Kacyology...

THAT my friends, is a Squealin’ Mary from Beaver’s (slogan…”just south of hooters” haha) in Houston, TX…a side project of Chef Monica Pope (owner of Tafia also in Houston). I heard about this place after seeing Monica Pope on Top Chef Masters last season. I decided that I needed to check it out since it’s so close! They use lots of local ingredients, including having their own garden at the restaurant. Now…this little beauty is Beaver’s version of a Bloody Mary BUT they use BACON-infused vodka (infused in-house), they put salt AND powdered sugar on the rim, and top it off with…CANDIED bacon. It was like a dream come true. And my new favorite candy…candied bacon of course!

When it came time to order I was torn between the pulled pork sandwich and the chicken fried NY strip. The waiter said there was no competition…to go with the NY strip. I think I was expecting a run of the mill chicken fried steak, what I was NOT expecting was this monstrosity! Let me break it down for you in layers…mashed sweet potatoes topped with creamed spinach topped with texas toast topped with chicken fried NY strip topped with 2 fried eggs and drenched in mushroom gravy. Now I never said this was a healthy restaurant, I only said they use local ingredients! And I know what you’re thinking…how did I NOT have heart attack after this? Well I probably should have…but once I was finished eating I had barely scratched the surface of what was on this plate! You should see the burrito…it was the size of my arm.

Finally, since it was the end of a special girls weekend of fun brunch, we had dessert. Of course. We went with Beaver Balls…which is pretty much brownie dough formed into balls and deep fried then served with ice cream, sprinkled with powdered sugar and some sort of icing. I only ate one and it was at that exact moment that I went into a food coma. I didn’t eat anything else for the rest of the day! (and I probably shouldn’t have eaten anything else for the rest of the week) I spent the rest of the week running my butt off and smiling with each step remembering this ridiculous meal. I’ll definitely go back. And if you’re in the Houston area and are in the mood for some SERIOUS comfort food, you should check it out too!

newsweek:

equalitymyth:

Jesse’s got a new Newsweek piece about wage disparity in the legal profession—even among the best lawyers at the most elite firms. A new study found those women, within the highest ranks of the most respected firms, make, on average, $66,000 each year less than men.

First of all: ouch, apparently we’re in the wrong field. But second: double ouch, that is totally appalling. As one employment attorney put it:

“The numbers are so stark that it really does call into question whether there is a systemic problem.”

We’d go with yes.

-jessica

This does NOT bode well for me huh?!

My Rockstar is back in the building…but not for long unfortunately. He’s leaving tomorrow to work in Arlington (near Dallas for the non-Texans). But on a super positive note, I took some time off and I’m headed up Friday to see him and I’ll get to stay for about 5 days! Although he works 12+hour days we’ll have evenings together and I get to catch up with some old friends while he’s making the money. 

No news to post food-wise, last week was kind of a scramble so I didn’t finish my list from last week yet! The Italian meatloaf was just so-so for me…but I’ve learned that I don’t really like sun-dried tomato’s and they were a key ingredient. The green-chile chicken casserole was very tasty and super easy to make. It took like 10 minutes to prep and an hour in oven and plenty of leftovers to spare.

Ah, the wedding I was so nervous about…well, it went well. Better than I could have hoped for. I saw my long-lost friend and we had a chance to chat and opened the doors of communication. We’ll talk soon and see how it goes. Maybe my friend’s back. That’s a nice feeling. I promise I’m going to order a new camera download cable this week. My posts feel so empty with no pics to back them up!

So, in honor of my Rockstar being in the same zip code, I’ll do a photo montage of him. My ridiculously good-looking boyfriend.