The Texas Connection Vol. 11

March 31, 2021 Hanna Carroll

Happy to have ya' back!

Welcome back to the Texas Connection. Grab your cup of coffee (or beer) and read this week's interesting finds from your Pals at Texas Humor.

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Howdy, friends! Here's your news updates for this week:

In Your Neck of the Woods:

Forever to-go alcoholic beverages? I never thought I'd see the day.
Stay tuned next year to see if Austin has hail AGAIN on March 25. The 3 worst hail storms in Austin, Texas have all been on 3/25...
The New TP&W Hunting Laws have released for 2021 and you can find 'em here.
Texas Humor just released Brumates. This is a "run, don't walk" situation.

Weird Finds:

If you have a doggy door and don't lock it at night... this is your sign.
NASA claims the Earth is safe for 100 more years of an Asteroid disaster. Cheers to that.
This New Hampshire woman gave birth to a baby girl at age 57.
The family of the teen who choked on the chicken nugget just got $2 million...

The Furry Friend Weeklies:

For all of you cheering on the Rhode Island Runaway cow... the steak-out is over.
This Texas Veterinarian is predicting a severe tick season. Read here about how to keep your pets healthy this summer.
Ever heard of a rib lovin' Ravens?

Until next week... stay newsy my friends.

About 2 hours north of San Antonio, nestled just outside of the hometown of THE Matthew McConaughey, you’ll find Lost Maples. While the primetime to find yourself in this part of Texas is in the fall, – because YES the leaves do change color in Texas – you’re sure to find beautiful views all year-round.

With over 10 miles of trails you’ll be sure to find an activity that suits your fancy, there’s something for everyone...

Camp with your RV with electric and water hook-ups or choose to backpack to a primitive campsite.
Fish in the Sabinal River or Can Creek (You don’t need a license to fish from shore or pier in a state park or natural area)
Hike the loop to grab a great view of Texas from the top of the 2,200-foot cliff.
Catch a glimpse of a wide-variety of wildlife, including the endangered golden-cheeked warbler

However you choose to enjoy Lost Maples, just remember to leave it how you found it.

Happy Trails my friends!

Howdy!

I want to introduce y’all to this lovely establishment that has come to us from the Great White North! Maple Leaf Diner in Dallas, Texas is a Canadian restaurant that has been recognized time and time again for it’s amazing food, service, and atmosphere. They have been featured in D Magazine many times as winners of the Best of Big D Reader’s Choice Awards, they have been featured on the Food Network show food paradise, and most recently they have been ranked as #54 on Yelp’s Top 100 Places to Eat in the United States.

While their menu has all the classic diner options that you know and love, I would HIGHLY recommend that you branch out and try some of their more unique dishes. I’m gonna list some of my favorite menu items for y’all to try, but don’t let this limit you from trying something that speaks to you!

1. Canadian Eggs Benedict: This is your regular eggs benny, but instead of the canadian bacon that we know, they use Peameal Bacon. This is the leanest piece of bacon I have ever had, but it was still so juicy! It is called peameal bacon because it is rolled in ground yellow peameal to preserve it’s shelf life. Now, I don’t know how that works, but all I know is that it is delicious!

2. Canadian Classic Poutine: This is the reason I tried Maple Leaf Diner in the first place. I had heard about poutine, and this was the only place I could find that had it on their menu and y’all, they did not disappoint. If you’re unfamiliar, poutine is a bed of fries topped with cheese curds and smothered in a brown gravy. It sounds very simple, but their gravy packs a whole lot of flavor and the fries are perfectly crispy. It’s a dish you definitely need to try if you get the chance.

Pictured: Classic Poutine (From Maple Leaf Diner on Yelp)

4. Latkes: I love a good plate of latkes, and Maple Leaf diner has some of the best latkes I’ve ever had. You should order a plate or two of these for the table if you want to make everyone happy. They are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and seasoned to perfection. While they are delicious on their own, you have the option of getting a side of sour cream or applesauce to eat them with. Now, I’m a sour cream and latkes girl, but you should try both and pick your own team.

5. Southern Poutine: This is the greatest combination of Southern and Canadian cuisine that I have ever known. This is a cross between a southern chicken fried chicken and a Canadian poutine. Imagine this, a bed of crispy fries topped with cheese curds and crispy pieces of chopped chicken fried chicken, drenched in a white gravy. It is a mountain of food and a mountain of mouth watering deliciousness.

Pictured: Southern Poutine (From Andrea B. on Yelp)

5. Diner Special: This is one of the first things I tried at Maple Leaf Diner because I wanted to see what they considered their diner special. Y’all I don’t know how they do it in Canada, but this was a huge dish of food that took me a good long time to eat. Pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, and cream puffs. You’re probably thinking, “that doesn’t sound like a lot of food, I can get that at Denny’s”. Y’all these pancakes are larger than my head, and I’ve got a pretty big head. No doubt if you get this, you will leave feeling like a stuffed sausage.

Pictured: Diner Special (From Erik W. on Yelp)

These are just my personal favorites, but they’ve got a huge menu of options for you to try. Don’t forget dessert, they’ve got a lovely selection of dessert items for you to try as well (I love the white chocolate raspberry cookies), and I can’t wait for you to try them. Until next week,

I hope you eat something delicious.

Crawfish. Crawdads. Mudbugs. God's love sent down in bug form.
It's crawfish season and anybody that likes crawfish knows that the bugs and good beer go hand in hand. If you like your crawfish spicy (as you should), you'll probably want something light and refreshing to keep ya going. These are some of my favorite beers to have with crawfish and can be picked up pretty easily across the state at places like HEB (hang in there Dallas, you'll get one soon enough😊)

Real Ale's Hans Pils: This lightly hoppy pils goes with spicy crawfish, BBQ, mowing the yard, you name it. Should be considered a Texas classic at this point. If you've somehow never had this beer, change that immediately. You won't be disappointed.
Southern Star's Bombshell Blonde: I think this was my first ever beer at a crawfish boil (if I remember correctly). Smoooooth, a little sweet, bready, floral, and just a tad hoppy.
Brazos Valley Brewing's Two-Step Pils: A little dry and slightly hoppier than the others here, it's got a "bready" sweetness and some sort of fruity aroma. Bonus points to BVB for all of the country music references on the cans and with their beer names.
Galveston Island Brewing's Tiki Wheat: With almost no bitterness and some flavors of light orange peel & coriander, this may be the only beer on this list that isn't in all HEBS, but you shouldn't have trouble finding it if you're in the Houston area.
Shiner's Premium Beer: A lager that's sweet, light and thin, and just a tad bitter. This beer drinks easy and is miles better than other "big beers" out there, plus it's still brewed in Shiner, Texas.

If you're not into boiling your own crawfish and would rather someone else do all the work, be sure to keep an eye on your local breweries during crawfish season. Most weekends, places like B52, Brazos Valley, Last Stand, and plenty more will be boiling up crawfish with all the extras to pair with their beers.
Now go pinch some tails and drink some beer.
Cheers, y'all!