Bites of My Life

Such a fun week back in OKC. I had plans to be in town at the end of the week for a wedding, but snuck up early to surprise my dad for father’s day and his birthday. Got to catch of with some of my best friends and family, and it was all around just a great little trip. Back in Dallas and looking forward to a low key holiday weekend.

-Parmesan risotto with bacon-wrapped shrimp and crispy brussels for dad’s 62nd birthday dinner.
-Sweet-home Okra-homa! Sweet home Jones Assembly (is back open!!).
-Snuck in some QT with one of my most special friends. My Lex girl and I are the kind of friends that spill our guts to each other every time we are together. The best!
-Post-work day pool time with these little fishies.
-First wedding post quarantine. Everyone was a little anxious, but only my happiest friend could pull it off!
-Saw my friend Maddi post about these litte ice cream cone scoopers and had to get them for Elle and Hallie. Needless to say, they loved them.
-This Seven 11 themed shower for a July 11th wedding had details on point. Even down to the fact that it last minute turned into a “slurp and see” drive-by shower.
-Slurpies in cookie form can’t get any cuter.
-She’s getting married in a few weeks one way or another!

Annie

Bites of My Life

Last week was a run of the mill week with some highlights like game night (any Rummikub fans out there?), a visit from my London living college bestie, and then a Saturday spent at a lake nearby with some of my favorite Dallas friends! We came back from the lake Sunday morning and I hopped in the car to drive up to OKC to surprise my dad for Father’s Day and his birthday today!

-Perfecting my chia seed pudding recipe one breakfast at a time!
-After having a similar wrap from a Dallas favorite for lunch Sunday, I went to the store and proceeded to recreate it every day for lunch. There is something so satisfying about the taste of sandwich ingredients but without the gluten!
-3pm hits and the GG crackers go into the oven for my daily snack. I’ve been doing a few GG pizzas and one GG with AB and raspberries for dessert. If you are like what the heck are GGs and what are you talking about, read this.
-Grass-fed beef, broccoli, mushrooms, and Asian seasonings made up this stir-fry on a whim!
-My little Londoner was in town (Fort Worth), so a visit was in order. Catching up with Megan and her family is always the best. Lots of white wine and girl talk.
-By Friday, my lettuce wrap ingredients were on the outs, so I used some leftover small lettuce leaves to fill with salami, cashew cheese, mustard, pickles and microgreens. Odd but it worked.
-Cheeseboard lakeside!
-Snuck out of Dallas for the day, for tons of sun, food, and rounds of Code Names!
-When you forget Prosecco, add tequila to your Aperol and call it a Lakeside Spritz.

Annie

Bites of My Life

Things are picking up, things are feeling normal. I’m home from a bachelorette party for a wedding that will happen in less than a month. Something that seemed unattainable a couple of months ago. More restaurants are opening up, more people are out and it feels good.

-Golden Ratio sent me some of their coffee bags to try and I cannot get enough. It brews like tea and has this really smooth taste. They launch June 30th so keep an eye out.
-Started Jennie Allen’s ‘Get Out of Your Head’ with two of my best friends in Dallas. We are working through her online study of the book and it’s been the highlight of my week since we started.
-Did you catch last week’s recipe post? This salad is truly everything.
-These funfetti blondies by Elisabeth and Butter were a HIT on the bachelorette trip. I used GF flour and they came out great.
-Packed up my new Stoney Clover makeup bag for the weekend trip and had to snap a pic of how cute it was.
-A full weekend celebrating the best girl in the world. SB’s been my bestie since 1st grade and gets married in less than a month!
-Pretty epic lake cheese board if I do say so myself. Props to me and my cheesy sous chef Claire! Everything was surprisingly from Costco!
-Golden hour on the lake >>
-Greens and veg post chips, chips, and more chips.

Annie's Espresso Martini

Y’all, people in Dallas, TX love them a good espresso martini. I swear it’s the brandy ice of Texas. Like most things, I’ve jumped right on board. A late night at The Mansion for live music and an espresso martini is a recipe for a great night and a hangover - ha! However, here’s my caveat with espresso martinis, I can’t do caffeine. I can’t do caffeine in the morning - jitter sister, and I sure as heck can’t do caffeine around 10:00 o’clock at night.

So, enter Annie’s Espresso Martini! I use a decaf shot of espresso and the best coffee liqueur. Disclaimer, there is a little caffeine in the liqueur, but it’s fine, I’m fine. And now don’t at me for not garnishing with coffee beans, once you garnish with chocolate shavings you’ll never go back.

Annie’s Espresso Martini
yields 1 martini

Ingredients:
.75 ounce Tito’s Vodka
.75 ounce Patrón XO Cafe (coffee liqueur)*
1 decaf espresso shot, or 1 ounce of instant coffee*
1/8 tsp vanilla extract
coffee beans or chocolate shavings for garnish

Directions:
Run your martini glass under water and shake off any excess, then place in the freezer. This will help keep your martini extra cold. Pull your shot of espresso and let it cool while you prepare the other ingredients. Into your martini shaker add the vodka, coffee liqueur, and vanilla extract. Add in your cooled espresso shot and fill halfway up with ice. Shake until the shaker is freezing cold, about 12-15 seconds. Strain into a martini glass and top with 3 coffee beans or chocolate shavings. Cheers!

Bartenders notes:
*I prefer Patron’s coffee liqueur, it has a deep chocolate-like flavor that is crazy good. To avoid buying a huge bottle for one drink, you can often find them in mini airplane shot sizes at most big-box liquor stores. Kahlúa or any coffee liqueur will do.

*I prefer using decaf here because unless I’m drinking this martini at breakfast 😜I don’t need the caffeine. If you have an espresso machine at home great, if you don’t, you can order a single shot for cheap from Starbucks. Instant coffee also works great here since it’s typically very strong.

*.75 ounce is just shy of a small jigger if you have a double-sided jigger

Does anyone else follow the hilarious @espresso.martinis Instagram account? I give this a 10/10!

Annie

My Cocktail Shaker Kit (under $35)
My Martini Glasses (set of 4 under $15)

Del Corazon Ensalada

When you’re trying to be healthy at a tex-mex restaurant, so you order a salad only to have it change your life. I had this salad from Mesero for the first time last Friday. It comes across very basic on the menu, but I literally couldn’t get enough of it. The Del Corazon reads: bibb lettuce, hearts of palm, avocado, heirloom grape tomato, house-made vinaigrette. I’m having a moment with hearts of palm and artichokes after finding out they are sneaky full of fiber. So when I saw them in this salad I said add chicken and call it dinner.

It was one of those meals that as I was eating I knew I would have to recreate it. I know it sounds strange to have such a draw to a salad, but your girl loves her an entree salad so go with me. I woke up Saturday morning ehhhh slightly hungover after a few too many ranch waters and wanted nothing but said salad. I could have had it delivered but we were looking at $20+ after fees, so I walked my booty to my neighborhood Trader Joe’s and bought enough ingredients to serve four people at the same price delivery would have been.

I’ll wrap it up now and you can keep scrolling for the recipe. Oh and because this is everything, del corazon translates to from the heart, and I love this salad with all my heart.

Del Corazon Ensalada
serves 4

Ingredients:
1 - 7oz bag of butter lettuce
2 cups of spinach
1 avocado, cubed in large chunks
12oz. can hearts of palm, drained and sliced
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes

Dressing:
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (if you don’t have red pepper flakes a few dashes of hot sauce works great)
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp. olive oil
3 tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 tbsp. mustard (dijon or whole grain works best)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Start by prepping all of your toppings and salad dressing. The chicken cooks fast, so I like to do it last that way you can add the hot crispy chicken right to the top of the salad.

In a large salad bowl toss the butter lettuce and spinach together. Add the avocado, tomatoes, and hearts of palm on top. In a small bowl or mason jar, add all of the dressing ingredients, reserving 1 tbsp. of olive oil. Whisk or shake to combine, then set aside.

Heat the reserved tablespoon of olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the cubed chicken and let cook on one side, without moving, for about 2-3 minutes. You want to get that good crispy crust. Flip and cook for 2- 3 minutes on the other side. From there sprinkle a large pinch of salt over the chicken and stir around in the pan to make sure it is fully cooked through and crispy golden brown. Add the hot chicken to you salad. Pour on the dressing and toss to combine. Finish with some fresh ground pepper and cilantro leaves if you choose.

Annie