3815 Westheimer
Houston, TX 77027
(713) 386-1700

This is the grocery store to compare all other grocery stores to. If you are ever in Houston you must make the trip to check it out. The time to go is on a Saturday right before noon when all the vendors have representatives in the store. Do not eat prior to going and do not plan on going out for lunch afterwards either. Why? All those vendors are there for you to sample what is on the shelf. The experience will probably take you over 2 hours to go through the whole maze. It is just like going to a food show but for the public.

 

 

 

You walk in and about every 10 feet or so is a vendor showing off their yummy produce or products. They may offer a strawberry shortcake and then a few feet away is a full Carmel apple. Some vendors offer sample bites and others full plates of food. Imagine a full plate of strawberry shortcake! Grab a cup of coffee then off to sample cheese. This is a grocery experience like no other.

 

I don’t love this store for just the Saturday vendor offerings. They have over 700 varieties of produce marked by place of origin, 100 varieties of saltwater/freshwater/shellfish, a butcher helping you with 60 varieties of sausages and marinated meats, oer 600 items in the bulk section, over 700 kinds of cheese, more than 2,500 wine labels and hundreds of beers from all over the world. Just look at the breads in this photo and realize this is a small portion of the bread section.

 

 

 

This picture is one case of their cheese. The cheesemonger is usually walking around wanting to educate you on cheese and helping you sample.

 

This is just one aisle of wine with a peek at the case in back which is filled with different varieties of cold beer.

 

 

 

 

 

This is their olive bar. Look at all the different bins of olives! At the end of the maze is where you can find the olive bar as well as a salsa bar, soups, sandwiches and prepared items in cases just in case you don’t feel like cooking. You can grab it to go or eat it here.

 

This is definitely a destination spot for foodies! I could go on and on gushing about this store. Can you tell I love it here?

 

 

 

This recipe was handed down to me by my Great Grandmother Bessie Hudson. Her life was just like the story “Little House on the Prairie” by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Born and raised on a farm in Mannington, West Virginia then she moved into the Ohio Valley where she raised her own family. During that time the men were in the fields, the kitchen table was always set and the women were always cooking the next meal of the day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 short ribs (you can also use 1 pound hamburger)
4 potatoes
4 carrots
2 medium onions
1 head cabbage
1 bag mixed vegetables
1 can tomatoes
4 celery
1/2 cup rice
Tomato paste
Water to cover the vegetables (for more flavor use stock)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the recipe as I wrote down what my Great Grandmother wanted me to remember about her recipe. As you add ingredients to the pot make sure it is covered with water or stock

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Select a large stock pot. This recipe makes a large batch of soup!

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Use short ribs or you can also use hamburger. I was not going to buy a whole rack of ribs on this day so I chose hamburger. If you use short ribs let them simmer for 2 hours, remove the ribs, discard the bones and return the meat back to the pot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add the meat to the pot and cover with water/stock (If you are using hamburger meat brown it first) and bring to a boil turn down heat to a simmmer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gather your veggies and prepare spend time chopping

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Take a deep breath and get the celery ready

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cut them into long sticks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dice then add to the pot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Get the onions ready

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After peeling and cutting in half lay it down

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cut off the top

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cut through leaving the root end intact

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then cut through to dice and add to the pot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peel the carrots

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cut them into long sticks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dice the carrots and add them to the pot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peel off the dark leaves to the cabbage and cut this way

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cut through the opposite direction to chop it up

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peel and chop the potatoes then add them to the pot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add the rice

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add the mixed vegetables

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add the tomatoes (I like regular or petite diced)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add the tomato paste

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let it simmer….. Isn’t that a pretty color!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I like to eat mine with cheese

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This soup is really good! My great Grandmother would also say it sticks to your ribs and is good for you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t you just want a bite now!

The Chocolate Bar
River Oaks
1835 W Alabama St
Houston, TX 77098

I give this place two thumbs up! You need to be aware that the parking lot is very small! If you cannot find parking right away you just have to wait for someone to back out. Just wait it out because is worth the wait to get in! It is located right next door to another magical shop called candylicious. Both of these shops are places where everyone becomes a kid again.

 

 

You walk in the door to find chocolate everywhere! One side of the store is all packaged chocolates. This side also has cases where they will help you pick out individual chocolates. Everything tastes better dipped in chocolate to chocoholics! Walk around to the other side of the store you will pass the ice cream cases to find the cases with cakes. They are huge! Some cakes are $10 for one slice or $75 for the whole cake. One cake weighs 177.60 ounces  (11.1 pounds)

 

 

The selection of ice cream is really interesting. They will let you  sample some to see what you would like to eat.

 The sample of Cape Cod Crunch ice cream was enough for me to stop. It is is really amazing! It was loaded with broken chocolate, almonds and cranberries.

Ice Cream Flavors

Creamy Dreamy Truffle	Cape Cod Crunch
Totally Nuts	Triple Decadence
Toffee Coffee Time	Candylicious Junkyard
Double Shot Espresso	Brownie Supreme
Night & Day	Snow Berry
German Chocolate	Orange Sunrise
Teddy Camp Smores	Nutter Butter
Chocolate Malt	Let’s Go Oreo
Root Beer Float	Lemon Velvet
Choc. Banana Pudding	Cool de Menthe

3204 Seawall Blvd
Galveston, TX 77550

 http://www.islandfamous.com/thespot/

This place is right on the seawall in Galveston. You can park on the seawall or in one of 2 parking lots on the side going around to the back of the building or the other lot across the street in back. It will keep you entertained for hours if you are trying different margaritas, people watching or eating a burger

 

 

They have wheelchair access and plenty of places to sit in or out of the buildings.

 

 

 

 

You go inside to order your food and then you go seat yourself wherever. They give you a paging device to let you know when to go get the food. Comparable to a Fuddruckers burger they also have a burger bar for you to get your toppings. This is how you get your burger with a side of waffle fries.

 

 

Here is the yummy onion rings I ordered this night which were especially good!

 

 

 

 

 

This is what my burger looked like after I went to the topping bar. This burger was really good! They could have cooked it less to make it more juicy but still it was good. There was no waiting which is a huge plus for me when I am hungry.

 

This is my grandmother Claire’s recipe. My father could sit with the whole batch and finish them off in one day! Whenever I make this I can hear my dad thanking me for making them because he loved them that much. It also brings back many memories of Christmas especially of times with the family. I remember being in the kitchen with my grandmother helping her to make them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 cup crisco
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup ice cold water
1 jar mincemeat or make your own
1 cup Confectioners Sugar

This is what the written recipe says:
Preheat the oven to 350 F and strain the mincemeat – lump it all & mix. Flour fingertips to work. Wet paper towel and cover bowl. Roll out dough and cut into squares. 1 tsp. mince on middle of square. Roll and tuck ends or squeeze. Cookie sheet ungreased. Put fork marks on top to release air. Check. Powdered sugar to cover after finished.

Now let me break this down for you

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Measure out the crisco

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scrape it into a bowl

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Measure out the flour and add to the bowl

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add the salt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 

Add the baking powder

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add the ice water

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See it is all lumped together now per her recipe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flour your fingers and work the dough until it comes together smooth. Wet a paper towel and cover the dough in the bowl

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I like to divide the dough and only work with half at a time. Roll it out and cut into squares

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Put 1 teaspoon of mincemeat in the middle of the square

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roll

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuck the end, squeeze and place on an ungreased cookie sheet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Keep working until all the dough is gone

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Put fork marks on top to release steam

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bake at 350 F for about 30 minutes or until lightly brown

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Put confectioners sugar into a bowl

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Toss the hot tarts with the sugar and let cool

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Serve warm or cool.. YUM!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is what they look like inside…… Oh the memories

Do you want to know something paranormal (beyond the range of normal) about me?

Confession…

I probably have at the very least 500 recipe books and I bet I am most likely not anywhere close to the real number that I have. I know I have a compulsion to acquire them haha. I have a few that are more personal because they are scribble done by me while talking to family or researching recipes. One of these personal books is old and is filled with wonderful family memories.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was my first recipe book. I spent hours sitting with family picking their brains writing down recipes. I am so happy that I was able to do this now! Several of the people who helped me fill the book up are no longer alive. I wrote down word for word what they wanted me to do to recreate the recipe. I remember sitting at the table with my Great Grandmother as she would talk to me about food on the farm and other stories. I have decided share those stories with you along with those recipes through my blog.

Haunted Chef doesn’t just mean paranormal cooking. To be haunted is to have compulsive concern with something. It can be memories that come up that are negative like post traumatic stress disorder. It can also be pleasant memories that make you smile. The word haunted is not something that always means something negative. Actual hauntings can sometimes bring peace to people who are grieving the loss of someone.

I feel blessed that I am able to share these recipes with my family and pass the information on down the line. I also feel that sharing these recipes with you is giving you an opportunity to sit at our table as extended family members. Did you know that the farthest apart anyone can be related is 40th cousin! Mathematical and genealogical studies show that the most recent common ancestor of every person alive today was someone in Europe about 600 years ago. I will go more into that in another post

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This picture is a great example of being haunted by a pleasant memory. I picked up my recipe book to transcribe a recipe for you and wham there is something jogging a memory. See the snoopy sticker sticking out from behind the pages? I loved snoopy! That is why I bought a set of stickers and put them everywhere. I also had a stuffed snoopy that I slept with every night as a child. Here is a major confession for you…..I only stopped sleeping with it when I got married…. haha!!! It would have been too embarrassing to continue so I stopped. Don’t hold that against me because I know you too had a childhood something like a blanket, pillow or stuffed something 🙂 Did I make you remember something??

Hoping to haunt your table with pleasant memories!

Cathy
The Haunted Chef

This is a pull apart bread similar monkey bread but this one is savory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1/2 cup water
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons butter
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
4 teaspoons garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon rosemary

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Combine the warm water and the yeast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a mixing bowl measure out the flour and salt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The yeast should be foamy now

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To the yeast add the sour cream and the sugar then add this mixture to the flour and knead for about 8 minutes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
This is what it looks like when you are done kneading

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Let the dough to rise in a warm place until double. This is my proofing box (a cup of boiling water in the microwave with the dough)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Measure out the herbs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Melt the butter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Add the herbs to the butter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Divide the dough into 36 pieces

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Dip the pieces into the herbed butter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Sit them into a loaf pan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Pour any remaining butter over the dough because it is too good to waste! Place in a warm place again to rise until doubled

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Bake at 350 F for about 40 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!!