Way out on rustic Bannerman Road, a modest hand-painted sign simply states “La Hacienda II”. If you ever see it- it’s easy to miss if you’re not looking- turn in, park in the small gravel parking lot or pull around the back- there’s plenty of room back there- and prepare to enjoy great Mexican food that could compete with any restaurant in my hometown of San Antonio. If you’ve ever been to San Antonio, you know what a huge compliment that is!
La Hacienda Dos has a full bar, live entertainment, a large and neatly kept patio, and a wide range of Mexican food for you to choose from. I have been several times and my high expectations are always met and exceeded.
You can't see it here, but the thing was literally smoking AND steaming like a tiny delicious volcano!
One thing I appreciate about La Hacienda is that they are not afraid to bring the heat- but not at the expense or instead of great flavor! Their salsa is delicious and has a good deal of the peppery heat and flavor evident when only the freshest ingredients are used. My most recent order was the Molcajete Caliente Verde, and they do mean caliente in every sense of the word- I was cautioned several times by our kind waitress that the dish was VERY HOT. I was presented with a HUGE literally smoking molcajete (the ancient mexican version of a mortar, made from stone and shaped like a bowl with legs) brimming over with tender marinated steak and roasted potatoes swimming in a steaming bath of salsa verde, topped with queso fresco and pico de gallo, fresh tortillas and guacamole salad on the side. (For those turned off by the tangy green tomatillo sauce, the Molcajete Caliente also comes in Rojo, with carrots and red sauce instead of potatoes and green sauce.) And yes, it was MUY CALIENTE both in taste and temperature!
There is something for everyone at La Hacienda Dos, even those who would prefer to stay away from spicier items. I would highly recommend the Antojitos la Hacienda, which consists of a taco, a quesadilla, two flautas, an enchilada with mole sauce, a sopito (similar to a canape), a tamale and a side of beans. The presentation of this plate is also stunning, albeit a little more understated than a humongous steaming molcajete. 
This is one of my favorite dishes because you get to try a little bit of everything.
I look forward to visiting this Tallahassee treasure again and again. Their friendly waitstaff, huge menu selection and simply brilliant food have hooked me and I hope you get to experience it soon!
Have you ever been to La Hacienda Dos? What do you think? Let me know!
The following is something I shared recently with a friend of mine. To tell you the truth, I don’t know this friend very well, but when I found out that she struggled with something I have struggled with, I felt an immediate bond, and I hope she can say the same thing about me.
” I feel like I’ve dealt with depression almost my entire life since I was about 9 years old. It started when I was very young and I would just get this overwhelming feeling of not being good. Not ‘not being a good person’, but actually not feeling worthy or worth life. I’m sure you have felt the same way and know what I mean.
I now can say I have victory over depression, but it doesn’t mean I am always happy. Sometimes things still get me down a lot more than they would a normal person, and I do still sometimes struggle with negative thoughts about myself, but even though I might feel a certain way it no longer has that debilitating power over my life and I am now able to fight back with the Word of God. Because of this I’ve been able to do things I wouldn’t have thought myself capable of before and I am so thankful, but sometimes I still wonder if there is a reason why I am this way, because like I said before, even though I know I have victory over depression, I still sometimes have to fight very hard not to slip back into it.
Last night during the worship service, God revealed something to me. He reminded me of something I had read a while ago in a David Kuo blog called ‘Thin Places’. The idea of a “Thin Place’ is that whatever mental, emotional or spiritual walls between a person and God become thinner in certain places or environments and we can better connect with God. Every week he would ask people to send in pictures of their ‘thin places’. Usually people would send in pictures taken from beautiful mountaintops or overlooking the sea or a lightning storm or rainbow or some other kind of natural wonder. I thought about the thinnest place I had ever been and this was it:
I was about 15 or 16 years old. I was going through a severe bout of depression and my mom was extremely ill. She was on medications that changed her personality … I was on my knees in my bedroom with the light off except for the lamp by my bed. I was hiding because I didn’t like my parents to know what I did every day when I came home from school, which was to hide on the far side of my bed away from the door and cry, scream and pray into a pillow. Sometimes I prayed for God to heal my mom, more often I was furious with her because I didn’t really understand what was going on and just screamed and cried. It is not what most people think of when they try to imagine a thin place, but God was always there and each time I went to him He loved me in a real and amazing way and that gave me the strength I needed to go on.
Then God reminded me of the many times in my life that I have battled depression, negative self-talk and low self esteem. The many, many times I cried and thought terrible things about myself and my life. Then he showed me that those times, when I was at my lowest point, were the thinnest places. They were the times when there was the least separation between me and Him, if I would only reach out and let him love me.
The world we live in is hard for people like us because we’re expected to always put on a happy face, but I want you to know there is nothing wrong with being sad and it doesn’t mean that there is anything wrong with you, physically or spiritually. It probably just means that you are a compassionate person who is able to feel things very, very deeply. This is not a curse, it is a blessing! Even though it is VERY hard at times and I would not wish my ‘blessing’ on anyone, I am so, so glad God made me this way because I’ve been able to experience God’s love so deeply and intensely, and I would not trade that for an easy, pain-free life, EVER.
Psalms 56:8 – David says about the Lord:
“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.”“
Is God taking you through a thin place now?
Filed under: LIFE
I was talking to a friend recently and they told me something big. It was not something I was happy about. I thought it was stupid and it made me really mad to hear that this person had done that. I’m not going to pretend like I didn’t get upset. They could see it all over my face- *disappointment*- and let me know. But at one pivotal moment, when I heard something that could have pushed me over the edge from having the upset move from my face to my tongue, I heard:
“Hug them.”
I wish I could say I obeyed immediately. Sadly, I froze. Then the words tumbled out of their mouth.
“Why am I this way…”
Followed by more words that just revealed how broken this person was, words that can never be taken back, words that I refuse to write because I will not agree with them. It took that much for me to move, to obey that still small voice. Why does it take so much for us to just be nice to people?
Don’t wait. Just move. Just obey. God knows exactly what He’s doing.
I have totally NOT abandoned my blog, guys, I promise. In fact, I just now decided that this blog has got to have more of ‘me’ instead of just my cooking. The reason I haven’t been keeping up with my blog isn’t that I haven’t wanted to write, just that I don’t always want to write about food or recipes. There have actually been several times when I’ve just wanted to share thoughts or funny stories, but I felt held back by my own silly rule that this is a ‘cooking blog’. Well, I don’t want it to be just a ‘cooking blog’ any more. I will always want to share recipes and my food-adventures, but I also want this to be a place where I can share my life with people that may care to hear about it.
Without further ado, the rest of this entry is dedicated to my beloved husband, Sam, aka @portorikan. Thanks for reminding me that some rules are made to be broken, especially stupid ones that are just in your own mind.
10 WAYS TO ANNOY @PORTORIKAN
10. USE THE FACT THAT HE IS EXTREMELY TICKLISH TO YOUR ADVANTAGE IN CREATIVE WAYS.
9. WHEN HE DOESN’T GET YOU A PUPPY, PRETEND THAT HE IS YOUR PUPPY.
8. WHEN YOU GO TO A RESTAURANT WITH HIM, INSIST THAT YOU SHARE A MEAL. THEN TELL HIM YOU LIKE ANYTHING. THEN SAY “EXCEPT THAT” TO WHATEVER HE SUGGESTS.
7. WHEN HE GETS MAD AT #8, TELL HIM YOU HAVE A GREAT IDEA. THEN TAKE HIM TO GOLDEN CORRAL.
6. MAKE GUACAMOLE. LET HIM GET ALL EXCITED WHEN HE SEES YOU MAKING IT. THEN TELL HIM HE CAN’T HAVE ANY BECAUSE IT’S FOR SOMEBODY ELSE.
5. BORROW HIS IPOD. WHILE HE IS UNCONSCIOUS (What? How else do you think he’s going to let you borrow it?) GO TO @ANGELRIOS’S HOUSE, ERASE ALL OF THE MUSIC ON @PORTORIKAN’S IPOD AND REPLACE IT WITH ALL OF @ANGELRIOS’S MUSIC.
4. BUY HIM CLOTHES FOR HIS BIRTHDAY. WRAP THEM SO THAT THEY RESEMBLE A GUITAR.
3. START A MOVIE HE REALLY WANTS TO SEE WITHOUT HIM. TWEET ABOUT IT. INCLUDE SPOILERS.
2. BE EXTRA CHEERFUL EARLY ON A SATURDAY MORNING. TURN THE LIGHTS ON AND SING, “RISE AND SHINE AND GIVE GOD THE GLORY GLORY…”
AND THE NUMBER ONE WAY TO ANNOY @PORTORIKAN…
1. REFER TO HIM AS MEXICAN.
(By the way, what’s wrong with being a Mexican, man? Huh? HUH?!?!?!)
Hope to see ya’ll later in the week when I will tell you all how to make crack!
Filed under: LIFE
I had approximately 4 hours of sleep the night before last. Last night I had approximately… no hours of sleep.
I am going on a trip tonight (one that I’m getting more and more excited about by the minute…/sarcasm) and I have no idea when I will be able to get some rest. I cannot call in to work; it’s a very new job and I have already taken 1 1/2 days off just last week due to illness.
I am choosing to consider this a challenge.
Please pray for my attitude and sanity, anybody out there who is listening… I like sleep… also pray that I’m not so stupid at work today that I do anything that deserves immediate dismissal…
Oh yeah! Here are some things I learned from staying up all night!
1. Sometimes not even prescription codiene helps.
2. My husband mutters in his sleep. If I echo the mutter, he will mutter again, something slightly different. When I really get him going they almost sound like words. I hope to someday achieve full conversation with him in this state, like I used to do with my little brother! Oh I have stories…
3. Yeah, um, I still get kind of nauseous when I stay up all night. Gonna go drink some tea now…buh-bye…
Many new things are happening in my life now. I just got a new job (PRAISE!!!) with my wonderful friend Christine Rios, I am going to be leading a Life Group at our church Every Nation Tallahassee for the first time ever, and with our financial situation looking bright I am starting to dream of the future in ways that I haven’t before.
All these changes are good, but they are also a little intimidating. Sadly, with a longer commute, I have not been able to cook as much as I like or put as much effort into my dishes. I really want to continue to grow as a cook but lately I’ve ended up cooking the same old things. Maybe right now with all the other changes in my life familiar dishes are just what I need.
I think sometimes I struggle too much with what other people think of me. I feel like I need to prove myself, even if I have already been accepted. I guess it’s the curse of being a people-pleaser. In my new job, for instance, I’ve noticed myself getting very nervous about my performance even though no one has given me any negative feedback. I’ve been thinking: Maybe I just need to chill out and be myself. There is a reason why my new company hired me, so I don’t need to try to reinvent myself in order to keep my job.
This is a lesson I am trying to learn in other areas of my life as well. I am a good cook. I don’t need to be the best in the world or make something new and spectacular every day to know that my stuff is good and people like it. I am accepted by God, I don’t need the approval of every person on the planet. I am accepted by my friends, family and husband and they never expected me to be perfect, just to be who I am.
OK, time for some comfort food: two old recipes, nothing too spectacular about them, just some things that have been sitting in my recipe book for so long I know them by heart.
LEMON GARLIC CHICKEN
This chicken is good as a base to make chicken soups, chicken salads, casseroles, dips; anything that requires little tender pieces of chicken. You can also serve it mixed in with rice. When it is done cooking it literally falls to pieces. :)
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Juice of one lemon (less if desired)
1 tsp minced garlic
1 cup chicken broth or bouillon plus H2O to make one cup
Oregano, salt and pepper to taste
2 T EVOO
1. Trim thighs of fat if needed. Season on both sides with salt, pepper and oregano. Brown in EVOO in a skillet for about 2-3 minutes on each side.
2. Put chicken in a crockpot with lemon juice, garlic and broth and simmer 2-3 hours on high or 4-6 hours on low.
3. Drain well and serve with rice, in chicken salad, dips or casseroles, or use the whole pot’s contents as a base to make chicken soup.
NATALIE’S CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP
(It makes a TON. Take some to somebody who’s not feeling good or freeze half for later.)
Lemon Garlic Chicken, whole pot including broth (skim off fat if needed)
One can of Rotel
One can of corn
One cup diced onion
One diced bell pepper
1-2 stalks of celery
Fresh cilantro, about a handful, plus a little extra for garnish
Cayenne pepper, optional (add about 1/2 tsp at a time)
Salt, pepper and cumin
Water
Tortilla chips, sliced avocado, sour cream, cheese and sliced limes: optional garnish
1. Sautee onions and pepper until soft in a large pot.
2. Add chicken with broth, cans of Rotel and corn (both with juice), celery, and chopped cilantro. Throw in the celery and some water if desired to get the soup to the consistency you want.
3. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1-2 hours, tasting and seasoning with salt, pepper, cumin, & cayenne pepper if desired as the soup cooks. If you add cayenne it will get spicier as it cooks! Take out the celery before serving.
4. Garnish as desired with fresh cilantro/ sour cream/cheese/ chips/ avocadoes/limes.
My wonderful husband turned 29 today! We had a joint celebration for him and our friend Angel whose birthday was two weeks ago, and I made a tres leches cake, which turned out to be quite the hit. The recipe is below.
TRES LECHES CAKE
CAKE INGREDIENTS:
1 cup sugar
5 separated eggs
1/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
SYRUP:
1 3/4 cups evaporated milk
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
TOPPING: Use Cool Whip or if you have some whipping cream, whip it up with a little powdered sugar. Garnish with fresh berries if desired.
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat 3/4 of the cup of sugar and egg yolks well, until light and fluffy. Then, stir in the milk, vanilla extract, flour and baking powder with a spoon. Do not overmix the batter.
3. Beat the egg white to soft peaks, adding cream of tartar after 20 seconds.
4. Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cups of sugar and continue to beat until the peaks are stiff and glossy. Gently fold whites into the batter.
5. Butter a 9×13 inch baking pan and spoon the mixture in.
6. Bake 30-40 minutes. Let the cake cool completely (at least 2 hours), unmold if desired onto a deep platter or dish, then pierce all over with a fork.
7. Prepare the syrup by combining evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, cream and vanilla, whisking until mixed. Slowly pour the syrup over cake, spooning overflow back onto top until most is absorbed.
8. Top with whipped cream or Cool-Whip, garnish if desired, chill and serve.
Filed under: LIFE
Our vacation in San Antonio was wonderful. I got to spend time with my immediate and extended family and a few good friends. I’m sorry to say I didn’t get to meet up with everyone on my ‘list’, but what can you do.
I shopped a lot, got some late Christmas and birthday presents, hung out with the family dog, and even went to Austin! I also cooked dinner for my family and enjoyed many great restaurants, my favorite of which was Simi’s.
Now that I am back in town I hope to blog a little more regularly. Thanks to everyone out there reading this! You can see more about my vacation here at my husband’s blog and here on my Facebook page.
Anyone else go traveling post-holiday like us?
Filed under: LIFE | Tags: CHAMBORD, CHILI'S, GOD, LIQUEUR, MARGARITAS, OPTIMISM, PESSIMISM
I love margaritas. But when I tasted the Chambord Margarita from Chili’s, it changed everything I thought I knew about them.
II like classic margaritas, not flavored; on the rocks, not frozen. I ordered this Chambord margarita because we had a gift certificate. I like raspberry and figured raspberry and lime are a good combination, but I expected just another cough-syrupy or super sweet drink. Was I ever wrong.
The drink was smooth, with a mellow, almost creamy raspberry taste. I’d never tasted a liqueur like this. When I took my first sip, I knew certain things in my life would thereafter change drastically; I’m never getting another drink from Chili’s and from now on whenever I consider making a dessert with raspberries I will always think of this flavor (raspberry cheesecake with a Chambord chocolate sauce, anyone?) I didn’t know a flavor like this existed- aside from my dreams, anyway! I took a sip and then half-joked to my friend, “THIS… is good… this changes everything.”
When you discover something new that makes such an impression on you, it takes a certain amount of humility to admit it. I don’t know why, but we tend to safeguard our souls by presupposing that really good things are impossible. I guess admitting that something really precious is available means acknowledging that you can lose it, fail to achieve it, or not deserve it.
I think in a way, people safeguard their own souls by presupposing that an all-powerful, imminent and abundantly merciful God could not exist, or that there must be some catch or hoop to jump through to earn His favor. I could expound but, in a nutshell, heaven seems too good to be true. So it must not be. Either way, it’s safer for our egos to assume it doesn’t.
But we never get to the end of God’s mercy, we never exhaust His love or His power to heal or change circumstances. We can’t outrun the reach of His spirit and because He is infinite and good, He will always satisfy.
If we can get just a glimpse of who God really is, we realize something-it doesn’t matter how long we’ve known about God, how little we know about the Bible, who we are or where we’ve come from- when we really experience just a little taste of Him, His goodness makes us realize it:
This changes everything.
Filed under: LIFE
I’ve had two blogs before. Both were miserable failures.
OK maybe I’m being a little dramatic. One was really just a personal workout log, it wasn’t actually published per se, but I didn’t stick with it so it left a bad taste in my mouth. I don’t like starting things and not finishing.
The second was called Crumblestone, it was about my dreams. I’ve decided to go ahead and officially wrap that one up. I didn’t stick with it either- but I’ve realized it’s not a sign that blogging isn’t my thing, I just picked too narrow of a subject matter. I also had a goal when I started Crumblestone which I ended up accomplishing in a matter of weeks- once I accomplished my goal, I became bored with the subject matter pretty quickly.
Now, as I sit on our loveseat listening to New York New York play in Times Square on the TV, I resolve that in 2009, I will start blogging again. I have a more broad base for writing and it’s something that has always been exciting to me: food.
That’s all for now.
