Bites of My Life

Back-to-back-to-back busy weekends and spring allergies on high alert finally caught up to me. I had a good old-fashioned cold for all of last week. The worst part of a cold is there is no quick fix. Just multiple days trying to get as much rest as possible, taking DayQuill and Claritin-D around the clock, drinking tea, and trying to get my immune system up and ready for, you guessed it, another busy weekend. I attended wedding #4 out of what I’m anticipating to be 4 out of 11 I have for 2021…

I’m settling into a week of meals at home, exercise, and some R&R. I have very few plans on the calendar and I’m keeping it that way!

-A go-to salad of mine that I craved while feeling under the weather. Romaine, shredded rotisserie chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, avocado, pickled red onions, and homemade balsamic dressing.
-Celebrated two besties last Tuesday, one who is off to New York next month (not pictured) and the other who got into SMU grad school!
-The said celebration would have typically included a martini, but for me included a mar-tea-ni! Hot tea for the win at Hudson House!
-On a Cava kick. Playing around with my perfect combination, but this one sure was good. 1/2 splendid greens 1/2 right rice, 1/2 roasted veggies 1/2 grilled chicken, hummus, harissa, crazy feta, cucumber, tomatoes & onions, and kalamata olives with skhug on the side!
-Living vicariously through the pictures Kathleen was sending our family after sweet Elle’s first dance recital. Both of my sisters and I grew up dancing, and I think we’ve all been waiting for the day for our kids/nieces to get to start dance.
-When the Ole Miss wedding proved two things you never knew you needed on the dance floor: fake mustaches and a 90’s country cover band.
-What a night celebrating The Kells! Way too much fun with this whole group.
-Powered through the rain and a hangover to go scope out Target’s new designer collab collection with Aleix, Rixo, and more. While everything was very fun and bright, the sizes were already limited to only very small and very large left, and most pieces were a little lackluster IRL.
-Simple Sunday scramble for dinner: 3 eggs, sauteed heirloom tomatoes and red onion, fresh basil, pesto, and parm on top!

Annie

Bites of My Life

Look how colorful these bites are! Last week was low key, but fun. Had time to cook healthy dinners, play tennis, and enjoy the beautiful weather. Kicked off the weekend by doing dinner with my bestie and her husband who were in town Friday. Las Palmas is always a winner. If you are in Dallas and haven’t been, add it to your list. The weekend included two engagements for two great couples and a fun Mother’s day celebrash with Peter’s fam. The pit of the weekend is a nasty cough I caught that has carried into the week ☹️

-Pickled red onions are the best use of leftover onion. Here’s my quickie recipe.
-Cinco de Mayo fajitas cooked on the flat top!
-A meal straight from the freezer. Mustard marinated salmon and roasted frozen broccoli (I used Liz Moody’s method).
-Walter workout! Been back on my strength grind with Walter on Obe!
-Cava is it! I love this Mediterranean fast-casual spot. Started in DC and hadn’t had it much since I lived there. I try to eat lunch at home during the week, but when I splurge I crave Cava.
-Pretty patterns spotted while doing some shopping on Friday after selling the near entirety of my spring/summer wardrobe.
-Saturday oat milk latte with stolen bites of Peter’s jalapeño, bacon, and cheddar croissant from my favorite neighborhood spot!
-A necessary walk through the amazing new RH Restoration Hardware that just opened in Dallas. It’s massive and beautiful and I’m counting down until I treat myself to a meal at the rooftop restaurant.
-Mother’s Day shrimp and grits. Wasn’t with my momma this year, but she assured me she still had a great day!

Annie

Bites of My Life

Marathon weekend my goodness! It felt good to be in Dallas all week and weekend, but my weekend was packed to the brim. I’m surprisingly more energized on this Monday morning than I thought I would be. After a fun dinner and night out Friday, then a Farmer’s Market run, private afternoon concert, and a wedding Saturday, to go straight into a baby shower and another concert Sunday, I’m not sure how I made it through.

-No need to make your own, when Central Market’s Maryland-style crab cakes are so good!
-Jose’s Verde Pozole is back for the summer, so a weekday lunch date for Jordan and I was a must to welcome back our favorite menu item.
-Dinner with 3 of my favorite girls at my favorite restaurant. Switched up my order a bit and I know it will be my new go-to. Order this at Alamo Club -> Kale Salad, swap the dressing with for the Miso Caesar.
-Tried Sprezza for the first time Friday night. The bucatini and decaf espresso martini have me dying to go back.
-How good is this rainbow clutch. The perfect festive accessory from Rent the Runway.
-Celebrated our Britty bride and Will!
-The cutest baby shower venue tucked into the Dallas Arboretum.
-Dallas gal pals + some celebrating Libby and baby girl Poppy coming soon!
-Official Mt. Joy groupie status with this crew. Marks #5 and already have plans to see them a 6th time this fall.

Annie

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

So happy to be home, so happy to be back in Dallas. I absolutely loved being in Oklahoma City with my parents for so long, but being back here, with my friends, in my cute apartment, it feels right. Last week flew by as I made a conscious effort to have something to look forward to each day. Wether it was a planned walk with a friend, a backyard Cinco de Mayo party, first time going to a restaurant, or a a recipe I leisurely spent cooking.

Quarantining with my parents taught me to enjoy the evening. In the past, I would shut my computer around 5 or so, soon after heat up food I had prepped on Sunday, and be done eating by 5:30. That then left about 4 hours of sitting on my couch all night. I’m working on changing my routine and establishing a more leisurely evening. Once I wrap up work I’ll put my phone in my bedroom, watch some news (big Nightly News with Lester Holt fan!!), and then maybe make a cocktail or a mocktail of just sparkling water with a splash of grapefruit juice. Around 6 or 6:30 I’ll put on a playlist (I’ve been really into music over TV), put on my apron, and start cooking dinner. Taking small steps to make the evening more special and not something that I just glaze through has been really nice. Encourage you to do the same!

-Just a big ole plate of roasted shishito peppers for my first night back in Dallas.
-Finally wrote out the recipe for the cocktail I’ve been drinking all of quarantine and plan to all summer.
-Slightly obnoxious, but we will call it cute when 5 out 6 girls at our backyard Cinco de Mayo fiesta were donning their Mi Golondrina.
-WFH = blue light glasses, my Perfect Green Smoothie, and wrinkled pants.
-My attempt to make the Trader Joe’s kale gnocchi pretty and taste delicious. I did the best I could but there is no way to make those little green things pretty. My verdict - they are fine.
-Happy to be reunited with the best sushi in Dallas. It’s Oishii in case you didn’t know.
-Laying out in the park with Marge and 100 others. It’s really fun to see the number of people who have fled to the outdoors to picnic, fish, layout, etc. One of the many things I hope sticks around after all of this.
-Added some life to my apartment over the weekend.
-In addition to my plant purchase, I also potted basil, mint, rosemary, and cilantro. Having fresh herbs at your fingertips is kind of everything. Use my surplus of basil for a sun-dried tomato, basil, and mozzarella omelet.

Annie

Morning bite: Hope you saw last week’s breakfast post, a classic Tucker recipe I loved sharing!