Guest Post: Sense Appeal XXIX

MB here taking over TAB for the day from BOD. Some call me Moll and for a few it's Bridge, but all of you probably know me as Annie's blogger bestie. 

I'm honored to have that title and to guest post today, sharing my 29th edition from my regular 'Sense Appeal' series. It looks, feels and sounds (pun intended) a lot like Annie's 'Bites of My Life' posts with a focus on what has especially aroused each one of my senses in the past week. 

for the eyes: 

Inspiration board at the Camille Styles office fed our creative juices on the fifth and final day of the work week, Friday!

Click here to see me and Olivia's original, orange bloody mary that went live yesterday on the site. 

for the mind:

I watched the sun rise on Sunday and Monday morning. Until my Dallas friends reminded me how unpleasant their trek home is on I-35, I took the scenic trip to Houston for granted. 

So, this weekend, I soaked it up for all it was worth, finding it all the more therapeutic in the wee hours of the morning. It reminded me of this article, noting how we can take "immense pleasure in the natural world [because] all the natural world bears the stamp of the God that made it." 

for the ears:

A story in lieu of a song this go-around. 

I'm studying visual communications for my thesis, so Sister Corita Kent's ability to look at pop culture images "from a slightly different angle" spoke to me. 

She makes art out of ads, turning mere marketing into powerful messages like in this Beatles poster: 

Listen here for more on how this nun made a lasting and loving influence on the world of pop art. 

fashion for feel:

In need of a mid-weight jacket on a mild Texas winter day, I bent (broke, really) the fashion rule of avoiding white before Easter with this blazer from Chico's. 

Chanel had a spare after this shoot and encouraged me to add it to my closet, the perfect addition to the more professional wardrobe I'm building slowly but surely. 

for taste:

Grandma's hummus spread on Ezekiel english muffins, topped with barely pickled cucumbers. 

I've never pegged myself a picky eater. I'm not even partial when it comes to one part of the food pyramid over the next; though lately, my taste buds are becoming more selective when it comes to my favorites. 

I'll forever be the number one fan of brussels from Fresa's and pitas from Smoothie Island. And in today's grocery store landscape where hummus varieties are as vast as cereal, I choose grandma every. single. time.

I finally made my way to grandma's (now operated by granddaughter) kitchen, The Mediterranean Chef Café, where they offer a small lunch menu as well as their wholesale goods. Grandma shows the love as all first timers leave with hummus on the house. 

Hope I too have spread some love and inspiration on my first guest post. Happy Friday's Eve! 

February Failure

I always thought I was against the odds when it came to things. For example, I'm usually pretty good at sticking to goals I have, i.e. New Years Resolutions. Jokes on me. I was committed to my resolutions in January, but shoved them all to the bottom of my priority list during February. 

Today I'm doing a little check up on myself. It's now March, spring is upon us, and it's time I reevaluated what I said I would resolve back in January. I'm hoping by saying my failures out loud it will help me to acknowledge that I need to fix them. I'm not getting down on myself, I'm just realizing there is still time to change. It's only the third month of the year by golly!

Now let's take a look at what I said I would do in 2015:

1. Cooking more from my cookbooks. I said I would cook at least two recipes a month from one of my cookbooks. January was a success, this soup was a winner! The main idea behind this was to take more pauses during the day. Take time to stop, prepare, and cook a meal instead of shoving a bowl full of whatever I could throw together from the fridge. I stole a few cookbooks from mom this weekend to hopefully help me achieve my goal!

2. Texting and driving. This has been my biggest failure and I'm embarrassed to admit it. I have to crack this horrible habit. 

3. Eating more whole foods. I've done pretty well with this one. I eat mainly whole foods anyway but there is the occasional tortilla chip binge that really isn't necessary. I think I'll counteract my chip binge with this Whole-Food Protein Berry smoothie.

4. Revisiting calligraphy. Yup this hasn't happened at all. I paid good money to learn the basics of the skill and I have just been letting it sit on the shelf ever since. I'm about to go pull out all my gear the second I finish this post. 

5. Reading a book. This is a new goal I'm adding with the influence from a friend. It's sad to say but I don't read at all. I've never been a reader. I recently purchased this book per Molly's review and I'm so excited about it. I thought this could be the book to get me reading again. It came in the mail and I've only read five pages. I know what I'll be doing before bed tonight. 

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Okay I've said it out loud now, just keeping things real here on Take a Bite. February was a bit of a failure in the resolution category, but I have high hopes that March will get me back on track. How have your resolutions been going? Anyone else fall off the bandwagon a bit? Let's jump back on in March!

Annie

Bites of My Life

In typical Oklahoma behavior, we had been enjoying touches of spring until winter came back and hit us hard. Last week brought snow, ice and freezing temps. A few snow days here and there didn't have me complaining. After getting through the week with a test, work and school assignments, I unwinded with a friend's birthday then lazy nights at home. Mom bribed me with all the snow day foods she stocked up on I couldn't resist! 

-Avocado toast and broiled grapefruit are my two obsessions these days. They sure do bring some brightness to the dull winter days.

-Coconut curried lentils. Good for the body and warm to the bones. Recipe found here. 

-Played the part of my dream job in last week's restaurant review post.

-Added a fun addition to the site. Click through to my new "Hire Me" tab to see what's up!

-Double Cinnamon Scones recipe is posted. They are perfectly delicious for breakfast, dessert or an afternoon treat.

-Working a job that always has the best catered food is pleasing to the tummy but not quite to the waistline. You're looking at fried green tomato BLT's...like ugh how do your resist?

-Had to be big girl Annie at a fancy pants luncheon last week.

-Cool thing was that I didn't mind at all considering the luncheon was honoring the Tom Brokaw. My school awarded Mr. Brokaw with the Gaylord Prize on Thursday. I sat amongst fellow Journalism college students, professors, alum, and esteemed media professionals. I was having one of those geek-out, I love my school, moments.

-All about that citrus in the winter, even if it looks like a tumor is growing on it.

-Snow days at home are snow days well spent. 

-Walked in to Williams-Sonoma and the Girl Scouts too easily lured us in. We shamelessly walked out with four boxes. 

-Why choose when you can have both? Samoas and trefoils tie for first in my book. 

Annie 

Double Cinnamon Scones

So I have this friend who recently got fixated on me making him scones. Scones, kind of random, but I'm always happy to feed someone's sweet tooth when it gives me a chance to bake. Baking for others is my favorite kind of baking. 

After a few weeks of pestering me for scones, I finally stopped the begging and made these Double Cinnamon scones! They are studded with cinnamon chips and garnished with cinnamon sugar on top!  I used this trusty simple scone recipe and then added my additions!

I didn't have a pastry cutter, but I used the best kitchen tool I own-clean hands, to crumble the mixture together. Slightly sweet but really buttery makes for the perfect scones! 

Double Cinnamon Scones adapted from food.com
yields 8 scones

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
8 Tbsps. cold butter, cut up
1 tsp. cinnamon, plus more for top
1/3 cup sugar, plus more for top
2/3 cup milk
3/4 cup Hershey's cinnamon chips

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Put flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl, stir to mix. Add cut up butter to the bowl. Using a pastry cutter or your hands, combine the mixture until it is in fine granuals. Add sugar, cinnamon, and cinnamon chips; toss to mix. Add milk and stir with a fork until dough forms. It will be very crumbly. 

Turn dough onto a clean surface and form into a ball. Pat or roll into a flat circle about 3/4-1 inch thick. Mix together about 1/4 cup of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the dough. Cut into 8 wedges. 

Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and cook for 12 minutes or until edges are just browning. 

Perfectly baked scones fresh out of the oven. Now for a food photography secret. Here is what this picture looks like zoomed in....

...and here is what it looks like zoomed out. I love our kitchen, but the black countertops and faulty lighting has me resorting to balancing things on the corner of the sink to get the small amount of natural light that comes in from the window. Oh the joys of a rent house and faking I know how to take pictures. 

If I'm being honest, I think this is the first time I've ever successfully made scones. The few times I have they are usually too dry and crumbly or too soft and muffin like. This recipe is trusty and can easily be adapted for another flavors. Sub for chocolate chips or maybe orange zest and dried cranberries?

Annie

Restaurant Review: Scratch Kitchen + Cocktails

Oh boy am I excited for this post. I wrote this summer about my idea of a dream job. If I could just be hired to eat at cool restaurants and write reviews on them for the rest of my life, I'd be the happiest girl. A few weeks ago I got to pretend my dream job was a reality.

With my days in sweet Normantown coming to an end, I've been trying to savor some of my favorite local bites.  Scratch Kitchen + Cocktails is a gem found in Norman's restaurant scene. Located right outside campus, on Historic Main Street, Scratch offers quality ingredient dishes and perfectly crafted cocktails all made from scratch, hence the name. People always ask me what my favorite restaurant is or what I would recommend for a good dinner. Well Scratch is always my answer. 

Now let me walk you through my perfect evening, all crafted from scratch.

I've visited Scratch a handful of times, but my meal was exceptional this go-around. The number one perk from this visit was getting to take a peek inside the kitchen. I've never been in a restaurant kitchen before so you can imagine how giddy I was. 

The hustle and bustle of prepping, cooking, plating and then delivering to guests had me mesmerized. I wanted so badly to throw on an apron and jump behind the stove, but I was warned to stand back. Wise words which I followed. These chefs have it down to a T and didn't need an overly excited girl with a camera to her eye messing up their mojo. Although I was snapping away, they continued to create plates of magical looking food. I wanted to shove everything in my mouth.

Now back to my meal. My sweet friend and go-to dinner date started our meal in Scratch fashion with one of their scratch made cocktails. The menu is always changing as the bartenders continuously come up with new crafted beverages from some of the best libations. 

The Icy Mitt for myself and Giving Up the Gun for my friend. Two grapefruit flavored cocktails, mine with brandy, lemon and lavender syrup, hers with gin, hibiscus and sparkling wine. Those ingredients alone. Lavender syrup? Yup, you got me there. Find their whole scratch cocktail menu here.

Our server Robin really took care of us. I'm notorious for asking my waiter's opinion, but I'm also known for asking them and still making my own decision. Not with Robin, I put all my trust in that girl and she never led us astray. We were doing it big, so by following her suggestion, we started with both the Arancini and Sooner State Board.

Arancini // risotto balls with roasted corn and green chilies, flash-fried and served in chipotle mole sauce // Nothing about that makes it sound like it could be anything but amazing. Which it is. I could order this appetizer as my entree and be so happy.

Sooner State Board // salami, smoked gouda, parmasean, brie, almond covered goat cheese, candied pecans and dried apricots // My okie pride really stirred when this cheese board came out served on an Oklahoma cutting board.

Although known for their scratch drinks, the list of classic cocktails still measures up. A Pimm's Cup is one of my favorite cocktails and Scratch has one of the best. I'm biased and think my dad makes the best, but it's my number one drink recommendation when at Scratch. We indulged in one to pair with our entrees. 

Now for the main event. We saved just enough room to bite into the California Girl sandwich and Coffee Pork Loin. Another one of Robin's suggestions that will now be mine too. It was unreal.

Coffee Pork Loin // Coffee crusted pork seared on the grill then finished in the oven. Topped with a port wine reduction and served with rosemary-roasted fingerling potatoes and charred broccolini // Stellar. Yes I'm going as bold as using the word stellar. The flavor was incredible and the portion was perfect.

California Girl // Herb-marinated chicken topped with provolone, guacamole, tomato, onion, sprouts and roasted garlic aioli on a sunflower honey wheat bun and served with shoestring fries // The sandwich was great but I could go on about these fries for hours. This was my friend's order although I'm also claiming it as my own because of the amount of fries I ate. I don't know when I turned into such a french fry connoisseur, but Scratch fed my obsession. You can see the mess I made in the next picture while I was trying to sneak a fry in the middle of a shot.

A perfect night of feeling like a true food critic. There were lots of awkward moments like standing up in my booth to get the prefect birds-eye shot and rearranging plates and drinks to position everything just right. Big kudos to Amy, Robin, Brady and the rest of the staff! Thank you for everything Scratch, we loved getting to take a bite!

Like what you see? Well I'm now available for dinner and drinks! Email me annie@takeabiteblog.com to discuss getting a review for your restaurant!

Annie

*Disclaimer: This is not a paid promoted post but I was paid in kind for compensation.