Christy and I are both real impressed with how these all turned out.  Can’t wait to get the full set of high res pics in about a month.   In the meantime, check these out….

http://eephotography.squarespace.com/ee-photography/2010/3/8/chris-christy-engagements.html

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Christy and I are both real impressed with how these all turned out.  Can’t wait to get the full set of high res pics in about a month.   In the meantime, check these out….

http://eephotography.squarespace.com/ee-photography/2010/3/8/chris-christy-engagements.html

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The concept is pretty simple, and actually pretty smart for the retailers.  Everyday they have a ’boutique’ from a handful of designer labels that opens up at a specific time (usually 10am CST). The boutique is basically a collection of wares by a specific label (clothing, shoes, jewelry, home furnishings, etc) that are steeply discounted for a limited time, and in limited quantities.  Discounts are usually in the range of 50-70% off.  And by limited time, I mean like 1 or 2 days.  And limited quantities means most popular sizes, and/or styles sell out within 10 minutes.

If you find something you like, you quickly put it in the cart and hold the item for about 10 minutes.  This is particularly clever for the retailers, as the running clock ticks in the corner and basically forces you to make a buying decision quickly. I read an article (which is how I learned about these) that explained this idea solves a major problem online merchants have with customers leaving merchandise hanging around and being abandoned in their virtual shopping carts.

From what I’ve seen the original prices don’t really seem to be marked up (unlike Amazon at times), and the merchandise ranges from common brands to extremely high-end designers.  On their site, you can see all the designer that will be featured in a boutique that week.  So if you’re looking for something in particular, it probably is worth checking out.  However, like other sales sites (think slickdeals.net), you have to be careful and exercise restraint, or you can easily get caught up a whirlwind of great deals.  Spending money on things you don’t need, rather than saving money on the things you were planning to buy anyway.

Here’s some links to some of my favorites.  You can use my referral code to get the invite….

We both took the day off to get our engagement photos taken by the amazing Erin Woolsey. We started the day with some breakfast I had prepared for all of us. Then we went out all around town for our session.

The day was absolutely gorgeous, sunshine, bright blue skies, and it eventually even warmed up to a cool, comfortable temp. We went to a lot of sites, and just had a lot of fun being ourselves and talking to our photographer. Christy and I are both really excited to see the pictures she puts together.

Afterwards, we just lounged around the house for a little while and unwound. We then met up with Jethro at Golfsmith driving range to officially start golf season for the year. Had a few good shots, more bad ones, but we’ll be working on it.

Finally, ended the day at Cru for Austin Restaurant Week with some friends. We drank through a great bottle of wine (Decero Cabernet Sauvignon) over a great 3-course meal that was just right.  How can a meal that ends with a chocolate chip cookie cake go wrong?

Went to Gingerman for a few more laughs and conversation with friends before calling it a night.
Overall, just another great, no-worries day in ATX in the books.

Ingredients:

Directions:

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion; cook until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add chorizo and paprika; stir 1 minute. Add potatoes and broth. Increase heat and bring to boil. Add kale; stir until wilted and soup returns to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Refrigerate uncovered until cool, then cover and chill. Rewarm before serving.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add bread cubes and sauté until golden, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle croutons with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Divide soup among bowls. Top with croutons and serve.

• 1 cup whole milk
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 1/2 cups (or more) unbleached all purpose flour, divided
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 1/4 teaspoons rapid-rise yeast (from 2 envelopes yeast)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Filling:

• 3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

Glaze:

• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For dough:
Combine milk and butter in glass measuring cup. Microwave on high until butter melts and mixture is just warmed to 120°F to 130°F, 30 to 45 seconds. Pour into bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add 1 cup flour, sugar, egg, yeast, and salt. Beat on low speed 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Add 21/2 cups flour. Beat on low until flour is absorbed and dough is sticky, scraping down sides of bowl. If dough is very sticky, add more flour by tablespoonfuls until dough begins to form ball and pulls away from sides of bowl. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if sticky, about 8 minutes. Form into ball.

Lightly oil large bowl with nonstick spray. Transfer dough to bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

For filling:
Mix brown sugar and cinnamon in medium bowl.

Punch down dough. Transfer to floured work surface. Roll out to 15×11-inch rectangle. Spread butter over dough, leaving 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar evenly over butter. Starting at 1 long side, roll dough into log, pinching gently to keep it rolled up. With seam side down, cut dough crosswise with thin sharp knife into 18 equal slices (each about 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide).

Spray two 9-inch square glass baking dishes with nonstick spray. Divide rolls between baking dishes, arranging cut side up (there will be almost no space between rolls). Cover baking dishes with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, 40 to 45 minutes.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Bake rolls until tops are golden, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and invert immediately onto rack. Cool 10 minutes. Turn rolls right side up.

For glaze:
Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until smooth. Spread glaze on rolls. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Ingredients:

• 3 C all-purpose flour
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t ground cinnamon
• 1/2 t ground nutmeg
• 2 C sugar
• 1 C vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 T vanilla extract
• 4 ripe bananas, peeled and coarsely mashed

Frosting:

• 3 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 6 T (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 C mascarpone cheese, room temperature
• 3 T honey
• 1/2 C chopped nuts

Instructions:

Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners, or simply grease muffin pan.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg in medium bowl to blend.  Beat the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl to blend.  Stir in the banana.

Add the dry ingredients and stir just until blended.

Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups.  Bake the muffins on the middle rack until the tops are golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out with no crumbs attached, about 25 minutes.

Transfer the muffins to a rack and cool slightly.  The muffins may be eaten warm or cooled completely and frosted.

To frost the cupcakes: Use an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, and butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy.  Beat in the mascarpone cheese and then beat in the honey.  Spread the frosting over the muffins. Sprinkle with nuts.