Bites of My Life

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It's the last day of March and we are starting to get in to the thick of spring. I love spring. I love the warm weather, the blooming flowers and the way it pulls you out of your winter blues. Although, spring is always a stressful time of year. A billion activities always come up, mostly fun, but time consuming. Then my motivation tends to go out the window right at the time every teacher decides to give a last minute test or make an assignment due. 
I'm forcing myself to do a spring spruce up this week. Not like cleaning out my closet or buying fresh flowers like all those Pinterest spring to-do lists tell you, but just to do a check-up. This is about the time New Years resolutions start slipping and I feel like I'm just letting things happen instead of being active about things. With spring in full swing, I'm checking up on myself and making sure I recommit to my goals I made at the beginning of the year. Am I focusing on only doing things I love? Am I seizing the day or insuring I turn my bad moods in to good moods? 
Like I said earlier, spring is always a busy time of year. Last week was show week. My sorority and I were paired up with a fraternity to create a 12 minute singing and dancing show. All last week we had final practices then shows 3 nights a week. It was busy, but such a blast. I also celebrated one of my best friends 21st birthday's and had mom in town for mom's weekend. A relaxing sunday and cookout with friends ended the week. Now let's get April started.
-The little things in life really just get me sometimes and the new pink La Boulange coffee sleeves Starbucks is using just makes me so happy. I'm a girl, I like pink, so be it. 
-Took the audience back to 1789 as we performed our show based during the French Revolution. "DU and KKG, long live the king!"
-21st birthdays are too fun. HBD Megs!
-Love celebrating momma on Mom's Weekend in Norman!
-The components of Sunday night's cookout. We tried to be fancy with our shell mac and cheese and brie and guacamole burgers. 
Sorry for the lengthy text. When I get to thinking I feel the need to tell y'all everything on my mind. 
xo annie

Niiiiiiii Swaaaaaaaah Salad

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Funny name, serious salad. Niçoise salad (pronounced ni-swah) is a french salad typically full of tuna, tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, niçoise olives, artichokes and vinaigrette. You may find green beans, onions and potatoes added. Niçoise olives originate in an area near the Alps called Nice, giving the salad its name. 

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I can't remember the first time I had this salad all I know is a few years ago I would have been repulsed by most of the ingredients. Olives? no, hard boiled egg? ew, canned tuna? absolutely not. Now I'll pretty much eat anything.

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Niçoise Salad
serves one

Ingredients:
2 cups of baby spinach
1/2 can of canned tuna
1/4 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1/4 cup kalamta olives
2 Tbsp. chopped red onion
1 egg, hard or soft-boiled
any light vinaigrette
optional toppings-capers, chopped parsley

Directions:
Boil your egg in a small sauce pan filled with enough water to cover your pan. I made a soft-boiled egg instead of the traditional hard-boiled egg. This was by accident because I didn't cook it long enough, but I ended up loving it. Bring your water to a boil then reduce to a simmer and let your egg cook for 15 minutes for a hard-boiled egg and about 10 minutes for a soft-boil.

While your egg is cooking, gather your other ingredients and chop your veggies. Assemble your salad then top with your egg. If it is hard boiled, chop it up. If it is soft you can get the dramatic result of breaking the yolk and watching it run through your salad (I find way to much pleasure from this). Drizzle with a little vinaigrette and sprinkle with parsley and capers. 

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Look at that runny egg perfection.

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Bon appetit!

Annie

See, Eat, Do Charleston

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As you probably know, last weekend I was in Charleston with mom, dad and middle sis. The town was a little different then I expected. That's the first thing, it's a town not a city, it's tiny. Although, it is the most charming little place with cobblestone roads, colorful houses and the streets filled with horse drawn carriages. The town seemed to be full of older couples vacationing there or college kids roaming the streets in oversized t's and nikes or Lily Pulitzer dresses. It was funny to see the mix, but it made it unique. 

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Per usual Tucker vay cay, it was all about the food. We made it to Charleston with only dinner reservations and didn't have plans for anything else. It was nice being able to just make up our plans as we went. We shopped on the infamous King Street, took a carriage tour, walked the palm tree lined streets, and ate a lot. Mom and sis and I wondered through the College of Charleston campus on our last afternoon. It was so preppy and we all agreed we felt like we were in an episode of Gilmore Girls. Below is more of what we saw, ate and did in charming Charleston.

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See:
-The houses in Charleston run perpendicular to the street with two or three story porches called piazzas. These porches allow for the winds to run through them and cool down the houses in the heat of the summer. 
-The houses look like they are out of a coloring book. They are all pink or yellow or blue etc. with wrought iron fences and painted shutters. Even the buildings on the campus look this way.

Eat:
-Excuse the overload of pictures. I felt the need to show you almost every meal I had. 
-My favorite dinner was at Peninsula Grill. I had the grouper with the shaved brussels sprout salad and almond brown butter sauce. We finished the meal with their famous 12-layer coconut cake. Apparently it is Bobby Flay's favorite dessert.
-Other dishes included the duck confit salad at Cru, ricotta gnocchi at FIG, chicken and waffles, biscuits with whipped honey butter and the southern traditional dish of she crab soup at Poogan's Porch and brioche french toast at Hall's gospel Sunday brunch. 

Do:
-While dad caught up on some March Madness, I may have led mom and Kathleen on a hike through Charleston to find Sugar Bakeshop. I had read so much about it and wasn't leaving till we found it. The tiny bakery crammed people in, but I patiently waited for my pistachio cupcake.
-We also stumbled apon the cutest specialty market right off King Street. I had read about Caviar and Bananas but it was even better in person. I have a week spot for specialty food stores. 
-Mom is apparently an Instagram queen but we introduced her to Snapchat on the trip...don't kill me for posting this Kathleen.
-We were also able to walk every where which made eating carb heavy dishes at every meal seem somewhat okay. 

It was the best little long weekend trip and I highly recommend the city! It was fun playing southern belle for a few days!

Annie

Bites of My Life

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I'm home and spring break is officially over. People say, "it's always good to leave and it's always good to come home." I'm usually one who's excited for getting back into a routine of things, but this time I'm not ready. My carb loaded vacation diet can end, but does the relaxation have to?
As usual, when I'm home that means lot's of cooking and eating. Before we left, I was in the kitchen as much as possible. Besides pictures of cutie Charleston, all the pictures I had from the past week were of food. Look forward to some recipe posts coming up!
{Spring Break Food Bites}
 -A yummy green smoothie to start St. Patricks day right. I posted the recipe here.
-Homemade niçoise salad later that day for lunch. I'll be posting the recipe later this week and explain what exactly this salad is if you are unfamiliar. 
-First baked good to come from my new KitchenAid! My "Pot of Golden Raisin Irish Soda Bread." The recipe for this bread got posted last week.
-Final meal on St. Patrick's day was steak and shrimp kabobs done by dad and israeli couscous and Ina's Pesto Pea Salad made by mom and I. We had to serve this salad, not only because it's our favorite, but because of all the greens. I think I've mentioned before how I like celebrating holiday's with the appropriate food.
-Leftover soda bread was the base for my avocado toast. Avocado toast is all the rage if you didn't know and it is for a reason, it's dang good. Smashed avocado mixed with a little salt then sprinkled with red pepper flakes.
-Tuesday night Kathleen highlighted my hair (don't worry we do it all the time) and made me this delish sweet potato meal. Check out the recipe on A Peony For Your Thoughts.
-I bought dad an at-home brew kit for Christmas. It was a little more than we bargained for and spring break was the first available time we could devote enough attention to do it. This picture shows pouring the sparge through the mash to create the wort. Does that sound like gibberish? Ya it did to us to, hence why our beer may be borderline poisonous after its 4 weeks of fermenting, but we are going to let it do its thing and hope for the best.
-Last week I got some really exciting news about my summer plans, so the only appropriate way to celebrate was with a burger. Urban Johnnie is a must if you live in the OKC area. Order the Johnnie the Greek Burger and the buffalo dum dums to start, you won't be disappointed. 
Thursday morning the fam and I hopped on a plane to (LAX) Charleston, SC. Charleston is much smaller than I realized, but still has the good perks of a big city! We ate tons of southern food, took a carriage ride, walked the city and still did lots of relaxing. Here are a few pics to tide you over until my full post tomorrow. 

{Charleston Bites}
-After dinner coffee at our hotel bar while our good buddy Calvin entertained us with some southern jazz.
-Chicken and waffles with spicy blackberry syrup from Poogan's Porch.
-Charleston looks like a coloring book with its pink, yellow and blue houses!
-When in Charleston, eat food named after the city.
Back to the grind!
xo annie