elevenELEVEN Fashion Show

South Congress has always been the place in Austin that I insist visitors check out first before going anywhere else. There is an irresistible charm that exists there that cannot be found anywhere else in the city. That is why when my good friend and roommate invited me to come and watch her walk in a fashion show held by a local boutique on South Congress called elevenELEVEN, I knew it would be well worth it to brave the horrid traffic of SXSW to attend

I arrived just as the show was beginning. The boutique was packed but I was able to find an open spot next to the snacks and wine. (Okay maybe I picked to linger specifically next to the tub full of wine, but who could resist those cute little Copa Di Vino bottles?)

The show was great. There were about 8 models in all, each wearing a fun and unique outfit from the boutique. They came out one by one down a runway, lined with flowers, modeling for both viewers inside and on the street

The boutique offers a unique collection of feminine styles, including clothing, accessories and shoes. You can check out the boutique's online store here or you can visit in person at 1111 South Congress Avenue here in Austin, Texas

Lunch

Pain au lait bun, roasted mushrooms, goat cheese, arugula and a lemon vinaigrette 

24 Diner creates food fit for the gods

SXSW Adventures

Usually, I try and avoid the mess that is SXSW during this time of year. Traffic is already horrendous in Austin and SXSW only increases it to the point where even going to the grocery store is on par with pulling teeth. But yesterday, I decided to give it a shot and it ended up being one of the most wonderful days of my life.

We came across this park downtown with sculptures made entirely out of recycled material. We saw people around the park building new sculptures as we were walking around so maybe it was put in place just for SXSW

After the bus ride to the center of the festivities and walking aimlessly around Austin for a time, we were exhausted and decided to hangout in a bar on 6th street and relax until some more of our friends met up with us

The bar also had a photobooth in the back corner. It cost way too much money but who can pass up a photobooth opportunity?

Back on 6th, we saw some interesting people including two naked girls each painted as the planet Earth

Captain Crunch was nice enough to stop and take a picture with us which only reminded me of how hungry I was. But who was time to eat when you're in the middle of one of the greatest festivals in the world?

Fighting our hunger a little more, we headed off to another bar on 6th street. We made some friends, had some drinks and continued on our way

We picked up our friend Cheyenne and headed off to see the premier of Don Jon at The Paramount Theater

We waited in front of the theater for a little over an hour and thought all hope was lost (notice the Grim Reaper right behind us?) When suddenly...

...A certain Joseph Gordon-Levitt appeared. How great after a long day to see one of my favorite celebrities within inches of me! Now if only I could also find Justin Timberlake, then my life would be made

Chocolate Lover's Dream

Nothing says Spring Break more than baking a cake fit for any chocolate addict, complete with layers of M&M's and Kit Kat's

French Dark Chocolate Pudding Recipe

I've had this blog sitting around for a while so I thought I would finally suck it up and actually make use of it. I saw this recipe a while ago for a French Chocolate Pudding in "La Patisserie est un Jeu d'Enfants" and then came across it again on www.101cookbooks.com and knew it was a sign that I had to make it. So I walked to the closest Whole Foods (secretly hoping to run into Joseph-Gordon Levitt since he is in town for SXSW), splurged on some top quality ingredients, returned to my apartment, put on some Carla Bruni and began

The recipe calls for plain fine grain sugar but I used a vanilla bean cane sugar from Whole Foods instead. I thought this added a really nice hint of vanilla without being too overpowering.


Ingredients:
2 eggs at room temperature 
6 ounces of dark chocolate chopped (I used Ghirardelli 60% cocoa)
4 tablespoons of water
4 tablespoons of sugar 
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter

Cream Top:
1 cup of heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon of confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 

I started by separating the yolk and egg whites for both eggs (make sure you keep the yolks as you will need them later)

Next, you whip the egg whites until they begin to form peaks. This took me about 5-6 minutes

Set the egg whites aside. You're supposed to use a double-boiler for the next part but seeing as I do not own one, I simply put a bowl inside a pot full of hot water. Inside your double-boiler/bowl-inside-of-pot concoction, combine the chocolate, sugar, butter and water. Only heat it long enough until it is completely melted and evenly mixed

Next, you simply beat the egg yolks into the chocolate mixture and then fold in the egg whites and then transport this yummy chocolatey deliciousness into a jar or container to chill for a couple of hours
While it was chilling, I popped in The Godfather (maybe not the most fitting of movies but I was missing New York) and made some cream to put on top of the pudding by beating together the whipping cream, confectioners sugar and vanilla for about 5 minutes

And voila! The final product tasted as good as it looks! It had a really rich flavor but was more on par with a mousse than a pudding. Everyone in my apartment loved it - including my kitten who was feeling extra naughty today