FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

A Techie Twist: Part One

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I am on a constant quest to be more efficient, more productive, and to squeeze more hours in the day.  So when the folks at AT&T contacted me to test out the new Samsung Galaxy III with the new ISIS mobile wallet feature, I immediately responded that I would love to.  I opened up the ISIS directory and scrolled through the list of Austin vendors.  Macy’s and Whole Foods caught my eye, but Whole Foods seemed like the more responsible choice seeing as I was in the midst of holiday season.

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On second thought, I may have had everything to lose.  Prior to testing out ISIS, I was using an iPhone 4S case below that had just enough space to hold my license and credit card.  Although ISIS did not allow me to store my license, it did password protect my “wallet”, making it the more responsible choice.

getDynamicImageNow back to the tech stuff…  I first used ISIS when I was expecting two very special weekend visitors and decided to welcome them to town with a feast.  I headed to Whole Foods to get my techie shop on, excited to see how much my checkout experience would be improved by using ISIS.  When it was my turn in line, I opened the ISIS app on the phone, touched the card I wanted to pay with, and swiped the back of the phone against the pay pass.  It was just as quick as using a typical credit card, but without the hassle of digging through a purse to find a card or, in my case, without the risk of losing the card stored in a phone case.

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Overall, I was really happy with ISIS and left the market feeling awfully 21st century!  Check back tomorrow for A Techie Twist: Part Two for a nerdy little post comparing the Samsung Galaxy III to the iPhone 4S.

Although I received compensation to review ISIS Mobile Wallet, the opinions in this post are completely my own and based on my experience.

First Batch Of 2013 Postal Cookies

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There’s something so wonderful about sabatoging your besties’ diet resolutions continuing the season of giving.  But all joking aside, the feeling you get when you plop a package in the mail is a great one and I fully intend on having that feeling a bunch this year!  And now that I have these completely adorable tags (thank you Em!), sending packages is even more exciting.

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Working my way through In The Sweet Kitchen, the Ultimate Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies caught my attention.  This recipe appeared to be both mailable and modifiable, both of which I was looking for.  I ditched the chocolate chunks and went straight for a big ol’ bag of white chocolate chips and an even bigger bag of shelled pistachios.  And I thought perhaps if I showed a picture of all my hard shelling work, my postal cookie recipients would feel even more special.  (Emily, Elizabeth, Jessica, Krista – did it work?)

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My roommate and I went to town on this dough.  If I had to pick one cookie dough to live off for the rest of my being, this would be it.  And, from what I was told, the actual cookies came out pretty delish as well.  Have I mentioned before that I’m a dough hound?

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So back to the postal stuff…  Do you have any suggestions on mailable treats other than cookies??  I’m a bit bored with cookies and would love to hear about goods you’ve successfully sent to loved ones!

Some Baking Tunes

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Happy 2013!

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Twenty twelve was a big year, filled with tons of the good stuff, for this girl!  The biggest, most wonderful, box that I checked off my twenty twelve to-do list was move to Austin.  The instant I arrived, I made a handful of lifelong friends and fell completely in love with the city.  And even though my Austin life has kept me busier than I could ever imagine, perhaps too busy to have checked everything off that list, it exposed me to opportunity and dreams I would have never even thought to have dreamt.  Tampa Kristin would have never auditioned for a TV show, but Austin Kristin auditioned for two!

As far as 2013 goes, the year arrived much too quickly to narrow down what I’d like to accomplish.  After three years of FoodFash, I know more than ever that blogging, and everything that comes with being a blogger, makes me happy.  For that reason alone, I’m confident that FoodFash will continue to grow.  Other than that, I just plan on enjoying Austin and continuing the adventure.

Happy 2013 ladies and gents!