Goodbye, Apple Month

by Emily

Can you believe that it is already October?! Time has felt like it is flying ever since we moved back to the city but this year in particular is booking it. Never mind the fact that I am somehow 30 years old even though I still feel like high school was maybe six years ago tops.

breakfast

I kept this week’s coffee combo simple –

I wanted to be able to get a good feel for this stuff –

This was the perfect month to review* Rigoni di Asiago’s Dolcedì sweetener because it is made of apples! 10 kilograms of organic apples go into 1 kilogram of Dolcedì.

The liquid sweetener is USDA certified organic, gluten-free, vegan, and kosher, and can be used in the same ways you would use table sugar (1 teaspoon of Dolcedì would substitute for 1 teaspoon of sugar, a 1:1 ratio) in hot and cold drinks. It has 15 calories per Tbsp (table sugar has 15 per teaspoon). You can also use it in baking but I haven’t tried that yet.

The liquid is sweet but flavorless so it really doesn’t alter the taste of your drink – unlike honey and agave – and I found that it quickly dissolved completely into solution in my iced coffee. I don’t typically sweeten my drinks but when I do I would definitely use the Dolcedì again in the future.

Along with my sweetened coffees I had bars

and orchard apples.

We were not impressed with the scant variety available for apple picking but these ended up being some of the best apples any of the four of us have ever eaten.

lunch

Plain yogurt with blueberries and pomegranate, sea salt caramel apple granola and chia seeds, and an apple on the side.

Plus I brought in turtle pretzel magic bars for my coworkers and I totally snagged one for after lunch.

The other days I stuck with THIS for dessert –

Omg.

Kodiak flapjack on the go and TJ’s freeze-dried Fuji apple slices.

I hated the pancake cup – it was like choking down raw batter – but those apples are amazing. I shared a taste with two coworkers who said they were the best they’ve ever had.

Plain Siggi’s with blueberries, strawberry preserves, and caramel apple granola and chia seeds.

The caramel apple chia combo has rocked my world this month, though I have had to start carrying floss in my purse to deal with errant seeds.

“dinner”

Dinners this week were exceedingly weak. Apparently our busy weekend of walking wore us out because Adam and I have been unbelievably tired. Like on Monday we got into bed at 7:30 pm tired. And then on Tuesday we took a nap before bed. I guess maybe I do feel thirty!

Monday I ate a Starbucks chicken Santa Fe sandwich on the train.

It was good, and thank goodness because when I got home I ate this strawberry Cow Tail under the covers.

Hence “dinners.”

Tuesday I at least legitimately included some vegetables in my snack-based dinner. Carrots with hummus.

Several rounds of pretzels with string cheese.

And roasted green beans.

This was actually a pretty balanced meal.

And Wednesday I cooked a grown-up dinner.

Can you call heating up a package of TJ’s Palak Paneer cooking?

I had to make the brown jasmine rice and roasted zucchini we served it with so I’m counting it.

With a dollop of goat’s milk yogurt on top. And my final La Brea Bakery review* on the side – flatbread.

They were all good but this was our favorite bread so far. It had that perfect naan texture, fluffy yet chewy. And the flatbread includes sprouted whole wheat flour (along with white flour) which made the flavor just a bit more interesting. A+.

P.S. Now it’s October it is finally Pumpkin Month!!!

*These products were provided to me free of charge to review. I was not provided any additional compensation for this post. All opinions are my own.

28Sep2015

Apple Month Warmth

by Emily

Adam and I are trying to use every last bit of warmth from the summer and we spent the weekend doing city things and walking our hearts out. Also eating dessert daily, a habit that we reeeeally need to put the kibosh on once we’re hibernating through winter.

Saturday we took the train into the city and walked 30+ blocks up through Central Park.

We went to a few spots in the park that we hadn’t ever seen before, which was fun. But the way back to the train we did take the straight route down Lexington/Madison Ave because Central Park’s “Ramble” is very fittingly named.

Sunday we were even further north – The Bronx Zoo.

That’s a carousal selfie. We were there from 10 – 4, whew!

breakfast

Giant coffee from 7-11 with Almond Joy creamer.

The weird photo angle is because my entire desk was papered in protected health information. Last week was crazy busy at work. On Thursday I didn’t get more than 5 feet away from my desk until 4:30 pm.

Pb&j with green beans and apple slices.

With cold brew from Caffeino, a cute coffee spot in Astoria.

The coffee was roasty and smooth and the shop is right along the drive to our train so you’ll definitely be seeing that cup again.

Cold brew with chocolate milk.

Meh, to both parts.

lunch

Packed lunch for work. Chobani cinnamon pear yogurt with pomegranate seeds and Heritage Flakes.

Plus an apple that I picked myself! Our orchard haul has been quite tasty. The yogurt was only ok though, not a flavor I would buy again.

Packed lunch for the zoo. Turkey sandwiches with carrots and applesauce.

Plus we bought iced coffee, of course.

A trip to Bluestone Lane’s Upper East Side location – an Austrian coffee spot housed in a gorgeous church.

We got a flat white and an Aussie iced coffee and both were thick and creamy and amazing.

And split an avocado smash.

Yum. Amazingly, this was the first time either of us had tried avocado toast.

Dessert was a mini sundae from Sprinkles.

Salted caramel ice cream and marshmallow chocolate cupcake.

dinner

Roasted green beans and French bread baked with Smart Balance and light sharp cheddar.

Plus the last of the Coco SuperSeedz.

I wasn’t super hungry because I went to Four &Twenty Blackbirds with a friend after work.

Salted caramel apple! With espressos that we were less impressed with than the pie.

Saturday night I made a frittata from Cooking Light.

It took forever because I added a million vegetables to it and I snacked while I cooked.

40 minutes later (the directions said 10 minutes!)…

Frittata stuffed with roasted zucchini, arugula, and browned mushrooms and topped with swiss and gruyere cheese and mini heirloom tomatoes.

Plus arugula salad dressed in honey, evoo, and lavender salt, with sharp cheddar, pecans, and pomegranate.

I burnt the bottom of the pie but at least after some careful trimming it was still delicious.

Sunday night we ate Chipotle bowls which I forgot to take a picture of but you’ve seen an embarrassing amount of time before. With apple ciders.

And unseasonable froyo.

Pumpkin pie yogurt with Nutella and crunchy chocolate things. I think I’m ready for October, cold and all!

26Sep2015

Breaking Bread

by Emily

I didn’t do a very good job of making real meals this week, and I did an even worse job of photographing the junk I did eat, so this post doesn’t have much meat to it. <– that’s a food blog pun! I did receive a very exciting package of product samples that I need to gush about. Apparently man can live on bread alone…

La Brea Bakery opened in LA 26 years ago offering six artisanal hearth-baked breads – Sourdough Baguette, Country White Sourdough, Whole Wheat, Normandy Rye, Olive, Rosemary Olive Oil. In the years since they’ve won numerous awards, opened locations all around the world, and expanded their product line to include a variety of granola and breads (jalopeño cheddar loaf! raisin pecan loaf! garlic naan flatbread!).

I was sent some samples from their Take & Bake line – par-baked breads that you finish in your oven at home. They are available at grocery stores around the US. The breads take about 20 minutes to finish baking, and you are supposed to let them cool for 30 minutes before serving, but the whole process is very easy and hands-off. We put our loaves on a piece of parchment paper right on the oven rack.

I was sent the Plain Naan Flatbread which we have not tried yet. The flatbreads are kosher and are partially made with whole-wheat flour.

It is on the meal plan (ha!) for next week so I’ll let you know what we think then.

The French Baguette. The texture of this bread did not seem to be negatively affected by the freezing at all, the crust was crispy with just enough chew.

I ate my slices warm from the oven next to a Chipotle salad because I’m fancy like that.

And the Ciabatta Loaf. This was just fluffy enough to be perfect for toasted cheese sandwiches.

With smoked turkey, sharp cheddar, and strawberry jam.

All in all we really enjoyed the two loaves we’ve tried so far. They have a delectable taste and texture and the short ingredient lists make me happy. We would definitely consider purchasing these on our own.

Please note – I received the bread products free of charge to review. I was not provided additional compensation for this post. All opinions are my own.

21Sep2015

Weekend Top Five

by Emily

{1} Apple picking upstate.

The selections were pretty weak – they only had two varieties!

We picked small bags and then moved on to the brewery.

They had housemade cider and wine slushies so that part of the day was a bit more exciting.

{2} Pecan Pie Bar.

Omg, kids, this candy was ridiculous good.

I’m not even embarrassed that I ate it two months early – pecan pie month isn’t until November on the Emily is crazy calendar – because this is my new favorite thing.

{3} Friday dinner at home.

Leftovers scrambled into easy eggs.

Turkey hot dogs, roasted broccoli, and spinach.

With cider from Wolfer Estates.

It was good but not my favorite.

{4} Saturday pizza night.

TJ’s red pepper, provolone, and pearl mozzarella wood-fired pizza.

With roasted zucchini.

I burned the life out of the pizza but roasted squash is our end of summer favorite.

{5} Sunday night Thai food with friends.

We went to Siam Orchid, a tiny little spot that makes the best Thai food in Brooklyn.

My drunken noodles with vegetarian duck were on point!

19Sep2015

This Week’s Top Five

by Emily

{1} Coffee.

I know this gets repetitive but coffee is just so freaking good!

The winner this week was the double espresso with ice and cream from a coffee shop near my hospital.

{2} Chocolate with pretzels.

I brought the toffee candy to work and my co-workers lost their minds over it. We did too; it was a good thing I got it out of the house or I think Adam and I could have finished the tray in a day or two.

Also yummy pretzel chocolate from Lindt.

Yes, I had dessert every evening this week.

{3} Apple month stuff.

Apple-pear pouch. I sprinkled the SuperSeedz on a pretty killer salad from the cafeteria salad bar.

Salted caramel apple granola (with chia seeds) on my yogurt.

And this apple explosion lunch.

Caramel apple oatmeal, TJ’s freeze-dried apples, and Salty Road caramel apple taffy.

{4} Loaded baked potatoes.

These bowls were fantastic.

Baked potato / roasted broccoli with green onions / homemade baked beans / topped with plain yogurt, sharp cheddar, and green Tabasco.

For the baked beans: Sauté tons of white and yellow chopped onions. Add sliced turkey hot dogs, pinto beans, and tomato sauce and let things cook for awhile. Then season with brown sugar and Gochujang.

They were so yummy I ate the leftovers cold.

{5} Dinner at Mile End.

Mile End Delicatessen is my new favorite deli, which is a big deal because the place I grew up going to had a pickle bar! MED did have tasty hibiscus beer…

And poutine made with smoked chicken gravy.

And roasted cauliflower with caraway honey, harissa paste, and toasted pistachios. This had the best texture, crunchy on the outside and silky soft in the middle.

I ordered the turkey reuben for dinner.

Did not disappoint.

{Bonus} New CDs.

My parents are amazing, and they send us mixed tapes all of the time. They both made new ones recently so this is how my mother labeled them –

Lol!

14Sep2015

Apples And Honey

by Emily

A not-so-fun weekend moment was somehow deleting half of my photos when I went to upload them. Here were some of the yummy moments…

Tacoway Beach at Rockaway Beach.

I got a fish taco with guac.

And we went down the road to Connolly’s Pub for frozen piña coladas.

Best frozen drink we’ve ever had.

Meatball Shop.

This chicken sandwich was good but not as good as the next one.

BBQ at The Smoke Joint.

I got a pulled chicken sandwich that I smothered in North Carolina-style bbq sauce. Their cole slaw is amazing; sweet and tangy.

Kale salad from Pork Slope.

This was the junk food of kale salads – greens smothered in “Srirancha” dressing with cheddar cheese and housemade potato chip crumbles.

Apples and Honey for Rosh Hashanah.

Fage 2% Greek yogurt + apples cooked with cinnamon and butter + honey + chia seeds + salted caramel apple granola.

We made the ubiquitous (<– for good reason!) toffee candy.

I used graham crackers instead of saltines and added pretzels and pecans.

So freaking good.

Barcade for pumpkin beer and many, many rounds of Q-Bert and Tapper. I made it to level three on both despite numerous attempts to go further.

This weekend also involved several games of Jenga and darts. I was better at both than I would have expected!

12Sep2015

This Week’s Top Five

by Emily

{1} My coffee combo.

Community Coffee with cocoa powder, maple cinnamon, cream, and milk.

The cocoa doesn’t really mix in with the cold coffee but it’s still good.

Now I want to do a coconut-cocoa coffee next.

{2} Bars.

Most nights this week I was soooo hungry when I got home and having these to grab saved me from some major hangry fits. Not that we still didn’t go get Chipotle instead of cooking two nights in a row.

{3} This lunch. Trimona plain yogurt with Heritage Flakes, chia seeds, and chopped emerald beauty and honey punch pluots. <– how great are those names??!

Plus a bourbon brown butter caramel and a salty caramel apple taffy for dessert.

{4} This fancy Thursday night dinner.

I sautéed spinach with minced ginger, garlic aioli, and evoo, then tossed in gnocchi and roasted zucchini.

Topped with this hot smoked sockeye from Trader Joe’s.

Best meal of the week! The salmon was wonderful; I love hot smoked because it has a similar flavor to lox but not the slimy texture.

{5} Caramel apple Peeps. OMG.

These were seriously delicious; are all Peeps this yummy?? They were puffy and not too chewy and they had a perfect balance of sour dust to sweet caramel fudge. I’m awarding this best purchase yet for Apple Month.

10Sep2015

Royal Weekend; Highlights

by Emily

Normally I am a Brooklyn girl, but over the three-day weekend I spent some time loving Queens. One day for Flushing and one for Astoria. Also Adam and I both had Monday off and we spent the day eating our way from Chelsea to SoHo!

Here are the highlights, minus several ice cream stops and several more coffees…

Doughnut date!

Chocolate salted caramel from Dough and a latte from Blue Sky.

Fancy yogurt bowls.

Plain Siggis + 2 types of plucot + chia seeds + crumbled graham cracker pie crust.

The crust was leftover from a failed s’mores cookie batch I attempted last week.

Brunch with a girlfriend at Burnside Biscuits. We both got Salty Dogs.

And I got a classic (duck fat!) biscuit with a sunny side up egg and sharp cheddar.

Related:: Adam and I went to Sweet Chick for a dimly lit dinner and had duck sloppy joes. Also two different cocktails with sherry!

Sandwiches at BEC = bacon, egg, and cheese.

I got a Junior with turkey bacon.

Sandwiches at Blue Ribbon. I got the pulled bbq chicken with cole slaw on top.

BRFC feels pretty chain restaurant/fast food but the sandwich was delicious. The bun was meh (I rarely eat the bun on a sandwich like this anyway) but the chicken was juicy with some perfectly charred crispy bites.

Presso Coffee is the cutest and their maple lattes are on point.