House of Blues - Downtown Disney

We've tried many of Disney's amazing restaurants, but just recently discovered House of Blues. House of Blues has twelve locations in the U.S., including:


ANAHEIM
BOSTON
CHICAGO
CLEVELAND
DALLAS
HOUSTON
LAS VEGAS
LOS ANGELES
MYRTLE BEACH
NEW ORLEANS
ORLANDO
SAN DIEGO                            

About the House of Blues

The House of Blues grew out of founder Isaac Tigrett's love for the unique American art form known as the "the Blues". Weaned on this music during his early childhood in Tennessee, one of Isaac's goals was to introduce the world to the music of the rural south, including the Blues, Rhythm and Blues, Gospel, Jazz and Roots-based Rock & Roll.
The very first House of Blues opened its doors in a converted historical house in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1992 and is home to live music, original folk art, and delta-inspired cuisine.
The House of Blues is dedicated to educating and celebrating the history of Southern Culture and African American artistic contributions to music and art.
Our mission is to create:

• A profitable, principled global entertainment company.
• To celebrate the diversity and brotherhood of world culture.
• To promote racial and spiritual harmony through love, peace, truth, righteousness and non-violence. - SOURCE

On our last night of vacation, we decided to give House of Blues a try and we both absolutely loved it! The food is delicious and the atmosphere is wonderful.



Peter ordered the St. Louis Ribs - house smoked rack of ribs rubbed with adobo spice covered in smoked tomato BBQ sauce with green beans and House of Blues Salad - fresh field greens, red and yellow tomatoes, spicy pecans and crumbled feta cheese drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette dressing. He said, hands down, the best, he's ever had!!




and I got the Signature Burger w/sauteed bourbon onions, smoked BBQ sauce, wild mushrooms and swiss cheese and a side of sweet potato fries. This burger was soooooo good!!!!!




We both agreed that we will definitely return! This restaurant is included in Disney's Dining Plan, but we paid OOP for this meal, using the 20% discount from our travel packet. I highly suggest checking out all the discounts in your packet, as there are many, most of which we didn't get to use, but the ones that we did saved us some $$.

Best Meatloaf Recipe...ever!

stock photo

 

 

MEATLOAF

2 eggs

2/3 c. milk

3 slices bread

1/2 c. chopped onion

1/2 c. grated carrot

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1 t. parsley

1 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

1-1/2 lb. ground beef

TOPPING:

1/2 c. tomato sauce

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 t. mustard

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a large bowl, beat eggs, add milk and bread (torn in pieces). Let stand.

 

Add onion, carrot, cheese, and seasonings to egg mixture. Add beef and mix well.

 

Form into loaf and put in shallow baking dish (I line with foil for easy clean up).

 

Bake @ 350 degrees for 45 minutes Combine sauce and pour over meatloaf.

 

Bake about 30 minutes more or until no longer pink. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

 

(I haven't gotten a picture yet, so I'm using a stock photo that looks similar.)

Crockpot Beef Stew

Now, I've been making the same beef stew recipe for years (it's my mama's recipe), and up until today, never found a recipe that could compare. I was skeptical about even trying another recipe. I mean, when something's good, why mess with it? But, I'm all about trying new recipes, and this one is a winner!

Here's the recipe:

Crockpot Beef Stew

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/2 lbs. beef cubes
2 T. oil

1-1/2 cups water
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 (10-3/4 oz.) can condensed tomato soup
2 teaspoons italian seasoning
1 teaspoon basil
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2-3 medium sized potatoes - cut into pieces
1 onion - cut into quarters
2 stalks celery - cut into pieces
3 carrots - cut into pieces
1 jar mushrooms or 8 oz. fresh
3/4 cup frozen peas

• Put flour in a gallon-size Ziploc bag. Add beef cubes; shake to coat.
• Heat oil; brown beef cubes then put in crockpot.
• To pan, add water and bouillon cubes. Dissolve and stir; scraping pan to remove bits.
• Remove from heat and add soup, seasonings, and bay leaves. Stir together and pour over meat in crockpot.
• Add potatoes, onions, celery, carrots, and mushrooms.
• Cover and cook on high 4 hours or low 6 hrs. Add peas for the last 30 minutes.
• Discard bay leaves and serve.

Recipe adapted from: Gonna Want Seconds

Garlic Lime Chicken

Garlic Lime Chicken

3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 lime

• In a small bowl, mix together salt, pepper, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, thyme and parsley.
• Sprinkle spice mixture generously on both sides of chicken breasts.
• Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and saute lightly.
• Add chicken and cook until golden brown, about 6 minutes on each side-turn frequently.
• Sprinkle with the juice of half of the lime. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently to coat evenly with sauce.
• Serve with lime slices as garnish.

Grilled Pizza

Now, I've tried all kinds of pizza, but I think this pizza was one of the best pizzas I've ever eaten! If you love pizza and you love to grill, this recipe is a must try! It was super easy and so delicious!

Here's my recipe:

Pizza crust- I pulled out the bread machine and made the basic pizza dough recipe. I use this recipe all the time, it always turns out perfectly.
 

*You can also make your own or make a quick pizza crust from a mix.

 

 

Make dough according to bread machine intructions and once the dough is ready

 

 

 divide the dough in half and press it out flat.

 

Sprinkle with corn meal (or you could use flour) so it wasn't sticky.

 

Brush the grill with olive oil as well as the crust.

 

Grill over low heat until edges start to bubble a little.

 

Turn with tongs and grill a few minutes longer until crust starts to brown.

 

Next, spread pizza sauce on crust and top with your favorite toppings. I used fresh pineapple, green pepper, onion, pepperoni, mushroom, mozzarella cheese, and a little fresh parmesan cheese.

 

Grill a few minutes longer, until cheese melts and veggies wilt a little. Delicious!!!

 

Here are a few more grilled pizza ideas via Pinterest.

 

Shrimp & Pesto

Grilled BBQ Chicken Pizza

Caprese w/ Balsamic



Margherita Pizza

 

Riverside Grill - Pocomoke, MD

 

Located in downtown Pocomoke on the river, Riverside Grill is a hidden gem. The food is fresh and delicious, the atmoshere is awesome and you'll  love the view of the river from the dining room or deck. We have eaten there numerous times, as well as having our son and daughter-in-law's rehearsal dinner there last May (which was held in the private dining room with access to the deck). The staff is very friendly and eager to make your visit at Riverside Grill worth coming back for. They have a large menu, as well as many delicious daily and nightly specials. Menu link HERE.

 

A few things we've tried at Riverside Grill:

 

Steak Sandwich & House Salad

 

"Build Your Own Salad" w/grilled tuna

 

Shrimp Salad Sandwich

Seared Ahi Tuna


Shrimp Salad/Crab Cake Club

Shrimp Salad and Seafood Gumbo



Crabby Chicken (Grilled Chiken Breast topped with Hot Crab Dip)
and those FRIES....YUM!!!

 

 

"Our great riverfront views and the historic bridge provide the perfect venue for dinner with the family, lunch and a beer, or special occasions. We serve great food at affordable prices."

Nightly Specials:

Monday: (Wing Night)
60 cent wings 8-10 pm (minimum 6 per order)
$2 Coors light, Bud light & Yuengling drafts 8pm-close
Tuesday: (App Night)
$1.25 kids meals 4-10 pm (1 discount kids meal per adult meal)
$5 select appetizers ($1 off seafood appetizers) 8-10 pm
½ price import bottled beer 8pm-close
Wednesday: (Taco Night)
$1.25 tacos & quesadillas 8-10 pm (minimum 3 per order)
$3 house margaritas, $3 Dos Equis, $2 Bud Light Lime, $4 Cuervo shots 8pm-close
Thursday: (Burger Night)
$5 burgers 4pm-midnight
Discount premium rotating draft 8pm-close
$5 bombs- grape, cherry, orange, raspberry, lemon 8pm-close
Friday: (TGIF)
$2.50 Domestic bottles 8pm-close
$18 bottles of Premium Wines
$5 house Orange & Lemon crushes 8pm-close
Saturday:
$3 Heineken bottles 8pm-close
$3 Angry Orchard draft 8pm-close
½ price glasses house wine, $5 cosmos 8pm-close
Sunday: (HH All Day)
Happy Hour All Day w/ $1 off appetizers

$2.50 Bloody Mary’s & Mimosas

**During Football Season Only- 2 for $5 BYO or specialty hot dogs **

 

Address:

 

Riverside Grill

2 Riverside Drive

Pocomoke, MD 21851

 

Phone:

 

410-957-0622

 

Hours:

 

11 a.m. to midnight or later daily

 

Website:

 

http://www.riversidegrillpocomoke.com/

 

About:

 

Riverside Grill is a new restaurant & full service bar, which was built by the City of Pocomoke and is run by the Reeves family. Mark & Leslie Reeves bought their first restaurant, Market Street Inn, in 1989 where our build-your-own style of menu became popular.

These owner/operators took a brief break from the restaurant business from 2001 to 2007 to raise their children. They opened Back Street Grill in November of 2007, which they are still successfully operating and the customers enjoy the original check-off style menu and daily specials.

Riverside Grill is the sister restaurant of Back Street Grill in Salisbury, MD. We opened on July 9th, 2012 with an expanded version of the original menu. Our customers and we enjoy our waterfront views, which include indoor and outdoor seating, as well as a private room for parties

 

 

 

Beef Enchilada (freezer meal)

Beef Enchiladas - make some for now, freeze some for later. This recipe can be easily doubled to make extras for future meals.

Ingredients:1 pack of flour tortillas
1 lb ground beef
2 (10 oz) cans mild enchilada sauce
1 (16oz) can refried beans (optional - I did not use)
1 (4.5oz) can chopped green chiles
1 pkg. taco seasoning
8oz cheddar or mexican blend cheese


Brown ground beef; drain fat. Add taco seasoning; stir.

 

 

Next, add green chilis; stir.

 

Pour half enchilada sauce in bottom of baking dish.

 

Put beef on tortilla and roll up; place in dish seam down.

 

Pour remaining sauce over tortillas; cover with cheese.

 

 

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve with sour cream.

To freeze: line 8 x 8 pan with foil (or use an 8 x 8 throw-away aluminum pan), assemble as directed, and cover tightly with foil, and freeze.

 

I used 1-lb. ground beef and omitted the refried beans which would have stretched it further. It made 6 large enchiladas - today's dinner and a meal for later.

Spicy Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork

Today, I tried another recipe from Pioneer Woman. I'll warn you ahead of time: you MUST love spicy food (I mean SPICY) if you are going to try this. It was absolutely delicious, but it is HOT! It didn't bother Peter, it can never be too hot for him, but I was a wimp and had to drink a glass of milk afterwards to balance out the heat (it works, btw).

This recipe has very few ingredients, but it is packed with flavor!

Here's what you need:


- one pork shoulder or pork butt

It cooks up so tender and moist, and literally melts in your mouth.

- one large onion

- one 7 oz. can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

(if you are wimpy like me-just add half the can)

They have a smoky, spicy flavor. I had never tried these before, very tasty-but very spicy!

***two cans of chipotles in pic - but only use one!!

- two 12 oz. cans Dr. Pepper

I've seen lots of recipes that call for soda, but this was a first for me. It magically transforms the pork and onion and peppers into this delicious, wonderful flavorful, pulled pork concoction.

- 2 T. brown sugar

Directions:

Cut onion as shown above, place in bottom of pan. I started the pork in a slow cooker for the first 4 hours, then transferred to a pan covered tightly with foil in a 300 degree oven for 3 more hours. PW cooks hers in the oven only in a covered pot for 6 hours.

 

After putting onions in bottom of pan, place pork on top, then pour chipotles on top. Sprinkle with brown sugar, and pour in Dr. Pepper.

 

After cooking for 4 hours, it looked like this as I transferred to a pan for the oven.

 

 

Once the pork was done, I shredded it. Peter chose a bun for his, I had mine on a small flour tortilla w/ sour cream, lettuce, and shredded cheddar.

 

 

Delish....but SUPER SPICY!!!

 

I would make this again, but will probably add only half a can of peppers.

 

 

Grilled Chicken w/ Lemon Basil Pasta

I love Pioneer Woman! Not only is Ree a great cook, but she is very real....like I could be friends with her real. She doesn't try to be perfect or too fancy. I love her cooking style and have tried many of her recipes, all of which have been winners!

I tried her Grilled Chicken w/ Lemon Basil Pasta today and it was sooooo good! I improvised a little since I was cooking for two instead of a crowd, but I used all the ingredients on the list. I also tried getting some good pictures, but the finished dish doesn't look near as appealing as the pictures Ree takes.

A link to her version of the recipe HERE and my take on it here:

Marinate 2-3 boneless chicken breast in a mixture of a little olive oil, the juice from one lemon, honey, salt, and basil (from your spice cabinet - I used fresh in the pasta). I marinated in a gallon size ziploc bag for about 5 hours.

Ingredients:

 

8 oz. penne pasta, 1/2 stick butter, juice from one lemon, 1 cup half & half (or heavy cream), 1 cup grated parmesan/romano cheese, salt & pepper to taste, and fresh basil (chopped)

 

Side Note: Fresh basil will turn dark after a few days, so use as soon as possible.

 

 

Directions:

Grill chicken and keep warm until pasta and sauce are ready. Cook pasta; drain and set aside. In pan, melt butter over medium heat and add lemon juice. Whisk together. Pour in half-and-half. Whisk until hot. Add cheese and whisk until melted, then add salt and pepper.
Pour pasta and sauce into a large serving bowl. Stir in basil. When serving, top with sliced chicken breast and sprinkle with a little chopped basil. Serve immediately! DELISH!!!

 

Don't skimp on the basil - it is a great compliment to the lemony cream sauce.

 

Check out Ree's website: Pioneer Woman and tune in to her show every Saturday morning at 10 a.m. on Food Network.

White Bean Chicken Chili

We love chili and normally I make the classic red chili with ground beef, but today, I tried a new recipe for White Bean Chicken Chili.

It's very easy (crock pot easy) and very tasty! It's a healthy version of a favorite classic!

-White Bean Chicken Chili-

2-3 boneless chicken breast

(I cooked the chicken until almost done in a little water on top of the stove before transferring to crock pot)

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
1 onion - chopped
1 *jalapeno - seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 (15 oz.) cans cannellini or white kidney beans - drained and rinsed
3 cups chicken broth (I used the broth from chicken I cooked earlier)

Toppings: shredded cheese (I used Mexican Blend), sour cream, tortilla chips, or any of your favorite chili toppings.

Put chicken in bottom of crock pot. Add seasonings, onion, jalapeno, garlic, and beans. Next, pour broth over everything and cover. Simmer on high 4-6 hrs. or low 6-8 hrs.

Shred chicken and stir before serving. Sprinkle with cheese and your favorite toppings.

 

 

*if you want more heat, add an extra jalapeno, a hotter pepper, or a can of green chilies to the recipe.

 

 

Side Note: I used a (small) crock pot for years and absolutely loved it! It cooked evenly and quickly, and you could remove the pan to brown on top of the stove.

 

It, however, wasn't big enough for all recipes (like the Easter ham of 2013) LOL. (BTW, that ham recipe was delicious!!)

 

So, I put a new, bigger crock pot on my wish list and Nathan gave me this one last year for Christmas.

 

Crock - Pot The Original Slow Cooker

I love all the settings and I really love the size, but it has taken some getting used to as it doesn't cook as quickly as my old crock pot. It actually takes almost twice as long to cook in this one. I have to put things in super early to have dinner ready at a decent time. Maybe I'll get used to it, if not, I may have to start doing some crock pot research! Any recommendations?