Random Ruminations

by Emily

giveaway winner {congrats!}

And the cookbook giveaway winner is… Brittney. Brittney, e-mail me with your mailing info so you can enjoy making your ice creams!

{yummy} weekend eats

Friday breakfast: Americano with milk, string cheese, and an Enzo Bar from Lola Granola.

The bar was amazing; honey, vanilla, and cinnamon oats.

Saturday was a similar deal: Clif dark chocolate peanut butter bar with a clover brew of Starbuck’s Italian roast.

Friday’s dinner – the only dinner I managed to photograph – was boring but good.

Spinach salad with pepitas and roasted green beans dressed with evoo, honey, and lavender salt.

Toasted sourdough turkey sandwich with pepperjack and strawberry jam.

Spicy and sweet always makes the best sandwich.

Stumptown cold brew and fresh cherries for an afternoon snack.

We spotted this Sour Patch slurpee and bought one immediately. It was sour! Neither of us wanted more than a few sips but it was fun to try.

We did a similar maneuver the next day with frozen yogurt.

The salted chocolate chip cookie dough was fantastic! I topped mine with cookie dough (duh!), blondie, mochi, and Nutella.

We ventured into Astoria on Sunday; Sugar Freak for a Louisiana brunch.

That’s a “swamp juice” and it was exactly as disgusting as you’d expect. Maybe even more so actually, you guys know how much I love things that are over the top sweet and even I couldn’t bring myself to take a third sip.

I got a grilled chicken Po’Boy to eat. That, I could finish!

The side salad came with pecan vinaigrette that was the best part of the meal.

Afterwards we stopped by Kinship for coffees like we were just the coolest.

Two thumbs up for the cold brew, Stumptown again.

random facts {about me}

We were glad to have a low-key, boring weekend because 3 out of 4 in July include major plans (including my 30th birthday).

I am so excited about the SCOTUS marriage equality ruling. I got all teary-eyed on the train reading the news. This is definitely the proudest moment America has had so far this decade.

We only have a few old Criminal Minds left and we are pretty devastated about it. But…

Rookie Blues is back!!! My Canadian cop show is the best thing on summer television. I haven’t watched the first episode yet because I’m hoping if I save it for an elliptical session it will lure me back to the gym after a lazy week off.

I finally started reading Tina Fey’s Bossypants and it is just as hilarious and wonderful as I had expected.

I am obsessed with advice columns (Dear Prudence is my favorite!) so I read Dear Abby every morning but I think I need to stop because most of her advice is so terrible that it makes me huffy with anger on my way to work.

Sunday afternoon we went on a date to the Queens County Farm Museum and it was pretty much the best thing ever.

I got to pet the pigs!!! Animals – mostly French Bulldogs and Dachshunds but sometimes pigs – seem to sense my intense, unhealthy love for them and give me lots of petting time. The piggies laid up against the fence so I could really go to town patting their flanks and scratching behind their ears.

Yay! So much fun.

Which farm animal do you most want to cuddle?

26Jun2015

It’s The Weekend And I’m Not Crabby

by Emily

That title is a play on words referencing a tasty casserole I made this week, but real talk – I was super cranky this week and I only have a few snippets to share…

breakfast

Coffee and a watermelon Greek yogurt.

I was hoping that the cafeteria would have fresh watermelon on hand to pair with it but honestly that flavor is pretty delicious on its own.

Iced Americano with skim milk and a splash of half and half.

I asked for Americano with “light water” which seems to be my perfect order; mostly espresso without being just espresso.

Cherries and a cheese stick.

Yum!

lunch

Tropical chia pudding.

Chia seeds soaked in canned coconut milk with honey and vanilla bean paste with a smashed banana stirred in the next day.

Cafeteria sandwich.

Tuna salad on multigrain with veggies and muenster.

Cafeteria Inception-style salad.

Greens with oil and balsamic vinegar topped with shredded cheddar and cucumber and carrot salads.

snack

Self-explanatory…

Most of our snacks revolved around our homemade no-churn vanilla bean ice cream. <— have you commented on the cookbook giveaway post yet??

Topped with melted dulce de leche and Valencia peanut butter.

And whirled into ridiculous milk shakes with Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

dinner

Last night we went on a date to the mall to buy Adam sneakers and me bras and underwear because apparently we have a serious case of the olds. We did keep things young and fresh by getting a fancy dinner at the food court.

That’s “Drunken Noodles” from the new Thai spot, I guess. The veggies were tasty (there were amazing pieces of eggplant) but it was a pretty poor representation of the dish.

The rest of our nights centered around this Cheesy Crab Pasta Bake.

You see the creeper in that photo? That’s how you know it’s good!

Cheesy Crab Pasta Bake; serves 6-8

8 oz dry bow-tie pasta
1 Tbsp salted butter
1 heaping Tbsp all-purpose flour
1.5 cups milk
4 oz shredded sharp cheddar
4 oz shredded pepperjack
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
2 tsp fish sauce
juice from 1 lemon
1 Tbsp minced garlic
4 sliced green onions (green and white parts)
(2) 6 oz cans crab meat, drained and picked through if needed
3 oz crab seasoned chips, crushed

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and prep an 8×8 inch casserole dish with baking spray.
Cook al dente pasta according to manufacture’s instructions then rinse and set aside.
In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk flour into butter to form a roux and cook 1-2 more minutes until it has slightly darkened. Whisk milk into roux and cook 3-4 more minutes until thickened, stirring out any lumps as needed. Working in batches, stir cheeses into sauce.
Reduce heat to low and stir Old Bay, fish sauce, lemon, and garlic into sauce.
Remove pan from heat and stir in pasta, green onions, and crab, tossing until mixture is well-combined. Pour into prepared casserole dish and top evenly with crushed chips.
Bake 23 – 25 minutes.

Served with spinach salad with champagne vinaigrette, pepitas, and roasted broccoli.

Have a great weekend!

24Jun2015

Ice, Ice, Baby {No-Churn Ice Cream Cookbook Giveaway}

by Emily

Now that summer is finally here, who’s up for a frosty bowl of ice cream?

St. Martin’s Press recently sent me a copy of Leslie Bilderback’s newest cookbook: NO-CHURN ICE CREAM: Over 100 Simply Delicious No-Machine Frozen Treats.

Please note – this book was provided to me free of charge to review. The publishing company is also providing a second book to give away to one of you guys. I was not provided further compensation for this post. All opinions are my own.

The book is full of recipes that use the concept of folding together whipped cream and sweetened condensed milk with the flavors and mix-ins of your choice to make yummy homemade ice creams that don’t require an ice cream machine.

Bilderback includes a variety of traditional and inventive ice cream flavors (Moon Pie or Honey-Kumquat, anyone?) as well as chapters on gelatos, sorbets, and sherbets. Most of the recipes also include suggestions for additional flavor variations so you could go the whole summer without repeating a bowl.

I decided to go simple and traditional for my test recipe – vanilla ice cream.

Delicious! That bowl was gussied up with dulce de leche and a healthy dose of sprinkles but the plain vanilla was quite enjoyable, creamy and rich.

I am giving away a copy of the book to one lucky reader. Simply leave a comment on this post before 2pm EST on Monday, June 29th and tell me your favorite flavor of ice cream.

22Jun2015

Williamsburg To Washington Square Park

by Emily

Oh my goodness, what a great weekend! Adam and I have been making the most of the summer days, and then some. This weekend we walked around Williamsburg, across the bridge, up to and around Washington Square Park, and back, to the tune of 10+ miles in one afternoon!

When we weren’t moving this weekend, we were eating. Here are some of the highlights…

A fancy-schmancy yogurt bowl. 2% Plum Chobani with two varieties of pluot and a dollop of fresh whipped cream.

The cream was part of a homemade ice cream undertaking (look for more details – and a giveaway! – on Wednesday).

Coffee at Sweetleaf, a Rocket Fuel.

Aka cold brew with milk, maple, and chicory. Chicory blended iced coffees are definitely going to play a big role in my summer.

Espresso and macarons at Bakeshop by Woops.

Kids, this place was so freaking cute. And our cookies were amazing, chocolate and lavender chocolate.

Honey sesame soy milk box.

Adam and I tried to split this but the minute I handed it over to him he guzzled the rest of it down!

Cherry Cola Tic-Tacs.

I am incapable of turning down a cherry cola flavored item. Fun fact – the last two photos were not actually taken in front of the same wall, I just seek out brick whenever I have the option for a photo.

Rice bowls at Korilla. Korilla is basically an Asian Chipotle, but it is at least fifteen times more fantastic.

My bowl had sticky rice, the most amazing gochujang marinated chicken, sweet corn and snap peas, cheese, tons of red kimchi, and spicy but sweet Korean BBQ sauce. Adam’s rice had bacon and kimchi in it and we were both swooning.

We tried the new limited-time offerings at Ample Hills.

The pride month flavor was yummy but we had to throw out the sandwich. I think that Ample Hills generally makes the best ice cream on Earth but those soggy cookies were truly inedible.

A cone from Sundaes and Cones.

Lavender and black sesame were both great; those are flavors that could be kind of overwhelming but they were sweet and light yet still identifiable.

A quick red curry at home.

Rice noodles on the bottom // sautéed bok choy, white mushrooms and straw mushrooms, sweet onion and green onion, and sweet red pepper // sprouted tofu cubes roasted with lime, sugar, Sriracha, and liquid smoke // and red curry sauce with lime, light coconut milk, fish sauce, and minced garlic and ginger.

We both typically say that we don’t like red curries but we loved this so we should give the real version another chance.

Sandwich night on my lonesome while Adam was at work.

I toasted sourdough slices in the oven with Smart Balance Light and pepperjack and sharp cheddar cheese then sandwiched them around canola oil mayo and Applegate Smoked Sliced Turkey.

With roasted green beans on the side.

How are green beans – roasted with cooking spray and salt – so flipping buttery?!

Dinner at The Smoke Joint, our new favorite bbq spot.

They have Mother’s Milk at the bar, which wins them points. Adam’s strawberry vanilla bourbon limeade wasn’t bad either.

Their juicy, tender, chopped bbq chicken comes with a side of pickles and spicy cole slaw.

And their smoky collard greens are meatless, so I got to try real bbq collards for the first time in my life.

I loved them!

If this upcoming week is half as good as my weekend I’ll be all set 🙂

22Jun2015

Peanut Butter Banana Pretzel Pie {Recipe Redux}

by Emily

From the Redux team –

Tucked in a crust, nothing says love from the oven like pie. Whether it’s a twist on the all-American apple pie or a traditional recipe from your home country, give a healthy makeover to your favorite savory or sweet pie recipe.

I am excited to see what the other posters come up with, but I actually tend not to love the idea of healthying up dessert products… if you are looking to eat less sugar I’d rather you ate great cookies less often rather than sugar-free “cookies” every day. So for this post I decided to go with a recipe that just happens to be a bit healthier from the start.

My Peanut Butter and cinnamon Banana ice cream Pretzel Pie (whew!) borrows the much-loved vegan concept of putting frozen bananas in the food processor to make soft-serve. Peanut butter was an obvious pairing, the cinnamon adds a little depth, and the salty crunch of the pretzel offsets the sweetness perfectly.

Peanut Butter Banana Pretzel Pie; 8 servings

Cook Time: 10 minutes; Hands-on Time: 20 minutes; Total Time: 1.5 hours

2 cups pretzels
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegan butter substitute
4 medium bananas, frozen
1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (if using a plain milk substitute just add 1/2 tsp vanilla extract)
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit.
Place unwrapped butter in the center of a 9-inch pie pan and put in preheating oven until butter is fully melted.
Place pretzels into the bowl of the food processor and process until mixture is homogenous, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add sugar to bowl and pulse a few times until combined.
When butter has melted, pour the crushed pretzels into the center of the pie pan. Mix the crumbs and melted butter, then use your fingertips to gently push onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
Bake crust 10 – 12 minutes until firm. Set aside to cool for at least 15 minutes.
Wipe out food processor (it doesn’t matter if a few pretzel crumbs get in your filling) and place bananas and almond milk into the bowl. Process 2 – 3 minutes until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
Add peanut butter and cinnamon to bowl and process 20 – 40 seconds more until well-combined.
Pour filling into cooled pretzel crust, using a spatula to spread it in an even layer.
Place pie in the freezer to firm up for 1 hour. You can make and freeze the pie a few days ahead of time if you like, just be sure to place in the fridge to thaw for 30 minutes before serving.

What type of berry do most want to stuff in a pie crust this summer?

19Jun2015

Criminally Good

by Emily

Is there some kind of “Criminal Minds” rerun support group out there? I am a woman obsessed. I need to finish the old seasons in a hurry so I can start going to bed at a reasonable hour again.

I’ll let the pictures (mostly) speak for themselves…