**Correction**
The Service Telephone Number for Street Light Repair  is Incorrect.
The Correct Telephone Number  is 713-207-2222


Photos are located at the bottom of this page

January-Jalapeno Cornbread

3 packages of cornbread
2 eggs
1/4 cup oil
1 can cream style corn
3/4 cup of milk
( if batter is too thick add a little more milk)
4-8 pickled jalapenos seeded and chopped
1 1/2- 2 lbs of ground chuck or ground round
1 onion chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic
salt & pepper
season salt
2 cups of shredded cheese- sharp cheddar or monterey jack

Brown meat with onions, garlic, salt, pepper, and season salt until meat is crumbly.  Hint: over season meat as the flavor will dilute when mixed with cornbread. 

Spray Pam in large baking dish (13x9)
Pour over 1/2 cornbread mixture in dish
Layer with meat mixture
Layer with cheese
Pour remaining cornbread mixture over cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

January Insert-Tasty Turkey and Mushroon Soup


2lbs turkey breast
8 cups water
1 cup diced carrots
1 medium minced onion
5 oz. shiitake mushrooms
1 cup diced celery
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 oz white vinegar
1 tsp dried tyme
salt & pepper

Boil turkey in water until cooked ( 40-50 minutes). Cool and shred meat, then add carrots, onion, celery, mushrooms to shredded turkey and broth.  Also add white vinegar, garlic, and dried tyme then cook until veggies are done.  Garnish each serving with sprigs of fresh tyme and parmesan cheese freshly grated.

February-Tomato Bouquet

24 oz chicken salad
6 roma tomatoes
Garnish:
basil
1 bunch salad onions
1 bunch dill

Cut tomatoes crosswise to a little passed half of the length.  Remove the flesh out of each tomato and put salad inside.  Arrange into a bouquet.



February Insert-Wilted Spinach Salad

6 cups torn spinach or romaine
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions (2)
Dash of pepper
3 slices of bacon
3 Tbsp vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1 cup sliced strawberries and/or drained mandarin orange sections
1 hard-cooked egg, chopped

In a large bowl combine spinach, mushrooms, and green onions.  If desired, sprinkle with pepper: set aside.  For dressing, in a 12 inche skillet cook bacon till crisp. Remove bacon, reserving 2 Tbsp drippings in skillet.  ( or if desired substitute 2 Tbsp salad oil for bacon drippings.)  Crumble bacon: set aside: Stir vinegar, sugar, and dry mustard into drippings.  Bring to boiling: remove from heat.  Add spinach mixture.  Toss mixture in skillet for 30 to 60 seconds or till spinach is just wilted.  Transfer mixture to a serving dish.  Add strawberries and/or orange sections.  Top salad with chopped egg and crumbled bacon.  Serve salad immediately.  Makes 4 side-dish servings.


March-Spicy Pumpkin Banana Pancakes

2 1/3 cup pancake mix
1/3 cup canned pumpkin
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
2 eggs scrambled
1 can whipped cream
7 bananas- cut in half
Garnish:
sprig of mint and powdered sugar and chopped pecans

Stir pancake mix, canned pumpkin, buttermilk, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and eggs until well blended. ( may need to add a little a more buttermilk to make the pancakes thin and crepe-like)
Pour batter onto hot greased griddle to make pancake about 6 inch diameter.  Turn; cook until golden brown.  Serve each pancake with 1/2 banana and whipped cream the fold.  Garnish with mint, whipped cream, powdered sugar and pecans.


March Insert- 101 Main Street Creme Anglaise

1 qt heavy cream
7/8 cup sugar
6 egg yokes
1 vanilla bean split
1 cup of good shaved chocolate

Heat heavy cream with vanilla bean in a bowl.  Beat egg yokes with sugar till you get yellow ribbons.  Strain heavy cream and scrape vanilla bean seeds, add back to cream.  Add hot cream little at a time to eggs.  Take care to temper eggs and not have them scramble.  Place mixture bak in pot and cook until thick while constantly stirring.  Remove from heat, fold in shaved chocolate.  Add flavored liqueur of choice.

April- Chicken with Mushroom rice and Asparagus

4-6 boneless chicken thighs
4 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cup cooked rice
1 lb mushrooms sliced
1 bunch asparagus blanched
4 roasted peppers
Garnish: basil

Saute' chicken in oil and soy sauce then remove to warming pan in oven.  Use saute' pan to cook mushrooms and remove mushrooms reserving pan sauces.  Make gravy from pan sauces.  Combine cooked rice, mushrooms, and 1/2 pan gravy.    Use the other 1/2 of pan sauces to pour over cooked chicken.



April Insert-Frog Eye Salad

1 package (1 lb) acini de pepe, uncooked
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
3 (11oz) cans mandarin oranges, drained
1/2 tsp salt
2 (20oz) cans pineapple chunks, drained
1 3/4 cups pineapple juice
1 (9oz) carton non-dairy whipped topping
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup miniature marshmallow (optional)
1 cup flaked coconut (optional)

Combine sugar, flour, and salt.  Sir in pineapple juice, and eggs.  Cook, stirring constantly until thickened.  add lemon juice; Cool to room temperature.  Prepare acini de pepe according to package directions; drain.  Combined egg mixture and acini de pepe, mix well and refridgerate over night in an airtight container.  Hint: Drain cans of fruit over night so as you fold in acini de pepe mixture the next day, it will not get runny.  Next day: Break apart the acini de pepe mixture before folding in remaining ingredients.  Mix throughly.  Refridgerate in airtight conatiner until throughly chilled.  

May-"T's" Hawaiian Burger

hamburger meat
kaiser roll- toast buns
pineapple slices ( save two slices for sauce)
2 fresh jalapenos, cilantro, purple onion
1 bottle orange-ginger marinade
swiss cheese

Mix hamburger meat, 1/2 cup marinade, 1/4 cup chopped onion, 1/4 cup cilantro, and 2 Tbsp of pineapple juice.  Mix well and refridgerate for 30 minutes.  Patty out burgers and grill to medium well, top with cheese.  Grill pineapple slices and top burgers with one.  Build burger with fresh jalapeno slices and cilantro on top.

Sauce for burgers:
3/4 cup of real mayo
1/4 cup of sour cream
2 chopped pineapple slices
2 tsp finely chopped purple onion
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
1 chopped and seeded jalapeno

Mix all together and refridgerate for 1 hour.  Serve on burgers.

June- Braised Red Cabbage

olive oil to coat skillet well
bacon, fried, crisp and crumbled
1 tart apple, peeled and chopped
1 head red cabbage, core removed
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp light brown sugar
1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds, optional

Quarter cabbage head and slice quarters thinly.  Soak cabbage in salt water for 30 minutes to maintain color- after soaking drain well.  Heat olive oil in heavy skillet.  Toss cabbage and apples in oil.  Stir the cabbage and apples as they cook to prevent sticking.  Cook until tender.  Add vinegar, sugar, bacon, salt and pepper and toss well.  Top with toasted sesame seeds.

July-Potato Salad

6 cold boiled potatoes
1/2 grated onion
2 hard cooked eggs, chopped
1 tsp each of salt & pepper
1/2 chopped green pepper
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup chopped celery
1 tsp prepared mustard

Cover potatoes with water in sauce pan and cook until tender, about 15-20 minutes.  Let cool and peel.  Cut into pieces and mix together lightly with all other ingredients.

July Insert- Shrimp and Spinach Quiche

fancy pastry pie crust
3/4 cup chopped cooked shrimp
2 cup chopped spinach
1/2 cup sliced green onions
4 qt swiss cheese shredded (1 cup)
1/2 cup mayo
2 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup milk
1/4 tsp dried dill weed

Mix all ingredients together and pour in shell..  Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Recipe can be varied with meat, vegetables, cheese, etc.  Serve with salad and bread.


August-"T's" Stuffed Flounder

1 whole flounder
1/2 cup celery-chopped
1/2 cup onion-chopped
1 cup fresh shrimp-chopped
1 cup fresh blue crab meat
1 box of stove top stuffing( you can make your own, but this works great!)

Saute onion and celery in butter, add shrimp and crab.  Prepare stuffing as on box.  Mix all ingredients together and stuff your flounder.  Brush butter all over top, squeeze lemon juice and add salt and pepper.  Bake for approx. 45 minutes, uncovered, or until golden brown.  Top with garnishes.  Side of shrimp goes great.




August Insert-Shrimp and Watermelon Salad

16 large shrimp-cleaned, deveined, cooked, and iced
3lbs watermelon cut to bite size pieces and drained
5oz arugula salad
1/3 cup feta cheese
Dressing:
1 Tbsp chives-chopped
2Tbsp mint-chopped
2Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp lime
2 Tbsp olive oil

Combine arugula, watermelon, and shrimp then toss. Mix dressing and drizzle on salad, then sprinkle feta on top.


September- Brisket Crostini

1 lb cooked beef brisket ( leftover barbeque) thinly sliced and heated
1 loaf french bread cut 1/2 inch slices- toasted and rubbed with garlic clove
1 container of sour cream with 2 Tbsp of cut fresh chives
2 roasted red peppers sliced into strips
1 cup roasted tomatoes chopped
Garnish: basil
Spread sour cream on each slice of french bread.  Add brisket, tomatoes, red pepper, and basil.

September Insert- 101 Cafe Roasted Tomato Salad

large tomato
olive oil
garlic
oregano
basil
feta cheese
parmigiano reggiano
lump crab
blue cheese
red leaf lettuce
red onions
grape tomatoes
thin pizza dough

Blanch tomato, season with all ingredients, roast at 450 degrees until cheese is golden.  Roast whole garlic, heat and reduce wine and vinegar, put garlic in robo coup, add egg yoke, drizzle in olive oil until incorporated, slowly pour additional olive oil until a thick pourable consistancy, adjust with salt and pepper.  Shape a 3x10 strip of pizza dough into a horseshoe, lightly fry, top with lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, onions, crab meat, garlic aioli, tomato halves on side.


October-Spider Fritters

1  bag of large pretzels
2 cup mashed pumpkin
1/2 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 beaten egg
splash of milk if batter is too thick

Mix and drop by Tbsp into hot oil, after browned, drain on paper towel.  When cool insert pretzel legs.
The sandwhich is cooked brisket with your favorite condiments.  Tongue is roasted red pepper: eyes and nose are made by cutting bread to show the cheese.

November-Pumpkin Pudding

3/4 oz package instant vanilla pudding mix
12 oz can evaporated milk
15oz can pumpkin
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1 container of whipped cream
1 box of ginger snaps
6 bananas

In a large bowl, stir pudding mix and milk to package directions and refridgerate.  After 5-10 minutes, remove and add pumpkin and spice, mix together.
Spoon into containers 1/2 way and add crumbled ginger snaps and sliced bananas.  Top with whipped cream and crumbled ginger snaps.



 
December-Traditional Holiday Appetizer

20 oz cherry sunburst tomatoes
2 bunches broccoli- cut into florets
1 head bibb lettuce
2 bunches fresh asparagus
1 container of ranch vegetable dip
4 inch by 12 inch styrofoam cone
toothpicks

Using toothpicks secure broccoli and tomatoes on foam to cover cone shape.  Serve with dip.

December Insert- Oreo Balls and Pecan Sandies

Oreo Balls

1 package of oreos
8 oz cream cheese
white and chocolate almond bark

Crush Oreos.  Mix with cream cheese and roll into small balls.  Refridgerate overnight and dip in melted almond bark.

Pecan Sandies

1 cup butter
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp water
2 cups flour
1 cup chopped pecans

Cream butter and sugar.  Add flour slowly, mixing well.  Add pecans and form into small rolls.  Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 300 degrees for 20 minutes or until brown.  While hot, roll in confectioners sugar.