billy...

On our last night in Port A, which was three weeks and one
day ago now, we took the family on a sunset dolphin cruise.


Where we met Billy (I'm pretty sure that was his name),
the first mate, aboard the Mustang out of Woody's.


Billy is a pretty cool guy.
He told us stories... one in particular of
how he came to be missing an eye and half of
one of his first fingers.


And here's the reason why...
They caught a shark and the sucker's
tail came around and whacked Billy in the eye
and made it fall out. Then, it bit his finger half off.
So, Billy decided he would keep the sucker's jaws!
Wow! What a story.


Billy also gave us a crash course in Marine Biology...
but how could you focus on what he was saying
after the story he just told while looking at his eye.

Ahhh... I do remember he said this was a blue crab.
Of course, the fact that it's blue didn't matter one bit. ;)
Oh, and check out his missing finger... he had a face tattooed on it!

And this one here is a female... you know how I remembered that?

Because she's expecting... as in baby crabs.
Awwwww...

She was shy.

Baby boy was captivated by it all...

And then he showed me how he really felt.

I hope you're enjoying your week.
We've got some exciting things happening around mi casa...
I'll share details with you soon.
xo
rolo

pork chops in a white wine onion cream sauce...

Oh heaven help me. I had dreams about this...
then I woke up, made it, took one bite and passed out.

And yes, I dream about food. Making it and eating it...
and passing out from it's goodness.


After I woke up, again... I did this.
This is the best part about this dish.
Then I passed out... again.

I'm kicking myself for not taking step-by-step photos...
but to be honest, I wasn't sure how this would turn
out, and didn't want to waste time pausing and clicking.
But because it was passing out good, and super easy to make,
I decided to share it with you.

You'll need...

2 to 4 pork chops... I used 3 thick cut boneless.
1 medium to large onion, sliced
4 Tablespoon butter
2 Tablespoon olive oil
Salt... Kosher is best
Fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup heavy cream

~Start by heating 2 tablespoon's of butter
and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a heavy skillet.
~Toss in the sliced onions, salt and pepper to taste,
and cook until caramelized.
~Remove from pan and set aside.
~Melt the remaining butter and olive oil.
~Add the pork chops, salt and pepper to taste
~Sear for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
~Turn heat down to medium-low.
~Pour in the chicken stock. Let simmer on low a couple of minutes.
~Add the wine and the cream. Stir and continue to simmer,
turning over the chops occasionally for about 5 minutes,
depending on the thickness of the pork chops.
~Add the onions back in.
~Serve immediately with veggies and fresh bread!
~Passing out is optional.


Now, go my friends... make this tonight.
Show the people some love.


'Cause up next, I'm gonna tell you about this guy.

Dreamer of food,
rolo

why port a...

From the ferry ride over, this Texas coast town is full of charm.
It's quaint and friendly, sleepy and spunky.
This little fishing town is everything we love about a beach getaway.

JB grew up vacationing here with his family. It's a place
that holds a lot of fond memories for him.

He introduced me to Port Aransas back in 2005 and
I absolutely fell head over heels for it too.
How could anyone not?


So naturally, in 2007 when we decided to get hitched,
it was the only place for us to do so.


Since 1833 Port A has been known as a fishing town where
the wild mustangs run free on Mustang Island...
however, they no longer do.

We love Port A for many reasons...


The food.
Moby Dick's is a fun, must-eat-at, eatery.


La Playa... Our favorite!


The dolphin watching...
To which I highly recommend the sunset
dolphin cruise out of Woody's.


The sunsets.
By the way, this lighthouse is a historical sight.


We love standing in the mouth of a shark...


We always have to do it. We're dorks like that.


This is an awesome place to buy fresh shrimp...
like, caught-minutes-before-you-got-there, fresh.
For the night that you're cooking in. Yum.


The nail salon is fun...
especially if you like listening to that "Get Down Tonight" song
while getting a leg massage from a little Asian lady. Yepper.


We always stay at a fun little beachy place...
and for some reason, they've all been aqua blue.


This place was a newly remodel, just in time for summer...
I think we were the forth or fifth occupants.


So cute and perfect for us... I borrowed this photo from the website.

This one too.
My homegirl loved this futon.
She slept there for five nights.

A perfect sized kitchen for vacationing families.


The dining area is super cute and charming.
A quiet place to sit early in the mornings,
sipping on your coffee, while blogging away.


This is the quiet street our beach cottage sat on...
just one of many.

And that's just a few reasons why we love Port A...

Oh yeah, and of course

this.

Wishing I was in Port A,
Rolo

lemon blueberry cream pie...

It's hot here in Dallas.
I mean, like it's sweltering, oven like, blistering, fiery,
scorching, roasting, blazing... it's just plain HOT!
And just when I think I can't take it anymore, we
head into another long week of triple digit dog days.

Is there such a thing as hibernating in the Summer?
Or how 'bout just hibernating for the month of August...
ha, I could miss my birthday and never grow old!
Ahhh, yes, that sounds delightful... I could fill up on ice cream
sandwiches and sleep for the month of August.
Okay, goodnight and bye!

Oh wait! Speaking of "delightful"... I wanted to share this
cool and creamy treat with you. Then it's off to find a
dark cave stocked full of those black and white frozen things.

This pie is all things yummy.
And, it requires no baking or sweating... Perfect if you live in Hades.

And, if you're not a lover of lemon and blueberries,
then you can whip up any variation.
For example; chocolate or vanilla pudding with raspberry yogurt
and fresh raspberries in an Oreo cookie crust.
Or...
Vanilla pudding with peach yogurt and fresh peaches in graham cracker crust.
The possibilities are endless.

Lets start with about 1/2 cup fresh blueberries... smushed with a fork.


Grab your pie filling (only one box will do) and dump it into a mixing bowl.


Open the yogurt and dump that in with the pie filling.
Now, whisk together until blended.


Like this.


Then, pour in 1 cup heavy cream and whisk again.


Now, dump in the blueberries...


and gently fold them in.


Pour into your pie crust.

Pop it into your freezer for about an hour...


and enjoy.

I'll go hibernate now... see y'all next month!
rolo

choo - choo...

Sometimes a dude's just gotta play with his train in the buff.

With triple digit heat here in Dallas, can you blame him?

xo
rolo

a lesson learned...

We bought a new umbrella stroller for our vacation...
didn't think the jogging stroller would pack very light.

JB put the new stroller together the night before we left,
then packed it in the car.

I had never really touched the new stroller before this day.
Typically, I'm not good with stuff like remotes, dvd players,
gadgets, phones... and new strollers.

I handed my camera to my 14 year old homegirl so I could
collapse the new stroller after a little shopping the first day
of our vacation...

See how hard I'm concentrating.


Then I yell to JB, "UM, HOW DO YOU FOLD THIS THING UP"...

Ouch. Head hurts.

This is where I notice my sweet homegirl, one who would
never embarrass her super smart mother, has my camera
pointed in my direction...

Nice.

Yep. That was a lesson learned.

And, one more thing... who the heck told me those earrings looked good?
Oh, no one? Well, I loved them in the store when I bought them... they
are actually really pretty. Maybe I should try them with my hair up...
or not.

Woman of many faces...
rolo

worth the wait...

We ate here

the night before we were married three years ago...
and JB has craved it ever since.

So naturally, it was at the top of our "To Do"
for our vacation last week.

The queso is made with a blend of white cheeses.
Creamy, dreamy... heaven in a bowl.
It pairs nicely with an ice cold rita on the rocks with salt.

JB knew exactly what he was having...
the Crabmeat Enchiladas. Three corn tortillas
stuffed with sauteed lump crabmeat and
avocados, covered with a creamy roasted
poblano sauce... Oh. My.
He savored every bite.

I had the Enchiladas De Camarones... three corn tortillas
stuffed with fresh shrimp and avocado with creamy roasted
poblano sauce, a splash of ranchero, and topped with fresh crab meat.
*faint*

Need I say more?

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to try and
recreate these dishes... I don't think we'll
be able to wait another three years.

Lover of La Playa in Port A, Texas,
rolo