Archive for the ‘Outings’ Category

Over the past few months, the Dallas area food bloggers have been forming friendships and creating a community for us to exchange ideas, cheer each other on, and talk food.  We haven’t all had the opportunity to meet in person, so Natalie of Natalie’s Killer Cuisine decided to host a potluck so we could all gather together and really get to know one another.  It was a terrific afternoon filled with laughter, food, and new friends. 

Pictured from the left are Emily, Me, Natalie (Natalie’s Killer Cuisine), Joy (Joylicious), and Jose (City of Ate).  On the bottom row are Heather (Heather Bakes), Alta (Tasty Eats at Home), and Kelly (Evil Shenanigans).

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I love to make cupcakes.  They are so tiny and cute.  Each one its own little masterpiece.  Every one can be different or you can push them close together and ice them in one giant pattern.  So versatile and no plate needed.  If I plan to bake, then cupcakes are my weakness.  I like to come up with my own little flavor creations, so when Nat and I volunteered for the Oak Cliff Fellowship Gateway Bake Sale I knew I needed to think of a fun cupcake creation.  The bake sale started early in the morning so I thought a breakfast cupcake might be nice.  Easy enough to eat at 8 am but still sweet enough for dessert.  Coffee is a breakfast staple for me so I thought this caramel macchiato coffee cupcake would be perfect.

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I’m inviting you all to come out on Saturday to the Oak Cliff Gateway Bake sale.  The proceeds from the bake sale are benefiting the North Texas Food Bank, but specifically Food 4 Kids.  Please head out to the beautiful Bishop’s Arts District on Saturday from 8am to 3 pm to purchase some sweets!  Natalie and I will be whipping up some really tasty treats along with a few other very talented bakers!  Hope you can make it.

So, yesterday Natalie sent me some information about Progress Dallas getting together at the Kroger right by my office to gather signatures against the alcohol ban.  I live in Lake Highlands, an area that is dry and I have to drive a decent way to buy any type of alcohol.  My grocery stores are pretty cruddy and the restaurants near me cannot serve mixed drinks.  I like to support my local businesses but when a girl needs a gin a tonic, a girl needs a gin and tonic.  So again, I’m driving closer to the city to have a cocktail.  Really great grocery stores won’t touch my neighborhood because they lose so much revenue from our little alcohol ban.  Over all, super annoying.

So when she told me about Progress Dallas I gathered all of my coworkers up and we marched right over to Kroger to sign the petition!  Yeah alcohol!  I mean what is this 1950?

After signing my name as if I was Benjamin Franklin, a nice reporter from the Dallas Morning news asked me why I had brought such a group over to specifically sign this petition.  In my most eloquent valley girl voice I proceeded to tell him that “it is super annoying to have to drive all the way to Northwest highway to buy alcohol”.  Really Em,  really?  It’s super annoying? 

I hurriedly began to talk about the grocery store issue, and taxes, and supporting local businesses trying to sound extra smart but the damage had already been done.  He smiled and repeated my name and my awesome quote about “it being super annoying” and told me to have a nice afternoon. 

Why does this stuff happen to me?  When I got back to work I called my hubby and told him my tragic tale and he laughed!  Rude.  So I e-mailed Natalie and she said I was officially the dumb girl in the newspaper and she laughed!  Rude again.  Apparently her husband now has big plans to try to incorporate “super annoying” into everything he says. 

Maybe he won’t publish my quote….

This past weekend I attended a workshop in Austin called TECHmunch.  It was organized by Babette Pepaj from Bakespace and Jaden Hair from Steamy Kitchen.  Both women are incredibly inspiring and I left the workshop full of hope and new ideas.  The presentation topics were relevant and the speakers were entertaining, which is a winning combination for a day of learning.  Plus, it is always great to be in Austin!  The food blogger community represented in that town is incredible.  They have truly worked hard to support each other’s blogs and businesses, and have expanded the food community as a whole.  I believe, while Dallas is definitely known for its restaurants, the food blogger community is still in its infancy.  This is actually great news because we can all work together to pave the way for new food trends and experiences.

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