I’m late — I worked the weekend and it knocked me out — but last week was too yummy not to post! Tons of ube, black sesame, and homemade fried shallots, oh my!
Highlights included…
Vietnamese coffee combo all week.
See also, phin-brewed coffee with sweetened condensed milk and black sesame paste.
Cookie dough Perfect Bar and a fresh peach = my new favorite breakfast combo.
Calpis filled marshmallows.
Everything new and ube from Trader Joe’s! P.S. we made epic sundaes with those items plus sliced banana, frosted flakes, sweetened condensed milk, and black sesame paste.
We have loved everything we’ve tried from Fat Orange Cat, particularly this sour double IPA.
Udon noodles / roasted zucchini, shredded rainbow carrot, green onion / ground turkey / sauce including doubangijang (spicy bean paste), chili crisp, tahini, soy sauce, and rice vinegar / fried shallots.
Roasted eggplant with shallot oil and sumac / roasted super firm tofu / sauce including tahini, black sesame paste, gojuchang, lemon, maple, and rice vinegar / green onion and fried shallots.
Baked chicken thighs / roasted green cabbage with carrots and green onion plus tons of fresh mint and cilantro / Nuoc Cham / fried shallots.
Highlights from the last week include fruits + grains and Greek-ish homemade dinners.
There is cocoa granola and milk under that mountain of blueberries.
This Guava Squad double dry hopped IPA was lovely.
Baby chocolate milkshake!
One of our best sheet-pan hash dinners. Potato, purple sweet potato, zucchini, and Trader Joe’s sweet apple chicken sausage. I topped mine with zhoug.
Dolmas / homemade roasted garlic hummus / everything pretzel thins / Persian cucumbers / baby carrots / bell pepper.
My favorite take on a Greek salad. Chopped romaine, Persian cucumber, Trader Joe’s Greek feta dressing, sumac, crispy roasted chickpeas, and zhoug.
Trader Joe’s kunefe, aka the best packaged dessert you can buy.
P.S. No post from this weekend – now that I have include sunblock in my bag again it felt too heavy for a camera – but we are living our best lives with a long walk through Central Park and a stop at Butterfield for many desserts yesterday. Today we have a run on the boardwalk in Long Beach planned!
An easy one-sheet-pan dinner. Riced cauliflower roasted with carrot, celery, and chicken soup sausage.
The best homemade pizza. A frozen crust from Trader Joe’s / marinara sauce that I cooked down with tons of garlic and chili oil, plus fish sauce / smoked sliced mozzarella / turkey pepperoni. Plus roasted romanesco.
An eclectic salad. Baby romaine with sriracha-mayo dressing, wasabi peanuts, sesame seeds, yellow raisins, and leftover romanesco.
{1} A Cherr-Bear smoothie! Yes, I think I’m very clever. A remake of the smoothie I adored for Valentine’s – frozen dark sweet cherries, plain Greek yogurt, and chocolate milk.
{2} A fruit and nut yogurt bowl. Vanilla bean skyr topped with (frozen, reheated) blueberries, halvah, yellow raisins, and nut and seed trail mix.
{3} Whole Foods buffalo sauce soy nuggets and baby carrots, served with an array of dipping sauces.
{4} We made an epically good warm potato salad. Roasted potatoes and celery, hard-boiled eggs, cornichons, dill, mayonnaise, and whole-grain mustard. Plus honey maple smoked salmon.
The last week has been pretty wonderful; we made it through the first winter storm unscathed and I’ve officially eaten all of the on-theme holiday things I was excited about for this year!
Highlights included…
787‘s iced coquito latte won our hearts as our favorite coffee of the year! So thick and wonderfully spiced and just sweet enough! We also had a fantastic marzipan latte.
Strawberry jam filled / salted brown butter caramel glazed / pecan hawaij sticky bun.
Lunch at Nowon. I thought I didn’t like soju but this Tiger Bomb cocktail with jasmine, yuja citron, and mint syrup changed my mind.
I kept warm with Fire Chicken – spicy chicken with cabbage, rice cakes, and mozarella.
And lost my mind for the honey butter tater tots with labneh and seaweed.
Checking out Leyenda‘s Sleyenda decorations is our favorite holiday tradition and this year’s outdoor set up did not disappoint.
I had a Coquito Ho Ho – tequilla, sherry, coconut liquor, and coconut with cinnamon and egg.
And a Candy Striper which was hands-down our favorite cocktail/beverage of the year. I said at least ten times “this drink is making me so happy!” It’s a frozen blend of cachaça, coconut, vanilla, maple, lime, peppermint, and cardamom.
Hummus and pretzels with nougat and candied apricot candies my parents sent me.
Malai‘s toasted nutmeg ice cream basically tastes like eggnog! And the consistency is out of this world.
We made a batch of my Bahn Mi Chicken Salad and it was even better than I remembered. With roasted veggies and local sourdough.
Sourdough also made an appearance in great turkey sandwiches with cheddar, jam, and garlic mayo. Plus baby carrots and salted egg yolk chips.
Buffalo chicken meatball sandwiches. With sauteed carrot and celery in a mustard sauce.
I worked all weekend – crazy busy but super interesting days; we’ve had a ton of micronutrient deficiencies lately and I’ve really gotten to flex my nutrition-focused physical exam skills – but Adam and I managed to have some excellent date nights.
Eggnog punch bubble tea from Lazy Sundaes. I have been wondering for years why no one was doing the egg nog and boba combo and it was just as tasty as I had anticipated.
Homemade fish taco bowls. Roasted cabbage with lime Sriracha crema and beer-battered cod.
The new best dinner of the year from Canary Club. We ate in the frigid wind on the stoop (it could not have been any more safely socially distanced nor any more cold) so I couldn’t take photos but the the meal was a 10/10. Spicy mezcal cocktail with genepy, lime, pineapple, and pink peppercorn plus a berry rickey with cinnamon cachaça and citrus wild berry cider // black sesame tempura carrots with chili tahini and dill // smoked delicata squash with pecorino, creole butter, and Malaysian peanuts // duck fat broccoli and cauliflower with cilantro and toasted almonds // hanger steak with olive relish, crispy corn cakes, and French onion sauce.
An epic take-out spread from Birds of a Feather. We piled giant plates with numbing-spicy goodness!
We ordered a million things so we could try everything that sounded good and have leftovers for dinners next week: steamed curry chicken dumplings // chive pancakes with egg and dried shrimp // poached wood ear mushrooms with pickled peppers and cucumbers in a vinegar sauce // sautéed Chinese broccoli with soy sauce and scallions // string beans in ginger sauce // spicy and sour tofu pudding // shredded chicken with sesame and chili oil // spicy cumin lamb with bell peppers and miso // cold Sichuan noodles with peanut paste, chili oil, and peppercorns // fried rice with mustard green shoots // fried rice with shredded duck.
Eating Chalk 