{Photography courtesy of Erin Blinn}
We’re a little bit obsessed with food and kids around here…likely because on any given night, one of us can be found either trying to figure out what to feed our families for dinner or patting ourselves on the back for dreaming-up a genius meal, only to have our littles turn their noses up at it.
Good times.
So we’re officially in awe of the subject of this weeks’ list, Cheryl Collett. Not only is she the founder of an addictive blog, Itty Bitty Foodies, that chronicles her family of four’s food adventures of Dallas, but her two young boys (dubbed Pikelet & Lollo on her blog) willingly eat everything from sashimi to lamb chops to lentils… Yes, we’re jealous.
Here’s a little peek into Cheryl’s world to kick off your holiday weekend. Have a fantastic 4th friends!
On heavy rotation — Don’t laugh but we listen to a lot of Play School. It’s an iconic preschool educational show in Australia that’s been on the air since 1966 and we have heaps of their CDs. Every Australian child grew up with it. It’s important to us that our two boys know a bit about their Aussie heritage. With a 5 year old and 3 year old, it’s hard to escape kids stuff. But after hours… I slip in a volume of Bargrooves (I’ve got lots of CDs) and sneak out on the patio and chill out with a glass of Perrier Jouet with my husband, Brian.
On Your Nightstand — The Gospel According to Coco Chanel: Life Lessons from the World’s Most Elegant Womanby Karen Karbo. Coco Chanel sparked my first love which is fashion. I’m passionate about her independent spirit and timeless simplicity. She was way ahead of her time.
Always in Your handbag— Heavenly handcream by Natio Spa Organics, Lucas Papaw ointment for cuts, chaffing, sunburn and nappy (diaper) rash, sunscreen and Chanel lipgloss
Go-to outfit — I love Aussie designers, Sass & Bide skinny cropped jeans paired with anything Marc Jacobs on top and silver Birkenstocks.
No brainer restaurant— The family’s favorite restaurant is Si Tapas in Uptown. The food is fabulous and the staff are great with the boys. My IttyBittyFoodies love the variety of tapas whether it’s the garlic shrimp, fresh anchovies marinated in vinegar and the lentils. At the end of the meal, we let them play in the field out the back while my husband and I sit on the patio sipping on their yummy sangrias.
Our date night fave is Tei An in One Arts Plaza. The fish is just superb and we love that Tei An offers so many different items not often found in regular Japanese restaurants. It keeps us going back. But Dallas has such a great food scene, we’re always out there trying new restaurants. We’re not beyond crossing borders for a memorable meal. We used to drive up to Vancouver for a day when we lived in Seattle.
