FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Bigger Byblos

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I last saw my mom when she dropped me off at the airport and took this awkward tourist photo before heading to LA.  That was twenty seven days ago.  And twenty seven days without mom time was starting to wear on me.

I shot her an email asking if we could do dinner after work and she politely declined.  Apparently this whole twenty seven day thing was affecting us differently.

No more than five minutes later, I had a new email from a completely different mom that was no longer tired and missed me equally as much as I missed her.  A new mom that had a Groupon for Byblos – hurrah!

The first thing I noticed when I walked up was a newer, larger outdoor seating area than what I remembered.  This triggered rumor memories of an expanding Byblos, rumors which were verified upon entering a gynorm, spruced up interior.

We ordered the salmon filet and vegetarian platter which consisted of hummus, grape leaves, baba ghanuj, tabbouleh, and falafel (i.e. heaven platter).  Everything tasted better this time too.  Perhaps the building wasn’t the only thing face-lifted during the renovation!

7 Links

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Tag, I’m it!

Meghann tagged me in her 7 Links post, which is where you list 7 of your most XYZ posts and tag an additional seven bloggers and so on and some more on.

So here we go!

Most Beautiful Post: The Birthday Tourist

99.9% of FoodFash is centered around food, experiences, and light hearted subject matter.  I hunted and searched a CTRL+F’d the crap out of my archives to find something beautiful, something that appealed to the most senses and…  It turns out FoodFash steers clear of mush (whether this is good or bad has yet to be determined).  So I searched a term I frequently use, mush pot, to guide me past my first 7 Links hurdle.

My search yielded The Birthday Tourist which, surely enough, hit a mush pot spot.  As a reader, this post may not seem super mushy.  But to me, re-reading this post makes the hyper, overly-anxious today Kristin remember how I felt on my birthday: appreciative and calm.

Most Popular Post: Cheapest. Day. Ever.

I have zero insight as to how this is the most trafficked FoodFash post.  The only thing I can think of is that every FoodFash reader happened to read this post and that the economy still isn’t A+ and “cheap” was heavily Googled on January 9th?

Most Controversial Post: Halvsies

Who would have ever thought FoodFash’s most controversial post to date would be about something as simple as egg salad?!  Not I, Not I.  Sadly, this post drew an abundance of negative attention on Reddit with comments expressing that I didn’t know how to boil an egg correctly and that this was the world’s most boring egg salad.  I remember being bummed, but I also remember Sarah cheering me up by sending this little do-dad my way.  I’ve stored this image in my brain for whenever I’m faced with the negative sort. Makes ya smile, doesn’t it?

Most Helpful Post: Pantry Staples

Not only is the Pantry Staples tab a regularly visited post, it’s also one that’s talked about most amongst my friends and family.  Having this post linked on the FoodFash homepage provides readers with a quick reference to my latest foodie favorites.

A Post Whose Success Surprised You: Cheater, Cheater, Rice Cake Eater

Other than having one of my favorite blog post titles, I’m completely clueless as to why this post tops the FoodFash charts.  Perhaps this proves I am in dire need of some techie search optimization training.  Good thing I’m attending the Healthy Living Summit next month where I intend to learn tricks of the trade from 200 of my healthy living blogger peers!

A Post You Feel Didn’t Get The Attention It Deserved: FoodFash Mash XIII – Sunset Cruise

Confession…  FoodFash Mashes are most likely more for me than they are for you – I REALLY enjoy making them.  And not for any other reason than I think it will be nice, wherever my life takes me, to have video footage to look back on that documents what I was doing and listening to during my FoodFash years.

Another confession…  I always finish a mash wishing I had more video footage. This was the first time I had almost enough footage to tell a story and have pretty decent timing with the tune du jour.

Most Proud Of: About Me

I had been blogging just over 16 months before writing a legit “About Me” page. Part of me can’t believe it took that long, but the other part realizes that I wasn’t ready to write this section until the exact moment I sat down to write it. It’s honest and full of self discovery.  It’s a published reminder of why FoodFash is and that, at this very moment, I am exactly where I’m supposed to be (and yes, Val, that’s a little shout out to you as well).

Thank you Meghann (so, so much) for tagging me in your 7 Links post!  It was equally as fun as it was time consuming and I enjoyed it mucho mucho.

And now, I pass the 7 Links torch to you Emily, Ethan, Kailey, Amanda, and my Healthy Living Summit roomies Krista, Emily, and Lauren!

Schakolad

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I learned a few new things tonight, namely things about chocolate.  Like… Did you know that cocoa comes from nibs within those little pebbles and those little pebbles come from the oversized date looking thing?  I surely didn’t.

Tonight The Junior League of Tampa Cookbook Committee met at Schakolad for our first social of the year.  I prefer social gatherings that are focused around activities because it gives everyone something to talk about, even if their brains are fried from a long day at the office.

We mixed.

We dipped.

We decorated.

But most importantly, we sampled!  The owner kept asking “Who likes XYZ chocolate?” and I kept saying “ME!!” and heading to the front of the sample line.  The most memorable sample of the night, which also probably means it was my favorite, was the Key Lime Truffle.  This was totally unexpected because typically white chocolate isn’t my thing.

Off To Make Schakolad, In Pictures

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Breakfast Drank: New Tea Flavor

Breakfast: Sprouted Wheat French Toast (egg & almond milk), Cooked with Coconut Oil and Topped with Pure Maple Syrup

Lunch: Leftover Tofu & Veggies

Lunch 2: Eggplant Fries with Chup

Dinner: Piping Hot Brown Rice Pasta with Marinara

Oh how I wish I had time to put spinach in my pasta, but I chose blog post over green.  I’m rushing out the door to make chocolate with my Junior League committee at Schakolad Chocolate Factory in… T minus ten minutes.

Can’t wait to see what this is all about!  Gotta jet!