Cycles and bikes and boys oh my!

The North American Handmade Bike Show is happening this weekend in Austin and there are dudes on bikes all over town to prove it.
Not only that, there are parties happening as well. Our shop neighbors, Austin Bikes, are prepping for theirs right now! And I hear that other famous cyclist from Austin, Lance, is also having a party at his bike shop, Mellow Johnny's.
It's 67 degrees and sunny. Cute guys are on bicycles...not a bad way to start the weekend! Spring is here Austin!

Website for show NAHBS at Austin Convention Center thru Sunday, Feb 27, 2011

Las Palmas

My bank account got hacked this week, so it was a hectic week, but some things never stop being funny....I can pretty much watch this little gem and I guarantee I will crack up. Thanks to this creative silly dad for putting this hilarious little lady in one of the most hilarious things I've ever been witness to on the intrawebs. Happy Friday y'all!

The Topo Loco

I have fallen in a bit of a slump when it comes to cooking my weekly meals. I think it happened a few weeks ago, when my mom came to town. The fridge was full, the weather got real cold, so in between snacking at home and going out to eat (A LOT) I sort of got out of practice, and perhaps a little used to eating out/picking up take out.
I think I even saw some tumbleweeds breeze on through the fridge the few times I opened it these last couple weeks. However, I went to the farmers market on Sunday, which always gets me back in the mood, and my sister did a little shopping, so we seem to be back in business.
She wanted a little help cooking the other night, but my main task was to keep the drinks flowing, something I am no stranger to and always have fun doing.
Tequila was the spirit of choice, and luckily I had a very cold bottle of Dulce Vida Tequila from the I LOVE YOU party seen here that I photographed last week. Dulce Vida is 100% organic and 100 proof, so double wow and it's pretty tasty stuff!
I've never really been a big margarita person, mainly because standard margs use that neon colored sweet and sour mix that gives me a belly ache. So, this is my take on a margi and I vary it depending on what juice is available. The standard recipe is this:

- Blanco Tequila (in this case Dulce Vida Blanco)
- Large Limes (I use one per cocktail)
- Topo Chico
- *Juice or fizzy drink of your liking (I used Central Market brand Blood Orange)
- Jalapeno for garnish
- Sea Salt

Fill your glass with ice
Add one shot (1oz) of ice cold tequila
squeeze the juice of one large lime
fill the rest with topo chico
*if you want a little sweet, you can add a splash of juice/fizzy
throw in a slice of jalapeno for some bite
drop in a pinch of sea salt
Drink up!

*Disclaimer - Try not to have more than three (3) on a school night, or you may not feel so fresh the following day...like we did yesterday :/

Sunday at the Hope Farmers Market

Since I am at the shop all day on Saturdays, I'm not able to hit the farmers market like I used to, which used to be one of my favorite Saturday activities. Luckily, Austin has the Sunday, HOPE Farmers Market located on 5th and Waller on the Eastside. It's not as big as the Saturday markets, but it has pretty much everything you need and it also mixes in a little bohemian vibe which makes it fun and relaxing. Yesterday, I picked up a bag of green tomatoes, which I have never done anything with, but I figured I would research some recipes and figure out some way to use them this week. We also ate some fantastic tamales by The Gardeners Feast and finished it off with a scrumptious mini Plum Pie by Pie Fixes Everything. 

Cooky Cauliflower

Yes, it does...

Plum Pie...to die

Ramona

My friend, Ramona, is leaving Austin for the West Coast. I should say she is returning to her home state. She and I had been talking about taking some photos for ages, I'm sad that it had to take place so close to her departure. She's a cool chick, a great mom and an awesome hairstylist. Oh, she's also gorgeous...

For some reason (at least for me) when you have pretty people to look at through your lens, how can the pictures not turn out beautiful? 

ps - sun flare is my favorite! We were able to capture the look she wanted, 70's, dreamy, washed out...loves....

this one is for you Stacy :)

photo credit: the digital bird (that's me)

I LOVE YOU Party at Sabia

Valentines Day, or, Singles Awareness Day (as my sister so eloquently put it) has now past, to some people's relief ;). I was lucky enough to be a part of the I LOVE YOU party on Sunday night as I mentioned in my previous post here. The event came together beautifully, the weather was nice and mild prizes were handed out and it was just real adorable. I photographed the whole thing and I was tickled to be in a sea of pink, red and white. I just love those colors. Have I mentioned that?

Drinks by Dulce Vida Tequila
Music by DJ Sue
Prizes by I Love You | Farah Reid + Pete Reid Law
Venue | Sabia Apothecary & Spa
Fun had by all

Blood Orange infused Dulce Vida Tequila

Emily + Farah (wearing the gift Kacy + I gave her)

Kacy fixin her pretty red hair

Farah + Pete

DJ Sue - hair by Farah

photo credits: the digital bird for I Love You
Visit my flickr feed here to view all photos from the party

Love Love and Love

photo credit: me

So, as we all know...the big red, white and pink holiday is right around the corner. I love all holidays, I like this one mostly because I love the color combo. I know, it's a silly reason, but I do. One of my friends is having her first annual party in conjunction with her hubby to promote their businesses. She is absolutely adorable, an amazing hair stylist and I am honored that she asked me to photograph the event this Sunday. I can pretty much promise, it will be real real CUTE!
Her new venture is called I LOVE YOU. She has such a sweet infectious personality and always puts me in a good mood. Since she is all about puppies, rainbows, unicorns and sparkles, the name for her salon is quite fitting. I also came across this sweet headband that totally screams Farah (that's her), so her assistant and I went halvsies on it and we will present it to her later today. I think she might shed a tear, it's just too cute! I can't to see it on her.
Happy Valentines weekend!

headband + photo: courtesy of ban.do
http://www.shopbando.com/ban.do-heart-headband/prod/249?rc=25

Cold weather blues

So, it seems we are back on our way to more familiar weather for our parts. These last couple of weeks have been real chilly for Texas. With this freezing weather, and even SNOW that stuck, which is totally unheard of in Austin, I've been sort of a homebody. Plus, my mom was in town for a week and half and I haven't kept to my regular schedule. So, that said I've been a bad blogger :(. I will get back into the swing of things.  My mom did bring a little bit of sunshine with her from South Texas during her visit. His name is Otis, he belongs to my little sister, A. but we all like to pretend that he belongs to each and every one of us. When it snowed last week, we let Otis outside and he was so silly to watch. Not being from a cold area, he really didn't know what to make of the white stuff. Walking gingerly out in it, it took him a while, before he realized that he could eat it and that it was fun stuff!

Otis' little paw prints

I walked out to this!

The coolest was looking out my window before any tire tracks had been made

Palms don't dig the snow y'all!

The Kitchen Project week 5 - Steamed Littleneck Clams in butter and wine

This week has been out of whack. My mom has come to visit, whom I adore, however, we have been eating out quite a bit. I also fell off the wagon on my anti-dairy routine :( and I have only worked out twice (double sad face), the weather has been so so cold and it snowed like CRAZY in Austin.  Crazy means 1.5 inches that stuck. Something I have never seen in these parts. So, basically, I've given into my comfort food weakness and indulged in some butter and cheese. I love the stuff, but have come to realize...dairy and me, just don't agree.

Regardless, I have been craving making this meal, since I shared a similar one with a very special friend on Christmas. He made this dish, I paid attention and here I am recreating it. I feel all growns up these last few weeks not having to follow specific recipes. It's so liberating! So, here is what I did.

Littleneck clams (about 1 lb per person) which can be found at your local seafood market
Shallot - chopped 1 bulb per lb
Garlic - I love garlic, so I used a lot, but I would gauge it at 1-2 cloves chopped per lb
White Wine (Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio) - a quarter of a bottle, more for taste and broth
Butter - about 1 tsp, more depending on amount of clams
Olive Oil to coat pan first

There really is no actual measuring with this recipe, which is fun. I just heated my big pot to a screaming hot temperature, sprayed a little olive oil, and then threw in some wine. The wine will immediately steam up, so have your clams ready to toss in (after a good rinse), I then added the shallot and garlic and threw in a big ol' pat of butter. I'm not talking Paula Deen style, but a good portion. Cover the pot and serve when all of the clams have opened up their little shells. This takes 5-6 minutes.

This is a fun recipe to throw together quickly for a group dinner. No muss no fuss :) One thing I forgot is flat leaf parsley, which would have complimented and garnished the clammies quite nicely...next time.
I served ours with a warm seasoned baguette. Fantastic!

I'm sort of obsessed with shallot lately

Garlic + Shallot

Seasoned baguette bread from the oven

This was a portion for four, so more butter was needed :)

The broth is to die

Bon weekend!

I'll take a number 26 - HAI KY - Vietnamese on East Oltorf

So, we aren't the only ones having extreme cold weather, it seems as if the whole country is under a blanket, or wet cold icy blanket...Weather like this just makes me want to eat soup and cozy up. If I'm not making it, one of my favorite places to eat a wonderfully homey big bowl of soup is HAI KY.  There is more than one location in Austin, but I have only visited the East Oltorf spot. It's a very unassuming little spot in a strip mall, some of the best Asian places usually are.
Two people can eat an entree, share an appetizer and each have a beer for around $22.00. Not bad. It's a pretty busy spot. I've eaten in and had take out many times and it always is happy in my tummy. Many say it's the best PHO in town, I'll let you be the judge. My latest obsession is number 26. Egg noodles, chicken broth and pork wontons. slurp.

Check out Hai Ky here on yelp.com

Chang Beer has little elephants on it!

springrolls

Number 26 

This is Hai Ky