Summer is here and as much as I love chocolate in all its many incarnations, warm weather calls for treats that are a bit lighter and brighter than my favorite winter fare.  The higher temperatures also mean we’re less likely to gravitate towards large treats, preferring instead to savor smaller bites and brighter flavors.  This dessert fits that bill in all ways and more.

These may be mix based, but I guarantee that you’ll overlook that once you’ve gotten a taste of these little explosions of flavor. There is simply nothing here not to love. Every bite is an immersion in all that is wonderful about lemon.  Tart, sweet and tangy with just a hint of saltiness in the glaze. Eating one of these bars is sort of like drinking lemonade mixed with rocket fuel.  It’s an unforgettable experience.

Simple, wonderful and light.  Perfect for the summer no matter where you are.  Please give this recipe a try.  And if you make something like it, feel free to leave a link in the comments.

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If you’ve ever wanted to spend a weekend right on the beach in a private home in Southern California and have a talented young chef attend to your dinner, this giveaway is something you’re going to want to pay close attention to.VacationRentals.com, a leading broker of Vacation Homes, is giving away a weekend with the runner up of hells kitchen season three, Chef Bonnie Muirhead.

The chef may not have won the season, but coming in second is no mean feat.  This lady has talent and she’s sure to send your palate down roads it’s not seen before. You can be the happy recipient of the Chef Bonnie Weekend Giveaway by simply signing up to receive some information from the company.

Yes, it’s that easy. Just fill in a form, let the company know you’d like a foodie getaway with Chef Bonnie and wait to see if you’ve won. If you’re lucky, Chef Bonnie will be making you a fabulous meal somewhere on the Southern California coast before you know it.

If a foodie getaway isn’t your thing, what about a spa weekend or a weekend of golf with PGA Pro Charley Hoffman? There’s something here for everyone. And it’s time for a dream vacation anyway, isn’t it?

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Fried rice is something I’ve covered on this blog on more than one occasion. Fried rice is a passion for both my wife and myself.  It’s a staple meal in our home for its versatility, ease of cooking and its ability to carry the flavors of almost any ingredient added to it, but this post is not about the rice.

Don’t get me wrong,  the rice was wonderful; but in this instance it was eclipsed by the accidental perfection of the marinade used on the pork.  It’s good folks.  Good enough to consider using as cologne.  Good enough to make a full batch on skewers and call it a snack for one person good. Good enough that I almost don’t want to share it with you good.

But I’m just not that cruel. This must be shared. All I ask is that if you put it on a restaurant menu, I get a handy little royalty check and credit for the recipe.  This recipe is a keeper.

The flavors in the marinade are more Middle-Eastern than Asian, but they pair very well with the rice and just a bit of soy sauce. The pork is savory, sweet and spicy at the same time, but so tender you can cut it with a glance.  No knife necessary.

I could rave on about this for hours, but I think I’ll end the suspense and just get to the recipe.

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Let me apologize at the outset.  This post is a bit rambling.  It covers a lot in as short a space as I can fit it into.

Many of you know that we’ll be moving to California in the near future.  As of today that move is scheduled for 28 days from today, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t things we want to get done before we leave, nor does it mean we’ve been sitting around playing video games while we wait for the movers. (Though there are days that I wish that’s what we were doing.)

My wife went to school just outside Houston Texas and before we left we thought we should go see a few of her old friends and see some of the places she hung out while in high school. I was all for it not only for her sake, but for the sake of trying out a few new paces to eat along the way.

Texas Best Smokehouse

The trip started well enough.  We shot past Fort Worth on our way south to Houston.  At about three hours it was time to grab a bite, so we stopped at a chain BBQ place called Texas Best Smokehouse. While I’m not sure that I would call them the best I’ve had in Texas by any stretch of the imagination, I will say that their sausage was good and that the experience did not leave me feeling uninspired. (Yes, smoked jalapeno sausage.  I usually don’t try brisket from a chain.)

The rest of the trip, while long, was uneventful.  we were in more of a hurry to make our final destination than we were to stop at the more interesting places on the way. (At least one of which I will be visiting this weekend.) With a Hotel finally located and a very filling dinner at Joes Crab Shack under our belts we turned in from a very long day of driving.

As is only fitting on a Memorial day weekend, we visited my Brother-In-Law’s grave to pay our respects. My wife has not been to visit in years and the experience for her was was bittersweet. I never had the opportunity to know K.C., but I’ve heard enough about him to feel like I know him and it was a bit wrenching for me as well. the memory of this visit is now on of far too many I’ll hold with me on Memorial Day weekend.

From there we toured my wife’s old high school, a few small towns she used to pop into in her youth and I sat along for the tour.  It’s always interesting to see how coming home affects people, since “home” has a way of growing up without you.  when they say you can never go home again, they are right.  it will never be what you left no matter how badly you want it to be.  Both you and the town have changed.

A nice country day in TX

After the tour we headed into the deep countryside of Texas to visit with my wife’s best friend from high school. My wife and her friend dissapeared for hours of catching up and I spent the day playing with Lil B. and getting to know her husband, a genuinely nice man that I admire.  Lil’ B. had a blast exploring the garden and playing with the dogs while the adults talked about everything from the state of the economy to the best place to get a good dinner in the area; which leads us to:

The Little Burro. A great Tex-Mex meal by any estimation.

The El Burrito (Or Little Burro). I’ll tell you right now that there are gems out there if you look hard enough.  This is one of them.  Portions were huge, the food was fresh. The flavors were amazing, but avoided the North Texas habit of adding enough spice to make a veteran Thai food lover wince. I wish I could have stayed in the area long enough to eat there again.  If I ever find myself in this part of TX again, I’ll be stopping here.

For anyone that’s going to be in Cleveland TX, or just in the Houston Area you can find this reataurant here.

BFFL

At the end of the evening we bid our farewells and made ready for the last day of the trip, a picnic in my wife’s honor.  The picnic was nice, but short.  We had to head back by two if we wanted any sleep at all. Of course we were so tied up in the bevy of people there that we both forgot to snap a single photo. I’ve really got to hone my on location skills!

We picked up a few interesting goodies on the way that I’ll be writing about in the next few days, so stay tuned for that.

The following week was spent dealing with issues for the impending move and the weekend on another road trip with friends to Oklahoma.

Next week will be spent with family visiting.  following that we plan to play tourist in our own town before we leave.  It’s very doubtful we’ll ever see Wichita Falls Texas again.  It’s been an interesting experience but I have to say that I’m ready to be back in California and done with the whirlwind that we’re riding now.

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