Monster Yogurt

http://www.scarytastesgood.com/

Fro Yo! 

Well there is a new place you can add to your list of must visits in Dallas Texas. What an amazing concept. Not only is this great, high quality frozen yogurt, but it has so many toppings to choose from. There are containers on three walls with options, options, options. Then at the register you have your traditional fruits, and brownies, and cookie dough, etc. If there were nothing more than this, which is true for most other frozen yogurt places, it would still be worth a visit to this place. But that is where Monster Yogurt takes their restaurant concept to a whole new level.

It's always nice to find a new great place to take the kids. Monster Yogurt provided an excellent experience. You walk in to a well decorated, bright, cheery little Yogurt shop. There is a wonderful playground to one side in it's own room, cut's down the noise, with it's own seating area built just for the little ones. Just outside of the playground, on the other side of the glass is the adults seating area. This is the perfect place to stop off for a quick treat at any time of day, or grab your book, kindle, or laptop and enjoy their free WiFi.

Whereas so many of these yogurt places have hard plastic like seats that invite you to leave as soon as your are done, this place has comfortable chairs to sit in, with a more coffee shop like feel. Free WiFi. An assortment of non-traditional cold drinks, like Jones Soda! They even have a drip coffee bar for FREE just to help you enjoy your experience further, warm coffee with your cold yogurt? Yummm.... The free coffee is part of their grass-roots effort to help local charities. Any donation you can provide will be sent to the featured charity for that month. "Give and ye shall receive" is being lived out in this little shop.

To all of this they add something that sent me over the top. My wife and I are always discussing restaurant concepts as we are wanting to open one someday. We were just saying recently how we'd love to see more with playgrounds, even yogurt places.

Well Monster Yogurt did it! They have a playground and you can bring the kids in and let them play.

The President, Ava Skipworth, calls it a coffee shop for parents. Next time you are going to meet with someone to talk, but need to bring the kids along, just meet at Monster Yogurt! It's in Dallas, TX on 9540 Garland Road. As someone who is keenly interested in successful business ventures, I am very happy to see that this theme is so well thought out, from decor and concept to execution. Having been open just less than one year, they have already hit the top of the charts as one of the best places to visit when you are in Dallas.

My family heads in to Dallas often for the Museum, Zoo, and now the Arboretum. This place is just a quick drive over from there. Spend the day having fun, then jump over to Monster Yogurt for a great time and fun treat before heading to the car for the hour drive back home.

My kids gave this place a major thumbs up too! This place will be a must visit on many of our upcoming trips. I strongly suggest you make it part of yours as well! DW

Life In Fort Worth By Darrell Wolfe

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Darrell's Curry Peanut Creation

I have learned that Curry is a random name for a bunch of different stuff thrown together to make a tasty sauce. For a brief description see Wikipedia:

Curry ( /ˈkʌri/) is a generic description used throughout Western culture to describe a variety of dishes from Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Thai or other Southeast Asian cuisines. The chief spices found in most South Asian curry powders are turmeric, coriander, and cumin; a wide range of additional spices may be included depending on the geographic region and the foods being included (white/red meat, fish, lentils, rice and vegetables).^[1]

Curry's popularity in recent decades has spread outward from Southern Asia to figure prominently in international cooking. Consequently, each culture has adopted spices in its indigenous cooking to suit its own unique tastes and cultural sensibilities. Curry can therefore be called a pan-Asian or global phenomenon with immense popularity in Thai, British, Japanese and Caribbean cuisines.

I prefer above all else Thai Curry's. Specifically Red Curry with bamboo shoots. However, I have yet to get the process for making a good Thai curry anywhere close to the restaurants so I don't even try these days. I just go to a Thai restaurant.

Locally, if you live in the DFW area, a very decent set of Thai Curry dishes is produced by: Sea Siam in Keller Texasa

My favorite Curry Recipe to throw together is a thicker peanut style.

This one has rice, black beans, red kidney beans, ground turkey, and sauce. Simple

Ingredients:

• Favorite Meat (Ground Beef, Ground Turkey, Cubed Chicken Breasts, and/or other meats)
• Favorite Veggies (Whatever you have around the house. My favorite are things like Corn, Celery, Bell Peppers, Carrots... whatever you want, sometimes less if more)
• Favorite Starches/Beans (Rice cooked slightly al dente', Red Kidney Beans, Black Beans, Whatever you want.

For the Sauce:

• Butter
• 1/2 Onion
• Ketchup
• Peanut Butter
• Milk
• Turmeric
• Cinnamon
• Basil
• Lime (lime juice)(Lemon works too if you don't have lime)
• Salt/Pepper

Also Optional are:

• Pumpkin Spice Seasoning
• Cumin
• Heat (by adding Cajun Seasoning, or Chili Powder, or Crushed red pepper, or other hot pepper spice or hot sauce use sparingly and to taste.)

Instructions:

To Cook the Curry Sauce Itself:

• Melt 2-3 Tablespoons of butter
• Saute' in the butter some chopped onions (More or less than a 1/2 an onion your choice I like onions!)
• Optional affects the taste profile. (Depending on how I feel that day I may also add some fresh chopped garlic cloves with the onions)

Once saute'd for a few moments add:

• Good squeeze of Ketchup (which is really just sugar and tomato paste)(Less than a quarter cup)
• Two-Four heaping spoons of Peanut Butter (Crunchy works best)
• 1/2 to 1 cup of Milk (I prefer vanilla soy milk, it adds a sweetness to the sauce)
• 3 or 4  heavy dashes of Turmeric
• 4-5 heavy dashes of Cinnamon (Substitute Cinnamon with Pumpkin Spice Seasoning for more complexity)
• 1-2 Dashes of Basil
• Squeeze of concentrated lime juice or half a lime.
• Little bit of salt and pepper

Also Optional:

• 2-3 dashes of Cumin (optional but adds to complexity)
• Heat ( Cajun Spice Seasoning)(Or favorite hot pepper spice)
• Pumpkin Spice Seasoning

Pumpkin Spice Seasoning has

• 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
• 1-1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp. salt

If you don't have pumpkin spice seasoning just add some Cinnamon and Turmeric... all other spices just add to the complexity and make it better but are not essential for the mix. 

The sauce should be the consistency of a runny, maybe even chunky, pancake batter. Don't cook or simmer too long or the peanut butter will separate into it's natural oils and ruin the whole batch.

If choosing to serve all combined in a bowl it will more thick not like a soup. Still tasty!

Once ingredients heat to a good steam and bubble remove from heat immediately. 

After getting the sauce ready you can add the sauce on top of Rice, Beans (Black, Red Kidney, and/or Pinto) and Ground Turky or Beef browned, and or Chicken cubed and saute'd. Also feel free to cook your favorite veggies I like Bell Peppers, Carrots, Corn removed from Cobb, Celery, Etc... More or less is all up to you. Try different combinations, or deal with what you have. This is really a toss together meal.

You could also add all these to the curry itself for a more soup like presentation, great with a good Dr. Pepper and garlic toast and a good movie, like Iron Man or Stargate SG1! 

Darrell G. Wolfe

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Twisted Root Burger Co

Twisted Root Burger Co

The Twisted Root is among my all time favorite burger joints in all of Texas.

When you are in the mood for fast food nothing fits the bill like an Inn and Out, Carl's Jr, Whataburger, etc... but when you want to hang out for a little while; this rustic twisted restaurant fits the bill, even if it costs just a little bit more. The burgers are in the neighborhood of $9 a piece, sides and drinks sold separately. If two adults and two kids go all out you could easily spend $30 or more. If you share a drink and don't get sides you can get out for much less, but I call this place the place to indulge so break out a few extra dollars and enjoy.

Why is it twisted? The restaurant starts with a rustic barn bar type feel. The decor is made up of rusted aluminium siding, wood benches, random tables, and beer containers as condiment holders. Why have napkins when you can have a roll of paper towels at each table?

Twisted Flavors: They have a root beer flavor that changes frequently, sometimes within one visit it could change if a keg runs dry. My favorite so far was watermelon root beer. However other flavors of root beer have been: cotton candy, raspberry, more. They also carry twisted condiments, such as ancho-chipotle-ketchup.

My favorite burger when I go? Green Chile, Guac & Pepperjack Burger 7.99. This is a mouth watering burger with just enough spice to nice but not overwhelming. It's topped with guacamole and friend onions. Mmmmmm........

Their solution to graffiti? Graffiti their own walls first! Black-chalkboard type paint around certain areas, like the bathroom, where odd sayings and thoughts are written for all to enjoy. My home location is in Roanoke, TX however there are many locations around DFW now and more on the way it would seem.

This place is so good that it even made it on to the food networks Diners Drive In's and Dives. I suggest you check out that review and then go yourself if you are near a location... it's worth the drive... really!

Check Out You Tube:

Life In Fort Worth By Darrell Wolfe

• New to the blog? Start HERE

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What is YOUR favorite thing about Texas? Comment Below!

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Voting

For help knowing what county you are in: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/maps/texas_map.html

Election and Voting Information

Who Represents You? http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/

Tarrant County: http://tarrantcounty.com/evote/site/default.asp

Wise County: http://www.co.wise.tx.us/

Denton County: http://elections.dentoncounty.com/go.asp?Dept=82

Parker County: http://co.parker.tx.us/ips/cms

Proverbs 14:34 Righteousness exalts a nation

Important Links:

http://texaseagle.org/

http://www.heritagealliance.com/

Local Christian Political Movers and Shakers:

http://richardclough.com/node/145

http://www.jackernest.com/

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Moving with Kids

Remember the Kids

Moving can be a time of uncertainty and excitement for anyone. However for many children the uncertainty can throw them off balance. I remember that each time we have moved, within a city or to another state, my children needed some reassurance. For the young mind home is home. They don't understand how we could leave one home to go to another because that is THEIR home! Even when we left a small two bedroom apartment to a larger four bedroom house with a backyard, my oldest would ask why we couldn't visit our old house.

When we left California to come to Texas we decided for budget reasons to take the Amtrak. My loving wife made it quite the adventure for them.They loved Thomas the Train and now they would go on a train. We brought toys and video players. We watched the country go by out of the observatory windows.

Once we arrived, the very first thing we did when settling in was to get their rooms in order. Once they had a settled room they were more settled and we could focus on the rest of the apartment.

Take time to understand that kids cannot always see the big picture and just need a sense of normalcy in their life. Help them settle in to the idea, prepare them ahead of time, make it a grand adventure. See below for tips that helped us:

Links to tips for Moving with Kids

• 10 Tips for relocating with kids. 
• Information from Leslie Levine Communications:
• Eagle Mountain International Church  Relocation Guide had the following to say:

CHILDREN AND RELOCATION
Moving can be a tumultuous time for all involved, but
especially so for children. Your kids will look to you for clues
on how to deal with their emotions and settle in to your new
home. You can help your child adjust more easily by
incorporating a few of the following suggestions into your
family’s routine:
• Encourage your children to openly discuss their feelings about the move,
their new home, new school or anything else that concerns them.
• Listen to their fears and reassure them that you understand their feelings.
• Be honest with your own feelings about the move, but try to keep a positive
attitude. Your kids will sense your inner feelings about this lifestyle
change.
• Subscribe to a magazine of your child’s choice. Receiving mail addressed
in his name will help him feel at home in unfamiliar surroundings.
• Take your child’s artwork from your old refrigerator and place it
prominently on the new one. This act of love will give him a sense of
consistency and normalcy.
This information was obtained from Will This Place Ever Feel Like Home? By Leslie Levine, published by Real Estate Education Company, 1998.

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Texas Counties Map

You just never know when it might be helpful to find out which county you live in or work in. Below is a picture of all the counties in Texas. You can find more information at Census Finder's website. The Texas Almanac records that there are 254 counties in Texas. Below are some more statistics. Click on the map below for a clearer picture.

Some More helpful information from Texas Almanac:

The Government

Capital: Austin

Government: Bicameral legislature

28th State to enter the Union: Dec. 29, 1845

Present Constitution adopted: 1876

State motto: Friendship

Origin of name: Texas, or Tejas, was the Spanish pronunciation of a Caddo Indian word meaning "friends" or "allies."

Nickname: Texas is called the Lone Star State because of the design of the state flag: a broad vertical blue stripe at left centered by a single white star, and at right, horizontal bars of white (top) and red.

The People and Populations

Population 2010 (U.S Census)                                   25,145,561

Population 2000 (U.S. Census)                                  20,851,820

Population 1990 (U.S. Census)                                  16,986,510

Population increase 2000–2010                                         20.6%

Population density (2010):                          96.3 per square mile

Voting-age population (2010):                                    18,789,238

Cities and Counties

Number of counties:                                                    254

Number of incorporated cities:                               1,215

Number of cities of 100,000 population or more:     29

Number of cities of 50,000 population or more:       63

Number of cities of 10,000 population or more:     246

Just for comparison, my birth state of California has 58 counties, of course seeing how well that state is run, maybe more counties is better... hmm?:

MAPS:

Texas Counties Map: Click Here

California Counties Map: Click Here

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Home Sweet Home

Weather your home is an apartment or a house you know that home is home. It may not be the forever place, the dream home, the place you want to retire... but there is something about sleeping in your own bed, waking up and doing what you want in your place. Single, Married, or Family... home is home. Travelers often tell me that the adventures they have are only meaningful in relation to getting home. There is something about getting into your own routine that makes home a great place to be.

Houses:

There are a lot of home builders in the DFW area. In fact the home building trade here, although slower than it once was, is booming compared to other places. That's because people are running from other states to move here. The friendly atmosphere, the conservative tea party values, the stable housing market and low housing prices all make Texas a safe haven from the non sense outside. There are many great builders out here But I'd like to highlight a few.

Houses in Texas are much less expensive to buy than many other states. As a first time home buyer I bought a 4 bedroom, 2 bath, 1,300 square foot house with a big back yard against a green belt, in the Sendera Ranch area from Lennar, for $119,000. There are areas in LA and Orange County California that would have cost me between $250,000 and $1,000,000 for the same house with half the land or no yard at all.

Most houses in the DFW area range from $120,000 to $300,000 depending on size, location, and trimmings. A house for $300,000 here could easily be over a million in certain parts of California. For those looking to spend over a million there are few limitations to your hearts content here. You can have a nearly anything you want out here.

One thing to note however: Property Tax is higher! Part of the reason for that Texas Properties didn't loose value as much here in Texas as other states is that they never went up as high or as fast as other states. Property taxes here are nearly double that of other states so the actual monthly payment for a $100,000 house is closer to a $200,000 house in other states. This is a vague generality but it get's the idea across.

Some of my favorite home builders in the DFW area, the ones I have gone through, toured, enjoyed, and wanted to buy are:

• Lennar
• Drees
• K Hovanian
• And for the person who has no budget restrictions and LOT's of imagination try Veranda:
•  Veranda Designer Homes

Apartments:

There are many great apartments in the DFW area. A comprehensive list can be found on Rent.com. I find that generally apartments run from $500/month to $2000/month depending on where you want to live and how close to the city, what quality the apartments are. You should be able to find a very decent two bedroom apartment for $900-$1,200. If you find it for less than $700 you probably don't want to live there, unless you are used to living in places that are less than clean. Those prices are usually found in the inner city areas and bring a lot of baggage with them. I didn't really end up paying less here is Texas for my apartment as much as I got more for what I paid. 

One apartment building I can vouch for is Copper Ridge Apartments in Roanoke Texas. The apartments are well managed and cleanly kept. The pool is a great place to hand out and there are two amazing bbq grills at the pool side. If you rent there tell them you heard about them from this website and Darrell Wolfe sent you. There are great open floor plans, balconies, pool, and a really neat park nearby with a water feature for the kids in summer. Also nearby is some of the most unique dining, including Twisted Root Burger, and a paid entry water park called Hawaiian Falls.

I'm sure there is more information I could put here. But this should get you going for now.

Thank you for your time, Darrell G. Wolfe

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Local Hotels

There are many hotels in the DFW area. DFW is among the largest airports in the country and a major hub for connecting flights. For a better idea of the hotels in the area you are looking for, please check out this map.

View Larger Map

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Businesses

Business in Texas is really quite simple. Certain fields of work require licensing in any state, such as restaurants, medical, etc... However the process of starting a business in most cases is quite simple.

Filing your Business:

Filing for an LLC or Corporation is $300 from the Texas Secretary of State (SOS). These formations are good forever, as long as you maintain your structure. If the structure changes it requires re-filing/amending your file. If two people start an LLC together and one leaves, you must re-file. Filing a DBA (Doing Business As), also known as an Assumed Name Certificate is done at the county level. Typically you MUST file a DBA with EACH county you will conduct business in. For Online sales just register where you live. Most of the time registering the DBA is between $10-25 per certificate. You only file one certificate per name that you use and the registration is good for 10 years. Filing is done at the county clerks office.

Counties in Texas can be a bit more confusing. There are about 5-6 major counties in southern California, there are 100's in Texas.

Common counties in DFW are:

Wise, Denton, Collin, Parker, Tarrant (Home of Fort Worth), Dallas

Most often if you live near Fort Worth you will use Tarrant County or Denton County, if you live in Dallas you will use Dallas county. There are MANY counties out here though. You should look at a Texas county map just to be sure.

Business Banking:

If you are going to do any real business where you get paid and you plan on making more than $500-$1,000 a year, you will most likely want to open a business account. Many banks offer business accounts for their customers. Wells Fargo, Chase, and Capitol One are all larger banks located in the DFW Texas area. Many of these accounts can be free, if you have to pay for it keep looking. I suggest comparing at least these three banks against one another for their benefits and meeting with a local banker about them. Doing your research online doesn't always tell you everything there is to know about the intricacies of the accounts and the benefits they come with. If you can't make it in person, at least call a sales banker by phone for more information.

Just a helpful note, if you are going in person make an appointment to ensure the business banker is there for you. If you are shopping by phone, call the 800# for sales. Branches aren't set up to go into detail by phone. You will need to decide if you are using an EIN or your social for the business account. It can be VERY helpful to use an EIN from the beginning, even if you only file the business taxes on your return. This keeps things separate and eventually you can continue that separation as the business expands.

Tax ID:

An EIN (Employer Identification Number) is a Federal Tax ID, just like a social for your business. You can apply for an EIN online for free at www.irs.gov.

State Tax ID. There is also a Texas Sales Tax ID. In some cases you must also obtain this tax ID as well.

Warning: I have found that you can apply to your hearts content for EIN #'s all day long and never use them. However if you apply for a Texas Sales Tax ID and don't use it you must STILL report quarterly to the IRS or cancel the ID. I once applied just to see how easy it was and the state sent me a tax bill for $1,000 based on their best guess of the sales I might have made. My wife informed them I didn't sell anything and we never even ended up starting up the business and they waived it... but had she not called we might have been in big trouble for ignoring it. Only apply for a state tax ID if you are going to use it!

Hopefully this article helps some.

BUSINESS Links

• Census Data By Zip
• Dallas County Clerk
• Denton County Clerk
• SBA Online Training
• Secretary of State
• Tarrant County Clerk
• Texas Comptroller
• Travis County Clerk
• USDA Texas State Statistics
• Wise County Clerk

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Auto Licence and Registration

Auto Registration is handled separately from drivers licenses in Texas. The auto registration is handled by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. The Drivers Licenses are handled by the Texas Department of Safety. Two different buildings. AAA does not currently have a contract with the state government to offer services for auto registration or license renewal but they do still offer roadside assistance, travel, and insurance in Texas. The Texas AAA has it's own website as well. You can often accomplish renewals at local grocery stores such as Tom Thumb . Auto Registration renewal can also be done online at the TXDMV website.

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Kids Stuff

There are many great things to do with Kids. Many times it's just about finding them. For example you could visit the Fort Worth website for Fort Worth Family Fun to see all about the museums and activities. Many times it's just about getting outside your box.

Yelp is a great place to find things to do as well! 

Home Depot and Lowes both have kids programs on various Saturdays throughout the month for the kids to come and build a project with the parents/guardians. The projects always include a small item to build and the kids will get a logo'd apron with their name on it and safety glasses. They will also receive a pin or patch showing which item they built. Make sure to put these events on your calendar for the nearest Lowes Build and Grow and/or Home Depot Kids Workshop near you.
Another local favorite is the Fort Worth Stockyards. There are real cowboys with longhorn cattle. There are shops and food with an old Texas flare. Barbecue flavors and an old-time railroad train that come right through the middle of the shops.

If you are looking for the ultimate playtime playground adventure look no further than "Going Bonkers". An inexpensive indoor playground with multiple levels of climbing for all ages.

You could go to the many great parks located in the area. For outdoor hiking that not as many people go to but everyone should try Eagle Mountain Park. While you are there you could check out Eagle Mountain Lake for other lake activities.

The Fort Worth Museum and the Dallas Museum are also great kid activities. However, as a word of caution, the Fort Worth Museum required you to pay to park and for entry separately while the Dallas Museum has free parking and it's larger. The Fort Worth Museum may be a bit more interactive for the kids though. Both are worth trying once and comparing.

If you are a sports fan there are the Texas Rangers, Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Mavericks, and Dallas Stars. Then of course you have all your college football teams like TCU, TU, UNT, and more.

For more great ideas see our Category Cloud titled: Texas Living Information and click on "Kids", for up to date articles and reviews and places to take the kids or just click here.

Darrell G. Wolfe

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Darrell's Tossed Together Peanut Butter - Curry

I have learned that Curry is a random name for a bunch of different stuff thrown together to make a tasty sauce. For a brief description see Wikipedia:

Curry ( /ˈkʌri/) is a generic description used throughout Western culture to describe a variety of dishes from Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Thai or other Southeast Asian cuisines. The chief spices found in most South Asian curry powders are turmeric, coriander, and cumin; a wide range of additional spices may be included depending on the geographic region and the foods being included (white/red meat, fish, lentils, rice and vegetables).^[1]

Curry's popularity in recent decades has spread outward from Southern Asia to figure prominently in international cooking. Consequently, each culture has adopted spices in its indigenous cooking to suit its own unique tastes and cultural sensibilities. Curry can therefore be called a pan-Asian or global phenomenon with immense popularity in Thai, British, Japanese and Caribbean cuisines.

I prefer above all else Thai Curry's. Specifically Red Curry with bamboo shoots. However, I have yet to get the process for making a good Thai curry anywhere close to the restaurants so I don't even try these days. I just go to a Thai restaurant.

Locally, if you live in the DFW area, a very decent set of Thai Curry dishes is produced by: Sea Siam in Keller Texasa

My favorite Curry Recipe to throw together is a thicker peanut style.

This one has rice, black beans, red kidney beans, ground turkey, and sauce. Simple

Ingredients:

• Favorite Meat (Ground Beef, Ground Turkey, Cubed Chicken Breasts, and/or other meats)
• Favorite Veggies (Whatever you have around the house. My favorite are things like Corn, Celery, Bell Peppers, Carrots... whatever you want, sometimes less if more)
• Favorite Starches/Beans (Rice cooked slightly al dente', Red Kidney Beans, Black Beans, Whatever you want.

For the Sauce:

• Butter
• 1/2 Onion
• Ketchup
• Peanut Butter
• Milk
• Turmeric
• Cinnamon
• Basil
• Lime (lime juice)(Lemon works too if you don't have lime)
• Salt/Pepper

Also Optional are:

• Pumpkin Spice Seasoning
• Cumin
• Heat (by adding Cajun Seasoning, or Chili Powder, or Crushed red pepper, or other hot pepper spice or hot sauce use sparingly and to taste.)

Instructions:

To Cook the Curry Sauce Itself:

• Melt 2-3 Tablespoons of butter
• Saute' in the butter some chopped onions (More or less than a 1/2 an onion your choice I like onions!)
• Optional affects the taste profile. (Depending on how I feel that day I may also add some fresh chopped garlic cloves with the onions)

Once saute'd for a few moments add:

• Good squeeze of Ketchup (which is really just sugar and tomato paste)(Less than a quarter cup)
• Two-Four heaping spoons of Peanut Butter (Crunchy works best)
• 1/2 to 1 cup of Milk (I prefer vanilla soy milk, it adds a sweetness to the sauce)
• 3 or 4  heavy dashes of Turmeric
• 4-5 heavy dashes of Cinnamon (Substitute Cinnamon with Pumpkin Spice Seasoning for more complexity)
• 1-2 Dashes of Basil
• Squeeze of concentrated lime juice or half a lime.
• Little bit of salt and pepper

Also Optional:

• 2-3 dashes of Cumin (optional but adds to complexity)
• Heat ( Cajun Spice Seasoning)(Or favorite hot pepper spice)
• Pumpkin Spice Seasoning

Pumpkin Spice Seasoning has

• 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
• 1-1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp. salt

If you don't have pumpkin spice seasoning just add some Cinnamon and Turmeric... all other spices just add to the complexity and make it better but are not essential for the mix. 

The sauce should be the consistency of a runny, maybe even chunky, pancake batter. Don't cook or simmer too long or the peanut butter will separate into it's natural oils and ruin the whole batch.

If choosing to serve all combined in a bowl it will more thick not like a soup. Still tasty!

Once ingredients heat to a good steam and bubble remove from heat immediately. 

After getting the sauce ready you can add the sauce on top of Rice, Beans (Black, Red Kidney, and/or Pinto) and Ground Turky or Beef browned, and or Chicken cubed and saute'd. Also feel free to cook your favorite veggies I like Bell Peppers, Carrots, Corn removed from Cobb, Celery, Etc... More or less is all up to you. Try different combinations, or deal with what you have. This is really a toss together meal.

You could also add all these to the curry itself for a more soup like presentation, great with a good Dr. Pepper and garlic toast and a good movie, like Iron Man or Stargate SG1! 

Darrell G. Wolfe

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Top 10 Need-To-Knows

Howdy! And Welcome to Texas!

There are some things that took me either by surprise or just things I didn't know I needed to think about. Here is an ever growing list of the top things you need to know when you move to Texas:

1. Texas is the Friendly State! People here are just warm and friendly. If you meet an unfriendly person you didn't meet a native Texan you met someone who moved here and never adapted.
2. Texans LOVE football. They say that DFW is the birthplace of American football. I don't know if that's true. People asked me what team I was routing for in CA every so often, but not like they do here. 90 year women get spit-fire-hot over their favorite team! If you are not a sports fan (sshhhh, don't tell anyone, but I'm not...) go ahead and pick a team to route for, because it will make the conversation go smoother. 
1. List of Texas Sports Teams
3. The Auto Registration is handled by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. The Drivers Licenses are handled by the Texas Department of Safety. Two different buildings. AAA does not currently have a contract with the state government to offer services for auto registration or license renewal but they do still offer roadside assistance, travel, and insurance in Texas. The Texas AAA has it’s own website as well. You can often accomplish renewals at local grocery stores such as Tom Thumb . Auto Registration renewal can also be done online at the TXDMVwebsite.
4. AUTO Registration requires TWO stickers both on the front drivers windshield. There is a Registration Sticker and there is an Inspections Sticker. The inspections is both safe condition of the auto (Mirrors, lights, etc) and emissions of the auto.
5. They will TAKE your out of state Drivers License when you ask for your Texas DL. So be prepared by taking a good picture of it with your camera/phone or getting a clean photo copy of it before you go to the DPS. You MUST have a new Drivers License within 30 days of moving here.
6. Roads are different here than any other state, get a GPS or use an adapter to hold your smart phone to the dash with it's GPS. They must know that it's confusing because they built in U-Turns into EVERY freeway on ramp and off ramp. All the roads along freeways have no real street names they are simply known as service roads and they only go one way in the direction of the freeway. If the store you want is on the other side you have to drive, sometimes a mile or more, to the next light and U-Turn back to the store.
7. You need a new business filing to do business here usually, check that out. Sometimes people in nearby states, like Oklahoma or Louisiana come over to do business. This should only be done if you have filled some sort of business certification here. This is especially true if you do things that are a liability risk like food or construction.
8. Forward your mail and process a change of address notification, also notify ALL your Banks, Credit Cards, Old Utilities, etc, or your new address, email, telephone. Helpful to make a list to cross off.
9.  There are a LOT of counties in Texas. Find out where your county is for voting information.
10. Remember to register to vote BEFORE elections season comes, KEEP your card as you'll need it when you go. Texans usually vote in person and not by mail. They send you a new card every voting season, it's a bit larger than an index card. You usually need it to vote, if you did register but don't have it, they may be able to use your drivers license to ID you, but don't count on it. 
11. Property Taxes are higher here. So that house you are looking at may cost more per month than you thought. Have that estimated into the payment by an independent real estate agent before buying that property. However, the high property taxes have helped keep the buy/flip market down here so you didn't see hyper inflation and then crashing here like other states had. So It's a blessing really. Plus there is NO state income tax, so this evens things out.

 AUTO:

Drivers Licenses: http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/driverlicense/

Auto Registeration: http://www.txdmv.gov/

More Registration information: http://www.registeredtexan.com/

Auto Inspections info: www.txdps.state.tx.us/vi/

 VOTE:

Voting registration info: http://www.votexas.org/

Voting registration info: http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/pamphlets/largepamp.shtml

WHERE do I vote? http://www.votexas.org/where.html

 MAIL:

Change of Address/Mail Forwarding: www.usps.com

 GUIDES:

Relocation Guide: www.dmv.org/tx-texas/relocation

Another Relocation Guide in PDF: http://www.emic.org/downloads_all.php?cat=10

Real Estate: www.texasliving.com

Other Links:

Government: www.state.tx.us
Tourism: www.traveltex.com
Immigration: www.uscis.gov
Jobs: www.workintexas.com
Local Newspapers: www.usnpl.com/txnews.php
State Facts: www.ers.usda.gov/StateFacts/TX.htm
Airports: www.dfwairport.com
Ports: www.texasports.org

Business Links:

Small Business Administration

http://www.sba.gov/

SBA Online Training

http://www.sba.gov/category/navigation-structure/counseling-training/online-small-business-training

Tarrant County Clerk

http://www.tarrantcounty.com/ecountyclerk/cwp/view.asp?A=735&Q=435718

Secretary of State for Texas - All things Business in Texas

http://www.sos.state.tx.us/corp/sosda/index.shtml

Texas Comptroller - Search Existing Corporations and LLCs.

https://ourcpa.cpa.state.tx.us/coa/Index.html

 WELCOME to Texas!

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