Favorite Friday Recipe: Skirt steak

Since B got his new grill for his birthday, we've been trying out recipes from Weber's Way to Grill.  This skirt steak was super easy to make and with a few tips from the book, this simple cut of beef turned out to be tender and tasty!  A short cut I now take when making any sort of side or dip is to just buy pico de gallo (so I don't have to chop up onions, tomatoes. jalapenos, and deal with icky cilantro) and then just mix in corn, black beans or avocado to my liking, adding some lime juice and salt & pepper.  This meal took 15 minutes max to prepare and cook--perfect for a week day meal!

Wishlist Wednesday: Uchiko

My friend Suz and I are headed to Uchiko, a local Japanese restaurant to try out their menu for Austin Restaurant Week!  I only have my iphone camera so I'm not sure if I'll get any good pictures.  In the meantime, here's the menu to drool over:

Vintage Monday: Federal Glass pedestal custard cups

I'm obsessed with these little pedestal custard cups from Federal Glass.  They are perfect for pudding, jello and whipped cream, and a new favorite around our house--granitas.  Anyone want to come over for an ice cream sundae party?

Wishlist Wednesday: Flying international first class

I know this is a weird thing but it is one of my greatest wishes to fly first class internationally.  Just once in my lifetime.  (that and world peace)  I am particularly enamored by Cathay Pacific's first class service.

There are usually only 8-9 seats in first class, giving you plenty of privacy in the cabin

Amazing seats that lie flat to a bed

Spectacular food (caviar!)

And as this hilarious picture shows, lots of entertainment for B

Back to real life

Had a great time in NYC with delicious food, tons of shopping and wonderful companionship.  I don't think most of my pictures came out really well b/c I was usually in a rush to eat/shop/talk.  Here's a peek at one of the many highlights of the trip.  A lobster roll from Red Hook Lobster Pound at the Brooklyn Flea:

Wishlist Wednesday: New York, New York

I'll be in NYC in less than 24 hours!  Excited to spend a long weekend with my good friend Tara and explore the city.

On my list so far:

• Lobster rolls at Luke's
• The Brooklyn Flea
• Bagels
• Uniqlo
• NYC pizza
• No.6 store
• Momofuku
• H&M

Any other must-shop, must-eat places to recommend?

Vintage Monday: Wooden mice cheese picks

I got these little wooden mice cheese picks a while ago on etsy.  Aren't they the cutest?  They have these little ears and tails made of leather, I want to squeal every time I see them!

Favorite Friday Recipe: Onigiri

Onigiri, also commonly known as Japanese rice balls, are an easy and tasty snack to make.  My friend Jill and I made these last weekend and they certainly helped my work days go by more easily when I could take a rice ball snack break.  There are lots of variations on onigiri and a great write up can be found here.  We chose to put cooked flaked salmon in ours along with furikake seasoning (seaweed, sesame seeds, fish flakes).


Salmon Onigiri

Ingredients:

• 6 cups of cooked Japanese rice
• 1/2 pound of salmon
• Furikake seasoning
• Nori (seaweed) sheets, cut into strips

Directions:

• Cook rice and let it cool a bit
• Salt salmon and cook in a pan with olive oil, cool, then flake into pieces
• Add flaked salmon and furikake seasoning into rice and mix
• Scoop out about 1/2-3/4 cup of the rice mixture onto plastic wrap
• Begin shaping into a ball or triangle
• Add a piece of nori (makes for a convenient "handle" when you're eating the rice ball)
• You can leave the rice ball wrapped up in the plastic wrap to keep it intact
• Eat as soon as you make it, or store in refrigerator and warm up in microwave for 30 secs when hungry

Fall TV lineup

When I think about fall, the following things come to mind: back to school supplies, crunchy golden leaves lining sidewalks, cooler weather, and of course, new tv shows!!  It's super nerdy but B and I always come up with our fall tv schedule and figure out which shows to watch in real time and which to tivo.  We have our regular favorites (in black), my picks (in pink) and B's picks (in blue).  I will warn you that it's legendary for us to pick new shows that get canceled (ie. LAX, Running Wilde, Pushing Daisies, Firefly *shakes fist*).

This is an ambitious schedule, most likely we'll drop a few shows after the first month because the tivo will have run out of space.  We'll also reserve a few choice shows to catch up on in the summer when nothing is on.  Still, it's fun to look forward to and reaffirms the fact that we absolutely do not need cable tv.  Except for maybe Haven (syfy), The Walking Dead (amc) and The Killing (amc) :)

Wishlist Wednesday: Anson and Chloe chairs

I am loving these chairs from Room and Board:

The Anson

The Chloe

Vintage Monday: Barometer

Here are some estate sale goodies found by B--a great old barometer and another science book to add to the collection!

Favorite Friday Recipe: Roasted and grilled vegetables

We've been adding these tasty side vegetables to our grilled fish and steak lately.  B loves asparagus, I love cauliflower and the carrots are a compromise.

Roasted Asparagus

• Snap off ends and wash
• Drizzle with olive oil
• Bake in oven at 350F for 15 min
• Sprinkle with sea salt

Roasted Cauliflower

• Wash, cut cauliflower into pieces and place in ziploc bag
• Add olive oil, salt and pepper and shake the bag to coat evening
• Spread onto baking sheet and bake 350F for 30-40 min
• Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese

Grilled Carrots

• Peel carrots and place in boiling water for 6-7 min
• Immediately place in ice bath 
• Melt butter and honey and put glaze on carrots
• Grill for 15 minutes
• Sprinkle with dill

Have a great labor day weekend!

Featured on: Caribbean Travel + Life

Exciting news!  My little blog post on Barbados cuisine was featured in Caribbean Travel + Life's new "Sites We Love" section! Caribbean Travel + Life is a really great go-to website with everything you need to plan your vacation (or new life!) on a sunny Caribbean isle.  This has gotten me more inspired to get started on writing my travel guides and planning our next trip!