48 hours in Tucson

May 8, 2017 Halee Edwards

My mom asked me a week before, if I'd want to go with her to Tucson to surprise my Grandma who is living there. I was completely on board since I hadn't seen her in over 4 years, but I just needed to be back by Thursday evening because I had Friday morning orders. My mom got everything situated that week and the following Tuesday afternoon came. We met each other at the airport, went through security, and listed ourselves on standby (may I add that standby is the worst because your'e constantly stressed worrying about if you will make your flight. Yes it's free, but I'd rather pay and not worry. We almost didn't make 2 or 3 of our 4 flights.) After an hour or so of waiting, we finally started boarding and were making our way to Vegas. Our Vegas to Tucson flight was a little sketchy, but we had an amazing woman at the ticket counter who marked our passes XT, meaning extra time to board, and instead of boarding with C group, we got to board right after A. Well, my mom (who works for Southwest), didn't know what that meant, so ended up boarding with C anyway, ha! We were finally on our way to Tucson.

We made it to Tucson, rushed down to pick up the car rental, and our first stop was In-N-Out. I hadn't eaten anything since lunch time and it was 6:30 in Tucson, which is 8:30 our time back home. Basically I was starving. Fun fact: the first time I ever had In-N-Out was in Arizona!

Had to capture these two palm trees hugging each other as we left In-N-Out.

We also were lucky enough to see a glimpse of the sunset on our drive over to Grandma's.

We made our way over to Grandma's house to surprise her. We were going to wait until the morning since it was getting late, but we said screw it. We arrived in her community and parked in front of the house next to hers so that she wouldn't see us pull up. By this point it was about 7:15pm and the sun was going down. We weren't sure if she was in bed yet but we saw the lights on and the blinds closed. We quietly made our way to the door and knocked three times. I saw her peek her head around the blinds and she looked startled. She opened the door and her face was just dumbstruck. She looked like she had seen a ghost! (I wish I would have filmed this.) She couldn't believe we were there and she almost seemed confused, but ever so happy. We headed to the living room to sit down and chat and we ended up being there until 9pm (11pm TX time.) We decided to call it a day and told her we'd be back in the morning. We headed to our hotel, Casino Del Sol, which was only about 5 minutes from where my Grandma lives, and it just happens to have the most amazing photo worthy pool.

We woke up early the next morning to get the day going. We stopped for a coffee and then headed straight to the pool to lounge in the sun, before heading over to Grandma's.

After basking in the sun for nearly an hour, it was time to go see Grandma. She told us she usually gets up at 6am every morning, so we knew she'd be waiting for us. We arrived bearing gifts-flowers, food, and our company of course. :) We spent the morning with her, and then went to lunch with her as well. She wanted Chinese, so we found a Chinese restaurant and that's where we ate! We came back and spent some time in her garden before heading out for a few hours.

After hanging out all morning, my mom and I decided to head to downtown Tucson. It's only about 10-15 minutes from Grandma's house so we weren't too far. We walked around a bit near 6th and 7th street, got a coffee at Exo Roast Co., popped into some galleries, and then to do some shopping.

Had to find the "Greetings from Tucson" wall, duh.

There was a lot of street art and graffiti everywhere.

After exploring a bit of downtown, we headed to do some shopping, where I found my new favorite dress that I recently wore to a wedding. We then went to Safeway to pick up some groceries so that we could make Grandma dinner. We made pasta and salad and she even had leftovers! I also brought some frozen PB cookies on the trip that we baked while we were there. After dinner, we wandered around her neighborhood during sunset (drink in hand).

After sunset, we hung out with Grams for another hour or 2 before heading back to the hotel. The next morning we were up bright and early. We left the hotel at 6am to head to Saguaro National Park for some fun.

I think I took like 100 pictures of the same cactus.

My favorite was the road against the desert.

After spending over an hour exploring the park, we had more time to kill since my Grandma was at an appointment. We headed on over to the Mission San Xavier Del Bac. This place is only a few minutes from my Grandma's as well, and I've been before, but I wanted to go back for pictures. Plus, it's beautiful.

After the Mission, we went to Goodwill, the grocery store, and back to Grandma's for a couple of hours before taking off. We got to chat with her one last time before having to leave. She told me so many stories about growing up during the Depression and what it was like then. I can't wait to go back and visit her again soon!

Before setting off to the airport, we made a pitstop to get some chicken and waffles. We also finished our trip with a drive through the Sam Hughes Neighborhood, which is a National Historic District located in downtown Tucson near the University of Arizona. The homes here are absolutely stunning and begging for their pictures to be taken.

Recap of my 48 hour trip to Tucson and everything we did:

1. Spent time with Grandma.

2. Gambled at the casino (totally failed to mention this).

3. Hung out by the pool.

4. Explored Downtown Tucson.

5. Went to Saguaro National Park.

6. Visited Mission San Xavier Del Bac.

7. Saw the sunset both nights we were there.

8. Drove through Sam Hughes National Historic District.

9. Ate chicken and waffles.

10. Drank champagne and baked cookies.

Thanks for reading! Until next time :)

-Halee

Modkat Review

April 26, 2017 Halee Edwards

I recently had the opportunity to collaborate with Modkat, who create modern cat litter boxes. I know, it sounds kind of odd, but I must say that these things are beautiful. The reason I was even considering switching Regina to a different box in the first place was because she started displaying signs that were abnormal to her everyday behavior. For instance she started kicking litter everywhere OUTSIDE of her box and that's when I started to do my research. A few sites had recommended Modkat (and another brand I forget the name of), who have litter boxes that are top-entry, meaning the cat has to get into the box through the top. After heading to their site and having a look around, reading their story, and taking a look at theor products, I knew I had to have one. At first, I was skeptical, and I wasn't sure if this was going to fix or help the problem, but it was worth a shot. We have been using the Modkat for only 4 days and she uses it as if it was her old one. She also doesn't leave nearly as much litter behind as she used to.

As they say on their site, "the top entry-lid allows for a fully enclosed base, keeping the mess inside no matter how vigorously they dig or where they aim." Regina doesn't like to be watched when she is doing her business, so sometimes when I need to be in the same area, she scurries out in a hurry. Before with her old box, the litter would get EVERYWHERE, but now, it relatively stays on top of the box or inside. I also haven't seen her actually kick piles of litter outside of the box like she used to. I think a lot of that comes from the way it is made. It would almost impossible for her to do that because of how tall it is and how she has to get in to do her thing. The dimensions of the Modkat are 16" L x 16" W x 15" H. It comes with a reusable tarp liner that you can wash and use time and time again until it's on its last leg. It also comes with a scoop, that elegantly hangs on the side of the box. Right now it comes in 5 colors, but maybe they'll add more in the future :) Another thing that I really love about it, is you can technically put it anywhere, especially if you live in a smaller apartment or studio. It is actually nice to look at and it reduces odors, so you and your guests may not even know it's there.

Overall, I am super happy to have collaborated with this brand. Even though it has only been 4 days, I have already seen signs of improvement, which was ultimately my goal in the first place. If you'd like to take a look at Modkat's site, read about how they got started, and/or look at some of their products, the website is https://modkat.com/.

Thanks for reading! See you guys soon.

11 things to do on South Padre Island

April 24, 2017 Halee Edwards

1. Rent a house on the beach

If your budget allows you to do so, I highly recommend staying on the beach. We rented a place through SPI rentals, that had its own private pool/jacuzzi and walkway to the beach. We got up every morning to watch the sun rise, walked down to the beach to look for seashells, and came back to make breakfast. It was definitely more intimate and private. The address for SPI rentals is 2600 Padre Blvd, South Padre Island, TX 78597 and the phone number is 956-572-6656.

Private pool/jacuzzi and the view of the beach.

Private walkway shared with the rental next door.

2. Get up early to watch the sunrise

Sunrise was at 7:00 am when we visited in April. We got up every morning (except our last day because a cold front came in) to watch it. There's just something about a sunrise on the beach.

Sunrise on the beach in front of our rental.

3. Watch the sun set

As much as I love a good sunrise, I love a good sunset just as much. The sunsets were incredible, especially if you're at dinner or enjoying a drink somewhere.

4. Rent bikes

Preferably from Wheels on Padre. They are closed Monday and Tuesday, but we arrived on a Wednesday and stayed until Sunday, so it worked out in our favor. We looked around before finding this place and the prices were anywhere from $30 a day to $50 a day. We then found Wheels on Padre and he offered it to us for $20 a day. We then added another day and got another bike for my husband, and the owner only charged us $15 per bike for another day, instead of $20. The owner was super friendly, and recommended some things to see and do. Their address is 2500 Padre Boulevard Suite 1, South Padre Island, TX 78597 and their phone number is 956-299-4562.

Posing with my trusty bike and some Oleanders.

5. Visit South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center

This place is a must. Not only do you learn about and see a variety of birds and wildlife, but you get a good exercise at the same time! There is over 3300 linear feet of boardwalk to walk along and check out birds, plants, butterflies, and even alligators! Apparently there are about 10-15 alligators living there now, and the babies that were just born are the third generation. We spotted two baby gators when we visited, along with a blue crab, ducks and their babies, terrapins, and more. For more information about SPI Birding and Nature Center, their website is http://www.spibirding.com/.

Baby gator peaking out from under the brush!

6. Visit Sea Turtle Inc.

Again, this is a must, and right next to SPI Birding and Nature Center. This facility operates solely on donations and what is purchased through the gift shop. They are a nonprofit that doesn't receive any funding from the government. The donations they receive basically help keep this place intact and these turtles alive, while also teaching kids and adults about these magnificent creatures.

When we visited, the staff were very friendly and let us know a little bit about how they worked. Each turtle tank has a binder that tells you about the turtle and its story (why it is there). Some turtles unfortunately are unable to go back into the wild due their injury or condition, but a lot of turtles are rehabilitated and released back into the water. If you are interested in going, their address is 6617 Padre Blvd. South Padre Island, TX 78597 and phone number is (956) 761-4511.

7. See the "White Sands" of SPI

Head north on State Park Rd 100/Ocean Blvd., past the convention center, until you reach SPI Adventure Park (about 7 miles). You will see the sand dunes along the way and as you continue on, you will see the sand start to make its way onto the road, almost making it impossible to drive forward. Up north near the Adventure Park, there aren't any hotels or places to stay. People come this way to usually camp or get away from the "hustle and bustle" of SPI. I'd recommend this place for sea shell hunting too. We found so many more sea shells than where we were staying, and there were so many different kinds and sizes. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip.

8. Have a drink on the water

There are plenty of places to grab a drink and enjoy the salty air, fresh breeze, and sound of seagulls squawking. Every place we went was biking distance and most of the time we did bike there. Make sure to get there at least an hour before sunset if you want to get a good seat.

Wanna Wanna, which was right next to where we were staying.

Painted Marlin Grille-currently the newest restaurant/bar on the island.

Peach-guava Bellini from Painted Marlin Grille.

Pier 19 boardwalk, before you get to "Hooker's bar" at the end of the pier.

9. See some dolphins!

This was at the top of my list of attractions when we planned this SPI trip. When we were trying to find a place that did dolphin watches, we couldn't find any that did them in the morning. All of the reservations started at 11am or 1pm. We also couldn't find something that was more of a private tour rather than 50-100 people jammed onto a boat. I stumbled upon the Dolphin Research & Sea Life Nature Center and saw that George and Scarlet offer a more intimate encounter with dolphins, and have been doing this for 18 years. They can only fit 6 people on the boat, making the experience better than I imagined. We were lucky enough to see what seemed like 20 dolphins, maybe more, the whole entire hour we were out on the water. George even answered questions that we had about the dolphins. And, he had his dog Gorgi on board who seemed to really enjoy being the dolphin whisperer. I highly recommend this if you are wanting to see dolphins. The address to the Nature center is 10 N Garcia St, South Padre Island, TX 78578. If you want to reach them by phone to book an appointment, the number is 956-299-1957, but you need to text instead of call.

10. Explore Port Isabel

Port Isabel is just across Queen Isabella Causeway, coming from South Padre. Port Isabel has an HEB, Walmart, DQ, Wingstop, Subway, Pizza Hut, Whataburger, Church's, Dominos, Walgreens, and more. But, what you really should go see, is the area right off the bridge near the Lighthouse. There are beautiful and colorful shops, art galleries, and restaurants that are worth exploring. Plus, you have to stop at Los Cabos for a breakfast taco before heading back home, they are easily the size of your face, if not bigger.

Will and Jack's Burger Shack and Beer Garden.

Shop next to Nature's Creamery/Burger Shack that sold different stones, rocks, necklaces, and more.

Bean and cheese breakfast "taco" at Los Cabos.

11. Eat Seafood!

Last but not least, eat all the seafood while visiting! Shrimp, crab, lobster, fish, and more shrimp!

Fried shrimp basket at Painted Marlin Grille.

And that's a wrap! Hope you enjoyed my second blog post, since returning to the game. My next post may have something to do with Regina or shoes. Stay tuned!

Vancouver/Seattle

April 11, 2017 Halee Edwards

Hi again! Where do I even begin? I'm going to talk about our recent trip to Vancouver and Seattle. We had heard so many good things about Vancouver from friends so we were excited about our trip.

Our morning started at the airport where we were then told that Paul needed a special waiver to fly since he was British, and we only had 45 minutes until our flight left. It took Paul nearly 15 minutes to fill out the form on his phone and when we get to the counter they basically told us that they may not have enough time to get it all confirmed before the plane leaves. So, Paul told me to go without him. I didn't want to leave him and travel by myself so I stayed for a few minutes longer. It made more sense for only one of us to buy a ticket to Canada rather than two so in the end I had to leave him at the check in desk… But, he made it! As I was taking my shoes off and going through security, I see him running behind me calling my name. A smile instantly appeared on my face. I ran ahead to get on the plane and to let them know he was right behind me. He was the last person on before they shut the doors. Talk about a sigh of relief!

Dallas to Vancouver was a breeze. We finally arrived in Vancouver and the airport was about 30 minutes outside of the city center. I remember feeling that cool air on my skin for the first time and was so in love. I finally got to wear my new coat and scarves and got to bundle up. First stop was fish and chips for lunch.

The fish at The Fish Counter was insanely good. Highly recommend going if you ever visit Vancouver. From there we hopped on the train into the city center and it worked out perfectly; you don’t realize how good public transport can be for getting around a city that you don’t know. The first stop once we arrived in the city was our airbnb, which was a little studio on the 18th floor of a high rise. We had an amazing view of downtown.

We set our bags down, freshened up, and headed for the streets. We headed to Chinatown to check out a coffee shop, but of course we stopped on the way for pictures.

We wandered over to Crab Park which was right on the water. There weren't many people around and it felt like we had the place to ourselves. That is one of the main reasons we went in February/March, so that the city wasn't full of tourists like ourselves :)

For dinner, we made reservations at a place called Hawksworth. It was fine dining in an upscale restaurant, so we thought it was right up our alley. We decided to do the tasting menu so that we could try a little bit of everything. Out of the 6 plates, I think I enjoyed 3 or 4 of them. In my opinion, it wasn't the best place we ate at and it definitely wasn't worth the money. But you live and you learn, right?

The next morning is what I was most excited for. We stopped off at another coffee shop before adventuring through Stanley Park.

After the perfect morning at Stanley Park, and a good amount of walking, we headed back to the city to meet up with Amy H. aka @constellationinspiration at @revolvercoffee. She ended up taking the cutest pictures of Paul & I that I want to frame!

We then headed to “Ask for Luigi” (@askforluigi) for lunch; an Italian spot specializing in fresh handmade pasta. It was absolutely scrumptious and a local favorite, I would recommend it in a heartbeat. We then made our way back to our place, but not without stopping for a donut from @cartemsdonuts first.

We decided to go to Vancouver Urban Winery before dinner, and try some Vancouver wine. We both had flights- I chose the pink flight and Paul did the red. We really enjoyed this place and the atmosphere and would recommend it to anyone visiting. Then we made our way to Bauhaus, a restaurant specializing in German food. SO GOOD. I ordered the wiener schnitzel, cranberry sauce, and I ordered spatzle with it. If you don't know what spatzle is, it’s basically like a German mac n' cheese. I couldn't stop raving about this meal and definitely still think about it to this day. We ended the night at The Diamond, which is a bar on the top floor of an old building, overlooking Maple Tree Square. It was lovely, and recommended by the lovely Amy H (@constellationinspiration).

Our last full day in Vancouver started with another highly recommended place, @beaucoupbakery. We started there and then made our way over to Granville Island Market.

Can't forget about the only colored wall I found in Vancouver!

After Granville Island, we walked over to another donut shop called @luckysdoughnuts. Instead of cake donuts like the one I had from Cartems, this one was yeasted. Super tasty! Then just a few blocks down was where we were having lunch. A place called @maenamrestaurant, specializing in Thai Cuisine with a twist, who were voted best restaurant in 2016 in Vancouver. Again, this meal was AMAZING.

We then headed back into the city and stopped at another great coffee shop reccommended to us by Amy @constellationinspiration. Are you noticing a pattern here?!

And again, it was back to our place before our last dinner in Vancouver. We ate at a place in Chinatown called Bao Bei (@baobei1). It was an upscale Chinese restaurant that had things like potstickers, sticky rice, and pork belly on the menu-all with a little twist. This place was phenomenal. And I wish I had a picture of our food, but I highly recommend it. We then went for drinks afterwards at a bar a few doors down called @thekeeferbar. The bathrooms were super creepy and cool.

After dinner and drinks, we headed back to our place to get some sleep, since we had to be up at about 4:30am to catch the Amtrak to Seattle.

When we woke up the next morning, we made sure that we had plenty of time at the Amtrak station – Trying to learn from our previous airport experience. We arrive about an hour before the train departs. We already have our tickets and are waiting in line. They finally start boarding and we get to the counter and that's when more problems arise… *Backstory: Paul recently renewed his visa and didn't have his new card yet since it was being mailed to him. It said in the letter that his old one will act as his current one until the new one comes so he didn't think anything of it.* The woman working immigration told us he was supposed to have this piece of paper and since we didn't we needed to go to a separate room and get verified before being able to get on the train and go back into the U.S. Luckily, after taking finger prints and pictures, they were able to verify Paul. But seriously, talk about a bunch of stress! We made it on the train and finally made it to Seattle 4 hours later, about 10:45 am.

We then headed to our hotel. We stayed at the Kimpton Palladian Hotel (@palladianhotel) on 2nd Ave. I did my research beforehand so I knew I was going to LOVE this place. It's one of those hotel rooms where you really don't ever want to leave.

We set our bags down and went to explore @pikeplacepublicmarket.

After our walk and a little exploring, we went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. We ate at a place called @bateauseattle, which specialized in meat. They had a chalkboard of all the cuts they had on hand and as someone ordered a cut, it would get crossed off the list. It was a very good steak and meal, AND it was connected to two amazing places that we would visit the next day: @gpdoughnuts and @barmelusine. After dinner we headed to @thesmithtower for drinks with our friends, Craig and Todd, before heading over to the Museum of Pop Culture. The Smith Tower costs us $10 to get to the top for drinks, but once we were up there, the view was incredible. You can even walk along the edge of the building for pictures and exhilaration.

The next morning, Saturday, we went for a coffee @stumptowncoffee, and then headed over to General Porpoise so that I could grab a donut before we headed to Bar Melusine for Oysters and bubbles. I've never really had a filled donut before that I loved, so this was quite the experience for me. The donut was to die for. I ordered the chocolate marshmallow one and I think I made a good choice.

Saturday was the night of Paul's Pub Quiz (@geekswhodrink), which is the real reason for this trip in the first place. So after Bar Melusine, we walked around Capital Hill (which ended up being our favorite area and would recommend anyone to stay in this area because there is so much to do, see, eat and drink). We went in some shops, Paul bought some new shoes, we went to a wine bar, and then grabbed a burger at @lilwoodys. I got the 'Stranger Things Burger" which consisted of an Eggo waffle bun, maple cream cheese, grass fed beef, bacon, and creamy peanut butter. Did I just blow your mind???

We found some really cool graffiti and wall art in Seattle, which is something that I didn't find in Vancouver. This made me happy :)

Paul headed off to his competition with the boys and I met up with Aaleen and Trinity for drinks. I made it back to the hotel before he finished aka I got to hop into bed and watch crappy TV. The next morning was the day we were leaving, but we were able to squeeze in breakfast and one last stop for coffee at @elmcoffeeroasters.

Overall our trip was filled with tons of food, coffee, drinks, and walking. We had such a great time exploring these new places. I think my first impression of Vancouver wasn't as high as everyone seemed to make it, but once being there, eating the food, and exploring, I grew to love it. The food in Vancouver was by far my favorite. Almost every meal was a 10/10. In Seattle we had good food, but some meals weren't 10/10. I do feel like we didn't have enough time in Seattle to give it a chance, so I wouldn't mind going back ;)

Paul also made a video of our trip! If you haven't seen it already, you should take a look :)

Thanks for reading! Hope to do another post soon; whether that be an adventure, a recipe, or a collaboration. Stay tuned!

-Halee aka The Gingersnap

LASIK Surgery

December 17, 2016 Halee Edwards

Recently the opportunity of having Lasik eye surgery came up and it was quite the experience! I’ve been wearing glasses since middle school, so they’ve always been a part of my life. Lately they’ve been more of an annoyance than help. I knew that Lasik was something that I wanted to do but it wasn’t really on the table until a close friend had the surgery and had very positive results. I looked into Parkhurst Nuvision, which is located right here in San Antonio, and scheduled my consultation!

Consultation day was a breath of fresh air. I’d always been a little put off with the idea of doing Lasik, just because I assumed that it hurt a little or I psyched myself out into thinking what if something went wrong during my procedure.

Throughout the entire experience, all of my questions and concerns were answered. If I forgot to ask a question, Amanda, my Lasik counselor with Parkhurst was only an email away. After leaving the consultation, I felt good about everything. I mean, I was told I would be in the operating room for less than 10 minutes! That alone made me feel a little better about the surgery.

The day of surgery had arrived and this is when things really started to hit me. After my consultation, all of my worries were put at ease and I never really thought about anything after that day…until the morning of surgery! All of those worries came back to torture me and I started to think “What if I feel it while I am in surgery? What if the “happy pill” doesn’t work? What if something goes wrong after surgery and I get an infection?” I thought about anything and everything. My husband tried to calm me down but it’s all I could think about until they were ready for me. Luckily a few minutes before, the pill finally kicked in and I felt a little more at ease.

I made my way to the operating room (with the help of the staff and my husband since I couldn’t walk too well) and there were so many people there to make me feel comfortable. I was guided to the station and laid down at the table. I was given a blanket to stay warm and I even got to listen to a Pandora station of my choosing (I chose The Postal Service). As small as these things were they put me even more at ease and made me feel better. To top it off, Dr. Parkhurst was there to walk me through everything that he was doing. He told me what he was doing to my eye that way I wasn’t surprised or caught off guard.

The first machine that I was under basically created a flap on the surface of both my eyes (each eye took 10 seconds or less to actually do and it was completely painless!) so that the prescription could be put in. Then I moved onto the second machine (with the help of the wonderful staff), and that’s where the laser put the prescription in my eye. Dr. Parkhurst then used a tool that put the flap of my eye back over where it would seal up naturally. Again, this was another 10 seconds in each eye. After that I was done! I could actually see!

Next, my job was to go home and sleep (no problem doctor!), so that is what I did. I went back in around 3pm to have my same day checkup and everything looked good. I continued my medicated drops for another week and then they gave me artificial tears to use at least 6x a day to help with any dryness or irritation. I also was to wear my eye mask (looks just like something out of star wars so I was okay with it) for the first day, all day. Then, I only had to wear the mask at night for the first week.

I just had my 1-week post-op check up and everything looks perfect. I am able to wear makeup again (thank goodness) and play sports.

I would say the first couple of days were the most intense for me, and I wouldn’t even say intense. My eyes were definitely really dry the day of surgery and the following day, but after that they were relatively fine. I went to watch my husband play soccer on Sunday (surgery was Friday morning), and I felt great, and could see! I was constantly and religiously using my artificial tears and I think that helped. I was on top of my drops, and I think that helped my recovery time. Plus, I'm only 1 week out now and that's pretty much already over!

I honestly don’t know what I was worried about? If they say it’s painless, why would it be painful and why would they lie? It definitely was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and I would recommend it to ANYONE. Seriously check them out at sanantonio-lasik.com if you’re even considering Lasik.

I know so many people that have done Lasik and not one person has anything bad to say about it. I can’t say one bad thing about my experience. I really think being in the hands of the Parkhurst team made things run more smoothly. They are a group of knowledgeable and friendly people that will squash all of your worries. I couldn’t be happier. I can’t wait to play in my next soccer game, to go hiking, to travel, and to see things that I never would have been able to see without my glasses.

A Day in the Life of The Ginger Snap

May 16, 2016 Halee Edwards

One of my favorite people ever, Kathleen, came over to film the process of me making my donuts. She stayed awake the entire time, filmed everything from start to finish, and then edited it all. I absolutely love what she did and can't thank her enough. Check out some of her other videos to see what she's up to! And check out her latest video she made with me, below :)

Matcha Shortbread Cookie Recipe

March 28, 2016 Halee Edwards

I'm currently obsessed with matcha, among other things, so I am always trying to use/create/tweak/test recipes that include it. I love the Peanut butter chocolate chip shortbread cookies that I make and a friend asked me to do some sort of matcha cookie, so I thought...matcha shortbread cookies! I use Martha Stewart's recipe as a reference and tweak a few bits. What to make with matcha next?!

INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
3 tablespoons green tea powder or matcha powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, or granulated sugar will work too
1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
Raw sugar for rolling
Matcha sugar (matcha powder and granulated sugar combined) for rolling

DIRECTIONS

Whisk together flour, matcha, and salt in a small bowl. Cream together butter, sugar, and vanilla in a mixer bowl on medium until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. On low, slowly mix in flour mixture until just combined.

Transfer your dough to a piece of parchment paper; shape into one big log or you can make multiple logs to make it easier. Scatter raw sugar and matcha sugar on your piece of parchment paper. Roll each log up and down the parchment paper to cover it in sugar. Using plastic wrap, wrap your log (s) up and secure them (I use a paper towel roll cut down the middle; see picture). Freeze for one hour or refrigerate for two.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap frozen/cold logs and slice 1/2 inch thick. Place an inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until edges turn golden, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets on wire racks.

French Style Country Bread Recipe

March 22, 2016 Halee Edwards

My husband and I love bread! We eat it with pasta, with soup, and we are always eating toast in the morning. Talk about carbs! So, with that being said I thought I should try and make my own at home. This way, I know what is going in it while feeling a sense of pride for accomplishing what some claim to be a tough job (and it definitely is). Here is a recipe I follow from King Arthur Flour.

Starter

1 cup cool to lukewarm water (90°F to 100°F)
1/2 teaspoon active dry or instant yeast
1 1/4 cups unbleached bread flour
1/4 cup (1 ounce) white whole wheat flour or premium whole wheat flour
1 Mimosa (optional)

Dough

all of the starter (above)
1 cup lukewarm water (100°F to 115°F)
3/4 teaspoon active dry or 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
3 3/4 to 4 cups unbleached bread flour
1 1/2 to 2 1/4 teaspoons salt, to taste

Instructions

To make the starter: Stir all of the starter ingredients together to make a thick, pudding-like mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 2 hours. For best flavor, let the starter rest longer; overnight (up to 16 hours) is best. How'd that mimosa get there?!?

To make the dough: Stir down the starter with a spoon and add the water, yeast, sugar, 3 1/4 cups of the flour, and the salt (I add 2 1/2 teaspoons of salt for a better taste). The dough will be a loose, messy mass. Let it rest for 12 to 15 minutes, then stir it again; it should become more cohesive and a bit smoother. Dough handles better once it's had time for the flour to absorb the water while resting and relaxing. By using this method, you'll tend to add less flour, and have much bigger holes in your finished bread.

Knead the dough, adding more flour as necessary, to make a soft dough, 10 to 12 minutes (or 3-5 minutes in a stand mixer with a dough hook).

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or plastic container, cover with lightly greased plastic wrap, and let it rise until almost doubled (this could be 1 to 2 hours). If you're going out, or if you prefer, let the dough rise slowly in the fridge. If your dough has been refrigerated, allow it to come to room temperature before shaping; it'll warm up and rise at the same time.

Deflate the dough gently, but don't knock out all the air; this will create those "holes" so important to French bread. For one large loaf, form the dough into a round ball; for two loaves, divide the dough in half and shape into two balls.

Place a cornmeal-dusted piece of parchment paper onto a baking sheet (I use my dutch oven). Gently place the ball(s) of dough on the baking sheet (or dutch oven), seam-side down.

Cover the bread gently with lightly greased plastic wrap, and let it rise until it's puffy and about 40% to 50% larger, anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 475°F.

Slash or cross-hatch the bread with a sharp knife or lame. Dust it with a little flour. Spritz water into the oven with a clean plant mister, and place the bread in the oven. Reduce the heat to 425°F and spritz with water every few minutes for the first 15 minutes of baking.

Bake the bread for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until it's a rich golden brown, and its interior temperature registers at least 190°F on a digital thermometer. The smaller loaves will bake more quickly, so keep your eye on them.

Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a rack. Store bread, loosely wrapped in paper, for a couple of days at room temperature; wrap it in plastic and freeze for longer storage.

Yield: 1 large or 2 medium loaves.

Enjoy!

Kitchen Injury

March 14, 2016 Halee Edwards

Kitchen accidents happen to us all at some point but this is the story of my most recent injury and a warning to all you bakers to be careful in the kitchen!

So last week I injured myself while I was baking. I didn't say anything at the time because I didn't want people feeling sorry for me or thinking I couldn't fulfil my orders.

It happened when I was chopping some candied bacon for the top of my PB&J w/ Bacon donuts. My mind wandered and I started thinking about my current set of knives and how bad they are. "These knives suck, I really need a new set...." CHOP!

I brought the knife down over the tip of my finger. We rushed to the emergency room, everything is fine and they basically just glued the cut back together. But I was very close to actually going all the way through and slicing of the tip off my finger.

I obviously had to get a picture so if you're feeling brave, feel free to click the link below to see the damage - Warning! it's pretty gross!

San Antonio Magazine Feature

March 8, 2016 Halee Edwards

In the latest issue of San Antonio Magazine (March), I and five other instagrammers were featured as "social media gurus". What an honor! When SAM messaged me about including me in the March issue, I was definitely taken back and all in. I love being apart of the San Antonio Community. Whether thats through instagram, baking, eating out, etc., I enjoy it all. The article briefly talks about how instagram is "famous (or notorious) for transforming iphone pics into envy-inducing peeks into what often looks not like the good life, but a perfect life." It then goes on to advise its readers to follow the six "snap-happy" instagrammers they feature. In my section, I mentioned that I would be selling my baked goods to our city soon enough (and here I am!) Others talk about what instagram means to them, what their instagram is about, and so forth. I am super happy I had the opportunity to work with SAM and the other ladies.