The Tasting Spoon

Just in time for Thanksgiving, this blackberry cobbler recipe is perfect for your holiday table! We've included our homemade Triple Sec whipped cream to add a touch of pizzazz on top. Ingredients 4 cups blackberries 3 tbsp sugar zest from 1 lemon Crumble Topping 1 cup flour 1 cup sugar 1 egg 6 tbsp melted butter **Optional additional toppings Ice cream mint Cinnamon Directions  Preheat oven to 375. Place blackberries in cast iron skillet. On top, layer sugar and lemon zest. Allow to sit about 30 min. - 1 hour until juice seeps from berries. Mix ingredients until blackberries are coated. In mixing bowl, add flour, sugar and egg. Stir well until crumbly. Sprinkle mixture evenly over blackberries. Lightly drizzle melted butter over crumb topping. Bake for 35-40 min. or until crumb topping is golden brown. Let cool 5-10 min. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Add mint sprig for garnish. Triple Sec Whipped Cream 2 cups h

Chilly weather has finally hit Laredo! And this recipe is perfect for it. The best part about bread pudding is it can be made with kitchen scraps and things you probably already have in your pantry. But this recipe is a little more of a "bougie" version, using croissants instead of stale bread. You gotta spoil yourself sometimes, right?! Creme anglaise sauce recipe is also included. It gives this bread pudding just the right kind of sweet spice it needs. This sauce requires a little more of an intermediate skill set but is totally worth it. Ingredients 5 eggs 2 cups heavy cream (or milk) 3-4 cups buttered croissants (or stale bread) 1 tbsp. cinnamon 2 cups white sugar 2 tsp. vanilla extract 1/4 cups light brown sugar 1 cup chopped toasted pecans 1/4 cups kahlua or rum Add sugar, eggs, cream, vanilla, brown sugar and kahlua in a bowl. Mix in cut croissant chunks, soak bread in mixture, and add pecans as well. Soak about 10-20 minutes, depending on bread densit

Stone & Stein is a new pizza spot located across Nike on the first floor of the Outlet Shops downtown.  Their pizzas cook quickly in a propane gas stone pizza oven at 800-1000 degrees so don't expect to  be waiting around for your order. We received ours within 2 or 3 minutes. We ordered two different pizzas off their specialty menu. The Pizza Al La Vodka and Chorizo con Papas. You have the option to build your own pizza with an array of specialty and traditional sauces. Sauces include vodka sauce, roasted red pepper, buffalo, mushroom, green tomatillo, tomato sauce. Specialty toppings include carnitas, breaded chicken, chorizo sausage, smoked mozzarella, prosciutto, and they also carry plenty of traditional toppings. Pizza Al La Vodka Fresh mozzarella, famous tomato cream vodka sauce, seasoned fresh mushrooms, peas and proscuitto di parma According to the Stone & Stein menu, this pizza was voted #1 in America in 1992. It was full of flavor thanks to the fresh

Although you can't tell from this hot Laredo weather, we're just about two weeks into fall! A lot of us are craving those cool, crisp nights so here's a recipe you can try out when the weather chills out. This Butternut Squash Soup recipe is super simple, easy and tasty. Ingredients 1 Butternut Squash  Half a stick of butter Salt Pepper  Nutmeg to taste Heavy cream (add until desired consistency)  Directions Heat oven to 400. Slice butternut squash in half. Place face down on baking sheet. Bake until flesh is soft and remove from oven. Remove seeds and dispose. Scoop out flesh and place in blender. Dispose of outer skin. Add butter in blender. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. Slowly pour in a small amount of cream and blend. Continue adding cream until desired consistency is reached. We topped ours off with a splash of cream, a sprinkle of nutmeg and roasted pumpkin seeds!

There's a new diet going around town and it has Laredoans cutting out an essential part of our diet--tortillas. Whether you're on a health kick, or just wanna try something fresh and different, these jicama tortillas are an awesome addition to any diet. They're crisp, low-calorie and do an ace job at replacing tortillas in all your taco needs. Here's a fresh, easy recipe for chicken tacos using jicama tortillas. Ingredients Jicama tortillas cooked chicken guacamole or sliced avocado shredded lettuce pico de gallo lime salt Begin by removing jicama tortillas from package.  Spread avocado. Place chicken down along center. Layer lettuce on top. Squirt lime. Sprinkle salt. Top with pico.

School may have started, but this Laredo heat lets us keep enjoying summer and the delicious seasonal fruits that come with it. Today's recipe features two versions of Watermelon Salsa: a spin on a classic blended salsa, and a watermelon pico. Both salsas go well with fish, chicken, or beef fajitas. In terms of seasoning, adding salt to the watermelon brings out the sweetness; and for the pico, adding chili powder like Tajin or Trechas really kicks up the flavor. Remember that the longer pico sits, the better it tastes! Watermelon Salsa 3 cups diced watermelon 1 white onion 1 jalapeno 1 clove of garlic salt to taste In a medium pot, boil onion, jalapeno, and garlic. Boil for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Combine all ingredients in blender. Blend to desired consistency. Add salt to taste. Watermelon Pico 3 cups of small diced watermelon ½ cup small diced jicama ½ small diced onion 1 small-medium jalapeno, or desired spiciness

Here's a recipe that hits close to home but with a healthy twist.  I have two versions for you: 1. A simpler, non-dairy version 2. A richer, more indulgent version.  It has all the tastes of a classic rice pudding but packs an extra punch of nutrition.  Quinoa has 9 essential amino acids, so it's great for all the non-meat eaters out there.  One serving has 8 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber! Non-Dairy version   Ingredients: 1 1/4 cup almond milk 1 1/4 coconut milk 1/4 cup brown sugar 3/4 cup quinoa pinch of salt 1 pod cardamom, or 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom** cinnamon stick** **item optional In a pot on medium high heat, combine almond and coconut milk, brown sugar, salt.  Whisk to dissolve sugar and salt.  Rinse 3/4 cup quinoa.  When pot comes to a light boil, add in quinoa.  Stir occasionally to prevent quinoa from sticking to itself and bottom of pan.  Reduce to low heat, cover and let simmer for 20-30 minutes or until quinoa is tender and m

Fresh Avocado Toast Hola Laredo! What I have for you today is a fresh recipe that's perfect for those post-morning workouts. Since it's summertime we're all trying to get in a morning jog or a quick trip to the gym, right? Okay, maybe not all of us...but even so, this recipe is fresh, cold and awesome for summer. This is one of my favorite things to eat and it goes great with a big glass of water and a fruit smoothie for dessert. It's super simple and with a couple of adjustments you can even turn it into a full-on breakfast item. You'll need: 2 slices of bread 1 avocado 1 English cucumber kale or spinach 1 package of smoked salmon olive oil salt and pepper Toast the bread in a toaster or toaster oven. Halve avocado, slice, scoop out and spread each half over a slice of toast. Slice English cucumber and place over avocado. Place down spinach. Remove salmon from package and layer two slices over greens.  Optional steps:

All Laredoans are too familiar with the heat of a South Texas Summer.  The concentrated sun beats down on us while we try to enjoy free time outside and turns our cars into personal saunas.  But believe it or not, we can use this overly excited sun for something delicious: sun tea.  Sun tea is simply something fun to do with all the extra time and sun summer provides, and some people even claim it produces a better tasting tea compared to regular brewed or refrigerator tea.  That is a conclusion you'll have to reach yourself after trying out this recipe! We chose to make two fruity sun teas for extra freshness and flavor, and took two separate approaches to each.  The Peach Mint Sun Tea was prepared in a mason jar using a ratio of 2 tea bags to 3 cups of water for a milder tea flavor.  The Strawberry Lemon Sun Tea was prepared in a party-size jar using a ratio of 10 tea bags to 10 cups of water and has a stronger tea flavor.  This can always be diluted, or made stronger to

La Panaderia There's something about freshly baked bread that screams comfort .  It's the warmth you get from a perfectly toasted bun, the sweet flake off a croissant; the perfect combination of pan dulce and hot morning coffee reminding you of the bed you just left. La Panaderia is a San Antonio bakery where you can find all this: bear claws, conchas, orejas and a sweet little coffee bar serving up all your faves.  It was founded by two brothers who began baking in Mexico and as such stays true to its Mexican roots with its pastries.  The best part about this cafe is there's a glass window looking into the back so you can see all the bakers rolling up dough and putting it to bake in real time. If you have a chance to stop by, this place is a must-try. Chocolate French Toast with Berries Ranchero Eggs Benedictine El Favorito Scrambled   La Panaderia Website Locations Downtown: 301 E Houston St San Antonio TX 78205 Alamo Heights:  8305

Artichoke Fritters Eating clean is a valuable asset in living your best life. Whether you strive to keep a healthy physique or are more concerned about caring for what's on the inside, Anise Kitchen offers an array of guilt-free vegan/vegetarian dishes (with the option of adding chicken) and is a refreshing addition to Laredo's restaurant circuit. We went out to their Del Mar location for an afternoon of good conversation, drink specials and a chance to really tackle their menu. Starters Artichoke Fritters (above) The menu lists this dish as having "marinated artichokes, celery, dill, panko and remoulade sauce". It also contained olives and capers though they aren't listed. It arrived hot and the crispy crust gave a nice juxtaposition to the tender center while all the ingredients caused the fritter to have an overall tangy flavor. The dish's flavors complemented each other too well where no one ingredient stood out from the other. It was a very