today's cupcake: thin mint

Well, technically this was yesterday's cupcake, since I made these for the scrapbook group: these Thin Mint Cupcakes (via Pinterest). This recipe is a little more involved than the norm - more steps - but the flavor was excellent. I garnished them with some fresh mint which looked better IRL than it does in this photo. (I really need to work on my food photography skills.)

I don't think these were my favorite cupcake ever. I thought the chocolate cake part was a little on the dry side, not as good as the chocolate mayonnaise cake which is the best. chocolate. cake. recipe. ever. And there wasn't nearly enough frosting to do more than the tiny little dollop you see in the photo. These probably won't rate a repeat appearance.

10 pounds.

Good news on the scale yesterday - I've lost 10 pounds in about 6 weeks! Still have quite a ways to go, but 10 pounds gone is a very good thing!

restaurant review: the meddlesome moth

Tonight was our second trip to The Meddlesome Moth a restaurant/bar in the Dallas Design District. It was just as good as the first time, although we had completely different things to eat. This restaurant is known for their beer selection: over 30 beers on tap and literally dozens (if not over 100) of others to choose from, from all over the world. Their other "specialty" is small plates meant for sharing. The 3 of us at the table chose individual salads and then shared four plates: Moth Balls (sort of like a giant ravioli stuffed with cheese), crab fritters, baby back ribs and butternut squash risotto. For dessert we shared a banana split, bourbon-pecan pie, and a berry cobbler-type dessert with ice cream and caramel sauce. Delicious!

Food was terrific, just as the first visit. Service was not quite as good as last time, so I give it a rating of 4 out of 5.

restaurant review: chamberlains fish market grill

Tonight, for Valentine's Day, Mike & I went to Chamberlain's Fish Market Grill in Addison. They had a special Valentine's menu to choose from, which included appetizer, entree and dessert. I had the tomato-mozzarella salad (my favorite salad of all time), the pan roasted salmon and the peanut butter pie for dessert. The food was very good and the service (as it has been in the past) was excellent. Overall rating: 5 out of 5!

restaurant review: master grill

It's been a while since we've been here to this Brazilian churrascaria-style restaurant in Frisco. It's got a similar menu to the expensive Brazilian steak houses such as Fogo de Chao or Texas de Brazil, but less expensive (about $30/person instead of $50+).

The salad bar's not as extensive or as good as FdC but really, who goes to a Brazilian place for salad? Everything I had from the salad bar was good - not great, but good: greens, beets, grilled asparagus, Israeli couscous, peel & eat shrimp. Didn't try any of the soups and the cheese was apparently a little sketchy (complaints about the smell).

Then bring on the meats! I tried flank steak, house special sirloin, grilled sausage, BBQ chicken, bacon-wrapped filet, and bacon-wrapped chicken. Skipped the spicy beef and the parmesan pork. My favorite was the flank steak but the first pass was much better (more rare) than the second pass when I think it was a little overcooked. They also had grilled pineapple which was delicious and something different for Brazilian.

Service was mediocre. It looked like our server had only 2-3 tables but we waited a long time for our drinks (just soda & tea) and the one person at our table who ordered a caipirinha from the bar waited even longer. We had a table of 6 people which I don't think is a large party, but they added 20% tip to the check.

Overall, I think it was OK. Fine if you want the Brazilian style food without the high price tag, but for a quality experience I think I'd pay the higher price and go back to Fogo de Chao. Rating: 3 out of 5

finally winter?

Is it possible that winter is finally here? It was 27 degrees when I left the house this morning to go to the gym... and the wind was blowing so it felt colder. I thought of my friends running the Hot Chocolate 5K race this morning in Dallas... hope they stayed warm!

today's cupcake: chocolate chambord

The husband of a friend of mine had his book accepted for publication. Last night we celebrated with food from the grill and I made these Chocolate-Chambord cupcakes, from My Baking Addiction. My husband said they were "too chocolatey" but the consensus from the group was that there's no such thing. They are very rich & decadently chocolate but so good.

brave new world.

Yesterday 2.1.12 was the first day of the "new" JCPenney. Everyday pricing and improved/easier returns are just the beginning of what will be many, many changes over the next few years. Our new CEO has lots of big plans to make our stores better places to shop. I am excited to be part of the new JCP!