Fun and Free Evening....a Shout Out to Miller Outdoor Theater

If you are in the Houston area, you are undoubtedly familiar with Miller Outdoor Theater, the open air theater on the hill in Hermann Park.  Year round there are events, shows and concerts and they are FREE.  I remember going to see many musicals with my beloved grandmother there.  There is a seating area under a pavilion with wooden seats, where you can get closer to the action.  But we usually bring a picnic (with beer and wine!) and sit on the wonderfully grassy hill where you can spread out a picnic blanket or lawn chairs. The kids love it.  If they get bored with the show, they can run around and roll down the other side of the hill.  This summer we have enjoyed the Texas Folklife Accordion Festival, High School Musical, and this week we took the kids and met some of our favorite WT friends for the Grease Sing Along.  The movie Grease (you remember the one...with John Travolta and Olivia Newton John) was shown with lyrics posted, and the crowd was invited to sing along.  And sing along they did!  The event started at 8:30, well after dinner time for us, so our crew brought cheap champagne and a dessert picnic.  We had almond cupcakes, brownies, and chocolate covered strawberries.  Best of all, attendees were invited to dress up, and of course, we rose to the challenge.  We even made it to the final 5 in the costume contest!  It was a well attended and delightful event that everyone enjoyed - adults and kids alike.  Hopefully your town has a similar space where free concerts are held.  I, for one, am grateful for the gift that Miller Outdoor Theater has been all these years to so many generations of Houstonians, and here's hoping it is around for many more.

A family of greasers.

WT Food Review: Denny's Maple Bacon Sundae

We don't often find ourselves at Denny's, but the Monday after our van broke down in Lufkin, Texas (there is no better place to have your car break down, btw.  Four different cars stopped to see if they could help.  They couldn't.)  we found ourselves there.  We were there because we had to call Nana and Papa to pick us up, and tow the dead van back to Houston.  And, on the way home Papa got hungry, so we stopped for a snack at Denny's.  It has been maybe 20 years since I have eaten at a Denny's and not a whole lot has changed, including the waitstaff, but they did have a few interesting new menu items.  One of the more intriguing being the Maple Bacon Sundae, and it is just as it sounds, vanilla ice cream topped with maple flavored syrup, chocolate syrup and crumbled bacon.  Personally, I think the chocolate interfered with the experience.  Chocolate is a very strong flavor, as are maple and bacon, and it was a lot competing on the plate.  The bacon was not as crisp or as hot as would have been desired, but overall, Denny's gets an A- for me for concept.  I can certainly see what they are trying to achieve with it - the creaminess, smokiness, sweetness, spiciness and the coldness versus the hot crisp bacon sounds like a winning combination.  I think, however, this one would be better if made at home with real maple syrup and crispy hot bacon.  I don't know what occasion one might have to make this at home, Canada Day, maybe after a plate of poutine.  Needless to say, Sugar Snap loved it and the entire thing was devoured.  Well done, Denny's!

Papa and Sugar Snap "share" a sundae.