A Disappointing Meal :-O

Sunday, the folks went shopping. Mama needed a new pair of tennis shoes. Her old pair is falling apart because of walking on wet grass so much. She has used cement glue on them twice. She found a pair at Kohl's that feel good, but she doesn't like the color. They are dark gray. She prefers white. However, while she was trying on the new shoes, she realized her old shoes really smelled. They smell because they have been wet so much. She thinks it's probably mildew. She decided she better get a new pair regardless of the color. Yesterday, she soaked the old pair in laundry detergent and she hopes once they dry out, they will be okay to wear to walk us. If we were not in the shade, things might dry out faster. After shopping at Kohl's, they searched for a place to eat lunch. They came across an Arthur Treachers, so they pulled in. They had searched for one on Saturday and it was no longer there. Mama ordered chicken and chips. The chips are larger fries than normal and she liked them. The chicken was nice and crisp. The hush puppies were good. She had a side order of coleslaw, but did not like it. Dad ordered a Seafood platter. He said it was good.

Chicken, Chips and Hush Puppies

Seafood Platter

 
The folks then drove to Camping World. Mama is still looking for a cart to carry her laundry in. She found one online that Walmart carries, but she has to have it shipped there. She would like to see one in person. They didn't have one, but she did buy a hummingbird feeder. She has one, but it doesn't have the spot for the hummingbirds to rest on. We have a hummingbird that is visiting here. He is a Ruby Red Throat. It's a little disappointing because that is the same species that we have at home. We would like to see something new.

On to the somewhat disappointing meal. Mama has been wanting to eat at the Brown Derby. It is a steak and seafood place. 100% of the people who visited, have liked it. She ordered a ribeye and a loaded baked potato. The salad comes in a big bowl and is shared. It has eggs,cucumbers, onions and lettuce. The salad was delicious. The homemade bread was delicious. The loaded baked potato was huge and delicious but it was $1.99 additional to have it loaded. That seems a little much for cheese and bacon bits. The ribeye, it was not good. It was dry and unseasoned. It seemed like it was a bad cut of meat. It was very disappointing. Mama's total bill was $31 with a tip and she felt it just wasn't worth it because of the steak. Dad's bill was separate.

Ribeye with loaded baked potato

 Dad ordered the strip steak and a sweet potato. He felt the same way about his steak. It was dry and unseasoned. Maybe it was just a bad night for steaks. 

Strip Steak with Sweet Potato

Mama said she might give them another try, but she would order the baby back ribs next time.



 Dad told our neighbors about their bad steak experience and they recommended a place to them. They may try it this weekend. It is located in an old mill. It sounds like it could be interesting.  Mama didn't place a vote on Urbanspoon because the choices are like or dislike.  She liked it, but disliked the steak.  If she totally disliked it, she wouldn't be willing to give them another try.

It is supposed to be a rainy day today.  We were headed to the playground and it started to rain, so we came back.  It's not raining now, so I got ripped off.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Loves The Enclosed K-9 Playground

Day 49, Sunday's Activities

On  Sunday, the folks went out for a while.  Their first stop was Kohl's.  If you don't have a Kohl's, it's a department store that has clothing, shoes and kitchen items.  They usually have decent sales and then they offer savings from 10% to 30% with coupons. Mama gets excited when she gets a 30% off coupon. They even allow you to use the coupons on clearance items.  Mama received a 20% off coupon through email  on Sunday.  She was happy to find some shirts for $4.99.  They were normally $12.  She bought 4 of them.  It was a good deal and then she added the 20% off coupon.  They had hoped to find Dad some more work clothes, but no luck on this trip.  They then went to Academy.  It's a sporting goods store.  Mama said she found a bed that she wants to get me.  It will replace the quilt that I am using the floor on the floor.  It is basically a mat with some foam in it, but she said it feels like it would be pretty comfy.  It will easily fold up if we need more space.  She decided to look at a few more stores before making the purchase though.  Dad bought an adapter for our BBQ grill so that we can use a bigger propane tank with it.  It only takes the small canisters without the adapter.

After shopping, they went out to eat.  They ate at Pappasito's Cantina.  Remember when they ate at the seafood place that had the chicken pasta that Mama said was the best chicken she had ever tasted?  Well, it is owned by the same people. There are seven different types of restaurants owned by this family and they are big in this area.  When they arrived at the restaurant, Mama heard someone leaving and they said they were not waiting 1 1/2 hours.  Mama told Daddy she wasn't waiting that long either after waiting that long for Bubba Gump's the day before.  However, seating was immediately available for them since there was just two of them.  Mama said the place was packed with families since it was Father's Day. Mexican restaurants seem to serve a lot of seafood here.  There were a few items that Mama could order though.  She chose the Beef Chimichanga & Chicken Tamale.  She thought she didn't like enchiladas, but it is actually tamales that she doesn't like.  Oh, well.  She said the beef chimichanga was really good.  She forgot to take a photo of it.  It was the lunch portion and it looked more like a dinner portion.  The tortilla chips were served with a warm salsa and also a green chili sauce.  She is really liking the green chili sauces.  Dad ordered Ribeye & Diablo Shrimp: ribeye topped with grilled peppers & onions,with Diablo shrimp & choice of enchilada.  The ribeye was quite large and it was really good.  Mama tried a bite of it.  They liked this place.  We are down to about four more weekends in Houston, so they are running out of time to repeat eating at places, so they probably will not make it back there.  If they had more time, they probably would try it again.

Dad looked at the snake photo and he thinks it might be a cottonmouth.  If it is, it is poisonous.  It's hard to tell for sure if the head has a diamond shape. Mama is on high alert when we walk now.  She about jumped out of her skin last night thinking she saw a snake, but it was a pipe.  This morning, we saw a stick that was black and brown. She made an "eeek" sound.

Last night, Mama made Sloppy Joe Special.  This was really good.  We even had a small taste of it.  Yum!
1 lb ground beef chuck
½ c onion, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
(2 T brown sugar, 2 T white vinegar)
½ loaf Italian bread
½ c shredded cheddar

Brown ground beef and onion; drain. Add tomatoes, brown sugar and vinegar; heat thoroughly. Slice bread in half lengthwise and bake at 425° until toasted. Top each half with meat mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 425° until cheese melts and bread is heated through.

Sloppy Joe Special - Mama added mozzarella cheese to it as well as the cheddar.

This was an easy meal and one that we will repeat.  Mama served coleslaw with this and made brownies for dessert.

Want to see a photo of Scout?  Yep, she is still around.  She is doing better on our walks.  We are not having to drag her out as much as we were.  She has been bad at night though.  She wants Mama's bed and she whines and whines.  Mama got upset with her the other night and shut the bedroom door. Last night, she was much better and Mama woke us up for our walk at 5:30 a.m. instead of us waking her up at 4:45 a.m.

She is so classy, don't you think? 

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Enjoying Some Cooler Temps This Week