Your Austin Holiday Gift Guide

With mere days before the big day we’ve amassed a shopper’s shortlist of our favorite local goodies to put more fa-la-la-la-la in your holaday gift giving. ❄️ ❄️❄️  These gift ideas are sure to delight the senses!

Owl bet you have someone on your list who would love one of these granite owls. Perfect for the garden! Available at Hill Country Water Gardens – our go-to place for inspiration for special things inside and especially outside the home!

Show them the love for your favorite state! These one-of-a-kind works of art are made from recycled wood. Gift cards, T-shirts and more available at Hemlock & Heather online.

Don’t just give them a present – give them an *experience* to remember! Boating Lake Travis is one of my family’s favorite things ever. Gift cards are available beginning at $60 at QuickGifts. Surf’s up!

Kiss goodbye to dry lips and give a hello kiss to a great smile, compliments of Austin-based Lizard Lips! This stuff heals, moisturizes, and protects for life’s greatest adventures (like when you’re enjoying the lake). Available online or at our favorite home away from home… Buc-ee’s! 

“Create world peace one backyard at at time!” Wind chimes from Music of the Spheres are tough as Texas nails but create etheral sounds that delight. You can purchase these online or swing by the East Cesar Chavez showroom to get yours. *And theirs!*

It may be local honey but you’ll send their taste buds into outer orbit with Round Rock Bourbon Barrel Honey. This stuff is the bomb diggity that’s fresh. Raw. And local. Score it online! Plus try our honey-roasted cashew recipe that was inspired by this tasty liquid gold.

What do super Texans drink? Super Texan wine, of course! This wine hails from Flat Creek Estate and it’s won several awards including “most romantic wine,” from the Home Style Austin Team. Available at select HEBs, online… or via short drive to the wine estate. From Cedar Park head west on 1431 for about 30 scenic minutes.

Gift them comfort food for the soul! Soul Popped is a small biz on the rise with Texas-sized flavors like Chicken ‘n Waffles, Banana Pudding, and Heavenly Macaroni & Cheese. Dash to Barton Creek Square or the Soul Popped website to get your groove on.

Dorothy won’t be the only one claiming “there’s no place like home” when your lucky gift recipient lights one of these “Home Sweet Home” soy candles! Vanilla bean, spice, juicy raisins, and oats will ignite the heart and home. We score ours regularly at Honey & Hay in Cedar Park.

They’ll always be able to find their way home with this Austin’s Neighborhood poster. Maybe it’s the Realtor in me but what a fun way to celebrate the neighborhoods that make Austin so great. Available on Etsy.

All the best for the happiest of holidays from us to you!

~ Joe Paul Reider

Home Style Austin Founder
Austin Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty

Email: JoePaul@KW.com
Mobile: 512-222-3302
Web: JoePaulReider.KW.com

Recipe: Birthday Cake For Dogs

Pawsitively Irresistible

There are lots of “those” people out there – Dog lovers who consider their pets a front-and-center part of the family. Such is my pack of three to me!

So when my yellow rescue Lab “Harley” turned 12 I knew what I had to do – make him the best doggy cake ever. And boy, oh boy, he loved this peanut butter and carrot cake!

Foodie Tips:

❤  Know your Dog’s diet and whether or not cake is something that he/she can safely enjoy. When in doubt always check with your Vet. I feed my pets treats like this in moderation vs. an all-you-can-eat scarf-fest.

❤  While ours was a gift from a kind friend you can find the Wilton paw print pan locally at Bed Bath & Beyond, Walmart, and online. You can also skip the paw print pan altogether and use an 8 inch round pan, or just any shape you’d like and freehand the paw print design to the top of the cake.

❤  We found all of our our cake decorations at HEB. We opted to go big or go home so we proudly displayed Harley’s age in candles (12) plus a Happy Birthday banner all surrounded by color-flame candles, which were amazing.

❤  You can use food coloring to make the icing to your chosen cake-paw colors. Sadly we realized we were out of yellow coloring so we couldn’t make brown icing for the paw pads… but then we got the idea to grind-up some of the Dogs’ grain-free treats and sprinkle them to make the paw design. We used a mini-blender to do the grinding after hand-crushing them with a rolling pin proved to be too difficult and messy.

Ingredients:

for the cake
1 Cup  |  Whole Wheat Flour
1 Teaspoon  |  Baking Soda
¼ Cup  |  Natural Peanut Butter (no sweeteners, colors or preservatives)
¼ Cup  |  Vegetable Oil
⅓ Cup  |  Local Honey (we used Round Rock honey)
1 Cup  |  Carrots, Shredded
1  |  Cage Free Egg

for the icing
4 Ounce Package  |  Low Fat Cream Cheese *at room temperature*
1 Tablespoon  |  Honey
Food Coloring  |  To Dye The Icing (optional)

What To Do:

1. For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease your pan. Whisk together the flour and baking soda. Add the rest of the cake ingredients and mix until well-combined. Pour batter into the pan and bake for 15 – 30 minutes, or until an inserted knife comes out clean. Our paw pan only required 15 minutes. Remove the cake from oven and set it aside to cool.

The Dog Cake Before The Birthday Decorations Are Added

2. For the icing: Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature. In a mixer whip the cream cheese with the honey until fluffy. Decorate the cake and present. Be careful your Dog doesn’t get near lit candles! After blowing out the candles and removing them I cut a couple of small pieces and placed them in his Dog bowl.

This cake will last a couple of days covered in the fridge. Have fun with this recipe!

~ Joe Paul Reider

Home Style Austin Founder
Austin Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty, Inc.

Email: JoePaul@KW.com
Mobile: 512-222-3302
Web: JoePaulReider.KW.com

❤ Love Food? In a click and a scroll you can visit more of my favorite recipes – there’s more than 50 recipes here on the Home Style Austin blog!

Recipe: Hatchbrowns

Hatch Attack

If you’re like me, by the time August rolls around I’m already in the comfort food state of mind. This is a special time of year when the smoky and spicy taste of hatch chili peppers delight!

While some invite hatch peppers to lunch or dinner only, I love welcoming hatch peppers at the start of my day; this inspiration is how this “hatchbrown” recipe was born. Enjoy it and the rest of your fall “flavorites!”

Foodie Tips:

❤  Nothing beats the taste of freshly smoked hatches. If you’re not sure how to roast your own here’s an article with some tips that will have you a culinary hatch wizard in a snap. Take advantage of hatch roasting events at HEB or Central Market and enjoy the smell on the car ride home – prior to the devouring!

❤  If you’re in a flurry outside of fresh hatch season you can keep some Trader Joe’s fire roasted and chopped hatch peppers on hand. They pack just as much punch as the fresh boys and I encourage you to keep a pouch in your freezer year-round for those heated moments when you gotta have yours.

❤  Eggs? Poached eggs are on my mind. Here’s a recipe for how to make perfectly poached eggs! Follow the video – and not so much the recipe text beneath it (which differs).

❤  You’re likely to find another popular hatch-inspired recipe or two here on the Home Style Austin Blog. (hint hint).

Ingredients:

3 – 5 Strips  |  Bacon
3  |  Gold Potatoes, Washed, Dried, and 1/4″ Cube-Diced
1 Tablespoon  |  Falfurrias Brand Butter
¼ Cup  |  Roasted Hatch Chili Peppers, Chopped or Diced
To Garnish  |  Green Onions (optional)
To Taste  |  Fresh Cracked Pepper and Sea Salt (optional)
To Serve  |  Your Favorite Eggs (optional)

What To Do:

1. Over medium heat fry the bacon and remove from pan. Keep the bacon drippings in the pan. You know this is going to be good. :)

2. Add the diced potatoes to the bacon renderings and add the butter. Return to heat, stir and cook until golden crispy, about 10-12 minutes.

3. Add the hatch peppers and stir into the potatoes until warm.

4. Garnish with onions, salt and pepper and serve with a side of eggs.

Yield: About 2 – 4 servings.

~ Joe Paul Reider

Home Style Austin Founder
Austin Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty, Inc.

Email: JoePaul@KW.com
Mobile: 512-222-3302
Web: JoePaul.KWRealty.com

❤ Love Food? In a click and a scroll you can visit more of my favorite recipes – there’s more than 50 recipes here on the Home Style Austin blog!

For Sale In Canyon Creek

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9100 Dona Villa Place, Austin, Texas 78726
3 bedrooms / 2.5 bathrooms / 1 Study / 2,660 Square Feet

I’m proud to be representing this home which just listed!

Nestled in northwest Austin’s desirable Canyon Creek neighborhood here’s a preview of this home’s many features (click the links in green to fully enjoy what this home has to offer):

• Beautiful stone exterior with a spacious front verandah
• Open floor plan with high ceilings, tile and berber throughout
• Extras you’ll find include two large bow windows, a 3 car garage, and a one-of-a-kind wine storage crafted by a local artisan of oak and iron. Get the full list of this home’s upgrades here.
• Kitchen extras include granite counter tops, a custom tile backsplash, a double oven, and fluted kitchen cabinetry with glass door accents
• Enjoy the benefits of gas in the cook’s kitchen and family room fireplace
• A spacious yard with mature trees and a full sprinkler system
• Located in the acclaimed Leander ISD
• Mere steps to a peaceful greenbelt that connects to Trailhead Park with over 4 miles of nature trails – read our blog post for the full story and some sample pics are below
• Well positioned between two HEBs, Four Points’ Trails at 620 shopping, dining and entertainment district and just 10 minutes to The Oasis on Lake Travis
• Offered at $454,900
• More pictures at my MLS Listing
  
• Check our Facebook page for upcoming Open Houses. Hope to see you there!

Please call or email me with any questions and be one of the first to preview this property. I’m happy to give you a personal tour of this beautiful Austin home while it’s available!

~ Joe Paul Reider

Home Style Austin Founder
Austin Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty, Inc.

Email: JoePaul@KW.com
Mobile: 512-222-3302
Web: JoePaul.KWRealty.com

Free Real Estate App:
If you’re home hunting, download my free and powerful Keller Williams real estate app – it’s chock-full of features!

• Text “KWCP11X” to 87778 to download (this is the easiest method)
• Or visit this link with more details and to download http://bit.ly/kw-mobile-app

Please Note:
All property information in this post is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. I can help you validate any concerns or discrepancies.

Here are some pictures taken at this neighborhood’s greenbelt:

 

Avocado and Chicken Enchiladas

Avocado Creamy Good!

When our friend Penny shared this recipe we knew we had to make this dish.

Sour cream, avocado, chicken and cheese can only mean one thing – we’re having seconds.

Foodie Tips:

❤  I like the tasty heat of jalapeño combined with the creamy sour cream sauce. If you’re a little heat-shy you can omit the jalapeño.

❤  We found our Mexican cheese mixture at our neighborhood HEB which was a blend of Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Asadero and Quesadilla Cheeses. You can substitute your favorite cheese – Pepper Jack would work well.

❤  Great sidekicks for this dish can include my spicy stuffed cornbread, chicken tortilla soup or a fresh garden salad.

Ingredients: 

For The Sauce:

1 Tablespoon  |  Unsalted Butter (I suggest Falfurrias)
1  |  Jalapeño, Chopped With Or Without Seeds (optional)
1 Clove  |  Garlic, Minced
1 Tablespoon  |  Flour
1 Cup  |  Chicken Stock
2 Teaspoons  |  Cumin
¼ Teaspoon  |  Salt
½ Teaspoon  |  Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
½ Cup  |  Cilantro, Chopped
1 Cup  |  Your Favorite Salsa Verde (we used Trader Joe’s Salsa Verde)
½ Cup  |  Sour Cream

For The Enchiladas:

4 Cups  |  Rotisserie Chicken Breast, Shredded
4 Cups  |  Mexican Blend Cheese, Shredded And Divided Into Two 2-Cup Piles
3  |  Avocados, Peeled And Chopped
8  |  Flour Tortillas

Directions:

1. Make The Sauce: In a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat sauté the garlic and jalapeño in butter for about 1 minute. Stir in the flour and cook for two minutes. Add the stock, cumin, salt, pepper and stir until everything comes to a boil. Remove the sauce from the heat and add the sour cream and cilantro; combine well and set aside.

2.  Prep Your Baking Dish: Coat the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ baking dish with nonstick spray. Pour ½ cup of your sour cream sauce and spread it to evenly coat the bottom of the dish. Preheat oven to 375°F.

3. Make Your Enchiladas: [Note: For this step only work from 2 cups of cheese for your enchilada filling so you will have 2 cups to sprinkle on top.] Top a tortilla with the chicken, cheese, avocado and a spoonful of the sour cream sauce. Roll up the enchilada and place it seam side down in your baking dish. Repeat this process until all your enchiladas are made. If you have any extra chicken or avocado no worries – you can sprinkle this on top of your enchiladas. Pour the remaining sauce on top of the enchiladas, cover with the last 2 cups of the Mexican cheese mixture.

4. Bake Away: Place in your preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is bubbly-gooey. Remove from oven and let rest a few minutes. You can garnish with a little more chopped cilantro or chopped avocado.

Hope you enjoy this dish!

 

~ Joe Paul Reider

Home Style Austin Founder
Austin Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty, Inc.

❤ Love Food? In a click and a scroll you can visit more of my favorite recipes!

Spicy Stuffed Cornbread Recipe

Cornbread With A Kick

This week with cold, icy weather blowing into Austin, there’s nothing I like better than cooking in a warm kitchen.

This spicy stuffed cornbread recipe packs a flavorful kick and will transform mere yellow cornbread mix into a sensationally savory dish that you can eat solo or paired with your favorite main course, like my family’s recipe for homemade chili.

You’ll never think of mere cornbread the same way again! And it surely warms-up the chilliest of days … and nights.

Foodie Tip:

❤  For an extra-savory dish you can add some browned beef or chorizo to amp-up the cornbread.

Ingredients: 

the stuffing:

15.25 Ounce Can  |  Whole Kernel Fiesta Corn, Drained
15 Ounce Can  |  HEB Texas Style Borracho Beans With Shiner Bock, Drained
7 Ounce Can  |  Diced Green Chiles, Drained
1  |  Fresh Jalapeño, Diced (Including Seeds)
To Taste  |  Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
1 Pat  |  Butter (I suggest Falfurrias Brand Butter)
2 Cups  |  Colby Jack or Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
2-3  |  Green Onions, Sliced Thin (Optional Garnish)

the cornbread: 

You can use your favorite packaged cornbread or if you’re shy of one, here’s a recipe I like to make from scratch:

1 ¼ Cups  |  All-Purpose Flour
¾ Cup  |  Quaker Brand Enriched Corn Meal
¼ Cup  |  Sugar
2 Teaspoons  |  Baking Powder
½ Teaspoon   |  Salt
1 Cup  |  Whole Milk
¼ Cup  |  Vegetable Oil
1  |  Cage Free Egg, Beaten

Directions: 

0. Preheat oven to 400°F (or to the baking temperature specified for your chosen cornbread recipe).

1. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the first five ingredients for the stuffing. Set aside.

2. Prepare your cornbread mix according to package instructions. If making the scratch cornbread recipe (from above) combine all dry ingredients together. Add the milk, oil and egg and stir. Set aside.

3. Butter a 9-inch square skillet or pan. Place the skillet (or pan) into your warm oven for about 5 minutes.

4. Remove your warmed skillet from the oven. Add half your cornbread mixture into the skillet. Top the cornbread mixture with your stuffing mixture. Add 1 cup of the cheese on top then pour the rest of the cornbread mixture on the very top.

5. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until light golden brown and a knife or wooden pick inserted in the center removes clean.

6. Remove the stuffed cornbread from the oven, sprinkle the last cup of cheese on top then return to the oven until the cheese is bubbly awesome.

7. Remove the cornbread from the oven, garnish with some green onions (if you’d like) the let rest a few minutes.

Serve warm and enjoy!

 

 

~ Joe Paul Reider

Home Style Austin Founder
Austin Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty, Inc.

❤ Love Food? In a click and a scroll you can visit more of my favorite recipes!

Hatch-Chicken Mac n’ Cheese Recipe

A Smokey Love Affair

This time of year when the Hatch Chili Peppers make their bountiful cameo appearance, we get weak in the knees for all things hatch. Just perusing almost 100 recipes at Central Market’s website made us break an indoor sweat for this sensationally, seasonal pepper.

With hatches in hand we decided to incorporate these delightfully, smokey-tasting peppers into our interpretation of gourmet Mac n’ Cheese. This dish will take more time than it does to whip-up Mac from a box, but we think the results undoubtedly justify the labor of love.

Foodie Tips:

• We prepare our hatch chili peppers and our chicken ahead of time so assembly time will be efficient; we have Mac n’ Cheese to eat! The roasted rotisserie chicken? We scored ours ready-to-go from our local HEB mere steps from an impressive Hatch Chili Pepper display.
• Not sure how to roast your Hatch Chili Peppers? Here’s a helpful post I found that may help. We roasted our peppers on the outdoor grill. Our local HEB Plus! was even hosting hatch chili roasting events to make things even easier.
• As an alternative to olive oil we have been having fun with avocado oil; it has a high smoke point and can offer various health benefits. We found our oil locally at Salt & Time on East 7th Street.
• You can substitute the cheeses below with your favorites, like with Monterrey Jack or Mozzarella.
• If it’s not hatch season you can use a couple cans of green chiles, although the flavor won’t be as smokey. If you’re out of shallots, try substituting red or white onions. No penne? Try elbow macaroni or your favorite sauce-hugging pasta (sorry, spaghetti, linguini and angel hair – we have other plans in store for you).

Ingredients: 

2  |  Shallots, Peeled, Roasted and Chopped
3 Cloves  |  Garlic, Peeled, Roasted and Chopped
2 Teaspoons  |  Avocado Oil (or olive oil)
2 Tablespoons  |  Flour
4 Cups  |  Heavy Whipping Cream
1 Teaspoon  |  Fresh Thyme, Chopped
2 Cups  |  Jalapeño Pepper Jack Cheese, Shredded
2 Cups  |  Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
To Taste  |  Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 Pound  |  Penne Pasta, Cooked and Drained
4-5  |  Hatch Chili Peppers, Roasted, Skinned, Seeded and Chopped
2-3 Cups  |  Roasted Rotisserie Chicken, Deboned and Shredded
1/2 – 1 Cup  | Panko Bread Crumbs
2 Tablespoons  |  Falfurrias Brand Butter, Melted
2 Tablespoons  |  Italian Flat Leaf Parsley, Chopped

Directions: 

1. Place the peeled shallots and garlic in a small aluminum foil pouch and drizzle with 1 teaspoon of the oil. Roast on the grill (or indoor oven at 425°F) about 25 minutes, until tender. This is a good time to boil the water, prepare the pasta and set it aside after drining. Remove the shallot-garlic medley from oven/grill and give it some time to cool a bit. Remove the veggies from the foil then chop them up.

2. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, add another teaspoon of oil, the chopped vegetables then sauté for about a minute. Add the flour and stir for 1 minute (do not allow to burn). Whisk in the heavy cream and the thyme then stir in the Hatch Chili Peppers. Allow the mixture to reduce by a third.

3. Add your cheeses and stir until melted, creamy and thick. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Hungry yet? :)

4. Remove the cheese sauce from the heat and gently stir in the pasta and chicken. [Note: If your sauté pan is too small you can transfer the sauce into the pasta pot.] Transfer the Mac n’ Cheese into a 9″ x 13″ casserole dish and set aside. Preheat your oven to 350°F.

5. In a small bowl mix together the panko, butter and parsley; spread this mixture over the Mac n’ Cheese. Bake uncovered for about 25-35 minutes, until everything is browned and bubbly. Remove from oven, cool for a few minutes then serve.

Yields: 8-12 servings, depending on your appetite! Enjoy!

Love this recipe? We want to hear from you!

~ Joe Paul Reider

Home Style Austin Founder
Austin Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty, Inc.

❤ Love Food? In a click and a scroll you can visit more of my favorite recipes!

Great Entertaining : Raclette Style

“Raclette … Whaaat?”

“Raclette” is derived from the French word for racler, meaning “to scrape.” Modern day raclette refers to a classic Swiss dish where cheese is melted under an electric broiler then scraped and topped on a wide variety of ingredients, traditionally roasted potatoes, cornichons (tiny pickles) and onions. My raclette machine has a granite top that – when heated – serves as a grill plus it has 8 removable toaster trays that rest under a broiler to cook the accompaniments, like melted cheese. Check out my suggested ingredients below! 

Raclette In Action

Going out on the town is always fun, but hosting small gatherings in your own home served with a stylish and unforgettable presentation of food makes for priceless memories and great times – that’s why entertaining is one of my passions! We love inviting friends and family over to enjoy fun and unique dining experiences enjoyed at home. Our raclette machine is always a big hit as the centerpiece of many fun indoor grilling gatherings.

Let’s watch a brief video of the racelette experience:

Why Raclette Will Make You A Hero

Like fondue, raclette is best enjoyed as a social eating experience. We like to jazz things up and make a big spread of all kinds of veggies, meats and seafood so our guests can get creative … and they do! The culinary combinations are entertaining, endless and delicious.

A Few Of Our Favorite Raclette Ingredients …

• Cheese: Fontina, Raclette, Gruyere, Provolone (any melting cheese!)
• Meats: Bacon, Prosciutto, Thinly-Sliced Filet Mignon, Shrimp, Lil’ Smokies
• Veggies: Asparagus, Sliced Bell Peppers, Fingerling Potatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Mushrooms, Onions, Zucchini
• Sweets: Apples, Bananas, Pineapple
• Sidekicks: Butter, Olive Oil, Pesto, Olives, Bread, Mini Fillo Shells, Seasonings, Wine + Your Favorite Friends And Family

From sweet to savory – once you’ve gathered your ingredients let your inner foodie’s creativity guide your meal: Melted cheese and onion topped on prosciutto, apples with gooey cheese on top, grilled shrimp with bacon, and one self-proclaimed masterpiece we created called “bananas fauxster” – sliced bananas sprinkled with brown sugar, butter, Texas pecans and then toasted. The recipe for this sweet delight is below!

A Few More Raclette Tips

Since you cook-as-you-go when you raclette, it’s usually a fun process that can easily last an hour to several. We like to start with veggies and savory meats … take a break then have a delightful dismount with the sweets.

Mini Fillo/Phyllo Shells were one of my favorite unexpected discoveries. You can find them here in Austin in the freezer section at HEB. They require no defrosting; simply fill the cups with your favorite ingredients and toast them for a few minutes and you’ve made crispy, melty magic. One of my fillo favorites is to pour a bit of Fischer & Wieser Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce into the cup then top with a  wedge of melting cheese. Place your dish in your toaster tray under the raclette grill’s lower level. When it toasts up, it’s a-ma-zing!

You’ll undoubtedly have leftover ingredients after the big meal. We tossed small potatoes, onions and veggies into our silicon egg rings, topped with eggs and cheese and made some delicious “omelettes raclette” – you can do this on the raclette itself or on stovetop (see pic below).

So now on to the “Bananas Fauxster” recipe! With origins to the 1950s in what has become a famed French Quarter restaurant “Brennans” Bananas Foster is a delicious ending to any fantastic meal. My raclette version (a.k.a. “fauxster”) adapts the original recipe for the raclette and it incorporates two of my favorite Texas ingredients: Texas Pecans and Pecan Street Rum, which is distilled outside Austin in Pflugerville.

Step 1: Place sliced bananas in your raclette tray and top with pieces of butter, some brown sugar and a sprinkling of chopped Texas pecans and a splash of the Pecan Street Rum. Place the grilling tray to the lower level of your raclette and let it toast-up 2-3 minutes or until bubbly brown.

Step 2: Transfer the bubbly banana mixture to a bowl or serve inside a fillo shell. You can also accompany the dessert alongside a scoop of vanilla ice cream for an extra decadent treat.

Ready To Raclette, Right ?!

If you’d like some suggestions for where to score your very own raclette magic, try these retailers:

Bed Bath & Beyond
Williams Sonoma

All this raclette talk has made me hungry so let’s get to grillin’. Enjoy!

~ Joe Paul Reider

Home Style Austin Founder
Austin Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty, Inc.
512-222-3302

❤ Love Food? In a click and a scroll you can visit more of my favorite recipes! There’s more than 50 of them here on the Home Style Austin blog!

DIY : Cascarones

Party On

Never underestimate the power of creativity!

This DIY project is for how to make your very own “cascarones,” or confetti eggs. Cascarones are eggs that are emptied, filled with colorful confetti (or small objects) then commonly cracked on an unsuspecting person’s head in celebration of many things both big and small. Learn more on wiki here.

My family typically made our cascarones by hand-dying the eggs usually around the Easter holiday. This year, let’s look at this no-dye version.

Let’s get crackin’

Tips:

• This DIY recipe is for making cascarones with tissue paper and glue. You can also color-dye your eggs with many of the kits found in local Austin stores.
• The more eggs you make, the more fun you can have! You can make/save the egg shells in advance so you’re not hoarding 12 or more eggs all at once – your choice.
• You can buy your confetti or make your own from shredded papers. The best deal on confetti we found was $1/bag at HEB (shown below). For about 75 cents more, you can buy a dozen eggs already pre-made by the fine folks at HEB, but your inner artist may be left unfulfilled.  :/
• Cascarones make great handmade gifts!

Materials: 

12 (or more)  |  Eggs (brown or white)
1  |  Glue Stick
1 Bag  |  Confetti (or other special surprises – see below)
A Few Sheets  | Your Favorite Tissue Paper
A Few  |  Rambunctious Kids, Or Kids At Heart

What To Do:

1. Prepare the eggs. Carefully crack the large end of the egg with a spoon or tool of your choice. Crack the hole about 1″ in diameter (big enough to get objects inside the egg) and be sure to avoid getting pieces of shell in the egg. Don’t throw the whites and yolk out! Empty the egg into a container – you can use the yolks and whites to make omelets or our popular Egg In A Cup recipe. Rinse the inside of the egg under running tap water and turn the egg with the hole facing down to drain; set the egg upside down on a paper towel to further drain and dry. Continue until you’re all done with the number of egg shells that you want to make (we suggest at least a dozen). 

2. Decorate your eggs. Using your glue stick, apply glue all around the outside of the egg. Your hands may get sticky, so you can do this in phases. Apply torn sheets of tissue paper to the eggs and lightly press the tissue to the egg – layering will create interesting patterns. See the pic above as a guide.

3. Fill the eggs with goodies. It’s most common to use confetti to fill the eggs but you can let your inner creative go wild by filling the cascarones with small toys, your very own homemade fortunes, wedding rings or objets d’art. You don’t need to cram the egg full of goodies, but it’s best to fill them about ¾ full.

4. Wrap it up. Line the outer edge of the egg’s hole with more glue and apply a final piece of tissue to keep the surprises inside.

5. Have an “EGGcellent” adventure! At your next party or “just because,” sneak-up on your unsuspecting “victim.” Crack the egg in your hand then let the inside goodies cascade all over them – or smash the egg directly on their head, if the egg’s loot is safe and soft.

Aren’t surprises great?

~ Joe Paul Reider

Home Style Austin Founder
Austin Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty, Inc.

Cupid Cups Recipe

❤ Valentine’s Day 2014 Featured Post ❤

A Treat For Your Sweetheart

This recipe puts a heart-inspired twist on our Signature Lemonberry Cups recipe. There’s no baking involved, so these Cupid Cups are super-easy to make and feature fresh heart-shaped strawberries right on top!

Foodie Tips:

  Making your strawberry hearts is surprisingly simple! Remove the crown (leaves) from the strawberry then slice the strawberry in half. Using a small heart-shaped pie cutter/cookie cutter center the cutter on the fruit then cut. Voilà!

  For an extra-special treat, we suggest using ChocoMaker Belgian Dark Chocolate Dessert Cups which will yield about 16 treats (they’re about twice as big as the fillo shells). If you prefer fillo, you can find the mini fillo shells in the freezer section of your local Austin HEB. Jars of lemon curd will most likely be waiting for you on a shelf by the jams and jellies.

  To decorate: You can easily tint the cheese pink by adding 4-5 drops of red food coloring. To dust, or not to dust – that is the question! We dusted with powdered sugar!

  For a quick way to get the mascarpone into the shells you can use or make your own piping bag. To make your own tube simply fill one end of a clean plastic or “Ziploc” bag with the mascarpone mix. Flatten and remove the air space above the icing and cut a small piece of the bag’s corner away. Holding the bag in your palm you can squeeze out the desired amount of mascarpone!

Ingredients: 

8 Ounce Container  |  Mascarpone, Sweet Italian Cream Cheese
4 Tablespoons  |  Lemon Curd
4 Tablespoons  |  Powdered Sugar
16-25  |  Chocolate Cups (shown) or Mini Fillo (Phyllo) Shells
To Garnish  |  Strawberries, Cut Into Hearts
To Dust  |  Powdered Sugar

What To Do:

1. In a medium-sized bowl blend well the Italian cream cheese, lemon curd and the powdered sugar.

2. On a serving plate arrange the empty shells/cups. Fill the cups with the cream cheese mixture and top each with strawberries or berries of your choosing. Raspberries and blackberries are a favorite, too!

3. Place the Cupid Cups in the refrigerator for a 30-minute chill before serving.

4. Before the tasty unveiling, give the Cupid Cups a light dusting of powered sugar. This step is optional but creates a pretty topping for the dessert.

Serve chilled and enjoy!

~ Joe Paul Reider

Home Style Austin Founder
Austin Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty, Inc.

❤ Love Valentine’s Day? Visit our post called “Valentine’s Day The Home Style Way” for our ideas for how to make your day extra special at home. We’re pairing our favorite appetizer, main course, desserts and wine along with some great “at-home” movie recommendations sure to melt hearts.