Bites of My Life

Working on Saturdays make having Mondays off so worth it. My work schedule is a little all over the place. It has its ups and downs, but getting to sleep in, blog in my bed on Monday morning instead of late Sunday night, and getting to wake up and bake really start my week off right. Sorry this post didn't come earlier this morning, but like I said there was sleeping and baking and Today Show watching to do. 
My posts have been far and few between. I've been lucky to squeeze in one extra post alongside Monday's Bites, but its time to pick it up. I have some posts up my sleeve so be checking in this week! Also, give me a follow on Snapchat (annietucker93) for in between post bites! Today you'll find an inside scoop on my next recipe post. 
-A new load of cookbooks I get to dive into thanks to my shop mom:) Expect recipes and reviews to come!
-Maddie roomie turns 23!
-Day 2 of birthday celebrations at Third Eye Blind.
-Quick, easy and delicious coconut chicken and veggies for a home cooked Friday night dinner!
-Meet Topanga! I wish I could claim her. 
-Tropical vanilla acai bowl for a Sunday morning detox. 
-Lots of love for these wedding shower decorations. If I'm ever half as good as my mother in entertaining and decorating, I'll be happy.
-All hail these caramelized peach and lavender scones. How Sweet It Is strikes again.
-Summer Sunday supper.
Annie

Bites of My Life

Que post-holiday weekend depression. Friends, fireworks, sunburns and food babies, it was a splendid 4th of July in Annie world. It was a low maintenance and relaxing holiday, just what I needed. Coming up this week, we have a special roomie birthday to celebrate! This summer has been all about celebrating the big and little things. A celebration a day keeps the doctor away!
-Favorite part of my evening walks is being constantly smitten by adorable houses. This cutie had monogrammed cushions on their porch chairs, swoon.
-Fish tacos for dinner taken up a notch with grapefruit salsa and candied jalapeΓ±os! Salsa made by roasting corn, red onion and green bell pepper together mixed with cut grapefruit, salt, pepper and lime juice!
-The feedback to my Perfect Green Smoothie is making my heart smile and tummy growl! Nancy, your smoothie is gorgeous! Thanks for sharing! See more green smoothie makers on my Facebook!
-Real world life=tupperware lunches.
-Got to get back together with my Yelp crew for a night of bites and wine tasting, not a bad mix!
-My bestie turned 22 and she deserved all the celebrations!
-Toasted the holiday weekend with a glass of rose' and an amazing dinner at Kitchen No. 324! Got to pick up the new issue of Edible OKC too. Look at that cover!
-A few more swings at Topgolf and I'll be ready for a real course...wishful thinking!
-#tradition. This recipe is a clear winner. 
-Ulti pool day with our new friend! 
-4th of July pre-burger bites. Spinach dip and baked artichoke pesto!
-We may not have been at the lake, but we made up for it with our 4th of July staycation!
Annie

Lavender Brownies

At this point I'd say it's pretty obvious I'm lavender obsessed. Lavender cookies, lavender lemonade, lavender cupcakes, I've made this lavender granola before, lemon lavender pound cake, I've put lavender in my smoothies, the list really goes on. To keep the merriment going, today I bring you Lavender Brownies! 
I honestly found this recipe while searching for a recipe for lavender honey ice cream. I told you I was obsessed. I had all the plans in the world to make some lavender ice cream but these brownies intruded. No worries, ice cream to come!
To get the lavender into the brownies you pulse the sugar and lavender buds together in a food processor (perfect way to break in my new Cuisinart I got for my birthday, I'm so weird). This is the same method as used in these cookies. During my baking spree last Friday I apparently turned into this flavored sugar making machine. See below my lavender sugar and grapefruit sugar. Speaking of did you catch yesterday's Grapefruit White Chocolate Brown Butter cookies?

Butter and chocolate are melted together with the addition of the sugar, flour, eggs, vanilla and cinnamon. Don't worry these brownies don't taste like a flower or anything. The lavender really adds a lot and helps cut the richness of a traditional brownie. 

Lavender Brownies
yields 9 brownies, adapted from Homesick Texan
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. dried lavender buds, plus additional for garnish
4 oz bittersweet chocolate
8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup flour
flaked or corse sea salt, optional
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 8x8 or 9x9 square pan. 
In a food processor, pulse the sugar and lavender together until combined and the lavender is small.
In a saucepan on low, melt the chocolate and butter together. Once melted, turn off the heat and stir in the lavender sugar, salt, cinnamon and vanilla. Add the beaten eggs until well combined, then stir in the flour until everything is mixed. A thick batter will form!
Pour your batter into the pan and bake for 25-30 minutes until a knife or tooth pick comes out clean. Pull your brownies out of the oven and sprinkle with the sea salt and lavender buds. I like to rub the lavender between the palm of my hands to create smaller pieces to garnish with. Wait for the brownies to completely cool before you try to cut into them!

**You can find lavender on the spice aisle at Sprouts or other specialty grocery stores or spice markets. 

Try them, you just must. Dunk them in a glass of milk too for added deliciousness. 
Annie

Grapefruit White Chocolate Brown Butter Cookies

These cookies have my name written all over them. Brown butter-yes, white chocolate-yes, grapefruit-yes yes! The ingredient combination my have your eyebrows squinch at first, but it totally works. The grapefruit comes into play by taking the zest and combing it with the sugar to make a fragrant grapefruit sugar. They are so summery and fresh and you sort of just need to make them to understand!

I haven't baked in over a month. That's a crime, an actual crime. I had the day off last Friday and finally got back into my baking groove. I baked up a storm. First up these brown butter grapefruit cookies and then lavender brownies! Luckily I had lots of friends over and family members with sweet tooth's to help pawn my abundance of goodies off to. 

Brown your butter, zest your orange, chop your chocolate, add in some flour, sugar and eggs and you'll be in business. Leave it up to Joy to develop these perfectly unusual cookies!


Pro tip: while your cookies are baking, wash down all the dough you just gobbled up with some juicy grapefruit;)

Grapefruit White Chocolate Brown Butter Cookies
yields 20-24 cookies, adapted from Joy the Baker
Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. grapefruit zest
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 cup white chocolate chips or chunks
sea salt, optional
Directions:
First you need to make the brown butter. Place one stick of butter in a medium skillet. Melt the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. The butter will foam and froth as it heats, it may even snap, crackle, pop! I'm sorry I had to...You will start to smell the butter as it cooks and brown bits will form. Once the butter is an amber color remove it from the stove immediately and pour into a small bowl, along with the brown bits. Allow the browned butter to cool for 20 minutes.
In the meantime, combine the sugar and grapefruit zest in a small bowl. Rub the sugar and zest together with your fingers to really fragrant the sugar! Using an electric mixer, beat the other stick of softened butter with the grapefruit sugar for 3 to 5 minutes until whipped and smooth. Beat in the vanilla. 
Pour the cooled brown butter into the bowl along with the brown sugar. Beat for 2 minutes until the mixture is fluffy. Add in the egg and egg yolk and beat for another minute. On low, add the flour, salt and baking soda directly into the mixer. 
If you are using a block of white chocolate, chop it up into small bits. With the mixer turned off, use a spatula to combine in the white chocolate chunks or chips. 
Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Scoop 2 Tbsp. sized balls of dough onto parchment lined or greased cookie sheets. If you wish, sprinkle the tops with a little sea salt! Leave room between the balls of dough, the cookies will spread a lot when they bake!
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until just brown around the edges!


Check back tomorrow for this lavender brownie recipe!
Annie

Bites of My Life

Four day week let's go!!! Bring on the holiday weekend. I'm staying close this 4th and doing a little staycation for the holiday. Dinners, parades, pool parties, barbecue and of course fireworks are on the lineup for the weekend.  Just have to power through four work days then it's celebration time. 
I've always loved the 4th. I love a good holiday and I love tradition. I'll be fully decked in red, white and blue all day and most likely will be baking up something festive. The weekends are too fun these days they make the week worth it to always have something to look forward to! What's on deck for your Fourth of July?
-Whipped up a big batch of greek quinoa for work lunches, packs perfectly in little mason jars.
-Got really fun responses to people trying out my "perfect green smoothie." Loved this insta shout out from my girls Madison and Peyton.
-Greek quinoa transformed into dinner by being piled up into a roasted bell pepper (washed down with handfuls of chips and salsa)...
-Had the day off Friday so I took the morning outside for a little green tea and yoga. 
-Followed my peaceful healthy morning with a big greasy onion cheese burger and fries. It was worth it. 
-It's been far too long since I baked so I broke in my new kitchen with two sweet recipes, both coming this week!
-Finally all in the same city and under the same roof, cheers to these summer roomies. 
-I'm a bottomless pit on the weekends so a snack of breakfast tacos at 4 PM on Saturday somehow happened. 
-A little night out in the city making me grateful for this place I live in. 
Annie