Spicy Sriracha Fettuccine with Meatballs

S: I can’t get enough Sriracha in my life. I've made the Sriracha shrimp recipe I wrote about here twice since March and plan on doing so many more times at BBQs this summer. Once I find a recipe I like, I can't let it go. 

I recently tweaked my standard spaghetti and meatballs recipe by adding a little Sriracha toward the end, and it was amazingly good. Recommended to anyone who likes delicious food that comes from a simple recipe. And that should be EVERYONE.

Spicy Sriracha Fettuccine with Meatballs
(Serves 4)

1 slice wheat bread, torn

¼ cup milk (soy or white)

1 pound ground beef

1 egg

1 tablespoon dried parsley

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon salt (plus extra salt for cooking fettuccine)

1 teaspoon pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/8 cup olive oil

1 26-ounce jar tomato sauce

½ cup water (plus water for cooking fettuccine)

1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce

1 pound fettuccine 

1. Soak torn bread with milk in bowl for five minutes or so to moisten completely. Squeeze bread to get milk out. Set aside.
2. Combine beef, egg, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, and garlic in a medium-size bowl. Add bread and mix. Shape into meatballs. (This should make between 8 and 10, depending on how small or big you like them.) 
3. Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add all meatballs and brown, about 5 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
4. Pour off excess fat and oil from the pot, leaving just a bit (maybe one or two tablespoons for flavor). Add your tomato sauce, water, and meatballs back in the pot, then mix in the Sriracha sauce.
5. Simmer on medium-low for an hour to an hour and a half, depending on how thick you want the sauce to be. More Sriracha can be added per your spicy level preference, but 1 tablespoon does the trick for most.
6. About halfway through the sauce cooking, heat a large pot of salted water on high and add fettuccine. Cook until al dente. Drain. Mix with cooked tomato sauce and meatballs and serve.

 Step 1

 Step 2

 Step 3

 Step 4

 More Sriracha, anyone?

This and That

Pretzel pool float, anyone?

While you're at it, put some ice in this bucket.

You had me at Riesling strawberry slushy.

Love these Soludos for J. Crew mint green espadrilles.

Picnic time! The Sophia Loren photograph is my favorite.

How common is your birthday?

(Image via Wander Blog)

Ork Posters

S: The Austin Ork poster has arrived! We saw the new Ork print at the Renegade Craft Fair this past weekend, and it has been officially wish-listed.

We already have one of their Brooklyn prints hanging in our living room.

(Images via Ork Posters)

Oh My God, It's a Mirage: MCA Tribute

S: I need to file this video away in Awesome Things to Do While Babysitting My Nephews. Such a cute idea and also a tribute to a great artist, MCA of the Beastie Boys. I bet we could do a more lo-fi version with my iPhone video camera...

In middle school, me and my four best friends stayed up all night once writing letters to our favorite Beastie Boy. This took hours and hours of careful penning. I wrote mine to Mike D. (Why? He was the cutest! This was middle school.) It was just a ridiculously fun night, one that sticks out among countless good times.

When I saw this picture in The Guardian, it made me really happy.

(Image via The Guardian)

Austin Beerworks Anniversary

S: This might look like an impressive tower of superhero-colored beer cans.

And it is, but all the stacked cans are empty, which my friend Cienna used her Sherlock powers to deduce for us. I guess for decoration? We never found out. We did, however, drink the afternoon away on Saturday at the Austin Beerworks Anniversary party. Ten bucks got you a sweet commemorative pint glass (see below in Chris's hand), three beers, and the leisure of strolling around their brewery.

 Chris getting the Flying Headbutt Belgian-style IPA (new anniversary beer, delicious)

 Sandra and Wonder Woman

 Nice stained-glass logo

White can tower fronted by unicorn, dinosaur, and eagle

Austin in the pre-summer is the best. Please don't let it get scorching hot, Weather Controlling Gods. Our good times are at your mercy.

Baby Shower Centerpieces

S: A good friend is preggos, and I'm hosting the shower in a few weeks. I got free decorative labels from here and spray-painted Izze Sparkling Clementine bottles white to make the vases (an idea I got from Pinterest). Done and done. Adorbs baby shower centerpieces within the hour! I am a fan of the simple, less time-consuming craft. The Martha of Ease, if you will. Chop chop, lollipop.

Sweet baby boy centerpieces

Centerpieces with my Beauty in Little Things banner

I used argyle Japanese washi tape to affix the labels to blue and purple Popsicle sticks.

La Sardina Camera

S: Absolutely adore this camera!

Short and Sweet Guide to Fredericksburg

S: Chris and I recently celebrated our two-year-versary (as we call it). (We also celebrate monthversaries, which our friends give us much deserved too-sweet flak for.) This versary will be our only yearly one as an engaged couple, so we decided to take a midweek trip to Fredericksburg, a small town about an hour and a half outside of Austin. We stayed at Hoffman Haus, a b&b that is more like a collection of adorable cottages. (When I think "b&b," a huge house with separate rooms and a large communal area comes to mind. It's nothing like that.) Breakfast is brought to your door each morning in a picnic basket, and it's just an all-around lovely experience.

The driveway of Hoffman Haus

Picnic basket breakfast

Chris in front of our room

For lunch the first day, we went to the Sunset Grill. (I had the Q Burger and Chris had the Black & Blue Burger.) We then headed to Red, one of our favorite designy stores, and ended up buying some awesome metal numbers that we plan on incorporating into our centerpieces for our wedding reception next year. We also stopped by Root and Beulah's, which are right across the street. Root carries high-priced indie designers (think Lauren Moffatt) and Beulah's is expensive cute things for the kiddos.

Root and Beulah's

We also met this cute dog at a wine store on Main Street. He was so old and wobbly I instantly fell in love with him.

My new bff

That night we had dinner at Navajo Grill and drinks at Lincoln Street Wine Bar.

Us at Lincoln Street

The next day we did more shopping after checking out of Hoffman Haus. I had to say good-bye to this sweet little guy that hung out on our porch the entire time we were there. I wanted to take him with us SO BAD.

Sweet thang (plus my red toes)

Cat-kiss

We headed to Alamo Springs Cafe, home of one of the best burgers in Texas, on the way back to Austin. This took about thirty minutes to eat, but was well worth the time and effort.

The Cover Burger, as they call it.

More (less friendly) cats on the cafe's porch. I don't judge though. 

I love all cats, even snobby ones.

So:

To stay: Hoffman Haus

To eat: Sunset Grill, Navajo Grill, Alamo Springs Cafe

To shop: Red, Root, Beulah's

To drink: Lincoln Street Wine Bar

Also, remember that you can get a glass of wine or a mug of beer and drink as you walk around town. A lot of places on Main Street have to-go cups. It's encouraged!

The Ultimate Willy Wonka Party

S: Oh, Willy Wonka. I love what a sad sack Charlie Bucket is. I love what a bitch Veruca is. I love all the moral songs of the Oompa-Loompas. I love the scene at the end when Gene Wilder yells, "Good day, sir!" in his office of half-things.

This past weekend, Chris and I went to the Ultimate Willy Wonka Party at the Alamo Drafthouse. Mike Teevee (Paris Theeman) and Veruca Salt (Julie Dawn Cole) were there for a Q&A after, and they were both so genuinely thrilled to be in a room full of people that love the movie they had made over 40 (!) years ago.

Julie revealed that she had a crush on Peter Ostrum (Charlie) when they were filming, and he asked her out on a date. She wrote to her mother by mail to ask for permission to go out with him, but by the time she heard back, Peter had already moved on to Denise Nickerson (Violet Beauregarde). Apparently not such a sad sack after all! Who knew that real-life Charlie was such a player?

On the way out, we got this rad poster, signed by Paris and Julie. Love!

And one of my favorite scenes: