I don’t cook much. I love to eat.. but Josh is the chef of the family. I’d rather sit at my computer and edit photos. However.. a few nights ago I helped make the risotto to go along with the salmon he prepared. Much adding of broth and stirring was done by me. Also many little tastes here and there.. you know.. to make sure I was getting it right. :)

The risotto has shallots, white wine, chicken and veggie stock, dill and chives. Mmmm.

On Saturday, Josh and I were trying to figure out what to do when he had a great suggestion — walk around downtown checking out the SXSW scene. It was gorgeous outside, so off we went.

We started off more in the west section of downtown, where there wasn’t a lot of activity.

w

Then we headed over to Sixth Street and to the Convention Center.. where the activity was more.. but still not a lot..

4sq right around the corner!

Screenburn!

We walked around downtown a bit more and saw this giant blow-up tequila bottle..

And this girl on skates…

More writing on the sidewalk/street..

Rainbow-painted buildings..

And then we stopped at Chupacabra for margaritas and general people-watching

Getting our interactive on.. using free Clear Wireless at Chupacabra on the ipod touch and watching a bing car go by asking if Iron Works or Salt Lick has better BBQ..

And finally.. stepping it out.. and walking by the Belmont on our way back to the car..

If this weekend was any indication of what’s to come this year in Austin, I’m very very excited. The weather was warm and blue skies were abundant. On Sunday afternoon, we headed out to the Zilker Kite Festival. Once we made it through insane traffic and parked, the walk to Zilker Park and around the festival was wonderful. We had our puppy who of course wanted to make friends with everyone, and she and I relaxed on the grass and watched Josh fly his snazzy Yu-Gi-Oh kite.

I post about Kathy Phan‘s cake pops on here a lot, but it’s just because I am always so amazed at the creations she comes up with! The cake pops shown below she made and generously donated for a downtown happy hour at the Austin Urban Vet Center. The lighting wasn’t the best for photography at the event, but I couldn’t resist taking a few photos anyways to share!

The white sheepdog is Josh’s favorite, but I love the little girl puppy with the bow. Adorable.

Yesterday was gorgeous. Well.. most of the day. When I walked outside, my lunch partners and I agreed we had to go somewhere that had a patio so we could eat outdoors.  Zocolo was the first name mentioned, so off we went to West Lynn.

I had never been here before, I never even knew this place existed! But as we walked up to the door I got excited. The place looked amazing. I was so excited about ordering and then going to eat on the patio, basking in the warm sun.

That didn’t happen. Sadly, it started raining and thundering and lightning right after we ordered, so we sat inside. It was for the best though, because the inside was bright and cheery and had the most amazing light fixtures. And the food? Excellent. Fresh and yummy.

More photos from the styling shoot with Kathy Phan. Can you find one of her darling cake pops in one of the photos below?