Green Goddess Dressing

I don’t know why Green Goddess may have been a thing of the 70s. I made it with some leftover herbs and it was such a hit. The secret ingredient is totally what separates good homemade dressing from the ehhh-home-made dressing. The next time you buy some herbs for something, plan to whip up some Green Goddess dressing. Diversify your veggie tray for a gathering or make dip for 2, like I did!

The Three Bite Rule - Green Goddess Dressing

Ingredients:

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup parsley
1/4 cup chives
3 tbs tarragon
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp anchovy paste
salt & pepper

Directions:

Blend everything together.
The Three Bite Rule - Green Goddess DressingServe or chill then enjoy!

The anchovy paste is such a secret ingredient. Seriously. Everyone loves my mom’s Caesar dressing and that is absolutely what makes these dressings taste better but it is a flavor you just can’t quite put your finger on. I wasn’t feeling the salad so I served this as a dip alongside dinner. It was so much more fun than salad!

The Three Bite Rule - Green Goddess Dressing
Happy Holidays! I’ll be back after Christmas with a perfect use for some leftovers. I can’t wait for our 2nd family Christmas and then Christmas morning at home. I’m still working on the menu for Christmas day. Enjoy!

Apple and Cheddar Panini with Apple Butter

On very rare occasions I venture out for lunch. I’m lucky to get homemade lunch & salad every day at work. I know. So lucky. I have to realllly be in the mood to spend $8 on a sandwich when there’s free & delicious homemade lunch at work. The local coffee/sandwich shop has  very delightful, yet very expensive, panini with cheddar, apple, bacon, and pumpkin butter. I recreated at home using apple butter. This isn’t THAT different than one I’ve made before, but apple + cheddar in a panini is just goooood.

The Three Bite Rule - Apple Butter Panini

Ingredients:

4 slices of good bread
2 tbs apple or pumpkin butter (sub pumpkin puree if you don’t find one of the butters)
2 tbs stone ground mustard
3 slices sharp white cheddar
2 slices of American cheese
1 green apple, sliced

Directions:

Preheat the panini press, grill pan, or griddle to medium heat.
Assemble the sandwiches with apple butter on one side and mustard on the other. Top with cheese, apple, and other cheese.
The Three Bite Rule - Apple Butter Panini
Spray the panini press with non-stick spray or a brush of olive oil.
Cook about 4 minutes, or until cheese melts and outside gets crisp.
Slice & enjoy!
The Three Bite Rule - Apple Butter Panini
I can’t believe I forgot to put the bacon in it. That’s such a great touch on the panini from the restaurant. I think it was still good. The apple butter was so great with crisp apples and melty cheese. I think that a little bit of American cheese made this ohh-so-gooey and delicious.

Feta & Herb Crusted Salmon

My garden herbs are still kind of hanging on, likely because it has been 50-degrees! I used them with some feta for a Greek-inspired salmon or the topping would work nicely on chicken as well. I cooked it on the grill or it could be popped into the oven as well.

The Three Bite Rule - Greek Salmon

Ingredients:

1 salmon fillet
1-2 tbs crumbled feta
1/2 tsp chopped fresh oregano
1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

Directions:

Chop the feta and herbs and mix together with a little pepper (the feta will provide enough salt).
The Three Bite Rule - Greek Salmon
Preheat the grill or oven.
Make a foil packet sprayed with a little non-stick spray.
Place the salmon onto the foil and top with the feta/herb topping.
The Three Bite Rule - Greek Salmon
Close up the foil and cook until your desired doneness.
The Three Bite Rule - Greek Salmon
The herbs flavor cooked in really well. It was a his/hers dinner so Mr. J grilled some steak while I had salmon. With some roasted broccoli and some creamy white beans, dinner was really quite hands-off. It was a good reminder that the salmon I had hanging out in the freezer would defrost quickly and cook quickly with only a few ingredients. What a perfect use for some leftover fresh herbs you have from something else!

The Three Bite Rule - Greek Salmon

Texan Burger on Texas Toast

What MAKES this burger not your average burger, is the vehicle the Texas toast provides. I never have Texas toast but I was obsessed with this idea and it took a few weeks to come to fruition. Texas Toast bakes up surprisingly soft and easy to bite through for a burger! My toppings could probably get more amped up a bit, but dinner was fast approaching. The burger gets BBQ sauce in it, and on it, with some meat rub, onion, and some great flavors. I topped the bread-shaped patties with colby jack cheese and a bbq sauce/ketchup smear.

The Three Bite Rule - Texan Burger

Ingredients:

4 slices of cheesy Texas Toast
1/4 pound ground beef/chicken/pork
1/4 white onion, diced finely
1/3 cup BBQ sauce
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp yellow mustard
2 tbs dry rub
2 slices colby jack cheese

Directions:

Mix the meat with onion, bbq sauce, liquid smoke, worcestershire sauce, and mustard.
The Three Bite Rule - Texan Burger
(we did his & hers patties of beef=his & ground chicken=hers)
The Three Bite Rule - Texan Burger
Form into thin oblong patties, keeping in mind the size of the Texas toast.
Dust the outside with the rub.
Bake the Texas toast according to the package (likely 8-12 minutes).
Grill until cooked through, being careful not to overcook.
Top with cheese & sprinkle some more rub onto the burger.
The Three Bite Rule - Texan Burger
Mix together 1 part bbq sauce & 1 part ketchup.
Assemble the burger with chopped lettuce, pickles, burger, and BBQ/ketchup sauce.
Enjoy!

I was a bit fearful that the bread would be too crusty and thus hard to eat since it is also so thick! It wasn’t at all! Yee-haw! I loved the smokey flavors and how juicy the burgers came out being. I’m telling you, liquid smoke goes so nicely here. Get some.  It’ll take your chili to the next level.
The Three Bite Rule - Texan Burger

Yum. We loved this. I have the other half of the Texas toast package so we’ll see where that goes. It seems like just the perfect snack…just saying.

Pork Tacos with Pomegranate Molasses and Pineapple

I looove pork tacos. I decided to sweeten the filling whilst on my never-ending quest to find my favorite salsa. I might need to be making my own. Hmm. Different story for a different day. I added some fresh pineapple and some pomegranate molasses. I love that stuff on brussels sprouts. Ahhh: stay. on. topic.

The Three Bite Rule - Pomegranate Pork Taco

Ingredients:

pulled pork shoulder (a great use for leftovers)
2-3 slices of fresh pineapple, chopped
1/4 cup pomegranate molasses
flour tortillas
shredded white cheddar
lettuce
white beans
salsa/pico de gallo
guacamole

Directions:

Saute the pork with pineapple and molasses over medium heat. The goal is to warm the pork through and soften the pineapple a bit…about 5 minutes.
The Three Bite Rule - Pomegranate Pork Taco
Taste, and add more pomegranate molasses, if necessary.
Fill the tacos with the pork/pineapple, lettuce, cheese, white beans, and salsa.
The Three Bite Rule - Pomegranate Pork Taco
Top with guac, and enjoy!

I loved the sweetness to these tacos! The pineapple was a nice touch of sweetness and tartness. The fruity touch was so great, and different than flavors we typically have. I added in some white beans, partly because I had them and it felt like they’d go. The little one eats beans but I’m always trying to use them before they get slimy.

I found my favorite guacamole and now I’m wanting better salsa. I want fresh salsa. It’s often too thick or too sweet. I like restaurant-style salsas. Sal-sa. I’ll have to work on that. Aren’t the taco stands so cute? I love my tacos upright.