Five favorites from the weekend…
New York Beanery s’mores iced latte.
Nectarines. Summer fruit is so good!
Giant double chocolate chip – white and milk! – cookies (this recipe).
Thai take-out! I got chicken Pad See Ew and Ma Khue Puang (stir-fried eggplant with chili sauce and lime leaves).
Mish-mash but it works salad. Baby kale with honey chipotle vinaigrette / leftover eggplant / baby bell pepper / cashews / crispy tofu – marinated in pickle juice, breaded in Cheez-Its, and baked.
It was a tasty week, great snacks and even better dinners! Highlights included…
A beautiful latte with espresso, butterfly pea tea, and sweetened condensed milk.
Smoothie success – cottage cheese, frozen banana and cherries, ube extract.
See also – blueberry Greek yogurt, frozen blueberries and grapes, butterfly pea tea.
Still obsessed with these Belli-Welli bars. I finally shared one with Adam, who was not a fan, but I think they taste great.
It turns out my favorite dried fruit is kiwi; the texture and taste of these was so satisfying.
Rainer cherries (swoon) plus Haribo berries gummies.
See also – these Honest gummies are wonderfully juicy and chewy; not the best gummy I’ve ever eaten but hands-down the best fruit snacks.
Creamy lemonade – fresh lemon and lime with sweetened condensed milk and lemon seltzer.
These alcoholic Frescas are a 9.5/10 – perfectly balanced and just sweet enough.
Pinch of Yum‘s bbq salmon plus roasted Japanese sweet potato and roasted cabbage dressed in a mix of honey, rice vinegar, and Caribbean hot pepper sauce.
Korean rice cakes sauteed with tomato sauce and gojuchang, plus roasted zucchini, shredded chicken, and sharp cheddar.
Homemade baked wontons. Our filling was fresh crab and roasted cabbage and green onion with soy sauce, white pepper, and hot pepper jelly. Plus roasted cauliflower and dumpling sauce.
Salad success – baby kale, this dressing, leftover cabbage, baby bell peppers, chicken breast, cashews, homemade baked wonton crips, and furikake.
Homemade baked wonton chips (these are going to become a staple!) seasoned with szechuan pepper salt and togarashi plus baby bell peppers and pimento cheese. Full disclose, I went back for thirds!
Adam and I had an amazing vacation in Michigan! We ran along the lake, took a ferry to Mackinac Island and admired the flowers, explored downtown, and spent time with friends and met their twin babies!
Our favorite things we ate included…
A perfectly roasty latte from Higher Grounds.
Iced espresso with cherry cold foam from Espresso Bay.
A fantastic s’mores cold foam cold brew from Biggby Coffee.
Rocky road fudge on Mackinac Island.
Ice cream with housemade fudge from Milk & Honey.
Yuzu and Earl Grey macarons from Merlyn’s Patisserie. Also an ube crinkle cookie that was the 2nd best cookie I’ve ever eaten.
The number one best cooke we’ve ever eaten was a peanut butter cookie from Common Good.
The smoked whitefish hushpuppies from Great Turtle.
Everything on the menu at Sugar2Salt, our new favorite restaurant. We liked it here so much we went back the next day! This was The Duck – duck leg confit, duck ham, duck sausage, and a duck egg with applesauce, poached pear, and crispy greens.
The salad from Mama Lu’s with pepitas and gigante beans. Plus a margarita made with creamy coconut.
A cherry whiskey slushee from Traverse City Whiskey Co.
The Pterodact Ale IPA from Terra Firma.
By the time this post goes live I’ll be on my way to visit friends in Traverse City, Michigan! I can’t wait!!
I’ve actually been on vacation since Saturday, which is great. Adam’s siblings came into town and we took them to Eataly, Roast (off course!), an escape room, and more. Then they took a family trip and Webster and I had a little staycation. Basically I spent three straight days with the dog on my lap — it was perfect.
Some highlights from the past few days include…
Southdown Coffee‘s espresso tonic. I don’t even like tonic water but I love this.
The Layers Perfect Bars are an 11/10.
I had not expected to love these BelliWelli bars but I do, the chocolate chip cookie flavor is easily a 9/10.
Yogurt bowls. Plain Greek with chocolate chip cookie dough granola, blackberries, and blueberries.
See also – watermelon with fresh berries. I love summer!
His and hers Ben & Jerry’s for the dog and me. We loved it.
Roast breakfast burrito with eggs, avocado, hashbrowns, and aioli.
Giant salad from Burrito Blvd. With chicken, zucchini, corn, tomato, and cheese. See also, but without a photo – we took Adam’s family to Rosa Mexicano and I had the best cheeseburger I’ve eaten in 2023.
I hope all of my local readers are breathing a little bit better! Highlights from the past week…
A sucessful fridge dregs yogurt bowl – Trader Joe’s guava passionfruit Greek yogurt with a bit of cottage cheese, mandarin orange, and chia seeds.
The cookie dough flavor is the best Perfect Bar flavor (though I am hoping to get my hands on the crispy layered ones again asap).
Plant-based gummies. The ones on my left are one of my favorites but I was not a fan of the ones on the right as they were basically fruit leather (note – Adam loved them).
An assortment of citrus sparkling beverages. The Social Hour was the stand-out. I was suprisingly not that impressed by the Topo Chico.
I enjoyed these Trader Joe’s Mee Krob seasoned noodle crisps and would buy them again.
Trader Joe’s chicken and veggie gyoza potstickers (9.5/10) with edamame and dumpling sauce on the side.
Trader Joe’s Thai wheat noodles sauteed with spinach, edamame, green onion, and a spicy sauce (including gojuchang, Sriracha, and chili crisp!) and topped with sesame seeds and a fried egg.
I worked the weekend but Adam and I were able to have some fun date nights! Some highlights (all Brooklyn-based!) included…
Qahwah House. We got a Mofawar (Yemeni coffee with cinnamon, cardamom, and cream) and a Basboasaa (a semolina cake with pistachios and sweetened condensed milk).
Inday All Day. Hibiscus Mezcal Margarita – mezcal, homemade hibiscus syrup, pineapple, and masala honey / Spicy Mango Margarita – chili-infused tequila, mezcal, cointreau, cinnamon, lime juice, and mango juice.
Housemade cheddar naan with a yogurt dipping sauce. <– so good!
Tamarind salmon.
K’Far. Persian margartia with mezcal, tequilla, and black lime.
Savory baklava with haloumi, rhubarb, and pistachio.
Short rib with amba and passionfruit.
Chocolate kanafi with a coconut ice cream.
Yummy highlights from the past week…
We made the best iced matcha with creamy lemonade – fresh lemon and lime juice, sweetened condensed milk, and lemon seltzer.
Pickles are a top tier snack.
And these Trader Joes Crunchy Curls are possibly the most satisfying thing I’ve ever eaten.
Double double IPAs. We loved the Destihl and liked the Montauk Brewery.
Soft-scrambled eggs (plus an extra soft-boiled egg) / a huge pile of sauteed green beans with chili crisp / Paris Baguette mini garlic croissants.
Soy marinated eggs with brown rice, roasted cabbage, and chili crisp.
Soy eggs with smoked almonds, cottage cheese, and cucumber salad (chopped and tossed with white pepper, sugar, and Sichuan pepper salt).
Fried rice. Leftover rice with Sriracha, soy sauce, and fish sauce / eggs / Trader Joe’s turkey summer sausage / green onion and white onion / chopped baby brocoli and baby cauliflower with salt, white peppers, and tons of garlic.
Things from the weekend…
There is a new coffee spot near us with Jamaican Blue Mountain.
The homemade Snickers are definitely one of the best things I’ve ever made. And so quick and easy too.
I mostly drink IPAs but I do really love this key lime pie sour.
Multiple theme snacks! We ate these orange slices with orange slices.
And drank a variety of Mountain Dew and then rewatched the Slurm episode of Futurama.
Egg salad dinner plate. Six minute eggs with Greek yogurt, mayo, mustard, pickle juice, dill, pickles, and red bell pepper. Plus pickled red onion, crackers, and roasted purple cauliflower.
Cheeseburger-inspired salads. Romaine / special sauce dressing – 1 Tbsp each mayo, yellow mustard, olive oil, and vinegar, plus 1/2 Tbsp ketchup and a pinch of salt and white pepper / pickles / tomato / quick pickled chopped white onion / mini turkey patties topped with sharp cheddar / dill / sesame seeds.
Plus special sauce kettle chips!
Eating Chalk 