If you follow my Instagram account, you are already aware of my love of cooking. I typically don't create recipes myself, but I will go on Pinterest and create a weekly board of "This Week's Menu." A few weeks ago, I tried my hand at Pasta Fagioli. This recipe might be one of the easiest and most flavorful dishes I have ever made!

WHAT YOU NEED:

(*for a full list and recipe, click here)

• Olive oil
• Onion
• Garlic
• Diced Tomatoes, canned & Italian style
• Chicken Broth
• Water
• Pasta shells
• Italian Seasonings
• Fresh Kale
• Small white beans
• Tomato Paste
• Salt
• Pepper
• Cheese

Follow the recipe, step-by-step, as she is very clear in her instructions. Your soup should look similar to this near the end:

I do have a few tips to think about when making this soup. I recommend a cast iron dutch oven or soup pot because the cast iron allows for even cooking and faster heat times for the liquid. If you are planning to have any leftovers, keep the noodles separately. This will keep the noodles from getting soggy. Last, but not least, sprinkle a little salt and pepper on your individual bowl of soup; the extra seasoning really brings out the savory flavors.

Do you remember the Blogger Swap I participated in a few weeks back? In that process, I received the most divine smelling coffee from Central Market - Texas Pecan. When making our other big breakfast, we knew we had to try our French Press that has been sitting in the cabinet for a year. We decided to tackle the challenge - ok, maybe it was a challenge for us - and make our first coffee.

Grind the Beans

A coarse grind is best when using a french press. Becca, from Two Places at Once, sent us whole beans and I wasn't sure what to do. This sounds silly, but I've only ever used K cups and my espresso machine. After using my Ninja and the pulser, we got ourself a coarse grind.

Coarse Grind

Scoop Your Coffee

This part is certainly tough because it is totally up to you. After much googling, we scooped 3-4 tablespoons of our coffee grinds into the french press. I like my coffee pretty bold!

3-4 Scoops - Is that enough?!

Add the BOILING Water

As soon as your water boils, you pour it in to your French Press and let it sit for 5-6 minutes. Mike loved the coffee, but for me it was a bit weak. I think I will let mine sit longer next time. Using the plunger built into the coffee maker, you slowly press down on the lever to extract the coffee into the water. 

Have you used a French Press? How do you like your coffee?

If your mouth isn't watering while looking at all the delicious food in the photo above then you aren't human!

I have been lucky enough to be offered the opportunity to participate in the January Fabulous Foodie Swap through Rachel Cox's blog, Oh Simple Thoughts. The purpose behind this blog was to meet new friends through our mutual love of food. Rachel did an incredible job of partnering me with Becca Davis of Two Places at Once. (Get the name of the title now?!)

The is Becca of Two Places at Once. Becca is also a Florida transplant to Austin, TX. Austin is just an hour north of San Antonio, so it was neat to send and receive fun yumminess from our new hometowns. Like me, Becca started her blog to keep in touch with friends and family, but Two Places at Once has rapidly transformed into her slice of the internet where she features recipes from her daily adventures in the kitchen. 

Becca told me that she really likes sweet treats but popcorn is her absolute vice. Naturally, I scoured our HEB and Trader Joes for some of her perfect snacks. My favorite item I found is the Quinn popcorn flavored with Vermont maple syrup and sea salt; since sweet and savory is Becca's favorite taste, I thought this was a hit. I can't wait to see what Becca thinks.

One of my favorite items that Becca sent me is the Kerby Lane Cafe Buttermilk pancake mix. Kerry Lane Cafe is group of adorable little cafes in Austin. Many of the locations are made over houses with bright colored paint and art on the walls. M&I decided we must visit one of these cafes soon after making their pancakes from brunch over the weekend. 

Also pictures is the Justin's nut butters. Holy cannoli, people. I love almond butter, but this blew TJ's through the roof! I will be hunting to where I can find full jars of this stuff. 

My next favorite item is the Lola Savannah Texas Pecan coffee that Becca found at her local HEB. Someone needs to make this into a candle right away. The hearty smell of coffee combined with the sweet, sticky aroma of a Texas pecan made the most beautiful smell combination my nose has ever sniffed! M&I got to try out our new blender and french press for the occasion. 

Becca made the perfect gift basket to create the best Texas brunch straight from Austin to my kitchen. Thank you so much, Becca!

Don't forget to follow Two Places at Once and Raybans to Rodeos on Bloglovin. 

This weekend was a nice, relaxing, kick back and relax weekend. M&I stayed at home and enjoyed some of the local area and friends around us. Our weekend last week crushed our budget, so this week we needed to lay low and make do with the fun available at home. The good news? This opens the door for creativity. We spent the day on Saturday with our friends and frisbee and got crisped by the sun. Saturday night led to a bit of bonding time with our close friends, Eleanor and Parks, where M&I were introduced to Cards Against Humanity. Oh my word, people. That game is crazy!

SNAPSHOTS:
1. I participated in the Fabulous Foodie Swap hosted by Rachel Cox of Oh Simple Thoughts. Rachel partnered me with Becca of Two Places at Once and boy, did she make a great pair! Becca and I are Florida to Texas transplants learning our new communities through food, fun, and friends. This picture is of all the Austin goodies I received this week.
2.  The weather was ugly this week in San Antonio, with the exception of Tuesday afternoon where the weather hopped to 70 degrees with the sun shining high. M&I took the opportunity to walk around and explore our neighborhood some more. I posted even more pictures to my Facebook page.
3. As mentioned in the first pictures, M&I took Sunday to make a late afternoon brunch after church using all of our yummy goodies. It was divine!
4. Part of my gift basket was Texas Pecan Coffee. HOLY WOW! The smell was .. indescribable ... It was so sweet and aromatic. We tried our our French press for the first time. I will be doing an entire post on that experience.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
1. The easiest, yummiest snack you can make.
2. Me pouring my heart out into my goals.

GREAT FINDS:
1. How to be debt-free!
2. Top 10 Places to Splurge at Disney
3. A heartfelt coffee date

There will be some fun posts this week and even a guest blogger!