FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

The Gameday Breakfast

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Game Day Breakfast

As a second generation Florida Gator, I learned the importance of a substantial gameday breakfast early on.  And since I’m a savory breakfast kind of gal, egg sandwiches have always been my gameday go-to.

HEB Spicy Corn Relish

When I opened my September HEB Primo Picks box, visions of spicy egg goodness immediately popped into my head.  I toasted up some sprouted wheat bread, topped with sliced avocados, an over-medium egg, and HEB‘s Spicy Relish that Corn.  I dove in with a fork and knife (which were oh so necessary) and immediately wished I had more avocado so I could treat myself to seconds – it was SO wonderful.

Texas Tea and Vodka

Wonderful and… hot!  I dug through the box to see what I could snack on to calm the burn, when I found the perfect thing: Peach Texas Tea.  And then I thought “if this is a gameday breakfast, then surely this tea should be turned into a cocktail”.  So there ya have it!  As I cheer on the Gators in Austin this season, I’ll be enjoying a Texa-fied start to my gameday with a spicy corn relish egg sammie and a Texas Tea with a splash of Tito’s.

An Evening With Say laV

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Say La V Austin 1

I texted Molly mid-way through the day asking if she was up for something social after work.  She responded immediately saying “you read my mind!” and forwarded a happy hour invite.  An evening of sampling Say laV eats and Hotel Vegas drinks?  Sure thing.

Moscow Mule

As soon as we arrived, we headed straight to the bar to pick up icy cocktails in an honest attempt to brave the 100 degree heat that was waiting for us out back.  Moscow mules, Pimm’s cups, and sticky bangs.  It was happening.

Say La V 5

We parked ourselves at a picnic table and the food was immediate.  First up was fig topped pate and melon/salami/basil skewers.  Both of these hit all sorts of spots at our table.  The herb/meat/melon combo is certainly a thing right now and I love it.  And the pate, which is rarely my thing, became my thing when it was paired up so perfectly with fig.

Say La V Austin 3

Lamb burgers with a hearty slice of red onion and a dollop of tzatziki… brought me back to the days of living near good Greek food.  I ate two.

Say La V 4

Pulled pork tacos and blistered shishito peppers.  I tell ya, this night was one for the books!

Say La V Austin 2

And to satisfy any sweet teeth in the crowd, they served sweet potato donut holes.  These were Molly’s favorite.  She ate four two.  Maybe two and a half?  Regardless, she deserved it.  Thanks Miss Molly for another unexpectedly wonderful night on the town!

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.