Somehow, we’ve managed to eat things that weren’t Thanksgiving dinner! Here goes.

Starting on a sad note, we had our last meal at Sagra on Friday, November 17, with my dear friend Marisela. It was delicious, as always, and we even ordered Frangelico. So sad. You can get the latest updates on the plans of Chef Gabriel Pellegrini and the Sagra team on the Save Sagra Austin Facebook page.

Continuing our tour of the intersection of 17th and San Antonio Streets, I tried Dog and Duck’s bubble and squeak for the first time! It was excellent, and I think this is also the first time an eating establishment has provided me with enough sour cream (I adore sour cream).

Yes, I am that predictable. This is a mammoth burrito of perfection from Burrito Factory, featuring steak and grilled veggies in a whole wheat tortilla.

Oops, I did it again. I played with your heart. I made you believe.

I really shouldn’t write these posts at midnight.

My usual: tres tacos al pastor. But stay away from that “spicy” red sauce. It’s a mouth of fire.

The deluxe grilled cheese at Cherrywood Coffehouse. Provolone and swiss, cucumber, tomatoes, and red onions, served on whole wheat bread, with a side of chips.

Salsa verde and kettle chips at Hickory Street on Congress. An old favorite spot from my Capitol tour guide years, the revamped Hickory Street is quite a bit more sophisticated. So much so that we had to ask for these chips and salsa as a special order, off-menu. I used to work with a guy who said he wanted to run for the Legislature on the “chips and salsa platform”: he’d author a bill requiring any place that serves food in Texas to provide complimentary chips and salsa. Sounds good to me.

Duck tacos. Pretty good (if only because duck tacos are not standard, and duck is delicious), but not as good as Zesty Bean Dog’s!

And, finally, Hickory Street’s utterly ridiculous BLT. And by “ridiculous,” I mean “awesome.” I mean, look at it. My mom ordered this, but next time I’m getting it!

Oh, you know it.

El Mer.

Of course, I also made that Sweet Potato Soup with Candied Bacon recipe…

Once all the Thanksgiving leftovers were gone, our fridge and pantry were running low, so I improvised these black bean tacos with grated cheddar, Cholula sauce, and homegrown jalapeños and arugula. If only I’d had some sour cream.

Even worse! Macaroni from a box (to which I added extra cheese and black pepper, as well as three tablespoons of butter) and leftover Sweet Potato Soup. Notice, no matter how broke, we never run out of bourbon.

Another surprisingly good, should’ve-been-bad, thrown-together meal!

We had a box of instant “wild rice,” so I turned it into this wonderful rice and beans dinner.  I sautéed two cloves of minced garlic, one small green bell pepper, and one jalapeño (the last two from our garden) in three tablespoons of butter.  Then I added the rice, its flavor packet, some powdered garlic, one cup of frozen corn, and two cups of water.  I brought that to a boil then simmered over low heat, covered, for 25 minutes.  At the end, I stirred in about six dashes of Cholula sauce and 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, and served it with a final dusting of parmesan.

Cooking and eating this made me think about how far I’ve come in the kitchen.  And mourn for the 21-year-old me and the horrible, flavorless things I ate.