End of Summer Foods Bucket List

Let’s chat about all the summer foods & flavors we still need to eat:

I definitely need more corn on the cob, plus cooking it and cutting it off the cob (or freezing it off the cob) are great options too. This Heirloom Tomato & Corn Tart is soooo good.
Tomato & Corn Tart - The Three Bite Rule

Plus, watching this guy with an ear of corn cracks me up:
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Obviously I need more tomatoes: Tomato sandwiches for B, L, D. I loved this ricotta pie with tomato though it seems sacrilegious to cook beautiful tomatoes.
Three Bite Rule - Tomato Ricotta Pie
Lobster is a must, I haven’t had any yet but will ASAP
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I also need to make some summery cocktails. I have a few in mind…possibly featuring ice tea or lemonade. We’ll see.

I got my s’mores fix last weekend, but there’s no such thing as too many s’mores. I’m sure I will keep featuring the bounty of herbs we’re growing too. Mr. J grills pretty much year-round so that’s not necessarily a must-do. Labor day doesn’t quite mark the end of summer for me since the kiddo’s routine is the same all year but I do look forward to fall.

What’s left on your summery food bucket list?

Tailgater Topped Burger

This tailgater burger was so fun. I was in a rut of not cooking anything new or inspired but this baby woke me up. We’re talking pub cheese, beer braised onions, cheeto dust, and pickles. So delicious. I’m no tailgater, but the snack-ish quality made me think of tailgating.
The Three Bite Rule - Tailgater Burger

Ingredients: (for 2 burgers)

1/4 pound burgers & potato rolls
1 yellow onion
1 cup beer
2 tbs cheddar pub cheese
~1 cup cheetos
pickles

Directions:

Slice the onion into even and thin wedges.
Gently saute the onions over medium low heat to translucent and to gently caramelize. Then add half the beer and let cook for about 8-10 minutes. Preheat the grill as well.
The Three Bite Rule - Tailgater Burger
Add in a bit more beer as needed (I used about 3/4 cup total). Remove from the heat to serve.
The Three Bite Rule - Tailgater Burger
Grill the burgers, cooking to your liking.
In a food processor (I used a coffee grinder!)
The Three Bite Rule - Tailgater Burger
Top the burgers with pickles, onions, cheeto dust, and a smear of pub cheese onto the bun.
The Three Bite Rule - Tailgater Burger
I loved the spread of cheese and the onion, ohh the onions. I need these in my life more often. I thought the pickle was 100% necessary. Mr. J thought it overpowered the toppings. To each his/her own. The cheeto crust was really for fun to amp up the snack-quality. I’d totally be into these again. The onions are easy to make and could be made in advance.

August 2016 Recap

August feels a bit like a blur. It was too hot for me but our beach vacation was fantastic and I really appreciated having a full week off…something I haven’t done in 1.5 years! I didn’t cook much but I was really happy to whip up quick meals meaning easy family evenings without stress. That also means not as much to blog but throwing something onto the grill and adding an easy side seems like a no-brainer. I cooked a bit this weekend to make up for it (get ready for a really fun burger)!

My fav food I made this month was a Shrimp Scampi Flatbread
The Three Bite Rule - Shrimp Scampi Flatbread
I jumped on board the train for overnight oats with a blueberry sauce and I was a fan! I’m sure I’ll make another kind.
The Three Bite Rule - Overnight Oats

For a brunch party I made these biscuit cups with sausage gravy. Adorable and perfectly portioned!
The Three Bite Rule - Sausage Gravy in Biscuit Cups

The Little One:
He loved the beach! It was really fun and just. so. easy. I loooove this tiny town we go to because the beach is huuuuge and being able to walk to the beach allows us to come and go. We pretty much went in the morning, popped back to the cottage for lunch & naps and then back to the beach until dinner. After the little one was asleep, it was time for Olympic viewings and ice cream runs. The best.

He’s been eating up a storm and loving to be outside, especially on the swing set. He loves having his own bowl and spoon. He got his very own ice cream cone on vacation and he ate corn on the cob. So fun! He’s talking even more.  

This Year’s Goals: 
The Year of the: Seasonal Decor: ehh, I missed this month
do something a different way: no, I probably didn’t
drink more water: I need to do better outside of work, at my desk I do well.
make more interesting side dishes: these Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus were fun
cook more soups & sauces: Does jazzed up gravy fit?
watch more movies: none this month it was all Olympics, all the time.
make working out a higher priority: I ran a 5K! That was HUGE for me.

Goings-on

I didn’t really mean to disappear but ohh well. It happens. I had visions of returning from vacation, making one quick thing the weekend after vacay which I’d blog. It just didn’t happen.
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Then, I did make something to blog the other night but it wasn’t amazing and it “crisped” too much in the oven so it really wasn’t photogenic. There goes the 2nd thing I had planned for the blog this week! It was a roasted tomato/basil/mozzarella/garlic/truffle oil calzone. Tasty, but not so pretty.

In other news, the beach vacay was so wonderful. The Little One was so happy in the sand, being able to walk right into the ocean, and finding hermit crabs. He thought the crabs were turtles (which is our fav word he says) so “turt-tle” they were. The little one got his very own ice cream cone for the first time and ate corn on the cob. We ate nightly ice cream and watched a lot of Olympics…complete with Olympic bingo I found!

I didn’t cook anything during vacation but brought some lunch things like Mexican Street Corn & quesadilla stuff as well as Sesame Peanut Noodles. Both were easy to prep the sauce in advance and bring the rest to just assemble onsite. I like them as leftovers too.

Then, we got back Friday evening and had the whole weekend at home which totally got us back into the normal groove before returning to work/daycare. I’ll say, how much rest do you need when you’re 1.5 years old and returning to days of water-play, snacktimes, naps, and stories?

Saturday morning I ran a 5K. Cra-zy. I wasn’t sure I’d be ready but I did and I’m so proud of myself. It was hot, I was definitely struggling, but I ran the whole time and wasn’t last…my two goals! 10am mid-August is hottt. My ap said 3.6 miles but whatev. Seeing Mr. J and the little one by the end got me there. I have more work to do before attempting another but it was good.

Now I’m on a mission to eat all the summer things before labor day. Go!

Overnight Oats with Blueberry Sauce

I’m jumping on board the over-night oats bandwagon- it might have been pulling out of the station but I caught it just in time. I saw some tips to make better overnight oats and was thinking I should give them a go. Who doesn’t need a fool-proof healthy breakfast? Also, this is all about the toppings which I can totally get on board with- despite never getting jazzed about oatmeal.
The Three Bite Rule - Overnight Oats

It has to be Old Fashioned Oats and you need 2x the liquid as the oats. I made 2 servings to see how it was. Spoiler: loved it. I foresee all the possibilities. I also might mix up some mini ones to be dessert for when I’m craving that sweet-treat.

Ingredients:

Serves 2
1 cup old fashioned oats
2 teaspoons flax seeds (optional)
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 cup yogurt
1 cup coconut almond milk (or any milk you like)
1 cup blueberries (+more for topping)
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Toppings: a few blueberries, chopped fresh pineapple, coconut, nuts, or whatever you like.

Directions:

Mix  together the oats, flax seeds, honey, brown sugar, yogurt, almond milk, and divide into 2 bowls/jars/containers and cover.
The Three Bite Rule - Overnight Oats
Let sit overnight.
The Three Bite Rule - Overnight Oats
In a small saucepan, cook blueberries, honey, and cornstarch over medium low heat for 5-10 minutes. Cool and store until serving.
The Three Bite Rule - Overnight Oats
Top with blueberry sauce, blueberries, pineapple & enjoy!
The Three Bite Rule - Overnight Oats

I loved these! I think 2 was a good start. I don’t always want a million servings to eat the same thing every day. I was very into the alternating textures of the oats vs the blueberry sauce vs the fresh blueberries vs the acidic pineapple. I think my next one might be more nut/toasted coconut/nutella.

I know mason jars are cute, but bowls or containers seem way easier to eat out of. I also fully endorse mixing it all up and then letting it sit. The mason jar & the layers would be more instagram-able but the ratio and texture is better when mixed.

See ya after vacay!