Austin or Bust - Valentine's Weekend

Enjoying the snow but wanting to get away to avoid cabin fever this Valentine's Day weekend, Chad and I decided to head south to check out what Austin had to offer.  With no concrete plans in hand, we started our Saturday with our only real MUST.  Round Rock Donuts.  These things were absolutely INCREDIBLE!  Even as I type this blog, I'm still contemplating giving these donuts their very own post... they were THAT good...oh and did I mention HUGE?!! 

Chad and Macie discuss the incredible GOODNESS that is about to ensue...

Getting their game plan ready to tackle the donut beast...

Waiting in a line that wrapped this way and that way and even out the door...

It was worth every tempting minute!

A heart as big as TEXAS!  WOW!!!

Not only was it HUGE, it was light and buttery and piping HOT!

Taking our first bites.. :)

And Macie waiting for hers...  :)

Mt. Bonnell-

Feeling the need to bring ourselves back from the brink of over indulgence, our next stop to Mt. Bonnell let us walk off our breakfast.  Rising 775 feet above sea level, we hiked to the top for the most breathtaking views over Town Lake, downtown and the 360 bridge.

Snaps of our future house... ;)

But we aren't picky... we'll take this one too.. ;)

Town Lake -

A few hours later, and after a restful stop at Austin's Flying Saucer for a few beers and some afternoon snacking, we made our way south across downtown to Town Lake for a long, relaxing stroll. 

Macie loved seeing all the dogs playing in the leash free area

What great views down here

Having never seen the bats emerge this bridge, we were disappointed to find that they only come out in the summer months... but because the day was so beautiful, we enjoyed our stroll anyway.

We'll definitely be back to see the little guys come out during feeding time...  :)

Macie's first real friend :)

It squaked and quacked and made all SORTS of noises at her... lol

Farewell good friend... until we meet again.  :)

Wink Restaurant-

Relying on only our cell phones to get us around, Chad came across Wink Restaurant and Bar while looking for dinner options that evening.  Inspired by the way we met (online on Match that uses "winks" to start initial communitcation) we thought it was only appropriate for this to be our Valentine's dinner spot.  What a treat it was!  It was quaint and romantic and the food was pretty gosh darn GREAT!  How lucky were we?!  Having a very unique selection of menu items, we ate to our hearts content...and I even found another great sweet white wine to add to my "Favorites List" ---> 2005 Monchof - Riesling Spatlese.  YUM!

Winter Wonderland- Day 2

Snowing into the evening and thru the night, the second full day of snow was even more beautiful than I could've ever imagined.  Thankfully for me, work got cancelled but unfortunately for Chad, he had to miss all the incredible snowy sights. 

Our puppy Macie had a BLAST bouncing around in the snow...

she even got a kick out of our little snowman!

Thick wonderful snow as far as the eye could see... LOVE IT!

Another view out front... to compare to the snow from yesterday  :)

View of our front walk up... All snowed in!

Taking a drive to see all the wonderful snow, I stumbled upon a gorgeous little lake near our house! 

Never knew it was even there! 

SOOO PRETTY  :)

Even had a gazebo!  Definitely coming back when the weather warms up a bit...

The drive back to our house...

Winter Wonderland...

The morning seemed like any other as I hit the snooze button several times as I did everyday....thoughts of calling in swirling in my head.  Little did I know that waiting outside was a sight I had witnessed only a few times in my life.  Everyday my routine was the same.  Not wanting to wake the sleeping grizzly bear (aka Chad) I took my things to the guest room to get ready for my day.  Today, I was stopped dead in my tracks as I opened our bedroom door to be greeted by a winter wonderland outside the window.  It was ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!  As I stood there in amazement, I waited only a few minutes before I turned around and woke Chad to share in my delight.  :)

View from our guest bedroom window...

View from our Master bedroom... What a sight!!

Morning accumulation..

Our backyard...

What a beautiful snow flocked tree!

View out front

A tangle of snowy branches.

Afternoon and it's still snowing!

Enjoying the snow while waiting for Chad to get home from work..

Awwww....  ;)

Now that Chads home it's time to PLAY! 

This is Chad getting the first shot in.... lol

that's at LEAST FOUR INCHES of snow!

A pillow of soft snow.

Making my very FIRST snowman...  :)

a camera phone shot while taking Macie for a walk.

When we heard that it might snow earlier this week, a slight tinge of excitement arose in our hearts although realistically we knew the possibility was small.  Boy were we WRONG!! 

It STILL hasn't stopped snowing!

What she's eating now...

I have to admit that before I met Chad, my diet was...for lack of better words... BORING AS HELL.  Being on a somewhat modified Atkins diet for the last five plus years... my life revolved around protein.  ALL things protein....things I knew, things I was comfortable with.  Although I was practically stuck to the Food Network for the better part of this last decade, I didn't really ever experiment with anything fun and exciting, I just watched.  Then one day, Chad came along and busted down the culinary chains that were holding me down in my ever boring diet.  I've tried things I would've never TOUCHED before... or even thought to TRY.  It's amazing but..Look at me NOW!!

The Ayumi Roll at one of the best sushi restaurants in Dallas...

Seriously??  RAW beef??

I'm still not convinced a light sear qualifies as "cooked beef" as Chad tried to convince me of...

It was good though I must admit. 

This has to be the most surprising thing Chad has gotten me to eat. 

COMPLETELY RAW yellowtail sashimi.... if you know me at all, you probably wouldn't believe it unless you actually SAW me eat it...lol.  We've had it twice now!

Tastings - Part Deux

It's always just a matter of time after the maid comes until the complete destruction of our kitchen... but this week, a mere TWO days after the house was seemly spotless, Chad marked his territory in preparation of the restaurants second set of tastings.  Becoming a tazmanian devil once he gets going, it wasn't until the dust cloud settled behind him that the shear magnitude of the MESS was evident.  Luckily for me, I was able to play taste tester....making the mess that much easier to handle.  :) 

A few snaps from my camera phone...

Goody goody gum drops... :)  I love my chef!

HOLY MOLY! 

There was FOOD EVERYWHERE!!

Tomatoes in a olive oil, rosemary and garlic concoction...

February 09, 2010

The following day Chad prepared his selections for the bosses as he had done a few weeks before.... this time actually taking some time for some snaps!  Yeah!

A tower of protein lovin'..

 

Chicken Pot Pie... done up!

What he's drinking now...

(Rambling's of a Mad Chef by Chad Kelley).... Since I began my culinary career over 10 years ago I have been studying wine. We all know that Food & Wine is the classic combination. What about beer? Since I started developing my restaurant with the guys that created The Flying Saucer I have totally given up wine and have enrolled myself in a crash course in BIER!  I've been trying on average about 2 different beers a week. Each one I have selected, sorry ladies.. not for its name or cute label, but for its style. Starting tonight I will be featuring a new "What I'm Drinking Now" status update. 

What I'm Drinkin' Now - Big Sky IPA. crystal clear light copper beer with good carbonation. This IPA has a nice citrus bitterness with mild aromatics. When it comes to IPA's they can feel, for lack of a better term, unbalanced. This one has a great hoppy flavor without being obtrusive and is very well balanced between the bitterness and the aromatics. Not the biggest kid on the block but very tasty. 

What I'm Drinkin' Now - Old Rasputin Russian Imerpial Stout from North Coast Brewing. Dark Malts, bitter chocolate, roasted coffee, mild oatmeal and at 9% ABV doesnt have any heat. It warms on the finish but you don't taste the alcohol. If it wasn't for the 9% this would be a very sessionable brew. One of my favorite Stouts so far.


For more updates on anything and everything BEER, visit Captain Keith's Beer Blog, one of many Flying Saucer website attractions.  Not only does it cover all things beer, but Keith's also been updating the world on the status of the new restaurant, the Moth, opening soon. 

Visit soon and often...
Keith's Beerknurd blog