Kinzers Come to Texas

Ricky and I LOVE visitors so we were very excited with our pals, Richard and Alicia decided to visit us in San Antonio. Neither Richard nor Alicia had ever been to Texas so I was looking forward to showing them what San Antonio has to offer. We visited the usual hot spots: The Alamo and the Riverwalk. We also took at trip to Winery on the Gruene in Gruene, Texas. (WineryOnTheGruene) A German settlement, Gruene is known for its wine and German cuisine. They also have great tubing on the Guadalupe River in the summer. The winery features a great variety of white and red wines. I never drink sweet wine but I LOVED their Orange Chocolate Port Wine. It's the perfect taste of sweetness after a good meal; although I could never drink an entire glass. We hoped to have lunch at the Gruene Door restaurant but it closed early on Sunday:( Instead, we went to the Gristmill which sits on a picturesque hillside on the Guadalupe River. Our food was excellent and we were not disappointed. If you ever visit, I recommend their onion rings--big and tasty! Alicia and I took in an afternoon at the JW Marriott Resort Lantana Spa. The beautiful grounds and serene environment made for a lovely afternoon. We were able to take in a Spurs game on Wednesday night (Spurs vs. the Milwalkee Bucks where the Spurs won!) and a trip to the Flying Saucer. We ended their trip with an amazing breakfast at Magnolia Pancake Haus! We loved hosting the Kinzers and can't wait for them to return.

For more pictures, click here:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31730254&l=f742990a0a&id=50401332

Cowboys Game!

I really wanted to post about our trip to the Austin City Limits Music festival but I realized I didn't take any pictures. We are definitely returning next year. The highlight of the festival for me was an excellent performance by the Eagles. They put on a great show.

So on to another exciting event: Dallas Cowboys vs. The New Orleans Saints. Thanksgiving Day. We took off for Dallas on Wednesday afternoon. Our 4 hour road trip morphed into a 6 hour trip as the highway was bombarded with holiday travelers. We arrived late Wednesday night and checked into our hotel to get a good night's rest for our big day. I highly recommend the Marriott Suites in Dallas, Market Center. The rooms were huge and the breakfast was well worth the extra 10 dollars! Thursday we started our day with a tasty room service lunch and waited anxiously for our limo transport to arrive. The stadium in Arlington is about 30 minutes from downtown. I had heard from numerous Texans that the new Cowboys stadium was amazing but I had no idea how impressive it would be in person! 90,000 fans packed the stadium for the game. Kenny Chesney did a phenomenal half time show. The Cowboys fell behind early and you could definitely feel the disappointment in the air. In the second half of the game the Cowboys surged back and took the lead. Unfortunately they couldn't pull out a win but it was still a great time.

For more pictures from our trip, click here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2070141&id=50401332&l=e6c0125cb1

House Updates

The Williams Family has been hard at work on our new home. When my parents came over the summer, they helped greatly with the major painting. We have slowly been buying furniture, decorating and doing mini construction projects. Next summer I am going to make a keep sake photo album with "before" pictures and all of our renovation pictures. Until then, here are a few "after" shots....

Guest Room:

Master Bathroom:





Master Bedroom:




Living Room:








Back Patio:


Sorry, I couldn't rotate this one for some reason:



Kitchen:

Summer Vacation 2010

The Williams Family had a BUSY summer! We did the family vacation in May, purchased our home in June, moved into the house in July, had our summer convention in August and took a ten day vacation to the Midwest in September. Not to mention working on the house, dinner parties, my sister's recent visit....no wonder I am so exhausted! Here are some highlights from our September vacation. We began our voyage flying out of San Antonio for Chicago on September 4. Our good friends from UK Dental/Medical schools, Chrissy and Dave had a fabulous wedding in Chicago Labor Day weekend. They fully represented Dave's Scottish heritage with kilts and bagpipers. Chrissy celebrated being Egyptian with an amazing belly dancer performance. The wedding was a great representation of Chrissy's generally glamorous appearance. We loved the dental school reunion and can't wait to see everyone again!

Our dear friends, Matt and Laurie, graciously drove us from Chicago to Lexington to continue our vacation. We split our time between Georgetown, Lexington and Richmond. We spent several nights with our friends, catching up and sharing in good food. Emily and Nathan had a wonderful party for us during which she showcased her awesome hosting and cooking skills. We also took at trip to the Buffalo Trace Bourbon Distillery (Note: Buy their cream bourbon due to hit shelves April 2011. It is AMAZING.) and to the Berea Artisan Center where we bought authentic Kentucky BBQ sauces. We finished up our trip with Morgan and Seth's wedding in Lexington at Fasig Tipton--the same location of our wedding! It was great being back there and Morgan was a beautiful bride.



More blog updates to come: House Updates and Austin City Limits!

Key Lime Cake

I love cake. It's my favorite dessert, besides ice cream, so I'm always looking for new tasty cake recipes. My mom and grandmother are FAR better than I am and can create amazing cakes without recipes. I'm trying to get up to their level:) If you're looking for a moist, light cake with yummy tangy flavors, this is it! I made a Key Lime Cake this weekend for a barbecue and it was a huge hit. Despite some crazy mishap that resulted in my layers sticking to the pan, it was a great success. If you want to try it yourself, the recipe is below.

Ingredients:

1 (18.25 ounce) package lemon cake mix--(If you have a recipe for a homemade lemon cake, you can use it instead. Just prepare it as normal and add the orange juice and lime jello mix)
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 (3 ounce) package lime flavored gelatin mix
3/4 cup orange juice

1/2 cup butter
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
3 tablespoons fresh KEY lime juice
1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 pint heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs.

Combine cake mix, gelatin mix, oil, eggs and orange juice. Pour into three 8 inch cake pans--be sure to grease and flour the cake pans well. Bake according to instructions on box. Allow to cool. To make the frosting: In a large bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat the heavy whipping cream until peaks form. Add fresh squeezed key lime juice and 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Place the whipped cream mixture between the layers. Take the remaining whipped cream and fold it into the butter and cream cheese. Frost the outside of the cake with the mixture. Top with crushed graham cracker crumbs and sliced key limes.

Houston Date Weekend and the Arrival of Mitchell Perry

After weeks of moving and home improvements, the Williams Family needed a break. Ricky and I decided to take a quick weekend trip to Houston for some relaxation time and to meet our newest pseudo-nephew, Mitchell.

We decided to stay at the Intercontinental Houston near the Galleria and the Museum District. Other than the horrific traffic in Houston, it was a great weekend. Little Mitchell slept through our visit but I know he was glad to see us:) We had a great dinner at the Red Lion (I highly recommend the Punjabi Eggrolls) and an even better breakfast at Cocos Crepes and Coffee. Before heading home on Sunday we visited the Houston Museum of Natural History. I was VERY excited to see real-life dinosaur skeletons! There is also an excellent children's chemistry/energy display at the museum that Ricky and I enjoyed more than the kids!

Such a cool periodic table. It had examples of all the elements in those little boxes!

I was in dinosaur heaven. The second picture is me next to a raptor skeleton.

Such a beautiful baby. Mitchell Perry Atkinson. July 31, 2010. 9 lbs 1 ounce.

Cricket Invasion

When they said "Everything's Bigger in Texas" they weren't kidding! Earlier this year, Floresville (where I work) was infested with these large ,black, stink beetles. The beetles are finally gone and now we're overrun with crickets. San Antonio has an annual cricket season from June to August. Last year there weren't very many at all because the extremely hot and dry weather killed all the cricket larva. On average, hundreds of thousands of cricket eggs are laid every year with only 25% actually surviving and becoming new crickets. We have been blessed with lots of rain and much cooler temperatures this summer (we haven't hit 100 degrees at all!). Unfortunately that means that instead of a fourth of the eggs hatching, we had somewhere between 70% and 80% of the eggs hatch this year. There are crickets EVERYWHERE. It's so disgusting here at work. In the pictures below you can see crickets piled up outside our building and in the parking lot. We've sprayed numerous times and even though they die, more hatch everyday so we can't stop them. It's horrible. I hope the season ends soon!

First of Many Home Projects

We are still working on slowly moving in to our new home. We decided to do some minor construction/renovation projects prior to moving in. The first thing I noticed about our kitchen is that the cabinets, although nice and fairly new, did not have handles. It looked unfinished and, well, not to Williams standards. I purchased some very nice brushed nickel handles on Amazon.com for approximately 1.00 each and Ricky completed their installation this week. I completed the cleaning and painting of most of the baseboards (thanks Christina and Norma for your help). We have also packed up and moved our guest bathroom over to the new house. I am working on packing up the guest bedroom and unused kitchen products this week. Our new fridge was purchased today and we are in the process of getting our new, grown up king sized bed! So many new, wonderful changes.

**Ricky has since installed handles on the drawers too!**

Closing Time!

After weeks of waiting, it was finally time to close on our first house. Unlike many of our friends, we had a very smooth and uneventful experience. Most of this was due to our amazing realtor, Jo Lewis and our fantastic loan officer, Cleo Garza. After signing a stack of papers the little house is FINALLY ours! Jo (see picture) gave us a great little gift--a bowl to match our new kitchen, great chef's knives and other kitchen accessories. We could not have had a better realtor! We have to do some routine things before moving in...calling the locksmith, getting it exterminated, etc... but we can start moving in any day. We're going to pick up a new TV and finalize paint colors this weekend! It's all very exciting and I can't wait to get started. We will definitely keep you updated on our redecorating process.

First Anniversary Weekend

One year of marriage: done! With all the changes--graduation, moving to Texas, new job and now a new house, we almost didn't have time to do anything special for our big day! We decided to take a weekend trip to Fredericksburg, Texas for a quaint celebration. Second only to Napa Valley, CA the Texas Wine Country is one of the largest wine producing regions in the US. There are numerous vineyards and winery starting in the verdant Hill Country about one hour northwest of San Antonio. We stayed an adorable Bed and Breakfast, 'The Magnolia House" right in the heart of Fredericksburg. There are B&Bs on every corner in the wine country, each with their own twist on Texas charm. The Magnolia House was voted "Best Breakfast in the Wine Country" and we could easily see why. Homemade peach muffins, great fresh squeezed juices, and local sausages made the breakfast to die for! Ricky and I also enjoyed a wonderful anniversary dinner at The Nest, followed by our one year old butter vanilla wedding cake. It was delicious!

To see pictures from our trip, click here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2059331&id=50401332&l=ebc827af73

Massey-Williams Family Vacation

I love vacations. There's just nothing better than getting away for a few days, indulging in great food and relaxing. In May, Ricky and I went on our first post-marriage vacation with my parents and Erin to Florida, Georgia and North Carolina. After meeting up with Erin in Jacksonville, we travelled to St. Augustine to do some sightseeing. The Castillo de San Marcos is a key stop in St. Augustine as it is the oldest military fortress in the United States. We had a great time walking around Old Town and enjoyed a great wine tasting of Florida citrus wines. While in Florida we enjoyed time at the beach and a great seafood meal at Clark's Fish Camp (my personal favorite). We decided to be adventurous and try some exotic food while at Clark's. If we had known that the snake of the day, python, would be totally repulsive we definitely would have picked kangaroo or turtle. I LOVE trying new foods but I cannot recommend python. Imagine removing the sole of an old, sweaty gym shoe, covering it in batter and frying it. That's exactly what fried python tastes like! I've never chewed and chewed something only for it to remain in the same shape it was when I put it in my mouth. NEVER again!

We road tripped from Jacksonville to Charlotte, NC. On our way, we stopped and spent a day in Savannah, GA. If Savannah is known for anything other than coastal waters and historic homes, it has to be food. Of course we had great meals while were there and tried to burn them off by walking the Savannah River Walk. If you ever visit Savannah, we recommend the Pirate's House southern brunch buffet. It's delish! Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, okra, green beans, macaroni and cheese (the best I've ever had) squash casserole...mmm mmm! All kinds of southern goodness. If you are in the mood for spirits, the Key Lime Cooler is amazing as well.

Ending our trip in Charlotte was great because we got to spend time with many family members I don't get to see often. My aunt Michelle hosted a barbecue at her new home so that we could see as many people as possible while we were in town. We were also privileged to meet Isaac Taylor, Annalee and Chris Taylor's new baby! Isaac was lovable and cuddly, just as we expected. To see pictures from our vacation, use this link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2058848&id=50401332&l=07a3aa940a

Our First Home...the Williams Edition

Ricky and I have casually been looking at real estate in San Antonio for the past few months. With the first time homebuyers tax credit on the brink of expiring we hustled our search into high gear and finally narrowed down our house search to a few picks. After much deliberation, we decided on a small one story house in the quaint subdivision of Emerald Point on the northeast side of town. It's cozy with just the amount of space we need--an ideal find for first time homeowners! I'm already making plans for painting, new furniture and backyard parties. Ricky is shopping for BBQ grills and lawnmowers. Needless to say, the three days of offers and counteroffers, along with all the stress, was totally worth it. We cannot wait to move in! (Closing date is tentatively June 14th). As long as our inspection goes well this week, we'll be calling this our home!

Lauren's Mac and Cheese

Since I detest and refuse to eat Easy Mac, I've been working on perfecting my own homemade macaroni and cheese recipe for a while. I wanted the baked cheesy goodness my Mom and Grandma can consistently produce but I didn't want to ask for their help, hahaha. If you're interested, my fantastic concoction is below. It was amazing; Ricky and I devoured half of an 11 x 13 baking dish of it by ourselves!

*Note: The picture is not of my macaroni but of the closest replica I could find online (www.countryliving.com). We ate half the pan before I thought about taking a picture. I also want to try these individual baking dishes when I serve it for a dinner party!*

You'll need:

2 cups of rotini pasta

2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

1 egg, scrambled

1 teaspoon diced garlic

3 turns of fresh ground pepper

1 can of Campbell's cream of mushroom soup (low sodium)

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup shredded (not grated) Parmesan cheese

1 cup half and half

Cook the pasta for about 3 minutes so that it's not quite al dente. I use the Barilla pasta with extra protein so it takes a little longer to cook. In a large bowl mix the following with a spatula: cream of mushroom soup, 1 cup cheddar cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, half and half, butter, garlic, pepper and egg. Add the cooked pasta (drained) to this mixture. Mix thoroughly and place in a greased baking dish. Top the mixture with the remaining cheeses including the Parmesan. Bake for 25 minutes at 325 degrees until the cheese on top is fully melted with small regions of brown crispy cheese on the edges.

Enjoy!

Texas Wildflowers

I knew the state flower of Texas was the Blue Bonnet but I had to Google one to see what it looked like. According to my research, Blue Bonnets pop up in the early spring and hang around until the dry heat of summer comes. We have had a considerable amount of rain this year, enough to bring Texas out of its two year drought, so we have lots of green grass and Blue Bonnets EVERYWHERE! I didn't realize that this part of Texas is known for their wildflowers and there are many different varieties other than the Blue Bonnet. My 40 minute commute to work each day has been made a little brighter as every field lining the highway is now FILLED with flowers.

Now for a little lesson in Texas flora:

1. The Blue Bonnet: (see above) Named for its color and, it is said, the resemblance of its petal to a woman's sunbonnet, the bluebonnet is the state flower of Texas. It blooms in the early spring and can be readily found in fields and along the roadsides throughout central and south Texas.
Scientifically named Lupinus texensis, the bluebonnet is also called buffalo clover, wolf flower, and (by the Mexicans) el conejo. It was adopted as the official state flower by the Texas Legislature in 1901. Note: it is apparently illegal to pick Blue Bonnets off the side of the road!


2. Firewheel Indian Blankets: A hardy, drought tolerant annual native to the central United States. Easily established from seed, it forms dense colonies of brilliant red flowers with yellow rims. The flower diameter is slightly smaller than its perennial cousin Gaillardia aristata. An excellent variety of coastal beach-front property or sand dune reclamation sites. Thrives in heat and full sun in well drained soils. (Don't you like the cactus in the background? It just SCREAMS Texas!)


3. Indian Paintbrush: The flowers of Indian paintbrush are edible and sweet, and were consumed in moderation by various American Indian tribes as a condiment with other fresh greens. These plants have a tendency to absorb and concentrate selenium in their tissues from the soils in which they grow, and can be potentially very toxic if the roots or green parts of the plant are consumed. The Chippewa Indians used a hair wash made from Indian Paintbrush to make their hair glossy and full bodied and as a treatment for rheumatism. The high selenium content of this plant has been cited as the reason for its effectiveness for these purposes. Nevada Indian Tribes used the plant to treat venereal diseases and to enhance the immune system. Various other tribes used the plant as its name suggests -- as a paintbrush .















4. Slender Stemmed Bitterweed: found in any open, sunny space anywhere in San Antonio, commonly on the sides of roads. It can grow up to a foot and a half tall, and blooms from March to October. (They are the yellow ones in my picture.)

I took the pictures along Highway 181 between Wilson and Bexar counties here in Texas. If you're local, I suggest you visit them in person. It's beautiful!
Credits: www.wikipedia.com

Recent Tasty Recipes

Unfortunately, nothing very exciting has been going on for the last month so I haven't posted anything. However, I have tried a few new recipes that were very yummy so I thought I'd share:

Almond Crusted Tilapia

(This is for two people but you can expand it as needed to fit your family.)

2 large tilapia fillets

lemon pepper seasoning

kosher salt

garlic powder

onion power

1/2 cup whole almonds

1 cup whole wheat flour

one egg

1 TBSP olive oil

Season the fillets to taste with the seasonings listed above. Using a food processor or blender, chop the almonds. Mix the almonds and flour together on a plate. Scramble the egg in a bowl. Coat the seasoned fillets in the egg. Bread the fillets with flower and almond mixture In a large skillet heat the olive oil on medium heat. Pan fry the filets for about 5-7 on each side (keep the heat on medium). It has a great crunch texture because of the almonds! I served it wilt green beans almondine and garlic mashed potatoes.

Bacon and Gouda Stuffed Pork Chops

I tried this recipe but my pork chops were too thin to stuff. Instead I topped them with bacon and cheese and finished cooking them in a white wine cream sauce. I will try it again with them actually stuffed but they were still great! (I took this picture from the recipe website. It's what they are SUPPOSED to look like.)

Ingredients
2 ounces smoked Gouda cheese, shredded
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 (2 1/4 inch thick) center-cut, bone-in pork chops
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat.
In a small bowl, combine the cheese, bacon, parsley, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper.
Lay the chop flat on cutting board, and with a sharp knife held parallel to the board, cut a pocket into the pork, going all the way to the bone, but leaving the sides intact. Stuff cheese mixture into pocket, and close with a wooden toothpick. Brush meat with oil, and season with salt and more black pepper.
Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill over medium heat for 5 to 8 minutes on each side, or until pork is done. Careful not to overcook!

Come on San Antonio...Let's Rodeo!

What could be more authentically Texas than a Rodeo?! Ricky and I were very excited when the rodeo rolled into town earlier this month bringing cattle and cowboys for our enjoyment. We were even more excited when Ricky won two tickets via a Kens 5 (local news channel) Twitter promotion! Every year the rodeo tours, much like the circus, visiting the major cities in Texas. To kick off the big event, all the cowboys participating in the rodeo ride their horses from Austin to San Antonio. They are then greeted at the Cowboy Dance Hall at 7AM on the Friday before the rodeo begins. The Cowboy Dance Hall hosts the "Cowboy Breakfast" where everyone in San Antonio is invited to have breakfast with the cowboys...FOR FREE! Unfortunately I had to work the morning of the big breakfast but next year I will be taking the morning off to get my free breakfast tacos! Mmm...

The rodeo takes place at the At&T Center, also where the Spurs play their home games. Over 10 tons of dirt are brought into the center and spread out over the floor to make it rodeo appropriate. In an effort to be "green", the dirt is cleaned and recycled for use every year. I'm not sure where they store tons of dirt or how they remove all the animal droppings from it but whatever, at least they try.

Rodeos consist of a series of events that occur daily. At the end of the 3 weeks, winners are chosen from each category based on their performances. The only group to get awarded daily trophies are the little tykes that participate in mutton bustin': 4-6 year old boys and girls who hang on to a sheep's back trying desperately not to fall off. It was, by far, the best event. Other events include: barrel racing, bull riding, calf roping, goat tying, saddle bronc and bareback riding, steer wrestling and whip cracking.

There is also your traditional carnival that takes place on the grounds outside. Rides, funnel cakes, petting zoos and games are in abundance. Ricky and I stuck to the actual rodeo as it was 2hours long and I've had my fair share of carnivals. There was also a musical performer after the rodeo but we decided to leave before that too. In all, the rodeo was a fun experience that I wouldn't mind doing again.
The little girl who won MVP for mutton bustin' on display on the big screen.

The kind of creepy rodeo clown...I liked to call him Fisbo.

Cattle waiting to be released...only to be tied and put back in their cages.

Everything's Bigger in Texas!

Texas has been such a fun state to live in. I have never met people who are so proud of where they live. Although the abundance of Texas decorations can be a bit annoying, Texans definitely take pride in making their state the best one in the US. One fun aspect of Texas is its oversized food. While watching Man Vs. Food (http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Man_V_Food) I saw an episode about Texas featuring San Antonio and Austin. San Antonio is home of the biggest pizza in the US...the 42 inch monster at Big Lou's pizza. Big Lou's is a small, family owned restaurant that specializes in Italian food. They made the monster pizza as part of a promotion a few years ago and it was so popular that it was placed on their regular menu. One slice is approximately 16 inches long and can be topped with whatever your heart desires. Their specialty is the BBQ brisket pizza (typical Texas cuisine) but we had a half cheese and half pepperoni sausage and vegetable pizza. We attempted to tackle the pizza with our friends Nandini, Ted and Kila. We quickly found out that we needed about 3 more friends. We all finished two slices (I am still not sure how) and had six remaining. I am glad I can say I tried the monster 42 inch Big Lou's pizza because I never want to try again!