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At the very beginning of 2016, I hosted a yoga and brunch party to help my friends start off on the right foot. My friend Ashley, who recently became a certified yoga instructor, led us through a fun, hour-long class in my living room. I had never had a boy band playlist take me through my practice but I can now say it is really fun! I wish I had gotten a photo of the girls doing their strong warrior poses! Believe me, they were fierce! After yoga, we enjoyed a little brunch I prepared. I made sure to include as many healthy snacks as possible.

Our menu included: carrots and hummus, a yogurt parfait bar and one of my favorite recipes – the monk bowl, which is a type of quinoa salad. (Recipe coming later.) Of course, we had mimosas to wash it all down.

You might have seen in my 2016 goals post that one of my goals this year is to throw 12 celebrations. I really enjoyed this goal last year. Instead of upping the number, I decided I would up the ante by putting more thought into this year’s celebrations and try to throw different kinds of celebrations. I’m continually working on being a better hostess and making entertaining as seamless as possible. I think you’ll like what’s coming because I hope to share ideas to make your celebrations easier to plan and easier on the budget. From what I learned last year, entertaining is fun and pretty but not always great for your bank account!

For this little gathering, the focus was on the yoga and the food. The quick banner you see in the first picture was the simple décor. Ashley and I gathered our favorite thought-provoking quotes and questions and I printed them out for each guest to take home.

Money-Saving Tip for Your Celebrations: Try not to make a large excess of food and don’t let leftover food go to waste. The few cents or dollars you paid for ingredients will add up.

I’m on a mission to throw 12 celebrations in 2016. This is #1 of 12. See all of #Celebrations2016 here!

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Remember the traditional Nigerian wedding for my friends Aaron and Gloria I attended in August? We celebrated the bride’s birthday and bachelorette festivities last weekend! It was a weekend full of activities, including a Segway tour around downtown Austin, a quick romp at the HOPE Outdoor Gallery, pampering at a nail salon, dancing and lots of food! I hosted the last hurrah on Sunday to close out the weekend – a floral-themed bachelorette brunch – at my place.

The décor was simple, affordable and easy to make. Oversized tissue flowers on the wall and white spray painted vases with big, fake blooms carried the floral theme.

For food, I made a homemade frittata with eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, sausage, and shredded cheese. I make this without a recipe! I mix together the ingredients, season the mixture, and put it in a dish. Then I beat together eggs (I used six here) and pour it over the everything.

I also made Pioneer Woman’s Breakfast Potatoes. Trying to follow my own advice of not over-extending myself when it comes to preparation, I also popped open Pillsbury’s biscuits and cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing, two favorites I grew up eating. Both take at most 20 minutes to prepare.

It was a fun weekend with lovely ladies!

One of my goals this year is to throw 12 celebrations. This is #11 of 12. These are big and small parties for any occasion with the goal of planning and executing something fun. See all the celebrations here.

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Homemade Cherry Pie
While this Fourth of July pie didn’t get made until the very end of the full weekend, it was eaten within days. I thought I wasn’t a fan of cherry pie but the sweet, ripe cherries made it perfect. It was a store-bought crust but the cherry filling was pitted and made by hand and spoon.

Margherita and Kale Pizzas at 40 North
The new edition of the Austin Passbook is out, so I thought it was time to get stamping. Linda and I tried 40 North’s pizzas. These pizzas were pretty tasty and with the great trailer food weather and evening lighting, these pizza shots were on point.

Dinner at Swift’s Attic
Boyfriend’s mama was in town and the family got together to celebrate her birthday at Swift’s Attic. We shared a bunch of their plates, including the Charred Edamame, Blistered Shishitos (I still think about these), Korean BBQ Flank Steak, Squid Fries and Seared Scallops. We finished the delicious dinner off with the birthday song and Commander Crunch and the pictured Popcorn & a Movie.

Khao Soi at Chang Thai
As a long-time fan of Yellow Curry and Pad Thai, I am happy that I’ve found a somewhat combination of the two. Khao Soi is yellow curry with egg noodles, veggies and a protein, and has become my new go-to. As with most Thai dishes, this portion at Chang Thai in north Austin was huge!

Toast at Brunch Club
As you saw in the previous Totes Toast post, Brunch Club was all about toast this month and I whipped out some avocado toast varieties. Also consumed: French toast casserole, egg bacon sandwich, and raspberry lemonade champagnes.

Xiao Long Bao (Soup Dumplings) from Wu Chow at Edible Escape
While highly anticipated Chinese restaurant Wu Chow’s opening date is still TBA, they’ve been wowing the culinary community with pop-ups around town and at local events. I tried their soup dumplings at Edible Austin’s Edible Escapes party and I was [emoji face with hearts as eyes]. In other words, I went back for seconds. This soup-filled dumpling is a little package of delight.

Mediterranean-Themed Dinner Party
I love my food-loving friends. Especially when they – well, mostly she – creates a beautiful homemade spread like this. My friend Sarah made the most amazing lamb shawarma, baba ganoush, and beet hummus. Boyfriend and I made tabbouleh and bought red pepper hummus. And as if that wasn’t enough, Sarah pulls out homemade basil with pine nut praline ice cream. Safe to say we left with full and happy bellies and hearts.

All the things in Chicago
One weekend in July was filled with Chicago eats and it was all fantastic. Hop over to my Chicago eats blog post to read all about it!

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream at Mandola’s
I was in the neighborhood and “needed” some sugar. I know, it’s slightly a problem. But Mandola’s has a really good cone! And they have a variety of gelato flavors.

French Toast and Iron Man Omelette at Café Java
I’ve talked about Café Java before in my flavors posts, and I will continue talking about it. This unpretentious and consistent breakfast spot is one of my favorites. They have all the favorite breakfast foods – sweet and savory. Their hashbrowns have secrets in them. To top it all off, their staff is always friendly, even when they have lines out the door on the weekends.

Unicorn Poop Ice Cream at Sweet Ritual
I know people exclaim “this is my favorite” recklessly sometimes. I’m not saying that for fun. This ice cream from Sweet Ritual is my favorite right now. First, it’s called Unicorn Poop. Second, it’s vegan coconut milk ice cream mixed with sprinkles and Skittles, a combination I wasn’t quite sure I would like (vegan coconut milk?) but I can’t stop thinking about.

What noteworthy flavors are you writing home about?

The post Flavors of the Month: July 2015 appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

In early 2014, the artisanal toast trend showed up on restaurant menus and made headlines. People were baffled about how restaurants were making a slice of warmed and browned bread gourmet and selling it for up to $8. “Those hipsters from San Francisco,” they chuckled. They were on to something though. Chances are, you grew up on peanut butter and jelly or ham and cheese for lunch. As a carb-lover myself, I love toasted bread topped with ingredients like almond butter and banana or almond butter and honey at any time of day. The Spanish have been doing a mini form of it called tapas for years. Eaten open-faced, it’s lunch made into breakfast! All kidding aside and getting to the point, Totes Toast was delightfully the theme of our Brunch Club this month, so we thoroughly explored the beauty of toast. Linda made a savory french toast casserole and Ashley made egg and bacon toast sandwiches.

Touted by athletes and health-focused individuals everywhere, avocado toast was my gift to my Brunchers. One avocado toast included cherry tomatoes and the other was a traditional breakfast toast with bacon and eggs.

The avocado topping is very simple. Cut the avocado in half, scoop the avocado into a bowl and lightly mash the avocado while adding salt, pepper and any other seasonings you prefer. For ours, I also used garlic powder. One half of the largest avocado you can find in the grocery store can be enough for two toast slices.

After your avocado mash is ready, toast your bread, spread your avocado, and add your toppings. Halved cherry tomatoes are an easy topping. Crispy Bacon and an egg made your favorite way is tasty too.

Want more avocado toast ideas? Check these out these avocado toast combinations on Pinterest. There are unlimited combinations!

If you want more ideas to dress up toast, I love this beautiful Toast Post from Butterlust.

What’s your favorite fancy toast recipe? Have you tried fancy toast in the wild? What and where?

The post Perfecting Avocado Toast (Brunch Club Recap + How-To) appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

Tacos at El Alma
I’ve been very impressed by El Alma‘s dishes at several food events in the last year and it’s been on my list to try. I finally made it there and tried the fish and veggie tacos, guacamole and Sangria Blanca.

June Brunch Club
Our monthly brunch club enjoyed a wonderful and tasty meeting in June. The dishes included my savory galette, MJ’s savory pull-apart bread, Linda’s healthy salad, Ashley’s peanut butter lasagna, and honorary guest Peter’s frittata.

Brioche Doughnuts, Macarons and Duck Confit Hash at LaV
After my taste of LaV at the LiveFire! event, I’ve been meaning to finally dine at LaV. My friend Sarah and I went for brunch and we were very impressed. The restaurant is very gorgeous inside with its high ceilings and color coordination. I’m itching to have a dinner in their private wine room. Their brunch special $15 bottle of rose – perfect. We started with pistachio, French toast and snickers macarons and the brioche doughnuts – all delicious! I also enjoyed the Duck Confit Hash.

5-course dinner at The Hollow in Georgetown, TX
I enjoyed a complimentary media dinner at The Hollow in Georgetown, Texas. The drive from north Austin was the same as going to downtown Austin (about 20 minutes). Chef Jacob is a culinary genius. The easiest way to illustrate it is he described his dishes like a scientist would describe his experiment: very knowledgeable, technical, passionate, and innovative. His French-American cuisine may be strange to some but overall, I thought he made ingredients approachable and his dishes unique. Here’s the menu we enjoyed:

Scallop escabeche, foraged and pressed verjus, melon, sorrel, long bean, almond, olive oil, cucumber, grapefruit, mint, basil, thai chili, preserved lemon

Duck mousse crème caramel, pickled cucumber, peaches, mustard, pistou, toasts

Quail, foie gras, house cured and smoked bacon, ancienne, apricots, sauternes, ras al hanout, saffron, wood, cilantro

Pressed duck, corn risotto, tomato beurre fondue, duck livers cured in dried porcini and cinnamon, mint

Slow cooked rack of lamb, smoked eggplant, charred eggplant salad

Chocolate, blackberry, nuts, cream

While all good, the duck mousse and pressed duck were my favorite dishes.

Naked Nun Beer with Pineapple Mango Gelato at Adelbert’s Brewery
I mentioned this photo/experience being featured in the paper in Tuesday’s Captivations post. After seeing beer floats mentioned by the brewery on Twitter, I commanded my beer companion Aaron that we had plans that night. Adelbert’s Brewery is the perfect weekend hang spot. You get 6 pours for $13, which allows you to try plenty of their fine beers. I recommend the Naked Nun, The Traveler and Philosophizer. They bring in food vendors so no need to hunt down snacks.

Tonkotsu Ramen at Ramen Fukuya
New to the Drag on MLK Jr. Blvd and Guadalupe is Ramen Fukuya. They invited me to a complimentary tasting pre-opening. While I prefer the other ramen places on my top Austin restaurants list, Ramen Fukuya is a solid choice when you’re in the area and has the potential to go far in Austin. I thought the bowl of ramen I had needed a few tweaks but I did enjoy it! #AlwaysInstagramtheRamen

Amazing Dinner at VOX Table
Readers. I kid you not. Go visit VOX Table as soon as possible. To celebrate my good friend Ashley’s birthday, four of us enjoyed about nine dishes. Of the plethora of new restaurants I’ve tried lately, this one is at the top of my list. The service was top-notch because of our friendly and informative waiter and the food runners. The carefully crafted dishes are innovative but approachable. We enjoyed: chickpea fritters, smoked Hamachi pipette, wood fired oysters, braised akaushi oxtail, woodfire grilled Texas quail, roasted Tasmanian sea trout, red crab, Sazerac sundae and crème fraiche cheesecake. My favorite was the oxtail. My friend Jane who writes A Taste of Koko visited and ended up getting almost all the other dishes I didn’t try, except for the oxtail and red crab. Take a look at her VOX Table photos here.

What amazing things have you eaten lately?

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I created place cards by writing our names on cute ombre gift tags I found at Target.

A vase of two shades of Gerber daisies was our centerpiece.

Ashley made a breakfast pizza, Linda made breakfast potatoes, MJ brought cromuffins from La Patisserie and I made a frittata, blue and pink vanilla cake and a pink crepe. We also enjoyed pomegranate cranberry juice with prosecco.

You may or may not be able to tell but the cakes are three different shades of blue cake and three different shades of pink vanilla buttercream icing. Ombre!

I used Pioneer Woman’s Sunday frittata recipe for inspiration and the order of cooking the ingredients but I pretty much winged this frittata recipe! The dish included half an onion, one potato, one red bell pepper, two handfuls of mushrooms, and two handfuls of spinach, all seasoned with salt, pepper, chili flakes, and oregano. I layered the bottom of the pan with potato slices and evened out the mix on top of it before pouring a mixture of five eggs and shredded cheese over it. About 17 minutes later, ta-da frittata!

Jack the Boston Terrier, fur baby of MJ, came to our brunch too. Here he is helping me show you my ombre necklace.As always, it was a lovely afternoon enjoying very interesting conversation with some of my favorite ladies. While we all have busy schedules, hence the two-month hiatus, I like that we’ve been able to make time for each other to catch up and practice our brunch-making skills. I’m looking forward to next month!

I’ve been loving collecting brunch recipes. What’s your favorite brunch recipe?
Want more ombre? Here’s my ombre inspiration board.
Want more brunch? Here’s our brunch board of recipes we’ve made or want to try.

One of my goals this year is to throw 12 celebrations. This is #5 of 12. These are big and small parties for any occasion with the goal of planning and executing something fun. See all the celebrations here.

The post Ombre Brunch Club appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

Happy New Year
I happily rang in 2015 with friends at a relaxing apartment party. Ashley and Linda did a great job setting everything up! My goals are set. How about yours?

Brunch Club
Some of my girlfriends and I decided to start a brunch club – a monthly gathering for home potlucks and outings at Austin brunch spots. January’s was a hit (photo above) and I’m looking forward to February’s Valentine’s themed one.

Super Bowl
Who’s ready to watch the Super Bowl?! I’m looking forward to eating good (and probably unhealthy) food and watching the (hopefully) good game but I’m missing football season already. Have you seen the Bad Lip Reading of NFL 2015 yet? Get ready to laugh!

Painting with a Twist
Have you tried out this step-by-step painting class? I was a little skeptical but check out how my final product turned out! It was a little frustrating during the class (hi, I’m a bit of a perfectionist) and the class was slightly long (3 hours) but it was a fun and different activity to try. We also brought snacks and a bottle of wine to enjoy as we painted.

Burger Puns
I’ve seen a couple of Bob’s Burgers episodes (Tina is my favorite) and chuckled at the punny daily burger specials. A man started cooking the burgers in real life and blogged about it. From this NPR article, it looks like he got himself a cookbook deal.

What have you been captivated by this month?

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Calligraphy
I took a fun calligraphy class by Lauren of Blue Eye Brown Eye at the beginning of the month. I’ve wanted to learn how for more than a year, so I’m glad to get started. It will take lots and lots of practice but I think this will be a fun hobby to have.

Neil Patrick Harris
Mr. Neil Patrick Harris was in Austin last month for his book tour. He just released his autobiography. It is pretty funny, so if you’re a fan, I encourage you to pick it up. From what I know about NPH through his work, public appearances and what he shows through his social media, I think he is a talented, funny, passionate, kind, and family-oriented individual. A good hero to have! Other than that I love his character on one of my favorite shows, How I Met Your Mother.

Camille Styles Entertaining
Camille Styles, an Austin-based blogger, recently released her book Camille Styles Entertaining: Inspired Gatherings & Effortless Style. It contains recipes and entertaining ideas for every season. I’ve read through half of the book and love it so far. I love the idea of making every gathering, small or large, a celebration, and I’m looking forward to incorporating some of her ideas in my future celebrations.

Brunch
I love long weekend brunches! Food, conversation, sunshine, and no time constraints.

Thanksgiving Cookie Decorating
My little sister from Big Brothers Big Sisters and I celebrated her 17th birthday by going to a cookie decorating class at Make It Sweet. We had so much fun learning easy and cute decorating techniques. Those turkeys are my favorite!

What have you been captivated by lately?

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Brisket, beef ribs, pork ribs, potato salad and beans at La Barbecue
My friend Aaron (one of my best eating companions!) and I have wanted to try La Barbecue for a while, so we luckily got a pre-order in one Saturday morning. What they say is true – this is some of the best barbecue in Austin. Yes, you’ll need to get to this trailer at least an hour before to get the best selection of meat and to get it ASAP.

Beef and Pulled Pork Tacos at Tacos and Tequila
My friend Sarah and I enjoyed the $2 self-serve taco bar and drink specials for happy hour. The tacos aren’t fancy but they’re good for the price.

Dinner at Sushi NiNi
For good, cheap sushi in a sports bar setting in a strip mall right off I-35, Sushi NiNi is your place. Strange, I know! It’s a unique setting but their happy hour is great and their sushi is even better. I enjoy sashimi (raw fish without the rice) and their rolls are good also.

Funnel Cake Ale at the Texas State Fair
In addition to the Fletcher’s Corny Dog and flavorful fried gulf shrimp boil, I tried the Funnel Cake Ale. It tasted like regular ale with a bit of vanilla and the cup’s rim was dusted with powdered sugar. Not better than a real funnel cake!

Tapas Dinner at Casa Rubia (Dallas)
With a glowing review from a friend, I dined at Casa Rubia for dinner and it was an excellent choice. Some of the tapas we enjoyed from this Spanish restaurant included: Bunelos de Pollo (chicken croquettes), Codorniz (quail), Gambas al Ajillo (gulf shrimp), Vieiras (sea scallops), and Costillos de Cordero (lamb ribs).

TX Shiitake Quiche at CBD Provisions (Dallas)
I enjoy visiting Dallas because more than likely, I’ll enjoy brunch somewhere new with friends. This last time, we ventured to the downtown Joule hotel for this swanky and beautiful restaurant. It was a quiet Sunday morning, our food was a hit and the service was fantastic. There wasn’t a bite of kale and mushroom quiche left on my plate and the assorted pastries were a great way to start brunch.

The Milano, Pepperoni & Basil, and The Green Belt Pizzas at Pinthouse Pizza
If you’re looking for delicious pizza and beer, try Pinthouse Pizza. We shared three personal size (10 in) pizzas. My favorite was the Green Belt with ricotta, mushrooms and spinach.

Dinner at Andiamo Italiano
We don’t see a plethora of Italian restaurants in Austin, so I’m glad I can add Andiamo Italiano to my list. I enjoyed the Capesante dello Chef (seared sea scallops) and Paglia e fieno alla Boscaiola (Homemade fettuccine with sausage, mushrooms and onions in light cream sauce). I couldn’t stop eating the fettuccine noodles. They were tender and perfectly al dente. The sauce was delicious!

Grilled Oysters at the Whole Foods at The Domain
The problem with oysters: they disappear too quickly! The grilled oysters topped with parmesan coupled with a beer from their wide selection were a great mid-day snack.

Wundershowzen at JuiceLand
JuiceLand is my go-to for fresh smoothies and juices. While a little pricy, the convenience and the fresh ingredients make it worth it. I usually like my smoothies with almond milk and almond or peanut butter. My favorite has been the Originator but this Wundershowzen (almond milk, spinach, hemp protein, banana, and peanut butter) has been added to my list!

Dinner at Uchiko
It’s been a couple of years since I dined at Uchiko and it was so much better than I remembered. Our fantastic dinner included: hama chili (yellowtail), brussels sprouts, gyutan (grilled beef tongue), madi (Japanese bream), unagi (eel), sake toro (salmon belly), and finished off with the tobacco cream dessert.

Burger and Fries combo at Player’s
Player’s brings back great college memories. Since it is closing Nov. 23, Linda and I decided to pop in one last time for lunch. With the outside-the-ordinary burgers becoming the norm, it’s nice to get back to the basics of a simple burger.

Martin Códax Albariño and Seafood-focused meal at Josephine House
Martin Códax invited food bloggers to try their wine while indulging in a perfectly paired seafood dinner. Josephine House served Martin Códax’s Albariño and the wine’s crispness and acidity complemented the dishes very well.

Dinner at Odd Duck
Ending my month on a high note, I celebrated my friend Dan’s birthday with a group of friends at Odd Duck. Our dinner included: pretzel, steamed dumpling, lamb kebab, ceviche, fried chicken croquette, soft cooked duck egg, goat confit, coconut rice pudding and apple cake doughnut. The lamb kebab and apple cake doughnut were my favorites!

What delicious things did you eat in October?

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