One More Reason to Love Chick-fil-A

After paying for our lunch today at the Westminster Mall, I was handed my receipt and told that I could bring it back on my next visit and get the same order I placed today free! After the surprise wore off, Lance asked "Why?" We were told that they do this every Monday. Why have I never heard of this? I'm so happy to have stumbled upon this awesome offer.

And, sharing it with you was my pleasure.

Recipe

We tried this recipe recently when we had a couple of friends spending the night with us. All 5 girls enjoyed mixing their individual cake, watching it cook, then eating it. Thanks for the fun recipe, Mom.

5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

4 tablespoons cake flour (plain flour, not self-raising)

4 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons baking cocoa

1 egg

3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons oil

3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)

a small splash of vanilla

1 coffee mug

Put dry ingredients in mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips and vanilla essence, and mix again. Microwave for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise above the top of the mug while cooking.

Crunchy Goodness

While shopping at BJ's today, I treated myself to a bag of Stacy's Pita Chips. I absolutely love these. I never buy them, because I will eat the whole bag in one day. And, I'm talking about the big 1 lb 8 oz bag. I start with a few, but can't stop myself until the bag is empty.

It was lunch time when I purchased them. I had them opened and was munching on them before I left the store parking lot. And now I'm just trying not to get chip crumbs in my keyboard as I type and crunch.

Dinner

Lance and I ate at the Olive Garden tonight. We only had to wait 30 minutes to get a table, which was great. Even on a Monday night at 7:30, it was packed. It's always packed. From the size of the crowds, you would think this was a brand new restaurant that just opened, but it has been here for years. People around here just can't get enough of the Olive Garden.

We were ready to order as soon as we got to our table. Lance was looking forward to having his favorite dish. I was thinking that I'd probably order the same. Then our waitress arrived and told us that they had no fresh tomatoes. What? We eat at Olive Garden once or twice a year and we decide to eat there the day they have all their tomatoes recalled. Of course, the dish we were both hoping for included fresh tomatoes.

I ended up with some really good fish and veggies. Lance had something that he didn't like so much. And the salad just wasn't the same without the tomatoes.

Two Great Meals, Two Fun Nights

Over the past two weekends I have been able to dine at two new (to me) restaurants. These restaurants are at opposite ends of the spectrum on atmosphere, price, and just about everything else. But, I enjoyed great meals and conversation at both places. I am no food critic, but if you're interested in my opinion, read on.

Pazo, Baltimore, MD - Lance and I experienced Pazo on a Friday night with Ross and Julie. They love this place, and now we do too. Pazo is a tapas restaurant featuring Mediterranean cuisine. Tapas means small plate. The plates may be small, but they just keep coming, and each is filled with unbelievable food. Pazo is pretty pricey, but we saved a little money on the bill by taking advantage of Baltimore Restaurant Week. Because we had four in our party, it worked out for us to order each item on the restaurant week menu and taste many different dishes. It was all around amazing. Lance loves bread, and the "rustic bread of purgatory" did not disappoint. Definitely some of the best food I have ever eaten, at one of the coolest locations.

Mari Luna, Pikesville, MD - If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know of my love for Mexican food and my search for good Mexican restaurants in Maryland. Jason and Rachel found this restaurant a while back and recommended it. I finally got to try it on a girls' night out with Rachel last Friday. I ordered a favorite of mine, cheese enchiladas, and they were great. And, if the enchilada dinner is that good, I think the other menu options must be good as well. Usually Mexican restaurants don't put too much into food presentation, but Mari Luna does. You can't do a whole lot with enchiladas, but I saw some plates that were very impressive. I'm looking forward to eating here again soon with Lance. This is by far the best Mexican food I have eaten in Maryland.

Good Day

This view from my kitchen window

plus . . .

A pot of soup simmering on my stove all afternoon

plus . . .

My girls getting out of school 2 hours early

equals . . .

one very good day.

Pizza

We ordered the new $5.00 Pizza Mia pizzas from Pizza Hut yesterday. They advertise that these are "specially prepared with rich whole milk mozzarella, old world sauce from vine-ripened California tomatoes, fine white great plains flour, and other wholesome ingredients."

They tasted all right. But, I like regular Pizza Hut pizza much better. So, why do I have to order these special, better pizzas to get a good price? Why are these better ingredients cheaper? Why can't they just sell me a regular old Pizza Hut thin crust pizza for $5.00?

Me Gusta Tex-Mex

I love me some Mexican food! More accurately, I love Tex-Mex. Lance and I are always looking for good Mexican restaurants. There aren't very many in Maryland. That's one thing we miss about Texas and something we enjoy when we travel back home. During our Christmas vacation we ate at 3 Mexican restaurants, 2 are old favorites of ours and 1 was new to us. All were great.

Lance and I are also always looking for great hot sauce. (It's called hot sauce where I'm from, aka salsa). I was pleasantly surprised this week when I walked into my local Food Lion and found these:

We really like the Triple Pepper Salsa and the Mexican Four Cheese Salsa con Queso. I've tried many brands and flavors and been disappointed, but I think I might have found the best store bought hot sauce and queso that I've had. I'll keep looking, but for now I'll be buying more of these new products from Pace.

Everything's Bigger In Maryland?

Hannah loves donuts. Imagine her surpise when she spotted this one at Union Staion on a trip to DC last week. She finished it all, with a little bit of help.