Take A Bite Turns Three

Three years ago, I was 19 years old, sitting in the kappa house dining room, reading up how to start a blog and creating amateur blog graphics on an internet photo editor. Three years later, a lot has changed. 

I've written 147 bites of my life, over 150 recipes, and too many blog posts to count. Take A Bite has gone through my time in college, my summer in DC, graduation, and now real world life. I've grown up with this blog. 

I'm so thankful for the experiences, opportunities, and friendships I have gained from starting Take A Bite. It's helped me develop something that I truly enjoy, and I love it for that. I'm so interested to see where TAB heads in the coming years. 

And now for my favorite blog birthday tradition. Birthday toast. The only way to celebrate a website turning one year older...

Birthday Toast

Ingredients:
bread of choice
almond butter
sprinkles
candles (optional)

Directions:
Toast your bread, spread on almond butter and decorate with sprinkles. Sing happy birthday and take a bite!

Why does my hand make that look like the smallest piece of bread ever?? I promise it wasn't. Anyway, see more blog birthday posts here and here.

Annie

Bites of My Life

As mentioned in last week's bites post I got a new job!!! It will be a job that is much more "me" per se. Think food, restaurants and social media. With the starting of my new job, means the end of my other job. My first big girl job to be exact.

Though this job had it's peaks and pits, I learned so much. There is something to be said about your first job out of college. (Christina from The Blissful Balance coincidentally put all my thoughts into words in to her post today). Your first job doesn't have to be your last and it doesn't have to turn into a career. I learned what I like and don't like in a job. I'm a millennial generation Y where I think I have a right to do whatever I set my mind to. I took action to find something more, and I'm hopeful this new job adventure is going to be just that. 

Next on tap...oldest sis, Claire is in the middle of a job switch too and will be home in OK this whole week. I can't wait for a week of sister family food time!

-Regular nachos upgraded with sweet potato chips as the base! Check out last week's recipe for Sweet Potachos.
-My favorite after dinner snack, rice cake with AB, gogi berries and granola.
-Peanut butter blossoms also got an upgrade with the swap of almond butter in place of PB. Tucking this recipe away into my "go-tos."
-Was surprised with loving goodbyes on my last day at my first big girl job. 
-#GabeTheBabe had his first puppaccino experience on Friday, safe to say he loved it. 
-Smoothie bowl game strong these past couple warm days.
-Saturday morning mimosas.
-Just some crawdaddies posing for a pic before they turned into our lunch!
-Can check "go to a crawfish boil" off my spring TDL.

Annie

Sweet Potachos

I ate the whole pan. I thought I would just throw that out there at the beginning to give you a pre-cursor for how amaze these are. I'll also let you know that I thought these would be a huge fail, but they blew my expectations out of the water. Step aside tortilla chips, sweet potatoes just upped you.

Veggie chips can be a little tricky so I did my research to give you the best tips! Cutting your sweet potatoes super thin is key to get them to crisp up and hold all of your toppings. A mandoline makes it so easy, but if you don't have one just do your best to cut them as thin as possible. I'm slightly obsessed with my new mandoline (I got this one from Kuhn Rikon), and it is the main reason I came up with this dish.   I've been looking for any kind of veggie I can slice up thin. I'm weird. 

Tips:
-slice super thin
-bake on foil lined baking sheets
-coat the foil with oil, toss the sweet potatoes in oil too
-wait to salt until they are done baking
-let them finishing crisping with the oven door propped open and the oven turned off
-if some burn a little, that's even better (in my opinion)!!

Sweet Potato Nachos
serves 1-2 depending on how hungry you are

Ingredients:
1 medium sized sweet potato, thinly sliced
olive oil
sea salt
1/2 cup Mexican blend cheese
1/2 avocado, diced
1/2 cup leftover carnitas meat ;)
red onion, cilantro, plain greek yogurt, salsa

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Line 2-3 baking sheets with foil. Pour about 1-2 Tbsp. of olive oil on to each foil lined sheet. Use your hands to spread it around and cover the whole surface.

Using a mandoline or a really sharp knife, thinly slice your sweet potato. Place in a bowl and toss with another tablespoon of oil. Place each piece of sweet potato on a cookie sheet. Make sure they don't overlap or touch. Place all of the cookie sheets in the oven on separate shelves. Bake for 15 minutes, rotating which pan is on top after 8 minutes. Cook the last 7 minutes. Pull the sheets out and flip over all of your sweet potato chips. Sprinkle with a little bit of salt then place back in the oven. Turn off the oven and crack open the door. Let the chips dry out for about 20 minutes. 

Once your chips are crispy, pull them out and load onto a small baking sheet. I used my toaster oven because it is small and perfect for one batch of nachos. Layer the chips in an even layer, then sprinkle on half of the cheese. Top with the carnitas meat and then the rest of the cheese. Broil for about 5-10 minutes until your cheese is melting. Pull out and top with diced red onion, cilantro, avocado, salsa and plain greek yogurt as a sour cream replacement. 

Snap pictures of these to your friends and make them really jealous. 

My roommate took one bite, and said "ya, you need to make those a lot." I have another sweet potato in my pantry just waiting to be mandolined and made into sweet potatchos. 

Annie

Almond Butter Blossoms

I know I talk about being allergic to peanut butter a lot, but I'm clearly missing out so just let me blab. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, never had one, Reese's cup, never had one, peanut butter blossoms, never had one. Until now, kind of.

Thank you almond butter for being my vice and helping me feel like a normal kid. I've made my own almond butter and jelly sandwiches before, I've even tried to make homemade Reese's using almond butter instead of PB, and now I have made my very own Almond Butter Blossoms. 

Even if you aren't allergic to peanut butter, you must give almond butter a try. The nutritional benefits in almonds totally kicks peanuts tush. It's so versatile. It's subtle nutty flavor is just enough flavor, but also discrete when added to smoothies, oatmeal, flourless desserts etc. 

Having never had any kind of nut butter growing up, coming around to the flavor of AB took some time. Justin's Almond Butter is what finally got me hooked. Justin's has maple, honey, vanilla and classic flavored almond butters. The vanilla pretty basically tastes like frosting, but it's healthy, so there's that.

This cookie is just like it's counterpart, but subs the PB for AB! The cookie is slightly sweet and nutty with a little kiss of sweet chocolate . I had peanut butter blossom pros taste these cookies and they requested I bring them more. I'll take that as a good sign! 

Almond Butter Blossoms
yields 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
1 package of Hershey's Kisses
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup Justin's Classic Almond Butter, softened
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. milk
more sugar for rolling in

Directions:
Unwrap about 24 Kisses and set aside. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. 

Beat the shortening and almond butter in an electric mixer until combined {Justin's is a little thicker than most almond butters so nuke it in the microwave for 15 seconds first). Scrape down the sides then add in both sugars and beat for 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and mix to combine. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt. Lastly add the milk.

Using a cookie scoop, form 1-inch balls and roll in extra sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 7-8 minutes. Immediately press a Kiss into each cookie, cracks will form. The Kisses will get glossy from the heat of the cookie but they won't melt! Cool completely before serving! 
 

Annie

Bites of My Life

Last week was a throw my hands in the air and praise the big guy kind of week. After a few months and several weeks of looking for a new job, it finally happened. More on the actual job later, but for now I'm celebrating and eager to see what this next adventure holds. I emailed, interviewed and met so many people for coffee over the past few months, but it was all worth it and finally paid off!

Besides the whole job thing kind of overshadowing the week, there were other little victories to celebrate too. A fancy night out with my roommates, was just what the doctor ordered. A great friend in town and temps reaching over 80 made for a perfect day. And Thomas Rhett on my TV screen finished out the weekend just right. Who else gets country obsessed the second it gets warm?

-They started selling at the farmers market, but now Belle Kitchen has their own brick and mortar. The gourmet donut and macron shop opened this past week and thanks to Yelp OKC we got VIP access to make our own!
-Touches of spring in our little rental.
-I've had this fortune and quote from a Yogi tea on my dash for about two months now. "Your present plans will succeed" and "Let things come to you." I got the fortune from a cookie the same night this quote was on my tea. I took it as a sign and used it as a mantra over the past few weeks. After lots of patiences and perseverance, I let things happened and my plans followed through!
-On Fridays we drink pink.
-So much fun sipping tiny tinis at ArtiniOKC.
-Stay tuned for these cookies later this week!
-The day started off great until OU lost by 40...
-When the girl accidentally made too many smoothies and you get one for free!
-Springy shrimp salad for Sunday supper. How many more 'S' can I use?

Annie