tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88467884744269133172011-04-21T16:14:26.910-05:00Elizabeth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04000794903522950424noreply@blogger.comBlogger231100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846788474426913317.post-75632021894041815642008-09-29T20:26:00.002-05:002008-09-29T20:27:12.691-05:00

Isn't she cute? Ah, Toaster.

Elizabeth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04000794903522950424noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846788474426913317.post-34781833882625608822008-09-29T20:08:00.005-05:002008-09-29T20:27:41.374-05:00

The Daring Bakers Challenge for August was Lavash (an Armenian flatbread cracker) with a dip or spread of your choosing. The recipe sent out was vegan (except for the yeast... which is kind of vegan... depending on how strict you are. I'm not a vegan but I do have vegan tendencies, so there's no way I'm strict enough to include yeast in my no list! I'd have to give up cheese first and... well.

Elizabeth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04000794903522950424noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846788474426913317.post-3746745719425808762008-09-22T08:06:00.004-05:002008-09-22T08:29:16.684-05:00

This month's Iron Cupcake challenge was to create a sweet cupcake using basil as a key ingredient. I immediately thought of two flavors: Italian and Asian. Italian was out because that might be a little too savory for a cupcake, so I went with Asian flavors. Coconut and basil are used all the time together in some of my favorite dishes! Most of those are savory too, I know, but coconut at

Elizabeth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04000794903522950424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846788474426913317.post-66948931351453201612008-09-18T12:15:00.003-05:002008-09-18T12:16:34.850-05:00

The weather is beautiful. These flowers were blooming at the park. They stood out in the green and brown like a crazy beacon. Even my pups sniffed them. Granted, they sniff everything, but still.

Elizabeth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04000794903522950424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846788474426913317.post-22693868921874665002008-09-13T13:56:00.002-05:002008-09-13T14:11:48.334-05:00

Apparently, most things I love about Austin are restaurants! And dog parks. So today... something else. Although, I suppose this is sort of gastronomically related.I spent a day off about, oh, a month ago going to cool artistic and cultural locations around town, between running errands, which is a good type of day. Accomplishing things, and seeing art. Sweet! I hit two birds with one stone

Elizabeth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04000794903522950424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846788474426913317.post-68659551496405500412008-09-11T08:56:00.002-05:002008-09-11T09:27:40.343-05:00

I just went on a lovely trip to Chicago for a friend's wedding, and it was absolutely perfect. The first day it rained a lot (rain, they tell me, that was from Gustav, which I find strange, since I don't even think we got rain in Austin from Gustav. I make no claims to understand weather patterns), but the rest of the days were the kinds of clear, cool, comfortable autumn days that really make

Elizabeth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04000794903522950424noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846788474426913317.post-89805090328528475282008-08-31T18:29:00.003-05:002008-08-31T19:36:26.513-05:00

PIERRE HERMES CHOCOLATE ECLAIRSconsisting of 3 parts: pate a choux, chocolate pastry cream, and chocolate glazeThis month's Daring Baker's challenge was a blast! I teamed up with Kirsten of Pincushion Crumbs to prepare the elements of this delicious pastry, which we halved and altered to our own unique flavors. Neither of us wanted the sweet, sweet temptation of 24 eclairs hanging around our

Elizabeth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04000794903522950424noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846788474426913317.post-34482288522629629312008-08-29T09:54:00.003-05:002008-08-29T11:01:29.261-05:00

A Thing I Do Not Like About Austin is that it's so hot here all the time.  I get tired of the heat.  I'm from Ohio originally, and lived in California for a few years before settling in Texas.  I miss the four complete seasons, honestly (which we didn't really get in California, but it was certainly closer than Austin.  It's just hot, hot, hot, then winter, then hot.  Around this time, with

Elizabeth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04000794903522950424noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846788474426913317.post-45778506314722693552008-07-30T21:48:00.003-05:002008-07-30T22:16:37.859-05:00

This month is the first that I was a part of the Daring Baker Challenge!  I joined this group because I have almost no baking experience, and wanted to get some.  Of course, I also (clearly) like to start out by throwing myself into the fire.  This month's recipe: Filbert Gateau with Praline Buttercream.Um, wow.  Impressive.  Actually, I wasn't as nervous as I thought I would be.  It looked like

Elizabeth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04000794903522950424noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846788474426913317.post-72740029877046171632008-07-24T14:40:00.004-05:002008-07-24T15:14:48.919-05:00

The Blue Dahlia Bistro is one of my favorite places to eat in Austin. It's on E. 11th Street, in the very up-and-coming, new-gentrification part of town. All changes to the city-scape aside, it's one rare and amazing place to eat.To begin, the menu is simple but delicious. My first time there, I had the vegetarian frittata of the day, which had summer squash, red pepper and some mouth-watering

Elizabeth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04000794903522950424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846788474426913317.post-28618478375352537402008-07-17T16:44:00.002-05:002008-07-17T17:21:04.397-05:00

I so desperately want a camera with a macro capacity! Soon. For now I have to pay off a few other things... but someday.... soon... my pictures will be in focus, and then I can concentrate on framing instead of getting far enough away to be in focus but close enough to focus on the food....So. I got a bottle of Gates BBQ Sauce as a thank you for dog-sitting. It was a nice surprise, given that

Elizabeth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04000794903522950424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846788474426913317.post-76439667311017116252008-07-14T14:20:00.003-05:002008-07-14T14:48:18.777-05:00

Tomatoes with Sesame-Miso Sauce(modified from the August 2008 Food and Wine Magazine)1/3 c. sesame seeds1/4 c. veganaise2 tbsp. miso paste1 1/2 tsp sake3 tbsp. water1 tbsp. red wine vinegarjuice of a lemon1/2 tbsp. mirin1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oilfive huge tomatoes1 crumbled sheet of noriToast the sesame seeds in a dry pan till golden, approximately 3 minutes. Make sure you toss to toast on

Elizabeth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04000794903522950424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846788474426913317.post-2670740292767612892008-07-13T18:18:00.003-05:002008-07-13T18:30:42.172-05:00

I really love the way the party always ends up in the kitchen. I feel at home there, standing, milling around, with plenty to touch and taste and do. It's just not the same to cook for yourself as it is to cook something for others. The gift of time, as it were, and nourishment, and, of course, enjoyment. Can you share anything better? I love to be in my kitchen, with a little still left to

Elizabeth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04000794903522950424noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846788474426913317.post-50363121424986383002008-07-09T14:58:00.005-05:002008-07-10T07:46:48.278-05:00

I had a cooking frenzy, preparing everything I got from the farmers market on Saturday in one day, able then to for the rest of the week without doing anything but reheating when necessary. I open my fridge now... and it's delicious and colorful and inviting.I could certainly use a digital camera with a micro function, as my photos seem to be blurrier the smaller the thing I try to capture. The

Elizabeth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04000794903522950424noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846788474426913317.post-87076004356932021652008-07-09T14:18:00.005-05:002008-07-09T16:35:50.969-05:00

It's a beautiful time of year at the Sunset Valley Farmers Market. It's a veritable summer fruit and vegetable explosion - everywhere, tomatoes, eggplant, summer squash, huge herb bundles, delicate flower bouquets, the beginnings of beans, some glossy potatoes, juicy peaches, bundles upon bundles of peppers, huge melons (and not just on the customers, either)...This is one of the best farmers

Elizabeth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04000794903522950424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846788474426913317.post-17325852040305076192008-07-03T14:31:00.007-05:002008-07-09T16:37:46.500-05:00

It's been hot here lately (a record number of days over 100 degrees and it's only just July) so I've been taking my pooches to the dog parks with water. Poor shy Talah, she just isn't comfortable around a lot of people, so I take her to the more popular spots on weekdays when I'm off, so she doesn't get too overwhelmed with crowds. Since it's Thursday, we went to Barton Springs. There's an

Elizabeth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04000794903522950424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846788474426913317.post-18811824103867349522008-06-22T11:57:00.004-05:002008-07-09T16:38:41.410-05:00

On of my favorite places in Austin is Redbud Island. It's a small island (peninsula?) in Westlake, that is an off-leash dog park. It's very woodsy, very natural, with a crushed rock path around it. There are little off-shoots and dog-made trails that go from the path to the water's edge, and crisscross the areas between the circular path. I have two dogs, a dalmation called Lena and a black

Elizabeth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04000794903522950424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846788474426913317.post-63362054009761700832008-06-15T17:22:00.003-05:002008-07-09T16:39:14.507-05:00

This is indulgent by my standards. For some, indulgent breakfast might mean a decadent brunch, or at the very least something baked and sweet and covered in syrup. For me, that much sweetness is impossible at breakfast, when I nearly always want something either light and quick (like, say, yogurt and fruit or toast and jelly), or protein-packed and savory. I'm more of an omelet or breakfast

Elizabeth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04000794903522950424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846788474426913317.post-17459523838009913682008-06-11T13:01:00.004-05:002008-07-09T16:39:40.278-05:00

So, I created this blog. I planned to write about the things I love about living in Austin, from the people to the places, as well as my own cooking and crafting exploits in its craft-friendly environment. However. I did not blog.Why? I'm not sure. Time, life, this, that.However (deux). I am going to blog here from now on.Why? A few reasons. One is that there are a lot of things I love

Elizabeth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04000794903522950424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846788474426913317.post-25910074456806276032007-10-27T21:35:00.001-05:002008-07-09T16:40:13.459-05:00

Went to Mozart's Cafe on a crisp October day this past week. It was warm enough to sit outside with a light sweater and look at the gray Lake Travis and have a hot mint tea and not be sweating (for once). This bird came to join us.Apparetly this is a grackyl, which are usually brash and ugly and obnoxiously loud, but this one was quiet and cute, and a kind of greenish yellow and brown color I

Elizabeth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04000794903522950424noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846788474426913317.post-53026648641312222872007-10-23T16:50:00.000-05:002007-10-23T16:56:24.238-05:00

This is going to get more about Austin in the next couple of days, FYI.Today, however, it was all about staying at home. Had some tea and got some fabric out to make more things for my friend Kirsten's birthday. It's the perfect time to try new projects - I get to expariment, and she gets fun little stuff to enjoy. Today - An apple shaped patchwork paperweight! It's filled with beans and

Elizabeth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04000794903522950424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846788474426913317.post-8964451556963514152007-10-22T17:27:00.000-05:002007-10-22T17:39:18.116-05:00

You can tell it is getting cool because all the native Texans have put on their parkas and puffy jackets, despite the fact that a light jacket is barely necessary. This is to say that fall is here! After teasing for a little while, today it rained, then cleared up, and left a bright blue sky with puffy white clouds and a crisp brease in it's wake. There is little doubt that I'm going to have a

Elizabeth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04000794903522950424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846788474426913317.post-31715115376454199072007-10-21T22:01:00.000-05:002007-10-21T22:15:13.188-05:00

It's not the first thing that I loved in Austin. It's not even the first thing that I loved about Austin. But it's the thing I loved that made me look at all the things I love here, and create this blog.It's behind the Blanton Museum, sort of on the University of Texas campus, not anywhere I would have found if a friend hadn't known it was there. But it's this amazing sculpture/installation

Elizabeth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04000794903522950424noreply@blogger.com0