Shrimp Wontons

 

Last weekend, Mr. Incredible did something pretty incredible. He took me to the quaint little town of Gruene, TX to do something he knows I enjoy...antiquing (GASP!). The Historic District of Gruene has several shops set up in cute Victorian style cottages. Much to Mr. Incredible's dread, I went into EVERY store. I loved exploring the old buildings and rummaging through old things.  I walked away with a rotary egg beater dated back from the early 1900's and a few cook books from the same era. Score!

For lunch we ate at the Greune River Grill, which over looks the Guadalupe River. I honestly don't remember what I had to drink or what I had for lunch, but I do remember I had one of the tastiest appetizers I had in a long while. Their shrimp wontons were spectacular. When we got home, I got on the computer and turned internet stalker for the recipe. I totally Googled it and came up with nothing but the Greune River Grill Menu. Luckily, the menu described exactly what was in those yummy little suckers...bacon, mixed cheeses and peppers. This is my copy cat recipe :)

The Loft House Cookie

Once upon a time, on the shelves in the bakery section of a Super Target, a frosted vanilla cupcake and a sugar cookie fell in love. After a brief, but scrumptiously sweet courtship, they married and had a baby. Their baby became known as the Loft House cookie. True story.

I very rarely say anything is my absolute favorite, but here it goes...Of all the cookies I've ever eaten, the Loft House cookie is my FAVORITE. There I said it and I'm OK with this :) Within minutes of finding this recipe (I have my Pinterest addiction to thank) I was in the kitchen making them. Within moments of putting sprinkles on the last cookie I had eaten a quarter of a dozen. True story.

A few comments about this recipe: The dough is supposed to be very soft and tender. It's what gives it that cakey cookie quality. So only add the extra flour if the dough is too sticky to work with. Also, do not over bake. When I pulled my cookies out of the oven after 8 minutes, the tops and edges were still pale while the underside of the cookie was only slightly golden. This is what you want. Again, it results in a moist cookie. Happy baking, friends!

Cherry Pockets

I was thinking about you. Yes, you specifically. I just wanted to say thanks. Thank you for helping me see the bright side of things when all I wanted to see were the shadows. For helping me find my voice when I wanted to sink in the silence. For knowing me when I felt like a stranger to myself. For helping me realize that I am enough. Your encouraging words have helped me get through the past few weeks. From the roots of my soul...thank you <3

White Castle Burgers For a Crowd

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It's that time of year again. Football season. This signifies the return of "Pigskinus Gigantopithecus". The man caves of North America are once again filled with the sounds of cheering, clapping, fist pounding and, more commonly in this household, cursing the football gods for their team's poor performance.

Shhh...here are a couple of them in their natural environment. Notice the trophy proudly displayed on the bar of the man cave. Is he smiling? A rare sight! Either his team is winning or he discovered how to view 8 football games simultaneously.

If you recall, these bigfoot-like animals have the digestive systems of omnivores, but can adapt to a steady diet of beer, pizza and chicken wings, which make up the majority of their diets, during the 5 month football season.Today, I will tempt their tummies with White Castle-like sliders! This is a basic recipe that is fast, easy, and great if you need to feed a crowd.

Pecan Pie Cheesecake for Mr. Incredible's Birthday!

                                                        
This time last year I was putting the finishing touches on Mr. Incredible's X-Box 360 Halo Reach Edition birthday cake with matching cake controllers. (Read more about it here). With over 10,000 page views, it is still the most popular post on La Petit Brioche.

                                                          

As Mr. Incredible's birthday grew near, I stressed about making a birthday cake that topped last year's. How could I out do the Xbox cake? I couldn't. Instead, I focused on the flavors that he loved and decided to combine two of his favorite desserts...cheesecake and pecan pie. The sweet, sticky pecan topping complemented the smoothness of the cheesecake base. It has become Mr. Incredible's new favorite dessert :) Happy Birthday, Mr. I!!!

Chicken Enchiladas with Red Chile Sauce

Don't you love the feeling you get when you realize you have everything you need in your refrigerator to make a specific recipe you've been wanting to make? Or even when you don't have all the ingredients you know you can substitute that ingredient for something else you have and that you don't need to go to the grocery store after all? ::Sigh:: I love not grocery shopping (refer to Graham Crackers post).

I made a few substitutions and used ingredients I had on hand. I used flour tortillas instead of corn and I also used a combination of cheddar cheese and mozzarella. The end result was a slightly sweet, spicy and cheesy dish that was incredibly addicting.

Texas Roadhouse Rolls with Cinnamon Butter

Confession # 73: I eat at Texas Roadhouse, not for the steak, but for the rolls and cinnamon butter.

Confession # 73b: I may have eaten four of these rolls smothered in cinnamon butter in one sitting. Mr. Incredible ate nine of them.

I found this copy cat recipe while Pinteresting the other day. I made a few changes, such as the addition of honey and using a combination of all purpose flour and bread flour. The taste and texture came out fairly close to the real thing. It is, of course, best served with lots of cinnamon butter :)