October 2023 Recap

October felt like a month where we were in our groove. We had gotten more used to aftercare pick ups, all the soccer practices, weekend plans, and what we need to be ready for it all. We are psyched for Halloween.

I made a Bfast Pizza with Everything Bagel Crust

The Three Bite Rule - Bfast Pizza with Everything Bagel Crust

We had an impromptu Ranch-Off testing out 3 ranches to dip. The “restaurant-style” packet is way better than the regular. I don’t know why. Tell that to my very large canister of dry ranch mix. 

The Three Bite Rule - Wingstop Dupe Ranch-off

Lastly, I made a butternut squash and bacon tart. I loved it having lots of squash and only enough egg to hold it together. It is sweet and salty and perfect. 

Next month I’ll share a lunch idea and an app. I’m not sure what else. Next month brings my blogaversary and new goals. It will wrap up soccer and bring a new routine.

The Big Kid: 
He’s very into sports cards, stats, and teams. The soccer season wraps up soon and it has been fun to see his group. I love picking up from aftercare and kids saying bye or getting to local fall events and him finding his friends. There’s a new ga-ga ball court at school and he’s obsessed.  

The Little One: 
She got very good at taking the world’s most awful-smelling antibiotic (we mixed with chocolate syrup for the win!). She has a best buddy in kindergarten who we hear about daily. We met this little one at a back to school playground meet up and while you can’t judge a book by its cover, C definitely zero’ed in on a long braid and dress. All the kids love seeing one another at soccer or wherever. 

Goals:
Year of workwear! I grabbed some fall-colored tops for family photos
Salads or side-dishes: I made some soft cornbread and seriously, this is the only one to ever make. 
prep ahead bfasts or lunches for weekdays: I prepped some savory waffles – like this but with bacon and cheese; and I had the butternut squash and bacon tart as lunch a few times. 
Monthly dates: Stars aligned last minute for an unplanned date for Mexican at Casa Loca. 
Declutter/cleaning: Now that we’re into the next season of clothes, the kids needed to pass off ones that don’t fit. 
Workouts as a routine: I’m now onto a long kickboxing one I’ve done several times.  
What I’m reading: I read Remarkably Bright Creatures and Hello Beautiful.

Butternut Squash & Bacon Tart

I’ve decided this is maybe a tart and not quiche based on the filling ratio. There is lots of butternut squash and bacon and just a little egg and a tiny sprinkle of cheese. The squash and maple syrup make it sweet and the bacon provides the saltiness.

Butternut Squash & Bacon Tart
Ingredients:

pie crust
~2 cups chopped butternut squash (not quite half a squash, cut into bite size pieces)
~4 strips of bacon
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons maple syrup
3-4 eggs

Directions:
Roast or air fry the butternut squash until cooked through and crisp on the edges.
Par-bake the pie crust in a sprayed pie plate.
Pan fry the bacon until crisp, drain, and chop.
In the pie crust, assemble the tart with butternut squash, bacon, parmesan, and drizzled maple syrup.

Whisk the eggs together and pour over the tart.
Bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.
Allow to cool, slice, and enjoy!

This was really good. I had it for about 4 lunches and a breakfast. The squash makes it really filling and the remainder is the equivalent of less than one egg per serving and less than 1 slice of bacon for each serving. I piled some lightly dressed arugula for a fresh and peppery punch. It freezes well too!

Ranch Dip Off

Wingstop has the best ranch ever. I made a dupe and then served 3 kinds to see how they stack up. My favorite was the Wingstop-like one. They’re just a touch different and each have their place.

The Wingstop copycat is the most flavorful- and the most drippy. That one was most adults’ fav. I made one made of a dry mix, as directed – that one ends up the most tart from the sour cream. I also served some from the bottle, which is the sweetest- that was some kids’ fav.

The Three Bite Rule - Wingstop Dupe Ranch-off

Wingstop Ranch Copycat Dressing
Ingredients:

1 cup Hellman’s mayo
1 cup buttermilk (reduce this for thicker dip vs dressing)
2 packets Restaurant-Style ranch mix
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper
1/2 cup sour cream (optional, to add later)

Directions:
Mix together the buttermilk, mayo, ranch mix, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Whisk together and then refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight.

The Three Bite Rule - Wingstop Dupe Ranch-off

Taste and add sour cream, if desired for thickness. I thought thicker would be good and it is flavor packed so some sour cream mellows it out just a bit.

The Three Bite Rule - Wingstop Dupe Ranch-off

This makes a lot but it is so good and has a million uses or the recipe could be halved. I envision this being our go-to.

Bfast Pizza with Everything Bagel Crust

Breakfast in any form is the best. We love bacon on pizza so I leaned into the pizza vibe finishing it with hard boiled egg. The crust got brushed with butter and everything bagel seasoning.

The Three Bite Rule - Bfast Pizza with Everything Bagel Crust

Bfast Pizza with Everything Bagel Crust
Ingredients:

pizza dough
~3-4 tablespoons tomato sauc
~1/2 cup crumbled bacon
~1 cup mozzarella
2 tablespoons butter, melted
~3 teaspoons Everything Bagel Seasoning
2 eggs, hard boiled

Directions:
Preheat the pizza oven or pizza stone.
Top the dough with sauce, bacon, and cheese.

The Three Bite Rule - Bfast Pizza with Everything Bagel Crust

Cook through until crust crisps and cheese melts.
While the pizza cooks, melt the butter and then peal and chop the eggs.
Out of the oven, immediately brush with melted butter and sprinkle on the everything bagel seasoning.
Sprinkle on the egg and some salt & pepper.

The Three Bite Rule - Bfast Pizza with Everything Bagel Crust

This was a fun pizza. The eggs aren’t all that attached but I wanted to give them a go. All the flavors are there. A personal pizza with a runny yolk would be good too – we just always have hardboiled eggs around.

September 2023 Recap

September was such a big-feelings month. The little one starting kindergarten felt so significant and the start of soccer for both of them meant more schedules than we have coordinated lately. September also included our 12th wedding anniversary. 

In the kitchen, I was most psyched about these chorizo eggs “benedict“. There’s white queso replacing what should be/could be hollondaise which I think is so fitting but go for the way you’d like it. 

The Three Bite Rule - Chorizo Eggs Benedict

This butternut iced coffee was such a fun treat. We straddle the line for iced vs hot as fall progresses but I’d be happy with this in any coffee! 

The Three Bite Rule - Butternut Iced Coffee

I also gave the taco-spiced deviled eggs a little refresh from 2017!

The Three Bite Rule - Redo Taco Deviled Eggs

Next month I have some ideas for a pizza, a fall cocktail or sangria, and we’ll see what else. I’m ready for some fall flavors but we’re very much in kid-activity-timing these days. A few days a week somebody is at a practice so dinners have been more focused on everyone getting enough at whatever time works for them. 

The Big Kid: 
Third grade has kicked off well so far. He loves a routine and is so much better at getting himself ready than we saw in his younger years! Soccer is very fun to see them pass and shoot and score – that’s of course the game, but the bigger kids play for real which is refreshing. He’s still all-in on hard boiled eggs and pasta.

The Little One: 
She LOVES kindergarten and wishes every day would be a school day. I was so proud to see her pop right up onto the school bus. I was in turmoil hoping she made it to aftercare on the bus. It has gone smoothly but is a lot to hope a 5 year old will follow correctly. Since food was all provided at preschool, she loves packing a snack. She’s been great at soccer – though they were all a mess when we had a later time for a make up- lesson learned 6pm they’re tapped out. I’m such a proud coach! She was happy to see soup more often now and all the cheese.

Goals:
Year of workwear! I got a dress that my whole office gushed over. 
Salads or side-dishes: I haven’t made interesting sides but the kiddos couldn’t get enough of heirloom tomatoes with Italian dressing so sometimes maybe less is more?
prep ahead bfasts or lunches for weekdays: I haven’t made anything interesting, but have had stuff around so I’ll get back to it but snacky lunch, burritos I’ve frozen, and chicken salad has been fine
Monthly dates: We celebrated our anniversary at Chickadee and I had the best meal – I chose squid ink pasta and loved it. We started with a trio of dips, what could be better?
Declutter/cleaning: We dropped off a bag at Savers and came home with just a few kid sneaks.
Workouts as a routine: I’ve been doing these “rough around the edges” videos from stunt women and have picked & chosen ones I wanted to do.  
What I’m reading: I read Our Missing Hearts for bookclub and it was too heavy to really enjoy or appreciate. I also read The Mystery of Mrs. Christie and loved it for its intrigue and speed. I read Swipe Up for More: Inside the Unfiltered Lives of Influencers and thought it was pretty good, but all were ideas and convos I’ve heard on podcasts. Anyone who hasn’t will love this one. I finished the month with Same Time Next Summer and loved it. It had serious parallels to Every Summer After but with fun and likable characters and none of the teen spiciness.