Bites of My Life

Home after such a great Labor Day weekend in the Colorado with some really great friends. We booked this trip on a whim over the 4th of July and I’ve been looking forward to it since. We stayed in Beaver Creek, but ventured to Edwards, Minturn and Vail. This part of the mountains is an area I have such fun memories from growing up and it’s always a blast to revisit. Our weekend was the perfect mix of eating, drinking, hiking, shopping, seeing, doing and relaxing. Coming home to a short week is the perfect cure, and then I’m off again this weekend to spend time on Lake LBJ with my best college friends. Feeling very thankful for friends and family lately.

-Have you seen the Slim Aarons documentary? I recently caught wind of it, even though it came out a few years ago. It’s fascinating to learn more about his life. You can watch it here.
-A go-to meal that always hits the spot is spaghetti sauce with meat sauce. It feels indulgent like spaghetti, but is healthy and light all things considered. I bought an extra squash and froze some leftover sauce to have for a healthy meal after getting home from my trip. It was the best to come home to.
-When the tortilla chip craving HITS. These restaurant-style Beanitos are my absolute fave grain-free chips.
-This was my first plane ride since the pandemic. While our American Airlines flight was booked at full capacity, I did feel safe and healthy with zero fears.
-First night in Beaver Creek called for cozy Italian at Ti Amo. I split the chicken and sausage scallopini over angel hair.
-Traded in our Tini Tuesdays for a full weekend in the mountains!
-If you are headed to the Beaver Creek/Vail area, I highly recommend Mountain Standard in Vail for lunch or dinner. We lucked out with walking in, but a reservation is a good idea. You must get the pimento cheese with bacon jam, grilled bread, and pickled celery.
-Already missing morning coffee and evening wine and cheese hour on the beautiful patio at the house we stayed at in BC.
-We had bought produce at the farmers market and had planned on a homecooked Sunday night dinner, but after indulging on dips and crackers and cookie dough, we called that dinner and saved our ingredients to make for a healthy lunch before hopping on our plane ride home.

Annie

Byte Bites: if you missed Friday’s new post style, check it out here!

4th of July Recipe Roundup

What does the 4th of July look like for you this year? Are you traveling or doing a barbecue with friends? Maybe you are flying solo this year due to coronavirus still being very much a concern in our country. My whole family had a trip planned to Santa Barbara that we had been looking forward to since February. The 4th is always a bit of a flop for me, so I was looking forward to being with family this year. Plans have obviously changed and we are staying home.

I’m laying very low this year, but hope to be meeting up with a few friends by a pool at some point this Saturday. I’m thinking festive Perfect CCC’s or S’mores Cookies and The Baker Mama’s American Flag cheese board will be my contributions. I rounded up those + some favorite summer recipes from my site and a few from websites I trust. Hopefully, this list will help make your holiday a little more special no matter what your celebration looks like.

Sweets
S’mores Cookies
Cherry Peach Pie with Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Berry Cobbler
3-Ingredient Individual Strawberry Trifles
Sugar Cookie Pizza with Strawberry Icing or M&M Cookie Pizza (with festive M&Ms)
Perfect CCC’s (with festive sprinkles)

Sides
Watermelon and Heirloom Tomato Salad
Shaved Cauliflower Salad
Brussels Sprouts Salad with Avocado and Pistachios
Charred Corn Salad with Feta, Basil, and Jalapeno
The Mix
Watermelon Feta Pistachio Salad

And now a few recipes I’ve made or recommend from sites I trust!

The Baker Mama’s American Flag Cheese Board
Broma Bakery’s S’mores Rice Krispie Treats
Half Baked Harvest’s Bourbon Peach Baked Beans (I love this recipe!)
Barefoot Contessa’s Flag Cake (a 4th of July staple. I’ve made this exact recipe and is insanely good)
Elisabeth & Butter’s Blackberry Cobbler Ice Cream
The Defined Dish Whole 30 BBQ Ribs (I’ve been craving ribs, is that weird?)
A Peony For Your Thoughts Red Potato and Sweet Corn Salad (APFYT was my sister’s old blog, we havne’t made this recipe in forever, but it is so good and I always think of it when it comes to barbecues).

I hope you have a wonderful and safe 4th!
Annie

Bites of My Life

Memorial Day behind us and it’s unofficially officially summer! After a particularly fun week, I headed up to Grand Lake for one of my favorite weekends. A group of some of my best college friends have been hitting the lake for MDW for 4 years now and have deemed it “Lake Ratz.” We joke about how we will be going years from now even if babies are in tow. Since year one we’ve had a wedding and two on the way for members of the group. It’s evolved, yet remained the same. Each year the house gets a little bigger and nicer, we’ve classed up the weekend menu a bit adding smoked pork shoulder in the the mix with our ground beef tacos and burgers. Don’t let me fool you though, it’s pretty easy to revert back to being 22 when you’re at the lake with your college besties!

-Spotted this skirt and had to have it. It was double my normal size but I bought it and belted it with a thick brown belt. Long dresses (like this one) and skirts are all I want to wear right now to keep things breezy for these Dallas temps, yet warm when inside and the AC is blasting.
-Tini Tuesday nourishment in the form of a charcuterie board and this Strawberry Quinoa Salad. I added tomatoes and subbed mozzarella pearls for burrata.
-However, the Mary Martini was the star of #tinituesday. Did you catch last week’s post when my friend Mary guest blogged sharing her new go-to cocktail recipe?
-A batch and a half of Perfect CCC’s to take with me to the lake! I 1 and a 1/2 the recipe and scooped them a little smaller to end up with exactly 60 cookies.
-Pizza on the dock to commence Memorial Day weekend at the lake!
-My birthday has fallen on MDW the past few years, and I love celebrating over the weekend with friends. My birthday is actually tomorrow, but I was still surprised with a cake and Happy Birthday over the speakers on the deck to celebrate a few days early!
-Golden hour with girls of Lake Ratz.
-Closing time feat. this perfect s’more.
-Ended the weekend with a bang being asked to be a bridesmaid in my bestie Jordan’s wedding next spring!

Annie

Song of the week: Thief by Ookay

Bites of My Life

So is it kind of summer now? I know Memorial Day is the unofficial start to summer, but it feels like it’s already here to me. Despite the daze quarantine has put us in, since I’ve been back in Dallas as least, there feels to be a beat in the air that I only feel during the summer. You know; the accidental later nights since it stays light until 9pm, tanner skin, grilling out, laying by the pool, and the overall boost of happiness just because it’s summer? It may be due to the 90 degree temperatures we are having this week, but I’m here for it.

-Sampled Wild By Nature’s CBD sample pack last week. A 6 week starter kit to get your toes wet. They launch this Friday and I can’t wait to get my hands on more.
-Refreshed an old TAB archive post and was quickly reminded how delicious this recipe is.
-5pm topo and grapefruit mocktail is my favorite way to separate the work day to evening.
-Lunch ick-up from a Dallas favorite, Bird Bakery, to meet two friends, one of whom just moved back to Dallas from OKC!
-Team tiny canned fish yes or no? I’m a yes and so was my Trader Joe’s checker. Noticing I had anchovies in my cart, he insisted I had to try the smoked sardines and tossed a tin in my bag for free. TJs you are too good, the sardines on the other hand were fine…
-Mussels - actually incredibly easy to make. I urge you to try if you like mussels.
-A good ole fashioned Friday girls night that consisted of tex-mex, tequila, this guac, my new favorite dress and staying up past midnight talking.
-Teamed up with Wild By Nature (that I mentioned above) to make my Matcha Mint Smoothie inspired by their mint flavor of CBD. I went live from their account Sunday and it was one of the more fun lives I’ve done.
-When you have no patio space at your apartment and take to tanning on truly any public patch of grass you find.

Annie

Bites of My Life

Monday of last week feels like ages ago and the 4th seems like at least a month ago. Does anyone else feel like that was the longest holiday weekend ever? Not that that is a bad thing by any means. After a few classes at a new workout studio (that I loved) and doubled up happy hours, I packed and got on a flight for the 4th in D.C. My oldest friend Anna and her bf Wade (also my very good friend), are officially permanent residents in the District. Anna and I lived together there 5 summers ago. We had such a great time exploring new places, visiting some of my old faves, eating all the things and running in to other D.C. friends. You can see everywhere we went saved in my “DC” highlight on instagram stories.

-I’ve been trying all the Dallas workouts. Pilates, spin, surf (yes) and now a workout inspired from skiing. TBH I’ve been a little underwhelmed with all the classes I’ve tried. Something is just off with each one. I tried Powder Heart last week and then went three days straight. It’s basically a HIIT workout, but with a twist, which keeps my attention. I’m signed up for class this morning and I can’t wait.
-When new friends text you to come over for piña coladas, you know they are good friends!
-Friend happy hour part 2 in true Dallas fashion with ranch waters and chips and guac!
-Patriotic in-flight outfit because when traveling on the 4th, what else are you supposed to wear?
-After arriving in The District, it was already mid-afternoon. We did late afternoon drinks and an early dinner at Lucky Buns before watching fireworks from Anna and Wade’s roof. Wade and I went halfsies on the Bun Mi burger and the El Jefe. Insanely good. This was just one of the great spots we went to in their Adam’s Morgan neighborhood.
-This picture is technically from our afternoon in Alexandria, but the patriotic colored row homes were too cute not to share.
-At home bagels and lox. 1. to avoid spending money on every meal. 2. because yum.
-Dolcezza gelato is a DC staple and when it felt like 100 degrees, ice cream was necessary. I went half coffee and cookies, half blueberry lavender (yum)!
-Woke up Saturday to walk of Friday’s pasta off and I and intentionally went in the direction of the cutest book store I used to love to go to. I went more for the brunch, but still.
-Le Diplomate is a favorite by so many. Since we had all been here a few times before, we decided to go off the grid, and go big and order the seafood platter. Worth every penny and stare we got.
-Had such a great long weekend in D.C, but was glad to get back early Sunday morning to have the day to get organized and to have one last indulgence before the weekend was over. Crossed Oishii sushi off my Dallas eats list! You have to get the cesar roll if you go.

Annie

p.s. I snuck in two recipe posts last week! Don’t miss my Mayo-Less Salmon Salad and Quick Pickled Red Onions.