Hey Foodgarblers!  Boy do I have a treat for you.  My future sister-in-law, Nicole, is one of the most top rated chefs I know (there’s thousands) and is going to give me recipes to publish on Foodgarbl!  If everything goes as planned and you kids like them, we’re probably going to write a cookbook and sell millions so Jason and Steve can retire!  The things we do for our men.

Nicole is the type of person that does not mess around.  She has a vision, she creates a plan for that vision and she executes said plan.  Sometimes she has to rely on others to execute and that makes her VERY NERVOUS.  For example, the lantern hanging crisis.  Boise, Idaho.  8am.  Nicole’s Wedding Day.  Sara and Jason show up late to Nicole’s house to get last minute lantern hanging instructions.  We are shown a picture of how it should look.  Sara is distracted by cantaloupe on the counter.  Nicole gives Sara the look.  Sara says sarree.  Jason checks Twitter.  Nicole grabs Jason’s phone.  Nicole gives us a box of lanterns to carry and asks us to repeat back what we just learned.   Jason now spots cantaloupe.  Sara says “hang lanterns like picture.”  Nicole trusts Sara.  Slightly.  Jason and Sara leave and talk about how good cantaloupe was.  Fast forward to the reception.  LANTERNS HUNG LIKE A BOSS!  We did good!  Can we have cake now?

If that’s not a proud lantern hanging teacher, I don’t know what is!

I don’t mean to brag but the lanterns were kind of the hit of the party.

Now that you know Nicole and see how everything she plans turns out awesome, let’s discuss her first Foodgarbl recipe!  I give you:

CINCO LECHES BAKED TORTELLINI

9 oz. pkg refrigerated cheese tortellini

1/2 lb. ground turkey

1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce

I envelope spaghetti seasoning mix

1/2 stick salted butter

1 C heavy whipping cream

1/2 C shredded parmesan

1 C shredded mozzarella

In skillet, brown turkey and drain fat. FYI, Nicole’s recipe called for 90% lean ground beef but we had turkey so we substituted – turned out great and lower in fat!).  Add tomato sauce and seasoning. Cook on low heat.

Meanwhile, melt butter in another skillet over low heat.

When completely melted, add cream. Cook 1-2 mins.

Remove from heat and stir in parmesan. Stir into tomato sauce and continue cooking on low.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to directions.

Drain well and put in 9×9 greased baking dish.  Add sauce and mix well.

Sprinkle with mozzarella. 

Put in preheated oven at 375 degrees and bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is brown and bubbly.

Serves 4. Or Jason, you choose.

I don’t care if you are lactose intolerant or if eating tortellini is against your religion, you must make this immediately.  I didn’t even know spaghetti seasoning existed and now I want to put it on my cereal it’s so good.  I recommend this for any occasion, any night of the week and any meal.  I just don’t recommend having ice cream afterwards.  ENJOY!

Jay Train’s mom came in town recently to check out the new crib and as a bonus reward we took her on a tour of the set where the show Dallas was filmed.  This kid took us on a tractor ride from the gift shop to the actual house where the filming took place.  He told us that none of the filming was done inside the house, only outside per the agreement made with the property owners.  Cool story bro, tell it again.

Here is the table where people sat on tv.  I got chills just thinking about how many famous people sat in those chairs.  Lol j/k I can’t name one person from the show except JR and he’s dead

So if none of the scenes took place in the house, why exactly they decorated the house and made it part of the tour was beyond me.  But here is a picture of someone from the show!  Good thing I brought fancy cam for this.  Gonna sell these puppies for millions.

Here’s where someone would have slept had they actually been able to film inside.  Maybe.  Or something.  It was a complicated tour.

How was a water fountain toilet not part of the show!??!  COME ON!  $10 says JR was shot because he tried to sneak in and use it.

Here is a bathtub with a chair.  This was included with the tour.  Still awake?

It really was pretty farmland.  Except it doesn’t appear that they are doing anything with it.  Maybe waiting to build a Walmart.

Aaaah yes, the infamous pool.  Many scenes were filmed here apparently.  They used a tall mirror at the end of the pool to make it look bigger on film.  They didn’t have iPhones back then either.  Man life must have been difficult.

Here was one of the gift shops that had the Lincoln Continental from the show on display.  Some 22′s and hydraulics and that bad boy might be worth something.

Even the horse looked bored.

The Teasing Pen & Stud Shelter made it all worthwhile.  Check out the stud I found!

Damn dassa lotta shots.  Be like e’rbody shot him.  Or he really likes swiss cheese.

Clearly People Magazine hasn’t come a long way.  From WHO SHOT J.R.? to WHO FATHERED SNOOKIE’S BABY?

Okay fine.  I’ll admit it.  I bought a Sheriff badge with  my name on it and wore it for 4 days straight.  Even to work.  Best $4.95 plus tax I ever spent.

Okay but seriously, there were people in our tour group from as far away as Italy and Arizona (bad at maps).  People paid money to go on this tour.  Granted I didn’t watch the show but we toured a house full of rooms, none of which was on the show.  Plus, I listened to most of the tour guide’s spiel and at the end still could’t tell you who shot J.R.  Pretty sure that was the whole point of the show.  All I can say is, if and when I tour the Jersey Shore house, it better be the real deal Holyfield and not some replica beach house with a fake smoosh room.

Yesterday Jason and I rode 61 miles from our house to White Rock Lake and back.  My butt hurts, my ribs hurt, I still have helmet head and best of all…check out this sweet farmer’s tan on my wrist:

Don’t be jealous.  Just kidding be jealous.  It’s pretty sweet.  We burned over 2,500 calories so we’ve been ravenous.  Luckily we had powdered donuts in the pantry but that can only get me so far.  So we went to Vickery Park for brunch.  If you haven’t been to downtown Plano yet, you must go.  It is becoming quite the hot spot.  Vickery Park is located across from trendy Urban Crust.  It is a bar first and foremost but has gourmet food.  A gastropub if you will.

We started off with the belgian waffles.  They are served with fresh whipped cream, apple, orange and strawberry slices, warm syrup and a tub of butter.  Absolutely delicious.  My hot date ordered the biscuits and gravy.  After he cleaned his plate he exclaimed, “Best biscuits and gravy…ever…I think.”  He always adds “I think” because he doesn’t want to hurt my feelings in case I ever made him biscuits and gravy.  Fact: this is one of his favorite dishes and I’ve never made it for him.  BEST FUTURE WIFEGARBL EVER!!!!

I opted for the migas because we’re in Texas and every meal should have jalapeños and tortilla strips.  If it doesn’t, you’re clearly not from here and should be charged an import tax.  Except for today because it was my turn to buy.

This was actually our second time here and I took pictures both times so here are some pics of the burger and grilled chicken sandwich.  The fries are served with frickin sriracha ketchup!

Vickery Park has one of those menu’s that entices you to want to try it all.  We haven’t had a bad meal yet.  They were a little slow on service today but they only had 2 waitresses (1 of which as the bartender) for a bunch of tables.  We didn’t mind either because we were watching the glorious Rangers take on the Tigers.

Now we’re back home and Jason is washing my car.  I swear I don’t make him do this stuff.  I just tell him I’ll buy him biscuits and gravy if he does.  He shows me how much he loves me by sweating in the shape of a heart:

I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to get married first, but Jason and I skipped the lame part and went straight to the cool part – WE’RE HOME OWNERS!  Well, technically, we’re MORTGAGE OWNERS!!

Our new patio - ME ENCANTA!!

The New Garbl Test Kitchen

I have to be honest, I was really nervous about saying goodbye to a good chunk of savings and moving out of my comfort bubble and into Suburbia.  But once I saw the old lady walking around with a baseball bat on my commute into work a few mornings in a row, I knew we made the right decision.

I’ve noticed a lot of things living in the burbs.  First, kids hate socks.  What is it with these mallards?  We see kid’s socks everywhere on our dog walks.  Is the grass itchy?  I know it’s been warmer than usual but do you really have to go barefoot to cool off?  I don’t remember having an aversion to socks growing up.  Then again, I was allergic to milk and bit people so maybe I was a special case.  Second, people love their garages.  I looked around our garage and I don’t get it.  It’s boring.  And what is wrong with going in/out the front door?  I am against garages.  They encourage anti-social behavior and they smell.  J/k I love our garage and I love not having to talk to our neighbors.  J/k again I love our neighbors.  J/k I haven’t met our neighbors because we all have garages.

Let’s get to the reason why I needed to Garbl in the first place.  I turned 31!  First of all, my bestest whoa-di’s sent me Tiff’s Treats at work!  It was an awesome surprise and it made me sad face that we don’t work together still  I miss y’all bustas.  On Saturday we met my parents for lunch and then I opened presents.  I was praying, hoping, pleading for a James Brown mugshot photo for my office but I had to settle for a BRAND SPANKIN NEW (REFURB) MACBOOK AIR!!!  This is my first Garbl on the new machine and so far I’m in love.  Now we can send my 90+ yr old grandmother my old iMac and FaceTime!

For dinner, Jason took me to Tei An in One Arts Plaza downtown.  The biggest problem was that I wanted everything on the menu.  It wasn’t exactly the Dollar Menu, though, so I had to think wisely.  We started with the white seaweed salad as recommended by our waitress.

I could have eaten 12 gallons of this.  It was mixed with cucumbers and had a light vinegary taste.  Amazing.  We then ordered a small tray of sashimi.  The wasabi they had on the plate was not your average wasabi.  THEY TRICKED ME.  And my WATER GLASS WAS SMALL.  Luckily, my nose stopped burning in time for next course.  Jason got the green soba noodles with duck and I went with tuna tartar with soba chips.

Tei An is known for making their own soba noodles.  They were thin yet meaty and delicious.  The broth was incredible.  We felt like we were judges on Iron Chef because this food was really stellar.  The tuna tartar melted in my mouf.  There might have been a brief moment where Jason was on the lookout so I could lick the plate and not get noticed .

I was not a fan of the soba chips to scoop the tuna, though.  If I was at a Super Bowl party, I would understand, but I was at my own birthday celebration and I expected it to be a little more classy like myself.  Everything at Tei An was such a tease.  It was all Linsanely delicious yet the portions were so small that we left hungry.  Well, the average person probably would have had enough to satisfy the pallet.  We are not your average couple though.  So we went to second dinner at Eno’s in the Bishop Arts District.  The pizza was so on and poppin that I am still drooling over it.

Diet has officially started.  And by diet I mean intense exercise plan because I can’t stop eating.

Today was the day I’ve been dreading for months.  We had to say goodbye to Piper, the most perfect, adorable black Labrador Retriever that ever lived.  I never thought I would have to put my own dog down.  It’s just one of those things you don’t want to face so you avoid talking about it or thinking about it until your own dog has to tell you it’s time.  Piper’s little heart gave out and she had no more fight left in her.  She gave us many years of pure joy, love and happiness.  Here are a few pics to remember good ol’ Piper Diaper Woo Baby Woo Hoo.

Lettuce Pray.

Dear God, thank you so much for giving us Labrador Retrievers.  I’m still not sure what you intended with Poodles or even cats but you definitely had a plan with Labs.  What a brilliant species.  Amen.

Piper, in case you’re reading Foodgarbl in heaven, I love you baby girl.  I had to walk away from your lifeless body today and it was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.  You were the perfect dog for me and for our family and you never let us down.  Thank you for pooping on command on the high school lawn.  It really made me feel better.  Thank you for barking when we said “Bill Clinton.”  It was a funny joke at the time and old people got a big kick out of it.  Thank you for being the On Video mascot.  I’m sorry we made you rip up all those boxes but the warehouse guy was lazy and you did a better job anyway.  Thank you for making Mamaw so happy.  She loved you to pieces and it was obvious you loved her right back.  She might go full Alzheimer’s on us but I don’t think she can ever forget you.  Thank you very much for helping train Enzo.  I know you weren’t ready for me to bring home another puppy and I think you never let go of that resentment but because of you, I have a curb trained Vizsla who carries my shoes around and bites my arm when I get home.  Enzo loved you more than you’ll ever know.  I came home today after leaving you and he smelled me all over and sensed that I was sad and officially took over in your role.  He’s got big shoes to fill, Pip.  Lastly, thank you for hanging on as long as you did.  I know it wasn’t easy but you gave us 14 strong years and we loved you every single day.  You made it as easy as possible for us to say goodbye and yet it was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done.  Please say hi to my Gramps up there.  He was allergic to you on Earth but I think now you guys can be whoa-di’s.  He’ll take you on walks if you help him with the crossword puzzle.  Piper, I can’t tell you enough how happy you made me.  We are all going to miss the heck out of you.  Dad’s having a pretty rough time so send him some love k?  See you on the flip side.

If my first garbl of overeating didn’t encourage you to go to Austin, allow this garbl to convince you.  One of the best meals I’ve had in Austin, ever, was at Justine’s Brasserie recently.  Though it is located in a sketchier part of Austin on East 5th, you wouldn’t know it by the hipster clientele or the very welcoming lightbulb strung courtyard.

We had to wait about 15 minutes for a table even though we waited patiently across from empty tables the entire time.  I think they were just trying to position us in the corner because Jason was wearing his Hugasaurus Rex shirt.  See the guy in the pink shirt in the picture below?  We ended up sitting at the table next to him and his date.  His white iphone went off the ENTIRE (#$)@# MEAL.  That is, until we had enough and my brother said, “excuse me are you going to answer that?  Because my friend Jason here in the Hugasaurus Rex shirt is on call and we keep thinking that a critical network circuit is down.”  Then he went into some tirade about how he was a lobbyist and these $(#*)@$# Republicans keep calling him and they’re not gonna get what they want if he has anything to say about it.  He certainly wasn’t saying anything about it.  Also, he was on a date.  Granted, she looked like his mom but still.

A fliptard lobbyist wasn’t going to ruin our meal.  Huggy Rex ordered the French onion soup.  When in Rome…or wait…when in Austin…wear a thong.  What?  I’m hungry.  This soup was retarded.  Retarded good, that is.  Best ever.

Tonnish ordered the asparagus soup which was ridiculous.  Ridiculously awesome that is.

I’ve never had mussels before.  I KNOW!  So drunk!  Sarree.  But I saw them on the menu and I went all out.  HOLY CHOPSTICK MOTHER OF PEARL WAFFLE IRON WHAT HAVE I BEEN ORDERING ALL OF MY LIFE?!?!  The broth had more flavor than a VH1 rapper dating show.  It was seriously one of the top 5 meals I’ve ever had in my life.  Maybe I should get out more but seriously this was so good.

Huggy Rex was still licking the French Onion soup bowl when they brought out his heart shaped steak frites.  It’s that extra touch of forming the steak into a heart that makes Justine’s so special.  H-Rex raved about his steak and said it’s probably the best he’s ever had.  Coming from an Oklahoma boy who grew up chasing cattle cattle cattle and skinning buffalo to stay warm in the winter, what are we talking about?

Our travel guide T-Hum opted for the pork chop.  It’s a good thing that pork chop was so good.  My brother has been known to regurgitate on command and the iphone lobbyist could have had his night ruined but the pork chop was too good to waste.  Justine’s is a hidden French gem and is the perfect place to go off the beaten path in Austin.  The wait staff was friendly, the glasses remained full, the food was amazing and the ambience was caj.  As if that wasn’t enough, they post the negative reviews on their website as a threat  - just try not to come here and enjoy it.

The next day we went to Kerby Lane Cafe and the food was not eventful but the two UT football players sharing a bench were adorable.

After Kerby Lane Cafe, we drove around town looking for Krap Kars.  FOUND ‘EM!  $5?  That’s pretty high for a krap kar.  No wonder Huggy Rex was all “WHY?!”

Never to go more than 15 minutes w/o something to eat, we hightailed it over to Holy Cacao for a frozen hot chocolate.  SO FLIPPIN GOOD.

Holy CacAEO is located in the South Austin Trailer Park & Eatery alongside Torchy’s Tacos.  It’s pretty much a one stop shop for all of your high caloric needs.

Even trailer parks are trendy in Austin.  You won’t even find white trash there.  Well, maybe a little but they mostly recycle.

Oh South Austin Trailer Park, you so fancy.

Austin, TX is Woof Friendly just about everywhere, including the trailer park.  Paws up dawg!  This concludes our trip to the coolest city in Texas (sorry Marfa).  We’ll see you soon!  Next weekend?  Seriously, we’re free.  Pleez?  Kthksbye.

Our Austin adventures continued.  Rather than waste electricity, we took the almighty powerful road pwning gas guzzling Chevy Avalanche to brunch in downtown Austin at La Condesa.  Are electric vehicles the wave of the future?  Or is this going to be like that Segway fad that was so awesome that the inventor rolled off a cliff?

When the sign says walk, do so over to La Condesa for a Mexican brunchiesta.

Start with the guacamole.  Ask for it crazy and you’ll get watermelon, pomegranate seeds and feta on top.  Served with four salsa samplers.

You thought jalapenos were the only way to kick guacamole up a notch?  Think again.

Do yourself a huge favor and order one of their many varieties of aguas frescas made in house with seasonal flavors.  This stuff will make you want to punch Diet Coke chemicals in the face it’s so good.

What looks like a potential fire hazard is actually a crafty lighting design.

Huevos Rancheros.  Ranch Balls en ingles.  Will make you feel like you swallowed a bowling ball but it was delicious.

Huevos Condesa.  Condescending Balls en ingles.  You will feel like you swallowed a 3 pack of tennis balls but it was also delicious.

Molletes de Atun.  Tuna mullet en ingles.  Listed under the ensalades portion of the menu so I was expecting a salad for $14 with seared ahi tuna, arugula and salsa veracruz.  Instead I got a seared tuna aioli open faced torta with a side of six minute egg salsa.  Misleading on the menu but very yummy nonetheless.  Had a saffron aioli but would have enjoyed a wasabi aioli instead.  Aioli snob alert!  LOL!

Oh hey look it’s those trendy Segway things.  If these are still in use, maybe electric cars will last after all.  I mean if cliff diving doesn’t scare you then plugging a car into the wall shouldn’t either right?

I love leg tattoos, cracked out hippies in thongs, vegetarian chili, hipster bikes, Hello Kitty jorts, Town Lake trail and everything else about Austin.  The city is amazing.  If you haven’t been there, go there.  And be sure to drink a lot of water Kobayashi style because you’re going to need a stretched out stomach.

Jayschun and I recently made the southbound 35 trek to go visit my brudder, Tonnish.  He has the coolest life ever.  We are mad jelly so sometimes we tag along so we can play toos.  Tonnish hadn’t seen us in a long time so he had a ton of places lined up on his Crackberry agenda.  First up, Odd Duck Trailer.  This adorable little food trailer is a slice of outdoor picnic style gourmet heaven.

It was hotter than a Mazda 626 transmission after a trip to the grocery store so we cooled off with some Texas Tea.  All natural, no preservatives – like my squid sauce.

It took awhile to get our food but you don’t want to rush greatness.  Check out the pulled pork sandwich on a baguette with onions and peppers oh my!  Ballin out of ferkin control.

Odd Duck serves small plates so we ordered a couple to share since this was dinner 1 of 3 (primero if you will).  To accompany our pulled pork baguette we tried the tomato spiced melon feta salad.  Put down your fork!  Bring out the shovel!  I don’t even like tomatoes and I ate this salad like it was candy crack.

ONE WORD: PORK BELLY SLIDER.  It was the shiz.  My name is Sara Montoya.  You killed my pig.  Prepare to die.  Oh my pig is now this delicious sammy?  K nevermind thksbye.

Dinero segundo (2nd dinner for those that don’t speak Fatty) was a hop skip and a jump over to another trailer called El Naranjo.  They are actually in the midst of renovating an old house for a retail location but I don’t know why when they can dish out badass food from this lil cart on wheels.

One look at the Specials Board and I was drooling.  Okay let’s be honest, I have a drooling problem anyways but I had to have this soup.

The patio was darling and oh so cozy.

Look at this soup!  It tasted even bamfer than it looks.  It honestly tasted like spiced cantaloupe soup.  I just had to spellcheck cantaloupe.  I want to recreate this in my high powered blender.  It is so wonderfully fresh and flavorful that I could have had 3 bowls.  Too bad I had to save room for a taco and 3rd dinner.

I’ve been to enough taco trucks now to know quality meat and seasonings.  El Naranjo ranks right up there at the top.  Fresh corn tortillas, perfectly seasoned pork, fresh cilantro and onion and a squeeze of lime.  Oh and their sauce ain’t half bad either.  At this point my tummy was like what are you doing to me?  And I was all hey stomach why don’t you quit whining like a little baby?

How come William Sonoma doesn’t have meat spits available for wedding registries?  I guess Jason and I will have to register at Doner Kebap Restaurant Supply.

3rd dinner was luckily right around the corner from El Naranjo.  G’raj Mahal is an outdoor Indian trailer eatery with Moroccan style tents to eat under.

We started with the spiced potato and pea samosas served with mint and tamarind chutneys.  These were pretty good but were a bit heavy to start off with after already consuming what most people would consume in 2 meals.

There is something about fried food that just sits in your stomach and won’t go anywhere.  It’s like the Dirk Nowitzki of food.  You get up by a couple bowls of soup and then bam you’re tied up again.

We really should have stopped eating at this point but that’s not what champions do.  So we ordered some Baingan Bartha (pureed eggplant simmered in spices served with peas) and some Madrasi (curry).  I didn’t tell my brother at the time but I’ve had better Baingan Bartha.  It was good but I was not blown away.

The rice was plain jane.  I didn’t even write home about it. Didn’t have a stamp anyhow.

Same with the madrasi.  Maybe Indian food shouldn’t come from a trailer?   Or maybe after 2 dinners in a row the 3rd dinner no matter how great won’t taste as awesome?

Wait, you ordered dessert?  Um, yes.  Duh.  Two in fact. Indian beignets (fluffy donuts with spiced sugar) and some kulfi (homemade cardamom ice cream).  You can’t call a beignet Indian.  This was a fried donut with powdered sugar on top.  Good?  Yes.  You try and screw up a fried donut with powdered sugar.  Amazing?  No.  I’d take a Gourdough’s Donut over these any day.

The kulfi ice cream tasted way too much like whipped cream.  The chopped pistachios on top were a delicious addition but the consistency of the ice cream was whack and not dope.  I’d go back to G’raj Mahal for another shot but I probably won’t eat twice before going.

Have I reminded you that all of these meals were within the span of a few hours?  My stummy hurted.  But you can’t kick off an Austin trip w/o a trip to Amy’s Ice Cream.  WORTH EVERY CALORIE!!!!  DERP!

What?  You don’t get excited about toilet paper?

As a professional food blogger I must first admit something…I know the owners of Tiramisu Italian Restaurant.  I know I know, I’m a giant frickin deal and I bet you’re even wondering “Sara PLEASE tell us you’re running for President in 2016?”  And I probably will run but right now I just want to focus on my overeating k?  Let’s get down to Italiangarbl bidness.

First, the negatives:

You can’t draw on the tables.  I associate Italian restaurants with crayons and paper tablecloths.  Tiramisu is more upscale and I actually felt guilty when I accidentally flung marinara sauce at Jason.

There was music playing in the background but it was barely noticeable.  Now, this is actually a plus in most situations but for a restaurant starting out that doesn’t quite have a crowd every night, a little Hall & Oates is nice to avoid awkward silence.  And trust me, there was plenty of awkward silence.  After dating for nearly 5 years what else is there to talk about you know?  Robots?  Covered it.  David Hasselhoff comeback?  Donezoes.  Venus flytraps and how they work?  Googled at the table.  See?  Awkward.

There was no dessert tray when you walk in.  With a name like Tiramisu which implies bakery more than restaurant, the first thing I want to see when I walk in is a plastic rendition of tonight’s mascarpone lady finger espresso special.

Now, the positives (the food):

We started with the calamari because nothing says celebration like fried squid.  The sauce was delicious.  I wanted to bust out in a Little Mermaid song it was so good.

As if the marinara sauce and winning the NBA Championship wasn’t enough, they brought out FREE garlic rolls!  They looked so delicate and perfect, almost fake even.  I expected them to be garlic doughy heaven but they just tasted like your average rolls with garlic butter brushed on top.  This was actually a good thing because I didn’t want to fill up on bread.

Next course?  All entrees come with a small salad.  Fresh lettuce, fresh onion, fresh tomatoes and DJ Jazzy Fresh Italian drizzle.  I actually would have preferred a balsamic dressing because Italian is so oily but that’s just a personal thang.  It was a deliciously crisp salad.

For our main entrees, I ordered the chicken piccata and Chokelahoma Joe ordered the chicken parmigiana.  Everything is bigger in Texas and Tiramisu entrees can prove it.  We had to get half of them wrapped up because we are weak and lack discipline and could not finish.

The piccata sauce was very lemony just like I like it and had HUGE artichoke hearts!  My only complaint was that the chicken was breaded.  But apparently I’m drunk because I just googled piccata recipes and apparently it’s common to bread the chicken.  The last time I had it was at Campisi’s and it was grilled.  I prefer grilled but Tiramisu’s rendition is a runner-up fo sho.  The chicken parmigiana was delicious as well and included the same fresh tomato sauce that we loved with the calamari.

I’m such a Garbl FAIL by not saving room for the signature Tiramisu dessert but I do have to fit in a wedding dress at some point in the next 5 years (still haven’t set a date FTW!).  I promise next time I’ll start with dessert and do jumping jacks between courses if need be.

You don’t expect a good, classy neighborhood Italian restaurant to pop up between a Christmas store and a donut van but there it is – Tiramisu Italian Restaurant – destined for glory.

You all must go try this place not only to make my friends kagillionaires but to reward yourself with a lovely Italian meal after a hard day at a stupid job.  If anyone wants to go back with me, I have a VIP member card and get 15% off future purchases through November.  Oh and did I mention I know the owners?

Let’s get to the big news first as I’m sure you’re all on pins and needles.  I got a job!!!  Picture this: five minute commute, no dress code, working with a bunch of monkeys.  HOW COULD I NOT TAKE IT?!?!

Enzo and Riley were stoked about the news as you can see from their big smiles.  They look cute don’t they?  Don’t let the adorableness fool you.  Because of these clowns I now have the legs of a 90-yr-old (no offense, Grandma) from running so much.

The good news is, a run with the mutts results in extended nap times.

To celebrate my big life changing event, JayJay took me to dinner at the new Twisted Root Burger Co at the Shops at Legacy.

Excellent signage.

I went with a turkey burger and some goat cheese with a side order of sweet potato chips.  The turkey burger does not have a lot of flavor but whatever goat cheese they use is SO SOFT, CREAMY AND AWESOMEGARBL!  It totally takes over the taste of the burger and I love it.  The sweet potato chips were a sugary disaster.  I swear the Twisted Root in Deep Ellum doesn’t put sugar on their chips and if they do it must have been very subtle but these were doused with it and way too sweet.  I wish they had sweet potato fries (hello, there’s a fry revolution going on, catch up!).

JayJay the Network Engineering Wonder had a Western Burger topped with bacon, cheese, onion rings and jalapenos with a side of straight cut fries.  This guy knows how to order.  The onion rings were awesome.  So were the fries.  The fries were seasoned with something awesome that wasn’t sugar.  How novel.

If you’re feeling saucy, they offer homemade sauces to top your burgers with or for dipping your fried sides.  Like Arby’s!  But different.

Let’s talk ambiance.  We sat on the patio across from Gordon Biersch and RA Sushi and next to Cafe Istanbul because we thought it would be fun to count the number of Affliction shirts we could spot.  The patio felt more like a deck and had huge trees with hanging tree ornaments including a monkey trap.

I need this for my desk at work.

If you want some awesome people watching, hang out by RA Sushi.  There is no better entertainment than watching cougars go after fauxhawked d-nozzles over appletini’s.  How do you think I got Jason?

The Twisted Root boys once again went all out with decoration.  There are signs everywhere instructing you where to go and what to do but be careful as they can be tricky.  The door says “push” but it has a handle so you should probably “pull.”  They seem to mix some Dick’s Last Resort attitude with a twist of southern charm.  It works for ‘em.  I’ll definitely go back to Twisted Root but I won’t get the sweet potato chips and I will make sure someone else opens the doors.

Because of this stinkin chair, I got a craving for dessert and Paciugo just happened to be right across the street.

We both ordered up a double of sea salted caramel gelato because we like to be cutesy and match.

The first few bites hit the spot.  Then it all started to melt…FAST.  And they give you a toddler spoon to eat it with so I couldn’t gulp it down fast enough before it melted.  Waaaaahhhhh.  It’s probably a good thing though because that milk hit my stomach like a ton of bricks.  Have I told you guys I’m lactose intolerant?  It’s pretty cool.  My mom says there are pills I can take but when I constantly complain about stomach aches I feel important.  So, who’s up for ice cream later?