FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Where Have You Been?

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Summermoon Austin

The feeling of signing into WordPress and writing again feels wonderful.  For reasons both identifiable and unknown, FoodFash slipped out of my priority sight for longer than I’d care to calculate.  What had been a huge part of my every day felt so incredibly foreign.  But today, as I sit cross-legged on a cozy chair in a cozy coffee shop, it feels right again – and so I write.

SUP CUP Bastrop

I completely surrendered myself to this August weekend.  What happened, happened, and what happened was better than I could have planned (isn’t that always the case?).  On Friday, I went to see two bands I’d never heard of with a boy I hadn’t seen in too long (whose new blog layout is super legit!).  Seeing an unfamiliar band allows you to feel the music a little differently, without anticipation of what’s up next.  I’ll be doing this more often.

On Saturday, I mini road-tripped with my Austin best buds to Bastrop for the SUP CUP.  Tut competed in the 6-mile race while the rest of us helped man the Dickie Boards booth.  Molly, Brett, and I attempted the skills course.  The day was hot, the beers were cold, and the company was much like that of a small, surfery beach town.  The Florida kids felt at home.

We spent minimal time in our sub-fifty-dollar motel room, that also felt much like a salty beach town spot, and headed back to ATX.  Such a good story, this weekend.

Budget Inn Bastrop

So here I am…  Back in Austin, fulfilled from the weekend, and ready to write.  And even though it’s sort of an uncertain FoodFash time, I do have lots of goodness in the works, including: a giveaway for a 12-piece T-fal cookware set, the latest on Healthy Living Summit 2013, and recipes inspired by requests from my new roommate, Max.

Cheers!

Shrimp – Watermelon – Feta – Basil

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Shrimp Watermelon Feta

Today was wonderful in a way that, years ago, I would have never known to appreciate.  I woke up bright and early and walked to work through the tree lined streets of my new neighborhood.  I made the most of my lunch break by picking up dinner groceries and boat loads of wine at the market.  And then I rushed home after work, threw on a house dress, put on some tunes, and got to work in the kitchen.  Everything felt in place.

Chopped Watermelon & Feta

I informed the virtual world of what I was up to and lured  my friend Justin with the promise of wine when he arrived.  He provided company while I chopped, I turned over food while we chatted.  Shrimp steamed with Old Bay, cubed watermelon, cubed feta, and chopped basil.  It was light, fresh, and flavorful – and I wish I had made lots more.

Old Bay Shrimp

Max, my new roommate, returned from work shortly after.  He polished off the rest of my creation as he muttered, “I love living here.”.  Our house has quickly turned into an impromptu gathering spot for our friend circle and I couldn’t think of a way I’d rather it be.

July Primo Picks

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Whataburger Ketchup

A few weeks ago, HEB reached out to me about being a part of their Primo Picks program where they send you a sampling of products each month and you provide them with feedback.  And since I love trying new things and receiving packages, I gladly hopped on board.

The biggest hit this month was the Whataburger condiments.  Ordinarily, this wouldn’t be on my radar.  But now that I live in Austin and have a slew of native Texans on my friend-roll, Whataburger is a talked about thing.  I brought these condiments to a backyard BBQ and couldn’t wait to dig into the spicy ketchup – yum!  I’m looking forward to testing out spicy ketchup in my turkey meatloaf recipe.

Central Market Salsa

The Primo Picks box, that just happened to arrive on a Blues on the Green Wednesday, also included sweet potato chips and chile pequin salsa.  We packed them up for our bluesy snack and passed them around the checkered picnic blanket.  The salsa was a major crowd pleaser among the spice-lovers.  And even though this salsa was a tad on the spicy side for me, I’m definitely interested in checking out the other salsa flavors that Central Market has to offer.

Thank you HEB for including me in the Primo Picks program – I’m already looking forward to the arrival of the August box!

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

Summer Camp

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It’s been a while since I’ve been in FoodFash mode.  I’ve made a conscious effort lately to blog less and accept social invitations more.  And last week, launched by a boat ride and the arrival of Lucy X and Ryan, I decided to take the week off.

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We were inseparable for seven days straight.  Lunches, dinners, night swims, Blues on the Green.

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Brunches and brunchy cocktails.

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Rooftop chats and BBQs.

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East Side late nights and festive cocktails.

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A couple of planless kids running around the city and stumbling into fun, we quickly deemed our spontaneous seven days together as “Summer Camp”.  And even though my voice is gone, my to-do list is long, and I already miss these memories like crazy – these seven days might have been of the most favorite seven days that my memory can recall.