Raspberry Pistachio Sweet Rolls with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing

Thank you to Feed Feed, Immaculate Baking, and Sprouts for sponsoring this post!

I’m bringing the bakery to my own kitchen with these jazzed-up spring cinnamon rolls made from Immaculate Baking and some help from The Feed Feed!

Story time! There is a new bakery and coffee shop in my neighborhood that I’m obsessed with. Their pastries are gorgeous, the coffee is so delicious, and the vibes are too good all around. I make sure to pass by on my daily walk to soak in the smells of buttery pastries and people watch the crowd who have stopped by for a croissant or kougin-amann on their patio.

I’ve taken inspo from my new neighborhood spot to create these bakery-level sweet rolls. It’s the easiest and most perfect way to take your cinnamon rolls up a springy notch! 

Raspberry Pistachio Sweet Rolls with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing
yields 5 sweet rolls

Ingredients:
1 tube of Immaculate Baking Organic Cinnamon Rolls
6 ounces organic raspberries
¼ cup shelled raw pistachios, chopped
zest of 1 lemon

Directions:
Following the directions on the cinnamon roll package, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8 or 9x9 square pan or baking dish. Open the cinnamon rolls, and set the icing package aside. One by one, unroll a cinnamon roll. Sprinkle the line of dough with chopped pistachios and place 5-6 raspberries evenly spaced down the row of dough. Then roll back up tight enough for the raspberries to stay in place. Repeat until all 5 cinnamon rolls are now filled with pistachios and raspberries. Arrange in baking dish.

Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until just, I mean just, golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool. While your rolls are cooling empty the contents of the icing package into a small bowl. Add the lemon zest and stir to incorporate. Drizzle over the top of your rolls, sprinkle with extra chopped pistachios, and enjoy! 

Check out my recipe on The Feed Feed here!

Annie

Hash brown Quiche

This recipe is a tried and true Tucker recipe. We’ve been making it for years and it’s one of all of our favorites. When you hear quiche you probably think breakfast or brunch, but we always ate this for dinner (and a leftover slice for breakfast the next day). I’m not sure the thought behind that, but point be that it is good any time of day! Mom and I made this together while I was in Oklahoma City quarantining, and it’s a recipe that honestly takes me back to being 10 years old. Make with your momma for Mother’s Day brunch this weekend and I know it will be a hit.

Hash Brown Quiche
serves 4-6 people

Ingredients:
24 oz frozen, uncooked, shredded hash browns, thawed
5 tbsps. unsalted butter, melted
3 eggs
3/4 cup half and half
3/4 tsp. seasoned salt (we use Lawry’s, if you don’t have Lawry’s this copycat recipe uses lots of pantry staples)
1 cup (4 oz) pepper jack cheese, shredded
1 cup (4 oz) gruyère or swiss cheese, shredded
1 cup diced ham*

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Press the hash browns into a quiche or pie pan. Blot with a paper towel to remove all the moisture. Brush the hash browns with the melted butter. Bake for 25 minutes until lightly golden.

Remove the hash browns from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, half and half, seasoned salt, and set aside. Sprinkle both cheeses and ham over the hash brown shell. Then pour the egg mixture over the top. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned. Garnish with fresh parsley and enjoy.

*We grew up making Hash Brown Quiche after Thanksgiving or Easter knowing we will have leftover ham from the holiday. If you are stuck with leftover ham, dice up a cup of ham and freeze it until you want to make quiche. If you don’t have a stockpile of ham in your freezer like my family does (ha), go to the deli counter and ask for 2 slices of ham cut about 1/4 inch thick. Once you get home, dice up the slices and you are good to go.

Annie

Bites of My Life

It's wedding week!!!!! We are headed to Brooklyn later this week as we prepare for Claire and Mike to tie the knot. We have been waiting for this day for years! From previous experience, Tucker weddings are a little too fun, I'm sure this will be no different. Last week's bites are below, but stay tuned for a wedding week bites post coming next Monday!

-What's for lunch? Elle!! 
-Another Cookie Pizza recipe because there is really nothing more fun to eat and they are perfect for birthdays. I shared this Triple Chip Cookie Pizza recipe last week with perfect pictures from KGC Photography. 
-A little downward dog action with #GabetheBabe! Catch us on the StudioHop insta. 
-A go-to single girl meal, this time fit for a 5 year old. Trader Joe's Frozen turkey burger cooked up and served salad style and with a smile. 
-Give me Mexican food and a bingo card and I'm sure to have a good time. A successful fiesta raising money for Infant Crisis Services. 
-Love getting to be apart of the restaurant industry and the friends it has brought my way. Congrats Neighborhood Jam, a sure success. Brunch all day starts tomorrow as they open their doors. PSA get the biscuits and apple jam.  
-Snoozin' for the Sooners. After our loss on Saturday I'm feeling the same way as Elle about this season...
-Late night cookies and milk at The Jones Assembly with my sweet treat lover Maddie. 
-This is the snack mix I based my Banana Chip Savory Snack Mix. I don't have time to make a batch of mine before heading out of town, so the original will do and will make the perfect Whole 30 airplane snack! And booch cause it was on sale at Uptown Grocery for $1.99!!

Annie

Restaurant Review: The Pritchard

Snuggled in the heart of the Plaza District, The Pritchard unifies upscale and casual to create a concept with delicious craft cocktails, wines from all over the world, and locally-sourced dishes being served for dinner, late night and brunch. 

The moment you walk in you can't help but be grabbed by the thoughtfully curated decor and ambience of the space. The well stocked bar is paired with marble countertops, adorable bar stools (that I want to steal for my own home) and an epic gallery wall at the focal point. Across the way a deep green tufted velvet booth runs from the front to the back of the restaurant. They really took the time with the design of the space and it doesn't go unnoticed. I'm a sucker for restaurant ambience and they do it well. 

I came for brunch last Sunday and could not wait to write this post to tell you all about it. Everything from the service, to the food, to being able to doodle on the table had me swooning. 

The Pritchard is open Tues-Sun. During the week they focus on dinner, but add in brunch starting at 10 a.m on Saturday and Sunday. 

The whole menu is set up tapas/small plate style. When I heard this I was slightly skeptical because I'm not usually a fan of this set up. In my past tapas experience things get expensive quick and it's always hard to guage how much to order for whatever size group. I'm not sure how they do it, but The Pritchard just makes it work. 

I arrived Sunday morning ready to put their menu to the test. It is split up into brunch small plates, charcuterie, cheeses and proteins. Our waiter did an excellent job helping describe the menu as well as guide us on what and how many of each to order. We wanted all the brunch food so we stuck to the small plates column. I can't wait to come back for the cheese and charcuterie! 

After gazing the menu we settled on four plates for the two of us to share. That was easily the Johnny Cakes, Spanish Baked Egg, Popcorn Grits and Fruit Plate. The Johnny Cakes were unreal and a must order if you go for brunch. The plate comes with three cornmeal cakes, topped with homemade hazelnut spread, bananas and chopped hazelnuts. The cakes were thin yet fluffy and the hazelnut spread. I can't even. Think Nutella minus the chocolate, but better!

The popcorn grits shown above got the award for "favorite thing we ordered." There is no popcorn in the grits, but the name comes from the way they prepare the corn to become grits. They are cooked up with some pancetta inside and big shavings of grana padano on top, very similar to parmesan. People are skeptics of grits, but I grew up eating them on the reg, so I will always love them in any form.

The Spanish Baked Egg is a tomato ragu made of tomatoes, onions and spices topped with an egg. They use a unique method for cooking the egg that was new to me, but explained as very similar to a poached egg. This dish was great, it really was but everything else upstaged it a bit.

We were feeling great about what and how much we ordered, but head chef Shelby Sieg, sent out a few complimentary dishes she didn't want us to miss. Thank you Shelby!! We willing unbuttoned our top buttons to make room for her delicious concoctions. First up the Fried Chicken Biscuits with housemade pickle and hot sauce. The biscuits were fluffy yet crispy, just how they should be.

She also brought out their brussels sprouts with spanish chorizo. Simply roasted but paired with salty chorizo. They were a good offset to the grits, Johnny Cakes and biscuits!

Now who wants to go back with me for brunch round two? I have to get back to try their delicata squash, housemade kolaches and cocktails. Follow The Pritchard on instagram and bookmark them on Yelp, where you can also read another version of this review.

Annie

Let's work together! I'd love to review your restaurant. Email me annie@takeabiteblog.com so we can chat!
*Disclaimer: This is not a paid promoted post but I was partially paid in kind for compensation.

Bites of My Life

January is coming to an end and so is Whole 30. It has felt long, but also an extremely short 30 days. I'm ready for February. Another new beginning. I've grown up a traditionalist and liked things kept the same, but as I get older I always feel so refreshed with new weeks, new years, new months, new beginnings. Do you dread the start of a new week or month, or feel encouraged by the difference it brings?

-Made my first sweet potato toast and O.M.G. Jill Bauer said just this morning on the Today Show that it is the new avocado toast! Just thinly slice your raw sweet potato lengthwise, run it through the toaster twice, then top with desired toppings!
-I'm slightly obsessed with this recipe and want you all to make it. I posted this Crock-Pot Curry Chicken over Cauliflower Rice last week and you just haaaaave to have it. 
-I finally got some Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides after seeing it go viral on instagram. Collagen is essential in everyday health, but you can read more specifics here. VP powder dissolves into virtually anything. Put it in your morning coffee, tea, smoothie, soup etc.
-Banana and almond butter is my favorite Whole 30 breakfast. It tastes so indulgent to me for some reason. A pretty presentation helps to! Just split your banana lengthwise, spread with AB, sprinkle with cinnamon and an optional drizzle of tahini.
-Spicy Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup was lunch everyday last week. The recipe is posted so you can enjoy it too!
-I shared my step by step tips on how to make perfect fried eggs in a cast iron skillet in my insta stories on Thursday. Missed it? Leave a comment and I'll give you the run down. I then topped them with the goods: maldon salt, sumac and turmeric.
-Woke up Sunday to then enjoy the most delicious brunch at recently opened, The Pritchard. A full restaurant review will be coming later this week!
-StudioHop gives you access to a curated list of local fitness studios so you can enjoy one membership at multiple studios. They started in Dallas and are now coming to OKC! I'm so excited to help share the news! The fun starts 2/6, but sign up for their newsletter here (scroll to the bottom) so you can be the first to know more. Now #hoptoit!
-In this final weekend of Whole 30, my non W30 cravings were strong. I wanted pizza and chips and dips so hard. I attempted to fullfill the cravings with veggie chips and compliant salsa. Along with plantain chips and guacamole and copious amounts of cashew butter...

Annie