Winter Weekend Wonderland

by Emily

Three fun facts…

{1} NYC got its first snow this weekend.

{2} Adam and I used the blustery weather as reason to spend an afternoon at the Metropolitan Museum. So much Van Gogh!

{3} We also watched and loved the first season of Stan Against Evil.

{bonus fact} It’s Adam’s birthday today! I was going to write a gooey, disgusting, you’re-my-everything post but our ten year anniversary is on December 28th so I’ll save up my feels.

Weekend eats highlights…

Eggnog ice cream spiked iced coffee.

Jalapeño cheddar potato pierogis at Baba’s with caramelized onions and mushrooms.

BBQ spread at Fletchers. I had smoked chicken, cole slaw, pickles, and rivers of bbq sauce.

Egg ‘n grog pie at Four & Twenty Blackbirds. It was a delicious, boozy custard.

Edible brownie batter! For 2, mix 1 Tbsp melted butter / 1 Tbsp granulated sugar / 2 Tbsp brown sugar / 1 Tbsp cocoa powder / 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour / 1.5 Tbsp milk of choice (I recommend eggnog).

I made stroganoff-ish turkey bowls. Ground meat sautéed with shallots, paprika, sour cream, and tons of fried mushrooms.

With carrots and hummus for additional veggies.

And Holiday Cheers Health-Ade Kombucha for fun. <– I was expecting to hate the ginger but this ended up being my all-time favorite kombucha, it was all sweet and no spice

Chicken tenders and slaw.

Oven-fried chicken tenders (using a rough version of this method) coated in crushed Heritage Flakes and drizzled with homemade honey mustard.

With homemade cole slaw on the side. I adore slaw and this quick version was better than any I’ve had in a restaurant. I didn’t make notes for a recipe but it’s sliced cabbage and golden raisins in a mix of mayo, sour cream, mustard, sugar, and rice vinegar.

Fantastic cheese plates. Fancy TJ’s crackers with white stilton with apricots, honey goat cheese, and raw milk cheddar.

Southern Tier Cinnamon Roll Ale that tasted like a cookie.

Plus carrots and orange bell pepper with hummus.

And sugared nuts and dried figs.

4Dec2017

Miracle On 9th Street

by Emily

New York City is the best place on Earth and that is doubly true around holidays! Adam and I had a lovely weekend with lots of walking and we explored Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan and saw and ate all sorts of fun holiday and city things.

Like lights in the Lower East Side.

And wild swans in Sheepshead Bay.

Coffees, specialty cocktails, pizza rolls, and other fantastic eats…

Mace’s Miracle Christmas Cocktail Pop-up is officially my new favorite holiday activity! I wish I had taken pictures inside because it was freaking magical.

The specialty cocktails were so fun! I had a Not Even a Mouse – pumpkin spice infused rye whiskey, Budweiser-marshmallow syrup, pumpkin puree, egg, and a marshmallow mouse.

And a Snowball Old Fashioned – gingerbread bourbon, sugar, and pecan bitters.

Iced latte love. Brooklyn Roasting Company.

Orso.

Yogurt bowl win. Plain Greek yogurt with maple jelly and vanilla bean powder with golden kiwi and granola on top.

Ice & Vice double scoop that was truly the best ice cream Adam or I have ever eaten. TBT – earl grey, dark chocolate, and speculoos chip and PSL – pecan, sorghum, and latte toffee.

The Nog at Sugar Sweet Sunshine, pumpkin cake layered with eggnog pudding and whipped cream.

Luda’s Dumplings.

We shared shrimp and loaded potato with garlic sour cream and mushrooms on top.

Brunch at Butter & Scotch, aka the restaurant that’s decorated like the inside of my heart.

I had biscuits with mushroom gravy and an egg on top.

The NameShake.

Birthday cake slice (the leftovers were still moist 24 hours+ later, fyi) and a Unicorn Treat – a brown butter cookie drenched in sprinkles!

The space was adorable, the music was wonderful, and as we were rolling ourselves to the door the waitress brought us a chocolate chip cookie to go since we had been so excited about everything.

Dinner at Thursday Kitchen.

You have to get a light-up booze-filled capri sun! I went with strawberry.

The menu is tapas style so we got to taste a lot. Everything was so interesting, and perfectly spiced. Pan-seared plantains with Korean chimichurri, honey ricotta, roasted pistachio, dried cranberry, and crispy plantain crumble.

Duck confit empanada with dill crème fraiche, cumin, and pickles.

Gnocchi with Korean chili pepper sauce, garlic aioli, parmesan, and crispy seaweed.

My homemade dinners weren’t bad either. I made vegetarian “rice” and beans casserole.

Riced cauliflower / pinquito beans / onion and bell peppers (yellow, orange, and green) baked in evoo / red enchilada sauce / sour cream / shredded cheese. I topped my bowl with more sour cream and some Cholula sauce plus beet and goat cheese cassava chips.

An epic take on cheeseburgers and fries.

Roasted green beans and butternut squash.

Cheeseburger roll ups! Crescent roll dough / ground turkey sautéed with chopped onion and pickle relish / mayo and ketchup / shredded cheese / brushed with garlic butter.

Happy 1st week of December!

20Nov2017

It’s Beginning To Taste A Lot Like Thanksgiving

by Emily

Adam and I both worked Friday, Saturday, Sunday so I don’t have a lot to share. THREE exciting things: this weekend I…

{1} Made an on-theme Thanksgiving time dinner and ate it with the last pumpkin beer of the season.

Chicken cooked in the crockpot with Korean bbq sauce and fresh cranberries / on a bed of roasted shredded brussel sprouts and cabbage. Plus I went back and added melted extra-sharp cheddar on top, which was perfect.

{2} Discovered the best ice cream flavor ever.

{3} Dyed my hair purple!

2Nov2017

David S Pumpkins Pizza

by Emily

Last weekend was great and this upcoming weekend is going to be great, which makes for a weird posting schedule but a happy life.

Life Stuff {3 highlights}:

{1} In a few hours I am heading to the airport and to Columbus, Ohio. One of my cousins is getting married this weekend and I get to spend time with my family — including my mom (who I haven’t seen since before the hurricanes)!

{2} Last Saturday Adam and I took full advantage of the weather and walked through Central Park from top to bottom. We watched a man feed the ducks, went gaga for the flowers, and ate Nuts for Nuts while watching an interpretive dance street performance. It was the perfect New York day!

{3} Last Sunday we took a friend who is newish to the city from Buffalo on a fall-in-love-with-Brooklyn Williamsburg tour. Highlights included Sunday in Brooklyn, Sweet Chick, Brooklyn Brewery, and several hours drinking from the Halloween menu and playing games at Barcade.

Important Note – Adam and I beat the high score on Golly Ghosts!

Foods Stuff {5 highlights}:

{coffee}

Iced lattes from my two current favorite coffee spots: Birch,

and Black Brick.

{ice cream}

16 Handles‘ spooky cookie and salted cookie dough yogurt with sprinkles, cake bites, and an animal cracker.

Ample Hills‘ new circus flavor made with popcorn toffee and red sugar-toasted peanuts.

{New York beers}

In addition to Brooklyn Brewery, we also checked out LIC Beer Project. My choice was a fantastic guava passion fruit Berliner weisse.

{Halloween-themed eats}

(David S)Pumpkin pizza – TJ’s frozen crust / pumpkin puree with nutmeg, allspice, and pepper / shredded mozzarella / turkey summer sausage.

With a Southern Tier Warlock.

{dinner at Miss Ada}

We are newly obsessed with this Mediterranean spot in Fort Greene. The outdoor area is gorgeous, the plates are gorgeous, the plating is gorgeous… Adam and I had a fabulous after-work dinner date.

Baba ganoush with za’atar eggplant chips and ginger aioli and the best pita bread I’ve ever eaten.

Za’atar crusted salmon with labne, charred shallots, and Japanese eggplant.

23Oct2017

Last Week I…

by Emily

Last week I loved: Webster!

Adam and I can’t believe how handsome he is and we text each other pictures of him constantly but they’re on my phone so they usually don’t make it to the blog.

Last week I watched: Rick and Morty. We’re almost through the 3rd season and it has been fantastic. I think season 2 was the best so far though. I also have been re-rewatching The Office because I’m obsessed. It’s so funny and I love when shows have characters (Jim and Pam) just adore each other with minimal drama. The Micheal Scott seasons are perfectly cringe-inducing – I have really bad secondhand embarrassment anyways and I can barely watch most of his scenes.

Last week I ate: More samples from the healthy brand showcase.

Setton Farms is America’s 2nd largest pistachio producer and their stuff is delicious. We’ve been enjoying chocolate-covered pistachios along with the perfectly salted nut blend.

I also liked the pineapple flavored raisins from Amazing Fruit.

Last week I pumpkined: Four new items! See more below.

Last week I drank: Key lime La Croix. The newest flavor is delicious, and currently my favorite fizzy water.

Last week I listened to: “Bodak Yellow” by Cardi B on repeat. It’s super catchy and a lot of her word-play is very clever. I’ve also been listening to a ton of Betty Who.

Other food highlights…

This week’s coffee combo.

Pumpkin tres leches bubble tea from Teapsy in Astoria.

Pumpkin and salted maple pecan frozen yogurt with peanut butter, marshmallow cream, Oreos, and mochi.

I made a fancied-up version of my Spinach and Artichoke Egg Pie. I precooked the veggies with olive oil, onion, anchovies, and tons of garlic. Plus I substituted cottage cheese because I like it better than ricotta.

No carbohydrate component to that meal so we had potato chips and pumpkin beers, woo-hoo!

We tried pizza from a new place – Frantoni’s. Adam and I shared four things so we could try a lot of the menu. The eggplant slice was my favorite but the buffalo chicken was good too.

I made bagel and lox nachos! Everything bagel chips // TJ’s four cheese blend // hot smoked salmon // green onions // and cream cheese sauce with ginger, soy sauce, and brown sugar.

Plus roasted brussel sprouts on the side.

I made buffalo chicken chili. Tons of sauteed onion, green onion, carrots, and celery // tomato paste and crushed tomatoes // salt, pepper, celery seed, and smoked paprika // shredded chicken breast // black beans // cream cheese.

Have a great week!

22Sep2017

Law And Order SVU (Spectacular Vittles Unit)

by Emily

I still don’t want to talk about anything important. I’d rather think something else than the fact that my hometown was just ravaged by yet another hurricane. St. Thomas – and the devastated Caribbean as a whole – is pretty much all I’ve been thinking about for the past 2 weeks. Let’s talk about yummy food instead.

Three facts before we get into the meat of this post –

{1} I just learned that vittles is actually an outdated spelling of the word “victuals.”

{2} I was serving on the jury for a criminal case for the past 5 days. I don’t dread my civic duty at all, and it was a very positive experience. Deciding a verdict is an awesome responsibility and I feel like I got a learn a lot about our legal system over the past week.

{3} I have added to my apple stash! Gum, kombucha, and gummy bears, all of which I highly recommend, by the way.

Plus Noosa Yoghurt sent me a fun package of fall flavors, including one of their newest flavors – Apple!

The highlights…

This week’s coffee – Campfire Blend. Plus I purchased a latte every day on my lunch break.

Since I couldn’t have my camera with me in court, I’m missing a lot of my day-time eats this week, but I do have shots of my packed snacks (including a full lunch for my Thursday back at work). Maple Chobani with Heritage Flakes and a gingergold apple.

Apple Noosa with an apple bar. This Noosa really does taste like pie filling! The yogurt is soooo creamy and sweet and the apples are just a bit cinnamon-y.

Pink lady apple kombucha, cinnamon apple sauce, cinnamon apple oatmeal, and sour caramel apple gummy bears.

Snacks worth mentioning include: this 365 brand popcorn. It’s low sodium but totally not bland; I loved it and I usually won’t even eat bagged popcorn.

A yogurt bowl with chocolate Siggi’s yogurt, chopped plucot, granola, and a few caramel chips.

Trader Joe’s new peanut butter roundels. They are basically supersized peanut cups, so obviously we are obsessed.

It’s not officially fall until today, but we still made some cold weather comfort foods for dinners.

Grilled cheese sandwich on whole-wheat sourdough with labneh, sharp white cheddar, and a sprinkle of sumac.

Dipped in tomato soup (a low-sodium boxed variety from TJ’s that was good but not great).

With roasted squash.

I also made a ridiculously delicious Mac and Cheese and Greens casserole.

Make a roux with 2 Tbsp butter and 2 Tbsp flour // whisk in 1 cup skim milk and 8 cups baby spinach food processed until smooth with 3 Tbsp pesto and salt and pepper to taste // stir in 9 oz shredded sharp white cheddar and a healthy sprinkle of cayenne and smoked paprika // fold in 8 oz whole wheat shell pasta cooked according to package directions // pour into a casserole and top with 1 oz cheese // bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.

On the agenda this weekend? We’re hoping the weather holds out for a final trip to Smorgasburg and a first-time visit to Roosevelt Island.

11Sep2017

Coffee And Eggs

by Emily

Important Things First

I was finally able to speak with my parents and they are alright (and the rest of my island family members are safe as well). Phone service, power, and most cell service are out, so for the foreseeable future I can only talk to my parents when they manage to borrow a working cell phone. Communication on-island is tricky as well, radio stations were down and when I spoke with my parents briefly Friday afternoon they didn’t even know that Jose had been updated to a category four (thankfully that ended up being a nonissue). We got unbelievably lucky and our home’s roof is fully intact. When I got off the train Friday morning I had a voicemail from my dad and I was so relieved I starting sobbing in the middle of the street like a crazy person. It’s been an emotional weekend, I am completely overwhelmed with gratitude for how fortunate my family was.

The United States Virgin Islands as a whole was not so lucky. St. Thomas and St. John were decimated by Hurricane Irma. On St. Thomas, our only hospital, airport, fire station, and post office were destroyed. Looking through my friends’ pictures of the destruction on Facebook is heart-wrenching.

If you feel compelled to help the VI, here are some options:

A friend I trust is crowdfunding via YouCaring and will distribute money to local foundations
Tim Duncan vowed to match donations up to $1million
Kenny Chesney also started a foundation
If you are interested in volunteering to help with clean up, here is where you can register

Weekend Eats Highlights

{1} apple adventures

I broke into some of my Trader Joe’s apple goodies – freeze dried Fujis and cereal bars. Along with a coffee Chobani yogurt drink.

{2} delightful drinks

Iced coffee with chocolate milk, my favorite beverage combo. I also loved my lavender mint water.

{3} stupendous snack

Trader Joe’s hit it out of the park with this seed and bean medley. Apparently dried fava beans are my favorite thing, who knew?

{4} eggy eats

I breakfasted at the hot bar before starting my shopping at Whole Foods. Scrambled eggs with potatoes and turkey bacon and an iced latte.

Homemade chilaquiles! Tortilla chips heated in a skillet with olive oil / tossed with green salsa and sour cream / with roasted zucchini folded in / and cheese / topped with two ~~burnt~~ fried eggs.

{5} Brooklyn bites

Brooklyn Kolache Co.

We shared poppy seed, chocolate, and jalapeño egg and cheese.

BKG Coffee Roasters.

This spot was adorable and my latte was yummy.

5Sep2017

Cinnamon And Marshmallow In My Coffee

by Emily

I have eaten some very yummy things over the past four days! Adam and I both worked the holiday, but first we got to spend almost two full weekend days together!!! Good times.

Things [literal things] that made me happy this weekend…

Thanks to all of Target’s cheap “back to school” goodies, we have a jazzy new shower curtain and bedspread.

The sheets underneath are pretty happy-making too.

A Saturday trip to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Such a fun way to spend a morning. We were expecting things to be sparse due to the season but there was still a ton of beauty to admire.

As of last Friday, it’s Apple Month.

This spiced apple bourbon hand soap is currently the best smelling thing in our house!

Culinary highlights…

I haven’t eaten anything apple yet but I did cram some pretty fall-forward flavors into my coffees. Cinnamon.

And toasted marshmallow.

Though I also had a very summer-y Australian iced coffee with Wandering Bear cold brew and vanilla Curious Creamery ice cream.

Cheddar-chive biscuit and a matcha iced latte at Annex.

Brunch at Maison Premiere. We had a pastry assortment that was out of this world.

Maison Jungle Bird – Hamilton Black Rum, Cruzan Black Strap Rum, pineapple, Campari, and sugar cane.

I had the duck confit hash with bell pepper and poached egg. <– not as good as Colonie, sadly

While at the Garden, we had lunch at the Yellow Magnolia Café. (<– newest venture from the chef/owner of Wilma Jean)

I had wonderfully crispy, lemony fried chicken. Served with habanero honey, collard green slaw, and delicious wild rice. I suspect that there was honey butter in the rice because I don’t even like wild rice.

We took a long post-lunch walk for coffee and ended up also getting ice cream for dessert – blueberry with blue velvet cake from Little Cupcake Bakeshop.

Friday night I met a girlfriend in the Lower East Side for dinner and drinks. Sizzling noodles at The Tang.

I ended up with way too much food because I also couldn’t resist the Chungking Express salad – romaine, soft-boiled egg, honey, black vinegar, and chili oil.

How fantastically ridiculous are the drinks at Mother of Pearl?! My daiquiri – with Campari, grapefruit, and rosemary tincture – was tasty to boot.

We made an oldie but a goodie – buffalo blue cheese black bean burgers. Served with raw carrots and celery the first night.

Our citrus-y sip-while-you-cook line up did not contain any winners, we hated both of these drinks! <– normally I wouldn’t include this in a “highlights” section but they both sound so good in theory that I wanted to make sure I warned you

Sunday night I got fancy with a Southern dinner.

Pan-fried catfish! I made a spice rub with salt, pepper, cayenne, cumin, brown sugar, and smoked paprika and cooked the fish for 3.5 minutes on each side. Drizzled with a lemon butter pan sauce.

Plus sautéed collard greens with shallots, toasted coconut, and avocado (plus lemon, rice vinegar, and liquid smoke).

Flavor themes of the weekend – Campari / eggs / coffee / collard greens.

Eating Chalk

Tag Archives: about

Winter Weekend Wonderland

Miracle On 9th Street

It’s Beginning To Taste A Lot Like Thanksgiving

David S Pumpkins Pizza

Last Week I…

Law And Order SVU (Spectacular Vittles Unit)

Coffee And Eggs

Important Things First

Weekend Eats Highlights

Cinnamon And Marshmallow In My Coffee