Breakfast at CBD Provisions (Dallas)
After staying in town for a Dallas Cowboys game, we ventured to downtown Dallas for breakfast. Their weekday breakfast selection wasn’t as good as their weekend brunch but it was our best option and it was very tasty!

Homemade Sweet Potato Hash
This has become my boyfriend’s signature homemade breakfast dish and I love it! Sweet potatoes are roasted with rosemary and then cooked with kale, bacon, garlic and onions. Finally, eggs are cracked on top and it’s baked in the oven. Hearty, healthy and delicious!

Bites at Wine and Swine
Austin Food & Wine Alliance’s annual Wine and Swine event is consistently my favorite annual Austin culinary event. The weather is usually perfect and the food can’t be beat. My favorite dishes this year were the pastrami bun from Olamaie (that ended up winning the award), the pulled pork torta from Franklin Barbecue, cassata gelato in a tiny lard pastry crust from Dolce Neve, and smoked Hawaiian pork roll from Launderette.

Hot Pot at Shabu
Craving warmth on a cold night, we found it at Shabu. We had a spread of shrimp, quail eggs, beef slices, two kinds of mushrooms, and Chinese lettuce.

Homemade Pecan Pie
I made this pecan pie for my work Thanksgiving potluck. It was a hit!

Crabsgiving
Following up our Seafood Boil, we had the equipment for a few more weeks before we had to give it back, so why not another? This time, in addition to shrimp and snow crab, we got king crab. I would NOT want to encounter one of those things in real life! The legs were long and sharp. Our friends braved the cold with us and we enjoyed our fill of seafood.

Homemade Chicken in Spicy Red Pepper, Tomato and Mushroom Sauce
When I crave a certain dish, I consult the internet to find a trustworthy recipe. When my boyfriend craves a certain dish, he buys all the ingredients he thinks goes in it and wings it. It’s a great talent to have (especially if you simply reap the benefits like me), and this dish turned out SO GOOD. It’s got spicy red peppers, diced tomatoes, mushrooms, white wine, chicken, garlic, yellow onions and a bunch of spices. Served on top of brown rice and with a side of homemade black beans, this dish will hopefully become a staple!

Chinese Thanksgiving Feast
My dad and cousin put a big effort into our Thanksgiving meal this year and it was so good! Lobster, crab and crab fried rice, mushrooms, steamed fish, jellyfish, turkey and Chinese broccoli. We all had full bellies by the end of the night.

Gyro Plate at Prince Lebanese Grill (Dallas/Arlington)
Boyfriend and I went to visit his sweet grandma in Arlington during Thanksgiving, and we found a highly rated restaurant in the area. She had never had Lebanese food, and it was so cute hearing her say, “well, I tried a new kind of food today!” We learned when we sat down that the restaurant’s claim to fame was their appearance on Food Network years ago. We started with their popular appetizer plate with hummus, babaganoush, tabouli, and dolmas. Boyfriend had the spicy chicken shwarma that was tasty and I really enjoyed my gyro plate with meat, rice, pita and greek salad. If you’re ever in the area, give this place a visit!

Kale and Avocado Dip, Matcha Horchata, and Quinoa Burger at True Food Kitchen (Dallas)
True Food Kitchen is an aesthetically cute and trendy restaurant in Dallas’ Preston Center and there are locations around the U.S. Their menu is focused on anti-inflammatory and seasonal foods. We started with the kale and avocado dip, which was very similar to guacamole. I loved my matcha horchata, made with almond milk, and my quinoa “burger” had a little too much quinoa but I enjoyed the flavor combination of quinoa, hummus, tzatziki, tomato, cucumber, red onion, avocado and feta. I’m looking forward to the Austin location coming soon!

The eats with no photos because the restaurants were dark and I was savoring the moments!

Dinner at NoRTH
The situation: way past dinner time at 9pm and all the new restaurants you want to go to are too far south. Thank goodness for the restaurants at the Domain! My favorite dishes of the night were the Grilled Cauliflower with fried egg and baby asparagus and the bolognese pasta dish. Dinner was delightfully paired with a stellar Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

Dinner at Bullfight
I was excited to try Bullfight for my birthday dinner. The overall experience was good but not great. The marinated octopus dish was very tender but over-seasoned. The grilled quail and tomato gazpacho were good but not impressive. I didn’t enjoy the crab on toast. My favorite dishes were the mushrooms with a jamon cured egg and the diver scallops. For dessert, the Crema Catalana (creme brûlée) was really good. The Tempranillo and Monastrell red wines (by the glass) were very compatible with the food. Wanting to re-live some of my amazing eats in Spain, I may have had too high of expectations for traditional Spanish eats, but Bullfight has a lot of potential to become a favorite. I’m looking forward to returning with friends next month to try the jamon! Side note: If you’re looking for Spanish tapas and traditional dishes, Barlata is the closest I’ve found in Austin. Bullfight is more of a fusion restaurant.

What mind-boggling things have you been eating this month? Have you tried any new restaurants lately?

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Color Palette
I’m loving the look of rich, royal colors such as navy, plum, and burgundy mixed with copper or gold. I’ve also like an orange, white, and brown palette if you want to use pumpkins in your decor. You can incorporate colors through a table runner, tablecloth, cloth napkins, and centerpieces.Table Décor and Centerpiece Ideas
Tablecloths, dishware, flowers, and atmosphere decor help set the tone of the event. The easiest way to dress up a table is to throw a runner on it. It can give a splash of color and is great for table symmetry. Easy ways to decorate your table for a centerpiece are with a variety of gourds, flowers in a vase, and candles of varying heights. For the gourds, leave them as is or give them some glimmer with some gold spray paint. Don’t forget cute place cards and be sure to leave room on the table for your plates and silverware!

Room Décor
A cute, simple banner, like the one from my last Friendsgiving and featured in my recent DIY party, is a fun way to tie in the theme of the event.

Food and Drinks
Coordinate with guests on what everyone is bringing so you don’t have duplicates. Facebook invites make this easy. Don’t forget the drinks! Make pitchers of cider ahead of time or have friends bring bottles of wine or six-packs.

Need more inspiration? Check out the Friendsgiving Ideas Pinterest Board I’ve been pinning to.

Tell me about the Friendsgiving or Thanksgiving party you’re throwing!

The post Friendsgiving Party Ideas appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

November is easily my favorite month of the year. It’s my birthday month, Friendsgiving and Thanksgiving month and officially THE start of pie season. With the help of Brit + Co and Mrs. Smith’s, I gathered some of my favorite crafty ladies to enjoy a mini Friendsgiving and a DIY pie dish party.

For the décor, I kept it simple with a fall theme of gold and burgundy. I re-used the votive holders from last year’s Friendsgiving and added flowers. Place cards with gold leaf stickers and gold lettering completed the look.

For our menu, we had a spread of favorite Thanksgiving dishes, including Brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes, and apple walnut salad. My friend Julie made a rich and appetizing pumpkin gooey cake dessert that was a hit! Also for dessert, Mrs. Smith’s provided tasty pumpkin and dutch apple pies that were easy as pie to prepare. They come frozen and they filled my house with the comforting smells of the holidays.

It looks like the apple pie craving was stronger than the pumpkin pie craving!

Perfectly timed for Thanksgiving, our pie dish DIY ensured we have something gorgeous and unique to display our pies in a few weeks. Similar to our other Brit + Co DIYs, this pie dish DIY was all about the pattern. We used porcelain pens to create our best designs.

Here are our beautiful final products!

Little nod to Adele

Thank you Mrs. Smith’s for sponsoring our party!

I hope you have a wonderful pie season and happy Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving!

What’s your favorite kind of pie?

Check out the other Brit + Co DIY parties I’ve hosted.

One of my goals this year is to throw 12 celebrations. This is #14. These are big and small parties for any occasion with the goal of planning and executing something fun. See all the celebrations here.

Disclosure: Brit + Co and Mrs. Smith’s provided me complimentary craft kits and complimentary pies. I was not required to review the kits or pies or write a blog post about the party, but I hope you find inspiration from it.

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Thanksgiving is growing on me. As a kid, Thanksgiving didn’t excite me, despite the break from school, because it was too close to my birthday, causing scheduling difficulties, and my family ate our normal Chinese meals except for the addition of a dry, home-cooked turkey smothered in gravy. I’ve only recently discovered the excitement of traditional Thanksgiving dishes, so I was excited to host a Friendsgiving potluck.

We had a fantastic spread of food, including: turkey, green bean casserole, baked mac and cheese, pork belly buns, cranberry sauce, two kinds of stuffing, spicy Brussels sprouts, bacon-wrapped apples, mashed potatoes, yams with marshmallows, pecan pie, blueberry pie, pumpkin pies, cheddar apple pie pockets, and sticky toffee pudding. We all may or may not have had more than one plate. Instead of pondering that, let me distract you with photos of the delicious food.

The wonderful thing about growing up is you gain greater understanding about what matters in life. While it’s fun to create a pretty table, what matters even more is spending time with friends, sharing quality food, slowing down for an afternoon and giving thanks for all of it.

The Details
Theme: Friendsgiving Potluck / Fall
Date: November 2014
Place: house
Food: mostly traditional Thanksgiving dishes
Theme colors: fall colors, copper and gold
Special decor/features: gold-rimmed plates, gold utensils, gold spray-painted candle holders, brown/orange chrysanthemums in short glasses, plastic leaves and craft paper name cards, thankful banner and wreath

What’s your favorite way to celebrate Thanksgiving?

The post A Grand Friendsgiving appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

Calligraphy
I took a fun calligraphy class by Lauren of Blue Eye Brown Eye at the beginning of the month. I’ve wanted to learn how for more than a year, so I’m glad to get started. It will take lots and lots of practice but I think this will be a fun hobby to have.

Neil Patrick Harris
Mr. Neil Patrick Harris was in Austin last month for his book tour. He just released his autobiography. It is pretty funny, so if you’re a fan, I encourage you to pick it up. From what I know about NPH through his work, public appearances and what he shows through his social media, I think he is a talented, funny, passionate, kind, and family-oriented individual. A good hero to have! Other than that I love his character on one of my favorite shows, How I Met Your Mother.

Camille Styles Entertaining
Camille Styles, an Austin-based blogger, recently released her book Camille Styles Entertaining: Inspired Gatherings & Effortless Style. It contains recipes and entertaining ideas for every season. I’ve read through half of the book and love it so far. I love the idea of making every gathering, small or large, a celebration, and I’m looking forward to incorporating some of her ideas in my future celebrations.

Brunch
I love long weekend brunches! Food, conversation, sunshine, and no time constraints.

Thanksgiving Cookie Decorating
My little sister from Big Brothers Big Sisters and I celebrated her 17th birthday by going to a cookie decorating class at Make It Sweet. We had so much fun learning easy and cute decorating techniques. Those turkeys are my favorite!

What have you been captivated by lately?

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