Build a Better Burger Final Competition

Wayyy back when, in mid-October, I had the final round of the Build a Better Burger Competition. Spoiler: I didn’t win, but it was really fun.
The Three Bite Rule - Build a Better Burger Finals
We flew home on a red-eye so I could be at a 9am meeting at work for a big event. Phew. It was such a whirlwind trip but I’m so grateful Mr. J and I got a getaway! I last went to wine country circa 2007 maybe? Mr. J hadn’t been and is now more into wine! Yay!

After wining the regional one in Boston, they didn’t immediately share a date for the finals (which I thought they mustttt have since it ended up being just 6 weeks later). I was really hoping it wouldn’t conflict with a big work event weekend. I ended up getting the flights & hotel stay, early and we left early, to get me back in time. The regional one was structured differently than the finals so I was always trying to nail-down details. Thankfully stars aligned for grandparents to babysit, availability at the kennel and time off work to get us to Napa!

Tuesday: Mr. J and I arrived in SF and drive out to our super cute hotel in St. Helena: Wydown Hotel. St. Helena is adorable! We popped over to Sterling Vineyard for a self-guided tastings and an aerial tram. It was fun but not the best intro to vineyards. It was a good chance to taste a few wines and to walk around at our own pace and see their vineyards from a gondola- after a day of flying and then a 2 hour car drive. We had dinner in Napa to stay up and adjust ourselves to the time difference.

Wednesday: We got up (early for wine country standards) and went out to see the redwoods about an hour away. It was awe-astounding and great to hike around for a few hours. Back in wine country and we grabbed lunch at Gotts Roadside and then we did a tasting at V. Sattui Winery. It was fantastic to have choices in what we wanted to try! I had a meeting with the other contestants to proof our ingredients and before a welcome dinner for the contestants and guests at the winery. The food was to-die for and it was so wonderful to really get to know the others in the competition.

Thursday: Competition day! I was all nerves. I took a walk and tried to just be ready. The 5 contestants had staggered start times alphabetically by last name. I was 4th! I had to present each of the six judges with half a burger in 60 minutes. Mr. J really tried to keep me calm. I was so nervous!

The Three Bite Rule - Build a Better Burger Finals
There was so much time- kind of too much time since the fried egg really had to be last. This round, they had to be sliced which was my biggest stressor. I was physically shaking for the last 10 minutes. Presenting to the judges was much easier than the final few minutes of cook time! The judges seemed to have really positive reactions for me. Their suggestions included toasting my burger buns and another suggested using a really Parisian stinky cheese. I’ll definitely take the note to toast the bun- I’m not into stinky cheese so I’ll stick with the swiss- or boursin would be good too!

The Three Bite Rule - Build a Better Burger Finals
We cooked for the judges, and the culinary staff made our burgers for the attendees. Here was mine! Mr. J got to taste all the burgers.
The Three Bite Rule - Build a Better Burger Finals
The woman who won was ecstatic. She was lovely and I’m sure she was genuinely thrilled. Originally we thought we’d hear 3rd place, 2nd place, and the winner but they just announced the winner. It was tough because with so few, we each felt like we could have won. I know it is subjective and what chefs/culinary professionals choose might not be what the average person wants. I was disappointed not to win and exhausted. I guess we can each assume we were each almost the winner. The Three Bite Rule - Build a Better Burger Finals

Then we headed to the airport and flew home on our first red-eye! Phew!

I did love doing it (though I’m tough on events that aren’t seamless – I’m lookin’ at you regional round! I wanted dates! I wanted details!) but I wouldn’t enter the contest circuit all the time. The stress and anxiety is real! The prize absolutely made it worth it and Mr. J and I would absolutely not have had a trip away without the competition. I literally entered hoping to maybe get some free wine out of the deal so I’d say I came out on top! I feel proud of what I did- each round I definitely made the best version of my burger I could and pushing myself to do something new.

Enter! Put yourself out there! You never know when you’ll get a trip to wine country when you were hoping for a just some free wine!

Winter Veggie Grain Bowl

You know I loooove a grain bowl and this one was perfect for the season. It is totally vegetarian, nearly vegan, filling, fitting for the season and quick! Who doesn’t need more veggies and whole grains this time of year? The tart dried cranberries and the sweet honey mustard drizzle are ideal here. Making the farro in advance and par-roasting the veggies gives a great head start.

The Three Bite Rule - Winter Veggie Grain Bowl

Winter Veggie Grain Bowl

Ingredients: (serves 4)

1 cup dried farro
3 cups water or broth
1/2 butternut squash, pealed
1 zucchini
~2 cups mushrooms
~2 oz of sharp white cheddar cheese
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup honey mustard or balsamic reduction or spicy honey

Directions:

Add the farro and water/broth to a low boil. Cook for ~30 minutes until tender (or make in advance).
Preheat the oven to 375-degrees.
While the farro is cooking, peal and chop the butternut squash. Spread it out onto a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil and bake.
Chop the zucchini and add to the sheet pan.
Bake for ~15 minutes, adding the mushrooms and sprinkle with salt & pepper to cook for the last five minutes.
Slice the cheese and break into crumbles.
Plate farro onto the bottom of the bowls or plates, top with veggies, then add dried cranberries and cheese.
The Three Bite Rule - Winter Veggie Grain Bowl
Drizzle with honey mustard. Enjoy!
The Three Bite Rule - Winter Veggie Grain Bowl
I really loved this one. The preschooler and toddler each loved it. The chewy farro has such texture with the roasted veggies. Swap the veggies for your fav and the drizzle of your choice. To me, the must haves here are the farro + dried cranberries + cheese. If meat is a must have, sausage or shredded roasted chicken would be good.

November 2019 Recap

November was a blur. It didn’t feel the biggest month in the kitchen. Being away one weekend, a cold, and a babe with hand/foot/month made the month fuzzy. My college roomies and I had a weekend to CT to some wineries. It was magical. The best. These ladies bring me such joy and make me a better person. It was so wonderful.

I love love loved this butternut squash soup with apple cider and brown butter. It might be repeated for Thanksgiving. I also re-made a Greek Lemon & Orzo Soup that uses chicken, tons of lemon, and tons of oregano. It freezes well and was my lunch for a few days at work.
The Three Bite Rule - Butternut Squash & Cider Soup
This little blog turned 9! Wow!

I made some gingerbread syrup to put in coffee and I can see it being great in hot chocolate or tea.
The Three Bite Rule - Gingerbread Syrup
I want to document the burger finals but just haven’t collected the photos. I didn’t take many myself but it was such a big deal for my fall that I would like to be able to look back on it. I’ll get on it, courtesy of my personal photographer/webmaster/cheerleader. I’m not sure what’s ahead in December. It seems like a busy time of year so maybe I’ll sneak in some quick/make-ahead/healthy options.

The Preschooler Guy:

He’s doing go well at school! I’m glad to hear he’s making friends and is behaving. He loves it. I love seeing his mind churn and make connections. I’m proud of him being brave to answer strangers and to jump into activities when his natural inclination is to hang back at first. He’s suddenly into flavored instant oatmeal, which is awesome to expand some bfast options. On the other hand, he’s not wanting sandwiches again, which totally inhibits lunch options. His Halloween candy will last him forever.

The Toddler Girl:

She’s obsessed with a baby doll she got last year for Christmas. She’s now pacifier-free! She did it! She was such a champ through hand, foot, and mouth. This girl is so easy-going but feisty. I can see her snag her brother’s stuff, watch him to see if he notices, and put up a fight when he tries to get it back. She totally knows what’s up. She is good with routines- when we get home she puts her own shoes away and follows brother to wash her hands. It is adorable! She loves all food and can totally put it away. We’re so impressed with her ability to use a fork.

This year’s Goals:

Year of beauty! The face masks have been fun!
Prep intentional sides and veggies: I’ve prepped a few more to have ready to go. The baby loved some sautéed mushrooms.
Eat more fish: I don’t know that we had any in Nov
Blog some series: Hmm. I’m thinking about what’ll be December.
Focus decluttering/organizing to an area: Toys and such got a bit more put-away while having to decontaminate everything amidst hand, food & mouth.
Share more books on instagram: I added a few to stories for me and a few picture books.
Prioritize workouts: I’m 40/100 through 100 morning meltdown.
What I’m reading: I breezed through When We Were Strangers
What I’m listening to:
Be There in Five‘s episodes about purity culture called “Love Weights”. They’re long but ohh-so worth it.
What I’m watching: We got really into a docu-series by CNN, Declassified: Untold Stories of American Spies

Enjoy Thanksgiving!! I’m thankful for so many things- including you who read this!

Gingerbread Syrup for Hot Drinks

Gingerbread lattes! Gingerbread americanos! Gingerbread hot chocolates! The possibilities are endless! I 100% wait until after Thanksgiving for Christmas things but these flavors felt fall enough to fit this week of Thanksgiving.

The Three Bite Rule - Gingerbread Syrup

Gingerbread Syrup

Ingredients:

(makes ~2 cups, or 12 servings. Half unless gifting!)
1 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbs honey
2 tbs molasses
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp grated or minced ginger
1 strip orange peal

Directions:

Heat everything together and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
Pour through a mesh strainer, or through a cheese cloth, or through a coffee filter.
The Three Bite Rule - Gingerbread Syrup
Stir into coffee and top with frothed milk. (Microwave milk in a glass jar for 15 seconds. Screw on the top and shake vigorously.)
The Three Bite Rule - Gingerbread Syrup
Top with whipped cream and an extra sprinkle of nutmeg!
The Three Bite Rule - Gingerbread Syrup
I keep fresh ginger in the freezer and use a veggie pealer to shave the skin off and then chop or grate. It lasts forever and is a great addition to peanut sauce or smoothies too.

I loved this! It was such a fun treat to have on hand! It is delightful in coffee or in hot chocolate. The flavor is strong so a tablespoon felt like plenty in a cup. This makes more than enough so I’ll half it next time.
The Three Bite Rule - Gingerbread Syrup

9th Blogaversary

9 years old?!?! How’s that possible!
balloons
This was a big and full year. I’m so glad to have the blog as a creative outlet. I think I’m my best when I am doing “all the things” even if each doesn’t shine 100% of the time. I tried to let myself take it slow when blogging just isn’t quite fitting in, but overall I’ve been active here. Thank you for joining me! I’m so grateful to hear from folks who have made something or saw something here and it means a lot to me. I love doing it and hope to instill in my little ones that hobbies are wonderful- all while not having phones at the table!

Superlatives

Best Burger: I mean it has to be this one, right? The Parisian Burger is circa 2014 but the competition will be what always stands out for me this year. I did really love this meatloaf burger too with brown sugar ketchup, crispy onions, and greens.
The Three Bite Rule - Insta
Most Photogenic: Fall Dog with Apple Slaw I’ve yet to source pretzel buns like this again…I’d better search- they seem like an Oktoberfest-ish thing.
The Three Bite Rule - Fall Hot Dog
Most Repeatable: Crispy Fish Rice Bowl
The Three Bite Rule - Crispy Fish Rice Bowl
I think I made more soups and more sandwiches than some years past but definitely fewer pizzas this year.

2019 goals Recap:

Year of ___ decluttering/minimizing/organizing This was a good one for the year. With baby C joining the family and ohh-so-much artwork from Mr. T, relieving our home of stuff is good.
Feeding Littles: I wish I did this more.
Work on advanced food prepping:
What I’m reading: I read 22 books this year! Crazy! My fav was Map of Salt and Stars by Zeyn Joukhadar followed closely by The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. Find my books and ratings here.
What I’m watching: 

This year’s Goals:

Year of beauty! I loved this suggestion and I kicked it off grabbing some face masks before a weekend away with my college roomies. The “year of” are something I like for myself and I don’t want to have to coordinate with anyone else. I’m overdue for some nail polishes newer than my college days, I love face masks, and my hair could use some TLC.
Prep intentional sides and veggies: too often they’re a bit of an afterthought and we could increase the colors and options here.
Eat more fish: I love it, Mr. J is OK with it, and the kids gobble it up so I should keep going there.
Blog some series: these are so fun for me while I’m doing them, I should try some others. I’ve done series of grilled cheeses, series of toast toppings, and I’ll see what else comes to mind!
Focus decluttering/organizing to an area I think I (or Mr. J) did our most impactful work when doing one little spot at a time. There’s more to do!
Share more books on instagram: I had some stories of kids books and couldn’t believe when I got actual responses and people without kids asking about more of them. It made my heart swell as something I love.
Prioritize workouts: I started Beachbody On Demand doing the Morning Meltdown 100 and I’m loving it.
What I’m reading: 20 books feels like a natural benchmark to strive towards
What I’m listening to:
I love podcasts and have yet to convince my most talked-to people to also listen so we can discuss.
What I’m watching: