A short post for a short week. My parents are coming to visit today! And I took tomorrow off to do fun New York things.
The two things worth photographing from Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday…
Tofu pasta. We did one package of super-firm tofu with 2 cups of flour, salt, and an egg and an egg yolk. These were quite doughy and I probably wouldn’t make them again but they were fun to try. We tossed them with sauteed baby broccoli and a pad see ew style sauce.
My new top tier yogurt bowl – plain skyr with blueberries, granola, and marzipan. The crunchy chewy combo was perfect!
We don’t always have a weekly dinner theme (often!) but I do have several queued up in a row. This week was SALAD…
Fruit salad skyr bowl. Plain Siggi’s with blueberries, blackberries, mango, and kiwi.
Candy salad! A mix of Nerds Easter items and sour tropical Mike and Ike’s (<– wonderful).
Dinners are listed from least to most favorite (though we quite enjoyed them all). Shredded tofu salad. Super firm tofu (shredded and tossed with evoo, hoisin, and gochujang and then baked until crispy) with roasted cabbage, scallions, bell peppers, and peanut sauce (chunky peanut butter, lime juice, rice vinegar, horseradish Sriracha aioli, sugar, and a bit of water).
Nacho chicken salad. Baked chicken, poblano pepper, tomato, scallion, black beans, sharp cheddar, Quest nacho cheese and loaded taco flavored protein chips, plain skyr, mayo, lemon, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Plus roasted cauliflower.
Loaded tuna salad. Canned tuna and smoked trout with mayo, dijon, salt and pepper kettle chips, scallions, sweet baby gherkins, and Trader Joe’s hot and sweet pickled jalapenos. Plus a big pile of roasted green beans.
Bahn by Lauren – Sesame ball with mung bean filling (9.5/10, almost as good as the one from Lucky King) and pandan coffee cake.
Glace – S’mores sundae. Brown butter vanilla soft-serve with hot fudge, marshmallow fluff, and whipped cream. We added peanut butter drizzle and did not regret it.
Brunch at The Dutch. My (non-epynonymous) Oaxacan Sunset had tequila, mezcal, cassis, lime, and hibiscus grenadine.
Deviled eggs with crab.
We shared the burger which was dry-aged with grilled onions, cheddar, and secret sauce on a sesame bun.
And cornmeal flapjacks with blueberry syrup and salted butter. These had the best crispy edges.
It is no longer coat weather in NYC, woo-hoo! Other highlights from the week…
Banana bread frozen coffee. Coffee blended with ice, cream, frozen banana, cinnamon, brown sugar, butter extract, and vanilla protein powder.
The rest of the week I did this cookie x cookie combo. The Javy cookies and cream coffee concentrate and Chobani cookie dough creamer were both good but not great.
Beautiful nougat candies my parents made for Easter.
This week’s dinner theme was sandwiches so of course I had some peanut butter and jelly snacks. Yogurt bowl – plain skyr with chunky peanut butter, concord grape jam, and blueberries.
Reese’s peanut butter and jelly big cups(!!!). These were 10/10’s (but still not as good as the chip ones!).
Egg salad. Whole-wheat bread with egg salad (hard-boiled eggs, mayo, Dijon mustard, plain skyr, scallion, poblano, and cornichons). Plus baby carrots and blueberries.
Turkey meatball. Brioche buns with Trader Joe’s pizza sauce and baked turkey meatballs (with pizza cheese, panade, and tons of garlic). Plus roasted broccoli.
Spicy chicken. Whole wheat bread, baked chicken (marinated in yogurt and Sriracha), chunky peanut butter, Kewpie, Trader Joe’s sweet and spicy jalopenos, and sharp cheddar. Plus steamed green beans sauteed with caramelized kimchi and Dijon mustard.
Tuna smash-melts. Tuna salad (canned albacore tuna and smoked trout, capers, scallion, sweet gherkins, mayo, Kewpie, Dijon mustard, and paprika) and sharp cheddar on a brioche bun that I squashed in a skillet with butter. Plus roasted zucchini.
Somethings from this week, mostly on-theme and/or coffee…
No one is surprised that I’ve been buying Easter candies for months.
I also have been saving up lemon and coconut bars. The Melo bars are all 10/10 but the lemon flavor is actually my favorite. I also was very pleased with how lemony the 88 Acres one was.
Buzz’d Express Coffee‘s marshmallow Peep cold foam cold brew is maybe my favorite coffee of 2025.
I also made my own version with toasted birthday cake Peeps blended into an iced coffee with cream, sugar, vanilla bean powder, and vanilla extract.
Coconut water with dalgona-style espresso (9/10).
A spring-y cottage cheese bowl with leftover fermented banana cake, kiwi, blackberries, and edible flowers.
Trader Joe’s dried baby pineapples. These are nicely sweet and chewy.
We tried the rice paper noodles hack with brown rice spring roll wrappers (loved it, the chew was perfect). Stir-fried with Pad See Ew sauce, baked chicken, green onion, broccolini, and egg.
Buffalo chicken cabbage bowls. I made a cole slaw with green cabbage, green onion, tomato, Greek yogurt, mayo, dijon mustard, vinegar, white pepper, sugar, and blue cheese. Topped with baked chicken that I tossed in a skillet with butter, dijon, and Frank’s buffalo sauce.
Sheet-pan hash. Sprouted extra-firm tofu baked with brussels sprouts, yam, green onion, blue cheese, and Trader Joe’s sweet and spicy pecans. I topped my bowl with honey and chili crisp.
Pizza night! Two-ingredient crust plus two ingredients (garlic and onion powder) / Trader Joe’s pizza sauce zhuzhed up with tomato sauce, roasted garlic, and urfa pepper / pizza-blend shredded cheese / sauteed mushrooms (a frozen blend with white, crimini, portobello, and shiitake) with green onions, gochugaru, and butter. Plus roasted yellow cauliflower.
It was a great weekend. We spent some time in Ridgewood and also checked out the fabulous orchid show at the NY Botanical Gardens in the Bronx. Food highlights…
We bought this fancy grape jam in Hudson and I was excited to use to use it.
Like in a pb&j bowl with yogurt, cottage cheese, fresh blueberries, and smooth and chunky peanut butter.
And in an iced coffee (with vanilla cold foam).
The best coffee of the weekend had blueberries in it! I blended cold coffee with frozen blueberries, brown sugar, skin milk, and vanilla protein powder.
I also had a nice latte from Honeymoon Coffee (<– super cute spot). Enjoyed with some flan from a bakery in Ridgewood. We stirred some of the caramel into the latte and that was obviously great.
Evil Twin is our favorite New York brewery and this was one of our best trips to date – so many fun sours!
Cheesy tots. Baked potato tots with roasted cauliflower and tons of sharp cheddar. And Sriracha horseradish aioli, furikake, gochugaru, and sesame seeds.
Cafe Deux. I got their burger which was double Wagyu patties, house aioli, and cheddar with tons of fries. I also stole several bites of Adam’s soft-scrambled eggs and toast with local jam.
Plus we shared a great brownie sundae with their flourless chocolate cake and Cafe Panna vanilla ice cream.
Decades Pizza. The pizza was wonderful but I was drawn in by this drink – Pink Moon Sour = amaretto, contratto bitter, lemon, and marshmallow cream! The drink on the left was cold brew with honey, nutmeg, and soda.
We shared and loved a bunch of things. Our favorite dish of the night was the arancini with hazelnut pesto, Calabrian chili, and pecorino.
Roasted carrots and asparagus with whipped ricotta and pesto oil.
Mushroom pie – blue oyster mushrooms, garlic, cream, mozzarella, and parmigiano.
And a special pie with Calabrian chili and tons of green onions.
And we got fermented banana cake with cream cheese frosting for dessert.
Our leftovers were perfect for Sunday dinner. Plus sauteed asparagus with toasted almonds, garlic, lemon, yellow mustard, and dijon.
Fun syrups from El Guapo, pecan and almond. They were good in iced coffees, okay in an iced matcha, and fantastic in an iced diet coke!
Obviously the best coffee of the week was the Dubai bar monthly special latte from Buzz’d.
My favorite skyr bowl this week had honey, salted peanuts, blackberries, and blueberries. I have been head over heels for the Driscoll’s “sweetest batch” blueberries.
I think I have tried and loved every flavor of these peelable gummies from Duane Reade. Peach was lovely and floral.
I’ll buy pretty much any new product Ben & Jerry’s puts out and this sundae style pint did not disappoint. It had butter toffee pecans!
I love a good egg salad. This one had chopped cornichons, poblano pepper, tons of mayo, and dijon mustard. Plus roasted broccoli on the side.
This dinner looks horrible but it really was good; brown rice and roasted riced cauliflower / baked eggplant sauteed with gochujang, black sesame paste, and sesame oil / a take on Korean steamed eggs / topped with chili crisp and peanuts.
I used leftover cauliflower/rice in kimchi fried rice. With poblano peppers, peas, green onions, eggs, soy sauce, fish sauce, and rice vinegar. Topped with surprisingly great grilled shrimp from Whole Foods.
Creamy gochujang pasta. Brown rice noodles tossed with cream cheese, gochujang, and sauteed dinosaur kale and green onions. Topped with sesame seeds and gochugaru and served next to some baked turkey meatballs.
Our favorite dinner of the week (month!) was savory oatmeal bowls. Trader Joe’s rolled oats with ancient grains and seeds / bok choy sauteed with ginger / TJ’s frozen tofu sheets / chili crisp / six-minute egg / candied peanuts with gochugaru.
Adam and I spent a GREAT weekend in the Hudson Valley (primarily downtown Hudson). On Saturday we walked around admiring the town for eight straight hours! Alphabetically…
Cafe Mutton. I ordered my Bloody Mary extra spicy and with excessive garnish (it came with a giant slab of house made sausage that Adam happily inherited). We shared a buckwheat scone with butter and curd.
And a mushroom and gruyere omelet with buttered toast. [And Bucitini with lamb ragu.]
Adam got a fantastic tuna melt and I got the brisket melt (my favorite sandwich of the trip!) – with smoked cheddar, jalopeno peppers, and white bbq sauce on white bread.
Lemon chess pie.
Hereafter. It was our first time at this bar. My drink on the right was a Magnolia Fizz – gin, Douglas fir brandy, magnolia oolong, milk oolong, cream, citrus, egg whites, and mint.
Hudson Roastery. Their iced espresso with skim milk is my 2nd favorite coffee in all of New York.
Kitty’s. Their brunch can’t compare to their dinner (but was still solid). I had a great mocktail, Kitty Temple – ginger beer, lemon, lime, and housemade grenadine.
We shared eggs on rice with pickled veggies and chili oil and and hashbrowns.
Lil Deb’s Oasis. Their cocktails are always amazing. Golden Thaw – Japanese whiskey, lemon, and tamarind / Unknown Legend – bay leaf, pisco, burnt honey syrup, grapefruit, egg white, and pimenton. [We also loved a Colorless Dream – Haitian rum, sake, bitter melon, and toasted rice.]
We shard a bunch of dishes. Loaded fries with vegan chz wiz and pickled onions and Fresno chiles.
Tamale with mushroom, poblano and nopal filling, and a golden milk veloute. (Adam’s favorite)
Llapingacho – a potato and cheese pancake with pickled pineapple, peanut salsa, and a fried egg. (My favorite).
Braised chicken mole with confit potato and a “Carolina Mole” (with vinegar).
For dessert we got the Sexpresso Martini – coconut nutmeg tequila, Forthave Brown, cold brew, and cola syrup.
And a scoop of chocolate sorbet.
Mel the Bakery. Pistachio and almond croissant and a fantastic corn cookie with blueberry jelly.
Stewart’s. We popped into this cute gas station and came away with maple French toast cold brew!
Eating Chalk 