A Tourist at Home

My Aunt Rhonda recently had an opportunity to come down to San Antonio to visit Mike and I. My Mom was also available to come down the same weekend. We found this to be an excellent opportunity to be tourists in our own city.

 Mom and Rhonda with "Hanna" wine they found at HEB

On Friday, Mom had some conference calls to attend to and Mike was at work, so Rhonda and I decided to check out the Botanical Gardens. I was amazed at all the beautiful flowers they had on the grounds - and all just 10 minutes away from our house!

 me inside one of the many statues on the grounds

 

Rhonda poses in the Japanese Garden

 Beautiful Orchid

That evening, KU was playing in the NCAA tournament. The game was actually being played in San Antonio, too! Ellie made some stuffed shells and brought it over to our house and we all watched the game together. After the Jayhawks won, there was a mandatory pilgrimage to get gelato. 

Ellie and Geoff ready for a Jayhawk victory (note the clever sauce placement on the stuffed shells).

On Saturday, Mike and I competed in a triathlon and duathlon, respectively, at Lake Pflugerville near Austin. I was very proud at my performance at my first duathlon and I got 1st in my age group (out of 3!). It probably helped that I was mentally prepared for running 3 miles, biking 12 miles, and then running 3 miles when really the runs were only 1.5 miles each!  

That evening, everyone was tired and getting cranky as dinner time approached. I suggested that we go to a nearby pizza place which is a certified "Pizzeria Napoletana" (one of only 32 in the US!). We had a bit of a wait to get a table but oh my goodness was it worth it. 

Mom, Rhonda and I seated and ready for our Pizza!!

The food was great, of course, but we also had great service. We sat at the "bar" where we could overlook the kitchen operations. 

Skilled chefs carefully prepare each pizza by hand!

 We saw pizzas go into the oven (considered the heart of the kitchen/restaurant) and we even saw them create a s'mores pizza made with nutella! When we told our waiter we wanted one of those he looked hesitant and asked the chef. He looked hesitant for a bit and then agreed to make us one. Turns out it wasn't even on the menu. They only offered it as a special sometimes. It was AWESOME! 

In awe of the S'mores pizza!

On Sunday we had brunch along the Riverwalk and then did some exploring.  

Enjoying brunch on the Riverwalk!

 There were many KU and VCU fans roaming the area as well. 

Some crazy blue guys (we assumed they were for KU) were wandering the Riverwalk

 And of course, no trip to San Antonio is complete without visiting the Alamo!

Remember...

 

Fall has fallen...

The weather has cooled down quite a bit here in South Texas. The Gulf moisture finally got shut off and humidity is low. Highs in the mid-80s and lows in the low-50s - I'm loving this weather!!

This has inspired things like baking granola, going to football games and enjoying hot drinks!


I found a recipe for granola bars in Food Network magazine over the summer. I've been meaning to make my own bars for years and this specific recipe for a few months now. I finally took the time. I wasn't sure what to expect because I couldn't fathom that making granola bars was as easy as the recipe said. If it was that easy, wouldn't everyone just make their own? (Ok, maybe not in a society where you can pay a bit more for pre-chopped veggies...) They filled the house with warm, autumn scents as they baked. I was patient to let them cool completely before gently cutting them into bars (they didn't come out as pretty as a pre-packaged bar). When I tasted one, I was shocked. They were AMAZING! They tasted just like Kashi granola bars....nay, BETTER! How did I make this?! Usually I'm underwhelmed with my own cooking because I'm critiquing it the whole time I eat it. Meanwhile Mike is like "THIS IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN [insert store bought version]!!" But these were fantastic. Pretty much addicting. Today I bought ingredients to make the same kind, but with dark chocolate, as well as Pumpkin Spice granola bars.

Ever since we first moved into our house last fall, we've been threatening to go to an Alamo Heights football game. High school football is huge in Texas, of course, and Alamo Heights is our "home team". We went to the homecoming game a couple weeks ago. I went to a local boutique, "The Spotted Mule", to get us some Alamo Heights Mules spirit gear. We were able to walk to the stadium and the weather was fantastic. Let me tell you, I've been to plenty of high school football games during my times as a cheerleader. Granted that was for a very small school, but I swear this game was only slightly less of a production than an OU game. Wow. Three cheer squads, what seemed like 400 football players on the sideline, giant flags, a dynamic marching band complete with fuzzy hats and capes, even a group of guys similar to the OU Ruf/Neks (minus guns). I was in awe pretty much the whole time. I had a hard time focusing on the game because of all the other side shows. It was mind blowing. I couldn't wait for halftime! Sure enough, dance teams from both schools performed. The opposing team's dance team had ladders that they did a routine with. Alamo Heights' dance team did a clog (tap) routine which included having many men/male students carrying countless panels of flooring onto the field before they performed and then removing them afterward. A mom sitting near us told us they usually do a couple clog routines each season. In the end the right team won and we even had time for gelato on the way home! :)



Something I've enjoyed doing over the past couple months is using Yelp.com. If you're not familiar with it, it's a website that can be used to access and/or post reviews about different businesses. The most obvious and popular use is for restaurant reviews. I love it because I can use it on my iPhone and find great local places near me when I'm out and about. I can also "check-in" wherever I am and the when I log on at the computer it will remind me to write a review. You may have noticed the Yelp box on the right side of my blog. There you can see some of my recent reviews. This resource has been very helpful since we're in a new city and don't know many people yet.

Through Yelp I kept hearing about a local coffee shop called "Olmos Perk" which is located in Olmos Park. (Think "Central Perk" from Friends!) Anyway, they make AMAZING oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and their Tiger Spice Chai is a force to be reckoned with. My first time there, the barista recommended that I get a hot drink next time since they do 'latte art'. I was excited to see this, but it was still hot as heck so I told him I'd have to wait until it cooled off outside. Last week Mike requested that we go there as he had a bit of work he needed to do and the coffee shop would provide a nice setting. When we got there I saw they had pumpkin spice lattes. PERFECT! It was cool enough for a hot drink and I could get a yummy fall drink. The picture even showed a pumpkin as the latte art! When I ordered my drink I requested the pumpkin art specifically (I think it's usually whatever the barista thinks of at that moment). As you can see, he did a great job! This place rocks!