Bites of My Life

So happy to be home, so happy to be back in Dallas. I absolutely loved being in Oklahoma City with my parents for so long, but being back here, with my friends, in my cute apartment, it feels right. Last week flew by as I made a conscious effort to have something to look forward to each day. Wether it was a planned walk with a friend, a backyard Cinco de Mayo party, first time going to a restaurant, or a a recipe I leisurely spent cooking.

Quarantining with my parents taught me to enjoy the evening. In the past, I would shut my computer around 5 or so, soon after heat up food I had prepped on Sunday, and be done eating by 5:30. That then left about 4 hours of sitting on my couch all night. I’m working on changing my routine and establishing a more leisurely evening. Once I wrap up work I’ll put my phone in my bedroom, watch some news (big Nightly News with Lester Holt fan!!), and then maybe make a cocktail or a mocktail of just sparkling water with a splash of grapefruit juice. Around 6 or 6:30 I’ll put on a playlist (I’ve been really into music over TV), put on my apron, and start cooking dinner. Taking small steps to make the evening more special and not something that I just glaze through has been really nice. Encourage you to do the same!

-Just a big ole plate of roasted shishito peppers for my first night back in Dallas.
-Finally wrote out the recipe for the cocktail I’ve been drinking all of quarantine and plan to all summer.
-Slightly obnoxious, but we will call it cute when 5 out 6 girls at our backyard Cinco de Mayo fiesta were donning their Mi Golondrina.
-WFH = blue light glasses, my Perfect Green Smoothie, and wrinkled pants.
-My attempt to make the Trader Joe’s kale gnocchi pretty and taste delicious. I did the best I could but there is no way to make those little green things pretty. My verdict - they are fine.
-Happy to be reunited with the best sushi in Dallas. It’s Oishii in case you didn’t know.
-Laying out in the park with Marge and 100 others. It’s really fun to see the number of people who have fled to the outdoors to picnic, fish, layout, etc. One of the many things I hope sticks around after all of this.
-Added some life to my apartment over the weekend.
-In addition to my plant purchase, I also potted basil, mint, rosemary, and cilantro. Having fresh herbs at your fingertips is kind of everything. Use my surplus of basil for a sun-dried tomato, basil, and mozzarella omelet.

Annie

Morning bite: Hope you saw last week’s breakfast post, a classic Tucker recipe I loved sharing!

Hash brown Quiche

This recipe is a tried and true Tucker recipe. We’ve been making it for years and it’s one of all of our favorites. When you hear quiche you probably think breakfast or brunch, but we always ate this for dinner (and a leftover slice for breakfast the next day). I’m not sure the thought behind that, but point be that it is good any time of day! Mom and I made this together while I was in Oklahoma City quarantining, and it’s a recipe that honestly takes me back to being 10 years old. Make with your momma for Mother’s Day brunch this weekend and I know it will be a hit.

Hash Brown Quiche
serves 4-6 people

Ingredients:
24 oz frozen, uncooked, shredded hash browns, thawed
5 tbsps. unsalted butter, melted
3 eggs
3/4 cup half and half
3/4 tsp. seasoned salt (we use Lawry’s, if you don’t have Lawry’s this copycat recipe uses lots of pantry staples)
1 cup (4 oz) pepper jack cheese, shredded
1 cup (4 oz) gruyère or swiss cheese, shredded
1 cup diced ham*

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Press the hash browns into a quiche or pie pan. Blot with a paper towel to remove all the moisture. Brush the hash browns with the melted butter. Bake for 25 minutes until lightly golden.

Remove the hash browns from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, half and half, seasoned salt, and set aside. Sprinkle both cheeses and ham over the hash brown shell. Then pour the egg mixture over the top. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned. Garnish with fresh parsley and enjoy.

*We grew up making Hash Brown Quiche after Thanksgiving or Easter knowing we will have leftover ham from the holiday. If you are stuck with leftover ham, dice up a cup of ham and freeze it until you want to make quiche. If you don’t have a stockpile of ham in your freezer like my family does (ha), go to the deli counter and ask for 2 slices of ham cut about 1/4 inch thick. Once you get home, dice up the slices and you are good to go.

Annie

Grapefruit + Rosemary Tequila Spritz

Trigger warning!! I hate margaritas. It’s not something I’m proud of, but I just cannot. I have tried and tried, but there is something about margaritas I don’t like, and I truly can’t put my finger on it. However, now that I’m a Texas girl I have fully bought into the Ranch Water (or as my dad calls them, Texas Trash Water) craze. Which in hand introduced me to Casamigos tequila, and now it is all I drink.

I started making these Grapefruit + Rosemary Tequila Spritzes while quarantining with my parents. They are super simple and refreshing and honestly we couldn’t get enough of them. They aren’t a margarita, but the perfect drink to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with!

Grapefruit + Rosemary Tequila Spritz
yields 1 cocktail

Ingredients:
1 ounce Casamigos tequila
1 ounce lemon or lime juice (I buy this brand so I don’t have to squeeze it myself)
2 ounces freshly squeezed grapefruit juice (again, I let Whole Foods squeeze it for me)
Grapefruit-flavored sparkling water (La Croix, Pellegrino, Topo Chico, Waterloo etc.)
small sprig of fresh rosemary
ice

Directions:
Fill your glass with ice. Place your sprig of rosemary in the palm of one hand, and slap it with your other hand. Almost like you are clapping with the rosemary between your hands. This helps release more of the essence from the fresh herb without having to muddle it. Place the rosemary in the glass. Pour the tequila, lemon juice, and grapefruit juice into your glass. Fill to the top with sparkling water. Garnish with a lemon wheel and sprig of rosemary. Cheers!

Annie

Bites of My Life

Hi from Texas! Made it back to Dallas yesterday after 7 weeks in Oklahoma City. Being home was so nice honestly. From a mental state I’m so glad I chose to quarantine with my parents. From a work perspective, it was necessary in my opinion. As things are starting to open back up in Oklahoma and Texas, I felt confident it was time to get back to my life in Dallas. I’m working out of my apartment this morning, trying to adapt the great little routine I had in OKC, here.

-Ina Garten’s cast-iron skillet salmon method is the best. Crispy sear in the pan and then finished in the oven. Been working on my sauce game in quarantine and did a basil vinaigrette sitch loosely based on this recipe.
-Attempted homemade corn tortillas for taco Tuesday! Not bad for my first go. Used this recipe.
-I was on dinner duty a lot last week to soak up the last few days of having to people to cook for. Half Baked Harvest’s Lebanese Chicken was crazy good.
-My quarantine lewk on repeat: cute sweatshirt, tennis skirt or athletic dress, this primer and coffee.
-Cookie baking with this little chef! Used the best sugar cookie recipe of course!
-Friday at 5 pm called for a Clover Club. Recipe thanks to The Jones Assembly.
-Tomato tarts are next-level side dishes (especially next to a steak).
-Celebrated Taylor’s bday with a backyard brunch, I brought The Defined Dish’s Sausage Balls. Grain-free, dairy-free and still quite delicious.
-The girl gang of aunts (minus aunt taire) and godmother’s celebrating little Hallie’s 1st birthday. So glad I go to be home for it! And the white dress I’m obsessed with is from H&M!

Annie

p.s. don’t miss last week’s post on How to Stock Your Kitchen.