Bites of My Life

Not a proponent of short weeks after all, anyone else? Starting the week on a Tuesday is no bueno. I felt rushed and unorganized all week. Despite yesterday being a busy Monday, and this post coming to you on a Tuesday, I already feel better about how this week is unfolding.

I was back home in OKC (again), but for some really good friend’s and kind of family wedding. In Dallas this weekend and next for the first time in what feels like for forever.

-Favorite non-egg Whole 30 breakfast: 1 banana sliced and laid out, drizzle of almond or cashew butter, tahini and sprinkled with cinnamon.
-Ate this for lunch everyday last week. Swapped the potatoes for a purple and regular sweet potato and loved it with the tahini mustard sauce for a non-meat Whole30 meal!
-Barely slept last Thursday night and all the early morning workout classes I wanted to take were full. Groggy eyed I made it through this arm workout before leaving for the airport. Only 15 minutes and such a burnout.
-After a bit of a slow start I’m really getting into Where The Crawdads Sing and only have about 50 pages left.
-Weekend meals on Whole30 and at my parents were very makeshift, but I made it happen. Lots of snack plates with salami, avocado, fruit and either olives, nuts or plantain chips. Besides a glass of wine Friday and Saturday night, I held strong all weekend.
-Such a fun night celebrating the new Mr. and Mrs. Krenger. Chloe married my BIL’s brother so we are now just one big happy family!
-Honored that Chloe and Joseph asked me to make Perfect CCC’s for their wedding. They forgo dinner and did a massive desserts only table at their reception. Not to brag, but my cookies were easily the first to go.
-Shishito peppers. The EASIEST thing to make why I don’t do this more is beyond me? My parents started getting a farm fresh delivery of fruits, veggies and eggs, so we cooked these up as a snack Sunday. Just a little oil in a cast iron skillet, roast the peppers about 7 minutes until they blister. Sprinkle with flaky salt and lemon zest and you are done.
-Got home around 7:45 Sunday night and shoveled down some sweet potato chips with salsa for a very sad Whole30 dinner before unpacking, showering and falling into bed.

Annie

Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Perfect CCCs

Celiacs and lactose rejoice! Perfect CCC’s free of dairy and gluten are here and just as perfect. I quote my father when I say, (my very non-lactose and non-gluten free father) “These gluten-free and dairy-free cookies are the (insert bomb emoji here).”

Coconut oil replaces the butter and dairy-free chocolate chips are used in replacement of the original stuff. I use gluten-free flour for a 1:1 swap for all purpose and they come out great! Just make sure to chop your chocolate up so you get specs of chocolate throughout, and you must sprinkle with flaky Maldon salt to get the Perfect CCC signature touch!

Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Perfect CCCs
yields 30 cookies

Ingredients:
1/2  cup melted coconut oil (measures 1/2 cup as a liquid, not solidified)
1/2 cup olive oil (use a basic, not fancy olive oil)
3¼ cups gluten-free flour (i use this brand)
1 ¼ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 ½ cups light or dark brown sugar, firmly packed*
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
12 ounces, Enjoy Life dairy-free chocolate chips, roughly chopped (key step)
Maldon salt

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

In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl mix both sugars. *You can use light or dark brown sugar. I like a dark cookie so I prefer dark brown sugar, but I switch off depending on what I have on hand. Pour the melted coconut oil and olive oil into the bowl with the sugars and whisk until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking to combine. Stir in the vanilla.

In two batches, add the dry ingredients into the oil sugar mixture. I use a wooden spoon to incorporate. Once the dough has almost come together, but still a little floury, add the chopped dairy-free chocolate chips.
*I roughly chop my chocolate chips, so I can get more chocolate in each bite. I also love those little shavings of chocolate sprinkled through the dough! 

Form 2-3 tablespoon size balls. I use a 2 tbsp. size cookie scoop, but overload the scoop a little bit to get a larger ball of dough. Place them on a cookie sheet 2 inches apart and fluff them a bit*. Do not overcrowd the pan. Sprinkle the top of each cookie with flaky Maldon salt and any extra chocolate bits leftover from chopping.

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.

TIPS:
Olive Oil: I note above, but when it comes to olive oil, please use a basic light olive oil. Nothing fancy or imported from Greece. You don’t want your cookies to taste like olives. I use Trader Joe’s or Bertolli light olive oil.

Chocolate: I feel most comfortable using Enjoy Life brand of dairy-free chocolate morsels. I opt for the chunks because they chop up best which is a key step of Perfect CCC. You can however you any brand of dairy-free chocolate morsels you like. Even super dark chocolate will work, just check the ingredients to make sure there isn’t any milk added.

Sugars: Do NOT, I repeat, do not use Trader Joe’s cane sugar or brown sugar. I love their olive oil for this recipe, but their organic cane sugar and brown sugar does not cut it. I’ve had multiple people, including myself, use these two sugars and say their cookies didn’t turn out. The sugars are not granulated enough. I don’t know quite how to explain it, but they are too corse and lead to a weird texture in the cookie. I have not tested this recipe with coconut sugar so I can not speak to how that will work.

*Fluffing stage: After using the cookie scoop, I give the cookies a “fluff.” Simply just rough the cookies up a bit so more chocolate chips are showing on the top and they are more rustic looking balls of dough instead of perfectly scooped. Then sprinkle with Maldon and more chocolate if needed.

Annie

And if you want all the butter and gluten, look no further.

Bites of My Life

Finished all of Southern Charm in 3 weeks, anyone else a SC fan? Finished another book. I'm crazy! Public scooters are in OKC. Celebrated National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day and enjoyed a weekend with zero plans. Great first week August, good job.

-Quinoa Taco Salad updated a bit and on repeat for dinner all last week. Left our the beans and cheese and added sliced radish!
-When in Norman, must make a stop at Midway. It tasted better than I remembered. 
-Popped up at the ole KKG house last week to help Maddie sell her designs to the cute current Kappas. Oh the mems that house holds!
-Any Gilmore Girl needs to read Lauren Graham's "Talking As Fast As I Can."
-BIRD landed in OKC last week and we are all geeking out over these trendy public scooters.
-Haven't had a good Italian meal in a hot minute. Good wine, better pasta, tons of bread and great friends was the recipe for a great Friday night.
-Perfect CCCs packaged and delivered to friends, family and co-workers to celebrate #NationalChocolateChipCookieDay!
-Still reading. Still can't believe myself. Still have taste in books equivalent to an 18 year old. 
-Miss Chloe --> Aunt Chloe. So excited Chlo and Joe are engaged!

Annie

S'more Cookies

I'm heading to the lake with my family later today and I was tasked with bringing the "treats." Do I go with the classic Perfect CCC's? I could. Do I take the easy way out and just buy s'more ingredients? No, because it's 100+ in Oklahoma right now and the last thing I want to do is stand around a fire. 

So instead, I will combine the two. As if my Perfect CCC's and a s'more had a baby, I give you S’mores Cookies. The ultimate summer lake trip treat.

They are everything you love in a Perfect CCC (hello flaky Maldon Salt) mixed with graham crackers, marshmallows, and a Hershey's chocolate bar. I can think of nothing better right now. I will also take this moment to profess my love affair with Graham Crackers. The most underrated cookie/cracker. They are the perfect after dinner snack. Shmear on a little Cookie Butter or almond butter and you are golden. Graham Crackers I love you. S’more Cookies, I love you too!

S’more Cookies
yields 32-36 cookies

Ingredients:
1  cup unsalted butter, melted
3 cups all purpose flour
1 ¼ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 ½ cups light or dark brown sugar, firmly packed*
½ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, chopped
1 Hershey’s Chocolate Bar, chopped
2 cups mini marshmallows
1 sleeve Graham Crackers (9 crackers total)
Maldon Salt

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

Divide your graham crackers into stacks of 4 and 5. Take the 5 graham crackers and place in a large ziplock bag. Using a rolling pin crush the crackers into fine crumbs. This mixture will be added to the dry ingredients, so you want them to be very fine. Pour into a bowl and set aside. Then, take the 4 graham crackers and break them up into small pieces. Small enough to be mixed into the dough, but still in chunks. *see photo above for reference.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, fine graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl mix both sugars. *You can use light or dark brown sugar. I like a dark cookie so I prefer dark brown sugar, but I switch off depending on what I have on hand. Pour the melted butter into the bowl with the sugars and whisk until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking to combine. Stir in the vanilla.

Slowly add the dry ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture. I found a wooden spoon to be the easiest for this job. Once the dough has almost come together, add the chocolate chips, marshmallows, graham cracker chunks and 3/4 of the chopped Hershey's bar.
Reserve a few marshmallows, graham cracker chunks and 1/4 of the chopped Hershey bar for topping the balls of cookie dough.

Form 2-3 tablespoon size balls. I used a standard size cookie scoop, but overload the scoop getting a larger ball of dough. Place them on a cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Do not overcrowd the pans. I got 10 balls of dough on a pan. Take your reserved chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallows and top each ball of dough with a little of each. Then sprinkle the top of each cookie with flaky Maldon salt. 

Bake for 9-11 minutes, rotating the pan around halfway through. Bake until just slightly golden. 

Don't fear, the marshmallows will ooze out and go all over the pan.  For a prettier cookie, take the cookies while they are still warm and using either you fingers or a knife, pull off and trim away the oozy marshmallow. You are simply just cleaning up your cookies. 

Annie

Bites of My Life

One week 'till Christmas! I've really loved this Christmas season. It seems to me the older you get the more holiday parties and Christmas celebrations there are. I must mention that all the events can sometimes be exhausting, but I've really enjoyed all the reasons to be together with various groups of people who mean the most to me. This past week including various meals in bowls (LOL, but really see below), a concert, a catering(!!!), a floral arranging class, best friends Christmas party, a visit to see my sweet Gaga, a visit from cousins I haven't seen in forever, precious time with my Elle girl and playing Mrs. Claus delivering fresh baked cookies to my besties. 

-Turmeric smoothie bowl made with the help of these and this.
-Robert Earl Keen with my Fam-O-Lee made for my 4th time seeing REK, but this time at The Jones Assembly!
-While battling a nasty cold at the beginning of the week, I had a major craving for some healing oatmeal. I made a big batch of steel-cut oats and ate them various ways through the week. Seen here as a savory version served with a sunny-side up egg and avo for lunch. 
-Bowls, bowls, all type of bowls. I prefer to eat smoothies and protein shakes from a bowl.
-Oats appearing again with cinnamon apples!
-Peppermint Mocha Protein Shake, bowl style.
-Take A Bite caters! Loved getting ask to make the food for a friend's company Christmas party! 
-Donut dreams came true thanks to Holey Rollers. 
-What breakfast looks like most days. Shoveled in to my mouth with one hand while applying mascara with the other. 
-Dancer, Prancer, Comet, Cupid, Elle and Annie!
-Special day at Elle's baptism. 
-Perfect CCCs decked for Christmas made for the best edible gift for my besties.