Howdy Florida Foodie friends,
It’s the infamous cattle rustler, Thomas Mates, back from Texas with daring tales of intrigue to share.
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To be honest, very little of that sentence is true. I am Thomas Mates and I am back from Texas and that’s about it.
I had a good time in the Lone Star State. Everyone at our sister station, KSAT, treated me very well and they gave me lots of good dining recommendations.
Some highlights were Pinkerton’s Barbecue, Pete’s Tako House and Best Quality Daughter. I also got to try Whataburger and I have to say, it was a cut above as far as fast-food burgers go. Not the best burger I ever had, but it was worth the stop.
San Antonio itself is also a very vibrant city and the people were incredibly nice. I hope to go back again for a visit.
All that being said, I am incredibly happy to be back home in Florida. I enjoy sleeping in my own bed and cooking in my own kitchen way too much to stay away for long.
OK, let’s get into it.
Tex-Mex empire🌮
The restaurant industry has always been a part of Jake Wheeler’s life. His father is the founder of Tijuana Flats and Tibby’s. Wheeler has been a manager at the latter for several years.
Now, with his dad’s help, he is taking the reins of a new Tex-Mex concept, Big Taco. The pair opened the restaurant in Casselberry in November and they hope to build it into another burgeoning chain.
Wheeler talked with Lisa Bell all about the business on the latest Florida Foodie.
>You can check out the episode here<
You can also find every episode of Florida Foodie on YouTube.
Small bites🍉
Top pizza🍕: Despite what some New Yorkers might say, you can find some pretty good pizza here in Central Florida. Yelp just came down with a list of the top 10 spots for a good slice. You can find it here.
More chicken🍗: Raising Cane’s recently opened its first Orlando location and now the chain is looking to expand its Central Florida footprint. It now has a shop planned for Daytona Beach. Click here to find out where.
Love is in the air❤️: Valentine’s Day is coming up and no doubt many of you are scrambling to find a place to wine and dine your sweetie. Well, Yelp is making a second appearance on the list today with a list of the 100 most romantic restaurants. Several Florida restaurants made the list, including a few in our area. Click here to find out which ones made the cut.
Something to try at home🍽️
This week, I have a delicious cookie recipe courtesy of my lovely wife.
She made these recently and they are amazing. The cookies are light and crispy but with a rich flavor full of warm spices.
She combines two recipes to make these: Easy Cinnamon Snowballs from Sally’s Cookie Addiction by Sally McKenney + Cardamom Spice Snowballs from Real Simple magazine
Ingredients:
- 1 cup (2 sticks, or 240 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups (240 g) confectioners’ sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 and 1/4 cups (270g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (110 g) finely chopped pecans
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Step 1: In a large bowl using a handheld mixer, or in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth (about 1 minute).
Step 2: Add 3/4 cup (90 g) of the confectioners’ sugar and the vanilla extract, and beat on medium-high speed until combined and creamy (about 2 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to combine.
Step 3: Add the flour (1/4 cup (30 g) at a time), and beat on low speed.
Step 4: Once all the flour has been added, add the salt, pecans, cardamom, 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and black pepper, and beat on high until the dough comes together.
Step 5: Cover and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F.
Step 6: Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats, then set aside.
Step 7: Roll balls of dough (about 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie) and place two inches apart on the baking sheets.
Step 8: Bake cookies until browned on the bottom edges and just barely browned on top (about 15 minutes).
Step 9: Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet as you mix the remaining 1 1/4 cups (150 g) of confectioners’ sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon together in a small bowl.
Step 10: Gently roll the warm cookies in the mixture to coat completely.
Step 11: Place coated cookies on wire racks to cool completely.
Step 12: Roll the cookies in the mixture a second time so the sugar sticks.
That’s it for today.
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Send me your recipes so I can share them with everyone. My email is tmates@wkmg.com.
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