Tag Archives: chicken

WBEC

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Things from the weekend…

I had a free drink at Starbucks so I took a chance on a Neapolitan-style cold brew and it ended up working out. Vanilla cold foam, mocha sauce, and raspberry popping boba. It was a bit too sweet but I thought the fruity boba paired nicely with coffee (the baristas were horrified).

Buzz’d Coffee‘s monthly special was a cake batter iced latte so of course I drove over.

I made brownies for a work party so of course I put one on a yogurt bowl. With plain skyr, plucot, and blueberries. P.S. My brownies always get rave reviews and they are just the Baker’s recipe using salted butter and adding a Tbsp of espresso powder and a cup of chocolate chips.

A more traditional yogurt bowl – pb&j. Plain skyr, fruit, peanut butter, and Chia Smash concord grape jam.

Lavash wrap with yellow mustard, bread and butter pickles, cheese, and leftover turkey meatballs.

Lunch at Honey’s Bistro, a cute spot in Glen Head. I had the “Eat a Jerk Don’t Be One” bowl and it was super satisfying and delicious. Jerk chicken, sweet plantains, mac salad, grilled zucchini, spicy corn, coleslaw, cilantro aioli, and white rice. P.S. The menu is rife with puns (Harissa Explains it All bowl!!).

Also a guava bomboloni.

And a coconut brown sugar cold foam cold brew.

This peanutty noodle bowl frozen meal from Trader Joe’s was edible but not enjoyable and I wouldn’t recommend it nor buy it again.

This dinner was simple but a total hit. Homemade coleslaw (shredded cabbage, Greek yogurt, mayo, Dijon mustard, rice vinegar, sugar, and celery seed) topped with buffalo chicken (baked chicken tossed in a skillet with butter, Franks, and ranch seasoning).

Waffle bacon egg and cheese, aka WBEC, aka the best meal of the weekend. Whole Foods buttermilk protein waffles as bread with sliced Kerrygold Dubliner cheese, soft-scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, and maple Sriracha sauce (with mayo and Dijon mustard). Plus roasted broccoli.

Staycation 2024

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We spent the second half of our vacation back home and had a fabulous time! The past four days were spent cuddling with the dog, catching up on errands, checking out new spots in Brooklyn, running on the Long Beach boardwalk, and spending a perfect day in Hudson.

Some highlights include…

Hudson Roasters. They have my favorite espresso in New York.

Blue Bottle. Vanilla Nola Cola. Also our favorite seltzer – Something & Nothing.

Mel the Bakery. We got a fantastic pistachio and almond twice-baked croissant (plus a chocolate chip cookie).

Bread and Butter. We got a key lime pie soft serve (a swirl of key lime and graham cracker).

And an insanely good ube roll.

Huckleberry gummy bears we brought home from Colorado.

Lady Moo Moo. Sprinkles ice cream with sprinkles.

Cafe Mutton. My “excessive garnish” Bloody Mary came with a lamb chop!

Plus we had an omelet with trout roe, creme fraiche, and potato chips and the best buttered toast of my life (and chicken congee).

Lido Kosher Deli. Love a deli with pickles! Plus pretty great cole slaw.

We had an outstanding brisket sandwich on a knish (and a bagel loaded with lox).

Hidden Gem Cafe. We shared a Knockout – shredded beef, caramelized onion, Swiss cheese, Hidden sauce, and hashbrowns on a garlic roll (also a smoked turkey with tomato, spinach, cheddar, and bbq Dijon on ciabatta bread).

Kitty’s. Toki Kollins – Suntory Toki whisky, yuzu juice, club soda, sea salt, and thyme.

Romaneso with green chickpea, puntarelle, broken parsley bay oil, and limequat young coconut sauce.

Spring lamb sugo with treccione, Kinderhook lamb shoulder, fennel, green garlic, and shaved Pecorino Romano.

Rotisserie chicken with roasted Yukons and sunchokes, citrus, date, and charred spring onion relish.

Salted devil’s food cake.

Miso butter bean dip with roasted broccoli, baby carrots, and Trader Joe’s chicken samosas.

Egg salad (shredded hard-boiled eggs / sauteed white onion, orange bell pepper, poblano pepper, and garlic / Greek yogurt, Dijon, mayo, rice vinegar, mustard powder, smoked paprika, celery seed, and salt and pepper) / baby zucchini sauteed with a tahini harissa honey sauce / chicken chips and 7-11 garlic bread chips.

Mind-bender

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Working in healthcare means no three-day weekends but we did have a nice weekend! Adam and I got to spend tons of time together, on Saturday we road-tripped to Pennsylvania for a bbq with my in-laws, and Sunday we did a bunch of fun Ridgewood stuff. Highlights…

Frozen coffee #1 – coffee, half and half, ice, frozen banana, vanilla protein powder, vanilla extract, brown sugar, and peanut butter.

Frozen coffee #2 – coffee, half and half, ice, vanilla protein powder, black sesame paste, and butterscotch coffee syrup.

Cholita. We got the Cocado minus milk – espresso with coconut syrup and sweetened condensed milk. It was delightful and inspired me to buy coconut water to add to coffee with condensed milk.

Salty Lunch Lady. This little luncheonette is our new favorite spot – the space was adorable, the service was great, and the food was fantastic. We got coconut cream pie.

And a turkey sandwich with dill pickles, Havarti cheese, avocado, and a dill mayo.

Mama Yoshi’s Mini Mart. Another super cute spot and our GIANT chicken katsu was so crispy and flavorful.

No trip to Ridgewood is complete without a stop at Evil Twin. We got all of the IPAs and fruity sours currently on-tap. Our favorite was the ET Stay(ed) Home 12 with raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, sweet cherry, and sour cherry.

Hellbender Nighttime Cafe. A new spot from the Rolo’s team, also a new favorite! We shared crispy lamb tacos with salsa roja, chorizo spices, onion, and cilantro.

And chicken fajitas with ridiculously good chicken, roasted shishito peppers and scallions, guacamole, Oaxan cheese, cilantro mayo, and pico de gallo.

Also several great cocktails. Our favorite was the Cocorac, a play on a Sazerac with coconut-washed rum and rye, palm sugar, absinthe, and coconut water.

We got home late on Saturday and had to get Wing Stop because little else was open. I remain fully obsessed with their hot honey dry rub. Pro tip – get the wings cooked well-done (do the same for the fries! Plus extra fry seasoning).

P.S. I didn’t realize until I was writing this post that we had coconut at 3/5 stops on Sunday; always nice to have an accidental theme!

Winner Winner…

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… Chicken dinner(s)! I made a big batch of crockpot chicken (50:50 breasts and thighs) that was the base of our dinners this week and they all were winners! P.S. We also got Wing Stop take-out one night and the new hot honey dry rub was a 10/10 on the boneless wings.

Things from the week…

Adam and I laughed the other day that we don’t think we will ever get tired of blueberry yogurt bowls.

This one was plain skyr, 88 Acres cinnamon vanilla sunflower butter, Bear Naked maple pecan crumble granola, blueberries, and blackberries.

Trader Joe’s chicken tikka samosas dipped in caramelized onion Bitchin’ Sauce; a match made in heaven.

We tried two new beers – a Swedish fish inspired sour and a creamy IPA from Lagunitas. Both 8.5/10s, I’d drink them again at a bar but probably wouldn’t repurchase for home.

I wanted this new-release watermelon lime PowerAde to be even more sour but it was pretty good.

Passionfruit things. A white chocolate truffle bar and lilikoi Hi-Chew.

Paired with a sparkling iced matcha with passionfruit syrup.

We also really liked these hibiscus-raspberry gummies.

Chicken chilaquiles. I made homemade tortilla chips with lime and Sichuan pepper salt and sauteed them with white onion, poblano, yellow bell pepper, chicken, salsa, chicken broth, and sharp cheddar. Topped with a fried egg.

Buffalo chicken bites (inspired by this recipe). With roasted white onion, buffalo sauce, and sharp cheddar. Plus roasted yellow and green cauliflower and a homemade honey mustard dipping sauce.

Crispy bbq chicken baked tacos – hands down the best meal of the week. Tortillas baked until crispy with tons of sharp cheddar and chicken tossed with Stubbs bbq sauce and roasted white onion and poblano. Plus roasted Brussels sprouts and an avocado crema (mashed avocado with plain skyr, lemon juice, chipotle Cholula, salt, and smoked paprika).

Hometown Advantage

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The title is a quadruple threat pun – I had things from my current hometown in Long Island, things that remind me of my original hometown in the Caribbean, things made at home, and things from a place called Hometown! Some highlights from the weekend…

Breakfast at Hometown Bakeshop. Tres leches iced latte!

Plus I got an insane build-your-own breakfast sandwich – cheddar biscuit, over easy egg, turkey bacon, caramelized onion, pickled beet, white cheddar, and smoked aioli.

And I brought home scones too! Cinnamon roll-style and pistachio.

Cheesecake smoothie. Frozen strawberries and pineapple with water and cottage cheese.

Tony’s Lil’ Bits s’mores chocolates are great, a good combination of crunchy and chewy.

Takeout dinner from Coco’s Cuisine, a Jamaican place near us that we will be going back to ASAP. We shared stewed oxtail with sauteed cabbage and candied yam.

Fantastic jerk chicken with cabbage and perfect rice and beans.

Baked macaroni and cheese.

And Jamaican black cake (good, but we prefer the other style of Caribbean rum cakes).

Saturday night Adam and I went all out making dinner. Mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy, roasted broccoli, and baked chicken with bbq sauce (a homemade Mediterranean bbq sauce with pomegranate and sumac!).

P.S. I wrote this post Sunday evening and we are about to head to a fancy Long Island dinner at the new(ish) Oak and Vine.

Snap Crispy Pop

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Some highlights from the weekend…

Fruity boozy things. This Southern Tier orange twist ale had zero orange flavor but it did taste like a nice vanilla milkshake.

I have been considering a coconut water cocktail for months and it always sounds a bit gaggy but I think this combo worked – coconut water and limoncello plus vodka and yuzu seltzer.

My favorite popcorn combo – butter, salt, gochugaru, furikake, and a bit of sugar.

These Trader Joe’s jalapeño and cream cheese wontons were even better than expected. Decently spicy and cheesy and crispy.

Brooklyn Dip and Burger makes my favorite chicken in Long Island. These popcorn chicken tenders with Memphis dry rub are addictive.

“Oh chicken salad” <– Name that Scrubs scene! Shredded chicken breast and thighs with Greek yogurt, mayo, dijon mustard, paprika, celery seed, dried cherries, toasted pecans, celery, and green onion. Plus snap peas sauteed with lemon, butter, and togarashi and topped with edible flowers.

Mediterranean bowls. Roasted brussel sprouts / turkey meatballs with harissa and black olives / tabbouli / feta cheese / homemade pomegranate molasses.

Nood Beach

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Good things from the past week – noodles for dinners, an open can of sweetened condensed milk, the weather in NY finally feels like Spring and I went on my 1st outdoor run of the year! Highlights included…

Creamy lemonade iced matcha. Fresh lemon, lemon seltzer, and SCM.

Cheesecake smoothie – cottage cheese, water, and frozen cherries and strawberries. My smoothies got so much better once I realized I could use water as a mixing liquid.

Tropical smoothie – frozen mango and pineapple, coconut milk, vanilla protein powder.

Bars, in blue. The Bobos was only good, the Barebells was great.

This drink was root beer, vodka, and SCM; it’s kind of a choose your own adventure as to whether you think I’m a monster or a genius.

I love every IPA from Abomination Brewing and this candy-inspired Love Letters from Hell was obviously no exception.

These are the best tamarind balls Adam and I have ever tasted and I wish I could remember where I bought them.

It was weird being in Vegas because so many places were NYC-transplants (also Miami, honestly) but we also came across a few favorites from Hawaii too. I was very happy to come home with these Honolulu Cookie Company cookies (in java and guava).

Coconut curry chicken stoup. Brown rice noodles / a mix of shredded chicken breast and chicken thighs / collard greens sauteed with scallion, garlic, rice vinegar, fish sauce, and soy sauce / light coconut milk, red curry paste, chicken broth, and minced ginger.

Green(s) noodles with tofu. Rice noodles / extra-firm tofu baked crispy with pepper and Sichuan pepper salt / spinach sauteed with garlic and evoo food-processed with water, tahini, soy sauce, and gochugaru.

Veggie vermicelli (I know this looks horrible but it was actually the best meal of the week!). Whole-wheat vermicelli / roasted cabbage, red bell pepper, and scallion / nuoc cham / shredded chicken tossed in black sesame paste, peanut butter, brown sugar, and soy sauce / chili crisp.

Americana Idiot

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My other song title option was “Like It Was 1980,” and if you don’t get that reference you are sorely missing out! This week’s dinner theme was Americana/nostalgia. We made Salisbury steak, tuna pasta salad, macaroni and cheese, and chili and grilled cheese sandwiches!

Highlights from the past four days include…

After-school snacks. Apple + peanut butter (I didn’t have mini marshmallows to make smiles!). This was a Sugar Bee apple and it was wonderfully crisp and sweet.

Important note – the Whole Foods unsweetened crunchy peanut butter is wonderful. It is some of the best I’ve ever had and certainly outranks the other options at this price point. Just peanuts and salt.

This week’s yogurt bowl combo was plain skry, blackberries, peanut butter, and Nature’s Path honey almond granola.

Love Corn bbq corn nuts. These have a very satisfying consistency.

Junior Mints minis are fantastic. They are like the popping boba of chocolate candies.

Fun in sparkling waters – Target caffeinated cherry cola and Ruby tart hibiscus. Both were an 8/10.

I had never actually tried Salisbury steak before but I loved it. We loosely followed this recipe but I used ground turkey and way more mushrooms. Plus roasted purple and Japanese sweet potato and zucchini.

I did not use Italian dressing in my tuna pasta though that is how I grew up eating it. Whole-wheat macaroni, canned tuna, roasted zucchini, edamame, extra-sharp cheddar, and balsamic vinegar. Maybe Italian is the way to go though? Adam and I both went back and topped our bowls with hot sauce.

Macaroni and cheese muffins. I used extra-sharp cheddar instead of parmesan and added mustard powder. Plus roasted broccoli.

Plus we had bbq Wilde chicken chips.

Chili = ground turkey, celery, white onion, fire-roasted tomatoes, fire-roasted green chiles, kidney beans, chicken broth, evoo, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. I topped my bowl with plain yogurt and hot sauce. Plus I made amazing grilled cheese sandwiches; the filling was a mixture of extra-sharp cheddar, marinated artichoke hearts, mayo, white pepper, mustard powder, and a pinch of sugar.