited our spouses and a couple of mutual friends to judge.

In the quiet after the adrenaline-induced smacktalk, I realized: “What IS Mexican Hot Chocolate? And why do I think I can beat Jonathan Rosales at a Mexican Hot Chocolate Throw Down?”

While I spent hours on the web learning about Mexican Hot Chocolate, Jonathan and Julee merely had a chat with Jonathan’s grandma. (Oh yes people…I was taking on the Rosales Mexican Hot Chocolate family recipe. Did I mention we have big egos in Texas?)

More smacktalk, a bit of practice and a lot of chocolate later, the results are in from the judges. Looks like the world wide web knows how to make a Mexican Hot Chocolate. AND it looks like Grandma Rosales also knows how to make a Mexican Hot Chocolate.

Ding ding ding. We have a winner!

Me! I’m a winner for a my world wide web recipe. AND I’m a winner because I got to keep all the leftovers from Jonathan’s recipe.

Thanks guys! It was a lot of fun.

Do you want to make Mexican Hot Chocolate too? Here’s how:

GRANDMA ROSALES STYLE (WITH JONATHAN AND JULEE’S ADAPTATIONS)

1 Cup Chocolate Milk

1 Disk Mexican Chocolate

3 Teaspoons Drinking Chocolate Powder (found at specialty food stores)

1 Small Pinch of Chipotle Powder

1 Cinnamon Stick (Optional)

Warm the milk, chipotle powder and cinnamon stick, stirring constantly. Add the chocolates and stir constantly until melted. Bring nearly to a boil. Pour into a mug and froth with a hand frother. Serves 1.

WORLD WIDE WEB STYLE (WITH SARA’S ADAPTATIONS)

2 Cups Whole Milk

1 Disk Mexican Chocolate (I used the Nestle Abuelita brand.)

1 Stick of Cinnamon

1 Teaspoon of Vanilla

1 Egg

Chop the disk of Mexican chocolate. Place in a saucepan with the milk, cinnamon and vanilla. Heat through, whisking constantly, until nearly boiling. Remove from the heat. Crack the egg in a bowl and beat lightly with a fork. Add a spoonful of the hot mixture to the egg whisking together constantly.  Then add the whole egg mixture to the hot chocolate whisking constantly. Return to the heat and cook for 3 more minutes, whisking constantly. Remove the cinnamon stick. Pour the mixture in a blender and carefully blend for about 30 seconds. Pour into mugs and enjoy. Serves 2.

More prickly than pear, I was disappointed with my foray into prickly pears last summer. I continue to see them on menus across Texas, so I have wondered if my experience was more user-error than an inherent problem with the prickly pears.

I decided to give them a second chance. Kenny, Titus and I recently ate lunch at a Wahoo’s a quirky taco chain downtown. One to  respect imperatives, I noticed the draft by the check out commanding that I, “DRINK PINK DRINK”.

What is Pink Drink? A prickly pear soda locally bottled by none other than the Maine Root Beer Company. My yummy experience with the Maine Root Beer at last summer’s farmers’ market was enough to convince me to give Pink Drink a try.

“What do you think of Pink Drink?” I asked the guy at check out.

“Here, taste a sample,” he said. “I’m a big fan. It’s sweet without the sugar crash.”

The prickly pears deliver in Pink Drink. Slightly sweet, slightly tart, with a good kick of fizz - this drink is yummo!

So do what you’re told and DRINK PINK DRINK.

I am a huge Dr Pepper fan. I simply cannot get enough of that good stuff.

Did you know Dr Pepper hails from the great state of Texas? Since I’m such a loyal customer, I decided it was time to make the pilgrimage to Waco to pay homage to the bubbly goodness at the Dr Pepper History Museum.

Kenny defected from Dr Pepper to Diet Pepsi a few years ago. Turncoat that he is, he agreed to accompany Titus and me on this spur-of-the-moment adventure.

The museum is a fun little outing.

There is a replica of the old drugstore where the drink was originally concocted in the 1800’s.

The original soda fountain bar is on display.

There are old bottling machines from the early bottling plants.

An artisan water well supplied water to the original factory in Waco. It was covered up in the 1920’s. When the old factory was restored to become the Dr Pepper museum, archaeology students from the nearby Baylor University excavated the well. Archaeology in action right here in Texas - wow! That’s something.

Our favorite part of the museum was a theater showing all the old Dr Pepper commercials. We laughed and laughed at those quippy ads.

We declined a Dr Pepper from the soda fountain and headed to happy hour at Sonic for our Dr Pepper fix. My friend Shelby says we missed the museum’s best offering - the original syrup mixed the traditional soda fountain style.

Maybe next time…

When I was young my family lived in Louisville, Kentucky. I wanted to race in the Kentucky Derby. I had a rather vivid imagination, so I named my horse and painted pictures of my silks. Too bad I was already taller than most jockeys. Oh…and did I mention I have no idea how to ride a horse?

So, since my racing career never made it out of the starting gate, I now opt for the next best thing. Every May on Derby weekend I make a Kentucky Derby Pie.  My recipe is courtesy of an old Southern Living clipping. Although I cheat and use a refrigerated pie crust, the filling is rich with Kentucky’s Maker’s Mark bourbon and the chocolate and pecan topping is decadent.

Is it a winner? You bet.

Texan’s are serious about their BBQ, and Cooper’s in Llano is reported to be one of the best in Texas.

My oh my, it is yummy.

Tender smoked meat, a peppery rub and a spicy hot BBQ sauce tart with vinegar - how can you go wrong with that combination?

INSTRUCTIONS FOR EATING AT COOPER’S

1. Wait in the line snaking outside the door.

2. Chat with the strangers next to you in line. Chances are their story is more interesting than your own.

3. Pick your own meat right off the smoker.

4. Load up with beans, white bread, onions and jalapenos from the bars of complementary sides.

5. Sit at the picnic tables inside with your new friends from the line. Add a few more strangers to the table for more lively conversation.

6. Enjoy!

P.S. Heed the warning: don’t forget to bus your spot when you’re finished.

A simple hour’s drive west to Texas Hill Country transports us from our day-to-day ho-hum, to a romantic world of rocky cliffs, scrubby cactus and longhorn ranches.

We are at peak season for the Texas bluebonnets and Saturday we drove a loop from Burnet to Lampasis to Llano in search of these wild wonders.

After an afternoon of driving we stopped in the charming little town of Llano.

The Llano River cuts through the heart of this town, and a bridge connects the otherwise divided downtown.

As we walked the pedestrian sidewalk on the bridge, a hot spring sun beat down on us, and we envied the people swimming and splashing in the river.

I perused several of the cute antique shops. Kenny protected the merchandise from Titus’ curiosity.

Have I mentioned that I love the Texas Hill Country?

A friend invited Titus and me to join her in a visit to the Blanton Museum of Art on the campus of University of Texas. I like art museums, so I readily agreed. We planned our trip for Thursday, the museum’s free admission day.

The Birth of Cool is the current feature exhibit. The exhibit is a multi-media display of architecture, furniture, art, literature, music and film from California in the mid 20th century. If you like interior design from this period and want inspiration, check out the exhibit. It was…well…cool.

Since we both were accompanied by our antsy preschool-age sons, and the museum is a look-no-touch sort of destination, we made a speedy round of the European art and modern art in the permanent collection at the museum. Then we called it a day.

Thanks for the fun outing Lisa!

When spring arrives in Texas, head west to Hill Country. The gentle breeze shoos the winter gray clouds away to reveal a warm sun that does not yet beat down with the muscle of the summer heat. Across the state, wildflowers unfurl their petals, ’till the roadsides are abloom with unbridled color. The sleepy gloom of winter is gone and people are awake and ready to explore.

One Friday, Kenny, Titus and I headed a couple hours west to Enchanted Rock State Natural Park. This hike was the perfect length for one couple and a sleepy little boy. By sleepy, I mean fussy; but like all good Southerners, I’m trying to state this unpleasantry in a more delicate manner.

We climbed the steep rock, enjoyed the 360 degree vista from the top, splashed in a few puddles from the recent rain and headed home.

Want to know more about enchanted rock? Well, here’s a teaser from the State’s website:

The Rock is a huge, pink granite exfoliation dome, that rises 425 feet above ground, 1825 feet above sea level, and covers 640 acres. It is one of the largest batholiths (underground rock formation uncovered by erosion) in the United States.

Exciting stuff, huh? Well, if words don’t do it justice, maybe pictures will.

Please do take note - the park often reaches capacity and frequently closes on weekends, sometimes by 11 a.m. (which we experienced!) Plan to arrive early and have alternate plans.

One adventure leads to another.

Early this fall Kenny and I zig-zagged our way through the streets surrounding University of Texas in hunt of a Renaissance Market.  A clean modern restaurant with a large patio caught my eye.

“Austin’s Best Green Salsa,” the sign outside boasted. I promptly forgot the name and exact location of the restaurant, but the green salsa I knew I must try.

Read more…

Remember the eight pounds of oranges I didn’t want to eat?

When I was fourteen I often babysat a sweet little boy in Alabama. (Um yeah…I just did the math and he’s driving now!) One Christmas his mom had stacks of orange slices drying on all the countertops in their kitchen.  She was making potpourri.

I thought of her and decided to give it a try.

I sliced the oranges in quarter-inch thick round slices and laid them out flat on a cookie sheet. Then I set the oven to 200 degrees and baked them overnight and well into the morning, turning them occasionally.

I threw in a few grapefruit slices too just for fun. (I know…I know…I live on the edge.)

Aren’t they pretty?

Four hundred pieces of cinnamon sticks are en route to me now. I’ll mix the two together with a sprinkle of whole cloves for a nice potpourri to simmer through the holidays.

The oranges were out in my kitchen today when a sweet fourteen year old girl arrived to babysit my little boy this afternoon.

Funny how life makes one big circle.