My Midlife Musing

I’m sick.  No ifs, ands or buts.  I came back from BlogHerFood 2013 in Austin yesterday and by the time we landed I was ready for bed.

Austin is fantastic! Big enough to get lost in yet small enough to not feel lost.

It started off innocently enough — flight on Southwest to Austin.  Except this flight was a PARTY PLANE filled with LA hipsters heading to ATX Television Festival in Austin.  A very social group of hipsters.  Boy did I feel old.

Southwest didn’t disappoint with its penchant for witty surprise!  Southwest sponsored the Party Plane and its music program, Live @ 35, was the star attraction.  Suddenly, the entire plane was being serenaded by the talented Teddy Geiger.  Not being a hipster, I have no idea who he was but he has a nice voice and is very easy on the eyes.

Guess what I also learned?  Drinking in Austin is dirt cheap, especially in live music bars.  Should I be embarrassed  by my 10 bar crawl on Thursday night.  I say NOT! Especially at $3 a cocktail with Tito’s Handmade Vodka.  Tito’s Vodka is easy to drink and doesn’t leave me hurting in the morning.  (I know this to be fact now.)

Sixth Street is chock full of bars, pubs, and  honky tonks.  I did my best to represent the mature crowd in Austin.

This bar sign was my mantra:  EASY TIGER.  That’s way it was 10 bars instead of 20!

My BlogHerFood 2013 conference started bright and early on Friday.

I didn’t make breakfast but I was there for the 1st session, lunch and the afternoon sessions. BlogHerFood is one of the premier food blogging conferences and this is the 2nd year I’ve attended.  As last year, it was a great opportunity to meet other food bloggers and get some intense learning.

Several sponsors captured my attention and I can’t wait to use their products

POMPEIAN OILS – they had the best chocolate chip cookies made with Pompeian oil instead of butter.  I can’t wait to try this recipe!  A huge thank you for the FULL SIZE samples of their Mediterranean blend oil and their Grapeseed oil.

Bob’s Red Mill – hands down, one of the best grain companies in the country.  I love Bob’s Red Mill products and am excited about their new line of ancient grains.  Thank you for the sample packs and coupons for my next purchases.

Canadian Lentils – The Canadian Lentils association sponsored the Recharge Lounge and boy, was the food excellent!

I love lentils and beans but I also love meat.  The lentil stuffed mushrooms will be at my next dinner party.  Heck, I may have a dinner party just to showcase the fantastic lentil recipes I had! It was only my upbringing that prevented me from stuffing my face with the lentil brownies every time I walked by.

While the food at the conference was good, the food in Austin is simply  AMAZING.   Austinites are proud of their locally grown produce and meat and that pride shows in the menus.  There’s BBQ (hello, this is Texas!), Tex-Mex (in case you missed the part about this is Texas), and lots of other cuisines, most of them showcasing local ingredients prepared simply.    The only odd thing was breakfast … where do Austinites eat breakfast in downtown Austin?   Sixth Street doesn’t start waking up until noon-ish!

I’m planning a girl’s weekend in Austin in August — I only hope the heat doesn’t kill me.  But it might worth it after a fantastic meal.