May 20, 2014

My Current Favorite #VietNOMese place...

May 20, 2014/ Madeleine Hook

Aloha Sizzlers! I hope you brought your appetites today, it's a big'un!

So one of my darling coworkers is pregnant. And when you have a pregnant friend, that means that EVERY time she craves something, you HAVE to have it too. It's a rule. And since you're doing it as a friendly "supportive" gesture, the calories don't even count. Did you know that? You're welcome.

Last week, little miss pregnant decided she wanted a Banh Mi. Well excuse mi....but that means we HAD to find the best one downtown. Oh, and we did.

Me, baby mama and Foodie Photo Blog headed down to the newly remodeled Thien An, and it was delightful. Foodie and I ordered Thai Teas, and I must say it was the best Thai Tea I've tasted in my 20something years on earth. No jokes. Then we attacked the menu. The expansive and delicious menu...Feast your eyeballs.

Thien An's menu. So many options, so little time.

We sprung for some Vietnamese eggrolls and were delighted. Not too greasy, no scary meat and dipping sauce that was perfectly done.

I refrained from my typical order of Pho and decided to try the grilled lemongrass chicken. It was good, but not my favorite dish on the table.

Lil' Mama was after her banh mi fix, and boy did she get it. Fresh bread, crispy veggies and a good cut of meat.

Foodie chose a pork vermicelli bowl and not only was it HUGE, but it was scrumptious. She was very impressed.

So, if you're hankering for VietnNOMese, head on Downtown to Thien An. It's fast, cheap and delicious. It gets TheSizzle stamp of approval for sure.

Next on TheSizzle you'll see how we wound up in front of TV cameras, why we put dogs in our purses and I'll reveal more clues as to where I'm headed this Friday!

May 19, 2014

Amiga Dinner and a Recipe that's #Droolworthy

May 19, 2014/ Madeleine Hook

Amigos! It's been too too long! Sorry for the lack of posting but I'm gearing up for this trip and avoiding training for the half marathon...Oops.

Lots to come this week! I leave for my big trip this Friday, but I'm still not telling you where. I'll leave some hints on the Twitter (@sizzlehouston) and Insta (@thesizzlehouston) and drop some teeny ones in my next few posts, bien?

So last week I had the girls over for dinner and we did a potluck sort of thang. I made a garden salad and used my special Balsamic vinegar that I brought over from Italy. (I hoard this stuff, so you know you're special if you get some!) Other treats involved amazing grilled cheese sandwiches on fresh sourdough with freshly sliced tomatoes and the most amazing watermelon/cucumber salad. I shall share the recipe.

So the watermelon salad is easy as pie to make, super healthy and tastes like magic. You dice equal quantities of watermelon and cucumber, chop 1-2 jalapeños, add juice of 1 lime, 1TB olive oil, a handful of roughly chopped cilantro, mix it up realllll good, then sprinkle crumbled feta on top. VOILA. That easy my friends.

IN OTHER NEWS:

I went to Common Bond. FINALLY. It was a soft opening and they ran out of lunch items but I had a cookie and OJ and it was magical. They officially open tomorrow. I dare you...

I have a new fave #vietNOMese food place in Downtown and I'll post my pics and reviews this week!

Did I mention I swim off on Friday? I'm joining MainSqueeze. I'm excited. You should be too.

Ok, I'm off to cram 10 days of work into 3... but I shall be back tomorrow!

Peace out girl scouts.

May 14, 2014

A Belated Weekend Rundown

May 14, 2014/ Madeleine Hook

Amigos, my apologies for being so quiet! We've been suffering from a bout of insomnia and literally are walking zombies at this point. If this post goes off the deep end, you'll know why!

So this past weekend I went to Galveston to visit a dear friend of mine. We nommed, we danced, we girl-talked, and sat in the sun and enjoyed the beautiful weather. It was glorious.

Saturday consisted of driving back into town and eating Vietnamese crawfish and shrimp with my Mama for a pre-Mother's Day celebration. We tried 88 Boiling Crawfish. It's way out West, and we ordered to go. I highly recommend.

Sunday morning I snuggled up with my sweet sweet puppy and Mama and I had Mother's Day Brunch. We picked up authentic deliiiiiicious Mexican Carnitas and I surprised Mama with one of our favorite desserts. The fruit tart from Central Market. It's super fresh, and the crust is almondy, and if you don't know how much I love anything almondy, then you don't know me well enough.

Sunday afternoon was lazy and perfect, it included Pondicheri, pool time and catching up on cleaning and organizing (one of my favorite things).

Iced latte and a delightful confection with blackberries, orange and quinoa.

Anywho, this week has been an insomniac whirlwind as I start revving up for my big trip! I'll keep it a secret till it's time...Gotta keep y'all interested, right?

In the meantime, I'll leave you with a wine recommendation and a playlist that'll keep you light on your toes. Click here for the list!

Stay awake Sizzlers, I'll be back tomorrow with the most delicious dinner spread you've seen in a while. Send me sleep vibes!

May 09, 2014

Happy Weekend. Happy Sizzle.

May 09, 2014/ Madeleine Hook

Bonjour! Even though the weather today is not so great, I hope you all have great weekends! Find time to relax, catch up and just be happy!

Last night I caught up with amigos and grabbed dinner at Paulie's with some girlfriends that I've know from the ripe age of 12. We reminisced on our old days over delicious nomz and wine.

Osso Buco, Thursday night special. I was jealous.

Roxy got the Osso...it's amazing. You can only get it on Thursdays and it runs out fast, so be sure to get there in time! (Like before 7....)

I went the healthy route and even gave my potatoes away....sigh.

chicken breast with mushrooms and broccoli

After the feasting, we stopped to admire and drool at the shortbread cookies, I bought one to share with my amigos who I met up with to watch the Spurs game. #GSG

So, my friends, I leave you with some beautiful flowers I saw on display at Lululemon (aka so much money spent I can't even) and wish you the best weekend and Happy Mother's Day to all you Mamas out there!

May 07, 2014

Mid-Week Feasting

May 07, 2014/ Madeleine Hook

Bonjour! I'm finally working at a normal pace, so I can blog happily! Have you noticed our new look? It's still a work in progress, but we're working hard over here at TheSizzle!

As you know, I love food. Lately, as this half marathon and several beach trips are approaching, I have taken to eating all of my meals at home, cooking super healthy thangs, but NEVER sacrificing flavor, quality ingredients, and the occasional nibble of dark chocolate. My new favorite treat is the flax seed dark chocolate bars from SweetRiot. I know flax seeds and dark chocolate sound gross, but trust me it's quite tasty.

Last night, me and some good friends had a small gathering and ate a delicious meal. My friend's boyfriend is a new hot up and coming Chef in Houston (stay tuned for an interview!) and he prepared most of the meal. I obviously brought some of my black beans because I accidentally made enough to feed an army (they were very well reviewed, thank you very much!) The menu consisted of:

-Roast chicken, stuffed with fresh herbs from their backyard garden & potatoes

-Oven roasted cauliflower

-Asparagus salad with Shallot vinaigrette & Walnuts (I ate the whole bowl almost)

-Black beans

You can email me at thesizzlehouston@gmail.com for recipes, as I don't want this to be a terribly long-winded post!

Our delightful spread. Healthy, delicious and so so filling.

blanched asparagus salad with shallot vinaigrette, walnuts & shaved parmesan

Needless to say, I went home totally stuffed and content that I had eaten my fill, and run 5 miles prior.

I can't wait to share my exciting news with y'all! I'll give you some hints: It involves vacationing. Somewhere awesome.

Have a lovely humpday amigos!

May 06, 2014

Weekend Happenings & Black Beans

May 06, 2014/ Madeleine Hook

Hi friends! Sorry I didn't post yesterday, things have been extra CRAY around these here waters.

I hope y'all had lovely weekends and enjoyed your Cinco de Mayos. In honor of the holiday and my efforts to only eat at home and get beach ready, I made black beans. They are delightful. Recipe below:

I forgot to take a pic, since they were so delicious I was just anxious to eat them! Keep in mind, you need to soak the beans overnight, so plan accordingly.

MAD'S BLACK BEAN RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 bag of dry black beans

- 1 Onion, roughly chopped

-5-6 cloves of fresh garlic, roughly chopped

- 2-3 cubes of chicken or beef or veggie (lots of options!) bouillon, you can always use regular salt, but I think this adds more flava

THIS IS HOW WE DOOOO IT:

- Rinse your beans in a collander, then add them to a big bowl, add 2 TB baking soda, and cover them with water. Give them a little whiz so the baking soda mixes well

-The next day, re-rinse the beans, and add them to a pot with water (just enough water to cover) Bring it to just under a boil, and let it simmer for about 25 minnies.

-Once you can see that the beans are softening, add your garlic and onion, stir and re-cover.

-About 20 minutes later, add your seasonings of choice (chicken bouillon in my case) and stir.

-Let them simmer about 15 more minutes, or until they have reached your desired consistency.

-NOM ON THEM.

-I always top mine with a little cilantro and creme fraiche. You can sub Greek yogurt/sour cream and add queso fresco or any other cheese of preference. I went cheese-less in an effort to not cancel out the 45 minutes of Tracy Anderson turture I had endured pre-bean feast.

AND NOW:

This weekend was very relaxing. I spent the majority of it by the pool, and the rest was just breezy as can be. MainSqueeze is on a business trip, so I've been partner-in-crime-less (but there's an exciting twist coming up soon!)

Sunday morning I met up with Foodie Photo Blog for brunch at Dish Society.

Pardon the phone shadow. Standard breakfast and Nutella French toast lurking in the back

She ordered a tasty juice concoction, I went for my standard vanilla bean latte, and we sat outside in the glorious weather. I ordered a standard breakfast, crispy bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast with a delightfully light homemade strawberry compote. We decided we HAD to try the Nutella french toast, and it was #worthit. She ordered the breakfast tacos, and they got a thumbs up.

Overall, I give it a B+. Standard, good breakfast, but nothing to write long letters home about. But I'd go back. The B+ is also because I ordered my eggs scrambled with cheese and they were just plain, no seasoning or cheese! However, I'm willing to let it slide this once.

STORY TIME:

So for those who know me, you'll know that I'm a freak when it comes to spelling things correctly. Especially on printed items. So you can imagine the OCD craze that I went into when I saw this at a local sushi restaurant who shall remain nameless as the sushi and service were both highly unremarkable. But it made me laugh.