And Now My Favorite Color is Zhough

Highlights from the week…

Fancy shmancy coffee.  I cold pressed espresso roast with vanilla bean powder, brown sugar, and clove.

IMG_7575

Honestly though, my current favorite-favorite combo is espresso, ice, and chocolate milk.

IMG_7536

Milkadamia sent me a box for review [no cash was exchanged, all opinions are my own, yadda yadda].  Their macadamia nut milk is vegan, dairy-free, soy-free, and gluten-free.  The unsweetened vanilla has 50 calories, 1 gram of protein, and zero grams of sugar (1 gram carbohydrate) per 8 oz serving.  The milk has almost no flavor, but that is pretty much what I’m looking for in my nut milks because I want them to make my coffee creamy without distracting from the coffee taste.  The unsweetened vanilla went perfectly with a cup of iced coffee this week, no clumping or separation to be found.

IMG_7518

I also used it in a smoothie with frozen blueberries and coconut chunks, vanilla, maple, and chia seeds.

IMG_7534

My packed work eats were all about the Sumo mandarin and plain Greek yogurt combo.  With maple or granola.

IMG_7547

IMG_7614

Snack attack.  Peanut butter puffs.

IMG_7585

Mexican marshmallow shortbread cookies.

IMG_7544

Super sour soda and cola hard candies.

IMG_7583

Mini sundae from Van Leeuwen.  Cookies and cream topped with hot fudge, almond brittle, and sprinkles.

IMG_7606

IMG_7608

All of our dinners this week had a Middle Eastern bent, thanks to lots of zhough and copious amounts of olive oil.  Like scrambled egg pita sandwiches.  Scrambled eggs / sauteed orange bell pepper and red onion / whole wheat pita / zhough.  With roasted zucchini.

IMG_7590

Pita chip nachos!  Sharp cheddar / red onion and cucumber / marinated chickpeas with lemon juice, olive oil, fresh parsley, oregano, cayenne, and paprika / zhough and tzatziki.

IMG_7561

Veggie bowls.  Sauteed red onion, yellow bell pepper, and roasted eggplant / tomato sauce / marinated chickpeas / zhough and tzatziki / fried egg.

IMG_7628

Also pizza.  Is there a better food on the planet than buffalo chicken pizza??

IMG_7617

It’s almost the weekend!  Who has green beer on their Saturday agenda?

געשמאַק

Adam is post-call this morning and I am taking my weekend day off so we get to share the same space for a bit, woo-hoo!  We have some really exciting date options to chose from, like a grocery trip and maybe the gym.

I worked Saturday and Sunday – and was off on Friday but spent the entire day reading and/or watching tv – so I don’t have too much excitement to share this recap.  We did go on a very delicious dinner date Saturday night though.

weekend highlights…

Coffee coffee.

IMG_7469

IMG_7465

Cinnamon chocolate pudding.

IMG_7499

Snowdays shaved ice!  Black sesame with grass jelly, mochi, and strawberry sauce.

IMG_7474

Yesterday I made a dish that was moussaka-adjacent.  No potatoes but the other layers were there.  Roasted eggplant / sauteed turkey with tons of onions, spices, and tomato / mornay sauce with parmesan.

IMG_7508

And Saturday we did an awesome Israeli dinner at Timna.  You select an entree and then the table gets all of the appetizers tapas-style.  Also we ordered two desserts because we just couldn’t choose!  It was one of our best meals to date.  Falafel with pickled mango.

IMG_7479

Kubneh bread baked in a flower pot served with crushed tomato, creme-fraiche, and jalapeño salsa.

IMG_7485

Grilled beet salad with beluga lentils // tuna sashimi with green tabouli, tatziki, and ponzu // grilled cauliflower and artichoke with curried yogurt, homemade raisins, and pickled onion // smoked eggplant with feta cheese and sumac.

IMG_7483

I had “the fish,” striped bass with cherry tomato confit, grilled zucchini, grilled fennel, fried eggplant, Greek yogurt, and bread crumbs.  We loved the meal from start to finish but the fried eggplant was my favorite bite of the night.

IMG_7489

Kubneh bread with creme patisserie, white chocolate, and honey and sage ice cream.

IMG_7492

Sicilian pistachio ice cream with tahini, silan, and shredded halva.  swoon 

IMG_7496

Back to the grind we go!

Fresh On The Blog

Gotta love a three day weekend!  I don’t work today (hence the late post) and my plans include the dog, my bed, and The Office, the end.

My Friday, Saturday, Sunday were all pretty great too.  Friday, Adam drove me into work so we had before-work breakfast date and after-work dinner date (plus we basically consider the time driving in the car to be a date too!).  Saturday, I met up with girlfriends for brunch and discovered that Bayside, Queens – which is about 10 minutes from my house – is actually kind of great.  And Sunday, we had friends in from out of town and we got to show them the magic of Grand Central Whispering Gallery; plus the magic of coffee from Cafe Grumpy!

highlights…

Apertif.  I had a croque canard sandwich with duck rillettes, apple, brie, and béchamel.

IMG_20180217_123702_501

F.O.B.  A newish Filipino spot in Cobble Hill people have been (rightly) raving about.

IMG_7199

IMG_7201

We got so much good food!  Corn bibingka – rice cake with farmers cheese, kesong puti, and coconut butter.

IMG_7208

Overnight chicken adobo and pechay – sautéed Chinese cabbage with chili and garlic.

IMG_7209

And Halo Halo – shaved ice with nata de coco, red beans, tapioca, mango, jackfruit, and ube ice cream!

IMG_7218

French Workshop.  We split something with white chocolate mousse, and hazelnuts, and milk chocolate ganache but there were about a million other things that looked good too.

IMG_7223

Joyce Bakeshop.  We’ve decided that we don’t love their coffee, but their kouign amann is my all-time favorite pastry.  Seriously, I like it more than filled croissants from Union Fair and cronuts from Dominique Ansel, and that bar is set pretty damn high.

IMG_7192

Kame Ramen in Nomad.  I had spicy chicken miso with sesame oil and a soft boiled egg.

IMG_20180218_133342_125 (1)

I did manage to cook one meal at home – loaded baked potato casserole / shredded chicken with bbq sauce / spinach salad with pomegranate, marcona almonds, and Trader Joe’s cilantro salad dressing.

IMG_7229

Have a great week!

IMG_7194

Cookie Monster

Friday, Friday, Friday!  How did a short week feel so long?  At least I had multiple sugar highs to carry me through.

Munk Pack sent me a sweet (but actually protein-packed) box of samples.  Munk Pack Protein Cookies contain a whopping 18 grams of plant-protein and 6 grams of fiber per cookie.  They are gluten-free, vegan, and do not contain sugar alcohols or soy.

IMG_6203

I let Adam review two flavors on his own because he’s the one whose lifestyle depends on quick, protein-packed snacks (and he’s already obsessed with Munk Pack’s oatmeal packets).  He thought double dark chocolate was good but not great and was over the moon for oatmeal raisin spice.  To quote – “5/5.  A little bit savory but not too spicy.  Firm on the outside but moist on the inside, with a good texture from the oats.  Very filling, it kept me satisfied for hours.”

IMG_6220

And personally I liked peanut butter chocolate chip but I loooooved the coconut white chip macadamia.  All of the flavors were very substantial, I actually ended up skipping lunch yesterday because I was still so satisfied from the cookie I ate for breakfast at 9!

IMG_6317

Peanut butter wasn’t necessarily a cookie-cookie but was a darn good protein bar but the coconut flavor was straight-up decadent.  It had the slightly gritty consistency of cookie dough and was one of the more delicious packaged cookies (dessert options included) I’ve ever eaten.

IMG_6533

Plus we threw a baby shower for a coworker this week and I made and ate a million desserts.  Matzoh toffee candy.

IMG_6495

Triple fudge brownies with maraschino cherries and cherry cream cheese frosting.

IMG_6520

I did eat one or two things that weren’t sweet.  Like super spicy Thai food.  I went out for lunch with a girlfriend in Astoria and had a great bowl of extra spicy pad see ew with mock duck.

IMG_6455

Plus Adam and I hung out for a bit at Gossip; love it there.

IMG_6451

Still obsessed with this Trader Joe’s seed and bean snack.

IMG_6527

It was a week of fantastic home-cooked dinners.  Like Asian-style cabbage wraps.  <– best dish of the week

IMG_6462

Red cabbage cups / ground turkey sauteed with shredded carrot, spring onion, orange and bell pepper/ crushed peanuts on top.

IMG_6473

Plus two dipping sauces – miso, lime juice, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, gojuchang / avocado, cilantro, fish sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, Greek yogurt, evoo.

IMG_6480

Another night I used the leftover avocado cilantro sauce to make a killer salad.  With red cabbage, arugula, spring onion, shredded carrot, yellow bell pepper, black beans, sharp cheddar, and salty peanuts.

IMG_6552

With an assortment of global gummy candies for dessert.

IMG_6534

And another night we made loaded cheeseburger cheese fries!

IMG_6501

Waffle fries / cheese / tons of sauteed onion / mini turkey cheeseburgers / with ketchup and mayo on top.

IMG_6512

Plus broccoli slaw on the side, sauteed with rice vinegar and cream cheese.

IMG_6510

Have a happy weekend!

Hello, 2018!

On a personal level, 2018 is off to a great start.  Adam’s and my last week of 2017 staycation was deeply wonderful, so I’m starting the year in a damn good mood.

Though perhaps I’ll be less ecstatic today, by the time this post goes live I will already be outside attempting to dig my car out from the foot plus of snow dropped by the bomb cyclone.  I work this weekend so thankfully I was already off for the worst of it on Thursday.

Here were the best bites from the year so far…

This week’s coffee – Starbucks espresso roast.

IMG_6027

Plus on my snow day I sipped on a super fancy Stumptown Nitro Cold Brew with chocolate milk.  Total frothy, creamy, goodness.

IMG_6095

Yogurt bowl work lunches are off to a good start.  Coffee and Cream Chobani with maple almond butter granola and a Pacific Rose apple and MadeGood chocolate chip granola minis.

IMG_6041

Mint Chocolate Chunk Chobani with chocolate Cheerios and chocolate-covered cocoa nibs.  This new flavor was surprisingly delicious, just like mint chip ice cream.

IMG_6072

Smoked turkey and Swiss sandwich box from Starbucks.

IMG_6032

Popping champagne gummies for the new year.  I have loved all of the bears from Project Seven that I’ve tried so far.

IMG_6075

Yummy vanilla bean French pudding.

IMG_6101

Exciting limited edition seltzers tasting.  We didn’t like the cola as much as I had hoped – it was too weird to have the flavor without the sweetness – and the unicorn kisses wasn’t magical but was very tasty.

IMG_6059

I totally rocked it in the kitchen this week; three meals were 10/10.  Like good luck bowls to start the year – forbidden rice / collard greens – sauteed with garlic / hoppin’ john – a slightly bastardized version with orange bell pepper added in.

IMG_6050

Hot wing pasta with carrots and celery on the side.

IMG_6079

Whole wheat pasta shells / sauteed baby spinach and green onion with fish sauce / shredded chicken breast with cream cheese and hot sauce / sharp cheddar.

IMG_6085

Chick pot pie hot dish (loosely inspired by this recipe from Molly Yeh).

IMG_6106

Shredded chicken breast / tons of sauteed mushrooms, onion, celery, and peas / roux + caned low fat milk and chicken broth with sour cream, hot sauce, mustard, liquid smoke, and smoked paprika / tater tots!

IMG_6117

Hope everyone’s 2018 is off to a good start!

It’s Beginning To Taste A Lot Like Christmas

Eggnog, peppermint, and rugelach, oh my!

Adam and I spent the weekend eating all of the holiday things!  We did an eggnog tour of Brooklyn one day and then a Brooklyn holiday ice cream tour the next.  I learned that even if you share and leave a lot of leftovers you can still tire of eggnog very quickly, and I’m probably someone who enjoys eggnog more than the average reveler.  I also affirmed that no matter how many twinkly lighted and tinsel bedecked holiday pop-ups I encounter, I will still clap my hands in glee every time.

Alphabetically, here are some Brooklyn spots celebrating with holiday pop-ups and/or themed items:

16Handles.  Peppermint froyo with Oreo and hot fudge.

IMG_5769

Ample Hills.

IMG_5745

There were so many holiday choices we had to get a flight to taste them all!  In the front row – Eggnog with rum / Festival of Lights cream cheese ice cream with raspberry rugelach / Candy Cane.

IMG_5749

Bearded Lady.

IMG_5694

BL Eggnog – bourbon, spice, a whole egg.

IMG_5698

Brooklyn Cupcake.  Coquito cupcake.  <– not a seasonal item actually, it’s on the menu year-round

IMG_5703

Ladybird Bakery.  Eggnog mousse tart.  <– this was more visually appealing than anything, 5/10.

IMG_5689

Leyenda<– most festive stop of the weekend, 2nd only to Miracle on 9th Street

IMG_5682

IMG_5679

Coquito Ho Ho – Resposado Espolon tequila, Oloroso sherry, Braulio, coconut cream, cinnamon, egg.

IMG_5686

Oddfellows.  Eggnog and Santa’s Cookies milk sorbet with chocolate chip cookies.

IMG_5759

And here were the highlights of my less festive eats…

We were pretty pleased with this 7-11 cold brew can.  Made with skim milk and minimal sugar and it had way more flavor than anything we can get from the thousand Dunkin Doughnuts near our apartment.

IMG_5655

Brunch at Forest Point.  We need to come here more often because it’s amazing.  Oban Sour – Moto Whisky, Mizu Lemongrass Shochu, yuzu-maple cordial, lemon, pimento dram.

IMG_5668

I also had hummus, Israeli cucumber salad, fantastic grilled naan, harissa, and perfectly poached eggs.

IMG_5674

Lunch at Lion’s Milk.  We shared a sandwich with black olive paste, toasted sesame oil, and kasseri cheese.  Plus Turkish coffees.

IMG_5763

Tofu bowls for dinner.  With mint lime kombucha.

IMG_5712

Roasted buckwheat and kobucha squash with roasted elephant garlic / roasted zucchini / baked garlic brown sugar tofu / Sriracha.  Except apparently neither Adam nor I like buckwheat one bit; we ate off our toppings and had cheese and crackers instead.

IMG_5713

I try to have every healthy dinner include a protein, carb, fat, and veggie, and technically these meals fit the bill.  Smoky honey chips with melted sharp cheddar and carrots with hummus.

IMG_5644

Homemade onion dip (with turkey bacon and sharp cheddar!) with roasted broccoli and TJ’s cheesy tree crackers for dipping.  I also dipped baby carrots and kettle chips but they didn’t make a nice forest.

IMG_5792

I shredded two large sweet onions and spent 50+ minutes caramelizing them and it was well worth it.

IMG_5789

Especially because I sipped this peachy and delicious Shiner Bock Holiday Cheer while I cooked.

IMG_5782

Two more nights of Hannukah and one week ’til Christmas!

IMG_5662

Winter Weekend Wonderland

Three fun facts…

{1} NYC got its first snow this weekend.

IMG_5510

webster

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

IMG_5501

IMG_5506

{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.

IMG_5462

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

IMG_5528

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

IMG_5533

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

IMG_5534

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).

IMG_5497

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

IMG_5490

With carrots and hummus for additional veggies.

IMG_5470

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

IMG_5475

Chicken tenders and slaw.

IMG_5514

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

IMG_5521

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.

IMG_5525

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

IMG_5568

Southern Tier Cinnamon Roll Ale that tasted like a cookie.

IMG_5542

Plus carrots and orange bell pepper with hummus.

IMG_5556

And sugared nuts and dried figs.

IMG_5547

Miracle On 9th Street

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.

IMG_5298

IMG_5302

And wild swans in Sheepshead Bay.

IMG_5361

IMG_5354

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.

IMG_5286

IMG_5281

IMG_5285

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.

IMG_5292

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

IMG_5295

Iced latte love.  Brooklyn Roasting Company.

IMG_5245

Orso.

IMG_5346

IMG_5331

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

IMG_5391

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.

IMG_5307

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

IMG_5251

Luda’s Dumplings.

IMG_5335

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

IMG_5343

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

IMG_5311

IMG_5314

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

IMG_5316

The NameShake.

IMG_5320

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

IMG_5325

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.

IMG_5253

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

IMG_5260

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.

IMG_5267

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

IMG_5263

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

IMG_5270

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

IMG_5402

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.

IMG_5403

An epic take on cheeseburgers and fries.

IMG_5373

Roasted green beans and butternut squash.

IMG_5379

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

IMG_5386

Happy 1st week of December!