Roundup for the Weekend

Did you enter my giveaway yet?

Today is a little something extra. I have a round-up of some favs my sis would like. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY LIZZIE SISTER! Any delicious suggestions for the sis and I to try while celebrating her bday in Atlanta this weekend??

She like basic food done really well like Chicken Cordon Bleu Calzone 

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She likes local food at funky restaurants while traveling
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She likes Theme parties
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She likes Greek (and all Mediterranean) foodgreek_meatball_plate_590_390
She’s a great guest blogger
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Happy bday!

Thanksgiving Sides & a GIVEAWAY

Thank you to Country Crock for sponsoring this post. Visit and tell us your favorite Thanksgiving veggie for extra entries into this giveaway. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective.

Today I have a very special GIVEAWAY but first we’ll chat Thanksgiving.

Halloween is over, on to the next foodie holiday!I haven’t hosted Thanksgiving yet but I’m always happy to provide a side to whichever family is graced with my presence. I tested out a veggie side using Country Crock and it was awesome! I tried my hand at a few Thanksgiving-y dinner items.

Smokey Maple Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered
3 tbs Country Crock
4 slices of bacon
1/4 cup maple syrup
a few drips of liquid smoke (optional)
1/3 cup dried cranberries (optional)

Directions:

Steam brussels sprouts until just starting to soften (they’ll cook more in the pan)
Melt Country Crock in a saute pan.
Add brussels sprouts to Country Crock and cook for about 5-7 minutes on medium high heat, stirring occasionally.
brussels_browning_590_390
Once sprouts have begun browning, add in maple syrup, liquid smoke, bacon and cranberries.
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Cook another 2-3 minutes, stirring well, then remove from heat.
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This was great. Bacon makes everything better so don’t forget that one. I added some liquid smoke to give it a touch of earthiness. The bacon adds that too, but I think liquid smoke is a great addition to anything with bacon. I put it in chili too. The Country Crock adds the perfect golden creaminess without too many calories or trans fat.

I somehow forgot that I was going to put the dried cranberries in. It would have added a nice red (and tart!) punch.

I also made  stuffing cups so my Thanksgiving side wouldn’t be lonely. This wasn’t really a recipe, I just added and threw it all together. I gently cooked onions in a few tablespoons of Country Crock.

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I added in two different kinds of bread, chopped with chopped apple, thyme, and a splash of white wine.

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I baked it for 20 minutes in muffin cups so it would be single serve-able.
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They didn’t stay together too well. Ohh well! I liked how perfect the textures played together. The apples and onions totally helped make this better than out-of-the-box. Can you believe how few ingredients it takes?!

I served these two winning sides along with some turkey meatloaf muffins I saw. Nothing like some stellar sides to accompany a frozen quickie dinner.
country crock_meatloaf_590_390

What Thanksgiving sides do you graviate towards? Check out some of these other sides (spoiler: I have my eyes on that spoonable cornbread!)

Now, for the GIVEAWAY. Ta Da!

what you’ll win:

Check out these awesome Williams Sonoma candle holders here

Check out this Sur la Table baking dish with wire basket here

****This giveaway has ended. The winner is # 9, Kim F! Thank you for your support and I hope you enjoyed the Thanksgiving side!****

when to enter: now until Sunday November 4 at midnight EST.
how to enter: leave a comment telling us your favorite Thanksgiving side!
extra entries: follow The Three Bite Rule on facebook then leave another comment letting me know you follow
extra entries: follow @threebiterule on twitter then leave another comment letting me know you follow
extra entries: check out Country Crock’s other ideas and leave a comment there, and back here letting me know you did.

Thank you to Country Crock for being a sponsor. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Bacon Ranch Mac & Cheese

The ingredients say it all. Bacon, check. Ranch, check. Mac & cheese, check. Ohh my deliciousness. This mac and cheese was awesome. It is orange and amazing. Whip it up and enjoy between trick or treaters!

The Three Bite Rule - Bacon Ranch Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:

6 strips of thick cut bacon
1 box jumbo shells
¼ cup butter
⅔ cup flour
1 cup heavy cream
8 oz shredded cheddar melting blend
1 packet ranch dressing mix

Directions:

Boil pasta according to box.
Fry bacon until crisp, then chop into pieces.
Melt butter over medium and add the flour to the melted butter.
The Three Bite Rule - Bacon Ranch Mac & Cheese
Stir butter-flour paste mix for about 5 minutes. The roux needs to cook through so there isn’t any flour flavor.
Slowly add the cream while whisking to get any lumps out.
Slowly add the cheese until melted before adding the ranch mix.
The Three Bite Rule - Bacon Ranch Mac & Cheese
Mix cheese sauce and pasta.
The Three Bite Rule - Bacon Ranch Mac & CheeseAdd the bacon last before into ramekins or baking dish so it doesn’t get too broken up.
The Three Bite Rule - Bacon Ranch Mac & Cheese
Top with shredded cheese and bake for 10 minutes at 375-degrees.

This was amazing. I loved the flavor. I used ¾ of a pound of pasta and I think it was too little. There was plenty of cheese sauce and tons of ranch flavor. It was almost too much.
The Three Bite Rule - Bacon Ranch Mac & Cheese
I’ll definitely make this again. I wanted a fall pasta dish that wasn’t just thrown together when I didn’t know what else would be for dinner. I think this fit the bill. It isn’t light by any means. It was heavy, warm, and comforting. I thought it was good for a crisp October night!

Boston Food Truck Throw Down Versus New York

A few weeks ago I popped over to the Food Truck Throwdown. Boston food trucks versus New York City food trucks. We voted with quarters and the winning city’s food bank gets the money. I was psyched! Check out Mr. J’s recap post too! (P.S. His photos are better)
The Three Bite Rule - Food Trucks
I went to a food truck event on the Greenway last May and thought it was the best food truck gathering I’d been to. This is one of my favorite spots in Boston and it was a beautiful fall day. Mrs. C was pumped to join Mr. J and me after we followed the Great Food Truck Race religiously.

Luckily we went early! It got pretty crazy busy when we left later.
The Three Bite Rule - Food Trucks
Mrs. C was most excited to see Roxy’s
The Three Bite Rule - Food Trucks
We shared a fall melt: sweet potato/grannysmith apple/cheddar/brown butter; a muenster melt: muenster cheese, quacamole, bacon; and some rosemary truffle fries.
The Three Bite Rule - Food Trucks
We also were pretty psyched about these waffles from Wafels & Dinges. Wow. I wish they were in Boston! Bacon in a waffle? Yes Please!
The Three Bite Rule - Food Trucks
It was great to split everything. We each munched these pork and chive dumplings from Big D’s Grub Truck. They were awesome. I loved that we could get smaller bites.
The Three Bite Rule - Food Trucks
The empanadas at Nuchas was another one of my favorite stops. Mine was portobello/spinach/mozzarella and was awesome. These were small and packed with flavor without being overwhelming.
The Three Bite Rule - Food Trucks I was impressed with their truck (and their website).
The Three Bite Rule - Food Trucks
We ran into two Ms. Ls and Ms. J and they recommended another Boston truck: Mei Mei. We got some beer mac & cheese which was fine, not overly cheesy. The beer flavor came through though.
The Three Bite Rule - Food Trucks
Mr. J got beef and bleu dumplings. He thought they were ok.
The Three Bite Rule - Food TrucksThe menu there is impressive. I love how focused they are on local foods.
The Three Bite Rule - Food Trucks
I got the ginger macaron and thought it was overpriced and kind of a letdown. I wish you could see how itty bitty it was.
The Three Bite Rule - Food Trucks
I didn’t stop by Bon Me, but will sometime since they’re often parked by my office. Obviously I skipped past Lobsta Love since I’ve had rough experiences with them in the past.

We grapped some cookies to go and that wrapped up our day. Literally. We didn’t eat anything again for the rest of the day. It was delicious and Boston won!! Of course! 😉

What I Ate: Pumpkin Muffins

I’m about to rock your socks off. And if you’re not wearing socks because it has been lovely at 63-degrees & sunny here in Boston then I’m going to rock your shoes off. I made the fastest and easiest muffins ever. I’m about to have muffins on hand all the time.

Ready for 2 ingredient muffins? Two. Count ‘em.
Pumpkin Muffin

Ingredients:

1 box Spice cake mix
1 can pumpkin

Directions:

Mix together
Bake

See? Omg. Totally the easiest thing ever. I added cinnamon chips because I love them. These were super easy and gave me some baking courage. I drizzled some maple glaze over the top. Somebody was taunted by my photo staging set up:
Pumpkin MuffinGood thing those chair spindles aren’t any wider apart! Isn’t he just the cutest?! You know what I say to that?

Aww MUFFIN!

Enjoy the weekend! I’m home from Santa Barbara, and from LA, and from NYC! Woohoo! I have lots ‘o blogging to catch up on so stay tuned for some picture heavy posts coming up next week! This doesn’t count towards my fall foods list, but I have a pumpkin post to prep that will count on my list, for sure!

Apple Cider Sangria

I made some hot caramel apple cider recently and expected to be floored. It was good, but not ground breaking (apple cider, caramel sauce, & cinnamon). Then, I turned the leftovers into sangria and it was the best sangria I’ve ever made. Ever. Seriously. Write this down.
Apple Cider Sangria

I saw the idea for apple cider sangria and adapted it to what I like/had around.

Ingredients:

½ gallon apple cider
2 tbs caramel sauce (optional)
1 tsp cinnamon
½ cup simple syrup (1/2 cup water + ½ cup sugar dissolved)
1 cup cranberry vodka
1 -2 cups red wine
craisins and chopped apple

Directions:

Mix cider, caramel & cinnamon (optional), simple syrup, and vodka together.
Add craisins and apple and keep refrigerated for 24 hours before serving. Drink this as a cocktail or continue on for sangria.
Apple Cider Sangria
Add wine and serve.

Can I gush about how great this was? Ok, great! 😉

It was fall, and crisp, and sweet, and had a serious boozy kick to it. I loved it. The apple cider and cranberry flavors were great together. I liked how sweet and cool it was. Craisins absorb the liquid and plump up.
Apple Cider Sangria

Mr. J was introduced to sangria in Barcelona and and he actually loved it! He liked this one too. It was kind of a hybrid between a cocktail and sangria anyway. It packed a serious punch. I finished my glass and was bopping around totally feeling the wine and alcohol in there!

I want to make more. Already. It was fun to just have sangria around. I’m afraid I “save” thoughts and recipe ideas for special occasions. I think this was a good reminder that anything can become a special occasion.

Crock Pot White Chicken Chili

I hosted a mini family dinner and was trying to come up with something easy that I could assemble and not spend the whole visit in the kitchen. All praise the crock pot! I decided I’d try my hand at white chicken chili.
The Three Bite Rule - White Chicken Chili

I took a looksey at Flying on Jess Fuel’s chicken chili since her recipes are always healthier than other folks. (Seriously, check out her collection of fall foods!)

Hers was thickened by mashing up some of the beans which is genius  I opted for a slightly easier approach. I wasn’t kidding when I said I wanted to dump stuff into the crock pot and walk away!

Ingredients:

3 large chicken breasts, pre-cooked & shredded)
29-oz can white beans
2 cans green chilies
1 ½ cup corn
2 cups chicken broth
1 jar light alfredo sauce
1 tbs cumin
1 tbs garlic
1 large head of kale, chopped
1 large onion chopped
1 medium tomato

Directions:

Boil and shred the chicken
Put everything into the crock pot.
The Three Bite Rule - White Chicken Chili
Cook on low, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 hours.

So easy! This cooked away while we hung and chatted. I made some cornbread muffins the night before. I made them in my whoopie pie pan and they were the perfect size…smaller than my muffin top pan.

When it was time to eat I set up a bar of toppings and let everyone have at it! I had some salsa verde, black olives, sour cream, tortilla strips and the corn muffins.
The Three Bite Rule - White Chicken Chili

I liked the consistency. I was soupy and only a bit creamy. It was so chock full of pieces of chicken, kale, corn, beans, etc that I think if it was thicker it would have been too much. I loved it, but thought I should have sweated out the onions a bit to soften them before dropping them in.

The Three Bite Rule - White Chicken Chili
I have a 6 quart crockpot and it was full to the brim. Five of us ate it that night and I have about 4 more servings for lunches. I also think this counts towards my fall foods list. Check!

What I Ate: Nacho Burger

I feel like a genius. I created an amazing burger out of nowhere. I made burgers out of ground pork, taco seasoning,  and some salsa con queso.

The Three Bite Rule - Nacho Burger

Ingredients:
1/2 pound ground pork
1 tbs taco seasoning
2 tbs salsa con queso

Directions:
Mix the ground pork (or beef/chicken/turkey) with taco seasoning and salsa con queso.
The Three Bite Rule - Nacho Burger
Form into patties and grill
The Three Bite Rule - Nacho Burger
Top with sliced pepper jack cheese and some more salsa con queso!
The Three Bite Rule - Nacho Burger

This had some great spice and perfect cheesiness. I think the cheese sauce was a perfect way to keep the meat juicy. I served it with a vinegar based bean salad. We loved this one!

Oreo Dip

Awhile back I made a dip that was sooo easy it made me think kids would have fun making it. The original source on Pinterest was a blog that seems MIA or maybe they’re just under construction.
The Three Bite Rule - Oreo Dip

Ingredients:

1 box white chocolate pudding (I used instant)
2 cups milk
8 oz cool whip (aka frozen non-dairy whipped topping)
½ package Oreos (or about 25 oreos)
1 box chocolate graham crackers

Directions:

Mix pudding and milk until thickened (about 2 minutes)
The Three Bite Rule - Oreo DipAdd cool whip and crushed oreos mixing well.
The Three Bite Rule - Oreo Dip
Refrigerate for at least and hour before serving.
The Three Bite Rule - Oreo Dip

I liked this for a twist on a regular dip. It was an easy one that didn’t require any baking. Serve it with chocolate graham crackers.

Mr. J thought this was great. It made a ton so I took half to a small meeting and we enjoyed the other half at home. The photo above is half of what I made! This stayed good for a few days, after that, the oreos were a bit soggy. I thought it was a bit loose or soupy but the original post included mini marshmallows too so that would change the consistency.

I was thinking these would be great as chocolate graham cracker “ice cream” sandwiches. Maybe next time I’ll whip in some cream cheese to thicken it and I’ll freeze graham sandwiches filled with it.

Cost Breakdown:

1 pkg chocolate sandwich cookie: $2.75
1 pkg white chocolate pudding mix:  $1.00
1 pkg cool whip: $2.49
1 pkg chocolate graham crackers:  $3.49
total: $9.73/10 servings = $0.97 per person (with graham crackers and oreos leftover!)

I skimped on the cookies and bought the cheapest ones I could find, and went “high end” on the dippers but this whole thing could be made for even less.

Pop Up Restaurant

I was invited to a pop up restaurant and just couldn’t pass on the opportunity. I hadn’t ever really heard of one up close and was psyched.

It wasn’t what I expected but it was a great night. I had fun meeting some new folks and I was so glad Ms. M came with me. She’s such a good sport and we were both happy to be fed.

The chef Wheeler del Torro hosts a few of these occasionally. This was all I knew before joining, Wheeler’s email said: “I am hosting an intimate group of invited guests for a sneak peek at Pharmacie’s new fall menu celebrating classic Southern dishes with an Asian flair. Pharmacie is my latest food venture: an experimental fusion test kitchen to explore flavors, textures, and sensations.”

I left to meet Ms. M with a warning from Mr. J not to enter if this was in some guy’s basement. I was thinking the whole time what happens when you mix Asian and Southern? General Tzo’s Chicken & Waffles?

The pop up was held in an ice cream shoppe in my old ‘hood. The name of the hosting venue would have been helpful. We showed up for the third sitting and they were running late. We squeezed in and were served promptly. Introductions got us going at communal tables as we began munching.

The first dish was watermelon with blue cheese. I was expecting feta and honestly thought the freshness of the watermelon didn’t pair well with the moldy cheese.
The Three Bite Rule - Pop Up Restaurant
We had a salad too.
The Three Bite Rule - Pop Up Restaurant
Next was a tomato bruschetta. I loved the tomatoes but wasn’t into the caviar.
The Three Bite Rule - Pop Up Restaurant
Our next dish was pumpkin ravioli with tomato sauce. Again, I think the flavors didn’t mix. I would have liked brown butter, or really good olive oil, or a light cream. The tomato sauce was super acidic to me.
The Three Bite Rule - Pop Up RestaurantThe Three Bite Rule - Pop Up Restaurant
Then they served lasagna. I couldn’t eat it because it was beef. I was asked dietary restrictions before the meal (where I emailed) then I was asked again before we sat down. They were super sweet to offer me a sundae instead of the ice cream cup served afterwards, but I declined. It kind of annoyed me. Don’t ask if you’re not going to do anything. I felt like an imposition. I might have passed on the dinner if I knew what I’d be eating. I would have been happy with a double serving of raviolis instead.

We got a cup of ice cream which was good, but the meal was so long that I had one foot out of the door.
The Three Bite Rule - Pop Up Restaurant
The food was fine and I’m sure some people enjoyed it more than me. I thought it should wow me. I thought I should be shouting from the rooftops. I thought this meal would rock my world and make me their unofficial spokesperson when a restaurant opened. I was underwhelmed.

I wasn’t impressed with the how the event was run since I showed an email chain to get us in, they didn’t include the venue name, there wasn’t any explanation about what they were serving, and the dietary restrictions info wasn’t passed along. I also think they should have done 2 sittings if the food was going to be reheated and if they weren’t going to be able to accommodate the overlapping crowd three times that day.

Did you notice this has absolutely nothing to reference Asian or Southern? Yeah, me too.

Sometimes I’m brutally honest and I feel badly, but I owe you the good, the bad, and the ugly. This was a disappointing dinner. Maybe I was too hyped about it. It makes me glad we hadn’t bought a ticket to it. My invitation with a guest was complimentary but if I liked it I would have raved about it so it only seemed appropriate to be so harshly honest.

Full 3 Bite Rule Disclosure: My invitation for myself and a guest  was completely complimentary but my thoughts, opinions, and words are entirely my own.