Bites of My Life

It’s always hard to jump back into the week after a really great weekend. This weekend was a really great one. I spent the past three days at the lake with some of my best college friends. We’ve been "lake ratz” for the past three years, with confident plans to resume next year as well. It’s one of my favorite traditions as well as the perfect way to kick off summer. The weekend has consistently fallen on my birthday which is just an added bonus.

Spent the first day of my 26th year, starting to pack and prep for my move and ended with an impromptu birthday dinner with mom and dad (we are celebrating Friday!). Mom made two of my favorites. This salmon and this salad. Finished the day with The Bachelorette because I am unashamedly loving Alabama Hannah’s season!

-Last Monday was the epitome of living in Oklahoma. The day went something like this: weathermen predicting severe weather, the entire state cleaning out their storm shelters and parking their cars in every open garage, businesses shutting down, all for nothing to happen. Yes after staying home from work and “taking shelter” at my parents, all we got was rain…
-Can’t wait to start Save the Plums. Thanks to Ellen for the early bday gift!
-Shared how I prep then freeze Perfect CCCs when I’m making cookies in advance on instagram stories last week. All the tips are saved in my highlights!
-The Best Breakfast Casserole made it’s appearance at the lake this weekend. Always a crowd pleaser and always great for a bigger crowd.
-Oklahoma has been dumped on the past few weeks. We rolled up to our rental to find a foot of water covering the road leading up to the house and the ramp to the dock halfway under water. Don’t think for a minute this stopped us from wading through it to enjoy time on the dock.
-Coffee (tea) and cards before the days got started.
-Lake food is the best food, but it also makes me not want to eat it for another year. So many chips and beers consumed….
-We had a table on the deck of our rental that fit all 14 of us around it. We spent each night after dinner circled around this table playing rounds of picolo and playing song after song.
-The packing has begun, but first I’m having a garage sale to purge my belongings.

Annie

Bites of My Life

Such a good week and kick off to summer. Two straight days of food photoshoots means a very happy Annie. I love when I get to pause from answer emails to help style food to show off to our guests. Quick/long story...

Then I celebrated my birthday a few days early. Pro tip: don't have your birthday at the restaurant you work at unless you want to be highly embarrassed. Or do..cause it was totally with it. My birthday falls at a busy time of year, growing up it was often the last day of school and now it always falls on Memorial Weekend. No complaints really, but my mom was feeling guilty and had some ideas up her sleeve to make it special. To note, I also hate surprises and no one typically tries to surprise me. Upon arriving to dinner there were extremely large 2-5 mylar balloons attached to my chair. Then instead of a simple dessert, our pastry chefs at The Jones completely outdid themselves creating the most gorgeous three layer cake adorned with flowers and berries. All to be delivered by just about every hostess and server and manager singing happy birthday for the whole restaurant to hear. I was 50 shades of red, but felt extremely loved and celebrate. 

Then it was lake bound for "LAKE RATZ PART II." My friends and I started this tradition last year of renting a big house on Grand Lake for a whole crew of us to stay in. I left the weekend never wanting to eat another potato chip, but realizing how many great friends I have to spend a whole weekend with 15 of still love them all by the end. 

Okay this is literally the longest bites recap ever, but I guess being 25 is making me feel old and sentimental. 

-Food photoshoot days are my favorite!! The summer menu at The Jones Assembly is officially here!
-New favorite drink aka the Fire Emoji (yes that is the name and couldn't be more accurate)
-Best birthday c/o my real fam and my Jones fam. 
-Last week's recipe post: 3-Ingredient Individual Strawberry Trifles. 
-baby backs on the dock. 
-OG Lake Ratz. Been doing Memorial Day at the lake with them since freshman year of college. 
-it's not summer until...
-pretties birthday flowers to come home to from my roommates. 
-Bowl for the week: grilled chicken, sauerkraut, roasted sweet potatoes, vine ripened tomatoes, avocado, fresh basil, green onions on a bed of spinach topped with Malden salt, pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. 

Annie

Bites of My Life

Happy Monday, I mean Wednesday, what? I'm confused. Welcome to the shortest/longest/strangest feeling work week. Taking last Friday off to move out of my house, turned the weekend into 5 days and now the work week is only 3. The restaurant my company has been working tirelessly over the past 2+ years is just days away from opening. This means the coveted 3 day week will be more like a straight 3 week work week. Seeing everything fall into place is extremely rewarding and exciting. 

Last week I moved out of my sweet little home of the last two years. A new place to call home is on the horizon, but I'll never forget the people, things and memories at Mahler Pl. A very long weekend of multiple cook outs, multiple days by the pool (finally) and a few days of rest to catch up on sleep made for a very successful 4th of July! 

-After two straight years of piling into our living room to watch The Bachelor(ette) every Monday, the last Bach watch party at Mahler Pl. called for copious amounts of Domino's eaten on the floor. 
-Happy birthday to the girl who celebrates everyone more than herself! 
-More pizza had to be consumed to morn not living together anymore. 
-Day 1 of the holiday weekend and Vim Vitae's reduce bloat juice was already needed...
-2 batches of festive Perfect CCCs were made over the weekend! Pro tip, serve them with my Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream for a real crowd pleaser! 
-Guacamole needs a place at every cookout. 
-On a mission to make everything I ate over the weekend festive. 
-Another episode feat. ME coming soon to OKC Over Easy. 
-Peach, Avocado and Cucumber salad from the newest issue of BA. The perfect accompaniment to our Sunday night steaks and potatoes. 
-Flamingos > Swans.
-Only a corner of all the snacks that were consumed. Calorie overload is a must on holidays. 
-"There's only 3 of us, but we love the 4th" ;)

Annie

Bites of My Life

Today's bites post is stacked with photo bites of last week. A full camera roll of weekly images, typically means it was a great week. I suppose I was trying to squeeze as many memories possible into the last week of summer. I wore white everyday, bought a car (!!!!), finished Whole30, visited a city I've never been to, reunited with college friends, welcomed the start of college football, and sat poolside for probably the last time in 2016.

I breezed through the week quick as quick in anticipation of my trip to Houston for OU's first game of the season. Game outcome aside, the weekend was too good. Molly opened her doors for me to stay at "AirbMB" for the weekend. Unfortunately MB was Austin bound for the weekend, but we got a quick 30 minute catch up sesh to make it count! The weekend also included multiple catch up sesh's with college friends near and far who all came together for the game. Lots of memories made and too much fun had. I'm still exhausted and caught up on a high from the weekend. I'm letting it end graciously though as we say farewell summer/hello fall. Let the best season begin.  

-All white everyday last week before the fashion police say I can't. 
-Shared a few ways I knock pesky morning headaches. 
-Spaghetti squash primavera for the last bites of Whole30.
-Golden Milk. You have to try it if you haven't, perfect way to end the day.
-A somewhat celebratory lunch at Mexican Sugar after purchasing my first car!!! My car accident a few weeks back ended up being a blessing in disguise.
-CCC dough rolled into balls and frozen to save for a rainy day, unexpected guests, or those strong sweet tooth cravings.
-A matcha a week keeps the doctor away...
-A trip to Houston meant a quickie meet up with MB before she headed out of town and finally a visit to her place of work at Biscuit.
-Lunch at Local Foods was suggested on more than one account. It lived up to all the hype!
-All smiles pre OU upset. 
-If only all college football games came equipped with a bloody mary bar. Hello feta stuffed olives. 
-A diner breakfast to round out the Houston bites and to soak up Saturday night. 
-Some rude (smart) person thought it would be a good idea to put a mini Dylan's Candy Bar right next to my Southwest gate. I arrived and left Houston with a big bag of candy store candy. Sour gummies and chocolate covered everything.
-One last dip!
-Labor day steaks and veggies to send off summer!

Annie

Bites of My Life

Post-vacation depression, quickly got subbed out by post-holiday weekend depression. Two back to back all-star weekends. I can't complain too much. My days have been full recently making the weeks fly by. I still welcomed the long weekend with open arms though! When I think back, I really jammed a lot in from Friday to Monday. Happy hour, dinner and show, day trip to Dallas, dinner with parents, pool time, drinks with friends, more pool time, 4th of July barbecue and more. All reason why I'm exhausted. Best part of a long weekend though, is the short week that follows!

-Last week was devoted to recreating some favorite D.C. eats. First the colorful mezze bowls from Cava Grill. I did turkey meatballs, a grain mixture of brown rice, barley and quinoa, cucumber, olives, tomatoes, picked onion, feta, tzatziki and tahini. 
-Attempt number two was with fancy mushroom tacos like at Chaia.
-Fell into the Sprout's salesperson's trap, but at least I'm getting in extra greens! 
-Acai bowl made better topped with HIppie Crack brought back from D.C.
-A delicious meal and even better cocktail had with the fam at OKC's new Mary Eddy's on Friday night before seeing Dreamgirls. 
-Took a quicky day trip to Dallas with mom and sis. The highlight was a stop at one of my favorite places.
-Cause a little frito chili pie and a cheese ball never hurt anyone.
-Thank goodness the swan had our backs!
-I get a kick out of being overly festive. A patriotic yogurt bowl was a must.
-Almost too cute to eat, but we all know I ate it anyway.
-Cause every barbecue needs a good salad. I did a combo of arugula, watermelon, feta and chopped pistachios. Salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic. Got real festive with my star shaped watermelon.
-Red just really isn't in our color wheel. 

Annie