The Tasting Spoon

Yun Cuisine is a new authentic Asian restaurant in north Laredo. The best part about this menu is that Chef Zhou ("Joe") stresses the importance of using natural ingredients, meaning antibiotic-free and hormone-free meat, cage-free eggs, and organic non-GMO vegetables--all bought fresh and prepared in-house. Food just tastes better when you have the best ingredients and that's the kind of quality Yun Cuisine provides. Chicken Dumplings We ordered chicken dumplings to start and the chicken was so moist and juicy inside while the outside wrap maintained a stickiness. It never fell apart and held its shape well through bites and dips into the paired traditional southern China dumpling sauce. Dumplings held shape Sukiyaki Udon with mixed seafood This udon noodle soup in a clear broth was light and filling with a clean flavor. The shrimp and all vegetables were cooked evenly. It sang of freshness and was the perfect companion to a chilly day. Kimchi ra...

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 ...

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 ...