2010 Recap, part 2: restaurants and art

2010 RECAP PART II

You cannot have a blog that talks about food without talkng about some great restaurants. Here are my 12 favorite restaurants of this year. In no particular order.

Top 12 Restaurants of 2010

Barnaby's in Houston, TX - This restaurant might be my new favorite in Houston. The menu is quite simple and the food is absolutely delicious. It is the type of restaurant that I would not mind owning or working in.

Silver and Stone in Georgetown, TX - One of the best meals we have experienced in Texas. However, I will complain that the dessert was one of the worst I have ever tasted. Given that, the rest of the meal completely made up for the dessert. Plus, the coffee was incredible. So I left satisfied.

Cafe Eccell in College Station, TX - This will always be a favorite in College Station. I love the cheaper fare such as their sandwiches and pizzas. They are always exceptional. Cafe Eccell also knows how to do dessert. It never fails to impress.

Hullabaloo Diner in Wellbourne, TX - The best diner food I have ever experienced in a restaurant. This diner also has the best fries I have tasted in my recent past. Every meal I have had is my new favorite. I can't wait to eat there again!

Longhorn Tavern in Bryan, TX - This restaurant is what I wish Texas Roadhouse was. It is real Texas food in a large, open restaurant. The biggest plus? The restaurant is not outrageously loud like Road House.

The Lemon Wedge in Bryan, TX - This adorable restaurant opened up in downtown Bryan. The women who owns it makes all the desserts and most of the meals from scratch. It is amazing food. Lunch is a much better value, but dinner is worth every penny. Just be sure to bring some extra pennies.

Ruggles Green in Houston, TX - My favorite veggie burger in the world. Granted, I have not had many veggie burgers in restaurants. But this one is great.

Cafe Modern in Fort Worth, TX - Home of the best sandwich I have had this year. Avocado and goat cheese with some other things thrown in. On fresh grainy bread. It was heaven in sandwich form. Seriously.

Muldoon's in New Jersey - I ate here with my parents the night before going to New York City. The stack of onion rings is just plain fun. Then there was the lamb. Oh. My. Goodness.

Mi Tierra in Dallas, TX - This little restaurant has incredible Caribbean food, with a huge focus on Puerto Rican cuisine. The yucca, sorullitos, and mofongo are all incredible. And the guava empanadas with ice cream. Again, it blew my mind.

Max Brenner's in Las Vegas, NV - I need to go back. Now.

Table 10 in Las Vegas, NV - Although I wanted to run out of the restaurant because I was overwhelmed by the prices, I am so glad Stephen made me stay. Amazing food. This restaurant conveys the fact that simplicity does not equal boring or easy. A basic bbq chicken with mac and cheese is a gourment meal in Emeril's hands.

I had many more awesome food experiences this year, but these were the standouts.

I spend some time drawing with colored pencils today while catching up on Bones.

I love this one. It is a world with lots of color and stripes.

And a butterfly. I can't stop myself. If I start drawing without thinking, either a flower or a butterfly will emerge. Today it is a butterfly. I think that the stripes symbolize feeling trapped while the lighter colors at the top signify new and exciting things in the horizon (like Puerto Rico and culinary school). It is amazing how much a drawing can tell you about how you are feeling. Guess that's why art therapy is implemented in a lot of treatment programs!

Today I made something for dinner that I have been seeing on several blogs. A version of the Wife Saver. I saw a version with cornflakes on Jolene's blog, and another version on Susan's blog. I made my own version, and boy was I pleased with it.

My version had:

6 slices of old Italian bread cut into quarters

ham

lettuce and cilantro

1/2 cup shredded cheddar and mozzarella

4 eggs

1/2 cup skim milk

1/2 cup cottage cheese

salt and pepper

The cottage cheese and milk were blended together and then whisked with the eggs and cheese.

In a cake pan (make sure it is deep enough, mine wasn't), make a layer of bread and top with the ham and veggies. Pour some of the egg, milk, and cheese over this.

Top with the rest of the bread and then with the rest of the egg, milk, and cheese.

Allow to rest in the fridge for a few hours. I left mine for about 6 hours. Trust me, this waiting period is worth it. Better yet, leave it overnight.

It was baked at 350 F for about 40 minutes, until it was nice and brown on top.

I loved it so much. And I have leftovers for breakfasts and lunches! Hooray! This is a great way to use up old bread and sandwich meat, as well as some veggies you have lieing around. It is amazing with any side. I had a grapefruit and Stephen had bacon. And with some sour cream, mustard, or sriracha, it tastes even better!

And to cap this post, I am going to show you my top 10 favorite pieces of art from this year:

This is hanging in my apartment and is in my top 2.

This is hanging in my kitchen and is definitely one of my favorites (top 2).

This one was sold at a charity auction.

This one has a wonderful home.

Inspired by Alice in Wonderland.

These are hanging in our bedroom.

This one has a wonderful new home!

The first painting I sold to a non-family member!

My mom bought this one.

I painted this for Stephen's sister, Hannah for a birthday present.

I hope to continue painting while I am in Colorado, or at least drawing. It is such a soothing activity for me and so rewarding to see the results. I definitely want to sell at another art show, hopefully not in the College Station, TX area, but somewhere that my art will be appreciated (like Boulder?)

That is all for now. Tomorrow is the last day of the year! Any plans?