B/CS Restaurant Bucket List Update

Our time in wonderful Aggieland has come to an end and so has our B/CS Restaurant Bucket List. Luckily we got to almost everything we wanted to in time.

A little recap, Michael and I have lived in the B/CS for about 6 years (me 5) so we have tried plenty of yummy places, but we had to make a bucket list to make sure we got to all the restaurants we wanted to try instead of always going back to our favorites. By making this bucket list we found a lot of new favorite places that we really liked.

You can go back and read about these yummy places here and here.

Our list is as follows:
La Bodega
Martins Bar-B-Q
Los Molcajetes
Maddens
Koppe Bridge
Lakeside Icehouse Grill
Coco Loco
Pho John
40 Tempura
Top Of The Hill 
Cafe Eccell
J Cody's Bar-B-Q
Sodolaks
Christopher's
Good Time Charley's
Haiku
Hullabaloo Diner
Carter's Burger

BJ's 
The Village 

We added:
Grub

This list is in no particular order, we just add restaurants as we decide we want to eat there and have not been before or if a new restaurant opens up that we want to make sure we go to.

Here are the last few restaurants we were finally able to scratch off the list.

Lakeside Icehouse Grill -- We have probably been to Lake Bryan about 300 times in the past 2 years and have only eaten at the Icehouse one time. My only regret was waiting so long! I had a delicious chicken wrap and Michael had a yummy hamburger with $2 margaritas to finish up the meal. Michael's parents joined us on the nice early summer dinner on the patio overlooking the lake. It was so nice out there and we wish we would have eaten there more often.

Coco Loco -- We had a bunch of friends tell us about this hole in the wall and had to try it. After the Plaza Hotel imploded last week we ventured over for breakfast at 6:45am and were very pleased! We only went for breakfast, but the dinner menu looked really yummy!

 

Pho John's -- I had been pushing this down the list for months and finally Michael said we are going to get Vietnamese tonight no matter what, so we got Vietnamese. For the Dexter fans out there, Michael has been wanting to try pho since the first time Masuka brought it up. Me on the other hand, not so much. Michael's pho is the first picture and I had pan fried egg noodles and beef. I thought Michael's meal tasted like bath water and absolutely loved mine. He thought his pho was good, but loved mine. I would definitely recommend this place based on my meal.

Cafe Eccell -- Yummy brick oven pizza! We had pizza here three times after our first trip. Michael and I love pizza and wish we had our own brick oven, but sadly we don't. The BBQ Chicken pizza here is the best, while the margherita pizza was lacking. Service in the restaurant was not that great the one time we ate, so from there after we picked it up.

 

J Cody's -- Michael and I decided to share a steak the last time we went and it was nice and juicy! We really liked it but did not think it was something we couldn't live without. There are much yummier BBQ places in B/CS.

Sodolacks -- YUM! I had the chicken fried steak and Michael had a nice yummy medium rare steak. And all the sides were delicious! This was very affordable, filling food that if I liked eating southern food all the time I would have eaten there more.

Good Time Charley's -- This was a new restaurant in downtown Bryan that we thought we had to try. We went with some friends and we both agreed it was not worth going back to. It was just ok but there are much better burger joints in town.

Haiku -- We wanted to try a Hibachi grill in town because we love the one back home in Round Rock. My office took us all there for a dinner party and it was yummy! How can you go wrong with fried rice, veggies, and steak! We sat at the end of the table though and got gypped on portions :[ (No link, sorry. They changed the name of the restaurant and I do not remember what it is called)

Hullaballo's Diner -- I already blogged about this experience here! WE LOVE THIS PLACE! Michael actually just ate there again on Wednesday afternoon. Sooooo tasty!!

Grub -- I do not know how this is even possible - we have eaten here about 10 times and somehow I only took a picture one time and it is not even a juicy hamburger?!?! We love this place and tell everyone who likes hamburgers to try it! We have tried all the burgers except the ghost and the mushroom burger and loved all of them. The milkshakes are delicious and so are the sweet potato fries! I'm getting hungry just writing about it.


It is crazy to think this chapter of our lives ended and we will only be going back for hopefully football games and other random events. We only did not make it to sushi and to a really expensive formal restaurant. Which I am thinking is a good thing. When I added sushi to the list I was thinking I would start liking it, but sadly that really just isn't happening. And with building a house, I would much rather spend the crazy amount of money for dinner on something inside the house haha. We loved our time in the B/CS and loved all the yummy places we got to eat :]

Beautiful Brazos Valley Weekend

What a beautiful weekend in the Brazos Valley!

I have been out of the blogging world lately - Michael was out of town for a week, the following week was filled with anticipation of a chance to move to Washington (we will not be moving there, well right now at least), and this week I hope to get back into the grove!

Friday night was relaxing for a change! We tried a new recipe and I forgot to take a picture, my bad. We hung out, caught up on some tv shows, and played with the pups!

Saturday, Michael’s parents came into town. We walked through the Memorial Student Center (MSC) for the first time in 3 years. Saturday was the grand re-opening of the MSC and it was amazing!! They added 71,000 sq feet and is now 400,000 sq feet. It was amazing to see how much of the old they kept in the new. The flag room looks almost the same, the feel of walking down the main hallway is the same, the marble steps are the same, and the same study areas Michael and I used our first 2 years are still there. But at the same time so much has changed. More study areas for students, more hangout areas with pool tables, foosball tables, televisions, and more conveniences all in one place. It was so nice to walk around and enjoy this wonderful building before we leave College Station one day soon.

We then went to a late lunch, early dinner at Lake Bryan. We have actually never eaten at the restaurant but have been to lake at least 100 times. And I wish we had not waited so long! It was delicious! Plus $2.00 frozen margaritas made it even better!

Came back to the house and I made a Dewberry Cobbler. Thanks to Andy and Michael for picking all these berries for me during my afternoon run on Thursday. With a few scoops of Bluebell this made a perfect spring dessert!

After we finished our yummy dessert we headed to campus for Aggie Muster. We got there about 10 minutes early and were turned away! Can you believe that?!?!! Reed arena, 12,500 seats, was FULL! It is amazing and upsetting at the same time. Amazing that so many Aggies came out and sad we could not participate in this yearly Aggie tradition. We then came back to the house and sat outside with the pups enjoying the beautiful weather!

Sunday we started the morning off with a nice long run at Lake Bryan. Came home got ready and met some friends at Hullabloo Diner, another off our bucket list (2 in one weekend!). Oh My Gosh, DELICIOUS!! After a little wait, worth every second of it, we got to step back in time as we walked into the old fashioned gem! Michael has been here a few times but it was the first time for the me and the other couple that joined us.

We spent the rest of the day relaxing, playing with the pups, doing some housework, and getting Michael ready for tomorrows interview. I will keep you all updated on how it goes! After all the eating out we did this weekend we had a really yummy salad for dinner.

What else was up this weekend:

Bella went into heat :[ so her panties are back! And they are so cute, if only she liked them and would keep them on.

Samson is in love with her! He is acting completely different than normal, he is playing with toys that Bella plays with, kissing all over her and the weirdest part is Bella is loving it. Luckily we have another week to 10 days of easy time till we have to work super hard to keep them apart.

Since Bella is in heat she is sleeping in her crate, which she normally does not. She stays in her crate when we are gone in the kitchen but since she sleeps in our room at night we drag the crate to our room and have to move the beds to fit nicely so Samson has a HUGE bed that he is definitely taking advantage of.

Oh and no weekend would be complete without some cop action at the neighbors, did I say I CAN NOT WAIT TO MOVE!!

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Yesterday was Super Bowl Sunday so it was the perfect opportunity to make a new dip to share!

Michael and I love jalapeno poppers and love dip, so the idea of putting the two together sounds great!

Ingredients:

2 8oz containers of fat free cream cheese
1 cup low fat mayo
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
4 oz canned green chilies
4 oz drained jalapenos
8 oz cooked and diced bacon

Directions:

Mix together softened cream cheese, mayo, Parmesan cheese, and garlic. Once mixed add the green chilies and the drained jalapenos. Mix in bacon and pour mixture into a 9 inch baking dish. Cook at 350*F for 20 minutes, or until the top starts to brown. I served the dip with crackers.

If you haven't had a jalapeno popper, you are missing out!!
Enjoy!

Neisch Dinners

Yay for Pinterest and making dinners a lot more yummy at the Neisch house!

I would say we make at least one new recipe a week and so far we have not been disappointed with what we have tried. We have been trying to mix it up and not repeat dinners that often, so luckily I have a huge bank to chose from on my food board.

I wish I was able to come up with a recipe on my own, but I just can't. I tried to think about what ingredients I could buy to make something new on my own, and I just kept thinking of ingredients that go into dishes I already know how to make.
So I thought I would share some of our new favorite recipes that are here to stay. We have altered almost all of them somewhat but I will attach the recipe so you all can try them too!

Toasted Raviolis -

We tried this one twice. The first time we fried them in oil and they were good but not what I was hoping for. Too greasy! So a few weeks later we tried them again and baked them in the oven. They are MUCH BETTER baked.


Penne with Chicken Pasta -

We really liked this! We both love broccoli and white sauce so this was a perfect meal.


Pesto Baked Potatoes -

I think Michael was a little unsure when I told him we would be making these for dinner, but he let me try making them and surprisingly really liked them. I loved how crispy the skin got when they were re-baked after they were stuffed. I can not believe all the years I skipped out eating potato skins.


Chicken Gyros -

If you have never had a gyro, you have to! They are delicious! When we get them when we are out, they are greasy and full of yumminess! When we made them at home they were not greasy at all, but still full of yumminess. This meal was very fresh and light! The only thing was the recipe made SO MUCH sauce, I have no idea why, just about 10 times the amount we needed. I should have realized it when I was making it, but I didn't. My bad. We made homemade naan as the bread and this will be made a lot more in the Neisch house!


Baked Manicotti and Fried Mozzarella -

OH MY GOSH! I can not believe it took us so long to make both of these! Michael and I loved cooking this meal. The manicotti was so cheesy and delicious, and the fried mozzarella sticks, no words to describe. I am getting hungry just thinking about how yummy this dinner was!


Lettuce Wraps -

We have made these about 3 times since we made it the first time! This is the fastest meal we make with lots of flavor! We actually ate this last night for dinner, we love these! (We alter this a bit and do not add the peanuts or water chestnuts.)


Queso Chicken Pasta -

This is the closest to a casserole that I have gotten Michael since we got married. Michael has this thing where he thinks he does not like casseroles, LAME is what this is haha. I love casseroles and I love how easy they are to make. This meal was so cheesy which means so yummy!!




Creamy Grilled Chicken Penne -

We made this tonight. The sauce on the pasta was so flavorful, but not over powering and the chicken was wonderful! The marinade on the chicken made the entire house smell great as it was cooking. This will be another recipe we make a lot. (We left out the capers from the recipe.)


I am a lucky lady who has a husband who loves cooking with me and who is great at doing it.

Tasty Thursday!

We started a tradition at work that makes us look forward to Thursday! I blogged earlier about Tasty Thursday and some of the things I have made here and here, and today I am catching up on some of the things I have made lately.

We decided that Tasty Thursday was a little much for every Thursday, so we have changed it to every other Thursday and we have had a great turn out since then! We also changed the idea behind it and Tasty Thursday is now like Iron Chef when you have to use a certain ingredient in order to participate. It is nothing crazy like beets or oysters, but more normal ingredients.

Here are the past three things I have made for Tasty Thursday!

The ingredient was Chocolate so there were so many idea but I wanted to try something new. Thanks to Pinterest I made chocolate chip cookie dough brownies that were DELICIOUS!! I will blog later about how they are made, but I never would have guessed making homemade brownies would be so easy. On top of the brownies was no bake cookie dough (no eggs) with chocolate sauce drizzled on top. Here is the recipe!

 

Two weeks later the ingredient was cinnamon and I made snickerdoodle blondies. They did not turn out like cookies like I thought would, I actually had no idea what to expect, but it turned out like a coffee cake. Click here for the recipe.

On a side note about cinnamon: Earlier in the week I had made snickerdoodles for Michael (his favorite cookie) and it was a recipe for Pinterest, who would have guessed. I had not been happy with the recipe I had been using so I was ready for a new one. My old recipe used shortening and the new one used melted butter and dark brown sugar. The cookies were soft for a week and were so good! I will be making more of these soon! Oh and dark brown sugar is the way to go, from now on its the only kind of brown sugar I am going to use. Here is my new recipe for snickerdoodles.

Today our ingredient was pumpkin (in the spirit of halloween and fall). I have been searching Pinterest for recipes and found one, pumpkin spice doughnut holes. These are baked and not fried, which is GREAT! They were so easy to make and yummy! They did not turn out as circles though, I am not sure how they could have, but as they looked little muffin likes. When I rolled them in the cinnamon sugar they sorta looked like circles. Such an easy recipe you all should try, click here for it.

In two weeks our ingredient will be strawberries!

One Month Later....

I'm back! And full of things I have been wanting to blog about!

For those of you who know me, I LOVE Pinterest! And as much as Michael hates to admit it, he must love Pinterest too as we have made so many new and delicious recipes! Michael does not like eating the same thing that often so before Pinterest it was somewhat difficult for me to come up with new ideas for dinner every night. Now, not so much!

Michael has told me that I make cooking very difficult when I am trying to take pictures at every step (and he is right) so for this blog post I am going to post pictures of some of the final products we have made in the past few weeks.

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wrap

We made these tonight! So easy, so yummy, and I think pretty healthy minus the tortillas. We will be making these again but with either jalapenos or pablanos to give it a little more spice! Click here for the recipe.

Egg Rolls and Fried Rice

This was a yummy recipe Michael had been wanting ever since I pinned it. It was actually really easy and delicious! We are actually making this again this week but we are going to bake them instead of frying them. Click here for the recipe.

Salsa Chicken and Spanish Rice

Another easy recipe from Pinterest! I put it together before I left for work and it was ready when I got home. Perfect for when you have a busy day and/or evening. Plus it makes the house smell delicious! Click here for the recipe.

Stuffed Shells

Michael and I loved making these! They were a little more difficult then we though they would be, but luckily they turned out delicious. I was not expecting some of the shells to get stuck together and rip but it still worked out. I'm glad I found this recipe because I have always wanted to make these but never would have. Click here for the recipe.

Naan Pizza

This is not a Pinterest recipe but a TexAgs idea. For those of you who know Michael, you know this is his favorite website that keeps him busy while I am pinning :] Almost every time we are at HEB, Michael will say he wants to make something with the naan bread and we finally did. One of the posters on TexAgs posted just a picture and we did the rest. So no recipe to link to, but what we did was put some pizza sauce on the naan, added some ham, onion, bell pepper, and cheese and put in the oven till the cheese was melted. Delicious and easy!

Stuffed Chicken Breast

Close up of the Stuffed Chicken Breast

This was so good it deserved two pictures. With a few mess ups along the way we finally had our final product! This had a little more work involved but it was worth it. The pastry sheet was a great idea with the baked chicken. We loved how flaky it was. We can not wait to make this again. Thank you Pinterest, click here for the recipe.

Homemade Margherita Pizza

This is not a Pinterst recipe, but one of Michael's favorites. We have been making this dough for the last 2 years and really like it. The recipe for the dough is: Mix 1 cup of flour, 1 tbsp sugar, and 1 tsp salt, and 1 package of dry yeast together. Then mix in 3 tbsp olive oil and 1 cup very warm water. With a blender beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Then I usually mix in another cup of flour with the beater and then with my hands beat in another 3/4 to 1 cup of flour into the dough. I then knead the dough for about 5 minutes. I then cover the dough with flour and loosely wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let sit for at least 30 minutes. Enjoy :]

Tuscan Pasta with Tomato-Basil Cream Sauce

Sadly this is not my picture but we have made this twice now (and both times we forgot to take a picture)! We used raviolis once and tortellinis once, both were great! I recommened this recipe to everyone! Click here for it.

So after reading this, if you do not use Pinterest, start now :] It will make dinner in your house so much better! And Pinterest is not all about food, there are many other things as well, such as crafts, home ideas, tricks to fix things, clothes ideas, decorating ideas, kid crafts, health tips, and so many more things.