Steaks & Good Causes

This past weekend was a fantastical time filled with BBQ, football, charitable causes and one special anniversary.

We started things off right with a Friday dinner made of all your early-fall essentials: a charcoal grill, stacks of meat, excellent side dishes, "family" (or our current house hosts, if you will), juicy watermelon and some ice cold beer!

I made my mom's tried-and-true Jiffy Cornbread casserole recipe - it was soooo good! Not health-minded since it calls for a whole stick of butter, it's still extra delicious for a good hearty dinner side dish. Add jalapenos on top for an extra kick!

Jiffy Cornbread Casserole recipe. Click on image to enlarge.

Bright and early Saturday morning, I was en route to Downtown Houston for the annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. It was packed! Breast cancer awareness folks have done a fantastic job of marketing the logo, the cause and all the special events, so the walk is no exception. We were pumping our legs away by 8:30am, along with thousands of others who were there to support the cause, including the team of folks I went with. We followed up the walk with lunch at Phil's BBQ, a new experience for me, and I got the jalapeno sausage. It was delish!

Our group, ready to pound the pavement!

Little M went with us. She was so cute all dressed in pink for the Komen walk!

Little M and me ready to get started...

Ready, set, go!

They even had *pink* porta potties.

After an afternoon shopping spree with my friend, Lisa, and a quick recovery nap, Mike and I headed back Downtown to celebrate our anniversary. Four years of marriage and looking forward to the next 65! We ate dinner at our all time favorite steakhouse for special occasions, Vic & Anthony's. Every time we've been there in the past, it was during our trips to Vegas. So this marked our first experience at the Houston location, and it was every bit as good. From their huge cocktails served in heavy rock glasses, to their perfectly cooked filet mignon, we were in heaven. (We're also big whisky drinkers, and have been loving Crown Black. If you like Crown, you should try this! It's so smooth and yummy.)

We reminisced about our past three anniversaries, and how we celebrated each one. Our first year was in Vegas, our second year was in Houston and our third year (which will be hard to surpass) was in Scotland! Each year we were in the midst of a new adventure, just like this year. We are still getting used to being back in America and soaking up all the stuff we missed while we were gone for 12 months. Which includes steak at Vic & Anthony's.

After dinner, we stayed overnight at the Hyatt Regency, lounging around in bed till 11:30 the next morning watching football and cat napping. It was awesome to be completely alone and have some down time that we could both enjoy together. Things are always on an odd schedule when you're not living in your own home or, like me, are a full-time freelancer and work around the clock.

Our weekend was perfectly capped off with a huge fajita feast back at our friend's house, our current "home," along with family. It was the perfect, cool weather outside to relax with a cold one and watch the kids running around the yard. Mike and I are trying to be patient in our house hunt, but we are so anxious to have our own place to hosts BBQs, holiday parties and wine nights! Hoping it's not much longer...

How was your weekend?