Good Tidings And Cheer

by Emily

Is everything I have to share this week celebratory in nature? Yes! Thankfully I have a lot to celebrate.

In ongoing goodbye festivities… Some coworkers and I went out for a very dietitian-y lunch at Roots. I had a kale salad topped with miso chili tofu, eggs, and other goodies.

And some coworkers and I went out for a much more on brand happy hour at Vitae – in addition to our cocktails we also got to taste-test some marshmallow simple syrup!

My cousin and her fiance hosted an absolutely fantastic Thanksgiving dinner. There were 14 people in attendance but the platter of nachos I made for our appetizer was probably a still bit excessive!

Most exciting morning of the week? I had eggnog Greek yogurt, cranberry seltzer, and a peppermint mocha.

In yogurt bowl fun… Vanilla bean Greek yogurt with cranberry sauce and granola. And a holiday cheer kombucha on the side.

Wegman’s eggnog Greek yogurt with cinnamon Chex and a banana.

25Nov2019

Fluffy GBS

by Emily

I don’t have a ton of photos to share from last week because I ate a bunch of celebratory meals sans camera. By the time I leave for real next week it is going to feel fairly anticlimactic!

A work friend and I went out for drinks at Vitae {highlights include a maple cinnamon sour with smoked rum}.

A big group of co-workers took me out for lunch at Asado {highlights include a smoked chicken quesadilla}.

And my team took me out for dinner at Junction {highlights include a rum and coke with allspice syrup and charred baby carrots with goat cheese and carrot top chimichurri}.

Other highlights include…

Eggnog and coffee!

A vanilla coffee can with a peanut butter chocolate chip Perfect Bar.

The cortadito from Gaurijos is excellent.

Vanilla bean yogurt with maple pecan granola and cranberry relish.

S’mores pie and a cortado at Pie Chest.

An orange creamsicle IPA my family brought me back from Maryland.

Hardywood has released their Fluffy GBS – a toasted marshmallow gingerbread stout!

My cousin took me out for excellent Thai food. My drunken noodles were super spicy and loaded with veggies (including cauliflower!).

Have a great week (and a happy Thanksgiving, all of my American readers)!

18Nov2019

Oreo Crunch And Apple Brandy

by Emily

This past weekend I took my last trip to New York — last because I am officially moving in 2.5 weeks!!! This move is super bittersweet – I am over the moon to get to live with Adam and Webster and I love NYC but I am really going to miss Charlottesville, and my family here, and my amazing job. I’ll have to really soak in the South the next two weeks!

Our New York weekend was fantastic as always. We had babka and creme brulee doughnuts and walked all over the place. Saturday we met friends in Williamsburg for a walk over the bridge and an afternoon in the city.

Highlights include…

Milk Bar‘s Thanksgiving Croissant. It’s stuffed with turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce.

Drinks at Serra by Bierria. We tried four things from the holiday cocktail list – a buttered rum, a walnut Manhattan, a gin and blood orange drink, and an apple brandy drink.

Caffe Panna. I had peanut butter oreo crunch with fudge sauce! Also Adam got an affagato and I drank his last sip of espresso and it was genuinely the very best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth.

15Nov2019

Thankful For Nachos

by Emily

Do I have zero chill? Yes. And did I fully lean in to all things holiday/Thanksgiving flavored in the second week of November? Also yes. I couldn’t help myself, I was ready for cranberry and eggnog and cozy cheer!

Holiday highlights from this week include…

Eggnog in my coffee!

Cranberry seltzer.

Pumpkin pie marshmallows.

Thanksgiving nachos. Trader Joe’s turkey and stuffing kettle chips / swiss and gruyere cheese / turkey andouille sausage / roasted green beans / poblano peppers / cranberry sauce.

Thanksgiving totchos. Tots / swiss and gruyere / poblano peppers / green onion / brussel sprouts / cranberry sauce.

Upcoming highlights? I am heading to New York this afternoon to visit ~~Milk Bar’s Thanksgiving croissants~~ my loving husband and dog.

11Nov2019

Pumpkin Oolong

by Emily

Cold weather fully hit Charlottesville this weekend so I kept things pretty low-key. I did talk a walk around the neighborhood to stretch my legs on Saturday but then I spent the rest of the night huddled under the covers!

Amazingly, my food highlights from the weekend were not soup and hot chocolate…

Still loving plain Greek yogurt bowls with cupcake almond butter, MadeGood granola, and loads of fresh berries.

I also enjoyed a bowl with this new Chobani flavor, caramel mocha.

Whole Foods hot bar with a side of journal reading. Best bites were the popcorn chicken and Spanish-style brussel sprout salad with sherry vinegar and yellow raisins.

Pumpkin oolong milk tea(!) with boba and Oreo.

I made the best sheet-pan hash. Preheat the oven to 420 degrees Fahrenheit / prep a sheet pan with foil and baking spray / bake chopped Japanese sweet potato for 20 minutes / add chopped bok choy and green onion and bake another 25 minutes / top with smoked salmon candy / add kewpie mayo and Sriracha if desired.

Candy break.

8Nov2019

Bunnies And Bears

by Emily

My Ohio trip was absolutely perfect! My grandma had a great 90th birthday and it was fantastic to spend time with my family!

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Highlights from the week back home include…

La Colombe caramel oatmilk draft latte.

Adorable elderberry Wild Kombucha with adorable Trader Joe’s tiny gummi bears.

I had the best yogurt bowl toppings – Made Good Cocoa Crunch granola and Noosh cupcake almond butter.

So I made the best yogurt bowls! Plan Greek with almond butter, granola, and blackberries and blueberries.

A friend and I met up at Hardywood to celebrate the release of Gingerbread Stout and discovered their newest beer – Christmas Pancakes, aka GBS with maple syrup!

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29Oct2019

Cafe Con Leche, Cerveza Con Calabaza

by Emily

Adam came to visit me last weekend, aka I had the best weekend ever! He probably won’t be back in Virginia until my cousin’s wedding next year so we made the most of the visit. We went to several old favorites and couple new favorites!

Weekend highlights include…

Saturday was National Pumpkin Day and Tropical Smoothie Cafe sent me a free coupon to try their Pumpkin Pie Smoothie to celebrate. Made with real pumpkin, Ghirardelli white chocolate, cinnamon, and non-fat yogurt. It was very pumpkiny without being boring and just sweet enough.

Drekker‘s Everybody Love Everybody is a rainbow sherbet sour and it’s PINK!

Hardywood had a Halloween-themed black IPA on tap – the Heebie Jeebies! Plus I had a None of This Makes Sense double IPA (my current favorite beer) and a soft prezel with cheese sauce.