School has officially started

This was my first week back to school. Let me just say that I missed summer all week. I was ready to teach my new students but I really missed the pool, hanging out, and late mornings.

I stopped drinking coffee over the summer. There was really no reason to have the caffeine. Well this week I welcomed it with open arms. Our sweet PTA brought around a yummy breakfast for us on Thursday. They had coffee and orange juice for us to drink. I am not a fan of orange juice so I had a cup of coffee. I was in HEAVEN!

My new students are really sweet.
At the end of the week one of my students asked if she could go home with me. LOL! I had to explain that my house is really boring and I don't have anything fun at my house for kids!

This week was all about behavior, establishing rules and procedures, and learning all about their little lives. We read a lot of books and had a lot of discussions. A few of my students are super talkers. I feel bad because I am a super talker too. I want them to learn that there is a time and place for talking. I've been thinking about reading this book:

It's about a little owl that loves to talk but loses her voice. She has to learn to be a better listener.

We have also started implementing this:

Here is some info on it.
Scholastic

It's pretty cool and each afternoon we discuss if anyone has had their bucket filled or if they filled someones. I like to have talk time in the morning and afternoon. I feel like the students have a time to connect with each other, engage in meaningful conversations, and share about their lives. It's also a great time for me to correct their English. ;-)

Desire's Shrimp and Grits

While in New Orleans I ate the best Shrimp and Grits I have ever had. Royal Sonesta's restaurant Desire is famous for their Shrimp and Grits and I had to recreate at home. I found the recipe and it did not disappoint. I followed the recipe almost to a "T". I skipped out on the grilling aspect of the shrimp. I ended up sauteing them with the same seasonings minus the beer for basting. I didn't marinate them either. Here is the recipe if you feel like being creative.

Desire Grilled Shrimp and Grits

Serves 10

Ingredients

2lb. Gulf Shrimp Peeled and de-veined

1c. Herb oil

To Taste Creole seasoning

2T. Unsalted Butter

2T. Olive oil

1 clove Garlic pealed and chopped

1 bottle domestic beer

3T. Parmesan, grated

1lb. Tasso Ham, diced

1 tsp. Olive oil

4 each green onions, sliced (reserve some sliced green tops for garnish)

2 oz. White wine

1T. Creole seasoning blend

½ tsp. Cayenne pepper

½ c. Roasted red peppers, pealed and diced (canned is fine)

1c. Alfredo Sauce

2C. Prepared Yellow Stone Ground Grits

Instructions:

Mix gulf shrimp in herb oil in a bowl, cover and marinate over night. (I didn't do this)

Melt 2T. butter, olive oil, 1 clove chopped garlic, 1 bottle of beer and Parmesan and hold beside grill for basing shrimp. (I didn't do this)

Warm Grits on the grill side burner, cover and hold for service

In a heavy pan on the grill side burner, brown Tasso with 1 tsp. Olive oil. When Tasso is brown add green onion bottoms, creole seasoning and cayenne pepper and cool for 2-3 minutes until onion are tender. Add white wine and cook for five minutes until mixture reduces to half its volume. Add roasted red peppers and alfredo sauce and bring to a simmer. Add salt if necessary. Hold beside grill for service.

When grill is hot, drain shrimp from marinade and line on the grill across the grates so that they don’t fall through. Sprinkle with Creole Seasoning or salt. Brush basting sauce as they cook, being careful not to let them burn. Once they are cooked, spoon grits into 10 eight-ounce bowls. Place 4-5 shrimp on top of grits in each bowl. Smother with tasso gravy and garnish with green onions. Bon Appetite

Herb Oil:

2C. Salad Oil (canola oil)

4 cloves Garlic pealed

2 heads shallots, pealed and quartered

4 ea. Bay leaves

1T. Ground black pepper

1 bunch parsley, cleaned and dried

1T. Basil, fresh or dry

1 T. Thyme

1T. Red pepper flakes

2 ea. Whole green onions

Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth

Alfredo:

1C. Whole Milk

1C. Heavy Cream

2 cloves garlic chopped

2T. butter

2T. flour

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. white pepper

½ c. grated parmesan cheese

In 2 qt. sauce pan melt butter and cook garlic over medium heat. Do not brown. Add flour and stir with wooden spoon or wisk until flour absorbs all of the butter. Add ½ c. of the mild and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Add remaining mild and cream and return to a simmer, continuing to stir. Do not allow to stick on the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to low, add salt and pepper and cook for 15 minutes, stirring to keep sauce from sticking on the bottom of the pan. Add parmesan and stir until parmesan is melted. Remove from heat. 

Grits: Adapted from: Southern Living Cheese Grits

• 1 (14-oz.) can low-sodium fat-free chicken broth
• 1 cup fat-free milk 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 

Preparation

1. 1. Bring first 3 ingredients and 1 1/3 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; gradually whisk in grits. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until thickened. Stir Parmesan.

Au Lait

In continuing with my list of restaurants I want to try.....the hubby and I went to a sweet little spot called Eclair Bistro.
Here is how I added it to the list:
 Every morning I watch Good Morning Texas. This has become one of my favorite shows to watch in the morning. They highlight a lot of local DFW spots and offer a lot of free giveaways. April 15th was Julia Childs' birthday and Eclair Bistro's chef, Aaron, was there to discuss and introduce beef bourguignon and a seared duck breast.  Once he said French, NOLA, and Cedar Hill I knew I had to go.

Eclair Bistro is tucked away in Cedar Hill and it is definitely worth the stop. They pride themselves on classic French cuisine with a touch of New Orleans Cajun. This place did not disappoint. It is very quaint with maybe 12-15 tables. We did not make reservations but they were very inviting and had a cute little two seat table for us to sit at.

Eclair Bistro

One of the owners, David, greeted us as soon as we sat down. He was very polite and gave us a little history of the restaurant.
I ordered the crab cakes for an appetizer and the crab and corn bisque as my main. Mr. Lovely had the beef tenderloin medallions.
The crab appetizer was amazing. It consisted of three small crab cakes that were very fresh. You could tell that they were not reheated, but freshly prepared and cooked to order. There were bits of fresh crab accompanied with celery, scallions and a delicious panko breading. A yummy remoulade sauce was great for dipping.

Mr. Lovely had the amazing beef tenderloin. It was cooked perfectly and came with jambalaya, grilled asparagus, and a grilled vegetable medley of onions, bell peppers, and zucchini.

I did not get a picture of the crab and corn bisque, but it was very good and creamy.

After dinner we had to have a dessert! I ordered the bread pudding and Mr. Lovely had white chocolate cheesecake.

Bread Pudding with Meringue

This was the best bread pudding I have ever had in my life!!!! Even Mr. Lovely, who is a SUPER picky eater, loved it. There is an amazing sauce poured around the bread pudding that gives it a great boost of flavor. It's a type of alcohol (whiskey?) and you can definitely taste it on its own but in combination with the bread pudding and meringue it is heaven.

Mr. Lovely had the white chocolate cheesecake and he said it tasted better then the restaurant that is famous for their cheesecake (no names). I tasted it and I have to agree. It was pretty damn good.

Will I return to this restaurant again?? DEFINITELY!! The next time I will go for the cafe au lait, which disappointedly serves 4 and comes in a french press to table. I wanted it sooo bad but I already have enough energy, I don't need to down 4 cups of coffee. I'll take some coffee drinkers next time. 

Please support this amazing restaurant. It is definitely a date night type of place so bring your credit card and enjoy the most amazing food and restaurant in Cedar Hill.

Out and About

My buddy P-Diddy and I have a bucket list......which mainly consists of restaurants. Everytime we find a new place to eat we say "add it to the list!" We tried to tackle a few over the summer but lately we have been adding a lot more to the list. Summer is almost over so we will now have to use weekends and school holidays to enjoy.

Today we went to the wonderful Bishop Arts District in Oakcliff. I love this little area of town. It's like a diamond in the rough. I have visited before and ate at Hunky's-the best old-fashioned burger spot ever! I was watching the food network/cooking channel the other day (because I am obsessed with that channel) and I came across a show called Chuck's Eat the Street. Chuck is an awesome chef from Montreal. He has his own restaurants and has appeared on Iron Chef beating THE Bobby Flay.

Chuck Hughes

The episode was called Big D, Little Street and if you go to the website you can check it out. The restaurants featured were Lockhart Smokehouse, Lucia, and Dude, Sweet Chocolate.

We tried Lockhart Smokehouse first.
This place is pretty awesome. The meat is all smoked and prepared in house. They will let you try the meat before you purchase so of course we sampled. We tried the shoulder clod first. This is the shoulder part of the cow and it is really tender and juicy. It is similar to brisket but more red in color and not as fatty. They have an amazing rub on the clod and you don't really have to use any sauce if you don't want to. They do have sauce condiments available that is made in house. They pride themselves on not using sauce because the flavors are so amazing.
You can order however much you want and they weigh it out. I ordered 4 slices of clod and the jalapeno sausage. I could never be a vegan! P had half a smoked chicken and 3 slices of clod. She's pregnant.....I'm greedy. As for sides they have an abundance. I had the Habanero Mac and Cheese which was divine. It tasted like there was a hint of garlic and lots of spice. This was one of the best sides I have ever had. P had the regular mac and cheese.....she wasn't down for the spicy, but she said it was really good. They are also famous for their deviled eggs and Chuck features the recipe on the cooking channel website. We didn't get any but next time you bet your a$% we will! 

While there we saw a celebrity! One of the daughters from Big Rich Texas was there. I love reality tv but I did not really watch this show. P used to watch it so she pointed the girl out.....and stalked her while she ate said hello as we walked out.

There were condiments of spicy and regular pickles and marinated red onions. This food was so amazing. I ordered a 1/2 rack of ribs for Mr. Lovely and he wasn't impressed. I tasted them and they didn't seem to be as seasoned as the clod but they weren't bad. I would definitely order the same thing I had again.

After lunch/dinner, we needed a good dessert. We walked to Dude, Sweet Chocolate which was about 2 blocks away. This is a cute little chocolate shop that prides itself on selling high quality (72%) dark chocolate.

We got to sample all of the different types of chocolate they have. Some was pretty bitter but a vast majority of it is all mixed or infused together with other ingredients. The show featured chocolate salami which is a mixture of dates, figs, chocolate, marzipan, and extracts all rolled into a tube and sliced like salami. It was pretty good. But, I went crazy when I saw this:

You know how much I love Preservation Hall in New Orleans. Yes, this was THE Preservation Hall that the owner wanted to capture. The owner, Katherine Clapner, was there when we went in. She lived and worked in New Orleans and is VERY familiar with Preservation Hall, hence why she named it that. She wasn't in that much of a talking mood though, which sucked 'cause I am a talker and I had a lot of questions. SUCKS!

I ended up purchasing the Especial Soft Butter Toffee. It's made with toasted cashew and blackberry. It is one of the sweetest chocolates in the store and I love it.

Lucia is right next to Dude, Sweet Chocolate but there is a month long waiting list to eat there. It is Italian food but PRICEY! This is definitely an anniversary, birthday, last day on earth type of restaurant. Don't worry, we will eat at this restaurant...and I will post a review.

There are a ton of other restaurants in Bishop Arts District that I have yet to eat at. They are on my list and once I visit them I will definitely post.

Make Me Over

Makeup can transform a face. With highlighting and contouring....you can go from trash to class. LOL!
There are a few beauty tools that I keep in my stash. I try to at least wear mascara, blush, eyebrow powder/pencil, and gloss everyday. Some days I don't wear a thing 'cause I'm lazy like that. Here is what keeps me classy.

Mascara

L'Oreal Voluminous

I LOVE this mascara. A friend of mine told me about it and I have worn it ever since. I have tried Clinique, Estee Lauder, etc. and this by far is my favorite. I really want to try this one:

Dior Show

But I heard that it doesn't even compare to L'Oreal.

Here is one of my favorite bloggers review on mascara: The Teacher Diva.

Blush

When it comes to blush I love Clinique. They have really good colors for my skin tone. I love their True Bronze Sunkissed. It's not too brown, with just the right hint of pink. There are tiny sparkles but not enough to make you look like you just played with your 5 year olds sparkle set.

Clinique True Bronze in Sunkissed

Eyeshadow

I am hands down obsessed with Urban Decay's Naked Eyeshadow palette. It has amazing colors and can be used for day or night. I know a lot of people who use this and it is the only one they swear by. My amazing 1st grade team purchased it for me for my birthday and I LOVE it. It comes with a little wand and pot which is an eyeshadow primer that you put on before you apply the actual eyeshadow. I only use a tiny amount on both eye since I have oily skin.

Urban Decay Naked

 Lip Gloss

It took me forever to find the right lip gloss. I tried different ones from low end to high. I used Nars Turkish Delight for a long time but then I decided it was time for a change. I found myself applying it way too much. It didn't stay on very long. I tried Clinique's chubby stick but they have more color and the nude look just isn't their forte. They have a lot of pinks and reds but not enough browns and nudes ....but that's just my opinion. I went to Sephora and bought their brand lip gloss and I am in love. It goes on nicely and doesn't have that sticky feeling. My favorite is Shiny Natural Look (14).

Sephora Ultra Shine Lip Gloss

Foundation

I don't use foundation or powder. When I am going out on the town I will use Clinique's Stay-Matte Foundation in Sand. I hate the shiny look and my face can get oily. It's oil free which is exactly what I need. It has great coverage and there really is no need for a powder finish.

Clinique Stay-Matte Foundation

Cleanser

For cleansing all of this crap off I use the Clinique Acne Skin Care line. I use the cleansing bar soap instead of the cleansing foam (in the picture). I don't have a lot of acne but I feel like it really helps my face and keeps it tight. Get it right get it tight!

Clinique Acne Skin Care

Those are pretty much my basics.

Thoughtfulness

As the summer winds down I realize that there is not much left on my list that I wanted to do. I pretty  much accomplished everything I wanted to do this summer.....give or take a few things. My trip to New Orleans was clearly the highlight. The hubby and I are going again in November, since he is a die hard Saints fan. I can't wait!!

This summer I read A LOT of blogs. I am on bloglovin daily no thanks to google reader. I also read a lot of books:

And I did a lot of this:

Now it is time to go back to school, with just one more week for me to hang out and relax. I plan to do a lot more of the above pics to the extreme and prep my classroom for my incoming firsties.

One last thought.......... Being a runner and blog reader I stumbled upon one of my recent FAVORITE bloggers, Skinny Runner, post. Read from it and take what you will.

Click the Link: "Loss and Hope"