Cookie Pizza

A nostalgic part of my college years includes cookie pizzas! Not cookie cake, but cookie pizza. You can read more about their origin here. While you’re at it check out my other cookie pizza recipes here, here, and here!

Cookie Pizza

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus a few more for finishing
sprinkles (optional)

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
splash of milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a large mixing bowl or round object, about 10 inches in diameter, trace a circle on the parchment paper. Flip the parchment paper over so you don't get any pencil or pen marks when you spread out the dough.

Cream butter and sugars in an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract.  Add flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix on low until the dough comes together. Add chocolate chips, reserving a few. Give it all another stir.

With clean hands spread the dough out on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Spread the dough out, filling the circle shape you drew. Before baking, press your reserved chocolate chips into the top of the pizza. This ensures an extra pretty cookie! Bake for 10-12 minutes. Start on the low end. The key to yumminess in this cookie pizza is for it to be slightly underdone! You want to take it out just before it starts to brown. Then let it cool completely.

While the pizza cools, make your glaze. Using a hand mixer or whisk, whisk powdered sugar and vanilla, and a splash of milk until smooth and glossy. Add a touch more milk if you need to. It should be the consistency of Elmer’s glue. Drizzle the glaze over the top in a swirly whirly pattern of your choice. Top with sprinkles if you prefer. 

Cut with a pizza cutter and store in a pizza box. 

Annie

Cherry Tomato Shrimp Scampi

I successfully ate shrimp for 7 meals last week. I’m not sure you can constitute that as successful, but regardless I did it. When I tested this shrimp scampi recipe earlier in the week I didn’t think about the fact that I’d be away for the weekend near water aka a surplus and desire to eat as much fish as possible. A spontaneous dinner date to a favorite seafood spot in town didn’t help either. After meal 7 I think I can confidently say I’ll be taking a siesta from shrimp for a bit, but you can bet when I’m ready again this recipe will be the one breaking my shrimp fast.

This recipe comes together so quickly. The white wine butter (I use ghee) sauce is kind of insane. Just hold the pasta, add crusty bread, you’ll be wanting to sop up every last bit. I also added tomatoes for a pop of color and flavor amongst the shrimp. Pair with an easy green salad, I just did butter lettuce, avocado slices, leftover parsley from the shrimp and a vinaigrette, and your meal is done.

Cherry Tomato Shrimp Scampi
yields 3 servings | recipe adapted from BevCooks

Ingredients:
1 lb. large frozen shrimp, thawed, peeled, and deveined
2 Tbsp. ghee (or butter)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ shallot, finely chopped
½ cup white wine (I used sauvignon blanc)
10 oz cherry tomatoes
3 tbsp. chopped parsley
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 lemon, zest and juice
Salt and pepper
Crusty bread and a green salad, for serving

Directions:
Over medium heat, melt the ghee and olive oil in a large pan. Add the garlic, shallot, and tomatoes, and sauté for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the wine and crushed red pepper to the pan, and give it all a stir. Turn the heat to medium-low, put the lid on your pan, and let the tomatoes, garlic, and shallot simmer for about 5 minutes, until the tomatoes begin to wilt.

Once the tomatoes are starting to soften, add the shrimp to the pan and season generously with salt and pepper. Squeeze half of the lemon into the pan and let the shrimp cook for about 1-2 minutes per side until pink. Stir in the lemon zest and parsley and give it a taste. Adjust seasoning as needed.

Serve in a low bowl with toasted crusty bread and a green salad!

Annie

This recipe was prepared in the Phantom Chef 11” Deep Fry Pan, a new favorite line of kitchenwares!

Bites of My Life

After getting back into Dallas after starting the week still in OKC, it was a quick week before heading to Corpus Christi for a wedding weekend. The weekends have been full and continue to be the next few weeks. Which in turn makes the weeks short and busy. All for good reason! I’m coming off the most fun weekend and trying to get my head on straight. After indulging in shrimp tacos for about every meal, getting my cardio in on the dance floor (my feet are unwell), and drinking errrr too many ranch waters than I should those Sunday scaries turned into a manic Monday…

We are good, we are happy, we are ready for a new week. I have a recipe post containing…shrimp lol, and later this week is the 8th birthday for Take A Bite!

-Stuck around OKC last Monday to help set up for a work event. How cute did these custom Topo Chico labels come out that I did for the party?
-Got my vaccine!!! And treated myself after to my favorite matcha on my way out of Oklahoma City en route back to Dallas.
-You cannot beat S&D Oyster Company for a classic Dallas meal. One of my favorites!
-Showed up to a fun shopping event Thursday night fully twinning x2!
-Arrived in Corpus Christi Friday for a wedding weekend!
-Hotel breakfast buffets, truly what is better? Snagged a box of mini Cherrio’s for my purse.
-One last shrimp taco before leaving the ~ sparkling city by the sea ~.
-Congrats Jack and Kathleen. Thanks for a reason to be on a dance floor again!
-Sunday scaries cured with Mia’s brisket Tacos. They lived up to The Defined Dish’s hype!

Annie

Bites of My Life

What a JOY to think how far we’ve come in a year. Putting myself in my shoes at last year’s Easter, it was crazy to imagine that Covid would still be a part of our daily lives, but once that became a reality, it feels good to have had a relatively normal holiday this year. I’m getting my vaccine on Tuesday and I’m psyched. The light at the end of the tunnel is bright!! Thank you Jesus for science.

It was such a great weekend with all of my fam, friends, and multiple Easter egg hunts. Oh and soooo many delicious eats. Birthday cake, brandy ices, truffle potato jackets, cheese grits, smoked ham, and key lime pie to name a few. I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!

-Had a hankering for the Indian Spiced Cauliflower from Flower Child, turns out it’s leaving the menu soon so the craving really set in. Opted for the Mother Earth Bowl, sub sweet potatoes for Indian Spiced cauli and much to my dismay I got home to realize they gave me plain old steamed cauli. Fumes!! But the FC angels credited my account, so you better believe ISC (Indian spiced cauliflower) is happening this week.
-Helen is a hoot! Got to grab coffee with the Blender Bomb founder herself!
-Exhibit A of 80x20. 80% croissant 20% blender bar ;).
-Got to OKC for Easter, and kicked off the weekend checking into the Bradford House to celebrate a very special 30th birthday. HBD Jillian!
-The Texas-based and coveted seltzers, Ranch Riders are offish in the Oklahoma market. Check here to see who is carrying them!
-Bradford House with the sneaky Brandy Ice flex. They were delicious and strong and made me hungover :)
-The whole family got to be in town to witness and endure back-to-back Easter egg hunts. Elle is a hunting professional and I’ve never been more proud.
-Brought veggies to Easter brunch…no one is surprised.
-Also brought my Key Lime Pie that continues to reign supreme!

Annie

Dinner bite for the week!

Bites of My Life

I was forced to come back to reality after an amazing long weekend in Cabo San Lucas celebrating mi MaryKate. She gets married in a month and it was a seriously great kick-off to the countdown. We had sunny 70 degree weather, pool time, a beach day, delicious food and drinks, and made hilarious memories. This week hasn’t been so lavish, but I’m relishing in the down town before spending Easter with family.

-Still on the Blender Bombs train. it’s shocking how full these things keep me when I add to a smoothie for lunch. Annie10 gets you 10% off your order.
-Arrived in Cabo and it was an immediate change into swimsuit/start sipping on margaritas kind of mood!
-Felt like royalty having my man Sergio cook up some delicious meals. He made us fajitas, homemade pico de gallo, and the most decadent two-course breakfasts of french toast, ripe fruit, eggs, beans, bacon, fresh squeezed OJ, the works!
-Flora Farms, you were everything I dreamed of. We showed up to the sprawling grounds for brunch and snacked on farm-to-table salads, wood-fired pizzas, and this insane variation of hummuses.
-I’d be remised if I skipped over the cocktails. I opted for the mezcal pineapple and cilantro concoction and everyone else sipped down hibiscus margs.
-A seriously great bachelorette weekend for my bestie since 4th grade MaryKate!
-Ended the weekend tandem bike riding around Dallas with some serious gorgeous spring weather.

A new recipe post with Feed Feed and Immaculate Baking Co. went up last week, did you catch it? Would be perfect for your Easter Sunday spread!

Annie