In: Day Trips, Dining Out, Education & Activities, Field Trips, Food, Homeschool, Preschool, School Age Kids, Scouts, Things To Do & Travel

Castles are cool. And, that we have one in our backyard is extra awesome. From Houston, you can arrive at the drawbridge of Newman’s Castle, in Bellville, Texas, in just over an hour. We took our scout pack and hit the road. The castle is just outside of Bellville heading north on Highway 36. You turn off onto the unassuming Old Highway 36. The road is definitely old. It is rutted with asphalt repairs and peppered with potholes. Finally, you turn off the paved road and head into the forest. The signage is few but the maps are well marked. About a quarter mile theRead More →

Best Pizza in Houston

In: Dining Out, Food

Who has the best pizza in Houston? Depends on who you ask. People from outside of town do not get the magnitude and span of our city. So, it makes perfect sense that our city has many, many fantastic pizzerias! However, we have “narrowed” it down to the top 31 shops. In this way no matter where you are in our vast city you can find the best pizza in Houston! The Best Pizza in Houston Alphabetically 1. BOH Pasta & Pizza Neighborhood: Downtown What to order: Definitely not just pizza (check out the Squid Ink Bucatini Frutti DI mARE), but the pizza is worthRead More →

In: Dinner, Eating In, Food

Grilled cheese sandwiches are deceptively simple. They hit all the pleasure points – melty, buttery, crunchy perfection! But what if you could elevate your eating experience? I know. How can you improve on perfection? But, you can! How To Up Your Basic GC Game CHEESE COMBINATIONS Some cheese melts well while others add depth of flavor. A combination of two or more will strike a great balance. For melting you cannot go wrong with Mild cheddar, Colby, Monterey Jack, Swiss, and Mozzarella. These are younger and have more moisture. But, for a flavor impact you need something aged. Try a sharp cheddar, aged Swiss, Asiago,Read More →

In: Dessert, Eating In

I love strawberry cake! I hate red food dye! I can always taste it. Even the kind that says you will not taste it. Yeah. It still has a taste. Plus, food dye is just for photos so why bother putting junk into the best, most delicious, fluffy, moist, sweet-but-not-too-sweet strawberry cake? Well, that was sort of rhetorical but it also has an answer. Fresh strawberries have a lot of water in them and using real strawberries to make a cake generally leaves you with a mushy mealy cake that no one wants to eat. Oh, and those fresh strawberries will start molding pretty quickly.Read More →

Cranberry Sauce

In: Eating In, Side Dish

Growing up, I thought I did not like cranberry sauce. It turns out, I was turned off by the red stuff that wobbled in the shape of the can it slid out of. Real cranberry sauce is simple and delicious and fun to make. I love it when the cranberries start bursting! Seriously, my sense of accomplishment at that moment is outstanding! If you are looking for the perfect side dish for your Thanksgiving table, this cranberry sauce, from The Farm Girl Gabs, is perfection. It’s easy (prep time is five minutes, cook time is 20 minutes) and delicious. It’s sweet and tart and greatRead More →

In: Dining Out, Family, Food

Recently, a data company, Infogroup, dug into its human-verified business records to mine for some essential data – mapping the Top 10 Cities for Desserts. Here in Houston, we love our food. I would say we love it more than Tex-Mex but then this whole article would devolve into a fight over which Tex-Mex is the best. And, if you live north of Dallas just. don’t. bother. This is not your fight. All that to say, that Houston is not in the top ten. And, neither are… Dallas,… Fort Worth,… Austin or… San Antonio. So, where should we plan our dessert-centric road trip!? Longview (#4),Read More →

In: Dining Out

Heavenly Beverages is a café nestled in a shopping strip lining the parking lot of a Home Depot. We drive past it a lot. It only took five years for us to go inside. In hindsight, this probably saved me a lot of money. Bubble tea, you say? How have you not already known about this? In all fairness I did. I just judged that book by its cover and said chewy tea, no thank you. But, I was wrong! So, tapioca balls (the chewy part of the tea) are strangely addictive. And, I do not know if they are all the same but Heavenly’sRead More →

Rotisserie Turkey

In: Dinner, Eating In

Mmmmm, rotisserie turkey! We love cooking our Thanksgiving turkeys on the rotisserie. If your grill has one and you haven’t given it a go yet this could be the year for you! The most difficult part is balancing the weight. Prepare to get up close and personal with your turkey. It’s okay to give it a name. You will get intimate. However, once you get it balanced and spinning the pay off is worth the wrangling! A rotisserie turkey has crispy browned beautiful skin. It is extra moist and, maybe the most important factor, it frees up your oven for other dishes! A few thingsRead More →