Gluttony in Austin - Day 1: Breakfast

Hi y'all! I had the BEST TIME in Austin, TX, attending TxSC, a conference for "female bloggers, shop owners, and friends in fashion." My musings on the conference itself are over on SpyGirl. Here, I'll tell you about all the eating and shopping that Severo and I managed to wedge in between my fashion blogger activities.

a bit of color to the east as we near Houston
click on images to see bigger 

We flew a red-eye from LAX to Austin, via Houston. As usual, I didn't sleep much, while Severo snored away moments after buckling his seat belt. It's a rare gift that he has!
The coolest thing I saw out the window in the semi-darkness was a full moon illuminating the cloud cover and horizontal flares of lightning glowing intermittently. Sad that it was too dark to capture with a camera and I was too spaced out to sketch it on my iPad.

fantastic clouds between Houston and Austin

Upon landing, our first act of gluttony was breakfast.
Migas at Taco Xpress, to be exact!

It was already starting to rain, so we ate inside

My migas plate and Sev's breakfast tacos with chorizo.
I had been craving migas ever since I registered
for the conference in January... maybe even before that...
They don't have decent migas in LA --
strange but true.

Then it was time for some sugar!
Severo wisked us over to Sugar Mama's, a bakery he discovered online through an article in the Austin Chronicle.

I had THE BEST lemon cupcake --
THE MOST LEMONY I have ever eaten!
I was in lemon raptures!!!!!!
(The lemon bar, on the other hand, failed to impress)

more on Sugar Mama's and their cupcakes
is over on Cupcake Safari

the deluge continued outside
as we satisfied our sweet teeth

Next up: shopping on South Congress...

St Patrick's Day Breakfast featuring Thump*

*Patucci + Mark call it thump. Don't flame me if you call it something else. I've also simplified their recipe a lot.

this is the end result:
thump scrambled with eggs

First you have to make the thump. 
This works out better if you've done it the night before.

Thump (mashed potatoes and kale)
serves at least 4 gluttons

2 tbs olive oil
1/2 med onion, chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, mashed
1 bunch kale, ribs removed and coarsely chopped

6 medium potatoes, 3/4" cubes
water
bay leaf

salt + pepper to taste
butter is a nice final touch

In a large saucepan,
Saute onions and garlic until soft
Add kale as you get it chopped --
it seems like a lot, but it cooks down
Add a little water if the kale starts sticking to bottom
Cover and cook until kale is no longer crunchy (10-15 min)

While that's cooking,
Cube potatoes and boil with bay leaf until tender --
you will be mashing them

Add to cooked kale and mash with a potato masher
Add some of potato water if too stiff
Eat!

mmmmmmm

The Breakfast Thump:
serves one glutton

1 tb olive oil
1/4 medium onion, chopped
About 1 cup thump
2 eggs

In a frying pan,
Saute onions until soft
Add thump, cover + cook until softened
Add 2 eggs, stir into mixture with a fork
Cover, cook until egg is cooked
Eat!

I like to garnish mine with ketchup. Go ahead.
You can call me a weirdo.

An Amuse Bouche on the Fridge

Another ArtHouse project has me looking at the Fridge:
The Things Found Series
"Volume One: The Fridge
The Things Found Series is the beginning of a new photography series that encourages participants to capture an image of a common space. This week, we’re challenging artists to shed a little light on one of the most personal spaces of all… the refrigerator. Open your fridge and take a photo of the inside in all its glory. Don’t worry if it isn’t beautiful! We’ll create an exhibition from the photographs we receive that reveals the substance of our community — one everyday space at a time."

Here's the outside:

click on image to see bigger 

You'll have to wait to see inside... it was too disgusting and needs some cleaning!
My deadline is 4/6, so hopefully no mad dashes to the PO this time.

Meeting the Postal Deadline

Guess who spaced out on her entry deadline for The Meal? Yes, moi. I was checking all the ArtHouse project dates at work and saw that it was the day of the deadline. EEEEEK! I grabbed the image from here and printed it on the laser printer (hoping it'll be "matte" enough - they required a "matte photo").
I typed a google search for "uspo open late near lax" and found this blog post by Kiyong Kim. He saved my butt! I got the lowdown on how to get a late postmark.
I went to the Airport branch (which used to be open until midnight, now you need to get there by 8:15), paid a little extra for the certified mail and got my March 5 postmark. Phew!