One great sammich

Max and I went to Dripping Springs for the Dripping Springs Farmers Market yesterday. Taking a teenager to a market is always fun, especially one who has been a foodie FOREVER. Since we were early, we had time to eat. (Teenager, remember?) 

We passed on the usual suspects of fast food and listened to the recommendations of other vendors and the organizers and headed to Cafe 131. WHAT A FIND! The menu was long enough to be interesting but not overwhelming. Max chose a french dip with a Caesar salad instead of a plain green salad (foodie, remember?). I went with the club sandwich because, well, it had bacon on it. 

Max's sandwich was impressive, with real meat and lots of cheese. I guess it was good because I never got a bite of it, or the salad. And I never got a chance to snap a picture of it!

But if this was a competition, I'd be quoting Charlie Sheen: "WINNING!"

My sandwich was, I kid you not, five inches high! The ingredients were spilling out and, even as big as my mouth is, I could barely wedge this beauty in to take a bite. When I did, I knew why Max hadn't shared his sandwich. I knew I wasn't sharing mine, either. (But I did... I'm the Mom.)  I kept sneaking out of our booth to grab bites during the afternoon. I never did manage to finish it off. Max got HALF for dinner and was satisfied, so I guess we all won.

One more thing to note before I encourage you to go see the folks at Cafe 131: Max liked that sandwich so much he went back across the street and asked if they would make him one for dinner (it was still lunchtime, but we wanted to get one to go when we were done rather than let it sit all afternoon.) I'm not sure who "the girl chef" is that Max talked to but whoever you are, Girl Chef, you deserve a cape and kudos. Max's disappointment at not being able to get a late sandwich--thanks for trying--was more than tempered by his dealings with you. If there was ever a super-hero-worthy skill, being able to charm a sometimes-surly teenage boy while telling him you would NOT be feeding him is certainly at the top of my list. THANK YOU.

OK, now the pitch: If you are anywhere near Dripping Springs, or can make up an excuse to be near there, make the stop at Cafe 131. It's seriously worth the effort.

 http://www.cafe131.com/

One more toss: Since Max got a salad with his lunch, I got fries. Thanks to our friend Bill from Drippin' Sauce for ketchup with brilliant attitude to go with those fries. 

http://www.drippinsauce.com/ 

That's it for now. Going to Williams-Sonoma at Barton Creek Mall in Austin tomorrow (Saturday, June 16) for the Artisans Market. Going to make Lemon Pepper Chicken featuring our Lemon Pepper Linguine and using a bit of Texas Olive Ranch's Meyer Lemon Olive Oil. Come see us.

'Til next time: Enjoy!

Holy SMOKES! This is HOT!!!

I love it when other people love Gourmet Texas Pasta as much as we do. If you've got a minute, go check out this amazing blog from Dave DeWitt's burn blog that features fiery foods of all  kinds.

http://www.burn-blog.com/3496/habanero-pasta-from-texas-hell-yeah/
See us on Dave DeWitt's fiery food Burn Blog

Spring Salad, take II

I'm getting lazier. I admit it. The Kalamata Olive salad just got easier as a result. Instead of making a balsamic vinaigrette, just use bottled Greek dressing. Seriously. 

Orange ya glad?

Orange ya glad I didn’t say…

You know how an idea can sound good at one time and then seem really DUMB later on? You know. Things like teaching a knock-knock joke to a 4-year-old, or asking a 14-year-old what he wants for dinner. Dumb, right?

Yeah, I’m there. Especially with this whole idea of the festivals I set up for Gourmet Texas Pasta to attend in May and June. Big celebrations. Lots of people. Opportunity knocking. What’s not to love, right?

Well… see.. the thing is I made these plans in February, when I was wearing three shirts and two pairs of socks to keep warm.  NOT when I was scrambling for my diminishing supply of sleeveless shirts.

Over the Memorial Day holiday, we went to Rockport to the Texas Maritime Museum’s annual Wine Festival. It’s a well-run event and since that was Sean’s first-ever event selling pasta, it’s got a sentimental value to it. Had to go.

This weekend, we’ll be in Houston for the annual Houston Beer Fest, right downtown. Never been but we’ve heard great things about it and Sean thinks very highly of one of the vendor organizers, so off we go.

At the end of the month, we’re heading to Granbury for their July 4^th parade festivities. Never mind that it will still be June: That’s when the party is, so that’s when we go.

Yep… when it was 35 degrees outside, these all sounded WONDERFUL. Now, when the temperature is nearing 100 every day, I’m remembering what happens to pixies when they get exposed to heat and humidity: Pixies wilt.

To make myself seem even crazier, I point out the fact that we serve HOT samples, cooked on site at our events. That means 100 degrees,  99% humidity and a kettle of boiling water giving off even more steam.. DUMB.

So, say, the pasta mom and the pasta man, make COLD samples. Make pasta salad. I might not be smart enough to have had the good idea, but I’m smart enough to listen.

Even smarter? Letting Mom create the recipes. Seriously. I yelped for help and within an hour, I had five cold pasta salad recipes in my email inbox. So, far this one is my favorite. It’s had a lot of names, but I’m thinking truth in advertising is important. So, I’m going to call it Simple Orange Salad. Except for the pasta, everything in this can be found on the shelves of HEB (probably whatever grocery store you use) prepped and ready to use. How simple can it get? In fact, this salad probably can be made in less time than you just devoted to reading about it. 

Be prepared, though: We offered samples of this at recent events and sold out of SOS each time. This salad disappears almost as fast as it goes together. Enjoy!

SIMPLE ORANGE SALAD

*1/2 package Gourmet Texas Pasta

              Szechuan Orange Spice linguine, 

cooked, cooled and cut

*1/2 c. sliced almonds

*1/2 c. chopped dried cranberries

*1/2 c. cooked, chopped bacon

*1 small can mandarin orange sections, drained

*Asian Toasted Sesame salad dressing, enough to moisten to your taste.

Toss everything together, let it sit a bit and you’ve got a great COOL way to bring something different to the dinner table. Or to your next pot-luck. Enjoy.

And remember: Keep pasta weird!

Check this out!

Here's a link to the blog for The Culinary District, aka New Braunfels Farm to Market. That handsome man hanging pasta is my sweet pasta maker, Sean.
http://culinarydistrict.blogspot.com/

Spring SALAD DAYS

I’m always so happy when the farmer’s market start getting full again. Say what you want about Groundhog shadows, robins or even ads for swimsuits: Spring’s greatest sign for us is good stuff from farmer’s markets.

This quick and easy recipe goes together in a snap and had flavors we love. It’s enough for me for a light lunch. For Sean, it’s a great side dish alongside anything grilled.  

Ingredients

½ pkg Gourmet Texas Pasta Kalamata Olive Fettucine

6 Roma tomatoes, diced (or a similar amount of tiny cherry tomatoes, if you can find them locally. Yum)

1 small cucumber, peeled and diced

3 green onions, chopped

1/4 cup fresh basil, cut into thin strips

3 TBS extra virgin olive oil

2 TBS Balsamic vinegar

3 TBS crumbled feta cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

For this,  try to do your vegetable prepping first, then assemble the “dressing” (that means shake up the oil and vinegar with a little salt and pepper) while your pasta cooks. That makes everything go together really quickly.

Once the vegetables are ready, (I get the water boiling while I do the cutting up.) ,cook pasta according to directions, til JUST al-dente. Rinse with cold water to stop cooking process. Toss with a BIT of the olive oil dressing right away. Combine the cool pasta with the vegetables and crumble on the feta. Toss the rest of dressing on and give it one more stir.  Could this be simpler?

Feels like beach weather to me…

This warm weather has me thinking of the beach, which makes me think of swimsuits, which makes me think, “Ahhhh.. I think I’ll stay home and cook.” What is it about the threat of shopping for a new swimsuit that strikes fear into the hearts of the heartiest of women? I blame fluorescent lights, a refusal to tan during the winter and an unwavering belief that somehow I will defy the laws of physics and physiology and actually look like the women I see on TV.

I can’t change my short legs. Nor do I have an inclination to go tanning. This year’s swimsuit is going to look exactly like last year’s swimsuit (because it IS last year’s) and, face it, I’m not going to the beach anytime soon.

So, I have time to cook.

That doesn’t mean I don’t want to FEEL like I’m chillin’ and catchin’ the waves. I can fix that with the right food and mood, right?

So, this weekend, we’re taking Sunday off and I think we’re going to do what we tell our customers to do: Cook up some Roasted Garlic & Jalapeno Linguine, top it with some grilled shrimp and then top THAT with a little mango salsa. Jimmy Buffet in the background and I’ll be darned: It IS 5 o’clock somewhere! (And, yes, I DO have the appropriate shirt and flip flops!)

My guess is you know how to cook our delightfully zippy pasta. And grilling shrimp isn’t tough (just, don’t overcook them, please.) You can even buy mango salsa these days. (HEB carries one by the Cookwell brand but it’s more of a sauce than a salsa. I look for it in their fancy foods area because it comes in a tiny jar and it’s pricey.)

Homemade mango salsa is one of those things where the payoff is far greater than the time invested. (A foodie note: Did you know the Ataulfo mango variety we get here for 3/$1 is considered “primo stuff” by folks in the northeast? They pay more than $1 EACH for those little things. I once read they call our little golden friends “the champagne of mangoes.” Go figure!)

So, whip up some salsa, cook up some pasta, toss those shrimps on the barbee, crank up the tunes and find your own piece of Margaritaville. I’ll meet you under the palapa.

Mango Salsa

Ingredients
½ cup or MORE chopped, peeled mango

1/2 cup chopped pineapple (fresh is best but you can use canned if you must)
1/2 cup chopped red or yellow bell pepper
1 kiwifruit, peeled and cubed
1 Tbsp. minced red onion
1 Tbsp. seeded, minced Jalapeño (throw in more if you crave the heat)
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro (you know I hate it, but a lot of you love it. Your call.)
3 Tbsp. minced pickled ginger (look in the Asian foods section of the grocery store. Or, use the little packets of it from your favorite Asian-themed fast food place like I do.)
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice 

Directions
Toss everything except the lime juice together. Put it in a colander and put the colander in a larger bowl or on a plate (to catch the drips!) Chill. (You, and the salsa). In a couple of hours, toss the salsa with lime juice. Taste it. If you want, this would be the time to add in some salt. 
If you want a smoother sauce-like texture, smoosh some of the mix up with a fork.
Enjoy!