cooking class

Instead of exchanging gifts for our anniversary this year, Kyle and I thought it would be fun to "give" each other a cooking class that we could take together. The theme was American Steakhouse, so we learned how to prepare a wedge salad (with fresh blue cheese dressing!), beef filet with béarnaise sauce, creamed spinach, and pan roasted mushrooms. We partnered with a lovely couple, Gerald and Elishia, and got to work...

Kyle being judged on his technique...can you guess what the instructor was thinking??

Gerald and I whipping up the béarnaise sauce...I was assigned the official "pan-holder" role.

Uh oh...the eggs in the sauce look like they are close to scrambling...

Yep. Scrambled. So embarrassing since we were the only table that failed, but for some reason I could not stop laughing...

After the second sauce attempt, we finally finished and plated everything...not too shabby! Actually it was pretty delicious and totally worth all of the blood, sweat, tears, and embarrassment that went into making it:)

Overall, the class was an amazing learning experience and I'm glad we were able to do something different other than the typical 'date night'. Kyle and I both agreed that we would be up for taking another class in the future (the Spanish tapas class looked especially exciting to me). 

And if we happen to invite you over for dinner in the next few weeks, you can guess what we'll be serving...!

magnolia cheese shop

Yesterday, Kyle and I tried a new-to-us cheese shop that was only 10 minutes away from our house! Not only was the place super cute (think vintage furniture and mason jars), but we felt very French ordering our cheese plate that came alongside honey, fruit, and spiced nuts. While we thought they were all delicious, our favorite was a coffee and lavender infused white cheddar...who knew that combination even existed:)

two for tuesday

After scrolling through my camera roll this past weekend, I've realized that about 50% of my photos* are food related (yep, I'm one of those people). So I've decided that every Tuesday going forward, I will post two photos of things that I very much enjoy eating at the moment. Some will be homemade. Some will be from my Instagram. But all will be tasty! To start things off...

one: salmon + tomatoes + capers = my favorite kind of brunch.
two:  the start of blueberry season calls for blueberry muffins!

*In case you're wondering, the other 50% is of Pancho...again, not shocking right???

cheese plate card

Such a cute cheese card...that is all :)

japanese meatballs

My first time making meatballs was a success! I used the recipe from this book and used store-bought Taiwanese hoisin sauce for dipping. 

• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons good-quality maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil (like canola, grapeseed or safflower oil...I just used vegetable though)

1. Mix all of the ingredients together thoroughly (I tend to gravitate towards recipes that have just one step;)
2. Roll the mixture into golf-ball sized meatballs.
3. Grill, roast, broil, or pan-fry the meatballs until cooked through and serve with your choice of sauce (I pan-fried mine in a skillet with a little oil in batches, until there was a light sear on all sides).

Makes about 2 dozen meatballs...enjoy!

chicken salad

When it comes to chicken salad, I've tried my fair share of recipes...but there's one I always end up coming back to. I made it again over the weekend and we ended up finishing it all in a little over a day and a half, yum. The addition of arugula, apples, toasted walnuts, and lime juice makes it taste so fresh and flavorful. And the best part? The directions aren't too complicated;)

• 2.5 c. of shredded chicken (I poach mine but rotisserie chicken works well too)
• 1 large celery stalk, cut into 1/4" dice
• 1/2 green apple, peeled and cut into small cubes
• 1/3 c. toasted walnuts, roughly chopped (toasting is crucial!!!)
• 2 tbsp. chopped parsley
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 handfuls of arugula, roughly chopped
• 1/2 c. mayo (I use Hellmann's)
• 2 tsp. fresh lime juice
• coarse salt to taste (about 1/2 tsp.)
• freshly ground pepper

1. Mix everything together.

I usually prepare and store in the fridge for a few hours to allow time for the flavors to meld a little...enjoy!

chorizo and white bean stew

If you're in the mood for an easy winter stew, I highly recommend this recipe. I made it over the weekend and it was delicious! Only instead of sausage links, I used spicy ground sausage and I also added more broth, since Kyle and I prefer soupy stews. Don't forget the crusty bread to eat it with!

superfoods

The latest goop newsletter about superfoods made me drool. Love the concept of adding nutritional ingredients to your everyday food instead of dieting. I plan on trying three of these easy recipes this week!

my favorite dish

This is a bold statement but I'm going to say it: a few weeks ago, I cooked the best meal I have ever made in my entire life. It was a braised pork ragu (recipe here), super simple to put together, and one of those brilliant meals where you only need to use one pot to cook everything (p.s. I despise post-dinner clean up). The weird thing is, I don't even really like pork if it's not in bacon form...but this was perfection. So if you come over to my house for dinner between now and February, chances are I will make this for you...don't say I didn't warn you!:)

stately sandwiches

Such a cute concept! Design student, Kelly Pratt, has set out to make (and eat) a sandwich that represents each of the 50 states...and then turn it into a little piece of art. I'd say the Texas sandwich looks about right. See more here.

(Via A Cup of Jo)

fort worth food park

With my cousin in town visiting, I was a little stumped with trying to come up with enough things for us to do to fill up the entire week. We had already visited an art museum, seen some cute animals, walked around town, ate some delicious burgers, and shopped our hearts out. Much to my surprise (and delight!), Kyle found an amazing little food park right here in Fort Worth. With a variety of food trucks, shaded picnic benches, and kids and dogs galore, it was the perfect place to kick back and relax. We ordered fried ravioli, braised beef+mac-n-cheese sliders, and dark chocolate and coconut cupcakes...everything tasted incredible. I can't wait to go back and bring all of my out-of-town peeps:) 

food + fashion mash-up

Love this series between blogger Miss Moss and Bon Appétit magazine...talk about total eye candy!

carrot fries

Um, I made these last night and even though I was skeptical at first, they were incredible! I was worried I would be let down since they look like sweet potato fries (which I love)...but I think I actually prefer these since the texture is more chewy and less mushy. I'm a texture kind of girl after all.  

(Photos via here)

grillin'

After almost a year and a half, we finally broke in our new grill that Kyle's uncle had bought for us as a wedding gift! Sure, we may have gone a little overboard by grilling burgers for 3 days straight, but we didn't want to waste the meat (so we tell ourselves)... 

brunch at in-n-out

Ok not really, unless you count showing up at the newly opened In-N-Out here in Fort Worth at 10:30 in the morning. We figured no one would be hungry for burgers that early but we were wrong - it was already a packed house by the time we got there. Oh well, the burger was worth it.

our first squash!

Last week, we picked, cooked and ate our first squash from our garden! It was small, but beautiful, and it was the sweetest squash I've ever eaten (no joke). We were like two kids on Christmas morning...haha, and I have Kyle to thank as he did all of the work himself. He's such a talented little farmer!:)