This month flew by! (Do I sound like a broken record?) I can’t believe we’re already counting down the last three months of 2018! I love this season. There’s so much energy, excitement, and celebration. I’m looking forward to our big trip this month, Thanksgiving and Christmas, annual parties, and all the good food that comes with them! Until then, here are a bunch of stories I was captivated by and wanted to share.

Refined
Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold. It’s a beautiful analogy for life, and how broken pieces can be put back together even more beautifully than before. Read more here.

FOMO Factory
Did you see my post about the FOMO Factory? It’s a new immersive art space in Austin, here until the end of the month. I’m a little iffy about these types of things because of crowds and the self-indulgence, but it proved me wrong and was a lot of fun. I was inspired by the creators’ creativity and the little world they built in the building.

$41.6 million
That’s how much money the JJ Watt Foundation has put to work in Houston for Hurricane Harvey relief. You probably remember the commendable fundraiser the football player led a year ago, and now, that money has helped rebuild homes and businesses and provided meals and health services to so many. See the full update here.

We Are Bristol Bay
How do you protect the world’s largest wild salmon fishery? Tell stories to celebrate the goodness the bay provides people. Read all about Bristol Bay in Southwest Alaska here.

Finding Joy Where You Are
This advice column response was a good read. Here’s the big summary:
“There are just too many ways to mess this up. But you have to embrace this tangled mess and trust that you’ll find a way forward. There is no way for me to lay out a specific path for you that’s better than the one you’ll decide on yourself. But in order to decide, you have to stop hiding and trying to escape. You have to live where you are and work with what you have.”

Birth Problems
The rate of severe complications when U.S. women give birth has tripled between 1993 to 2014. The reason? Women are getting pregnant at older ages and more likely have health issues such as diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure. Here’s the long read.

How Do You Find Your Passion?
This is a big question among people of all ages. I liked this response to the question.

Women Deserve Better Pockets
This article detailing pocket sizes and more is so interesting! Why is it that men get bigger pockets?

Natural Beauty: SOCO Botanicals
I went to SOCO Botanicals complimentary media event for their Grand Opening and am so enthused about it! You may remember me talking about trying to find safer and more natural skin care products. Founder Scarlett Olson and her team have been perfecting their non-toxic, oil-based products for over five years and the quality really shows. It’s also a local Austin company. Our favor bag had samples of the SOCO Symphony Elixir (the signature product), SOCO Citrus Gem Essential Oils Gel Cleanser, and SOCO Black Lava Scrub. I’ve tried them all and am really enjoying them. I’ll keep you updated!

Being Your Own Boss
Being your own boss is a dream, right? Making your own schedule, doing work you love, and having so much free time are all benefits, right? Maybe, but you may also work non-stop and have to pay attention to things you don’t enjoy like accounting or marketing. Jules from Om & the City will give you some real talk about being your own boss and why the grass is not always greener.

This Does Not Define Me
This account of all the harassment this woman has received is sad and hard to read. It’s an example of what women go through. You should also look at this list and conversation of ways men and women avoid being sexually assaulted. Spoiler alert: the world is more unsafe for women.

Obesity
About 80% of American adults and a third of children are overweight or obese. The way I understand this eye-opening article is that our bodies have adapted to what we eat and while we may be eating less, people are still fighting a losing battle when it comes to losing weight. Foods that are high in sugar, low in fiber, and packed with additives are the majority of what we eat, and we must start focusing on health instead of weight and support instead of shame to make positive change.

10 Life Promises
One of my favorite bloggers posted about the life promises she and her husband made on their honeymoon and an update about them 12 years later. It’s so interesting and sweet.

Value Perception
Let me nerd out a little bit. Value perception is so interesting to me. It’s based on our own experiences and observations and how our minds work. For example, I experience this when I’m parking downtown. I can’t find street parking but a parking lot spot will cost $20 for a couple of hours. Do I value the money or the time to find a spot? If you want to learn more, here’s an informative article.

Old Shoes
What do you do with gently worn shoes that you no longer want? I run into this problem with running shoes. They’re nice shoes but they no longer feel good when I run in them. Donate them to Soles 4 Shoes who provides them to people around the world! The easiest drop off is a DSW store near you but you can also ship them.

Now Listening

• Happier by Marshmello ft. Bastille
• The Greatest Showman soundtrack – I just watched the movie/musical and loved it! Here’s the song Rewrite the Stars.
• Lucky You by Eminem ft. Joyner Lucas (NSFW) – I’m not usually an Eminem fan but this song is impressive. Is he breathing when he’s rapping so fast??

What’s got you captivated lately?

P.S. I loved this post about Childhood Food Memories this month!

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The post Captivations v51: Kintsugi appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

[This post includes complimentary eats from restaurants and affiliate links to products I recommend. All opinions are my own.]

One of my goals this month was to decrease the eating out and impulsive food buys. I had a few meals out (like ALL OF NASHVILLE), but overall, there were more home-cooked weekend meals and less “swing by because I need a treat” buys. This doesn’t mean there weren’t mouth-watering eats. Take a look.

New Year’s Day Brunch
Fresh into the “less eating out” goal, we made a big New Year’s Day spread with friends. Sweet potato crostinis, shakshuka, Caesar salad, bacon-wrapped asparagus, and peach bellinis!

New Year’s Day Brisket
Later in the day, we enjoyed this incredible brisket made in the Big Green Egg. Mouth-watering!

Dinner at Ajo
Round Rock is limited in their quality restaurant options compared to Austin but it’s been fun discovering new places. Ajo is located in downtown Round Rock and was a really good meal. We enjoyed the Beef in the Raw (beef tartare), scallop crudo, lobster mac and cheese with pork cracklins, and Ajo Salad (Grilled chicken thighs, mixed greens, spinach, bleu cheese crumbles, avocado, bacon, figs, candied walnuts, and heirloom cherry tomatoes tossed in a homemade honey balsamic vinaigrette).

Beef in the Raw at Ajo

Scallop Crudo at Ajo

Ajo Salad at Ajo

Lobster Mac at Ajo

Craft Beer at Zilker Brewing Company
FINALLY! Finally visited Zilker Brewing Company when we had family in town. I loved their Trapp Marco IPA with the Spruce Juice IPA and Elfie Sunshine (surprisingly, I liked this smooth stout!) close behind. They do four beer flights and buy by the pint. Their tasting room seemed a little small but that’s because it was chilly out and no one was on the patio.

Nashville
Did you see my post about the Best Restaurants in Nashville? We ate A LOT. There is so much good food in Nashville, I’d say it’s the next big foodie town!

Smoothies
There was a lot of breakfast smoothie making happening this month to curb the morning breakfast taco buy. I’ve been using the Ninja mixer I won at my company holiday party. [See more details about the Ninja QB3000SS Fit, Silver here.] We don’t measure ingredients, but each includes: one banana, three handfuls of kale, one or two handfuls of almonds, half to full cup of almond milk, and a few ice cubes. I tried protein powder in mine one morning and BLECH! Do you have any protein powder recommendations or any smoothie recommendations? Please let me know!

Craft Beer at Idle Vine Brewing Co.
A new brewery, Idle Vine Brewing, opened up in Pflugerville! On this first visit, I really enjoyed their IPA with the Idle Mind Pale Ale close behind. They have half pint and full pint options.

Chocolate at Chocolaterie Tessa
I was so excited Chocolaterie Tessa invited me in to see the store and taste some chocolates! This a local Austin shop that makes fine, artisan chocolates free of artificial flavors, preservatives, and colors. Tessa was so sweet to let me try a variety of chocolates and my favorites were the dark chocolates and nutty chocolates. They have chocolates in shapes for Valentine’s and Texas, and they have small, medium, and large assorted chocolate boxes. For Valentine’s Day, they will have a special Belgian Chocolate Praline and bon bons in Strawberry Basil, Raspberry, and Cinnamon made with CatspringTea’s Yaupon. Love beer and chocolate? Check out their pairing Valentine’s event with Zilker Brewing Company.

Happy Hour at Isla
Austin Food Bloggers Alliance hosted a monthly happy hour with complimentary bites provided by Isla, a bar on West 4th Street. I loved the island vibes and Peruvian theme. While I wouldn’t come back specifically for the food, I wouldn’t mind ordering the chicken thigh anticuchos (skewered chicken thighs) and Bao Con Chicharron (steamed bun with smoked crispy pork belly) while having drinks. The Tituba drink is so good and they specialize in rum! Run flight, anyone?

Bao con Chicharron

Draft Mead from Meridian Hive
I finally got to try local meadery Meridian Hive’s mead. These draft meads are lightly carbonated and not too sweet. The Discovery is made with orange blossom honey, the Rhapsody has honey and blackberries, and the Haven has honey, peach, and ginger. Yes, all three are in cans and you can find them in stores all over Texas.

Sushi at Tomo
I wrote about Tomo last year [check out that feature here], and while this was the first visit back in a while, it still remains one of my favorite restaurants in Austin. I’ve been dreaming about that one monkfish liver with uni sushi bite ever since I swallowed it. The seared live eel bite was a dream too. I also loved the orange clam. And for sashimi, we always get: Japanese Madai, King Salmon with fresh wasabi, and a sashimi Nobu style.

What have you been eating lately?

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The post Flavors of the Month: January 2017 appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

December was a VERY delicious month with visits to three breweries, six newly opened restaurants, and dishes I’ll be dreaming about for a while. The month included eats in Austin and Dallas and unless marked, the places are in Austin.

Family-Style Dishes at General Tso’Boy
The month started with an Austin Food Bloggers Alliance happy hour at General Tso’Boy at the Domain. They are introducing family-style dishes, so we tried chicken, noodle, and veggie dishes. I need to go back to try their soft serve! (General Tso’Boy provided us this tasting complimentary.)

Beers at St Elmo Brewing
A new brewery opened in South Austin, so we made the long trek from North Austin to check it out. I really like their space. I got their beer flight and tried the Jan (German IPA), Slater (American IPA), Chico (Kolsch), Koufax (Shandy), and Dampf (Hefe-Barley). Their IPAs are intense! My favorites were the Chico and Dampf.

Thai Fusion Lunch at Soursop
The food at Soursop was incredible! I’m excited about this new Austin food trailer and I wish it were up north. It is located at St Elmo Brewing so we enjoyed lunch with our beers. We tried the Sambal Wings, Fried Chicken Sandwich with fries, Thai Salad (Som Tam), and ice cream sandwich. The fried chicken sandwich was HANDS DOWN our favorite dish. You have to try this one when you go!

Happy Hour at Salty Sow
I took Boyfriend for a quick happy hour before my work holiday party. I’m always excited when I leave Salty Sow because I remember how much I like it! We indulged in the duck fat fries, deviled eggs, and Brussels sprouts.

Brunch at Vinaigrette
For the Austin Food Bloggers Alliance holiday party, we had brunch at Vinaigrette. I love this place because it’s a very pretty restaurant, and they have many healthy dishes on their menu. I started with the orange turmeric juice. For food, we tried the Huevos Rancheros, Vinny Steak and Eggs, Kale and Corned Beef Hash, Fried Egg and Green Chile Breakfast Sandwich, and Savory Cilantro-Corn Pancakes. The Kale and Corned Beef Hash and the Savory Cilantro-Corn Pancakes were my favorite dishes. (Vinaigrette provided us this tasting complimentary. Comments are my own.)

Dinner at Eberly
I was excited to see this beautiful, new restaurant in person! It’s a bigger space than I thought and the atrium-like dining area fills with beautiful light! My friend Janna and I enjoyed the charcuterie, short ribs, potato galette and the sweet potato donut dessert.

Happy Hour at Culinary Dropout
Some of my favorite blogger girls and I got together at Culinary Dropout for happy hour. We enjoyed the cheese plate, pretzels and fondue, house-made chips, grilled cheese, and sangrias. Their patio was perfect for the weather, since it got slightly warm in December, and their happy hour prices are GREAT, especially when split among us. This is definitely a hot, new spot at the Domain.

Strawberries and Cream Cupcake at Silos Baking Co. (Waco)
As you might have seen from this post about our road trip stop, I got to try a cupcake from Silos Baking Co. Click for more details.

Brunch at Boulevardier (Dallas)
I love going home for the holidays because it means getting together with the girls I grew up with in my hometown. We span four different cities in three different states but have a tradition of meeting up for at least one meal when we’re all home. This time it was at Boulevardier, and while my first visit was ok, this one was outstanding! The Lox Benedict with perfectly poached eggs was mouth-watering and I inhaled it. We finished off our meal with the bread pudding with huckleberry jam, bourbon butter sauce, and vanilla bean ice cream, and I wouldn’t mind eating that every day.

Beer at Deep Ellum Brewing Company (Dallas) 
While in Dallas, Boyfriend and I decided to try some of the breweries we haven’t visited. First on the list was one Dallas’ most well-known – Deep Ellum Brewing – in downtown Dallas. Their branding is really cool and their taproom is spacious. I enjoyed the Easy Peasy IPA. It’s still an IPA but easier to drink than others. If you want something a little more intense, try the Deep Ellum IPA. I also had a sip of the Bourbon Barrel Aged Oak Cliff Coffee Ale, and while it’s not something I usually drink, it’s very smooth with strong flavors.

Beer at Lakewood Brewing Co. (Dallas)
After Deep Ellum Brewing, we hopped over to Lakewood Brewing Co in Garland. Here I tried the Red Wine Barrel Hop Trapp with Cherries. Yep, it’s a Belgian-style IPA aged in a red wine barrel. There was definitely a red wine flavor and I enjoyed it! Boyfriend was a big fan of the Temptress on nitro.

Holiday Eats
Visiting family for the holidays means a big Chinese meal! Lobster, crab, duck, veggies, fish. *sigh*

Thai Dishes at CrushCraft (Dallas)
CrushCraft has been on my list for a while, and it did not disappoint! We enjoyed the Pad Thai, Khao Soi, Papaya Salad, and Thai Iced Tea. Of course, the Khao Soi was my favorite, but the rest of the meal was so good also!

Kale Salad with Chicken and Olive Oil Lemon Cake at Flower Child
I could eat this meal every day. The kale salad has pink grapefruit, organic apple, black currant, smoked almond, white cheddar, and apple cider vinaigrette, and I added chicken to it. The flavors mixed perfectly and the chicken was very moist. That olive oil lemon cake felt sinful yet healthy at the same time. They also have kombucha on tap! It was no surprise that I liked Flower Child since True Food Kitchen is also in the company’s restaurant concepts. I can’t wait to go back!

Brunch at Forthright
I was excited to finally try Forthright after hearing so much about it. My friend Janna and I had the pork belly hash, egg nog French toast (a current special), and the avocado toast topped with poached eggs. The avocado toast was our favorite dish! Forthright is such a cute little café tucked off of West Cesar Chavez before Congress, and they’re open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch. (Forthright provided us this tasting complimentary. Comments are my own.)

New Year’s Eve Dinner
This year, Boyfriend and I decided to have a quiet night in with a home-cooked meal to celebrate New Year’s Eve. It’s been a busy couple of months with Thailand and holiday parties and going to Dallas. We grilled steaks and lobster tails – two “small” (regular) sized tail and one JUMBO 15oz one. They were so good!

Phew – what a month of good eats! There is so much great craft beer and restaurants out there. I hope you’re enjoying some good eats as well.

Eat anywhere fantastic lately? Tell me your favorite dish below!

Keep up with me elsewhere! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin’, or Snapchat (@wanderlustanita). You can also subscribe to the exclusive email list.

The post Flavors of the Month: December 2016 appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

Whole30 Homemade Eats
From August 1st-23rd, I mostly ate homemade eats for every meal. Have you ever gone that long without eating out? I definitely haven’t! You can see the recipes I enjoyed in this Whole30 post.

Cupcakes from Polkadots Cupcake Factory
Ok, so I ate cupcakes the morning after Whole30 finished. They were delish!

Eats at The Park
Day 1 of not-Whole30 was celebrated by an Austin Food Blogger Alliance happy hour at The Park’s Domain location. (They also have a South Lamar location.) I had been for drinks and brunch but this was a great reminder of the food offerings. My favorites were the Mini Cornflake Chicken Tacos and the Cinnamon Toast Crunch Fried Ice Cream.

Sangria Fizz

Guacamole Especial – Housemade guacamole finished with diced mango, pomegranate seeds and tropical spices

Mini Cornflake Chicken Tacos – Spicy-sweet corn flake fried chicken topped with shredded coleslaw and mango-chile cream, served on mini flour tortillas

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Fried Ice Cream and Nutella Funnel Cake

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Fried Ice Cream

The post Flavors of the Month: August 2016 appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

Beer at Last Stand Brewing
While in the area, we needed to kill some time before a concert and we wanted to explore a new brewery. We found Last Stand Brewing and enjoyed a pint before going to dinner. Their beer garden was the perfect place to hang out and enjoy the day. They have several beers in their taproom and they offer flights.

Cider at Argus Cidery
I’ve been wanting to visit Argus Cidery since they opened! We were going to Last Stand Brewing when we passed by it and I knew we had to stop in. I love their Ginger Perry (and you can get this in grocery stores!) and they have plenty of seating outside. If you’re in the area or want to spend a day out near Dripping Springs, head this way!

Rocket Pizza and Pastrami Plate at Pieous
Finally! This highly-recommended pizza restaurant has been on my list for a long time. We enjoyed the Rocket Pizza (white pie topped with arugula, prosciutto, mozzarella, olive oil), which was good but what really blew my socks off was their pastrami. The meat was so tender and flavorful. It’s the best pastrami I’ve ever had. We got the Pastrami Plate to start and it includes bread, mustard and pickles.

Salt Cod Croquettes and Creamsicle at Launderette
At lunch at Launderette, the Salt Cod Crooquettes with fennel radish salad and aioli were a light and crispy appetizer. I also really enjoyed the Creamsicle dessert, a delicate tangerine pudding cake with raspberry fluff, poppy seed, marigold ice cream.

Bites at Live Fire
Live Fire is one of my picks for favorite culinary event in Austin and it did not disappoint this year. Some of my favorite bites were: SPUN Ice Cream’s Mint Ice cream w/ Beef Fat Jalapeno Shortbread & Watermelon Gelee; Emmer and Rye’s short ribs with roti and arugula; Filament’s take on pastrami: beef tongue topped with fermented kohlrabi slaw; Supper’s smoked beef cheek with charred eggplant and corn pudding; Fluff Bake Bar’s mini ice cream cones filled with hazelnut ice cream and Werther’s curd.

Turkey and Swiss Sandwich from Snarf’s Sandwiches and Macarons and Cookies from Mindy’s Bakeshop
During the #ATXBloggerMixer, we enjoyed sandwiches from Snarf’s Sandwiches, which is near the UT campus off Dean Keeton. I was expecting a regular, old sandwich but I was pleasantly surprised by this tasty turkey and swiss with avocado. The macarons and cookies from Mindy’s Bakeshop were really good too!

Triple Yessir at Community Beer Co. (Dallas)
I can’t believe I’ve let so much time go by before I visited a Dallas brewery. This month turned out to be one for crossing off places that have long been on my list, so I guess it was perfect timing. My friend Ashley recommended this brewery and we had a blast. Their taproom is very big with several beers on tap. I enjoyed the Triple Yessir (a triple IPA) that was very good though very strong.

Breakfast Tacos at Taco Ocho (Dallas/Richardson)
On a rainy Sunday in Dallas, we braved the weather for some breakfast. I enjoyed a hearty breakfast taco (took the other to-go) and Boyfriend enjoyed the Huevos Rancheros. We were impressed by the salsa and the overall experience and food.

Hot Dog Flight and Craft Beer at Round Rock Express
The Dell Diamond has many food options but you can’t go wrong with hot dogs at a baseball game. One of the food vendors has a mini hot dog flight and there’s also a craft beers on tap vendor, both located on the north side.

Crawfish Boil
I hope you’ve gotten your fill of crawfish this season. I’ve consumed many pounds and I still don’t think I’ve had enough. Boyfriend and I headed down to some friend’s for their annual crawfish boil. It was eight hours of continuous crawfish peeling and eating. Yes, it was a good as it sounds!

AFBA Happy Hour at Oasthouse Kitchen + Bar
For this month’s Austin Food Blogger Alliance happy hour, we were treated to some great eats by Oasthouse Kitchen + Bar. This restaurant is in north Austin (off 620 and close to 2222) but I think it’s worth the trip. Every dish we had was stellar and my favorites were the Truffled Prosciutto Bruschetta, Truffled Wagyu Steak and Wild Mushroom Flatbread, and Chocolate Duet. They have a spacious patio, talented chefs, and a varied selection of dishes.

La’Blue Cocktail (with gin)

Hamachi Crudo, Truffled Prosciutto Bruschetta, and Wild Caught Calamari

Beet Salad, Truffled Wagyu Steak and Wild Mushroom Flatbread, Spring Pasta, and Caribbean Jerk Pork Tenderloin

Chocolate Duet (512 porter chocolate cake, salted toffee glaze, sundae ice cream, pecan crumbles, chocolate syrup pored table side)

Dinner at Fukumoto
Ending out the month, Boyfriend and I tried out Japanese restaurant Fukumoto. We enjoyed the beef tongue with poached egg over rice, Kinoko Tempura (four types of tempura mushrooms), pieces of orange fed snapper (it tasted like orange!) and maguro (blue fin tuna). Though the service experience left a lot to desired, we enjoyed the food, especially the rice bowl.

What good eats have you enjoyed lately?

The post Flavors of the Month: April 2016 appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

Chocolate Truffles at Make It Sweet Class
My friend Amy and I enjoyed learning to make chocolate truffles at Make It Sweet at the beginning of the month. I put Make It Sweet on my Austin culinary class list because I’ve taken classes there several times and have always had fun and learned a lot! My Instagram photo was featured in the Austin American-Statesman too!

It’s going to be okay.
I love this comic on The Oatmeal. It’s a little and meaningful reminder of what we’re here for.

Austin Bakes for Refugees
A few times a year, the Austin baking community comes together to fundraise for people in need through a citywide bake sale. This month, we raised $1,269.46 for Syrian refugees and in five years, $60,000 has been raised for people around the world. Every little bit counts and I’m proud of everyone who stepped up to provide for others. This bake sale I donated my favorite salted brown butter rice krispy treats.

Speaking of Refugees
I found this video to be very clear and informative of how the Syrian War started and how it has progressed. Everyone should be informed about what’s going on in our world!

The Paper and Craft Pantry
I met Pei, a fellow Austinite, a few months ago and since then I learned that she has accomplished her dream of opening a stationary shop and workshop in a few months. As a lover of stationary and crafty workshops, I’m excited her shop is now open! If you are in Austin, be sure to stop by and support a new local business!

6 Clever Ways to Make More Money and Be Happy Doing It
I read this article on The Muse and thought it was very helpful!

Hello, Holiday Season!
Ah, the holiday season is here! I enjoyed wonderful Thanksgiving time in Austin (boyfriend’s family) and Dallas (my family) and though I’m not ecstatic about this cooler weather, I’m looking forward to Christmas traditions, taking time off from work, and celebrating the New Year.

More about my November coming in my Flavors post later this week!

What’s your favorite November memory?

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