Bites of My Life

November omg. How did we get here? BUT it’s truly the best time of year. I love the Halloween kickoff to the holidays. I’m ready and here for them!

-Spark is open! Couldn’t have done it without my PIC!
-Extra extra read all about it. Our opening blew out my expectations and there was press to match. I’m feeling proud and excited for Spark’s little future.
-Spent one last morning in OKC, then hit the road to make it back to Dallas. Park Power Bowl, I miss you already.
-Fall flowers at my door after a successful opening :)
-Since I’ve lived in Dallas I’ve wanted to do The Old Monk’s pumpkin carving. For $15 you get a hollowed-out pumpkin, carving kit, and a pint of beer. Such a fun weeknight activity. My sugar skull on the right won my IG poll - weee!
-My crazy fall is settling down a little just in time for the holidays. I’m so excited to have some free time to just let plans fall together and not have everything be so structured. That is exactly what happened on Friday. The girls were in town and we threw together a chill evening in, with copious amounts of snacks and sweets.
-OGs know. I made THE verde turkey chili for Friday’s gathering and slurped down leftovers Saturday.
-First time trying Crisp & Green. It opened earlier this year in Dallas. Similar to sweetgreen for national folks and Cool Greens for my okies but errrrrr way better and cleaner than CG. I got their seasonal Chicken Casablanca and my sweet Morgs got the Squash Goals. I can’t wait to go back.
-A great little Halloween Sunday with Peter’s fam at a neighborhood block party and then off to watch the Cowboys game with friends.

Annie

The day after Halloween means one thing: Halloween Candy Compost Cookies
Save this cake for your Thanksgiving or fall pot-luck contribution: Caramel Butterscotch Cake

Bites of My Life

A busy last week of October, but a great one leading up to an even better weekend. My dad and sisters and I had been working behind the scenes to plan a surprise brunch for my mom’s 60th. She was shocked and had the best day. Bonus that I got to be home for Halloween with my nieces. Missed dressing up, but adult Halloween isn’t so bad. Oklahoma City got hit with a wild ice storm, so my visit came with a power-less stay at my parents, but still great being with fam. Countdown to Thanksgiving with my whole fam including oldest sis and brother-in-law is officially on.

-First Verde Turkey Chili of the season!
-Bar by night Old Monk has pivoted due to Covid and is now open in the mornings as a coffee shop. If you are in the Knox-Henderson Dallas area, stop by for a seriously good latte.
-Pumpkin Green Smoothie on repeat for Halloween week.
-Live music made its return by way of a drive-in concert. Bundled up to see my faves Mt. Joy at an outdoor drive-in concert.
-Tables set at Bradford House for the perfect birthday brunch.
-Successful surprise brunch for mom’s 60th!
-Home for Hallie-ween.
-New Liquid IV delivery just in time for the season where it is so hard to drink water. The colder months have me on a coffee and tea binge and my water input depletes.
-When you impulse buy a ton of stuff from H&M expecting to return some and it all ends up working out…

Annie

Saving bite: I’m doing a round 2 of No Spend November this year. Who’s joining?

Bites of My Life

Halloween, check! Now bring on the TURKEY!!!! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I’m currently in OKC for a quick work trip, and my family spent part of yesterday planning out our Thanksgiving menu. Truly the best time of the year!

-I tried Culina plant-based yogurt for the first time this week and me-oh-my it’s so good! TBH it’s really expensive for yogurt, but worth the splurge here and there.
-Got a little crafty Monday night and was quickly reminded how much I love to use my hands. Felt good to make something while watching TV, instead of scrolling Instagram all evening.
-First oatmeal of the season! Pumpkin for Halloween of course!
-Creepy crawly CCCs for Halloween + 11 other festive recipes!
-Does anyone else serve their chili over rice? This was new to me, but when a friend made chili for a group on Halloween, he served it over rice. And I approved. Seems strange, but works.
-Friday afternoon remote working at one of my favorite places, Royal Blue!
-If you follow me on Instagram, you saw the tortilla chip saga last week. Tortilla chips are my kryptonite. 5 chips leads to 50 far to fast, anyone else?
-I got to be in a really fun fitness shoot Saturday afternoon. Post-shoot meant beers and cheese fries ;)
-Blondes + Marge!
-I started this book yesterday and already halfway done. It’s short essay style, my favorite and too relatable.
-CHEEEEEEESE with my best girl Elle!
-In OKC for a very quick work trip, but got to squeeze in a belated birthday dinner for my mom. Dinner was at my favorite, Cheever’s, which also meant finishing the meal with the best brandy ice in OKC!

Annie

Pumpkin Pecan White Chocolate Cookies

Pumpkin cookies let’s go. But not those cakey pumpkin cookies with the icing. I can’t with those. These are dense yet fluffy, soft and chewy, but crunchy with the addition of pecans.

With a light pumpkin taste, but a heavy spice flavor, these Pumpkin Pecan White Chocolate cookies are everything I want in a “pumpkin cookie.”

Pumpkin Pecan White Chocolate Cookies
yields 30-32 cookies

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 ½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
½ cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 cup white chocolate chips (you can substitute for chocolate chips, or seasonal pumpkin chips and cinnamon chips)
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth. About 1 minute. Add in both sugars and beat on medium for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy. On low, stir in the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract until combined.

Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Once the dough has almost come together, but still a little floury, add the pecans and white chocolate chips.

*I roughly chop my white chocolate chips (just like in my Perfect CCCs). It lends to a prettier, but more rustic looking cookie which I love.

Using a 1 ½ inch cookie scoop, form golf ball size balls of dough. Place them on a cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Do not overcrowd the pans. I got 12 balls of dough on a pan, at most. Rough the cookies up a bit so they have pecans and white choclate peeking out. Add a few more of each to the top of the cookies if needed. Optional, sprinkle the top of each cookie with flaky Maldon salt.

Bake for 9 minutes, rotating the pan around halfway through. Bake until just barely golden around the edges, the key is to not over bake these! Shy on the underdone side.

Annie

Bites of My Life

Downhill to the holidays, who’s ready?

-Friends who fall.
-Cauliflower Soup that is Whole 30 and tastes like potato soup!
-Frenchie lunch with maman at the delightful Cafe Cuvee located inside the Ambassador Hotel in Midtown, Oklahoma City.
-Birthday brandy ices for Lele!
-Celery juice on brand for Halloween. My friend Chloe and I have been consistently juicing every weekday morning for the past few weeks. My skin has been so clear and soft with this new routine.
-Because every sugar filled Halloween needs a little salt! Morton Salt Girl stole the show!
-Will we get the final rose? I’ve been saving this costume idea for awhile and I think we pulled off our Bachelor contestant costumes off quite well.
-Fun fact: I have never used Postmates or any delivery service, except maybe pizza back in 2007. But I was feeling tired and lazy to another level on Saturday and had a completely empty fridge. Panera delivery to the rescue (and it won’t be the last time)
-Cauliflower Soup still going strong.

Annie

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