The best new find – Woodstock blueberry banana water. This was yummy! And no added sugar.
The best snack – Brownie batter Barebell’s protien bar. One of their best flavors; it was almost oddly filling.
The best dinner – crab rangoon baked quesadillas. The filling was crab meat, green onion, cream cheese, melted butter, sweet chili sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, and sharp cheddar. Plus bok choy sauteed with green onion and mushroom. Plus a homemade Sriracha mayo dip.
The best dinner leftovers – Buffalo chicken baked pasta. With whole-wheat bowtie pasta, baked chicken, green onion, garlic powder, onion powder, buffalo sauce, cream cheese, and sharp cheddar. Plus baby carrots.
No post last week because we were on vacation! Adam and I went to New Mexico (my first time there) – Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and a night in the desert in Taos. We had a wonderful time! It was beautiful, the food was outstanding, and we visited our final Meow Wolf.
Things from the week back in real life…
A sugar plum yogurt bowl! The plums were the leftover solids from a plum syrup I made (red and black plums simmered with sugar and water — ok in iced coffee, better in seltzer) plus plain skyr and granola.
Veggie snacks. Fun to try but not for me (the sweet potato was too chewy and the okra was too crunchy); I brought them to work and at least one person liked each thing.
The best vegan jerky.
Tofu veggie bowls. This was the best meal of the week. Hedgehog-cut baked super firm tofu and roasted brussels sprouts topped with chopped white mushrooms sauteed with evoo, butter, lemon juice, maple syrup, dark soy sauce, miso paste, Dijon, garlic, gochugaru, and sesame seeds.
Chickens salad. Shredded baked chicken, six-minute eggs, Wilde chicken chips, and sauteed hen of the woods mushrooms tossed with plain skyr, Duke’s mayo, pickle brine, chopped pickles, salt, Sichuan pepper, white pepper, smoked paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder. Plus succotash we did not suffer for – frozen mixed veggies (carrots, peas, corn, green beans, and baby lima beans) sauteed with butter and lemon.
Inspired by our chicken salad we also made a chickens migas! Eggs scrambled with shredded chicken, Wilde chicken chips, kettle chips, honey goat cheese, and sauteed tomato, poblano pepper, corn, and green onions. I topped my bowl with tons of Green Cholula (the sweet goat cheese was possibly not the best cheese for this dish!).
The relentless rain couldn’t drown out our weekend fun! Thankfully I had already planned indoor activities — lots of snacks, fun shopping for a home improvement project, vintage window-shopping in Greenpoint, and a trip to the Museum of Art and Design for the (excellent!) Haas Brothers Uncanny Valley exhibit.
Edible highlights…
Fun coffee mediums. The egg cream didn’t work in iced coffee (not enough body) but iced Calpico with espresso was a 9/10.
Blue Bottle iced Nola with vanilla and chicory cold foam. 9/10.
Falu House miso brown sugar iced latte with maple cold foam and birch-smoked sea salt. Best coffee of the weekend, 100/10. We loved our bun with cheese too and they also had incredible Swedish candy.
Bibble and Sip guava mochi croissant. We loved the mochi and the croissant but wanted the dish overall to have more flavor/balance. We thought their salt bread was a 9.5/10.
Bite Bao. I had tomato with scrambled eggs and Sichuan spicy diced chicken. Best Chinese food we’ve had in Long Island in awhile.
Kelang. This space was gorgeous. I had a Durian Milk Punch, obviously; durian, clarified coconut cream, spice mix, green tea, pineapple, aged rum, arrack, and velvet falernum.
I also had a kalamansi limeade with Tito’s.
We shared some really great dishes. Charred cabbage with butter, pineapple, chili, peanut, and cashew cream.
Paratha with red lentil dhal, Stracciatella, herbs, and sambal oil.
Crispy taro gnocchi with smoked shiitake, chili, and Shaoxing wine.
Hainanese Chicken. This was the only dish I didn’t love, though the bone broth and chicken rice were both lovely.
P.S. We had a no-photo lunch at Nobu and the miso black cod did live up to the hype (we also had great white fish tiradito)!
I stole my title from a great cocktail at Finback. Some highlights from the weekend…
Yogurt bowl with blueberries and granola (sprinkled granola!).
Quad iced latte with guava and white chocolate at Humble Cafe. They have the best syrup options.
We went to a fun little neighborhood food truck festival to try the dirty sodas at Island Fizz. We shared two custom flavors – Diet Coke with strawberry syrup, cherries, and cream and Diet Coke with guava syrup and marshmallow fluff (my favorite).
It is finally popsicle weather! I got these from 99 Ranch. The grape cheese one is one of my favorites; it is delightfully weird.
Pest chicken salad. Chopped chicken breast with pesto, plain skyr, Duke’s mayo, North River crunchy yellow peas, and Wooly soft sheep’s milk cheese with espelette pepper. This was a great mix of creamy and crunchy and creamy and spicy. Served with baby carrots and leftover fries (we got Slider Joe’s take-out last week and it was fantastic).
Cheesy kimchi chicken dip. Plain skyr and Duke’s mayo with chopped chicken breast, extra-sharp cheddar, sauteed green onions, and chopped/caramelized kimchi. Scooped with kimchi flavored Kettle Chips! Plus broccoli roasted with salt, dried green mango powder, and garlic powder.
Yogurt bowl. Plain Greek with malted milk powder, brown sugar, and vanilla bean powder topped with Uncle Crumbles sugar cookie granola and all of the berries (blackberries, blueberries, and jumbo blueberries!).
Malted. Vanilla ice cream blended with milk, malted milk powder, and toasted rice powder.
A patty melt that was probably the best thing I’ve made all year. Turkey patties (ground turkey, lime juice, fish sauce, panko, and egg) cooked in a skillet with smoky pimento cheese melted on top on Trader Joe’s sourdough with mayo, lime juice, and red curry.
Paired with great seasoned fries. Baked green beans and frozen french fries tossed in a homemade spice mix – salt, white sugar, white pepper, Sichuan pepper, gochugaru, onion powder, garlic powder, toasted rice powder, dried fish roe, and green mango powder.
BBQ chicken bowls. Baked chicken breast tossed in a skillet with homemade bbq sauce (ketchup, gochujang, maple syrup, rice wine, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sesame seeds) on a bed of sauteed bok choy, green onion, tomatoes, and ginger.
We had a wonderful NYC weekend; including walks around Manhattan (Fidi and East Village) and Brooklyn (Fort Greene and Prospect Heights)! And so much good food! Highlights…
I am a sucker for limited edition fun drinks (see below!). I thought the coffee was too milky but I would buy the creamy coconut Dr. Pepper again!
Cafe Patoro brigiadeiro iced latte. Always delicious, their latte is nice and roasty.
Fasan Coffee red bean iced latte. We had also had a fantastic yuzu cold brew.
Lunch at Honey’s Bistro. Honey mustard chicken tenders and beef fat fries.
Plus a salted caramel Spanish iced latte.
Guac Shop loaded rice bowl – brown and white rice, tofu, sweet potato, cabbage, mango salsa, cheese, and cilantro aioli. Their bowls are huge; this made two giant servings. Plus tortilla chips and guacamole.
Not good in execution but would be good to try again in theory – eggs scrambled with parmesan cheese and roasted zucchini. Plus dill pickle kettle chips.
Miso chicken salad. Shredded chicken with roasted seaweed, furikake, green onion, edamame, mayo, Greek yogurt, Dijon, and white miso. Plus roasted broccoli and cauliflower.
This chocolate banana protein drink made my iced coffees extra fun.
See also – banana milk with Blue Bottle’s instant Nola (my favorite at-home coffee) was quite tasty.
A mostly blueberry bowl, plus plain skyr and Cascadian Farm chocolate chip cookie granola.
See also – a blueberry smoothie with dark cherries, chocolate protein powder, vanilla bean powder, and water.
An eggcellent snack – hard boiled egg with Milu everything spice alongside Peelerz caramel pudding gummy eggs (<– the fruit flavors are better but this was obviously fun).
See also – an easy egg salad. Hard boiled eggs smashed with mayo, plain skyr, yellow mustard, and leftover marinated cucumbers.
One of the best soups I’ve ever made – leeks sauteed with salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika / extra-garlicy chicken meatballs / roasted sweet potato and zucchini / chicken broth. I topped my bowl with chili crisp. Plus a side of sourdough with blueberry jam.
Homemade tomato soup. In the blender – white onion sauteed with butter / cannellini beans / canned whole peeled tomatoes and tomato paste / veggie broth, white pepper, and dark soy sauce. Paired with a grilled cheese, of course; sourdough, mayo, extra-sharp cheddar, honey, and chili crisp.
I’m usually committed to the bit but a final night of soup felt like too much so we had twice-baked potatoes and roasted brussels sprouts instead. Turkey Reuben twice baked potatoes – with sauteed ground turkey, homemade Russian dressing, sourkraut, and white cheddar.
Eating Chalk 