4th Anniversary & Neilesh/Ashima's engagement!

Last weekend, A and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary in Austin, TX, the city where we fell in love almost 10 years ago!  After work on Friday, A whisked me to dinner at Vespaio on South Congress.  We were amazed at how much this street has changed over the past few years.  It's lined with amazing restaurants, cute boutiques, funky food trucks and of course fabulous views of the downtown Austin skyline.

Source: Google

Source: Google












Here's a few pictures after sharing a bottle of red wine and delicious italian food :)

On Saturday, we headed to San Antonio to celebrate the engagement of our good friend, Neilesh to Ashima.  However, first we quenched our thirst with a stop at Freetail Brewery.  A enjoyed the sampler while I got the La Rubia, a wheat beer.

The engagement ceremony was held at his parent's home, followed by drinks/dinner/dancing!  Congrats to the happy couple :)

The next morning, as we drove home we were in awe as we passed by the gorgeous Texas wildflowers growing on the sides of the highways.  If you remember, last year we enjoyed our anniversary weekend in the Texas Hill Country with those same amazing wildflowers.  Although this weekend was not only about A and I, it was nice to be away together.  On to year 5...

spicy black bean chili

 













spicy black bean chili
adapted from eat live run

We're having a very mild winter in Houston but if you've been reading my blog for awhile you know about my love of soups and chili so there's no way some 70 degree weather was going to stop me!  I bookmarked this recipe a few months ago, bought all the ingredients a last week but was waiting for the right day as it takes a few hours to cook.  The only changes I made were to add 1 tsp garam masala and added 1/2 cup of corn the last 10 minutes of simmering.

Serve with grated cheese, sour cream and crumbled tortilla chips.  Serves 3-4 people.

favorites of 2011

Since all of my favorite blogs are doing a round-up on their favorite posts, I thought I would join the fun! 

In 2011, A, and I bought our first home, I started a new job, we celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary, we went to NYC twice to see my bff, I finally got to see my girl live in concert, we visited Chicago to see a dear friend marry his love, A, was accepted into graduate school to earn his MBA, our great friends visited from Seattle and we rounded off the year vacationing in Jamaica for a week (post to follow this weekend!).

My top three food posts are here, here and here :)

Wishing you and your family and very safe and Happy New Year!  Looking forward to some great things in the new year.  xo, s&a&shorty

thanksgiving weekend

This past weekend our great friends, K&K were in town from Seattle.  We had a great mix of food, fun and football!  Check out K's blog in a few days for more pictures! 

On Sunday, we had brunch at our home with K&K and other close friends and family.  We prepared scrambled eggs, bagels, croissants, pancakes and fresh baked pear crisp with a healthy dose of bottomless mimosas :)  I forgot to take a picture of the pear crisp but it turned out great!  My only substitution was using asian pears instead of D'anjou pears.

The fabulous weekend ended with A and I decking our halls for our 1st Christmas in our home!

veggie chili & cheddar corn bread

Ok, so it's not quite autumn here in Houston (more like a Seattle summer) but I saw this recipe on The Chew a few days ago and had to try it!  On the side we baked up a Jiffy cornbread, definitely not my favorite but was great for a quick weeknight meal.  I added some cheddar cheese and chopped chilies to the cornbread mix.

Housewarming Party!

Last week, A and I had our family over to celebrate our new home!  We moved in February but we took some time to decorate and travel over the summer before we had a chance to have a party.  Special thanks to both of our mom's for preparing most of the food.  Menu and recipes to follow pictures. 

the food spread

both mom's!

party punch!

Menu:

Bhel puri
Dahi puri

Greek 7 layer dip with Pita Chips

Party Punch

Oatmeal White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
Chocolate Chip & Walnut Cupcakes
Gajar Halwo (Carrot Pudding) - mom's secret recipe

Moscow Mule

On Friday, A and I joined our friends at Anvil Bar & Refuge to indulge in a few specialty cocktails.  I asked the bartender to recreate the Moscow Mule I had in Chicago earlier this month.  He mixed together vodka, homemade ginger beer and lime juice.  It was fabulous!  It was a perfect way to beat the 100+ degree heat we have experienced the past few months.  A, had the sole porter on tap, but it was a bit too smoky for our liking.  I would not recommend it.  After going home to check on Shorty we reconvened with our friends at Block 7 Wine Co.  Our table ordered burgers and pizza, which was just OK but the best part of the meal was the delicious bread pudding with extra caramel sauce.  I would go back for that dessert!

Texas Wine Country: March 2011

In March, we spent our 3rd anniversary in Fredericksburg, TX.  Fredericksburg is a small quaint German town a short drive from Austin.  There were 2 themes for the weekend: wine and wildflowers! 









Bluebonnets - Texas state flower












Delish!












Happy Anniversary, A!

Must see Wineries: 
Becker Vineyards
Pedernales Cellars
Woodrose Winery
Grape Creek Vineyards

Dining options:
Fredericksburg Brewery - ended up going there twice for dinner!  A loved the Pioneer Porter!
Any small german bakery with sweet treats, you seriously can't go wrong.

Accomodations:
If we went again, we would definitely stay on Main St where all of the bars/shops/restaurants are located instead of further in the residential area.

You can find great info on seasonal events, maps, directions here.