Smoothie #1 – iced matcha, cottage cheese, brown sugar, and frozen mango and peaches.
Smoothie #2 – chocolate protein powder, water, black sesame paste, and frozen blueberries and cherries.
Cheese plate! Craize guava corn crackers, extra-sharp cheddar, and starfruit.
McConnell’s double peanut butter chip is our all-time favorite ice cream so we were pretty jazzed to pair it with their (quite tasty) pre-cooked chocolate chunk cookies.
Peanut chicken pizza. Two-ingredient pizza dough with an egg wash sesame seed crust / sauce – peanut butter, sugar, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, Sriracha, and water / baked chicken cubes / quick pickled carrots and scallion / pizza blend cheese. Plus green beans sauteed with honey, mustard, and gojuchang.
Cottage cheese dinner bowls. Topped with marinated eggs, sunflower seeds, and quick-pickled cucumber.
Chicken and cabbage bowls. Roasted cabbage topped with Nước Chấm and tons of toasted peanuts / ground chicken sauteed with ginger, scallions, and soy sauce.
Thoughts for the weekend… It is going to be unpleasantly cold all next week so I am hoping to take a long walk around the neighborhood today while it’s still enjoyable to be outside // I recently rediscovered/got ear-wormed by “No Games” by Serani and I play it twice daily at minimum // We bought Webster a blueberry muffin toy and it is delightfully cute.
Best bites from the week…
Peanut butter and jelly yogurt bowl. Plain skyr with blueberries, jam grapes, and the best peanut butter.
A spaghetti and meatballs-ish take on the lasagna soup trend. Sauteed garlic, tomato sauce, and Trader Joe’s tomato and roasted red pepper soup / roasted zucchini / whole-wheat elbow pasta / turkey meatballs (stuffed with panade, garlic, and parmesan) / topped with parmesan.
Chicken salad. Chopped chicken breast with grapes, slivered almonds, scallions, skyr, mayo, dijon, smoked paprika, and salt and pepper. Plus leftover PopUp bagels toasted with butter and roasted purple cauliflower.
This week’s coffee was Madrinas’ cheesecake instant cold brew. The flavor was nice (not artificial tasting) and it mixed easily but this was a bit sweet for me; I liked it best mixed with half water and half black coffee.
Peanut butter cup protein cookie yogurt bowl. Plain Greek with chocolate protein powder, chunky peanut butter, brown sugar, and chocolate chips.
One of my best yogurt bowls in recent memory – plain Greek with granola, blueberries, and a perfect persimmon.
Lobster sandwich sushi from Iavarone Brothers. I was underwhelmed by their pizza but the sushi counter was a nice find.
Trader Joe’s spinach and artichoke dip / a take on baba ganoush (roasted eggplant with Greek yogurt, evoo, black sesame paste, lemon, garlic, salt, and sumac) / Simple Mills garlic and herb seed flour crackers.
Chinese take-out in bulk. Beef and broccoli / General Tso’s chicken / veggie lo mein / crab rangoon / and veggie dumplings.
Zoodle/noodle bowls. Ramen noodles, spiralized zucchini, roasted sprouted tofu, scallions, and garlic sauteed with this sauce.
Kale Caesar salad for the win. Kale massaged with evoo, lemon, and salt / roasted cruciferous crunch veggie mix / parmesan cheese / Trader Joe’s frozen chicken nuggets / homemade pretzel bread croutons / homemade dressing (in the food processor – Greek yogurt, mayo, dijon, evoo, lemon juice, garlic, capers, black pepper, anchovies, and parmesan).
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.
Cheesecake-y smoothie – cottage cheese, vanilla protein powder, water, and frozen blueberries, cherries, and pineapple.
A take on our favorite seasonal smoothie – plain Greek yogurt, frozen strawberries, vanilla protein powder, chocolate milk, and candy cane syrup.
Hint chocolate peppermint flavored water. Good but not something I would seek out again.
Chobani eggnog Greek yogurt with blueberries and Heritage Flakes (and tiny star sprinkles!).
I also had a really great bowl with fresh persimmons, blueberries, granola, and plain Greek.
I made extra chestnut cream cheese frosting so that I could scoop it with pretzel thins and that was a very good idea.
See also – Trader Joe’s blue cheese roasted pecan dip with garlic parmesan pretzels.
I tried two new-to-me Trader Joe’s prepared items – crunchy slaw salad and peanut udon salad – both 8/10’s; both had some nice spice and fresh vegetables.
This soup was so easy and so satisfying – baby bok choy sauteed with scallions and ginger, chicken broth, and Trader Joe’s mini chicken cilantro wontons.
Hedgehog roasted super-firm tofu – topped with a mix of thinly sliced scallions, gochugaru, sesame seeds, furikake, sesame oil, honey, sugar, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, and water – and roasted baby zucchini.
I also made cinnamon brownies with chestnut cream cheese icing! What a great combination.
We had a few peppermint losers. This is my reminder for next year that this Smirnoff peppermint vodka is not pleasant in plain seltzer. (yes, I also dyed it pink)
And I remember liking this Perfect Bar before but the peanut butter mint combination was too much for me.
Meanwhile, these Jelly Belly candy cane jelly beans were toothpaste-y in exactly the perfect way and I loved them.
Trader Joe’s eggnog Greek yogurt (always a winner!) with blueberries and Bob’s Red Mill maple sea salt granola.
This honey dragon fruit had much more flavor than the other types.
Sheet pan hash. Roasted brussel sprouts, scallions, and baby bell peppers with blue cheese and smoked turkey.
Buffalo chicken baked pasta. We loved this. Whole wheat macaroni, spinach, and baked chicken breast / sauce, heated up in a skillet – cream cheese, cottage cheese, Frank’s, and sharp cheddar / topped with more cheddar, blue cheese, and scallions. Plus roasted cauliflower.
We (over-)ordered from a local steakhouse and sushi place and were pleasantly surprised. I got a California roll topped with kani salad, spicy mayo, avocado, and crunchies / spicy tuna roll topped with spicy tuna, spicy mayo, eel sauce, and crunchies / crab and shrimp beignets.
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.
No post last weekend because we were busy moving into OUR condo. We all (Webster included!) love it here and I feel very thankful.
Things from the past week…
Thanksgiving-themed foods abound!
I was in a celebratory mood and bought eggnog from my coffee one week early.
11/10 yogurt bowl – plain skyr with frosted bran flakes, blackberries, and persimmon.
I am a big fan of these chia Smash Bites. Blueberry and cashew butter.
Baskin Robbins seasonal ice creams – eggnog and pumpkin cheesecake. <– way better than I was anticipating, the pumpkin was loaded with cheesecake pieces and marshmallow swirl.
It’s soup season. This one was great. Chicken broth / canned diced tomatoes / roasted zucchini / sauteed onion and celery / baked chicken meatballs with garlic, panko, half and half, and hot sauce. Plus Trader Joe’s ciabatta.
Thanksgiving dinner-inspired fried rice. Leftover white rice and roasted cauliflower rice refried with eggs, smoked paprika, celery seed, butter, spicy candied pecans, dried cranberries, Trader Joe’s oven-roasted turkey breast, and sauteed onion, celery, and cremini mushroom. I topped my bowl with cranberry sauce and chipotle Cholula.
Thanksgiving dinner-inspired crunchwrap from Roast. Turkey, white cheddar, stuffing, cranberry jam, crispy onions, green beans, and mashed potatoes. Plus leftover zucchini and some blackberries.
Thanksgiving dinner nachos! Stuffing chips with Trader Joe’s unexpected cheddar, smoked turkey ham, spicy candied pecans, dried cranberries, poblanos and scallions sauteed in butter with celery seed, and topped with cranberry sauce. Plus leftover Thai green beans sauteed with gojuchang and cranberry.
Eating Chalk 