Tag Archives: Food

Paradise Bistro & Coffee Shop

One of the things that I love doing the most is taking a drive. Sometimes I feel like I can just drive and drive. It’s relaxing, it clears your mind and you get to explore the world while you’re doing it.

Last weekend, I took a drive out towards the Hill Country region. Once out of the metroplex area, you are soon surrounded by absolutely nothing and to me that is one of the most relaxing and peaceful sights.

Soon down highway 377, I found myself in the small town of Granbury. I’ve been here before but the Christmas spirit was all around this time. One of the things that I miss about Vermont is all the small coffee shops, especially in small towns. I can’t seem to find too many down here that doesn’t involve a huge chain name. Although, I don’t drink coffee, I love small coffee shops. The smell. The relaxing atmosphere. The people. So once I spotted this place, I had to go in, find a non-coffee flavored beverage and just enjoy a few moments to myself.

I found my way to Paradise Bistro & Coffee Shop.

Right in the town square, this is a quaint, relaxing coffee shop with very friendly staff. Not only do they have a coffee bar but you can also order food. If you like their Facebook page, you save 20%. Can’t beat that. I tried out a vanilla frappe. Cold and rich with vanilla flavor, can we just say Yum! It hit the spot on a sunny Saturday afternoon!

If you happen to be passing thru Granbury, whip on into the town square and head on in. Treat yourself to a beverage of choice, like them on Facebook and save a bit of money and just enjoy the day!

2nd Annual Christkindl Market, Arlington

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The 2nd Annual Christkindl Market is currently going on outside the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. It’s free, entertaining, has great food and quite frankly there isn’t an excuse not to check it out. Did I mention that it’s free?

This is the first Christkindl Market that I’ve been to. My friend, Leah has been to events in Germany around the holidays and said that it’s pretty much the best thing in the world to check out so getting a little slice of it here in Arlington is pretty special.

The market has entertainment (live entertainment on the stage anywhere from carolers to dancers), shops (looking for some merchandise?), food and beverages. Since we had never been, we weren’t sure if the area would be super packed but it turned out to be just right. Once within the market, it turned into your own little world. The tents were evenly spaced, picnic tables were in the middle of the aisles (space was easily available to sit and eat), not too many people, it was just about perfect.

Now for the food and beverages had to be bought using tickets. Tickets could be bought for $1 each (there were no special deals so if you bought 10 tickets, it was $10). Personally, I thought this was good as it didn’t leave you feeling like you spent too much with leftover tickets and you could purchase only as many as you needed (works great if you’re on a budget). Beer was about 6 tickets. Food ranged from 6-9 tickets. Not too bad since this is a special event.

I’m not going to lie, I relied on Leah for suggestions. We tried out the Warsteiner beer (it was great fun for this Canadian trying to figure out how to exactly pronounce Warsteiner). The beer was great! Light and it went perfectly with my bratwurst.

Meal of choice. Jalapeno and cheese bratwurst. I know, I know. The lengths I’ve come with ordering anything with jalapeno but it was DELICIOUS and incredibly filling…

… but this caught my eye when we did our initial walk thru when picking out what we wanted. Crepes. I had to save room. Even if there wasn’t much room left, I had to have one and it was worth every bite! This was a cinnamon and sugar crepe. Leah got the nutella crepe. YUM! One just wasn’t enough. We wanted endless amounts! Humm… where can we pick up a crepe maker? Calorie free, right?

The Christkindl Market was a great event in Arlington. It’s just the right size, perfect amount of people (although I’m sure it’s going to grow) and it goes on for two weeks so there’s plenty of time to check it out at least once (if not twice). It’s free, there’s entertainment (be sure to check out the schedule) and go treat yourself to some German food!

(And to top it all off, pick up your Christmas tree at the Rangers ballpark! It looks just like the places in those Hallmark movies.)

Unilever Spread: Thanksgiving Dishes

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When I think about Thanksgiving, food is one of the first things that pops into my mind. Where are we going to go? What dishes are going / need to be cooked? Options are decided, grocery lists are made and it begins to add up. I was recently contacted by Unilever to make two of my favorite recipes using Country Crock spread instead of butter. I jumped at the opportunity! The first recipe is very new (to me) but the first time I tried it, it was downright delicious. I knew it had to be on my Thanksgiving menu! I’ve also found that it’s a very popular dish in the South for holiday cooking, Broccoli Rice Casserole.

Broccoli Rice Casserole

1 lg. package chopped broccoli

1 can cream of chicken soup

½ cup cheese whiz

1 cup milk

1 chopped onion (medium)

1 cup Minute Rice (uncooked)

½ stick (4 Tbsp) Country Crock

Grease cooking dish. Mix all ingredients.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.

My second recipe was Swedish Apple Pie. This is one of my absolute favorites! It’s best right out of the oven with some ice cream and is a winner at any gathering!

Swedish Apple Pie

4-5 apples (peeled and sliced)
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 cup flour
1 cup plus 1 Tbsp. sugar
1 stick (8 Tbsp) butter / Country Crock spread
1 egg
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

1. Cut up enough apples to fill your pie dish 3/4 full.
2. Mix together 1 Tbsp sugar and 1 tsp. Cinnamon and sprinkle over the top of the apples.
3. In a bowl mix: 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 stick of butter / Country Crock spread and 1 egg (1/2 c. walnuts, optional). Pour and spread over the top of the apples. Try to cover as much as the apples as possible.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until the top is a little brown (or you can stick a toothpick in the batter and have it come out clean).

Country Crock spread has some great health benefits. As someone who is also trying to keep an eye on cholesterol, it’s really appealing.

0g. Trans fat
No hydrogenated oil
70% less saturate fat
30% fewer calories than butter
No cholesterol

Cooking with the Country Crock spread was even better. Since it’s a spread, it blends so well with whatever meal you are cooking. There is no need to take time to wait until it softens or melt it in the microwave. It just blends right into your ingredients! Talk about convenience! Taste wise – it’s delicious. If you are use to only using one certain product, try using Country Crock (they have an array of different products). I personally, didn’t find a difference and my meal turned out great. Once again, check out the nutritional value, that’s enough of an incentive for me!

Check out the Country Crock website for more information on where you can buy Country Crock spreads as well as recipes and nutritional values.

Thank you to Good to Know & Unilever Spreads for being a sponsor. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.