The sun is shining and the flowers are starting to bloom. Wishing everyone a lovely Spring!
Texas Avenue Park: Outdoor Fun in Webster, Texas
April 10, 2014 by
One of the best spots in the Webster area to enjoy some outdoor recreation is the spacious and charming Texas Avenue Park. Covering twenty acres, this well-designed recreation destination has a little something for everyone.
A gravel walking and running trail stretches a little under half a mile and is often in use by people running laps. There are plenty of facilities for athletics as well – tennis courts, a baseball field and areas for basketball are all well-used. If you’d just like to relax, there are plenty of picnic areas with benches and free BBQ grills available. A covered pavilion is available for rent for parties and events. For kids, a huge and well-maintained playground will give them hours of fun times. The city keeps this park pristine, too, which is a bonus. One caveat: there are no dogs or other pets allowed in the park, on-leash or off, so leave your furry friends at home.
Texas Avenue Park
17100 Texas Avenue
Webster, TX 77598
http://www.cityofwebster.com/index.aspx?nid=886
http://www.yelp.com/biz/texas-avenue-park-webster
Star Cinema Grill: Dinner and a Movie, Rolled Into One
April 3, 2014 by
Star Cinema Grill is the perfect spot to grab a great meal and watch a movie at the same time. A full service bar means you can also have a margarita, glass of wine, or a craft-brewed beer to accompany your movie watching. The food menu offers a full array of goodies, from shrimp tacos, a pulled pork sandwich, an Angus beef burger, and a Cajun shrimp cobb salad. Pizzas have movie-inspired names, like The Usual Suspects Pizza with pepperoni, sausage, and Canadian bacon, and the Dazed and Confused Pizza with barbecue sauce and hot dog slices. The kid’s menu gives the tots some tasty options.
The five screens at the venue show first-run Hollywood offerings, for both kids and adults.
Star Cinema Grill
1020 Nasa Road 1
Webster, TX 77598
(281) 557-9300
www.starcinemagrill.net/
www.yelp.com/biz/star-cinema-grill-webster
Public Domain/Openclipart.org
Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille: Clear Lake Steaks
March 27, 2014 by
There's no shortage of steakhouses in Texas, so it takes a lot of effort to stand out from the crowd. Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille manages it with a focus on high-quality ingredients and excellent service. Since opening in 1993, they’ve won raves from diners and press alike, and one meal here might make you a fan.
Start your dining experience with one of their famous appetizers – the prime beef carpaccio is a tremendous take on the rich flavors of beef, and the iced seafood tower is a lavish take on a steakhouse classic. Of course, the real draw here is the expertly-seared steak, and it won’t disappoint. Some cuts that come highly recommended include the bone-in New York strip and the filet mignon. But, surprisingly, their most famous dish isn’t beef at all, but pork. Perry’s signature pork chop is cured, roasted, slow-smoked and caramelized before being carved tableside. It earns big praise from regular diners.
Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille
487 Bay Area Boulevard
Houston, TX 77058
(281) 286-8800
http://www.perryssteakhouse.com/locations/houston/clear-lake
http://www.yelp.com/biz/perrys-steakhouse-and-grille-houston
4 Simple Living Room Organization Tips
March 20, 2014 by
Just as the name suggests, the living room is where your friends and family do most of their living. Living, however, can be pretty messy, and it can take quite a toll on even the best-laid decor plans. Here are four simple tips for organizing your living room while still keeping it comfortable.
- Add a wastebasket. Most homes don’t have a place in the living room for garbage, which is strange because a lot of garbage accumulates there. Add an attractive trash can in an unused corner to eliminate clutter on the tables and floor.
- Keep tabletop decor minimal. While coffee tables with stacks of candles, magazines, and knick-knacks may look great in magazines, it can be difficult to maintain that purposeful clutter in real life. Add one simple statement piece to your living room surfaces to give them a personal touch while still leaving room for eating, doing work, and other activities.
- Corral kids toys into one corner. Rather than letting the kids take over the whole room, dedicate one corner of the room to toy storage and play. Invest in a large crate or set of drawers for easy cleanup as well.
- Clean up your cords. A tangled clump of cords behind the television or computer looks messy and can become dangerous. Instead, purchase a few adhesive cord organizers or a whole television unit with built-in cord storage.
Tips for Maintaining an Organized Living Room [HGTV]
Room-by-Room Organization Tips [BHG]
Public Domain/Public Domain
Tropical Chill: Texas Shaved Ice
March 13, 2014 by
Get your chill on at Tropical Chill, where the treats are cold, sweet and tasty. With 20 years serving shaved ice in the same location, it’s a Deer Park landmark, where everyone goes with the weather gets hot and they need to chill out with a cold, flavorful snowball.
If you don’t know the difference between a snow cone and a snowball, here’s the deal. Snowballs consist of finely shaved ice, which gives them a soft, creamy texture that’s more like ice cream than the crunchy crushed ice in snow cones. Plus, these babies come in an array of delectable flavors, like Mango, Banana, Black Cherry, Root Beer, Coconut, Watermelon, Peach, Pineapple and Strawberry Daiquiri. Specialty flavors include Chamoy, Chocolate, Leche, Diablo and Tamarind.
Have them add cream to make yours extra swet!
Tropical Chill
7446 Elbridge Lane
Deer Park, TX 77536
(281) 476-9893
http://thetropicalchill.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/tropical-chill-deer-park
A Brief Guide to the Dairy Food Group
March 6, 2014 by
Certain types of milks and cheeses are fattening and not particularly good for you, but dairy as a whole is a beneficial food group that’s important for your overall health.
If you’re confused about the amount of dairy you should consume, these helpful tips from the USDA will help you become a food pyramid pro:
Not all milk products are considered dairy foods.
While foods made from milk that retain their calcium content are a part of the dairy food group, foods like cream cheese, cream and butter are not. That's because these foods contain little to no calcium and, in turn, virtually no health benefits.
As you age, you need about the same amount of dairy.
A very young child needs only about 2 to 2 1/2 cups of foods from the dairy group per day, while all other children, teens and adults need approximately 3 cups.
Dairy products have a number of health benefits.
Regularly consuming dairy products improves bone health, prevents osteoporosis, builds bone mass in children, and even reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.
Only low-fat and fat-free dairy products are considered beneficial.
Dairy products with high saturated fat content and cholesterol can raise the “bad” cholesterol levels in your body and put you at risk for heart disease.
What Foods Are Included in the Dairy Group? [USDA]
Public Domain/Public Domain
Waffle House: A Breakfast Classic
February 27, 2014 by
Chances are you’ve seen the big, black block letters on the yellow Waffle House sign. But did you know that the budget friendly, down-home eatery has been around since 1955? Since then, they’ve served almost a billion waffles. And the La Porte outlet continues the restaurant's history of quality.
Breakfast is a favorite time to stop by for – what else? – Waffles with eggs & bacon, sausage or ham, Buttermilk Pancakes, Steak & Eggs, or a Fiesta Omelet with ham, cheese, onions, tomatoes & jalapeno peppers. Later in the day you can put the hammer down on your appetite with a Double Angus Cheeseburger, Texas Cheese Steak Melt, Papa Joe's Pork Chops, Grilled Chicken, or Bert's Best Bowl Of Chili.
La Porte's Waffle House is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and it's just a short distance from Plaza at San Jacinto.
Waffle House
1501 W. Fairmont Parkway
La Porte, TX 77571
(281) 842-8081
http://www.wafflehouse.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/waffle-house-la-porte
Interesting Blogs from the Library of Congress
February 20, 2014 by
The Library of Congress has created a number of blogs on a variety of different subjects, all utilizing the famous library’s amazing collection of historical resources and documents. Whether you’re interested in music or education, you're likely to find something thought-provoking.
In the Muse
The Library of Congress’s performing arts blog In the Muse highlights the Music Division’s music, dance and theater collections and the genres and works within them. It also describes the Library’s concert series and other events in the wonderful Coolidge Auditorium.
Teaching with the Library of Congress
If you’re a teacher, this helpful blog discusses the most effective ways of using the Library of Congress’s primary sources in the classroom, no matter the age of your students. It provides lesson plans, teacher resources and open discussions about classroom strategies among likeminded educators.
Picture This
Like the name implies, Picture This is an enjoyable blog dedicated to the prints and photos in the Library of Congress. You’ll find high-quality images of each photo, as well as in-depth analyses of where the item came from, who created it, and much more.
Public Domain/Public Domain
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