rave: what I did with my extra day
happy leap day! so what did you do with a whole extra day?
i had the privilege of volunteering out at johnson's backyard gardens today. jbg is homegrown in east austin. they started growing vegetables in their holly street backyard in 2004. the goal was to provide the austin community with the best quality locally grown, organic vegetables possible.
they are in the process of planting transplants and needed some help. jbg is where i get my veggies from when i hit up the farmers markets so it was really cool to see where the food i eat comes from and help do some of the work. it was a productive work day and it felt great. we got good and dirty as we planted fennel, kohlrabi, and rutabagas. it was my first time sitting on a mechanical transplanter and it was a good hand-eye coordination workout. it became like a game for me. haha! there were 12 chutes that rotate clock-wise and at the 11 o'clock postion the chute opens drop the transplant into a hole in the ground as the tractor pulls you down field. so you had make sure the chutes were loaded while you balanced a tray on your lap and gently detached the baby plants from that tray. it was awesome!
i also got to meet some really great people. one of the other volunteers is the baker for one of my favorite restaurants, olivia. so we chatted and filled the chutes and fixed the rows for several hours. i have to say this has been one of the most enjoyable volunteering opportunities i've had in austin. as we headed back in, one of the farm hands asked if we were coming back tomorrow (haha!) i said not tomorrow but maybe next week or the week after. oh! and the icing on the cake is, for volunteering, you get to take home a csa box of veggies! i think that is very cool :) look at all the pretty veggies and fruits i got!!
so, i have to say, my extra day was very well spent. can't wait to go out and help again! thank you jbg for a wonderful leap day!
rant: early spring and indian spiced cauliflower
we had an extremely warm day for february today...yes, even for texas. we hit a high of 92 today! crazy i say. if this is a preview of weather to come, we're in for a brutal summer. to be honest, it was nice out. i spent a couple hours late in the afternoon working from the back patio. the pup hung out with me while i tinkered away. but no worries, a cold front just made its way through and we're now at a comfortable and breezy 61 degrees.
while sitting outside, i realize that my backyard is kind of like that movie enchanted. there are a ton of little birds and squirrels running around. i've recently noticed that a mockingbird is always hanging around the house. i am by no means certain it is the same bird, but it looks like it to me. the funny thing is, i rescued a baby mockingbird that was stuck in our texas sage bush in 2010.
part of me wonders if this is the same bird. it is not freaked out by me and just hangs out either in oak tree in the front yard, along the gutters of the house or in our backyard. either way, this little guy hung out with me also, chirping along to whatever was playing on my itunes.
soon it was time to head in and start dinner. tonight i wanted to use the cauliflower that i picked up at sprouts last week (for $.99!). so i tried a recipe my friend k has made a couple times for us before. i always love it when she makes it so i figured i should try :) the recipe comes from one of my favorite cooking blogs: smitten kitchen. there's not a bad recipe...seriously. everything i have made from her recipes are always yummy. some of my favorite recipes are from there and it's definitely my go-to place when i'm looking for something. go check it out!
so it was no surprise that the indian spiced cauliflower and potatoes were great. i paired it with some quinoa and herb crusted chicken tenders. in the recipe, she serves the cauliflower with a cucumber scallion raita. i had neither cucumber or scallions so i used mint, parsley and lemon in the greek yogurt and that was tasty too. it was just nice to have a cool creamy contrast to the spices. b had no complaints and scarfed dinner down. so i'll definitely be making this again.
indian spiced cauliflower and potatoes
from smittenkitchen.com
1 1/4 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons minced fresh jalapeño, including seeds
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 cup water
Accompaniment: lemon wedges
Put oven rack in upper third of oven and place a shallow baking pan on rack. Preheat oven to 475°F.
Toss cauliflower and potatoes together in a bowl with 3 tablespoons oil, cumin seeds, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Spread in hot baking pan and roast, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower is tender and browned in spots and potatoes are just tender, about 20 minutes.
While vegetables are roasting, cook onion, garlic, jalapeño, and ginger in remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until very soft and beginning to turn golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add ground cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Stir in water, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of skillet, then stir in roasted vegetables. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.
Makes 4 side-dish servings.
Cucumber Scallion Raita
1/4 cup finely chopped English (seedless cucumber)
1 thinly sliced scallion
3/4 cup yogurt
1/2 teaspoon salt
Mix!
rant: rest in peace whitney
with whitney houston's recent passing and her "coming home" memorial service this weekend, many have honored and remembered her with the song she's most known for. from the grammys to glee, i will always love you has been sung as a tribute to whitney. as i was surfing through some blogs today, i came across a performance that i wasn't expecting. chris cornell, front man of soundgarden, audioslave and temple of the dog, played a solo show fundraiser for president obama in san francisco a couple nights ago. and as an encore, he played i will always love you - which he only just learned. check out the video of his live performance.
as a fan of soundgarden and audioslave, it was a treat to hear cornell play acoustically. and to hear a song not usually in his genre or gender. i have to say i am amazed to see how many are affected by whitney in her short 48 years. at her memorial service this weekend, it was only fitting that kevin costner, her co-star in the bodyguard, gave her euology. at the end, he could not have sent her off with better words:
rest in peace whitney.
rant: things i want in my belly currently
i love to eat. i'm currently obsessed with trying these places.
lenior - $35 prix fixe menu. choose any 3 dishes from 4 categories. each of the categories have three choices. add an extra course for $10. menu is seasonal and changes. what more is there to say?
noble pig - they host a 4 course monthly dinner for $65 per person and it's byob. love that they serve breakfast... biscuits and gravy, blueberry waffle with sausage and five-spiced oatmeal daily till noon.
as for the rest of the day, duck pastrami, the noble pig, pressed cauliflower and three cheeses and the beef tongue sound amazeballs.
barley swine - brick and mortar of odd duck trailer. ever changing menu based on what is in season and can be locally sourced. currently for february, the beets, scallops with brussel sprouts and grapefruit, carrot cake and sage funnel cake catch my eye.
yume burger - brand new food truck here in atx. japanese burger truck from the wonder people of peached tortilla
foreign & domestic - another seasonal menu local restaurant. things currently that appeal to my stomach: soft egg and clams, beef heart tartare, pappardelle pasta, lemon & carmel dessert.
fabi & rossi - classic European dishes with a young and modern twist. things on the menu that catch my eye: loncito’s braised lamb roman gnocchi, golden beet risotto, schnitzel + spätzle, & chévre tart gingerbread crust, candied lemon. i love how they support and love local products.
bonus: half price off bubbles on thrusdays. happy hour 5pm to 6:30pm m-f.
justine's - not sure why i haven't been. just haven't. but been dying to. classic french fair without the pretentiousness.
contigo - um, look at this patio! menu changes daily but something that have caught my stomach: ox tongue slider, cauliflower gratin, rabbit & dumplings, & lemon shortcake. they also have happy hour:
monday - friday from 5-7: reduced price bar snacks, $1 off draft beer and wine by the glass & 6$ select classic cocktails
tuesday: drink local tuesday featuring cocktails w/ local spirits & $2 austin beers (in addition to regular hh)
bonus: they serve brunch!
hopfields - been following the progress of this place a while back. a great gastropub for beer lovers. 42 beers on tap plus 20 bottles. and the food is classic french street food. looks yum...crepes anyone?
easy tiger - more bar/gastropub but happy to see nicer places on east 6th street. definitely going to check out the bakery though.
11 plates - westlake’s best happy hour m-f 3-6pm & sat 3-5pm
$5 select small plates $2 off all beers $3 off all glass wine
no time to cook?
full bird walking $18: stop by eleven and bring home a whole roasted chicken and sides for 4 people for just $18.
bacon - bacon fries, bacon aioli, broken yolk blt, bacon waffle. mmmmm, bacon.
zocalo cafe - got my attention because of the cute patio...will have to check it out on a nice day. also, muy loco wednesday: $2 frozen ritas, $2 frozen sangrias $8 carafes all day! loca late night on wednesdays has complimentary nacho bar, music and $2 drink specials from 10pm to 12pm. their happy hour, everyday 3pm to 6pm, isn't shabby either. highlights: carafes of frozen drinks $5, $18 bottle of malbec, & $4 bellini. their brunch sounds pretty yummy too!
thoughts? suggestions? comments?
who's wants to go eat?
rave: love is all around
valentine's day with b had to happen early this year since he was going to be out of town on the 14th. so on saturday night we had early v-day dinner. we've been dying to try out kome for a while now so that is where we headed. kome isn't traditional japanese food or just sushi. it is described as authentic home-style japanese cooking which is influenced by other cultures and cuisines. this was very interesting to me since although being ethnically chinese, my family is from hong kong, which in itself is a mutt. so chinese food is what we go to restaurants to eat. home cooking is a hodge-podge of old school comfort foods to hong kong-style mishmash such as cream corn & spam spaghetti. so i was looking forward to seeing what authentic home-style japanese food is.
as usual, the place was packed by 7:00 and had about a 30 minute wait. so we hung around till we got a table. kome is opened by take & kayo. i first learned about them when they opened a sushi trailer (yes...and it was AMAZING.) sushi-a-go-go*. i was so impressed by the food served, not just the quality but the customer service and friendliness. it was my go-to sushi lunch place. i know, who would have thought sushi from a trailer, but it was yum. the surprising fact i learned was, while opening this trailer and owning a catering company (deli bento) take was a chef at the famed uchi! so having had some great dining experiences, i was expecting a very yummy dinner.
once we got our table, we were promptly served drinks (we shared a large kirin ichiban and some water) and given some time to peruse the menus. b tackled the dinner menu and i the sushi. we ordered 3 from the dinner and 4 from the sushi menu (the uni was just for me so it doesn't count..heehee). first came the sushi, which surprised us on how fast it came out. we had the trio roll, love for sale roll, endo in n.y. roll and some tuna sashimi. trio roll is an old standby from the sushi-a-go-go trailer days. our favorite was the endo in n.y. roll (bottom picture below). the sauce was yum! from the dinner menu, we had yakiniku-kushi (grilled beef with onions), kushikatsu-set (fried panko pork & veggies), and the hiyayakko (cold tofu with ginger and scallions). all of it was wonderful, but next time we both agreed we would try some more adventurous grilled/fried items like the iidako kushi-yaki (small octopus). it was a great meal and we were pleasantly full and not stuffed. i look forward to going back again and i'd love to sit at the sushi bar and watch the chefs at work. i'm also dying to try their lunch. the set meals sound yummy and a great deal.
so on the 14th, i spent the day cleaning up some around the house then went for a run down at town lake ( i know that the name changed...but that is what i will always call it.) to continue my training for the upcoming half marathon i signed up for. as i ran, i was happy to see how many runners were out an about. i found myself smiling a lot as i passed runners who wore red/pink or hearts on their run. not sure if everyone did it on purpose but it was nice to see. as i finished up my loop, i crossed the 1st street pedestrian bridge. it is one of my favorite parts of running town lake. there's always art/graffiti, people dancing, and at one time a piano. there's always something there that makes me smile. and today was no different. some one(s) took time and wrote valentine's themed words in chalk all along the bridge. it was a nice surprise and a very cool way to spread some love. i love this city!
after running, my friend m was nice enough to have me over for dinner. we spent the night chatting, catching up, and watching vampire diaries. my contribution to dinner was brownies, strawberries and some bitch bubbly :)
i hope everyone had a lovely and wonderful valentine's day and that received and spread lots of love.
rant: current obssesions
1. cross body bag for traveling, 2. darren criss, 3. joesph gordon-levitt, 4. smash, 5. chevron print, 6. grey & yellow, 7. red skinny jeans, 8. green coats, 9. ipad 3, 10. wedge heels, 11. french bulldogs, 12. making xiao long bao, 13. louis vuitton sofia coppola bag in jasper, 14. one piece swimwear, 15. interesting backs, 16. wide leg pants, 17. games of throne, 18. downton abbey, 19. spiced brownies, 20. neil patrick harris, 21. extremely loud, incredibly close, 22. salted caramel
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