One Last Week Of Apple Month

Highlights from the past week included…

Over Easy apple cinnamon breakfast bar.

A yogurt bowl with Trader Joe’s honeycrisp apple cinnamon Greek yogurt. Plus granola nut butter, granola, and fresh bluberries.

My mom sent me a giant box of apple cider caramels for Apple Month! The spiced apple pie and apple brandy flavors were my favorite. I brought in a bunch for my coworkers and they loved them too. (Sidenote – they had no idea what Apple Month was. And when I brought in brownies for Rex Manning Day they had never heard of Empire Records, so they’re on thin ice!)

We finally got to try the much-lauded chocolate-stuff croissant from Lafayette Bakery.

Also treats from La Cabra. A rye and lemon tart and a cardamom twist.

And we had a fantastic lunch date at Yellow Rose. We shared chips and salsa.

A mezal margarita.

Sherry Cherry Coke, coca cola with sherry and jammy sour cherries.

Beef tacos.

Buttermilk chicken salad with Ruby Frost apples, pecans, and celery on Texas toast.

Rainbow, Sprinkle

Highlights from a quite tasty weekend —

Whistle and Fizz. We got a black sesame latte and a yuzu mint lemonade.

Fantastic espresso pain au chocolat from Librae Bakery.

Banana bars. I hated the Misfits one (I tried another flavor from them and hated that too, will not buy again) but loved the Bob’s Red Mill.

Tuna snack plate. Crackers, bell pepper, and a packet of spicy thai chili tuna.

Our first trip (of hopefully many!) to Lady Wong. We loved the coconut pandan steamed rainbow cake.

More rainbow – I added sprinkles to my epic Hanoi Dessert Shop sundae. Bright Eyes: vanilla soft serve, hot fudge, egg custard, chocolate sesame crunch, and Vietnamese coffee over crushed ice.

Cheese plate dinner! Mini brie / bell pepper / feta dip / cheddar crisps / seasoned pretzels / chocolate sea salt almonds / beef bacon / apple pie rice cakes / extra-sharp cheddar / smoked almonds / crackers / dried apples.

Plant-based chicken tenders plus chicken-based chips with roasted green beans and honey mustard.

A feast at Au Za’atar. We shared fried halloum with garlic, honey, and olive oil.

Plus Dalaa Mahshi, braised lamb shoulder with seasoned rice. The meat was amazing, particularly when paired with the complimentary pickles and garlic tahini.

Honey Pie, Sugar Baby

Highlights from a yummy week…

Lots of Apple Month wins. Like caramel apple candies! Sugar babies and adorable/delicious mellowcremes.

Adam’s favorite apples are Gingergolds but he concedes that this Cripps Pink would be a close second.

Apple pie rice cakes and a fresh honeycrisp.

Snack mix with dried apple rings, smoked almonds, and cheddar cheese crisps.

Yogurt bowl with vanilla bean skyr, black plums, cinnamon, chia seeds, and Oaty Nut Butter.

An amazing sundae – warm banana bread with Ben & Jerry’s Phish food and sprinkles.

Dinners this week were all greatly enjoyed. Scrambled eggs with sliced turkey, sharp cheddar, garlic, and baby arugula.

Saucy chickpeas (sauted with butter, fire roasted diced tomatoes, and harissa) with feta dip and roasted baby cauliflower.

Patty melts. Toasted sourdough, Whole Foods plant-based burgers, sharp cheddar, and Emmy sauce. Plus roasted green beans.

Warm kale salads. Sauted lacinato kale with rice vinegar, onion, dried apple, smoked almonds, and beef bacon.

Mostly Coffees

Highlights from the past week were… mostly coffees! Adam was out of town all week (he was in Ireland with his brother and they had a FANTASTIC time) and when no one is around to watch me adult I exclusively eat take-out in bed with the dog while watching cartoons. I also had a few really good Long Island outings, some Apple Month treats, and a wonderful Sunday with the husband when he was back in town.

Highlights include…

Starbucks’ apple crisp macchiato.

Pink Lady apple kombucha (I did not care for those oats).

Caramel apple shaved ice (!!) from Sea Cliff Shaved Ice. This was 10/10.

Blood orange espresso tonic from Southdown Coffee. It took me awhile to warm up to espresso tonics but now I am a big fan.

Quad iced latte with espresso whipped cream from Cup of Joe Coffee Company.

Jelly ring (aka raspberry mocha) iced latte from Brooklyn Brew Cafe.

I did not care for this cold brew made according to their directions but brewed double strength and not watered down it was delicious. Chocolate milk is always a win.

I haven’t blogged them in awhile so I just wanted to reiterate that I am still completely obsessed with these pretzel and potato chip peanut butter cups. Head over heels.

Brunch with Adam at Flora (plus a Park Slope walking date!). We had wonderful coffees, a macchiato for me.

And I had tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms.

A Is For

A few highlights from the weekend…

Apple snacks at work. Freeze-dried Fuiji apples and an apple ginger bar. Both were wins.

Apple pie matcha! I will definitely make this combination again.

We finally made it to Zaab Zaab, a very well-loved Isaan Thai spot in Elmhurst. Everything we got was fantastic. The spice level was exactly to my liking and I was glad I ordered the creamy cold brew with condensed milk. Green papaya salad.

Prawn Pad Thai.

Rib eye Pad Krapow.

I made the world’s most decadent bowl of leftovers. Basil beef / shredded duck (leftovers from a fun meal Adam had without me) / sauteed spinach and onion / fried egg / smashed avocado.

Apple Month

It’s September, aka Apple Month! Here is this year’s themed-food haul –

P.S. I started yesterday morning with an apple crisp macchiato from Starbucks and it was perfect!

My favorite eats this week were mostly fun beverages and eclectic dinners. Highlights included…

A yogurt bowl with blackberries and my newest nut butter obsession – oaty nut butter from Fix & Fogg.

The grapefruit lime is my favorite of this non-alcoholic tepache.

Yuzu brown sugar sparkling iced matcha.

We tried the newest Coke flavor – Dreamworld. It was a bit too fruity for me; I preferred the Starlight and would much prefer if they would just bring back Diet Cherry Coke.

Tangerine sparkling soju. <– we were not expecting to enjoy this as much as we did

Caramel apple margarita!!

Egg casserole with crusty bread, chicken soup sausage, sauteed mushrooms, roasted zuchinni, and gouda. Plus a side of blackberries.

I wanted leftover rice for dinners so I ordered a bunch of Thai food! This bowl was chicken pad see eiw, cashew chicken, and shrimp dumplings.

Salmon roll bowls. Thai sticky rice, baked salmon, spicy cucumber salad, avocado, roasted zucchini, Kewpie, Sriracha, and furikake.

Fried rice with onion, bok choy, chicken sausage, eggs (plus aromatics and seasoning).

Sandwich Week

Another themed dinners week — sandwiches!

Buffalo chicken salad. Shredded chicken (breasts and thighs cooked in the crockpot – this is our favorite method, especially because it creates a no-salt-added broth for Webster!), mayo, Frank’s, green onion, and celery on an everything ciabatta roll. Plus roasted baby cauliflower.

Crab rangoon grilled cheese. Sourdough bread, sharp cheddar, and a blend of blue crab claw meat, Kewpie, cream cheese, sugar, Sriracha, green onion, and Swiss and Gruyere. Plus roasted purple cauliflower.

Bagel and lox inspired. Everything ciabatta, homemixed scallion cream cheese, heirloom tomato, smoked sockeye salmon. Plus leftover cauliflower sauted with honey, horseradish, and honey dijon.

Chicken biscuit-inspired. Sourdough, breaded chicken patties, sharp cheddar, and a maple butter spread. Next to homemade biscuits which ended up being too crumbly to serve chicken on. Plus roasted brussel green beans.

Paired with a peach tea IPA to drive home the Southern theme. We liked this in theory and complexity but it was way too sour for us. The key lime blonde was much more our speed!

Sweet and spicy. Sourdough, turkey, sharp cheddar, blueberry jam, and pickled jalpenos.

See also – pb&j yogurt bowl. Plain Greek with peanut butter, fancy blueberry jam, and fresh blueberries.

Ice cream sandwiches.

P.S. If you are feeling inspired may I suggest – turkey reuben mac and cheese, casserole, or stuffed burgers.

Well There Goes Your Social Life

This past week has been meatball week because I am all about a good dinner theme.

Homemade turkey meatballs (juicy thanks to panade, with urfa pepper) with red sauce and roasted spaghetti squash. Spaghetti squash is amazing I need to make it way more often!

Whole Foods vegan meatballs with olives, dolmas, roasted zucchini and sweet onion, and Trader Joe’s herbed tahini sauce.

Buffalo chicken meatballs (stuffed with blue cheese and cream cheese) with sauted carrots and celery.

Crab meatballs (with panade made out of Utz crab chips!) with a simple salad.