Byte Bites 0.2

Byte bites volume two is here. You can read volume one here. These posts are a collection of web links, recipes, ideas, and inspirations of things I’m currently taking a bite of.

BYTE BITES 0.2

What does your Thanksgiving look like this year? Are you able to meet up with close family or staying home and going virtual? My fam is postponing Thanksgiving a week, so my Thursday plan is to eat pumpkin-themed food all day, still get dressed for the day (I rented this and these), and have a marathon viewing of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Thanksgiving episode of Gilmore Girls, You’ve Got Mail, and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.

Is this your first year cooking for various reasons? Gaby has a master guide you can sign up for on her site right now and Jessica has a great list of non-traditional Thanksgiving meal ideas (cacio e pepe pie).

If you are in charge of bringing a Thanksgiving dessert, my Pecan Pie Bars are always a hit. And it’s not Thanksgiving morning without the Best Breakfast Casserole and Pumpkin Bread.

In other pecan news, the new pecan flavor of RxBars is everything.

These holiday recipes have me drooling!! Brown Butter Stuffed Acorn Squash, Whipped Goat Cheese with Crispy Bacon and Dates, and this Spiced Apple Cider Cocktail or Mocktail.

How Does Ina Do It? I’m not entirely sure, I just know I want to be her more and more every day.

Have you started holiday shopping yet? I went from having no idea what I was getting anyone, to going online shop happy this week, checking a few people off my list. In addition, everyone in my circle is getting one of these this year.

Cup of Jo creates my favorite gift guides year after year. A few other gift ideas from my friends who are far more on top of it than me suggested the Pura Scent Diffuser, Our Place pan, Ember Mug, and a Whoop bracelet.

On my wish list this year: a Weezie robe, new silverware (any suggestions or recs?), and a weighted blanket!

Christmas pajamas are a big tradition in my world. I have my eyes on a few styles, but waiting to see if a Black Friday or Cyber Monday deal arises and pushes me to order a pair. Pjs I’m watching: Roller Rabbit, Lake, Honeydew Intimates, and Katie Kime’s Dallas Toile (she also has New Orleans, New York, Nashville, Fort Worth, Marfa, and Austin).

I know everyone is wigging out on The Crown and The Undoing, but I’m over here binging Dawson’s Creek living out my love for late 90s/early 2000s teenage TV dramas. I was too young when it first came out and I’m truly living for this binge 22 years later.

Happy weekend everyone! If you need me I’ll be testing a Thanksgiving dessert recipe and making friendship bracelets.

Annie

Bites of My Life

Holiday food, events, movies etc filled last week. Zero complaints here! The same is on this week’s agenda. Only a few days until I’m home for the holidays!!

-Freezer foraging for dinner is my favorite little challenge and something I’ve gotten pretty good at. Frozen Trader Joes turkey burger over greens, with goat cheese sprinkled over the top, and a side of Trader Joes frozen rainbow cauliflower roasted with grainy mustard on the side to dip in!
-Recipe post #1 from last week: Ginger Cookies!
-Recipe post #2: Wintergreen Salad!
-Sugar cookie prep! Did you know an ice cream cone cookie turned upside down makes for the cutest Santa?
-Brought my annual Christmas cookie decorating party to Dallas this year for it’s the third year!
-Lots of holiday fun last week, but a highlight was Olivia’s ornament exchange feat. her Chinese food spread.
-Foxtrot #2 opened in Dallas on Wednesday and this location is even more convenient for me. Foxtrot is a modern market that came from Chicago to Dallas and it’s one of my favorite places to meet for coffee and get work done. I tried their avocado toast for the first time and it was so good.
-A hint at tomorrow’s recipe post ;))))
-Love love loooooved Drake’s! Dallas’ new hot spot dining destination! The food, the vibe, the service, everything was 100!
-Our London girl was in town so sushi and tons of girl talk were necessary!
-Found the real Santacon in a University Park’s neighbor’s front yard! If you are in Dallas you have to do a drive-by! We went after dinner Saturday and there were 4+ party buses with groups of people driving by looking at lights!
-Ended the week with a cooking class at Tre Wilcox school. Instead of a traditional cooking class, it was a Chopped style competition, something I’ve always wanted to do. We were split into 4 groups, had to create a salmon and steak dish and include snap peas, fingerling potatoes, ketchup and jalapeño in each dish. My team won!!

Ginger Cookies

Ginger Cookies are one of my most favorite Tucker family recipes. They are up there with my mom’s chili and hashbrown quiche. Hashbrown quiche needs to make it’s way to the blog soon now that I think about it.

Growing up, the first batch of ginger cookies signified the start of fall or the holiday season. I have vivid memories of coming home from school to my mom making ginger cookies and being genuinely so happy. Sneaking more bites of dough than the actual cookies.

The original recipe makes almost 7 dozen cookies. I am giving you half the ingredients because having 7 dozen cookies around isn’t good for anyone. I say that because you will make them and then realize you just ate 84 cookies, they are that good. However, if you are attending a holiday cookie swap, these are your cookies!!

The recipe couldn’t be simpler. No wet and dry ingredient separation. All the ingredients go into a mixer at once and you’re done!

Ginger Cookies
yields 30-32 cookies

Ingredients:
3/4 cup shortening, room temperature
1 cup of sugar
¼ cup molasses
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. ground ginger
sugar

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease with cooking spray or line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Place the first 9 ingredients in a stand mixer fixed with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until the dough comes together, about 1 minute. Pour about 1/2 to 1 cup of sugar in a low dish or bowl. Roll dough into tablespoon-size balls, then roll in sugar. Place on a cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Using the bottom of a drinking glass, flatten each ball of dough lightly.

Bake for 7-9 minutes. As usual, I stress not to over-bake cookies. These are ginger cookies, not gingersnaps meaning they are to be soft and chewy, not crisp and crunchy. Mine are perfectly done at 8 minutes.

Annie

12 Halloween Inspired Recipes

When you aren’t eating fun-size pieces of candy, try one of these 12 spirited recipes. All perfect for you Halloween celebrations in some way!

1. Halloween Candy Compost Cookies
Doesn’t get more Halloween than these! Make them for your Halloween celebration or bake them after the holiday for a way to use up all the leftover candy you have lying around.

2. Double Chocolate Pumpkin Seed Cookies
For when you want to be festive, but aren’t a pumpkin person. These cookies use pepitas (pumpkin seeds) instead of actual pumpkin puree.

3. Pumpkin Bread
This is my family’s tried and true recipe. There’s not a better pumpkin bread out there, I’m sure of it.

4. Pumpkin Pecan White Chocolate Cookies
These cookies > candy this year.

5. Pumpkin Green Smoothie
The easiest way to sneak in some greens on a day centered around treats!

6. Pumpkin Spice Bulletproof Coffee
Fuel for your long day of tricking and treating!

7. Upside Down Pumpkin Crumb Cake
This recipe comes from my two friends Madison + Peyton, formerly Identical Ideals. These two actually re-designed my site!

8. Pumpkin Curry
It’s supposed to be cold in this area on Halloween. A bowl of pumpkin curry sounds like the best way to cozy up on Halloween night.

9. Halloween Slutty Brownies
Layer of chocolate chip cookie dough, a layer of seasonal orange oreos, and topped with a layer of gooey brownie. What could be better?

10. The Best Pumpkin Soup
Soup baked in a pumpkin? Sold.

11. Pumpkin Dip
My mom used to make this dip when I was little. It was the BEST treat to come home to after school. Now let me just add this to my list of TAB recipes that need to be updated…Killer filter Annie…

12. Creepy Crawling CCC’s
I just took my classic Perfect CCC’s and made little legs on the chocolate chips to make them look like spiders. Before baking place one chocolate chip point side down on the top of the ball of dough. I used Toll House dark chocolate chips for the bodies because they are little bigger than semi-sweet chips. Sprinkle with Maldon Salt and bake as normal. Melt 1/4 cup chocolate chips (helps if you add a tiny bit of ghee or coconut oil to the chocolate to make it easier to design with). Once the cookies have cooled, using a toothpick, dip the toothpick in the melted chocolate and then draw on three little legs on each side of the chocolate chip to replicate a spider!

Happy Halloween!
Annie

BIG Bites of My Life

I blame the holidays for this, but I’m combing three bites posts in one. Lot’s to read, so I won’t bore you here. If you are willing to take an extra big bite, carry on, if you give up before the end I understand.

Week leading up to Christmas…

-Easily one of my favorite recipes, and I love that it is many of y’alls too. This Crock-Pot Verde Turkey Chili is best in the winter and can be made Whole 30.
-Trying ashwaganda for the first time. I’ve been hearing of it’s many benefits to combat stress, but hadn’t tried it until recently. It tastes pretty earthy and I am still looking for the best way to mask that, but I will let you know when I do. Picked up this golden milk mix before the holidays too. The perfect drink to wind down with during the chaotic season.
-Worked/ing on eating more veggie friendly breakfasts instead of oatmeal and smoothies during the sugar filled holidays. Hooked on a version of this sweet potato hash inspired by my friend Lauren.
-Collagen hot cocoa swept insta before Christmas and I happily jumped on the train. Posted my recipe here.
-2nd Annual Cookie Decorating Party! A fun new tradition my best girls and I started last year.
-Sucker for a good snack spread. Hummus and cucumbers, salami and olives and baked brie for my girlfriends to counteract all the icing and cookies we ate…
-If you know you know. And if you’re night ends here, you know it was a good one.
-Here we go a wassailinggggg! Mom’s wassail is a staple at the holidays!
-Christmas Eve Eve traditions run deep with this group!

Christmas Week…

-More cookie decorating because that’s what you do at the holidays. Used my Signature Sugar Cookie recipe which is the OG recipe Santa asks for every year.
-Dad and I always on the puzzle grind come the holiday season.
-As our family grows, it also get’s small in some instances. Just me, mom and dad this Christmas Eve, but celebrated the night with church, spaghetti and meatballs (we used this recipe for the sauce and it was perfect) and a late night walk through the neighborhood to look at Christmas lights, just the three of us!
-Tucker tradition of OJ/mimosas with raspberries on Christmas morning. Served along side our traditional sausage crescents and new tradition of this cranberry orange bread.
-Our littlest family member was so sick, but powered through Christmas. And loved her kitchen gadgets gift from Aunt Annie :) Toast and coffee anyone?
-It’s a GRIL!! We found out back in September that Kathleen and John were pregnant with their second baby. We anxiously had to wait until Christmas to find out the sex. Best news ever that Elle is getting a little sister.
-CopperBoom! Never taking this sweatshirt off. Thank you Kathleen!
-I love for Tucker holiday meals. Beef tenderloin, twice bakes, glazed carrots and our family Christmas salad.
-Remember that golden milk mix I mentioned earlier? I used it to flavor this smoothie bowl and I highly recommend. Frozen cauliflower, some ice, vanilla Arbonne protein powder, oat milk, little almond butter, topped with chia seeds, cacao nibs and pecans.
-2018 was the year of reading. And I blogged about it.
-My London girl is back in the USA, better yet Fort Worth (for now, but hopefully for longer coming soon)!!
-We’ve been coming to Fort Worth for OU weekends since our freshman year of college thanks to The Felton’s! Glad that some things never change!

First week of 2019…

-Balloons ready to DROP for NYE at The Jones.
-Who else has to eat black eyes on New Year’s Day? BEP or no luck for the year!
-All the groceries to get back in the swing of things post holidays.
-Celery juice trend ain't stopping anytime soon. Clear skin, smooth skin, look and feel of hair, reduced eczema, less bloat it helps it all!
-S N O W. We got about 3 inches unexpectedly this week. And funny thing about this picture is I took it at about 10pm, but it looks so bright from all the white!
-Snow day lunch at home consisting of my Spicy Red Pepper and Tomato soup, gala apple and rosemary Flackers (my new obsession).
-The Defined Dish’s Hibachi Chicken with Magic Mustard sauce lived up to the hype~~
-My favorite part of my job is when I get to taste all the fun concoctions our bartenders and chefs come up with. Exhibit A, this Oreo inspired beer cocktail.
-Always love a quick Dallas trip.

Annie