Bake It List

Tags

baking, motivation, NaBloPoMo

So it’s November 30 which means it’s the last day of this NaBloPoMo nonsense. YES. I mean, it’s fun, but kind of ridiculous.

In an effort to not be that girl who only posts during the eleventh month, I thought I could keep a list of things I’d like to bake, which would hopefully lead to writing about them. Right now I only have a few ideas there (and mostly Milk Bar recipes, surprise), but it will definitely keep growing. It’s its own page right up there next to the Bucket List of restaurants.

Yes, I do realize that this is what Pinterest is for, but I hate it.

Also, that is my little cookbook collection, minus a couple ice cream books. The majority of those books were given to me as I tend to mostly look for recipes online, so only a few really get used. If you have any cookbook musts for someone who likes to cook with lots of veggies and bake, I’m all ears.

Lofty Leftovers

Tags

baking, croissants, leftovers, Milk Bar, NaBloPoMo, Thanksgiving

A couple friends have pointed out that I’ve been playing it safe on my blog this month. Back in the blogging heyday, I used to participate in monthly baking and cooking challenges from the Daring Kitchen, but would also tackle difficult recipes just because, well, I wanted to be challenged. The thrill has always been more in the process than in eating the final result, you know? Though getting to enjoy it is always the best bonus.

So why haven’t I beed very adventurous? I don’t know. The main excuse has been that there are always so many vegetables that need to be cooked, so that’s what’s been keeping me occupied in the kitchen. That said, I do have more time than most, especially if managed well, and I have missed the crazy baking projects.

Kin & Comfort

Tags

Austin, comfort food, Kin & Comfort, NaBloPoMo, southern, Thai

A few months ago, I really wanted to get some fried chicken at this newish Thai/southern food fusion place called Kin & Comfort. Long story short, I found out that they only accepted cash, and by the time I came back from an ATM, it was ten minutes before closing and they were too backed up to take my order. Sad times. (Now you can pay with a card inside the market for a $.25 fee.)

Julie texted me yesterday to let me know that Asian Supper Club (an informal group of blogging friends) was meeting there tonight for dinner, so that was exciting. There were seven of us and we covered a pretty good portion of the menu, though I just got photos of what Julie and I ordered.

Son-in-law deviled eggs

Pie High

Tags

baking, butternut squash, fall, NaBloPoMo, pie, pumpkin, Thanksgiving

Usually for holidays, I bake a couple of desserts. I’m not sure if it’s more for variety or to avoid the whole eggs/basket situation, but it’s probably a little of both. This year, I just made one because there is always too much dessert (yes, possible), and it sounded like we’d have less people.

Oddly enough, I decided to make a classic pumpkin pie, which is odd because I don’t really care for it that much. I mean, I’ll eat it, but it would never be near my first pick in a pie line-up. So, why? The recently-posted pumpkin pie recipe on Smitten Kitchen. There’s something so reassuring about Deb that she makes you feel like she’s posting something that’s going to be better than all of the other recipes because she’s done the dirty work and already tried them all for you. But if you’re reading this food blog, then you know this because hers is one of the best and that is partly why.

Um, not that I intended to wax poetic about Deb when I haven’t even talked about this pie. But no surprises here: it was fantastic. I have some truly depressing pie experiences behind me, but this came out pretty perfectly, crust(!) and all.

Wordless Wednesday: Pie Mode

Tags

baking, butternut, fall, NaBloPoMo, pie, pumpkin, Thanksgiving, Wordless Wednesday

I’ll post about the finished pie tomorrow. :)

EAST Moments

Tags

Austin, EAST, East Austin Studio Tour, NaBloPoMo

Despite not getting to see as much art as I would have liked this year at the East Austin Studio Tour, some is better than none, right? It rained three out the four days, but the last day was perfect.

Since I seem to lack writing vibes tonight, here are some photos from the first and final days, or November 15 and 23.

Playing With Fire

Tags

cooking, habanero, NaBloPoMo, pepper, pineapple, salsa, vegan, vegetarian

I’m a worrier. I worry a lot.

It often isn’t really for any good reason either.

Like, if I eat at this really popular restaurant by myself, are people going to notice and judge me? Of course they don’t give a shit, they’re there to have a nice time and enjoy their food. It’s also highly unlikely that I would be the only solo diner. I know this, but it’s like a battle between right and absurd.

Not every worry is socially-related, though, and I usually make myself go through with things anyway. Last week I acquired eight little habanero peppers from the farm. I can handle a decent amount of spice, but having never cooked with or even handled a habanero, I was sort of nervous. What if I made something and it was unbearably spicy? And what do I make with so many of them? They were part of my work-share, so it’s not like I’d be wasting money if I didn’t use them. Since I also received tomatoes and cilantro, I just decided to do the obvious and make some salsa. Seems like a pretty good way to gauge heat, right?

Old Lady Status

Tags

buttermilk, dill, easy, NaBloPoMo, recipe, salad dressing

My landlady grew the tomatoes in our backyard, and the lettuce along with the dill and green onions (in the dressing) came from the farm.

Last week, I needed to buy some buttermilk for the pudding attempt. Usually I don’t need very much and just buy a pint of HEB (grocery store) buttermilk. That recipe called for a half cup more than that, though, so a decision had to be made. Do I buy two of them or something bigger? And then I looked at the larger sizes and spotted a half gallon of whole buttermilk. The HEB stuff is low fat. I drink whole milk. SOLD.

Keep Ramen Weird

Tags

Austin, Japanese, NaBloPoMo, noodles, ramen

Austin is home to a lot of people who like to nerd out about food, and one of the more recent obsessions has been ramen. There are three ramen-dedicated restaurants here, which seems like a lot for a city of this size in Texas. They all offer something slightly different, which I think helps keep each one busy. As of the other night, I have finally eaten at all three!

Veggie at Michi: scallions, sprouts, cabbage, wood ear mushrooms in shoyu shiitake broth with ajitama egg added. (I was vegetarian at the time)

South Austin Social

Tags

afbahh, Austin, Austin Food Blogger Alliance, food trucks, NaBloPoMo, South Austin Social

Of course one of the best things about being a member of the Austin Food Blogger Alliance is getting to hang out and eat food with fellow, local bloggers. Thankfully this happens monthly with the fantastic happy hours that Bo puts together.

Last night, we met up at South Austin Social, a new food truck park tucked away off of Barton Springs near South Lamar. Currently Beirut, Boca, Brunch Haus, Uncle Louie G’s, and Unity Vegan Kitchen are all situated there and treated us to a feast.

Here are some of the things I ate in the order that I tried them:

Falafel from Beirut, a Lebanese food truck.