Bites of My Life

Buckle up, there are 3 weeks of bites in one post. The holidays were great, I want to go back. I’m not quite ready to give back into routine. I mean I am, but I’m not. I’d be lying if I said coming back to Dallas wasn’t hard. I got so comfortable being home and with my family, and best friends. But we are here, I’m back in Dallas, and working to get my mindset wrapped around the new year and decade. It feels good don’t get me wrong. So fingers crossed, prayers being said, and sights set on a great 2020.

-This green juice from Trader Joe’s is my new secret weapon to add something healthy to my diet every day. I stocked up on a bunch during my last week in Dallas as prep before going home to all of the Christmas cookies, popcorn, drinks and treats.
-Cleaned out the freezer with one of my go-to’s, quinoa fried rice.
-If you missed my Brandy Ice recipe, head here now. I loved loved loved seeing how many people made them over the holidays!
-I ditched my car for a few days and challenged myself to walk more even with the weather being colder. I’ve become a recluse since it turned to winter and I loved pretending like I was in New York walking to work, to work out, the grocery store, etc.
-Christmas ice cream and hot cocoa and a Nancy Meyer’s movie to really lean into the season.
-The Amazon headband quad-fecta!! I have, I kid you not, worn one of these headbands every single day since I bought them. Did I mention they are 4 for $14?
-Had a huge group dinner with everyone back in OKC for the holiday. There were over 20 of us and it was so fun to all be back together.
-My parent’s tree (despite it being fake) is unreal! Full of gorgeous new ornaments intertwined with old popsicle stick ornaments we made as kids. The best!
-The Hall’s annual family friend Christmas party is one of all of our’s favorite holiday traditions.

-My little elves decorating cookies for Santa!
-Christmas morning cranberry orange bread and coffee. Not pictured sausage crescent rolls and mimosas.
-Cranberry mules to go with Christmas dinner. We just added cranberry juice and fresh cranberries.
-Meat, potatoes and mom’s Christmas salad. Always a win!
-Christmas night brandy ices, the whole family loved them!
-Headed to Memphis between xmas and NYE for Price and Kenzie’s wedding. Kenzie and I lived together my past two years in OKC. It was a really great weekend being back with two close friends for their wedding!
-Brandy Ice at The Jones only for NYE. I quickly grabbed a glass just to make sure it was up to par. It was :)
-Another Jones NYE party success has me feeling #blessed for this marketing team that developed in 2019!
-I finished out the night with some of my very best friends. AKA no one else I’d rather end one year and enter the next with.

-Greens, salad, vegetables!!! It seemed like so long since I had all of these in one meal. #holidaysgotmelike…
-Gotta get that luck in for 2020, so Hoppin’ John for New Year’s Day lunch.
-Popcorn is the best snack Y or N?
-Some ball pit snuggles and belly laughs with my favorite girls before I headed back to Dallas.
-Avocado toast on Ezekiel bread with tomato, just like my girl Melissa Wood.
-Easy peasy filling meal: sweet potato with almond butter and cinnamon.
-Trying to not eat all the almond butter straight from the container, as well as trying to be more eco and wallet-friendly by creating my own almond butter packs. I pre-portioned out 2 tablespoons in my little salad dressing containers.
-Not doing Whole30 this January and not trying to obsessively diet. I had lots of pizza and this amazing ice cream Saturday and loved every bite.
-Half Baked Harvest’s Indian Coconut Butter Cauliflower for Golden Globe watching and dinner this week!

Here’s to the new decade, new year, new month, new week!

Annie

Bites About Town: Best Brandy Ice in OKC

I feel a little too confident that I am the perfect person to deliver today’s post. If there is one thing I’ve learned in my twenty-something years, it is that I love fruity beverages, girly cocktails, and dessert drinks. I’m not afraid to admit my fondness for drinks that often leave you with a hangover. Piña Colada? I’ll take five. Club special? More please! Brandy Ice? Never just one.

Enter today’s “Bites About Town” post, featuring none other than, the brandy ice. A brandy ice seems to be fairly regional and oddly popular in Oklahoma. So today’s post also seems fitting as I’m on my outs of OKC before moving to Dallas next week. If you google brandy ices, only descriptions for brandy alexanders come up. They are basically the same thing, but a brandy alexander is made with cream and a brandy ice is made with ice cream.

You can read my past “Bites About Town” where I talked about the best salad and matcha lattes in the city. I’m not sure I’ve ever been more on brand. Salads, matcha, and brandy ices. Yup, that sounds about right. *Please note my scoring is set 1 to 5, with 5 being the best. Ok, without further ado.

Junior’s Supper Club
Things to note: The OG. Junior’s has been around for 46 years and is a staple in OKC. Known for their red walls and brandy ices, they come in small or large. They are thick as can be and and are all-around perfection from the texture to the flavor. A brandy ice at Junior’s is my favorite way to end the night. You may go for the BI, but find yourself staying for the live jazz music and Chex mix.
Verdict: 5

The Drake
Things to note: The Drake’s brandy ice is not your typical brandy ice. There are little flakes of ice in it lending it more toward a slushy than a milkshake. Not my cup of tea.
Verdict: 3

Cheever’s
Things to note: This is a hidden gem! People often finish their meal with a Pecan Ice Cream Ball when dining at Cheever’s, but don’t sleep on their brandy ice. I had Cheever’s for the first time a couple months ago and it was, well, delicious. It’s well balanced and has a great texture. A win all around.
Verdict: 5

photo courtesy of Facebook

Mahogany Prime Steakhouse
Things to note: Mahogany makes a great brandy ice. Nothing to write home about, but not glaringly bad. However, I will order anytime I go!
Verdict: 4

photo courtesy of Instagram

The Ranch
Things to note: This brandy ice is big. As you can see in the picture above with two straws, this brandy ice is best to be shared. However…I’m known to take one down on my own. I love the chocolate drizzle, but the martini glass bothers me. A classic brandy ice should be served in a brandy snifter or tulip-shaped glass.
Verdict: 4

I apologize for this blurry attempt at portrait mode.

Broadway 10 | Bar & Chophouse
Things to note: I love this brandy ice. It has a unique vanilla bean flavor and is topped off with chocolate shavings, instead of the classic grated nutmeg. I highly recommend sitting at the bar at Broadway 10 to order a brandy ice and snack on the complimentary bacon.
Verdict: 4

Michael’s Grill
Things to note: So cold they have to serve them with a plastic spoon because a metal one will freeze! Michael’s brandy ice lends more toward the texture of frozen yogurt. Nothing wrong with that!
Verdict: 4

Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club
Things to note: I want to love this brandy ice. Visually it looks perfect, but the flavor resembles that of lead paint. Harsh I know, but it’s the truth. I wish I could say this stopped me from ordering them… The brandy in this particular BI could be lightened up juuuuusst a bit.
Verdict: 2

New addition as of 12/20/20

The Metro Wine Bar & BIstro
Things to note: I was unaware The Metro had a brandy ice until I was there for dinner and saw one go by. I about stopped dead in my tracks and ordered one before our meal came. This brandy ice is exactly how I want a brandy ice to taste. Thick but not too thick, super creamy, not overly strong, but still well balanced, and lots of fresh nutmeg on top. This brandy ice is on the bigger side so I’d suggest sharing. From one of my girlfriends, “Passes the test with the flying colors. I don’t even like brandy ices and liked this one.”
Verdict: 5

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Updated December 20th, 2020

And the winner goes to… TIED between Cheever’s, The Metro, and Junior’s. You can’t mess with a classic like Junior’s, but Cheever’s did and they succeeded. And once I tried The Metro, there is nothing not to love. It may seem like a cop-out to choose three winners, but that really just gives you more options to end the night with my favorite drink!

Annie

Bites of My Life

Only a week and a half left of being a permanent Oklahoma resident. I’m cleaning out the fridge, training our new employee, selling all my unnecessary junk, packed half my house, celebrated turning 26 again, danced my booty off at good friend’s wedding, and trying to get every last minute with everyone I can’t live without before I cross the state line. This 😱emoji so accurate to many aspects of my life right now.

-Clean out the fridge meals have commenced. I’m refusing to buy groceries except for some lettuce and a few apples until I move. This turkey burger salad situation wasn’t too weird, but I’m looking forward to seeing how I can combine frozen party meatballs and canned chickpeas into a meal…
-PSA I’m keeping my job (and got a promotion!!!), but still moving to Dallas. To make it all feasible, we hired a marketing coordinator to work with me and be my boots on the ground in OKC while I’m remote. Bailey started last week and she is already killing the game.
-Marie Kondo meets loosing 1,000 square feet of living space meets family members who equally want to lighten their load equals one big ole garage sale. And a successful one at that.
-A belated birthday dinner with family on Friday ended my favorite way. Brandy ices have my heart.
-Pink is our color and pink is our other color (if you know what I’m referring too, double points to you).
-Lady gang celebrating the Mlady’s!
-Up close of this incredible pancake from Sunday brunch here.
-OKC’s baby skyline always has a way of showing off.
-True life: I’m a lighter hoarder. Things i found out while moving. Anyone need a long neck lighter??

Annie

MD Comes to OKC

BB MD of BOD comes to OKC to visit TAB! Enough acronyms for you?

Translation:
BB = blogger bestie. I wouldn’t say we still use this term because we are real life besties instead of just blogger besties, but back in 2014 when Molly and I first virtually met, we were BBs through and through.
MB now MD = my sweet sweet Molly Bridgett but now the Mrs. Molly Duncan
BOD = Bridget’s Own Diary aka Molly’s corner of the internet.
OKC = only the greatest big league city you’ll ever meet!
TAB = hopefully you know, but I’m talking about old Take A Bite

If you’ve read Take A Bite for a while, you know Molly! We initially met through blogging (yes, it’s true), but have since met up at ACL weekend, OU/Texas games, Houston, Dallas, her wedding, and talk multiple times a week.

We had talked about it multiple times, but I was so excited when Molly texted me letting me know the plane ticket had been booked and she was heading to OKC end of January! I pulled out my OKC City Guide (yes I use my own city guide) and started crafting out our weekend.

We had talked about it multiple times, but I was so excited when Molly texted me letting me know the plane ticket had been booked and she was heading to OKC end of January! I pulled out my OKC City Guide (yes I use my own city guide) and started crafting out our weekend.

If you are local to OKC or plotting a trip to “the city” soon, the weekend went something like this…

Friday:
Dinner at The Jones Assembly

Saturday:
Barre3, lunch at Kitchen at Commonplace, midtown shopping at Commonplace, Shop Mode, Salt + Water, Chirps and Cheers and Sara Kate Studios.

A hot tea pick me up at Coffee Slingers then natural manicure at Well Beauty.

Wine flight at Anatomy Wine Bar and then dinner at Goro Ramen.

Sunday:
Brunch at En Croute

I loved showing off my city, but even more, enjoyed getting to make stops I don’t get to make everyday.

They say to play tourist in your city. But really, you should do it. I was a host, but felt like a tourist. I felt like I was looking at Oklahoma City in a new way. I’ve always loved where I’m from, but I was so excited/proud getting to show off my friends, fam and favorite spots in little ole Oklahoma.

Meet you in Chapel Hill MD! (or maybe D.C!!)

Annie

Bites of My Life

Food coma, weekend coma, busy week, groundhog saw his shadow, early spring. That is my jumble of thoughts looking back on last week as I’m trying to keep my eyes open while finishing this post, so goodnight.

-While Molly was in town the weekend before we swapped some recent favorite dinner dished. Molly has been cooking up a storm up in Chapel Hill (check out their Dunc Dins in her saved highlight), and suggested I try these asian spaghetti squash noodles. Tried them, loved them, can’t wait to make again.
-A few months ago i read an article on how we’ve all been cooking spaghetti squash the wrong way. To cut down on cook time and to ensure longer spaghetti like strands, cut your squash into 1 inch rings. scoop out the center of each ring, then drizzle with salt and pepper and bake at 400 for 20 to 30 minutes. It’s the best way, y’all.
-Tried the brandy ice at The Drake on Friday. While it struck a cord, Junior’s still takes first place in my book. Also, while I have you, are Brandy Ice’s just an Oklahoma City thing or do you indulge in your neck of the woods too? Please comment below.
-Came for the croissants, stayed for the cinnamon buns! if you haven’t take a Sur la Table cooking class, you should. And may I suggest starting with the Saturday morning croissant class. We loved it! (not pictured, the multiple attempts to recreate the scene from It’s Complicated).
-Post brats, beer and pretzels! A very happy German 30th to Uncle Joe!
-I know Kerrygold is the “it” butter, but I’m tend to lend toward the cheaper ingredients when baking. However, after the instructor from our croissant class said she only uses Kerrygold when baking, I got intrigued. She said if she was going to take the time to make a baked good, she might as well use the best ingredients she could. So, I upped my Perfect CCC recipe again by using the butter of all butter. And I must say it made a difference.
-Homemade French Onion Dip a la (my favorite) Bon Appetit. I posted the recipe in the caption of this post, but I also polled everyone on insta all to see if you preferred getting the recipe from instagram or on the blog or both. 80% said instagram caption, 20% blog and a few DM’d me saying both. What do you prefer?
-”Best chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever had.” Proud to share this quote from a friend who told me this after having a Perfect CCC at our Super Bowl Party.
-I still have a stomach ache from all of this.

Annie

Streaming Bite: The past two weeks I’ve been all caught up in the hooplah of the Fyre festival documentaries #TeamHulu, but I started You last night and the fist episode has me hooked. Anyone else watching?