We started out the week with a pretty horrific bout of food-borne illness, so that was fun. I spent several days not eating or eating Easy Mac and canned fruit, so this will be a short post.
The first thing I ate and enjoyed this week was this bowl of chocolate cereal with blueberries and pineberries.
And we managed to get it together for some great dinners the last two nights! Homemade chili (which I realize is a just bonkers thing to make on the heels of GI distress) plus beer bread with blueberry jam. Tons of shallots, yellow and orange bell pepper, poblano pepper, roasted diced tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and pepper, smoked paprika, chicken broth, cannellini beans, and shredded chicken breast. Topped with plain skyr, cheddar, green onions, and hot sauce.
Related – beer bread makes an excellent snack.
Cheesy breakfast tots sheet-pan hash. Adam said that the composition of this meal was not flattering, but it was delicious. All roasted on same sheet-pan – zucchini, green onion, poblano pepper, frozen potato tots, chicken breakfast sausage, eggs, and cheddar.
It was a great weekend! I had the best doughnut of 2024, the best coffee of the past 5 years, and tried a new favorite dessert. Plus we took two long city walks and saw a thousand beautiful things! My absolute favorite was the instillation of these tulle tree sculptures in Madison Square Park.
Highlights…
Butterscotch iced latte. Frame is definitely our new favorite coffee spot.
A fun home-coffee combo – cold brew with cold foam.
Plain skyr bowl with blueberries, pineberries, blueberry jam, and chia seeds.
Absolute Bagels‘ everything with olive and pimento cream cheese. We quite liked it but thought it could not compare to La Bagel Delight.
An after-school snack plate. Note to self – I don’t like that flavor of Mid-Day Squares, the chocolate is too thick. But apple slices with peanut butter is a classic for a reaason.
Bear Donut. We had a cookies and cream mochi doughnut and a filled tiramisu doughnut that was outstanding; the coffee center was roasty and the icing was a bit crispy.
Ănjelly, a newish Vietnamese dessert spot. We had a wonderful pandan latte and my new favorite dessert – a cacao jelly cat with passionfruit honey. Apparently cacao and passionfruit is the flavor combination my life was missing.
Gigantic sandwiches from Milano Market. I got rosemary focaccia with maple turkey, cheddar, horseradish sauce, and pickles.
Dinner at Rosella. We tried a bunch of dishes but my camera was dying. Some favorite were the smoked trout nigiri.
A maki roll with fatty bluefin tuna and housemade kimchi.
And the stunning grits with shrimp, mushrooms, and XO sauce.
10/10 homemade sheet-pan hash dinner. Roasted Japanese sweet potatoes and baby bok choy / Kewpie and Sriracha / candied smoked sockeye salmon and hot smoked sockeye salmon / pickled ginger.
Our dinners all knocked it out of the park this week. Highlights…
This week’s coffee combo. Note – I give both a 7.5 for flavor but I did have to add half and half with the creamer to get it as creamy as I’d like and dark roast to the coffee to get it as roasty as I’d like.
This drink started out butterfly pea tea blue, then turned purple when I added lemon juice and seltzer, then turned swamp monster when I added matcha.
I have no idea where I found this Jamaican cookie-flavored protein drink but it was tasty and I would buy it again if I found it.
Grapefruit sodas; these both made for great cocktails.
Fun Asian Kit-Kats my cousin sent me from a trip.
Bubbie’s passionfruit ice cream mochi. Hands-down my favorite mochi brand.
Adam and I have both been loving yogurt bowls lately. This one was plain skyr, sugar cookie granola, chia seeds, persimmon, and blueberries.
Congee made with brown rice and turkey broth. Topped with meatballs (turkey with panade, garlic, gochugaru, and fish sauce), sauteed red chard, and chili crisp.
This bowl was a wonderful mishmash – leftover congee / sauteed fairytale eggplant / Korean steamed eggs / vegan tuna salad / green onion / sesame seeds / chili crisp.
Amazing tofu (Trader Joe’s sprouted extra-firm tofu, baked until crispy and then tossed in toasted rice powder, white pepper, and Sichuan pepper salt) / Ming Bings plant-based sausage egg and cheese bing (10/10 – will buy again) / roasted romanesco.
Breakfast from Simple Loaf Bakehouse – a giant, cheesy turkey cheddar jalapeño croissant.
Scrambled eggs with Dubliner cheddar and chili crisp. Plus cucumber on the side.
Mentioning these dried baby pineapples again because we are still loving them.
The vegan tuna salad I was obsessed with at the Charlottesville Whole Foods has finally made its way to Long Island.
Giant ice cream sundae. I topped Phish Food with melted peanut butter, sprinkles, granola, and cocktail cherries.
This Trader Joe’s Sriracha shrimp bowl remains my favorite frozen meal. It is so satisfying. I do always add more hot sauce and a bit of Kewpie though.
We got bowls and Cava and loved them. I got rice and honey harissa chicken with so many toppings I can’t remember them all. Plus the amazing pita crisps. Best of all – we hit the soda fountain and had diet cola mixed with blueberry soda!
Hello, 2024! I am not superstitious, but I do like to start every new year with a run and some traditionally lucky foods. This year we got in black eyed peas, collard greens, and grapes. Plus something sweet for a sweet year!
Highlights from a tasty week…
1/1/24 brunch date at For Five while I set up my planner.
I got a roasted turkey sandwich with cheese, sprouts, and avocado.
Plain skyr with strawberries, persimmon, and sugar cookie granola.
These jelly sakes are my favorite drink. Related – we played trivia at a bar midweek and got to try Abomination Brewing’s Christmas cookie Fog Nog (fantastic).
Hawaiian fruit jellies; the starfruit and passionfruit ones were obviously the best.
The best snack plate of the year – Trader Joe’s Chicken Tikka samosas (with spicy truffle mayo and plum sauce) / Lolliberry strawberries / jam grapes.
Not a bad runner up – soy marinated eggs / cucumber / cheddar.
Dinner on the 1st – sauteed collard greens with green onion and garlic and black eyed pea salad with garlic and black pepper almonds, green bell pepper, Kerrygold Dubliner cheddar, and mayo and chipotle Cholula.
We tried the Bombay Sando from Oak and Orange – toasted ciabatta with grilled chicken, amul cheese, seasoned potatoes, pickled red onions, and a housemade chutney. Plus the best green smoothie I’ve ever made – frozen spinach, banana, and cherries, fresh tangerine, and water.
Sheetpan hash. Roasted brussels sprouts, grapes, poblano peppers, sweet potato, and chili verde chicken sausage with green onion and dried cranberries. I went back and topped this with a maple-Cholula aioli.
Blogging a day early… My New Years Eve celebration of choice has always been going to bed at a reasonable hour and starting the new year refreshed. We are finishing our year with junk food and a nice bottle of champagne 🙂
The cinnamon bun Chamberlain Coffee didn’t have enough flavor for us but the grapefruit elderflower Aura Bora is my favorite.
We met up with friends for coffee, a Bayside walk, and crepes. Mine had red bean, matcha ice cream, strawberries, and chocolate sauce. Plus I got a jasmine tea with an ice-bear.
Mexican street corn popcorn. I don’t love pre-popped popcorn but this variety was well-seasoned and a bit spicy.
Caramel on caramel. Great caramels that my parents made and even better Reese’s caramel big cups (sorry guys, yours would have won against a lesser candy!).
We’ve decided these Ben & Jerry’s s’mores cookie dough bites were the very best buy/new find of the year.
We were impressed with this Trader Joe’s orange chicken rice bowl.
Trader Joe’s frozen fish sticks (these I would not buy again) with roasted broccoli and delicata squash.
Posting a day early because it’s our wedding anniversary (!!) and we are going out to a camera-free dinner!
Yummy things from this week…
I made cinnamon chestnut scones.
Gnubees lemon coconut fruit shake. Not super exciting but a pleasant flavor and a good pre-gym snack for us.
I really liked the new bananas foster Chobani Greek yogurt. It was a tiny bit too sweet for toppings but a really nice flavor. With persimmon, tangerine, and sugar cookie granola.
No one is surprised that I’ve expanded fancy holiday nachos to include red and green nachos for Christmas! These were loaded – and giant – and delicious. Potato chips / sharp cheddar / sauteed dinosaur kale / chopped broccoli rabe sauteed with tons of garlic / red baby bell peppers sauteed with Trader Joe’s sweet and hot pickled jalapeños / fennel duck sausage.
Sushi roll (ish) bowls. Brown rice mixed with roasted cauliflower rice and rice vinegar — we loved this and want to do it again / furikake / canned tuna and salmon with Kewpie and Sriracha / chopped baby cucumbers with sauteed orange bell pepper, rice vinegar, sugar, and Sriracha / avocado / sesame seeds / pickled ginger.
We turned our leftovers (cauliflower/rice, kale, garlic broccoli rabe, and duck sausage plus eggs, soy sauce, and Sriracha) into the best fried rice!
A very orange tasting plate dinner. Baked wontons / baby bell peppers / crispy baked chicken fingers with panko, egg, flour, sisig seasoning, and smoked paprika / a ranch onion dip situation with sour cream, Kewpie, ranch seasoning, chives, sautéed shallot, and white cheddar.
These Muddy Bites were a 9.5/10, very satisfying.
We went out as a family to admire Christmas lights with cups of drinking chocolate — our favorite holiday tradition after Thanksgiving nachos!
Eating Chalk 