Finding my new groove

After much anticipation (insert sly, satirical face) and delay due to you-know-what, I had my well-person check-up with labs. The results are in…. too many lipids, not enough Vitamin D. Shocker!!! I’m old enough to not care about my age, my dad always says “age is just a number, it’s how you feel that counts!”, he’s always the optimist in my family. As a 12-year-old with a very dry sense of humor, I told my dad “40 isn’t that old if you’re a tree” and that man has the memory of an elephant because guess what birthday wishes were sent to me? Same line I gave him all those years ago…

Ok. So now I’m searching for “low-cholesterol, low-fat diet” recipes, per doc’s orders. I’ve done this before. I can do it again. Right?!? This is going to be an uphill challenge with two picky teens and the hubby working nights.

I’ll be reading fellow AFBA Blogs to get their take on eating healthy and scope out new recipes to try out:

• The Fit Habit: Weight Loss Over 40
• andthenmakesoup
• Her Modern Kitchen: Healthy recipes
• veggiebytes

Do you focus on healthy, low-fat recipes? I’d love to check out your blog, please leave a comment with a link 🙂

Advertisement

Read Full Post »

The Big Day (#2)

Funny how life events happen in clusters within social circles. I guess it’s a matter of statistics.  You get enough of a group of individuals together, they form a sampling of the population, relatively close in age and voila: you’re all pregnant at the same time!

Don’t panic.  It’s not that kind of “Big Day”.

This is about gettin’ hitched.  Again.  (But this time to Mr. Right!)

Picking a caterer for this party is turning into a big project.  I have spreadsheets, quotes, menus, and pintrest boards.  There’s too many options in Austin, not really a good problem to have if you’re in my boots.

Most wedding venues have a list of preferred vendors.  So I started there.  The first three caterers on my list are:

Royal Fig http://www.royalfig.com/

The Peached Tortilla http://www.thepeachedtortilla.com/catering/

Pink Avocado http://pinkavocadocatering.com/

Now it’s a matter of how many RSVPs will we get and how much extra cash can we stash towards dinner for our family and friends.  I don’t care about fancy flowers or having the finest china, I want to feed my people and wow them with local creations and talent.

So let’s see how this goes…. How do you pick a caterer in Austin?

Read Full Post »

Nites Out: Gibronis Food truck

This year has moved my office to a busier location, which comes with a perk: lunch trucks!

Now that I’m amidst a collection of tall buildings, full of hungry workers, there’s a sustainable audience for a food truck to pull in (almost) every day.  I usually pack leftovers in an effort to keep within a frugal budget (saving for the Big Day #2 now!) but today I was without my zippy car and fresh out of frozen delectables.  Gibronis was still parked outside when I managed to decouple myself from my desk in search of food.

An interesting wood exterior and hand-painted design of a Spanish sugar skull adorned with various fruits and veggies greeted me.  Unlike most food trucks, you enter the rear via wood stairs and place your order at the window.  The walls inside are just as, if not more, exciting and colorful than the exterior!

I took the first item on the menu.  The Texitalican. With two sides and a pop, with tax it was just over $16.  It certainly had a good amount of pulled pork.  I had to disassemble the sandwich a bit to fit it in my mouth (huge roll!)  The extra stuff was enjoyed with a fork, along with the side salads.

Would I go back again? Maybe.  I would try something that isn’t a sandwich next time though.

Read Full Post »

Star Wars in my coffee

How could I not try Star Wars coffee creamer?

Put a little Vader in your cup!

Read Full Post »

#AustinBakes for Nepal, Whole Foods Gateway

Thank you to all the volunteers who baked all the wonderful goodies and stayed to help sell them!

We met many people today, including two sisters who held a lemonade stand to raise funds for Nepal.  This is one of the many reasons Austin is a great community to live in.

If you missed the bake sales around town, you can still help!  Check out the dance at Davis Elementary on Sunday, May 24th at 5pm.  Or buy a T-shirt from Stay Strong Nepal.  The bake sale’s online giving page will be available as well. Stay tuned to Austin Bakes (http://austinbakes.com) to find out how much was raised for Nepal relief.

Read Full Post »

#AustinBakes for Nepal, Saturday May 23, 2015 @ Whole Foods Market

Call for bakers, I will be at the Whole Foods Gateway Market if you want to volunteer with me: http://austinbakes.com/2015/05/11/calling-all-bakers/

Where the funds are going: http://austinbakes.com/2015/05/13/austin-bakes-for-nepal-where-the-money-goes/

Sharing is Caring… Please share this with your friends!  Anyone, anywhere can donate online here: http://austinbakes.com/2015/05/13/online-donations-are-now-open/

THANK YOU!

Read Full Post »

Nites Out: Uncorked No More? (Austin, TX)

It’s a mystery.

Our special spot, the place I fell for my deary, is inexplicably closed!

The only confirmation is the Yelp page noting Uncorked | CLOSED.

The couch in the foyer… Oh that couch….

The menu worked, the wines were interesting and plentiful.  What happened?

Sigh…

Now we are searching for another date night spot.  Any suggestions for wine bars in Austin?

Read Full Post »

Conquering Irrational Fears

There’s one thing in the kitchen’s basic handbook that gives me panic attacks.

Pie crust.

Yeah, yeah.  Go ahead and laugh.  I’ll wait until you’re done.

Seriously, making pie crust was my culinary kryptonite.  If my life hinged on my ability to make an apple pie from scratch (without the assistance of a certain puffy little cartoon chef on a box of *gasp* pre-made pie dough) I would be slaughtered.  But, I think staring this challenge in the face has helped quell those fears.

This Thanksgiving I decided to make butter tarts, with a gluten-free tart shell.  Tell me where you can find tart shells that are gluten-free, tasty, and affordable in Austin?  My solution was Blackbird Bakery‘s pie and pastry blend.  The only hitch in my plan was having to prepare the crust for my tarts myself.

Karen Morgan, the genius that she is, took all the uncertainty out of pie crust made at home.  And it’s gluten-free to boot!  Bonus points for being non-GMO and tree nut free.

I used brown rice flour for dusting my pastry mat, which was coarser than the recommended glutinous rice flour (or sweet rice flour).  It did give a sable texture to the crust which was not rejected by anyone too busy to notice they were gluten-free because they were shoving a second helping in their mouths.

Mission complete!

Read Full Post »

So I’m going to Vegas…

A real vacation. For realz.

I can think of a few Food Network hosts whom have staked their claim in the Nevada desert, but which eatery would you recommend? Or is there a perfect place to enjoy lingering conversations over a juicy tender steak?

One restaurant (if it still qualifies as such) that caught my eye was the Peppermill.  A 24-hour diner which was featured as a set in CSI, and I dunno… Casino!?!

Any suggestions from the audience? What dish would make you crawl across the desert to have again?

Read Full Post »

Happy 4th Birthday, Midnite Chef!

Time flies!  Thanks everyone who reads my blog.  Sorry the posts haven’t been as frequent lately, I’ve been busy with, well…. everything.

 

Much love,

xox Heather

Read Full Post »