One week down, fifty-one to go! Here were some highlights from the start of 2025…
The best yogurt bowl of the year (haha) – plain skyr with blueberries and ube polvorons.
I also went classic with granola, peanut butter, and blueberries.
The passion fruit ice cream mochi from Bubbies are a 10/10.
We were home on the 1st for a fancy last night of Hannukah lunch – bagel latke plates. Trader Joe’s frozen potato latkes / cream cheese home-mixed with sauteed scallion and garlic / mashed avocado / cucumber / Acme smoked salmon candy.
Every year on the 1st we make sure to eat black eyed peas and collard greens for dinner. Fun fact – I also make sure to go for a run on every new year and birthday. Collard greens sauteed with garlic, duck sausage, and Crystal hot sauce. Black eyed peas sauteed with green onions, roasted poblano, shredded cheese, Greek yogurt, Kewpie, and chipotle Cholula.
Ground turkey sauteed with cream cheese, gochujang, lemon juice, mustard and honey mustard served on sauteed shredded brussel sprouts with leftover laktes.
Turkey meatloaf (a buffalo version with Frank’s and blue cheese) with roasted broccoli and homemade ranch sauce.
Afghan take-out from Kandahar Grill. Mantoo dumplings, chicken tikka skewers with rice, Bolani flatbread, Banjan (fantastic fried eggplant) with Afghan bread, plus chicken kofta and lamb tikka skewers.
Fun things from the weekend so far included a long walk around Manhattan – it was super cold but super beautiful. We admired the Rockefeller tree, the tree at Union Square Park, and decorations at Chelsea Market, Hudson Yards, and Grand Central Station. Food highlights…
This was our first time trying Bluestone Lane‘s eggnog iced latte but we will definitely be back next year.
See also – Buzz’d Coffee‘s cold brew with espresso and bourbon eggnog cold foam.
Seasonal things from Supermoon Bakehouse – brûléed eggnog danish and a peppermint marshmallow brownie.
Plus a scoop of ube condensed milk ice cream that was fantastic.
Librae Bakery‘s za’atar labneh morning bun is the best baked good we’ve eaten this year. Their halvah chocolate pasty was a very close second but no photo because of the wind/cold/crumbles situation.
I’m not that excited about peanut M&M’s but these holiday toasty peanut ones were delicious.
Candy cane syrup! We’ve enjoyed it in ice coffee (good) and Diet Coke (better).
The best cocktail I’ve ever made – eggnog with Blue Bottle’s instant nola coffee, amaretto, and dark rum.
Lunch at Dante West Village so we could get their tiramisu eggnog – Seven Tales XO Vin Santo, amaretto, mascarpone, espresso, and whole eggs.
Plus I had a wonderful Harvest Bowl – maple miso tofu, picked red cabbage, kale, buckwheat, mutsu apple, crispy chickpeas, avocado, roasted butternut squash, soft-boiled egg, and garlic tahini dressing.
Leftover chilaquiles casserole with all the sauces.
The 1st week of December has been fantastically festive!
Highlights include…
Red and green yogurt bowl; plain skyr with frosted bran flakes, strawberries, and pumpkin seed butter.
One of Blue Bottle‘s winter specials is a chocolate mint Nola.
I was not a fan of either of these “winter” energy drinks.
But I loved this Target brand eggnog in iced coffees.
Also with iced matcha.
Leftover brownies from Thanksgiving. I make the Baker’s Chocolate recipe – with the addition of chocolate chips and espresso powder! – and they always get rave reviews.
White chocolate peppermint ice cream from Jeni’s; it is pink!
Malai‘s ice cream has the perfect texture and their nutmeg flavor tastes exactly like eggnog.
Taco salads. Spinach / baby bell peppers / homemade dressing with Greek yogurt, mayo, lime, and ranch seasoning / sharp cheddar / Love Corn sour cream and onion corn nuts <– 10/10 / ground turkey and sweet onion sauteed with fajita seasoning / Frontera double roasted tomato salsa.
Nachos with baby bell peppers instead of chips (plus leftover turkey, salsa, and tons of sharp cheddar). I know this sounds like a bad TikTok trend but these were delicious.
Chilaquiles casserole. A spin on this recipe with shredded chicken; roasted bell pepper, poblano pepper, zucchini, and scallion; crushed tortilla chips; sharp cheddar; salsa; and eggs and chicken broth.
We’ve been to TWO holiday pop-ups already. Both were fabulously decorated and unflatteringly lit. Sunday – Sunday in Brooklyn‘s Snowday in Brooklyn.
We thought their themed drinks were great/better than last year. Noggin’ Toboggan – Australian whiskey, allspice, eggnog soft-serve, and Thai tea soda / Yule Shoot Yer Rye Out! – NY Distilling Jaywalk rye, Japanese whiskey, pawpaw fruit, pineapple, artichoke amaro, and curry leaf.
Polar Bear Club – frozen rum, Aquavit, coconut, pineapple, banana, and coffee bean.
North Pole Dancer – Haku vodka, passionfruit, popcorn tea, saffron, and sparkling sake. This was my favorite of the night and not just because it came with caramel corn.
We also had some really wonderful food. Wood-fired pita topped with spinach, artichoke, white cheddar, and bechamel.
Roasted honeynut squash with coffee tahini, brown butter, and a watercress salad.
Wood-roasted brussel sprouts with toasted pistachio, golden raisins, and lemon gremolata. <– these were 10/10 leftover
French Dip – grilled brisket, provolone, Gold’s mustard, and beef jus.
Wood-roasted chicken with Herb De Provence, roasted garlic jus, and seasoned fries.
Wednesday – Leyenda‘s Sleyenda. I am not a talented enough photographer to deal with their low lighting but they were decked to the nines.
I also only took a single food photo even though we great drinks and dinner. We shared fried plantains and I had the Panuchos – fried corn tortillas topped with coconut habanero shrimp, refried black beans, avocado, and pickled onions. Once again the themed drinks were great and better than last year! My favorite (always) was the frozen Candy Striper – Diplomatico planas rum, cachaca, coconut, maple, vanilla, peppermint, and cardamom.
Current yogurt bowl – plain Greek, blueberries and blackberries, and frosted bran flakes.
Target’s version of Thanksgiving stuffing potato chips. I don’t think they are as good as the original Trader Joe’s version but Adam loved them (I am a kettle chip loyalist).
The Nuts Factory birthday cake bar was good but not what I was expecting (some sort of cake butter); it was literally a slice of cake enrobed in chocolate.
Butternut squash bowls. Roasted with roasted shredded brussel sprouts, dried cherries, Trader Joe’s sweet and spicy pecans, duck fennel sausage, and sauce (mayo, German mustard, honey, lemon juice, and Crystal hot sauce).
A take on our favorite broccoli salad. Roasted broccoli, red onion, and white beans with dried cherries and a fantastic sauce (food processed – cilantro, macadamia nuts, smoked sardines, gochugaru, pepper, evoo, honey, and Trader Joe’s sweet and spicy pickled jalapenos). Plus roasted delicata squash.
Leftovers on leftovers. Plus Whole Food’s buffalo chicken nuggets.
Yummy, on-theme coffees. Vanilla cardamom cold brew with salted caramel and pumpkin butter.
Phin brew with pumpkin butter and marshmallow cream.
Siggi’s pumpkin skyr with blueberries, blackberries, and Nature’s Path blueberry cinnamon flax cereal.
Plan skyr with berries, Purely Elizabeth double chocolate cookie granola, and butter mochi.
Whole Food’s prepared foods section is nice for snack options. This week I bought kimchi dumplings and their Sonoma chicken salad.
Crunchy snacks. Everything bagel protein pretzels and Korean BBQ crunchy chickpeas.
These gummy bears from Buck Naked Bears are the perfect consistency, so firm without being overly chewy.
Hummingbird High’s pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are the best cookies – pumpkin, chocolate chip, or otherwise – you’ll ever make. They are chewy – NOT cakey or crispy – and almost taste like butterscotch.
Open face chicken sandwich melts. Toasted bread with pumpkin butter and sharp cheddar / baked chicken marinated with Greek yogurt and tons of garlic / homemade chicken gravy. Plus roasted broccoli.
Pumpkin chili. With ground turkey, pinto beans, canned pumpkin, fire-roasted diced tomatoes, chicken stock, yellow onion, poblano pepper, zucchini, spices, and one tablespoon of dark soy sauce. Topped with plain skyr, extra-sharp cheddar, and Caribbean hot sauce and served with Trader Joe’s pumpkin tortilla chips.
Big salads. Kale massaged with evoo, lemon juice, and salt and pepper / homemade dressing with tahini, pumpkin butter, maple syrup, evoo, and vinegar / crispy roasted chickpeas with Sichuan pepper salt, smoked paprika, cinnamon, and sugar / extra-sharp cheddar / dried cherries. Plus roasted honeynut squash and carnival squash, both of which were delicious!
This was easily one of our best weekends! I say that every weekend I get to spend with Adam, but still! We got to eat a thousand tasty things and admire a thousand beautiful things in Long Island, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. And our fridge is full of the most exciting leftovers! Highlights…
Amano Cafe Rocket Fuel, cold brew with maple and oat milk.
Strawberry smoothie. Frozen strawberries and cherries with water and vanilla protein powder. You can’t tell that those gummies were strawberry cake-shaped but I had a whole theme going.
Something & Nothing seltzer’s new flavor – pineapple and pink grapefruit – was a hit
This Hubba Bubba/Skittles min gum is an 11/10 and I recommend purchasing it. And it’s sugar-free!
Postcard Bakery 100% lived up to the hype. We had raspberry mochi donuts (best donut of my life), a lemon roll, and a sesame chocolate chip cookie.
Sea Cliff shave ice. We got cola and butter pecan with vanilla ice cream (they have the best, chewy ice cream) and mochi.
Thick ice cream. They were out of the chocolate cola flavor (so they will be seeing me again) but we did get to try buttered cherry pie.
We visited the Deep Roots farmers’ market (which is lovely and right on the water in Garvey’s Point) and had several treats. Jerk chicken empanadas.
S’mores cookie.
Homemade garlic bread chicken sandwiches. These were insane. Ciabatta baked with a mixture of butter, garlic, sugar, smoked paprika, gochugaru, and mozzarella cheese / baked chicken marinated in yogurt, lemon, and tons of garlic. Plus roasted broccoli.
And split a bowl with jerk chicken, sweet plantains, macaroni salad, grilled zucchini, spicy corn, coleslaw, cilantro aioli, and white rice.
Noreetuh. The lighting at this cute/cozy Hawaiian spot was abysmal but I am going to share my unattractive photos because the food was so great. They were doing a pre-fix menu for Restaurant Week so I got to try a ton of stuff. Bigeye tuna poke with macadamia nuts. Plus an amaretto Colada with dark rum, pineapple, and coconut. I also had an unphotographed Mai Tai – best I’ve ever tasted – with dark rum, pineapple, apricot brandy, and orgeat syrup.
Garlic butter shrimp bowl with pineapple, chili, macaroni salad, and steamed rice.
Sundae with chocolate haupia, graham crackers, almonds, Hawaiian black salt, and coconut ice cream.
Super Bueno. These were some of the very best cocktails we’ve ever tasted (and we tried most of the menu!). Salted Plum and Tamarind Milk Punch – charanda, ayuuk, salted plum & tamarind, lojana tea, and milk + Roasted Corn Sour – corn whiskey, reposado tequila, roasted corn, guajillo, lemon, and egg white.
Vodka Y Soda – vodka, guava, pasilla, and soda. This is hands-down my favorite drink I’ve ever tasted.
We got nachos as an afterthought and they ended up being the best nachos I’ve ever bought. With mushroom carnitas, poblano, pickled jalapeño, red onion, crema, Mexican cheese blend, cilantro, and mole negro. Now we need to go back again for a full meal!
Win Son. This was my favorite meal of the year (Adam chooses Noreetuh). Plant Daddy cocktail – cilantro-mint tequila, matcha, lemon, simple syrup, and egg white. I also had an unphotographed Breakfast of Champions with almond milk, roasted black sesame, El Dorado 5 year rum, rum cream, and toasted coconut.
Pea shoots with yun hai bean paste, sesame, and fried garlic.
Fried eggplant with black vinegar, labne, and spiced cashews.
Beef roll with garlic-ginger cucumbers and tons of herbs.
Sesame noodles with roasted oyster mushrooms, snow pea leaves, and peanuts.
Wavy noodles with lamb and fermented bean sauce.
Sundae with fried sweet dough, golden sesame ice cream, and red rice condensed milk plus we added butter fried peanuts and cilantro and made it a 15/10.
Delicious birthday cake iced latte special from New York Beanery.
Trader Joe’s green tea and yuzu spread is pretty good. I shook some into an iced coffee with sweetened condensed milk (8/10).
Used it in a citrus matcha spritzer (9/10).
And stirred it into plain skyr (6/10 – too sweet) with Heritage Flakes, blueberries, and blackberries.
We are still loving/working our way through this giant bin of snack mix. If you spot it at Whole Foods buy it, it contains the best crunchy chickpeas I’ve ever had.
Sushi dinner that we plucked from a conveyer belt ourselves at Kura Revolving Sushi.
It was was a fun meal and the crunchy spicy handrolls were quite good.
Pre-gamed with a green (turquoise!) smoothie from home for some veggies – frozen spinach, banana, and blueberries with water and vanilla protein powder.
Leftover spinach and artichoke gnocchi casserole. We decided we need to make this again asap.
Homemade Dan Dan Noodles. I used ground turkey instead of pork, brown rice udon noodles, and skipped the peanuts but otherwise followed the recipe.
The best nachos I’ve ever made. Kettle sweet and spicy gochujang chips / extra-sharp cheddar cheese / baked chicken breast that was marinated in yogurt, gochujang, gochugaru, and lime juice / chopped radish kimchi and preserved mustard greens caramelized in a skillet with a bit of sugar. Plus steamed/sauteed asparagus with gochujang and sesame seeds on the side.
Fluffernutter frozen iced coffee. With half and half, cold brew powder, roasted marshmallows, vanilla protein powder, frozen banana, and chunky peanut butter.
Summer fruit! This bowl was blueberries and Rainier cherries.
Chip City did a blueberry Eggo Waffle cookie special with maple icing and it was devine.
Chocolate snacks I loved. Tru Fru dried strawberries with dark and white chocolate.
This brownie Perfect Bar was lovely. The level of salt was a pleasant surprise.
We are really enjoying this (giant bin of) Spanish cocktail mix. It has the best crunchy chickpeas I’ve ever tasted.
I picked up this frozen vegan kimchi kimpap at 99 Ranch and was blown away but how well it reheated.
Friday night we had late errands and ate a mall food court dinner (bourbon chicken, duh) so we pregamed with a green smoothie. Frozen spinach, mango, pineapple, banana, lime juice, vanilla protein powder, and water.
Breakfast patty melts for brinner. Whole-wheat bread with dijon mustard / turkey patties seasoned with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, gochugaru, and maple syrup / sliced Dubliner cheese. Plus green beans – steamed then sauteed with honey, German mustard, yellow mustard, Sriracha, and water.
P.S. I will show a picture next post but I currently have a HOMEMADE LASAGNA in the oven. I am so excited for dinner! Layers of lasagna noodles / equal parts ricotta, cottage cheese, and mozzarella cheese with eggs, salt, and pepper / sauce = sauteed ground turkey and yellow onion with Fresno chili pepper, fresh tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and gochugaru / mozzarella on top.
Eating Chalk 