Bites of My Life

I had the realization that I’m going to be away from Dallas the next four weekends. After a sheer panic I calmed down knowing it’s all for good reasons. This weekend is Maddie’s bachelorette, followed by Labor Day/first OU game, a wedding and a work event. I honestly just love my time in Dallas and don’t like the idea of being gone so much. Just when I thought summer was the busy season and ready for the structure of fall, the new season hit me with it’s craziness.

-First visit to Flower Child and I’m hooked. Mother Earth bowl because it’s what you do.
-Cheers to two full months in Dallas and having these friends to eat my way through the city with. We went to the hot new Te Deseo on Tuesday. We loved it, but pro-tip: sit in the bar or courtyard if you can.
-3-Bean salad packed with vegan protein was prepped for lunches last week and is coming to the blog tomorrow!
-Pressed Juicery had it’s grand opening last week and I shamelessly waited in line at 7AM to claim my free item. I have bought their juices before (which are great), but had never tried a “freeze” until now. Being that the ingredients are so minimal I didn’t even feel weird eating it for breakfast. It 100% lives up to the hype.
-I had big plans to make this for dinners last week. After busy work days I had zero energy to even boil water so a big salad using the pasta’s ingredients did the job.
-Working on my matcha guide for Dallas. I’ve heard great things about Drip, but there matcha didn’t stand up…
-I was co-maid of honor for both of my sisters, but being maid of honor for one of my best friends is really special. Maddie was in Dallas this weekend to wedding dress shop and invited me along. I feel incredibly honored to have been part of the process. Seeing her firsthand in the dress (she said yes!!!) is something I’ll never forget. It’s a stunner. Celebratory sparklers at lunch to honor the day!
-Followed by rounds and rounds of ranch waters with her dress shopping squad.
-My contribution to Hatch Chili “fam” dinner. A group of some new friends here in Dallas got together Sunday night to cook up as many Central Market Hatch Chili items as we could. There were hatch chili tortilla chips with hatch chili guac and hatch chili sausage for appetizers, hatch chili burgers with hatch chili pepper jack, hatch chili marinated beer can chicken, my hatch chili corn succotash and broccolini grilled with hatch chilis. Finished off with cheesecake…no hatch chilis involved there.

Annie

Bites of My Life

Last week started and ended well I can’t say it didn’t, but several parts of last week had me feeling off and foggy headed. I mentioned this to a few people today and got similar responses. Were they just agreeing with me to sympathize or was the Mercury in retrograde again?? I mention this because last weeks photos look like roses, food and sunshine, but a picture isn’t always worth a thousand words…

Anyone else off last week? Maybe the Texas heat wave is just making me loopy!

-A basic lunch, but one that always hits the spot (and is super easy yet still impressive. My co-working space co-workers were all oohing and over of this simple meal). Two brown rice cakes, one with smashed avo the other with almond butter and fruit of choice.
-The Defined Dish’s Thai Larb is becoming a weekday staple, I use sambal olek instead of fresh chilis and serve it salad style.
-Doing things with Outdoor Voices and Olivia in the midst of the Texas heat and Klyde Warren Park! There is some kind of free workout going on everyday here (which I love to take advantage of).
-Wine Wednesday with one of my Dallas besties and her new V I E W.
-Hosted a giveaway with Made by Maddie last week to show off these incred new tin plates she is carrying on her site. The response to the giveaway was insane (over 1,000 entries)!! She has more colors coming in, but you can shop her plate inventory here.
-In other MBM how great are these lemons she gifted me!
-After having an off day Thursday it was to refreshing to grab dinner with a new friend at one of our mutually favorite spots, Honor Bar.
-To help be more productive on Fridays, I like to work from a coffee shop where I can have some inspiring surroundings and treat myself to a matcha. Went to Merit last week and the matcha was hundo p.
-Taylor in town!
-My bestie came down and we had the best time bopping around Dallas.
-I love a successful random fridge meal.
-Trying out a new overnight oats recipe that, mainly so I can use my new meal prep jars. The recipe -> 1/3 cup rolled oats, 1/3 cup almond milk, 2 tablespoons chia seeds, 1 teaspoon almond butter and lots of cinnamon.

Annie

Binge bite: If you aren’t watching Queer Eye on Netflix, stop what you are doing and add it to your queue. I started watching it a few weeks ago after my sister recommended it and I can’t stop watching. It is the most uplifting positive show and they way the fab 5 changes these people’s lives gets my crying every time. I started on the current season 4 and I’d recommend you do the same!

Also while we are on the binge watching category, I’m HOOKED on the Gourmet Makes videos from Bon Appetit. Y’all know I love BA, but this video series has taken my obsession to another level. I’ve watched every video Claire has made, but her recent experiment with gourmet Pop Tarts was a favorite. And also had me cravvvvving a Pop Tart.

Bites of My Life

AUUUGGGUUUSSSTTT HOW? July you speed demon! Anyway, I’m fine with it, I guess…Perks of adult life is not having the return of the school year looming over you.

This past week was a standard week. Just working in anticipation of the first annual BBR (big blue reunion) with my college besties at Lake LBJ! It was a perfect weekend of junk food, time on the lake, girl talk, catching up and just getting to all be back together now that we are strewn across Oklahoma and Texas. The weekend came and went wayyyy to soon.

-With a lake trip in sight, Perfect CCCs and Banana Bread were my contributions. TBH I forget how good my banana bread is until I make it. It seriously is the best! I love making two loaves and freezing one for a rainy day.
-A very Dallas night out at the swanky Park House deserved to be documented. However their no social media ruled, resulted in a shameless bathroom selfie.
-Easily my favorite easy week night meal.
-I loved opening my door and sharing my apartment tour last week. Thank you for the overwhelming response to my little oasis.
-Big ups to Marge for the custom visors. Sucker for a party favor!
-Love being with my health food freak Claire! She served us Siete chips, cashew queso and gluten free waffles all weekend!
-First and not last Big Blue Reunion! Got all of our college best friends together for a lake weekend to reunite.
-Sun setting on Lake LBJ!
-Got home from the lake and needed some serious greens after all the tortilla chips and White Claws consumed. I tried the Mint Chip smoothie from Brewed + Pressed and now I have to figure out how I can budget an $11 smoothie because that will not be the last time I order it.

Annie

Bite of toast: A bop for your first full week of August!

Dallas Home Tour

Greetings from Texas! I’ve officially been here for a month and half and feeling rather settled for a somewhat short time frame. People couldn’t believe how quickly I got things unpacked and organized, but that’s just how I roll. I’m the kind of person who gets home from vacation and unpacks my suitcase and starts laundry the second I walk in the door.

My Dallas apartment is a little 650 square foot one-bedroom that I couldn’t love more. I love the white walls, marble countertops and windows. I’ve become my mother’s child and only rely on lamp light, so the natural light is incredible.

I’m oddly lucky to have had almost everything I needed for my new space. I bought one rug and that is it. Being the baby of the family has huge perks, and in this case, years of furniture falling into my lap. Almost all of the pieces you see have been with me from college, to my first house post-grad, and then my second house, and now my apartment.

Majority of my furniture is years, even decade old hand-me-downs. My navy velvet chair? It used to be a silk chartreuse toile fabric and I’ve known it to be in my parents formal living room since I was born. My mom recovered and gifted it to me a few years ago. I love how most pieces have a little story and memory attached to them. See my coffee table? It’s from the OU Kappa house.

My dining room table is older than me. I spent all my years growing up eating dinner at that table and it continues to serve me the same in my own place. As for the chairs, they are new, and cheap! My artwork ranges from HomeGoods finds, to Gray Malin, to Craig Tucker (my dad) originals!! I have a large canvas above my couch - painted by dad! As for the few new pieces, most of my homewares are from HomeGoods, Amazon, RugsUSA, and Ikea. I’ve linked as much as I can in my ‘Home Sweet Home’ list on Amazon and at the bottom of this post.

I got this acrylic bar cart for Christmas last year. It’s from HomeGoods, but I found a similar one here. Due to space issues we piled up all of my cookbooks on the bottom shelf, but I actually love all the pops of color they give off.

Many o’ Perfect CCCs have already been baked in this oven. The kitchen space is limited, but just right for one! If you are looking for the perfect housewarming gift, please check out my friend Kate at Kate & Co. She monograms the cutest towels, cocktail napkins and more. My best friends sent me off with this pink turkish towel before I left and I love having it prominently displayed on my oven.

Kudos to my incredible parents for assisting with the move and being the ultimate coffee table stylers and shelf hanging folks I know.

My home is where my heart is (and where Southern Charm is always on loop).

Annie

I’ve linked as many pieces as I can in my ‘Home Sweet Home’ list on Amazon as well as individual links below. If you have questions about a specific piece, feel free to ask in the comments or email me!

Bedroom Rug
Ikea Leirvik Bed Frame
Gray Malin Waikiki Print
West Elm Bedding
The Best Amazon Sheets
Beige Pom Pom Throw (similar)
Ikea Floating Shelves
Mini Light Box
Acrylic Picture Frames
Acrylic Chair
Acrylic Bar Cart (similar)
Eames Chairs, set of 4
Coffee Table Books
Nest ‘Bamboo’ 3-wick candle
Living Room Rug
Navy Throw Pillows
Pink Monogrammed Turkish Towel
Pink KitchenAid Mixer
Wooden Salt Container
Williams Sonoma Monogrammed Marble Cutting Board

If you buy something through my links, I may earn an affiliate commission.

Bites of My Life

I always write the photo descriptions first when I sit down to write my bites post. I didn’t even realize until I was typing out all of lasts weeks happenings based on the photos I shared, but man, last week was full of so many connections. With two friends from home in town at two different times, one of my best college friends who lives in London home, coffee with an internet friend, dinner with newish friends, drinks with good friends and more. Even in a new city, my roots are feeling strong and connected.

-New workout and a new job! I’m now working two early mornings a week at Pilates/Tread Barre in Dallas. Praise be to extra cash and free classes!
-After years of connecting on instagram, I loved getting to meet my friend Maegan aka The Baker Mama in real life!
-I’ve wanted to do this since I first read Bread & Wine, but finally found the group to host a dinner party inspired by my favorite book.
-On the menu was Shauna Niequist’s watermelon feta salad, sweet potato fries and mar-a-lago turkey burgers all from her book Bread and Wine.
-Sleepover with MK at The Joule! She was here for work and I gladly took her up on the invite for a GNO in a fancy hotel room.
-Downtown Dallas was quiet and so pretty early Friday morning when I checked out.
-Early drive to Fort Worth to make a visit with my Londoner Meg work with our schedules.
-Pineapple on your pizza. For or against? I’m for it and for a second trip to Louie’s! Quickly becoming my favorite place in Dallas.
-After a slow start to Monday, a few girl friends and I did ranch waters and Mexican food in Deep Ellum then came up north for live music and rounds and rounds of kings on the corner at Henry’s Majestic Saturday night.
-Posted my Trader Joe’s grocery haul on instagram stories yesterday and got a wildly positive response. I love that people love groceries as much as me.
-Explored the Bishop Arts district for the first time this week and I’m anxious to go back. It’s southwest of downtown Dallas and off the beaten path, but full of the quaintest shops and restaurants.
-Loved having Trinian in from OKC! She said yes to the dress with her mom in Dallas and we said yes to meeting up for happy hour and shopping the next day!

Annie