Living Aloud Allowed

Thursday, February 17, 2011

A Valentine’s day Worthy Dinner

Biga on the Banks was enjoyed while in San Antonio recently. While it sits on the Riverwalk it’s far from the kitschy tourist type place that inhabits the area.

For starters we had the salmon nachos and the squid ink pasta & chicken fried oysters. Both exquisite. The entire table seemed to agree that the oysters were perfect .Far from the “Southern soul food” that most things with “Chicken Fried” incite, this was a tender bite that didn’t have breading overshadowing the salty flavor. Still don’t understand the pasta sauce, but whatever that was, continue it! Buttery without being heavy, it made for a nice contrast.

The Cuzco salad earned top marks for me. A perfectly balanced salad of hominy, avocado, sweet potatoes, tomato, onion, jalapeno and butter lettuce. It was enough to not even require the dressing, which was a lovely pickle vinegar that the onions had soaked in. Gorgeous all the way around.

For entree, I enjoy the mahi mahi with braised cabbage (instead of baby carrots) and their roasted fingerling potatoes. Perfect all the way around. The crab and lobster with pico de gallo that accompanied my fish was spot on, nothing overwhelming, but adding a nice spice to all of the pieces on the plate.

The service here cannot be beat, some of the best I’ve had in the city. Very attentive without protruding, I was amusing myself towards the end with a bit of napkin folding, my waiter, Orlando, chimed in with the perfect napkin fold for Thanksgiving – I’ll put that to use soon!

Biga on the Banks - http://www.biga.com/ - 210-225-0722

Rating: fork, spoon & knife: definitely a celebration, even when there’s nothing to celebrate.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

XOXO

Okay, so they say real men wear pink. So why not pick up Petco’s Smoochie Pooch Pink Argyle Dog Sweater for my macho dog? At $12.74, it’s cute for the ladies and makes him warmer – he always looks cold! I’ve been questioning whether some other folks at the dog park would think he’s a girl, but I think the manly argyle gives it that preppy look without being overly chick like!

That said, I think he needs to cool down on the ladies, he always seems too interested in EVERY dog that’s bordering our backyard. But being a man on the street, if he were to find a little lady, how cute is this ensemble from NingNingGong’s Etsy Shop – at 28 dollars it’s handmade and too cute for words! This dog looks exactly like my sisters and I may just have to spoil her with it! Too cute!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Gifts for Each Other

I think it’s a beautiful thing to surprise someone romantically. I’m the type of girl who loves someone who can just love me out in the open in front of the world. Which I think it generally the embodiment of a wedding with family and friends all around.

That said, I also adore a few choice personal things for the day. Something to make my groom feel super fabulous. Some for in front of his friends! Some not so much! Ever think that a pin up photo done in good taste may make him get giddy about the upcoming honeymoon?

Not that you want to overserve anyone before they make it to the reception, but a great bottle of his favorite poison along with your new monogram on some high ball glasses may make those crazy groomsmen a little more apt to “behave” during the ceremony! I mean, winning their vote never hurts! :)

What about surprising him with his favorite candy? or even a pin of his family crest to wear during the ceremony on his lapel? Perhaps you can tuck a matching one on your dress somewhere as a symbol of coming together as family?

It’s just as easy to get the bride all blushing if you can dot her day with a few well placed surprise well wishes.

Easy enough is to send flowers! A hand written note! Perhaps even set up a few extra goodies on your honeymoon and let her know what’s in store for you!

If you know her well enough, and she’s game, perhaps you can help choose the jewelry she will wear that day. Or buy her a small pin or accessory that will help compliment her wear. If she’s changing clothes to leave or for the reception, this may also be a great outfit to offer some “little blue box” love.

Whatever it is – small , big, or in between, make each other feel remembered, tossing a little letter or box between the groomsmen and bridesmaids to heighten the butterfly feeling that “I’m going to see you soon…and guess what, I’m going to spend the rest of my life with you.” Enjoy!

Monday, February 14, 2011

All You Need Is…

Love. And this week, Living Aloud Allowed’s blog will all feature the Big L! Look for hearts and xoxo’s and nothing but love from our blogs. Should be a lovey dovey week!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

The Reason I’ll Work Out Double this Week!

Wacky Cake

Cake:

3 C. flour

2 C. sugar

2 t. baking soda

2 t. vanilla

1 t. salt

1/2 C cocoa

2 C Water

1 C oil

2 t vinegar

Mix and bake for 35 minutes at 400.

Icing:

Boil 1 1/2 Cups of milk plus 1/4 C+1 Tbsp of flour and a pinch of salt over medium heat until combined and slightly thick. In a mixer transfer cooled, cooked mixture and add 3 t vanilla and 1 1/2 c of sugar. Beating in 1 1/2 – 2 C of crisco until buttercream is created. Frost cooled cake.

Being that it’s my birthday, I know I should indulge. But the icing on this slab of perfection alone is worth the extra miles I’ll be treading this week. The “buttercream” screams 1950s housewife nostalgia down to the supremely cloying sweet crunch of sugar in it. The cake stays moist for a long time, the icing continues to seep into it…it’s an odd phenomena, but of course, you should do your own field testing and have a slice each day that you can keep this around (which isn’t long!) just to test for the moist factor…dare you!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Let Us Eat Cake

I tend to cook and have a party at my house each year, and this year, I thought it might be nice if I give myself a bit of an upgrade when comes to the sweet stuff of the evening – I found this Colorful Beaded Dessert Server set for $15 at Pier 1 and decided to let their color play up front and center as I’ll use this wonderful Pottery Barn Gabriella Cake Stand for $49.00. The price is a little steep here, but given the great quality and basic white, you could use this for many a thing!

I think the cake stand is a grossly under used item when it comes to multitasking. I’ve used mine as a place to put my gingerbread house at Christmas or my appetizers on when I have brunch and need them to stand out. Consider getting a set of different sizes and stacking them for a tier display…of cupcakes!

I found these great larger candles at Party City, these Striped Birthday Candles come in packs of twelve for $4. I thought that their size would actually overkill on the cake, but they really look cool! Plus, I think I'd be able to use them in a smaller candle stick holder and use them for outdoor parties even, I really enjoyed these colors – a white cake, with white icing, my favorite, would look great with these!

I’m always loving the neat uses for things that I can find at a restaurant supply company. I found this great find recently for way cheaper than you’ll find at usual market stores. At Jeans restaurant supply.com, they’re Champagne Bucket & Stand only rand $39.55! There is something fantastically luxurious like this at such an easy price! Plus it means I can up my budget on the bubbly!

And finally, what girl doesn’t love flowers? I found these great daisy bud vases for $2 at Crate & Barrel. I thought they’d make a great “big” display if I strung 10 of them down my bar area with little flowers in them. It’ll be a big splash of decor rather than the one large bouquet, plus, I could sprinkle a few random ones here and there for a great theme but one that won’t break my wallet!