White Trash Holiday - Galveston Island

The Galveston Gulf

Sugar Snap enjoying mint chocolate chip at La King's

It's Spring Break!  If you are looking for an inexpensive holiday, you really can't beat Galveston Island, especially if you are in the Greater Houston area.  Even if you have to travel a bit to get there, it's worth it.  It's at the same time an hour away and a century away from Houston.  While Houston knocks down any building more than 20 years old to build something new and modern, Galveston values and maintains its history and architecture, both of which are colorful.  Pirates made their home there, after all!  Galveston is a long skinny island, but it's easy to spend time there, and the island is mostly recovered after being devastated by Hurricane Ike in 2008.  Some buildings will never return.  Sadly, the historic Balinese Room which hosted the likes of Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Duke Ellington, and many more - ZZ Top even wrote a song about it - is now resting at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.  RIP.  Many other historic treasures have survived and are thriving once again thanks to the dedication of the island residents.  The Galvez Hotel is a beautiful historic hotel that sits across the street from the beach, other historic places to see would be the Garten Verein, an old German beer garden on 0 street,  The Grand Opera House, (see what's playing - it's always something good!) The Bishops Palace, Moody Mansion, and Ashton Villa are all on Broadway, the main street running through the town.   The Strand is a historic shopping district.  Park the car and get out and walk around - it's bound to be a gorgeous day!  Some of our favorite shops are the Fiestaware shop (I collect) and an antique store crammed with great and affordable finds.  Around the corner is Hendley Market (it has odd hours since the hurricane, but please stop in if they are open). It's a fun and funky boutique with items from all over the world.  The Old Strand Emporium is great for the old collection of calliopes, some of which still work.  Buy a beer and a po boy for lunch and enjoy these great old automatic music boxes.  Keep heading toward the Railroad Museum (another fun thing to do) and you will pass Colonel Bubbies military surplus shop.  It's worth going in whether you are a military buff or not.  There are plenty of souvenir shops and kitschy boutiques and cafes along the Strand, but you must stop in and get some ice cream at La King's confectionery.  They make and sell their own ice cream and candy and if you are lucky the candy man will be making taffy on the ancient taffy puller and tossing odd pieces to the crowd that gathers.  They also have an old time soda fountain and coffee bar.   My only complaint with the Strand is that finding a public restroom can be a real challenge.  They are few and far between and as any parent knows if you have a kid who says they have to go, they mean right NOW, so go before you get there.  For eating on the island there is a lot to choose from.  My grandfather's favorite (and he was a foodie before that term was coined) is Gaido's on the Seawall.  They have a giant crab sculpture out front and they have been around forever.  It's a white tablecloth place and a bit pricey, so save it for your special night out.  My favorite are the soft shell crabs.  For more casual dining you might like Fisherman's Wharf on the bay side.  You can dine out over the water which has a not-so-great view of oil rigs, but you can glimpse an occasional dolphin.  You can get an up close look at another of Galveston's gems, the Elissa, a beautifully restored 3 mast sailing ship from the 1870's.          If you are in the mood for Greek, try Olympia Grill - there is also excellent Italian food at Marco's.  There are numerous chain restaurants as well, if you are so inclined.  There are plenty of places to stay right on the seawall from way upscale to downright gross, so suit your budget! Though you might have to contend with a few crowds over Spring Break, you will still find plenty of parking, which is still free along the seawall, and plenty of beach.  Have a great trip!

The Garten Verein

White Trash Sunday: The Superbowl!

It's the happiest of all WT holidays...a time for all our favorite high fat, high cholesterol, low quaility foods - hot wings, seven layer dip, nachos, pizza pockets, pigs in a blanket, chips, dips, and of course, beer.  While I actually do not watch football like, ever, I attend a Superbowl party every single year.  I tune in for the ads and halftime show and  hang out with the ladies in the kitchen eating my weight in cheese dip (the classic version made in the microwave from Velveeta and Rotel tomatoes).  This year's hostess, Alice, asked me specifically to bring something sweet.  What to make that is cute, clever, but also super tasty?   Finally it dawned on me.  Hubby said I literally had a lightbulb over my head - cake balls shaped like footballs!  Here's how I did it:    

Bake a cake according to box directions.  Allow to cool.  

Crumble into a bowl until it is crumbs and add 1 can of frosting, mix well.

Freeze until firm but not frozen, about 15 minutes.

Form into football shapes,  chill again.

Using a spoon, coat each "football" in melted chocolate chips.  This is the hard part, and it is tedious, no matter what.  I put a schmeer of chocolate on a plate, top with a cake ball, and then use a spoon to coat the rest.

Allow to cool.  Once the chocolate is firm, make an icing using 1 c. powdered sugar and a very small amount of milk or water.  Add the liquid by the 1/4 tsp. unit it's the right consistency.  Icing should be thick,  but not too thick so you can pipe it.  You don't want it runny.  Put icing into a baggie and cut the tip off of one corner of the baggie.  Pipe icing onto each one to make the football "stitches".  Allow to dry.  These came out super cute and they are really tasty, much better than store bought cupcakes.

See also the Chocolate Bacon Cake Balls from a previous post for more cake ball ideas!

Mac N Cheese Cupcakes w/ Pink Sour Cream "Frosting"

Try these - a fun way to serve mac n cheese.  You can use homemade mac n cheese, or you can do what I did,  (the lazy way) and used Kraft.   Make the macaroni and cheese according to the instructions on the package.  Spray a muffin tin with oil spray, heat the oven to 350.  Once mac and cheese is cooked on the stove top, spoon into the muffin cups.  Top with a little grated cheddar and some bread crumbs, bake until cheese is bubbly, about 15 minutes.  Allow to cool.  They will pop out easily.  Top each "cupcake" with some sour cream tinted with red food coloring.  I served these for Sugar Snap's birthday and they were a huge hit!

Step 1: prepare mac n cheese

Bake in muffin tins

Cupcake!

A Case for Keeping Chickens

A Family Portrait...Grace, Sweet Potato, Sugar Snap and Cousins.

We have kept chickens for several years now, and I can't think of a single reason why you wouldn't want to keep chickens.  There are a lot of misconceptions about chickens, and a lot of confusion out there, so let me try to shed a little light on it, and share some of my (hard learned) knowledge in the hope that my kids' childhood trauma can be your lesson learned.  Before you fall in love with the idea of chickens, it's important you know the law in your neighborhood.  Where we live, if you are on an acre you can keep chickens.  We own exactly one acre.  If you are in an HOA you can be sure that they have rules about it.  Don't get discouraged, however.  I know plenty of city dwellers who keep chickens.  I just think it's important you know the law so you can choose whether to break it or not.  The truth is, chickens are fairly quiet (unless you have a rooster) and they do not smell bad, so unless you have an a**hole neighbor, you could try getting away with having a few chickens.  You might even sweeten your neighbors up by offering to share your fresh organic eggs, which in our area cost $4/ dozen!  The eggs are incomparable to those found at your local supermarket.  The yokes are thick and golden, and they taste fresh and delicious.  A pretty little basket of organic eggs makes a wow, yet inexpensive, hostess gift.  From here on out, let's do this FAQ style.  I'll try to answer the questions I get the most:

How many chickens should I get?    Figure it this way:  for every chicken you have you will get about one less egg per day.  For example, if you have 6 chickens you will get 5 eggs a day.  That's an average.  There are a couple of times a year when production drops dramatically because the brood is molting or it's too hot.  Also, it does depend on the breed.  Amerecuanas/ Aracaunas are not as reliable layers as some of the other breeds, but I like to keep a couple becaue the blue-green eggs are so pretty.  We keep 6 chickens, and that is enough to supply us, another family, and Sugar Snap's first grade teacher with fresh eggs.

Should I get baby chicks?  Not if you have kids.  Chicks are cute and fluffy....for a very short period of time.  They are not generally very hardy; they tend to succumb very easily to a variety of diseases/problems.  In our adorable suburban naivete we went out and bought 6 baby chicks the first time.  Overnight, we lost two who drowned in their water bowl, and soon later lost a third.  The other consideration is that you will feed a young chicken for 6 months before they start laying eggs.  Buy a good young layer hen, and start getting eggs immediately.

If I get baby chicks, when will they start laying?   6 months.

Do I need a rooster to make eggs?  I am so surprised by the chicken ignorance out there.  You do not need a rooster to get eggs.  Chickens make eggs happily without roosters.  The roosters  have a tendency to sexually harass the chickens frequently and kind of violently (I realize it's natural...that makes it no less disturbing).  You only need roosters if you want to make more chickens.

Do chickens smell bad?  Not if you do it right.  If you have a "chicken tractor", or mobile chicken house, then by moving it on a fairly frequent basis you will keep the odor down.  Our chicken house is immobile, so we will periodically pour a big bag of cedar chips (buy this at a feed store) into the coop.  You can also let your chickens roam around your yard like we do in the summer when all the garden produce is kaput.

Are your chickens pets?  No.  We no longer name our chickens.  First of all, chickens are bitches.  They are meaner than pre-teen girls.  There is a reason for the term "pecking order".  They will literally peck a weaker older chicken to death.  Also, although a chicken can live to be about 20, they just aren't as hardy as a dog or cat.  We have had a few die due to heat, and a few killed by critters.

What size coop should I have?   They don't need a whole lot of space, we have 6 hens in 8x5 pen.  There are many available to buy, some are fancier than my house.  Ours is hand built out of chicken wire, salvaged metal sheets and old political signs.  Just make sure it's secure enough to keep out critters (dogs/ possums/ racoons/ rats).

What do I feed my chickens?  We feed ours 1/2 coffee can scoop of layer pellets and kitchen scraps.  Chickens will eat almost anything except citrus peel.  We give them watermelon rinds, shrimp shells, leftover peelings, scraps of stale bread, really any kitchen leftovers except anything with chicken in it.  You can do it.  They will eat it.  But in my opinion it's just wrong.  I won't even give them beans cooked in chicken stock, although Hubby thinks it's silly.  I also won't give them eggs for fear that they will develop a taste for them.

How long do the eggs stay fresh?  If you just bought a dozen eggs at the store they were probably laid around the 4th of July.  Any eggs you get from your own hens are going to be much fresher, but they keep for months.

What breed do you recommend?  We like Jersey Giants. They are great layers of nice brown eggs.  I like Amerecaunas/ Aracaunas because of the pretty blue green eggs, although they are don't lay as frequently.  Bantams lay tiny little eggs.  Rhode Island Reds are good.  Mys sister-in-law likes her Production Reds.  Ask at your local feed store what they can get for you.  We shop at Wabash Feed on Washington in Houston.

Do you ever eat your chickens?  I could have done it.  We had a pain in the ass rooster that I would have been happy to get rid of the old fashioned way (gumbo), but again...the kids.  One of these days  I am sure I will pluck a chicken for coq au vin, but will probably have to wait until Sugar Snap has gone to college.

So, there you go....all my chicken knowledge in a nutshell.  What are you waiting for?  Get some chickens!!!

White Trash Yum: Chocolate Bacon Cake Balls w/ recipe

Today is Hubby's birthday!  To celebrate, Sugar Snap and I made chocolate bacon cake balls.  That's right.  Chocolate.Bacon.Cake.Balls.  Cake balls and cake pops are all the rage, and are really easy (albeit messy and labor-intensive). I have found the "WOW" factor on these little treats make them worth the trouble.  I have made them many times for all sorts of occasions and in many different flavors, but for Hubby's special day we decided to combine two of his favorite things:  chocolate and bacon.  If I could have infused it with Shiner Bock beer, that's the only thing that would have made them better as far as Hubby's concerned.  Here's how we did it:
Following the directions on the box, bake one chocolate cake.  While the cake is baking, fry your bacon to crisp.  I made 32 fairly large cake balls using one cake, and used about 16 slices of bacon.  Drain the bacon on paper towels:

Allow the cake to cool.  While the cake cools, crumble the bacon, saving 32 small pretty pieces for decoration.  Set the bacon aside. Crumble the cake into small crumbs in a big bowl.  Add 3/4 of a can of chocolate frosting and 3-5 drops of liquid smoke and mix together.  Refrigerate for an hour or so to get the mix firmed up, making it easier to handle.  Once it's firm,  make 32 more or less equal balls.  Roll each ball nicely, and using your thumb, make a hole in the middle and fill with crumbled bacon, and wrap the dough ball around it, fully encasing the bacon inside:

Once all the balls are all made, chill a while and in the meantime melt in the microwave your chocolate chips.  I used about 2 1/2 bags of chocolate chips to cover all of the cake balls.  Getting the chocolate on the balls is a messy messy process.  There is no way around that.  So, put your apron on and roll up your sleeves.  I hold the ball in one hand and use a spoon to coat the bottom half, and then place it on wax paper to coat the rest.  After you completely coat the ball, top it with a bacon piece and let dry on the counter.  Do not put them in the fridge or freezer to hasten the process.  They will weep and discolor.  It's best to just let them sit.  Voila!

Chocolate Bacon Heaven!

Repurposing: A Coffee Table w/ Storage

For years we went without a coffee table.  I just couldn't find one that fit the space and that looked good with the rest of our funky decor.  I finally quit trying to find an actual table I liked, and instead stacked a few of the vintage suitcases I had sitting in the closet.  These are the old square suitcases with flat sides, which work much better than the rounded ones.  I can still find these in small town thrift stores for under $20.  If you look in the urban vintage shops you will pay a lot more.  I put a neat tray on the left side to add some interest.  I like that they stack so nicely and can double for storage.  The small one on top holds all our important documents - passports, immunization records, deed to the house, etc.  In Houston it's important to have all of that stuff together and ready in case of a hurricane evacuation (ask any Houstonian their Hurricane Rita evacuation story).  The blue one holds my scrapbooking materials.  Yes, I scrapbook.  I found some great old travel stickers at my favorite funky shop in Galveston, Hendley Market, which is on the Strand.  The have everything from unique handmade soaps to squirrel pants.  The stacked suitcases could also serve as end tables, in place of a chest at the foot of a bed, or even as a toy chest in a kids room.  Here's how mine look:

Ok, Houston:  share your Rita stories in the comments section.

WT Beauty Tips

For  Christmas last year I asked hubby to get me a face lift.  He bought me Fiestaware.   Seeing as how our current budget doesn't allow for a trip to South America, I am left with less expensive options available to me.  I do exfoliate daily and use a moisturizer with vitamins A, E and C.  But it's no match for gravity (which is assaulting not just my face, but other parts of my anatomy as well - but that's a blog post for another day).  My sister passed along this recipe for a home made inexpensive face mask that can be made from ingredients you already have in your pantry.  It will leave your skin firmer and softer!

Using a spoon in a bowl, or a mortar/pestle grind up one aspirin and one vitamin C tablet.  Add a little honey.  If the honey is too thick add just a drop or two of warm water.  Smooth this sticky concoction over your face, giving it a little scrub to allow the tiny bits of the tablets to exfoliate.  Allow to sit for 10 minutes before rinsing off with lukewarm water.

It Ain't a Facelift