Head to White Flamingo. Although it’s located in a strip mall, the elegant Victorian-style decor will blow you away. Tables are set with white linens and fresh flowers, and there is live piano music on Friday and Saturday nights, making it perfect for a romantic date. Meals start with complementary cheese-topped bread that customers love just as much as their entrees. The menu offers lunch sandwiches, full size pasta entrees, and an array of fish, steaks, and chops. Try the Cajun seared Mahi Mahi and the Chicken Alfredo. Service is attentive without being overbearing, and prices are quite reasonable for the quality and portion. White Flamingo also has several private rooms that can accommodate wedding receptions and other celebrations.

White Flamingo
24307 Aldine Westfield Road
Spring, TX 77386
(281) 907-0778

www.awhiteflamingorestaurant.com
www.yelp.com/biz/the-white-flamingo-spring

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr/stu_spivack

Cross-contamination in the kitchen occurs when you use the same tools and cutting boards to prepare things like raw meat or eggs that you use to prepare fresh produce or cooked foods, contaminating the food you eat with the bacteria from these raw items. To avoid cross-contamination, follow these safety tips.

1. It starts at the grocery store. Although cross-contamination is usually thought of in the kitchen, it can also happen before you even get your foods home. When shopping at the grocery store, be sure to package raw meats tightly in plastic and put them in a separate bag from other groceries. Also make sure that your carton of eggs doesn’t contain any broken eggs that could leak on other foods.
2. Use separate cutting boards. One of the most important ways to prevent food poisoning from cross-contamination is by using different cutting boards for meat and other items. Properly label each board, and never cut fresh vegetables, fruits, or breads on the cutting board that you use for meat or eggs. Also, clean your meat cutting board thoroughly and replace it often.
3. Cook safely. When cooking, never use the same tools to flip raw chicken that you use to stir-fry vegetables, as this can spread bacteria from the raw meat. Throw away any marinades that meat was once soaking in, and always serve cooked foods on a clean, new plate.

Safe Food Handling: What You Need to Know [FDA]
Separate To Keep Food Safe [Home Food Safety]
Cutting Board Safety [Home Food Safety]

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/honorphotobar

The Peckinpaugh Preserve is a wooded preserve in the Spring area that merged two areas of donated land to form 25 acres of hiking trails and green space. The preserve is located across Spring Creek and adjacent to the Riley Fuzzel Road Bridge, which makes it a convenient hiking spot for many Spring residents.

The trails wind around the preserve in a maze-like manner that makes them very interesting for even the most experienced hiker, and the terrain varies between sand and dirt. Many different animals and bird species frequent the wooded areas around the trails, so bird watchers and nature lovers alike frequently visit the preserve to catch a glimpse of these creatures in their natural habitats. The creek also provides an opportunity for fishing and for launching canoes into its flowing waters.

To help navigate Peckinpaugh Preserve’s complicated series of trails, there are colorful maps available at the small visitor center building at the entrance to the preserve.

Peckinpaugh Preserve
1209 Old Riley Fuzzel Road
Spring, TX 77386
(281) 367-3977
www.springcreekgreenway.org
www.yelp.com/biz/peckinpaugh-preserve-spring

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/honorphotobar