Two summers ago I purchased an ice cream maker off of Craigs List and I’ve been trying out different recipes ever since. I keep a running Pinterest board of all the delicious recipes I find, and I try to add a comment to the ones I’ve made so I’ll remember if I liked the recipe or not.
A little girl I babysit (above) and I made the Chocolate recipe below and she dubbed it “chocola-fantastic.”
My coworker Kathryn told me about this Bountiful Basket program. You pay around $20 and get a basket of produce. From what I understand they buy the produce (or the majority of it at least) in bulk from (I’m guessing) the same place restaurants do. So mostly Bountiful Baskets is a way to get a great amount of produce for a really good price.
I was a bit hesitant to sign up because I shop for produce when it’s in season and on sale, so I usually get a good deal. Kathryn signed up and reported back that she thought it was a good deal and liked the program, so I figured I should give it a try.
You sign up and pay for your basket on Monday-Tuesday and pick it up Saturday. The cost is $15 plus a fee or two (there’s a first time participant fee and a handling fee). They also offer an organic basket option for a bit more.
You only sign up for weeks you want which is great because it took me about four weeks to use all my produce up, and was out of town for a week. Now I’m back and looking forward to getting another basket.
I got lettuce, bananas, green apples, strawberries, blackberries, leeks, zucchini, cucumber, oranges, grapefruit, broccoli and asparagus. I’d never purchased leeks before, so I had to find a couple of recipes for those.
They do this all over the country, so if it sounds interesting definitely check and see if there’s a pick-up location near you!
I didn’t get quite as many fantastic lunches packed as I’d hoped to with my goal, but I got in a few solid ones in January and made use of my animal food cutters I got for Christmas.
Orange/blueberries/cherries/cucumber/turkey and avocado sandwich/honey roasted peanuts/chocolate SomerSaults/Bugles
Cherries/string cheese/orange/cucumber/avacado/almonds/chocolate SomerSaults/Special K popcorn chips/Sweet Potato and Kale Frittata with Goat Cheese
Orange/cherries/grape tomatoes/cucumber/carrots/wafer cookies/strawberries/cucumber/carrots/Creamy Chicken Spaghetti Casserole
My Labor Day Weekend was pretty chill with lots of relaxing, but I did get in quite a bit of cooking. (All photos are from the blogs the recipes came from.)
First I made Skinny Veggie Lasagna from Pinch of Yum. I always find lasagna a bit daunting because I remember my mom slaving over it, and worrying about breaking the lasagna noodles as they came out of the water. This one uses oven ready noodles which are genius (no boiling), so most of the time preparing was spent chopping veggies. I think I used way more veggies than the recipe called for, but it was delicious.
The next recipe was Autumn Chicken Stew from Gimme Some Oven. It may have been a tad bit hot outside for stew, but this was so tasty and really got me in the mood for fall and all my favorite soup recipes. Nate was helping chop veggies for this and I went to throw in the apples and he said “Apples?!?” Fruit in a chicken and vegetable stew is a little weird, but I think when he ate it he didn’t mind too much. I will say if you’re not a fan of hot or cooked fruit this one probably isn’t for you.
And finally the crockpot whipped up an old favorite, Pioneer Woman’s Drip Beef. We made drip beef tacos with flour tortillas rather than making sandwiches, but as expected they were fantastic.
Did you try any new recipes over the long weekend?
I’ve been a pickle making machine lately. My grandma gave me several cucumbers from her garden so I turned them into several jars of bread and butter pickles (above). Then I visited my parents several weekends ago, and my dad had well over ten lbs of cucumbers. So we got to work and spent a good portion of the day Saturday pickling. We made a batch of sweet, bread and butter, and dill. I’ve tried some from each recipe and have found them all to be quite tasty!
I’ve canned a few different things and keep being surprised how easy it is. It takes some time and a bit of reading to make sure you know how to properly process your jars, but it is not rocket science. Honestly it doesn’t take all of the fancy tools either. I use my biggest soup pot with a steamer basket fanned out in the bottom for processing my jars. My mom did buy my dad the special jar tongs and they are really handy, but I don’t own a pair and my regular tongs do the job.
If you’re interested in some recipes check out Putting Food By. My grandma has a 1970s copy that I have a couple of recipes photocopied from. It also includes lots of great instructions and tips on canning, so it might be good to check out from the library if you’re going to give canning a try.
Sweet Pickle Chips – This is the updated recipe of the one I used. I generally don’t care for sweet pickles, but I didn’t mind these. The addition of the Allspice gives them a bit of a different flavor than a store-bought sweet pickle.
Bread and Butter – (pictured above) I couldn’t find a copy of this one online, so you’ll have to buy or borrow the book. It includes turmeric, celery seed, and mustard seed. The cucumbers in this recipe are put on ice before canning. I may be wrong but I think that it helps keep the pickles crunchier. Next time I make the dill recipe below I think I’ll add a similar step to the beginning of that recipe.
Dill – This recipe was recommended by my friend Shannon. They’re incredibly easy, and I wish we’d made more because I’m down to just a few pickles left! I like that the recipe is very basic, so it leaves room for tweaking the spices. I actually emptied a jar a few nights ago, and decided to make some refrigerator pickles with the left over juice.
I love trying new restaurants, and Nate and I will often try a place we haven’t been before when eating out. It seems like a ton of new places have opened in the past month or two, and my list of place to try is getting pretty lengthy.
Pie Junkie – In the Plaza District. I especially love what they’ve come up with for HappyPi hour.
1711 NW 16th Street
Tues – Fri: 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sat: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
HappyPi hour, Tuesday through Friday, from 5-6 p.m. and slices cost only $3.14
Peloton Wine Bar & Cafe – Located behind Schlegel. We have actually grabbed a bite to eat here. It’s small with not a lot of indoor seating, but the patio was awesome. The food was good and reasonably priced. I want to go back and try a few more things.
900 N Broadway
Mon – Thurs: 7:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Fri & Sat: 7:30 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Sun: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Old School Bagel Cafe – Apparently they’ve been around for quite a while, but the downtown location is new.
Leadership Square, 211 N. Robinson
Cow Calf Hay – City Bites’ burger restaurant.
212 N. Harvey
Mon – Fri: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Packard’s New American Kitchen – I haven’t heard the most glowing reviews from friends, but their patio looks awesome. I’m looking forward to trying it eventually.
201 NW 10th St
Mon – Fri: 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Mon – Thurs: 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Fri – Sat: 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Kitchen 324 – I’ve had chai and a croissant, and they didn’t disappoint. I can’t wait to go back for a full meal. Plus the restaurant is an extra lovely designed place.
324 N. Robinson
7 a.m. – 2 p.m., daily
Tamazul – Just opened in Classen Curve. I believe Chef Ryan Parrott is behind it which is always a good sign!
5820 N Classen Blvd, Ste. 1
Mon – Sat: 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Sun: 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Sauced – It’s been around for a while, but I haven’t tried it under the new ownership (which I think it’s been under for 2 or 3 years).
2912 Paseo Drive
Mon: 4pm-9pm
Tues -Thur: 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Fri & Sat: 11 a.m. – 12 a.m.
Sun: 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Empire Slice House – Opening in the Plaza District sometime this summer.
1734 NW 16th St.
Chopt – We tried this one a few weeks ago. It was good, but nothing I couldn’t already make at home. Hopefully it lasts and does well for the lunch crowd in the neighborhood.
726 W. Sheridan Avenue
Mon – Fri: 7 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Hillbilly Po’Boy’s & Oysters – I don’t know much about Po’Boy’s, but it can’t hurt to try them.
1 Nw 9th St
Mon – Sat: 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Guernsey Park – Located behind Cuppie’s & Joe and it looks pretty fancy!
2418 N Guernsey Ave
Mon – Thu: 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Fri – Sat: 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Whiskey Cake – They have another location in TX (does that make it a chain?), but it’s supposed to be a farm-to-kitchen type restaurant.
1845 Northwest Expressway
Mon – Thu: 11 a.m. – 12 a.m.
Fri: 11 a.m. – 2 a.m.
Sat: 9 a.m. – 2 a.m.
Sun: 10 a.m. – 11 p.m.
What have you been packing for lunch lately? Most of these lunches are from a month ago. I’m going through a bit of a lunch packing lull and have been having lots of days where I throw a loaf of bread and jar of peanut butter in my bag rather than spending a little time packing up something. I guess it’s time to look back over everything I’ve packed and get some good ideas going again!
Turkey pita (I found these cute mini pitas that fit perfectly in my bento box!)/dried apricots/almonds/carrots/cucumber/cherry tomatoes/strawberries/pineapple
Breakfast burrito (corn, breakfast sausage, egg, cheese)/honey roasted peanuts/carrots/strawberries/mango/tomato
Toast/caprese salad (soon there will be fresh basil rather than dry!)/dried apricots/carrots/apple/strawberry/cucumber
Cadbury mini eggs/mango/tomato/cucumber/edamame/saltines/triscuits/cheese/garlic herb cheese/pepperoni/almonds
Pasta salad with tomato, cucumber, spinach, goat cheese, and olive oil balsamic dressing/cherries/peach/carrot/garlic herb cheese/triscuits
While my cousin was in town last weekend I met her and her fiance for brunch on Saturday morning.
I’ve had Elemental’s Crepe Brunch that they serve on Saturday and Sunday on my to-do list for quite a while, and this turned out to be a perfect opportunity to try it out. They serve 4 different crepes until 2 p.m., and the menu changes every week. A lot of times they’ll post the crepe options on their Facebook or Twitter so you can check what you might be interested in before you go.
The menu is just printed on a paper taped to the counter at the register, so don’t be confused if you don’t see it on the menu board.
This past weekend they were serving:
Raspberries Red: Puree of red raspberries, drizzled with Askinosie dark chocolate sauce.
The Patriot: Lemon sugar crepe topped with strawberries, blueberries, and cream.
Roast Beast: Peppery roast beef, aged cheddar cheese, and smoky barbecue sauce.
Mango Madness: Crepe filled with refried black beans and topped with mango salsa and guacamole.
Kirby got the Patriot, Alli got the Mango Madness and mine below is the Roast Beast. We also got coffee or chai to drink. I know mine was delicious and I think Kirby and Allison liked theirs too.
So, next time I find a reason to go eat brunch time crepes I will. The one problem with eating a crepe at 10:30 when you haven’t had breakfast and intend for it to also be your lunch is it’s not a large meal. Maybe next time I’ll go for a sweet crepe as dessert after lunch!
Elemental Coffee
815 N Hudson
OKC, OK 73102
Monday-Friday 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Saturday 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Sunday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Ground Turkey Meatballs (mine were actually ground chicken)/dried apricots/almonds/carrots/apple/clementine/string cheese/chocolate macadamia nut cluster
Mexicali Salad with pita/graham cracker/almonds/clementine/pear/carrots/cucumber
Pasta with goat cheese, chicken, asparagus & mushrooms (added bell peppers)/apricots/almonds/kiwi/apple/cucumber
Chicken, corn, tomato, zucchini quesadilla/avocado/orange/Summer Macaroni Salad with Tomatoes and Zucchini
French Toast/ants on a log/string cheese/edamame/kiwi/almonds
Hamburger patty with lettuce, cheese, tomato, avocado/wafer cookies/strawberries/cucumber/carrots
This week is one of the best weeks of the year in OKC. Honestly it’s too good, and I wish it would spread its self over a few weeks so I could enjoy more of the wonderful things that are going on! My favorite is the Festival of the Arts but there’s also NBA Playoffs, Norman Music Festival, the Memorial Marathon, H&8th, and probably several more big events that I don’t even know about!
I work downtown, so Festival of the Arts week means my co-workers and I try to eat as many “Culinary Arts” meals as possible. It’s been a busy week so I’ve actually only made it over once for lunch and once meeting a friend for dinner, but it was still a good time as always.
Today for lunch Kaylee, Traci and I all ended up in the LOCAL & deadCenter Film Festival booth line ordering Avocado Chicken Cones. They were a little spicy and pretty good, but not nearly as tasty as Waffle Awesome & UCO College of Fine Arts & Design/KCSC-FM’s Chicken N’ Waffle I had for dinner last night. 
After our avocado cones Traci treated us to Guiltless Concessions & The Harn Homestead & 1889ers Museum’s Apple Pie a la Mode Sundae. The ice cream they use is so tasty I wish I could just get a bowl of it!
Last night I met Jill and Austen for dinner. It was Austen’s first time, so it was fun to see her trying to take everything in, being super stoked for the $1 balloon Jill bought her, and mesmerized by the ballerinas performing at the band shell stage! We both got Chicken N’ Waffles and like I said it was awesome. We were trying to figure out what the sauce they used was because it was a little sweet. I thought maybe something with syrup, but I’m not sure. I didn’t think to snap a picture of my waffle, but Jill got a much more interesting and cute one of me and my little buddy Austen.
The Blog Days of Sommer 