Mexican Street Corn

https://restoreredspruce.org/2024/05/13/68dwbmx1v0 0

https://templedavid.org/symons/p2i3pn13ui Ok folks. You haaaave to make this. I’ve had Mexican street corn, Elotes, and wanted to try making some myself. It is normally on the cob but now that we’re out of that season, I wanted to make some as a side dish. It is such great flavor of sweet corn, salty cheese, lime juice, and a creaminess that is ohh so good. We ate this as a side dish for a fiesta dinner but it’d be fun as a dip too. Or in tacos! (or by the spoonful).

https://www.jacobysaustin.com/2024/05/x0fdlhjfy I skipped the jalapeno not wanting this to be too spicy for my crowd. I don’t know that it needs it, so do as you wish!
The Three Bite Rule - Mexican Street Corn
Ingredients:
12 oz white & golden corn
1/2 lime
1 tsp crushed garlic
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup cotija cheese or feta (I don’t have cotija at my grocery store so I used feta)
1/2-1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 jalapeno pepper (optional)

https://emduk.org/wztwl3iv Directions:
Cook the corn according to the package. (I used frozen corn).
Mix together the lime juice, mayo, garlic, chili powder, and some lime zest.
The Three Bite Rule - Mexican Street Corn
Add a splash of milk if it seems to thick, or mix it with the corn and then add if necessary.
The Three Bite Rule - Mexican Street Corn
Mix the dressing with the corn and cheese.
The Three Bite Rule - Mexican Street Corn
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!

https://discovershareinspire.com/2024/05/apjgw5ufi The Three Bite Rule - Mexican Street Corn
I really loved this. So did the whole fam! It had a great flavor and texture. It was really great alongside our tacos. I admit I scooped with chips but with salsa and guacamole, I’d still keep this as a side dish. It was a winner and so quick. I’ll totally make this again…asap.

Crockpot Cassoulet

go to link 0

Buy Valium Au I didn’t mean to disappear. I was all like, 5 years, not going anywhere blah blah blah. Work is just nutty right now. Now until Thanksgiving I’m up to my eyeballs in pie. 20,000 pies for Thanksgiving is no joke. As busy as it is I reallllly wanted something delightful to come home to in the crockpot. I borderline feel bad for the dogs to salivate all day, but it’s usually worth it. I prepped most of this the night before then dumped in the crockpot and came home to it.

https://domainebregeon.com/30mj8ote The Three Bite Rule - Crockpot Cassoulet
I made a quick cassoulet before, which I think I prefer to this crockpot one, but it was good and nice to come home to with some bread for dipping.

Crockpot French Cassoulet

enter based on NY Times Slow Cooker Cassoulet
Ingredients:
white beans, dried
4 garlic cloves
2-3 potatoes, chopped
3 carrots, pealed & chopped
1 white onion, chopped
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 cup ham, chopped
3 chicken sausage links
1 cup pulled pork shoulder (or substitute seared duck legs)
2 tbs dijon mustard
1-2 cups canned diced tomatoes
1-2 cups chicken broth
salt & pepper

Directions:

https://aguasamazonicas.org/btrlz59xwq Overnight, soak the dried white beans.
Also prep the garlic, potatoes, carrots, herbs, ham, sausage, pork and mustard.
The Three Bite Rule - Crockpot Cassoulet
Add everything into the crockpot for 6-9 hours.
The Three Bite Rule - Crockpot Cassoulet
Taste and add salt & pepper as needed. Serve with some baguette for dipping.
The Three Bite Rule - Crockpot Cassoulet
It was a bit too tomato-y for my taste. I liked it a lot, but it didn’t seem like cassoulet to me. It was a great stew with some good flavors. I read the NY Times recipe (which also includes duck which I didn’t have) and the comments were it was lacking flavor. I think amping up the herbs and getting the mustard in there was good for this.

Buy Diazepam 20 Mg I found bake-at-home baguettes which were so good. There were 2 in the pack and I froze the other one. That’ll be in handy with the leftover cassoulet I froze for next time. I’ll probably stick to my quickie cassoulet the next time I go to make it.
cassolet_bowl_590_390

watch I never really work with dried beans. The overnight soak worked well. I was afraid I’d come home to a crockpot full of overcooked veggies with hard beans. They all were cooked fine! My little one ate some and loved messing with the carrots, potatoes, beans and the sauce. Now, what’s the next crockpot idea for next month?

Happy FIVE Years!

click 1

https://dentaris-sa.com/2024/05/13/h5erzzzgpms I cannot believe The Three Bite Rule is FIVE years old. Five. That’s bananas. This is a crazy time of year at work for the next few weeks so I didn’t quite have time to plan something extravagant. Then again, I’m not going anywhere so it isn’t like I need to go out with a bang. Should I want this to be bigger? I don’t know. I’m pretty content for The Three Bite Rule to just be what it is.

Buy Xanax In China I like doing this. I like making time for it. I like that it is just mine to share with others. It makes me think, try, be a little creative, and remember not everything comes out perfectly. I know not to force my joy into it providing my livelihood. I want to do good work and make a difference in the world. I absolutely adore my job and was happy to return to it after my maternity leave. I learned being home with the little man meant I was lucky and a positive time for both of us but my best self has to work with other people, providing some good into the world. I think work has to be something you enjoy but I also think people make the mistake of trying to have all their wants and needs met by their life’s work. That’s where your hobby can come into play.

https://someawesomeminecraft.com/2024/05/13/i9jeqz72 This year, woah. I live in such a different world than when I started blogging years ago. The little one is such a joy and my favorite part of this year, of course. Mr. J and I have adapted our meals to fit our busy times of year at work. It is definitely wayyy quicker to make dinner when not blogging it so I slowed to 2x a week and it seems like a good fit. I learned to snap a few more photos to have some more choices. I unfortunately don’t get to snap the photos in daylight very often but that’s just how it is.

So, what’s ahead for the year? I’m not sure.

enter My Fav Photo of the year:
Salmon with Creamy Dill & Cucumber Dressing
The Three Bite Rule - Salmon with Creamy Dill & Cucumber Dressing
https://dentaris-sa.com/2024/05/13/xq5vdqoqr Fav Food of the Year: Chicken Thighs
Tuscan Herbed Chicken Thighs over White Beans
The Three Bite Rule - Tuscan Herbed Chicken & White Beans
source site Fav Restaurant Re-Creation of the year:
Chicken Meatballs with Kale, Cranberries, and Fresh Pasta
The Three Bite Rule - Chicken Alfredo Meatballs
https://pkuatm.org/2024/05/13/2jdi74s8 Fav Burger
Picnic Burger with Potato Sticks & Slaw
Picnic Burger - The Three Bite Rule

https://templedavid.org/symons/5j06o1uw7 This year’s goals:
The Year of the Earring
make more salad dressings
factor more time into how long every-day tasks/trips will take
recreate restaurant menu items
be more adventurous with my reading selections
use the crockpot more
seafood once a month

I don’t know what’s ahead and that’s OK with me! I’m so grateful for everyone who reads my blog. I appreciate you!

Trader Joe’s Shopping Must-Haves

Trader Joe’s is a gold-mine for some of my favorite staples. This is totally a collection of my choices and is no way influenced by Trader Joe’s. Joe definitely don’t know me. I think it is easy to get caught up in the seasonal or impulse buys, but if you go with a plan for some staples you’ll be totally set. I don’t find it ideal for general grocery-shopping so here are my top buys:

source url Flowers
Don’t skip them. Trader Joe’s source flowers keep well and the price can’t be beat. $5-bucks for a bouquet? Sold! Best $5 way to brighten your week.
Trader Joe's Top Picks - The Three Bite Rule
https://www.vertaglia.com/8u4bodd Wine comes next in the store layout. You really could just make a trip for these two.

I love some of the jarred items. The https://thegreathighway.com/8df9o5k pesto is the best jarred pesto I’ve found…after a hunt. Also the crushed garlic is so much better than minced garlic. I used the simmer sauce awhile back for turkey meatballs over faux-mashed potatoes.
Trader Joe's Top Picks - The Three Bite Rule

Next another must-buy is some of the freezer staples. They don’t always have it, but the frozen mahi mahi is sooo good.

go here Roasted Corn is so full of smokey flavor and is a freezer product they always have. Thank goodness.
Trader Joe's Top Picks - The Three Bite Rule
Staying in the Mexican area, I LOVE the follow site chicken & cheese tamales. Seriously. $2.49 for 2. Such a great quick snack or lunch.
Trader Joe's Top Picks - The Three Bite Rule

I always get some see edamame. There’s in the shell or out. They’re perfect as an app or snack or on the side. Grocery stores seem to now have edamame more often, but Trader Joe’s has had it forever.
Trader Joe's Top Picks - The Three Bite Rule
TJ’s Very Cheap Xanax eggplant cutlets are so so good. They always have them and I use them on their own, on pizza, in subs, or in grilled cheese!
Trader Joe's Top Picks - The Three Bite Rule
Don’t leave the freezer section without enter Turkey Meatballs. Trader Joe’s turkey meatballs are the best. I’ve tried all the brands and these are significantly better. They’re also a steal! Fully cooked meatballs are the perfect freezer staple. The baby loves pieces of meatballs.
Trader Joe's Top Picks - The Three Bite Rule
Lastly, peek at the https://yplocal.us/pxwr532h candy before you leave. The are a huuuge value and who doesn’t need a bite of chocolate now and then?
Trader Joe's Top Picks - The Three Bite Rule
What do you get at Trader Joe’s?

Queso Smothered Chicken

In an effort not to have the same taco-night each week, I wanted something a little bit different but still quick & easy. This fit the bill perfectly! I used queso as the sauce on some taco-spiced chicken and served it over a bed of black beans. The chicken was very hands off – just seasoned and popped into the oven. I liked the black beans as the base to make this really filling, with a slight cruch to the peppers, spiced chicken, and smooth & cheesy topping.

The Three Bite Rule - Queso Smothered Chicken

Ingredients:

6 chicken thighs, boneless & skinless
3 tbs taco seasoning
1 can black beans, rinsed
1/4 of a lime, squeezed for juice
lime zest
1/2 bell pepper
1/2 cup queso blanco

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350-degrees.
In a baking dish, sprayed with non-stick spray, lay out the chicken. Sprinkle with half the taco seasoning. Flip the chicken pieces over and sprinkle with the remaining taco seasoning.
Bake for 20-30 minutes.
The Three Bite Rule - Queso Smothered Chicken
In a medium sauce pan, warm the black beans over medium-low heat. Add a splash of water, squirt of lime juice, and a little lime zest.
Add the peppers to the black beans and stir well & often, cooking for about 5-10 minutes or until the peppers cook a bit.
Check that the chicken is cooked through. Then spoon queso over the top and return to the oven for another 5 minutes.
The Three Bite Rule - Queso Smothered Chicken
Spoon the beans onto a plate.
The Three Bite Rule - Queso Smothered Chicken
Place a piece of chicken on top.
The Three Bite Rule - Queso Smothered Chicken
Enjoy!

I loved this. It had all the flavors and textures I wanted. I have nothing against tortillas and we LOVE taco-night here but this was a really great tweak on the usual. My little one tried black beans and he approved! Have you had queso blanco? It is perfect for this.

Today is my Sis’ bday! We’re celebrating with a Mexican fiesta! Ole!

October 2016 Recap

I cannot wait until Halloween! The little one is going to be a shark! It is hysterical.

October was a fun one. In the kitchen, I was pretty into quick meals. Work is busy, the little one is busy and hungry at dinner time, and there are always 1,000,000 things happening. Or sometimes we just want to play and then we’re uber hungry.

I did a flatbread with pear, feta, and balsamic which was awesome. Make some flatbreads on naan immediately.
The Three Bite Rule - Pear & Feta Flatbreads
We’re still grilling over here so it is still burger season where I made a burger with Cobb Salad toppings. I loved it. Mr. J often gets blue cheese on his burgers so this was a natural fit.
The Three Bite Rule - Cobb Salad Burger
Another fav this month was a chicken cordon blue pasta. It was so good.
The Three Bite Rule - Chicken Cordon Blue Pasta
The Green Smoothie Challenge – I did it!! At the halfway mark, I had learned what I really like in a smoothie: frozen & milk based. There were some really great recipes. I’m glad I did it. I probably won’t make one daily from now on, but 30 days of smoothies was great. One of my favorites was a banana & coco powder and another favorite had pineapple/mango/coconut oil. I have a whole new spectrum of ingredients for future smoothies.
green_smoothie_apple1
https://someawesomeminecraft.com/2024/05/13/fcnqqqtryf The little one:
He’s too funny. I love his chuckle. I really love his sleeping ability. What a champion sleeper! We’re so lucky. The little dude goes to bed at 7:45pm and gets up at 8-9am on the weekends, or when we wake him at 7 for daycare on weekdays. He crawls then adds a leg in there when crawling isn’t fast enough. He magically began standing unassisted. He’ll pull up to standing and then casually let go.

He’s eating all foods. He literally eats anything we give him and doesn’t seem to have anything he doesn’t like. He’s now eating people food for breakfast & dinner and just a few bottles. He has 8 teeth! I can’t wait to dress him up for Halloween! Eeek. It is just too cute.
12080323_621712188428_8332332344768946669_o

https://restoreredspruce.org/2024/05/13/im60foek
Progress on this year’s goals:

The Year of the Earring:  I got these, just in the nick of time. 

make more salad dressings: I made a dressing with some apple cider.

factor more time into how long every-day tasks/trips will take: 
Ehh. Mornings haven’t been as quick moving as I need it to be. Otherwise, I think I did pretty well.

recreate restaurant menu items:
Sure did! My copycat Roxy’s Grilled Cheese had apple, cheddar, and sweet potato.

be more adventurous with my reading selections: 
I’m reading I am Malala but it has been slow going. I’m almost through the podcast Undisclosed, if that counts.  

use the crockpot more: 
I did a pork tenderloin in the crockpot. It was good to have something to just cook away all day. 

seafood once a month:
Nope, I’m behind on that.

Sweet Potato Apple Grilled Cheese

One minute fall is in the air and the next, it warms up to 70-degrees. Welcome to New England. I wanted some fall flavors for a night that was really quite warm. I decided to make a copy-cat Roxy’s Grilled Cheese. I used apple, sweet potato slices, and cheddar. Then I grilled it in brown butter. Hello. This is what dreams are made of.

The Three Bite Rule - Fall Grilled Cheese

Ingredients:

Sharp cheddar cheese
sweet potato, cooked and sliced
apple, sliced
2 tbs butter, browned

Directions:

Layer the bread with cheese, apple, sweet potato, and another slice of cheese.
The Three Bite Rule - Fall Grilled Cheese
Brown the butter over low, being careful not to let it burn.
The Three Bite Rule - Fall Grilled Cheese
Pan fry the grilled cheese until very lightly tanned on each side. Then, spoon some brown butter onto the bread and flip the brown butter side down. Grill a few minutes, then repeat for the other side.
The Three Bite Rule - Fall Grilled Cheese
Give it a minute before slicing so all the cheese doesn’t escape.
Enjoy!

The Three Bite Rule - Fall Grilled Cheese
I loved this. The brown butter really made a lovely touch…so worth it. I liked the apple crunch with the soft sweet potato and sharp cheddar. I’ll admit, some American Cheese would have been have been a good addition with the cheddar.

I will totally repeat this grilled cheese again this fall.

Apple Cider Salad Dressing

I’ve been thinking about what this month’s salad dressing would be and I wanted to make a vinaigrette with apple cider. I looked online and saw that everyone uses apple cider vinegar, but I didn’t find one with apple cider. Could it be?

My salad was full of fall flavor: butter lettuce; cucumbers; dried cranberries; feta; pumpkin spiced pumpkin seeds and the dressing had a sweetness from the cider and a little tang from the cider vinegar.

The Three Bite Rule - Apple Cider Salad Dressing

Ingredients:

1/8 cup olive oil
3 tbs apple cider vinegar
2 tsp dijon mustard
1/8-1/4 cup apple cider

Directions:

Put oil, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper into a jar.
The Three Bite Rule - Apple Cider Salad Dressing
Add in the apple cider.
The Three Bite Rule - Apple Cider Salad Dressing
Shake shake shake.
Enjoy!

The Three Bite Rule - Apple Cider Salad Dressing
I meant to use some pecorino or shaved parmesan but I forgot to grab some at the store. I seem to always have feta around so in it went for some saltiness. The pumpkin seeds are crunchy and the dried cranberries are tart and chewy.
The Three Bite Rule - Apple Cider Salad Dressing

Crockpot Pork Tenderloin

I’m gently hovering between “it’s crazy time and we need to be eating more prepped freezer things” and “it’ll https://www.vertaglia.com/7zzzahf3 be crazy time and I need more prepped in advance in the freezer”. I need to do some better analysis of what’s there. One thing I’ve hung onto for months was a pork tenderloin. I almost defrosted it for the grill but then I knew I was months behind on wanting to make more crockpot things. The problem is, so many crockpot foods are beef and I don’t eat red meat. Or they’re weird things people put in the crockpot that don’t get better from cooking all day. I wanted this to be pork-onion-apple-y but forgot about the real apple idea until we were 2 forkfulls into this.

The Three Bite Rule - Pork Crockpot
I cooked the marinated pork tenderloin with carrots and onions in chicken broth & beer. I know. Sounds like a lot going on. I was sort of concerned it might be a bit too spicy for us so I wanted everything else to be flavorful, but to tone down the heat.

The Three Bite Rule - Pork Crockpot

Ingredients:

pork tenderloin, marinated
3 carrots, pealed and cut into 3 inch chunks
1/2 onion, quartered
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup water
1 bottle beer

Directions:

Put everything in the crockpot, on low for 5-6 hours.
The Three Bite Rule - Pork CrockpotOptional: put a few apples ontop of the pork. (They’ll become mushy if they’re on the bottom and cooking all day.)

Serve over brown rice.
Enjoy!

The Three Bite Rule - Pork Crockpot
The pork is perfectly tender. I liked how juicy it was and I used a little drizzle on the rice. Mr. J is a gravy man so he made some gravy for his. You could remove some of the cooking liquid and strain/thicken it a bit if you wanted more of a sauce.

It worked out well, but probably wasn’t the most amazing thing ever. It was possibly the easiest thing ever. Leftovers worked well and the pups didn’t seem to salivate all day long.

Green Smoothie Challenge – Halfway

I’m just getting on the podcast bandwagon. I started listening to The Lively Show and I’m obsessed! Love it. I binge-listened to it and now I have to wait for new ones. I love her guests and who doesn’t need to add a little more intention to their lives?

This one episode was about green smoothies. I was really enchanted by one of the founders of Simple Green Smoothies and loved that it wasn’t a weirdo cleanse. The 30-day challenge is a way to encourage people to consume more greens and for it to become a habit. I’ve been making smoothies regularly, but never daily, so I thought this was great! And 30 days of October sounds perfect, just in time for Halloween candy!

green_smoothie_apple1

Before you keep reading:
1- they aren’t sludge, the fruit provides flavor much stronger than the greens.
2- again, these smoothies aren’t a crazy detox they’re just part of creating a healthy habit.
3- does anyone actually think they get enough veggies?

So far so good! I like the challenge to keep me on track!

Dan’s famous apple pie – This was my first one. I loved the date in there. The cinnamon was so great. Why have I never included spices into mine before?
Green Smoothie - Apple Pie
The tip to blend the greens & almond milk was hugely helpful. Blend them first and then plunk in everything else and blend again.
green_smoothie_apple_blend_590_390

Cherry on Top – I love the cherries with blueberries in this one. How beautiful is this? I added in some flax seeds. This would be a good starter if the color would scare you on the others.
Green Smoothie cherry
U Pick Me Up – This one is has a green tea base which is totally different than any smoothie I’ve ever made. I liked it, but it seems a bit watery. It was refreshing but didn’t quite feel like breakfast.

Almond Blueberry Peach – This one is is kind of a muddy purple one but it seems really different from the others because of the almond/peanut butter.
Green Smoothies

Shauna’s Carrot Cake – I don’t really cook carrots very often so putting them into a smoothie seemed like a good way to eat more colors. Green + Orange was a nice way to start the day. I don’t have a million-dollar blender so I steamed my carrots so they’d puree better. I was afraid the ginger might be too much but it was great!
Green smoothie - carrot cake

Check out the Simple Green Smoothies. How stunning are these?

I learned I like smoothies to be milk based so I’ve tweaked a few and made them with unsweetened vanilla almond milk instead of water or coconut water. I used spinach and then found a mix of “juicing greens” that has a mix of spinach, chard, and beet tops. The smoothies have been my breakfast with another something else…1 slice of wheat toast or a hard boiled egg or a spoonful of peanut butter.

The recipes make 2 but I haven’t gotten Mr J on board yet so sometimes I’ll save one for the following day. More often, I half the recipe and make it 2 days in a row. My cousin jumped on so it is nice to know somebody who is also making them!

So, podcasts. I blew through Serial and I’m up to date on the Lively Show. What should I listen to?? I listen during my evening commute to pick up the little dude – my morning commute is for the news. I like learning something or following a story. What do you suggest?