Eateries & Drinkeries

Salesforce Basecamp Conference

June 19, 2019 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

First things first. Sissy sent Brudda and me pictures and videos of this little baby. I guess she doesn’t want our parents to find out that she is volunteering to watch over Teddy and bring him in for adoption come Saturday. They said he’s a terrier mix but I see some lab in him which reminds me of Luna, but the sunny version of her, Sol. Bruno and Kato just stare at him and it’s so adorable!

His colouring kind of reminds me of Rizzo when he was a baby. If you’re interested in adopting this cutie, follow the link! Just look at his eyes! https://www.petfinder.com/dog/theodore-44938407/tx/houston/pup-squad-animal-rescue-tx1261/

Okay, back to my day. This morning there was a networking session where we were fed breakfast tacos and coffee. I got to meet people outside of my organization and it was nice to be able to talk about different parts of the company and branch out.

Josh, Juhi, Christopher and I met up with Erin and John for Thai food for lunch. The place we wanted to go to had water issues so we went across the street to We Thai Restaurant. Google gave it four stars, Yelp gave it three and a half. Guess, always go with Yelp because we’ve all decided we won’t be back. Their soup and vegetable egg roll were good but their pad thai tasted like sweet jam and their spice level was horrible. Josh ordered Thai hot and I ordered hot and I did not taste any spice at all. Bummer.

After getting back to the office, we were there for a good hour before Christopher and I headed to the Salesforce Basecamp Conference in a hotel down the street.

Salesforce Basecamp Conference | Trail Mix

Salesforce has these things called Trails where you can learn how to use their product. I thought it was adorable that they put together a little trail mix bar!

Salesforce Basecamp Conference | Mascot Cutouts

We walked around, networked a bit, and saw a lot of cute little cardboard cutouts of their mascots. I wish I could draw cute things like this!

Salesforce Basecamp Conference | Starbucks Gift Card

We sat through a couple hours of presentations and demos which was very informative. I don’t think I’ve ever been so alert in a conference before! And afterward we took a quick minute survey and received gift cards to Starbucks.

Salesforce Basecamp Conference | Happy Hour

They ended it with a Happy Hour with an open bar and little finger foods. Fried chicken on a stick with barbecue sauce, crab cakes, and fried mini artichokes. We networked some more, met some people that also worked at the same company as us before we called it a night.

It’s been a day filled with networking and making conversations but it’s been one of the good days in a while so I cannot complain.

Recipe | Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

June 18, 2019 by Mellie Dee 2 Comments

I understand the picture doesn’t look too appetizing but looks can be deceiving. Stuffed Cabbage Rolls have been on my list to make for the longest time but I’m lazy. No one has time to sit there and roll up little logs so I took the easier approach. Same flavour without all the hassle. Recipe down below!

After lunch, we took a walk around the campus and we finally got to try the new robotic frozen yogurt machine. Well, it’s been around for a couple of months but I never had a chance until now.

Reis & Irvy's Frozen Yogurt Machine | Frozen Yogurt

It was a terrible mistake trying out the machine because it tasted fantastic and now I’m worried it’ll be my go-to whenever I need a little treat. I’m a toppings lover when it comes to froyo so I wished they gave more of them.

I have something to look forward to each day for the rest of the week and I’m excited about it all. Happy Tuesday, y’all!

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

35 mins

Total Time

55 mins

Same great flavour of a Stuffed Cabbage Roll without all the hassle!

Course: Main Course

Ingredients

2 lbs ground beef
1 large onion chopped
1 small head of cabbage chopped
2 cans diced fire roasted tomatoes 14.5 oz
1 can tomato sauce 8 oz
1/2 cup chicken broth low sodium
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper

Preparations

Heat a deep, large skillet over medium-high heat.
Cook and stir beef and onion until browned and crumbly (about 5-7 minutes). Drain and discard grease.
Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.
Cover and reduce heat. Simmer until cabbage is tender (about 30 minutes).

Notes

If you want to add in carbs, 3/4 cup rice + 1 1/2 cup of extra broth should do the trick!
I added a poblano pepper. You can add other vegetables but make sure to add extra broth so it won’t be too dry.

The Classic | Houston, Texas

June 14, 2019 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

I had to force myself out of bed today. It was nice just laying there with Rizzo without any plans after a hectic two weeks at work. I was able to check off some items that’s been sitting on my to-do list, one having to do with my 401k from my other company that is now being transferred to my current employer account.

I wanted to get out of the house to work on a case study competition I signed up for and ended up at Cocohodo. But once I signed on to my work laptop, I got lost in my emails and started working. Five hours later, I got a lot done, but not my case study. Whoops.

I went home, packed my bags and headed to Sissy’s for a sister night. We shopped at Target and PetsMart before heading to dinner at The Classic.

The Classic | Houston, Texas | Cauliflower & Shishito Peppers — Cauliflower & Shishito Peppers [date dashi, curry salt, mint, peanuts] | $8

The Classic | Houston, Texas | Crispy Brussels Sprouts — Crispy Brussels Sprouts [honey-balsamic, toasted hazelnuts, gruyere] | $8

We ordered some appetizers, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. Both were equally delicious. Sissy wasn’t a big fan of the Brussels sprouts because of the coldness of the slaw and hotness of the Brussels.

The Classic | Houston, Texas | Rum Old Fashioned — Rum Old Fashioned

The Classic | Houston, Texas | Pretty In Pink — Pretty In Pink

We felt fancy with our drinks. We decided on sitting outside since the weather was so nice. They had a gorgeous wall of real plants outside which one of my friend said it looked as if I was at a gardening store. Maybe that’ll be a cool business. Serve alcohol while people shop for gardening stuff.

The Classic | Houston, Texas | Lemongrass Salad — Lemongrass Salad [grilled San San tofu, peanuts, herbs, black rice, avocado, lemongrass vinaigrette] | $14

Their lemongrass vinaigrette gave it a very refreshing taste for the salad. I was pleasantly surprised since salads are usually the same old same old. I would come back for this salad. Note to self: learn to make lemongrass vinaigrette.

The Classic | Houston, Texas | Butcher's Cut — Butcher’s Cut [with potatoes, asparagus, topped with Hollandaise sauce] | $25

I wouldn’t say this is the BEST thing I’ve ever eaten though it wasn’t bad. I would choose the Lemongrass Salad over this.

We were stuffed, and headed back to Sissy’s. We’re currently watching Bad Moms while researching for my case study. Night world!

The Classic
5922 Washington Ave, Houston, Texas 77007
(713) 868-1131
theclassichouston.com | Yelp

Erin’s Last Day

June 13, 2019 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

Maria was nice enough to get Shipley’s donuts, donut holes, and kolaches for the team as a goodbye to Erin. Her big hoopla happy hour with the team is not until next Thursday so I guess you can say this is a pre-goodbye.

Mexico's Deli | Houston, Texas | Fajita, Pastor, and Cochinita Pibil with Charro Beans

Erin, Angie, and Josh went to get lunch at Mexico’s Deli. I was stuck in a meeting so I met up with them later. It was surprisingly delicious except for the fact that they need a fly trap. The taco truck is still my favourite place though. Note to self: go back to the taco truck soon!

Work settled down but ever since everyone found out Erin was leaving, it’s been a whole lot of crazy. I sat in some meetings with her and now too many people trust me on things that have nothing to do with me. Help …

Crawfish & Noods

June 8, 2019 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

A long overdue crawfish session with Salim. It was apparently his second time having it and the first time this year. Who is this kid? We went to Jolynn’s since it seems to be equal driving for both of us. They’re more pricey and we didn’t really see many other customers there but their flavouring is still pretty great. I was surprised that he was okay with eating the heads!

Afterward, his fingers were burning and his lips were on fire so he suggested ice cream but he got too excited when I said there were a lot of boba places around so we ended up at Sharetea. I got the Taro Milk Tea and he got some kind of other milk tea. I wasn’t really paying attention. It was nice getting to talk nerdy stuff with him as we usually tend to be in a group.

Damian's Cucina Italiana | Houston, Texas | Tim & Tara's Going Away Dinner

Tim and Tara had a going away dinner tonight at Damian’s Cucina Italiana. She is so adorable with the decorations and games. It was crazy how Eric walked in and the girl he has been seeing for the last four months is My-Linh, a girl that I knew back in college. We pretty much just all sat together and caught up.

Damian’s Cucina Italiana | Houston, Texas | Tim & Tara’s Going Away Dinner | Food

Free bread for the table. Tara was sweet enough to order a few plates of appetizers (breaded asparagus, calamari, and some type of gnocchi) for the table. I got lobster bisque and Shrimp Damian. I was so full that I gave some of my food away. Every single thing there was delicious. This might just be my favourite Italian restaurant now. Well worth the money I spent. My-Linh was sweet enough to pay for my old fashioned. I don’t suggest ordering an old fashioned there though because they splashed in tonic water which is not how it’s made so that was a bummer.

Today has been filled with delicious foods that my stomach is a little too happy. I’m going to try and fit in a bit of studies before bed and maybe finish Chernobyl. Night, world!