Fantastic Doosra snack mix. Caramelized white chocolate belongs in all savory snack mixes.
Peelerz peelable gummy banana candy. These were repulsive in a delightful way; the centers were the exact consistency of mushy banana!
See also – Banana, Banana, Banana sundae — thick-sliced warmed banana bread, scoop of banana ice cream (the vegan Ben & Jerry’s one!), bruléed banana slices.
Buldak Korean black bean sauce ramen. I added an egg, sesame seeds, and scoop of peanut butter.
Roasted broccoli and super-firm tofu with a spicy peanut butter sauce (chunky peanut butter, gojuchang, gochugaru, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, and water).
Saucy chickpeas. Yellow onion sauteed with grape tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, harissa, smoked paprika, cinnamon, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper, and butter.
I knew we’d been homesick after my mom left so I filled the week with Caribbean flavors to remind us of home! Highlights…
This week’s coffee combo.
Smoothie – pineapple with frozen peaches, water, and vanilla protein powder.
The last of the hibiscus iced brownies.
Tropical candies. Passionfruit marshmallows and pineapple and passionfruit gummies. Both were delicious.
Painkillers!
I also made rum and coke slushies.
We love our loose take on callaloo – chopped spinach sauteed with yellow onion, habanero pepper, and garlic, with crab meat and coconut milk. Plus I made dumb bread – with butter and cheese – that we adored.
Rice and beans (brown rice with yellow onion, ginger, habanero pepper, dark kidney beans, and coconut milk) with baked salmon cakes (canned salmon with green onion, egg, panade, mayo, smoked paprika, and Jamaican curry powder) and roasted peppers (bell, poblano, and onions).
My mom was in New York this weekend! She came up to see our condo and celebrate her birthday next weekend. We had a fabulous time and did all sorts of NYC things like – admiring the ceiling at Grand Central Station / admiring the ceiling at Albertine Bookstore / admiring the ceiling at Chelsea Market / admiring the snow in Central Park / shopping in Greenpoint / getting a flight of fruity milkshake beers at Evil Twin.
Here were some food highlights…
Morning coffees at home with this power duo (brown butter cookie cold foam!!?).
See also – my coffees were all some version of chocolate and/or strawberry.
See also also – chocolate-covered [blank] smoothies! Frozen sweet dark cherries with vanilla protein powder and chocolate milk.
Frozen strawberries with chocolate protein powder and chocolate milk.
Korean honey cookies a nurse brought for me because I raved about them when she brought them in for Christmas.
I made brownies with hibiscus cream cheese frosting!
Baked jalapeno popper meatballs. Ground turkey with panade, Trader Joe’s sweet and spicy jalapenos, and cream cheese. Plus roasted brussels sprouts.
Leftover meatballs on fancy salads – baby spinach, balsamic vinaigrette, strawberries, Trader Joe’s sweet and spicy pecans, and blue cheese.
Turkey meatloaf. With panade, caramelized onions, ketchup, hoisin, gochujang, and extra-sharp cheddar. Plus roasted cauliflower and Bibigo frozen rice balls with kimchi and cheese.
I had a day off for a doctor’s appointment and got myself a decadent brunch at East Rock Coffee. Tres Leches French toast! And a great iced latte.
I have to eat at least one yogurt bowl per week. I have also personally taken down a pint+ of blueberries every week for the past several months. This was vanilla bean skyr with maple pecan granola, peanut butter, blueberries, and pineberries.
We adored the peppermint coffee syrup from El Guapo but sadly I was underwhelmed by their Polynesian Kiss bitters; I tried them in coffee, seltzer, and diet coke and thought the flavor wasn’t strong enough.
Meanwhile these Every Body Eat chive and garlic crackers were delightful; like a crispy scallion pancake!
We homemade baked snack mix! Crispix cereal, crispy cheese, cheddar pretzels, and peanuts. I seasoned mine with butter, onion powder, garlic powder, and gochugaru.
This week’s dinner theme (let’s be real, there is almost always a theme) was American classics — reformatted. Poutine — dip-style. Whole Foods frozen garlic and herb parmesan fries (10/10), Jack and Annie’s jackfruit nuggets, and roasted broccoli dipped in homemade chicken gravy.
Turkey reubens — as coleslaw bowls. Russian dressing coleslaw (shredded cabbage with skyr, mayo, dijon, ketchup-style chili sauce, hot sauce, vinegar, and smoked paprika) topped with sauteed ground turkey and crispy cheese bites.
Deviled eggs — egg salad. <– meal win of the week. Hard-boiled egg whites and chopped cornichons dressed with deviled egg filling (hard-boiled yolks, mayo, skyr, dijon, and paprika). Plus shredded brussel sprouts sauteed with garlic and parmesan.
Chicken nachos — as salad. Shredded iceberg lettuce / roasted sweet onion and bell peppers / Cholula medium salsa / extra-sharp cheddar / garlic baked chicken / Beanitos white bean tortilla chips.
Buffalo chicken wings — turned bean burgers. We always love this recipe and it was perfect for Super Bowl dinner. Plus roasted zucchini, store-bought fried ravioli, and a chipotle honey aioli.
A coffee date at Quhwah House. I got an iced Yemeni latte (great in theory but I ultimately am just not a ginger in coffee fan) and we shared a yummy creamy pistachio dessert.
I was very pleasantly surprised by this Cafe Bustelo coffee. Not as good as brewing their coffee myself but the best pre-made coffee I’ve tried.
Snack plate – olive oil and za’atar labne, baby carrots, and corn fritters (we got bar food one night!).
I went to J-Mart for fresh noodles and scored in their amazing snack isle – these Sichuan pepper chips were fantastic.
Drinks and desserts at Whisk and Whiskey. We really enjoyed this spot and want to go back ASAP.
I, of course, ate some cubed in a yogurt bowl with blueberries.
And, of course, I toasted thick slices to be the B in BEC (banana bread, soft-scrambled eggs, extra-sharp cheddar). Served with blueberries and roasted green beans.
Another fun dinner I made was Leah Cohen’s recipe for Chow Fun! With baked chicken subbed in for beef and roasted zucchini subbed in for bean sprouts. It was delicious.
Big salads. Romaine / cucumber / balsamic vinaigrette / roasted pumfu (pumpkin seed tofu) / crispy rice (leftover black rice roasted with soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili crisp).
Best meal of the week = Bricolage. We’ve loved this Vietnamese spot for years. Their take on coquito blew me away – Ten to One dark rum, house-made creamy coconut spice blend, and Chinese cardamom. I also had a great Vietnamese Espresso Martini – Grainger’s vodka, chicory infused coffee, condensed milk, and five spice coffee garnish.
Mushroom ginger congee with lemongrass tofu.
Five spice roasted honey nut squash with maple gastrique and a kale cauliflower cous cous salad.
Caramelized shrimp pot – Gulf shrimp, baby bok choy, onion, cherry tomato, and scallions in a caramel-chili sauce. This is my favorite dish on the menu!
The weather warmed up enough this weekend that a long Manhattan walk was actually enjoyable! We traveled Grand Central to Essex Market and back with some great stops along the way. Also some fun in the other boroughs on Sunday. Weekend highlights…
Fern and Aurora. Filipino bakery in Queens. We got a fun assortment – ube butter mochi, a strawberry cream doughnut, and a calamansi meringue tart. Plus a great iced coffee with ube cold foam.
La La Bakeshop. We were super impressed this new East Village Vietnamese dessert spot. Taro lava bun.
And a wonderful pandan foam Vietnamese iced latte.
Noona’s. Asian-inspired ice cream in the East Village and now our favorite ice cream in NYC. If anyone remembers Ice and Vice the vibes were similar. We got banana bread mochi ice cream topped with mochi and black sesame and swooned. I also housed a slice of yuzu poppy cake with strawberry jam.
Super Bueno. I don’t know how we keep getting lucky with walk-in seats here but they make our favorite drinks in the city. Salted plum and tamarind milk punch. (My unphotographed vodka y soda with guava and pasilla is the best thing on the menu.
Milu. This is hands-down our favorite fast casual spot. We shared a great lunch. Soy-roasted chicken bowl with rice, ginger scallion sauce, and charred broccoli.
Egg yolk fries. They came with a creamy scallion sauce that was the best bite on the table.
Plus a Yuzu Palmer with jasmine flower and lime.
Dhamaka. Indian in Essex Market. The service was great but the lighting was not photo-friendly. My Bombay Blues cocktail on fire when it arrived at the table! Indian rum, basil eau de vie, cultured coconut, pineapple, genepy, celery, lime, blue spirulina, and ajwain.
Kashmiri Gosht Chaamp – lamb loin with garam masala and ghee. This was my favorite dish of the night.
The paratha was Adam’s favorite. So buttery!
House-made paneer with ajwain and yogurt.
We shared two entrees. Malai Murgh – young chicken with cream and Amul butter.
Rara Gosht – goat meat and mince with yogurt, onions, and garam masala. It is rare to find goat in the states so this was a treat.
P.S. Tonight we have fun dinner reservations at Residence of Mr. Moto. I’m carrying a small/camera-free purse but I will definitely be ordering the Aka bowl!
Smoothie #1 – iced matcha, cottage cheese, brown sugar, and frozen mango and peaches.
Smoothie #2 – chocolate protein powder, water, black sesame paste, and frozen blueberries and cherries.
Cheese plate! Craize guava corn crackers, extra-sharp cheddar, and starfruit.
McConnell’s double peanut butter chip is our all-time favorite ice cream so we were pretty jazzed to pair it with their (quite tasty) pre-cooked chocolate chunk cookies.
Peanut chicken pizza. Two-ingredient pizza dough with an egg wash sesame seed crust / sauce – peanut butter, sugar, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, Sriracha, and water / baked chicken cubes / quick pickled carrots and scallion / pizza blend cheese. Plus green beans sauteed with honey, mustard, and gojuchang.
Cottage cheese dinner bowls. Topped with marinated eggs, sunflower seeds, and quick-pickled cucumber.
Chicken and cabbage bowls. Roasted cabbage topped with Nước Chấm and tons of toasted peanuts / ground chicken sauteed with ginger, scallions, and soy sauce.
Eating Chalk 