Ah, Valentine’s Day…that one day where there is such a big fuss to show you’re special person you love them. To go to the grocery store and see grown men aimlessly wandering the candy/flower isles (which is hilarious by the way). Making reservations a month in advance because you know every place will be booked and charging an extra expensive 3 course meal. Not for the Rex’s! Yes we celebrated, but we decided to make a special meal here at home so we can stick to our low carb plan, but feel like we’re doing something special as well.
This year we decided to do cocoa-ancho chili rubbed steaks and creamy Parmesan greens and we toasted our many Valentine’s Day’s together with a lovely glass of red wine. It was both romantic and stress free. Mr. T did surprise me with a beautiful orchid and bath bombs. Such a romantic!
I like to heat the grill up to get the sear marks on the steaks. You can let them sit for 10-15 seconds to sear the marks, then turn and rotate them to get the cross pattern before letting them sit for 4 minutes. Continue reading Cocoa-Ancho Rubbed Steaks with Creamy Parmesan Greens→
Weather in Texas is so strange…our Christmas this year was a high of 78° than a week later it was a high of 34°, a week after that – right back to swimsuit weather. Seriously I wear flip flops all year ‘round! Last week was a tough one, not only did we both have to go out of town for business, but it was drizzly and chilly out. The kind of weather and taxing week that when you come home you just want something comforting. When I asked Mr. T what he wanted he said seafood chowder. I was on a mission to make that happen – and low carb to boot! Continue reading Seafood Chowder→
Who doesn’t love pizza? I mean, really?! Ooey gooey cheese and sauce, loaded with toppings. Here is my version of that, but using a quiche as a crust so we can enjoy that thing we crave, but without the carby guilt. I’m not going to lie…you can’t pick this version up and eat it with your hands (or do the whole New York thing and fold it in half), but the flavors are there and the base is also jam-packed with cheese and Italian flavors. Continue reading Sausage, Mushroom and Onion Quiche-Pizza (Quiche-za?)→
Happy New Year to you and all your loved ones! I know there are many traditions and superstitions people support on New Year’s day to bring good fortune or luck in the new year: grapes, greens, black-eyed peas, to name a few. Here in the Rex household we made up our own tradition. We eat crab! I’m not quite sure why it started, probably that we were at the store and they were on sale and we thought ‘what the heck – lets do something fun and indulgent on NY day’. Then I went online to research various NY traditions I found out crab is not so lucky….sooo perhaps make this on a different day – our fate may already be sealed. 😐 Continue reading Steamed Snow Crab with Cilantro Lime Butter→
When I was a kid (we’re talking eons ago), we lived on a cul-d-sac. My parents made a volleyball set up with some cemented tires that could easily be rolled in the center of the cul-d-sac. On Sundays, the neighbors would all come over and bring a dish and we would make the day of it – pot luck, volleyball and good ol’ fashioned visiting. One time we even had a pig roast – apple in the mouth and everything! I was one super impressed little tyke-o-saur! Continue reading Cheesy Brocco-‘rice’ casserole→
We buy a lot from Costco – which seems silly since it’s just the two of us, but thanks to our FoodSaver Vacuum Sealing System we buy in bulk and immediately toss into the freezer so we have various proteins at our disposal without having to go hunt and gather all the time. You have probably already read my glowing reviews on the wonders of keeping peeled, raw, frozen shrimp on hand in my Shrimp Fried Rice recipe, but pork is the other white meat (sorry couldn’t resist) we keep in stock. Continue reading Carnivore Combat (episode 1): Pulled Pork Two Ways→
No family gathering is complete without my father-in-law’s potato salad. Whether it be Christmas, Thanksgiving, July 4th, a choir concert my niece is in – we gather together for a feast and this potato salad is right there as the staple item. It’s Mr. T’s favorite holiday side dish! Of course with eating low carb it is tough on our plan. Continue reading FauxTato Salad→
We love chili…actually…I don’t know if that’s enough…we LOOOOVE chili – not sure about Mr. T, but I could probably nonstop inhale it. Chili reminds me of fall and colder weather and wearing boots again, scarves….layers – it’s that pivotal point of a change in seasons and pure comfort! Plus, there are SO many things you can do when you make a pot of chili! I usually make a batch which we eat for dinner…I know I promised you cooking for two, but that’s what is so perfect with chili…LEFTOVERS! Or if you are skiddish about leftovers, some other ideas are: breakfast hash with a fried egg on top, chili cheese fries (or if you are following a low-carb plan as we are, I would pan fry some zucchini and onions for a hash). Also, it freezes really well. I recommend adding it into pint sized ziplock freezer bags – or if you’re way into freezing, get a Food Saver – we use ours all the time…we actually buy larger cuts of meat, cut it smaller and freeze it to use later. Continue reading D’s “Someday it will make us famous” Chili→
Do you ever have a restaurant that you loved so much that now every other restaurant with that cuisine will always be compared to it? I have fond memories of a Chinese restaurant in Katy, TX where we used to live (Hong Kong Garden I am sad your extinct!) Specifically the eggrolls, the won-ton soup and of course…the pork fried rice!! We were craving Chinese…which always brings up a longing for pork fried rice…obviously takeout PFR is not an option with eating low carb so we decided to make our own version with what I have on hand. I always keep frozen, peeled uncooked shrimp in the freezer and no time to go to the store, so SF’R’ is what we did! It turned out great – with the flavors I was drooling for, but we didn’t have to slay eating healthy! Continue reading Shrimp Fried ‘Rice’→
we buy in bulk and immediately toss into the freezer so we have various proteins at our disposal without having to go hunt and gather all the time. You have probably already read my glowing reviews on the wonders of keeping peeled, raw, frozen shrimp on hand in my 
