El Toro Mexican Restaurant: A La Porte Mexican Restaurant

Get some delightful Mexican cuisine at El Toro Mexican Restaurant, where they serve up spicy Tex-Mex fare right in La Porte, Texas.

Stop by at lunchtime for tasty specials at bargain prices, like Enchiladas, Beef Tacos, and Burritos served with rice and beans. Beef Fajitas with grilled onions, peppers & guacamole, Stuffed Avocado with beef, chicken or shrimp, and Tacos al Carbon – beef tacos with flour tortillas are also menu choices.

Other dishes include Mixed Grill with beef fajitas, shrimp & ribs, Costillas – a full rack of ribs with barbeque sauce, Guadalajara with a 10-ounce rib eye steak, and Pescado Santiago with mahi mahi, shrimp, crawfish & mushrooms in a white wine cream sauce. El Toro's broad menu means there's likely something here to please every palate.

El Toro Mexican Restaurant
616 W. Main Street
La Porte, TX 77571
(281) 471-2505
http://www.eltorotexmex.com/locations-and-menus.html
http://www.yelp.com/biz/el-toro-mexican-restaurant-la-porte

Broken Yolk Grill: An Egg-cellent Breakfast Spot in Pasadena

If you’re looking for real down-home cooking that won’t break the bank, the Broken Yolk Grill is the place to go in Pasadena. Best known for its breakfasts, this casual diner serves hearty, Texas-style meals of fried eggs, steaks, and grits, and its unlimited coffee will perk you right up. For lunch and dinner, the Broken Yolk switches over to chicken fried steak and grilled pork chops, with a special catfish fry every Friday.

The prices are very reasonable and the portions are large, and there is also ample seating throughout the clean yet sparse dining room. Occasionally you’ll even catch a live band providing musical entertainment to go with your meal!

Broken Yolk Grill
5824 Spencer Highway
Pasadena, TX 77505
(281) 741-0626
www.brokenyolkgrill.com
www.yelp.com/biz/broken-yolk-grill-pasadena

Seeking Original Artwork? Here’s Where to Shop for It Online!

Furnishing your home with original artwork is a very fulfilling hobby, but unfortunately it can also be very expensive. There are quite a few websites that offer artwork created by independent artists for much less than gallery prices, which makes them beneficial to both you and the artist. Here are a few of the best.

Etsy
Etsy has become the internet’s go-to spot for handmade art and home goods, and for very good reason. This online marketplace enables independent artists to create an online shop and sell their goods, whether those goods are paintings, sculptures, or even wall hangings made out of old license plates. Best of all, you can search Etsy by keywords to find exactly what you have in mind for any room in your home.

Fine Art America
If you’re looking for more traditional paintings or photography for your home, Fine Art America is a great resource. This site features artwork from artists and photographers from around the world, at all price points.

Zatista
While many online art stores sell reproductions of famous works, Zatista offers only unique, original works that none of your neighbors will have. If you live in a small town or city that isn’t teeming with art galleries, this is the ideal way to browse thousands of pieces from artists who could be the next big thing.

Battleship Texas State Historic Site: Living History

Battleship Texas State Historic Site offers visitors a glimpse of Texas military history with this completely preserved battleship and park. Just minutes away from downtown Houston, Battleship Texas is an accessible landmark great for both locals who have never been and those who are new to the area. Take a guided tour of the battleship and learn of Texas rich history. Much of the ship is open to visitors curious as to the inner workings of this once majestic battleship. There is even a recreation area nearby, great for picnics or just enjoying the beautiful weather and view of this fantastic landmark. This is a great activity for both young and old, holding many interesting artifacts and bits of information.

Battleship Texas State Historic Site
3523 Battleground Road
La Porte, TX 77571
(281) 479-2431
http://www.yelp.com/biz/battleship-texas-state-historic-site-la-porte

How to Add Organic Touch to Your Home’s Decor

Going organic doesn’t end at the grocery store. In fact, there are a number of different ways that you can incorporate organic elements throughout your entire home. Here are just a few great ways to add a natural touch to the decor in your living space.

  • Create a nature-inspired vignette. If you admire something beautiful on your morning walk, such as a unique branch or a particularly interesting stone, add it to a stack of books on a tabletop to create a flawless vignette.
  • Create stone hot pads. Glue smooth, flat stones to the surface of simple kitchen hot pads to keep your countertops protected from hot pots and pans.
  • Choose natural rugs. Soft, organic materials like jute and hemp look beautiful when woven into a rug, and they’re much friendlier on the environment than synthetic versions.
  • Create organic centerpieces. The next time you host a dinner party, fill a ceramic vase with foraged tree branches or add pine cones to a clear bowl for a unique centerpiece inspired by the outdoors.
  • Change up your drapes. One of the simplest ways to bring the outdoors in is by allowing as much natural light as possible into your home. Switch out heavy drapes with soft, sheer panels to maximize the light.

Decorating with Natural Elements [Better Homes & Gardens]
10 Simple Ways to Bring the Outdoors Inside [Freshome]
Decorating with Natural Elements from Natural Kitchen and Home [Pinterest]

Credeur’s Cajun Cookin’: Go For the Gumbo

If you love the spicy, robust flavors of Cajun cuisine, you’ll flip for Credeur’s Cajun Cookin’. This authentic Cajun cuisine eatery is certainly nothing fancy, but what it lacks in ambiance it more than makes up for in its heaping helpings of tasty seafood and pistolettes.

The Louisiana-born owners prepare everything, from the shrimp po'boy sandwiches to the crawfish étouffée, true to tradition, and all of the meals arrive in large portions in a takeout box so that you can easily take home what you can’t finish in the restaurant. Specials include Cajun favorites that change from day to day, and there are also gumbo soups, jambalaya, and boudin served cafeteria-style in the middle of the casual dining room.

Credeur’s features exposed wooden walls and chalkboard menus that add a bit of down-home charm to the small restaurant, but it’s the tasty Cajun cuisine that will keep you coming back for more!

Credeur’s Cajun Cookin’
7127 Spencer Highway
Pasadena, TX 77505
(281) 930-7268
www.yelp.com/biz/credeurs-cajun-cookin-pasadena-3

Challenge Your Brain With the Four Glasses Puzzle

First published in the "Mathematical Games" column in Scientific American magazine way back in 1979, the Four Glasses Puzzle continues to stump even the greatest minds. Using logic skills and mathematical thinking, this word puzzle is meant to improve your reasoning in a fun, challenging way.

The puzzle is also known as the “Blind Bartender’s Problem” because it envisions a fictional bartender. Four glasses are placed on each corner of a square lazy Susan, with some turned upright and some upside down. A blindfolded bartender is then asked to rearrange the glasses so that they are either all facing up or all upside down. The lazy Susan is rotated over and over again, and the same bartender is allowed to feel only two of the glasses after each rotation to determine which to flip over in order to ensure that they are all facing the same way after a finite number of turns. Once they are all facing the same way, a bell rings.

Can you develop an algorithm to ensure that the bell rings after five turns? Check your answer here!

Battleground Golf Course at Deer Park: Engage in Battle … With Your Golf Buddies

The battle wages on at the historic Battleground Golf Course at Deer Park in Pasadena; however, today it’s more of a friendly competition than it was more than a century ago! There are 18 holes at this Houston-area course, and each one represents a battle that took place on the San Jacinto Battleground during the Texas Revolution.

From the Santa Anna at the first hole to the San Jacinto Monument that commemorated those who lost their lives in battle at the final hole, playing this course is like taking a lesson in Texas history. In addition to its unique golf course, Battleground Golf Course at Deer Park hosts an impressive practice facility, complete with a three-hole practice loop and a lighted driving range for nighttime play.

Enjoy lunch at the Republic Grill after playing a round, and take in a view of the course over deli-style sandwiches and an ice-cold beer.

Battleground Golf Course at Deer Park
1600 Georgia Avenue
Deer Park, TX 77536
(281) 478-4653
www.battlegroundgolfcourse.com

How to Brew Coffee at Home, Just Like a Pro Barista

If your daily coffee shop habit is starting to make an impact on your wallet, it may be time to start getting caffeinated at home. You don’t have to settle for an inferior cup, however; simply follow these tips to brew coffee just like your favorite barista!

  1. Start with high-quality coffee. It may seem obvious, but one of the best ways to brew a great cup is by using great coffee! Try to purchase coffee as soon after it was roasted as possible, such as from a local roaster. Also, buy it in small quantities to ensure its freshness.
  2. Just add water. Fresh, filtered water, that is. Because water is the foundation of your coffee, it should taste fresh and free of chemicals such as chlorine.
  3. Grind beans on the spot. Instead of grinding all of the beans at once at the grocery store, invest in a home grinder so that you can grind them as you use them. Also, be sure to vary the size of the grounds based on what type of brewing system you use. For example, use a coarser grind for a French press and a fine grind for espresso.
  4. Use the proper ratio. To brew the perfect cup of coffee, keep in mind that you should use a ratio of 5 tablespoons of coffee to 16 ounces of water. This amount will brew two standard size cups, but you can double it to make more.

How to Brew Coffee [NCA]
9 Rules for How to Make a Perfect Cup of Coffee [Eating Well]
How to Make the Perfect Cup of Coffee [Real Simple]

Mama Mia’s Italian Grill: BYOB to This Authentic Italian Fare Eatery

If you love New York-style pizza, pasta, and other Italian fare favorites, check out Mama Mia’s Italian Grill. Whether you’re looking for a romantic date night spot or a delicious dinner option for the whole family, this casual eatery provides the perfect backdrop for just about any type of meal.

Lunch consists of classic New York pizza with a variety of different toppings, and there are also fresh, healthy salads to go along with them. For dinner, Mama Mia’s menu switches to hearty pasta dishes and traditional Italian fare favorites like chicken piccata and shrimp scampi. Fresh bread comes with every meal, and the little ones will love the tasty kids' menu.

The restaurant is also BYOB, so you’re encouraged to bring your own beer or wine to enjoy with your meal.

Mama Mia’s Italian Grill
8200 Spencer Highway
Pasadena, TX 77505
(281) 479-4477
www.facebook.com/pages/Mamma-Mias-Pizza-and-Pasta/129766193744336?fref=photo
www.yelp.com/biz/mama-mias-italian-grill-pasadena

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