Chicken IN Waffles

I love a loaded waffle and for this traditional duo, I put the chicken into the waffle for the ease of eating it. The fried chicken balanced on top at a restaurant is beautiful, but this is the way to go when making at home. I topped with maple aioli and arugula.

The Three Bite Rule - Chicken in Waffles

Chicken IN Waffles
Ingredients: (serves 2-4)

2-3 chicken tenders
1 cup waffle mix + 3/4 cup cold water
2 teaspoons hot sauce (optional)
1 tablespoon mayo
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 cups arugula

Directions:
Cook the chicken (according to the package – mine went into the airfryer for ~10 minutes).
Mix up the waffle batter adding the hot sauce.
Preheat the waffle iron.

The Three Bite Rule - Chicken in Waffles

Chop the chicken and add 1/4 of it onto the bottom waffle plate, pour waffle batter on top, add another 1/4 of the chicken. Close the iron and flip.
While the waffle is cooking, mix up the mayo and maple syrup.
Cook the waffles for ~4 minutes (or as your waffle iron suggests).

The Three Bite Rule - Chicken in Waffles

Repeat for another waffle.
Serve waffles with a little maple aioli and greens.

The Three Bite Rule - Chicken in Waffles

Add another drizzle of aioli and enjoy!

I loved this. Waffles reheat fantastically so make some ahead of time and keep warm in the oven, or reheat in the toaster! It seems so decadent but ~1 chicken tender in each waffle isn’t all that much. The chicken going directly onto the waffle iron keeps it crispy and well distributed. Swap the maple aioli with hot honey for a spicy twist.

The Three Bite Rule - Chicken in Waffles

Black Bean Soup

This soup is so so easy and comes together quickly. It is a great weeknight dinner and a great one for anyone who may not love soup or want soup for dinner. I served with quesadilla dippers which meant everyone had a part to fill up on. We topped it with cheese, salsa verde, and sour cream.

Soup is annoying to photograph – trust me that the flavor is fantastic. It is dairy-free and easy to be vegan, if needed.

The Three Bite Rule - Black Bean Soup

Easy Black Bean Soup
Ingredients: (for 4 servings)

1/2 bell pepper, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped or grated
1, 29oz can black beans
2 cups broth (chicken, beef, vegetable)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
toppings: shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream, hot sauce, guacamole, tortilla chips

Directions:
In a large pot, cook the carrots and peppers in olive oil for about 7 minutes over medium heat until soft and mostly cooked through.

The Three Bite Rule - Black Bean Soup

Add in the black beans, broth, garlic, and cumin. Stir well and cook for ~30 minutes over low heat.

The Three Bite Rule - Black Bean Soup

Add half or 3/4 to a blender or food processor and carefully blend. Repeat in batches for the texture you prefer. (I blended almost all of it.)

The Three Bite Rule - Black Bean Soup

Add more broth if desired. Serve with toppings as you like. Enjoy!

The Three Bite Rule - Black Bean Soup

One kid ate mostly soup and no quesadilla and the other ate mostly quesadilla and only a few bites of soup. I blended it a lot but wonder if they would have been more into it with more recognizable beans since they really like them. Sour cream is a good way to mellow it out a bit.

Make it ahead of time, or make in smaller batches. It would be great alongside a taco feast and has chili-ish vibes with all the toppings.

January 2023 Recap

I enjoy January for the freshness and re-set since I don’t get a post-holiday letdown I know others feel. Once the holidays pass I love to usher in the snowy decor and prep for our guy’s birthday!

This is the ultimate breakfast sandwich is on Texas toast with maple bacon aioli and gooey cheese.

Treats don’t have to end come January so we had some Snickerdoodle Muddy Buddies.

As the only mushroom-eater, I made these Forager Flatbreads as lunch.

The Three Bite Rule - Forager Flatbread

We had fun going to the pool and ice skating and we definitely are awaiting real snow. We are outside less and wishing for more daylight. I’m very over the colds we seem to pass along. I love the snacks of the superbowl ahead and maybe we’ll create some pink Valentine’s day dessert.

The Little Girl:
She’s still in her Elsa dress daily. She builds magnatiles and colors non-stop. We are very into the books that read-aloud themselves from the library. I’m so impressed with how well she can use scissors. She cannot wait for kindergarten and riding the bus.

The Big Guy:
His birthday was so fun. We had a family dinner party and he had some friends meet him at the trampoline park. I love seeing his friendships blossom. Of course we had pasta and caesar salad. He is very into How to Train your Dragon and transformers. He’s taking an Animals around the World class after school and he’ll play baseball in the spring. He’s interested in the football playoffs and superbowl.

Goals:
Year of workwear! I got a few shells for under blazers or cardigans
Salads or side-dishes: Hmm.
prep ahead bfasts or lunches for weekdays: this makes getting to the office so much easier. I made some chickpea/tomato/cucumber/feta bowls with hummus and pita.
Monthly dates: We didn’t make this happen, but will.
Declutter/cleaning: I passed along all the pjs that the big guy is always be too hot for!
Workouts as a routine: ehh. Too many days of colds meant this didn’t happen regularly.
What I’m reading: I read The Nineties which was interesting but felt like I’d already read it. Bookclub read The Ten Thousand Doors of January which wasn’t for me.

Forager Flatbread

This many-cheese flatbread is quick to put together with lots of customization options. It is kind of a brown meal, but, it is so so good. There’s a butter + parmesan + garlic spread, mozzarella, ricotta, mushrooms and honey drizzle. The earthy mushrooms and honey are such a great combo. Mushrooms not your jam? Italian sausage and honey would be a great combo too for a sweet and savory mix!

The Three Bite Rule - Forager Flatbread

Forager Flatbread
Ingredients:
(for 2)
1 pint mushrooms
2 flatbreads (I used naan)
2 tablespoons butter
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon parmesan
1 teaspoon cream or half & half
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
2 tablespoons ricotta
1/4 cup fresh mozzarella balls
1-2 teaspoons honey
pinch of oregano

The Three Bite Rule - Forager Flatbread

Directions:
Pan fry the mushrooms in some butter and olive oil to get them a bit caramelized around the edges.
Preheat the oven to 400-degrees.
Mix together the butter, parmesan and minced garlic then stir in just a drizzle of cream, adding more if needed.
Assemble the flatbreads by spreading the butter/garlic sauce onto the naan and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
Top with shredded mozzarella, dots of ricotta, some mozzarella balls, and mushrooms.

The Three Bite Rule - Forager Flatbread

Cook for 5-10 minutes (10 will be crispy edges, 5 will be warm and soft).

The Three Bite Rule - Forager Flatbread

Drizzle with honey and sprinkle on some oregano.
Enjoy!

The Three Bite Rule - Forager Flatbread

I looooved this. It is quite a brown meal and I almost added arugula. The mix of cheeses and the mushrooms with sweet honey is delightful. I’m the only mushroom eater at home so these were lunch and I was very happy. It reheats fine (top with honey just before serving), but is definitely best fresh.

Snickerdoodle Muddy Buddy

This has one special ingredient that makes it so so special. Butter extract gives cookie vibes or you could skip it and just call this churro muddy buddies! These go nicely with some dessert wine, or an afternoon pick-me-up, as anytime treats.

The Three Bite Rule - Snickerdoodle Muddy Buddy

I didn’t do my greatest job mixing, so don’t be like me. The kids happily pick out the melted chocolate chunks so they’re OK with it, but I like it more even. Next time!

Snickerdoodle Muddy Buddy
Ingredients:

6 cups rice chex
12 oz bag white chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon butter extract
2/3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

The Three Bite Rule - Snickerdoodle Muddy Buddy

Directions:
Melt the chocolate (microwaved at 20 second intervals and stirred, and returned to the micro, or, over a double boiler). Add in the butter extract and stir well.
Add the chex to a zip-top bag, pour the chocolate into it and shake/stir and quickly add in the sugars and cinnamon.

The Three Bite Rule - Snickerdoodle Muddy Buddy

Spread it out onto a tray to cool/dry.

The Three Bite Rule - Snickerdoodle Muddy Buddy

Enjoy!

I plan to use some butter extract for a coffee syrup. It is a warm flavor that feels like it could easily sub for vanilla in many dishes too.