It’s been exactly two months and one day since I started my new gig.  And for that entire two months and one day I’ve been a busy little bee, learning something new every hour of each day.  Restaurant operations is a completely different world than construction, but somehow…  These worlds are coming together for me.  And I love it.

I headed to Uchi Houston this morning to monitor some site improvements that I’ve been working on since day one.  I cozied up in a booth and handled Austin happenings while making occasional rounds to check on the progress outside, all the while noticing how much prep goes into dinner service.

And even though it took all I had to leave the hotel room once I settled, I couldn’t help but head back to the restaurant to experience what all of that prep work turned into.

I deviated from my usual choices and selected the chef’s tasting {along with a piece of madai} and two specials {the kaki no kyuri and hamachi crudo}.  I sat solo at the bar, enjoying dishes that were seemingly too beautiful to be eaten on a Monday, soaking up the same service and ambiance that set my standard well before becoming a part of the team.

I’ve started every Saturday this year with morning yoga followed by a 4 to 5 mile hike.  It has been won-der-ful.  But in order to stick to it, Fridays need to be mellow yellow.  And what could be more mellow than a soup and salad dinner with A glass of wine and a brownie sundae among close friends in one of the most blog-worthy kitchens in Austin?  Not. Much.

I brought over a few of the goodies from my January HEB Primo Picks bag.  This month’s bag may have been my most favorite to date.  Between the soups, salad dressing, lightly seasoned popcorn, and sinfully delicious cookies…  They totally hit the mark.

The warm, veggie-filled soup was the perfect accompaniment to a cool, veggie-filled salad.  I used a salad chopper to make perfectly bite-sized pieces of romaine, strawberries, cucumber, red onions, avocado, and goat cheese.  And then used the Central Market Meyer Lemon Dressing to tie it all together.  Let me just tell you, this dressing couldn’t have been more perfect for our chopped salad.  I’m looking forward to getting back into chopped salads and the arrival of this dressing couldn’t have been more convenient.

Check out what else is going on in the HEB kitchen by heading to their Instagram page!

As part of the HEB Primo Picks team, I received compensation to sample various Primo Picks products. The opinions in this post are completely my own and based on my experience.

During the small bits of time I spend in the car, I’ve been re-listening to albums that I’ve set aside for years.  Some, like L7, I took a liking to when I was 14 and still favor the same favorites 16 years later.  And other’s, like Bloc Party, I’ve grown fond of songs that I skipped over when the album was first released. Below is a mix of tunes that I’ve had on rotation for the past few weeks.  Enjoy!

L7 – Moonshine

 

Bloc Party – Plans

 

Le Tigre – Tell You Now

 

Ghostland Observatory – Cause A Scene

Just as I came to terms with my least brilliant idea {beginning a juice cleanse on a Friday}, I texted a friend that just had a baby offering to bring his new family something baked.  Mixing whole lemons with sugar and butter was borderline torture.

But it gave me something to do.  And even better, it gave me an excuse to visit the most adorable, one-week-new, baby Emilia.

Did you catch the bit about whole lemons?  I loved that Smitten Kitchen’s lemon bar recipe called for the entire fruit. When the sugar mixed completely with the citrus, it gave me flashbacks of little kid Kristin begging for these candies at the mall.

I cheated by cutting off the tiniest sliver to make sure they were gift appropriate.  And then received text confirmation on my way home that these bars were excellent and that the new grandpa kept going back for more!

I am dying to try this recipe with grapefruits when I’m comfortably zipping my pre-holiday jeans.  Til then, I’ll be baking for others!