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!
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.
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.
What a fun weekend – we ate and saw so many good things! And took several long walks (including a bridge walk!). NYC is stunningly beautiful right now!
Some highlights…
Orwashers. So exciting that they have a location out in Long Island near us now! We shared a morning bun and an Edith’s tahini frozen coffee.
Plus a bagel with lox and dill cream cheese.
Tozzo for “coffee with a bottom,” aka an iced latte with a layer of pistachio cream.
Janie Bakes makes the best cookies in the city in my opinion, hands down. This blueberry lemon pie crust cookie was perfection. We also tried an (unphotographed) croissant cookie; I’ve been avoiding them but their special was s’mores and I couldn’t resist. I assumed correctly that I would rather have a cookie and a croissant separately but it was pretty damn good.
Bar Francis. We loved it here; the space, service, and cocktail menu were all wonderful. We shared some great drinks. A Balaklava (pistachio-infused tequila, Licor 43, walnut liqueur, rose water, and honeycomb) and the Sappy Child (vodka, Douglas Fir liqueur, Saler’s, Suze, honey, and citrus, carbonated)
Plus the best drink of the weekend, the No Fly List (moonshine, pineapple, lime, Suze, peanut butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg).
And a smoked salmon dip.
Arden. I got a drink with bourbon, cherry bounce, vanilla, and coke and a Painkiller.
We shared the yellowtail crudo with tangerines, yuzu, mint, and serrano.
The bok choy with nuoc cham caramel.
And the brussels sprouts with XO sauce.
And I got a cheeseburger – brioche bun, American cheese sauce, morales, kimchi, and slaw with salt and vinegar fries. The fries and the crudo were the standouts.
This week’s coffee situation was some combination of one-all of these salted caramel things with iced Bones Coffee Jamaican Me Crazy. Also one day I added coconut milk!
Berry smoothie with frozen dark cherries, fresh blueberries, and vanilla protein powder.
Many good yogurt bowls this week. This one was plain skyr with watermelon plum, blueberries, Heritage Flakes, and salted caramel granola.
Plain skyr with plum, poppy seed filling, and orange mandarin passionfruit jam.
Trader Joe’s maple pancake corn puffs are perfectly savory and sweet.
Turkey-cheese roll up – Lavash bread with smoked turkey, extra-sharp cheddar, garlic hummus, and leftover roasted green beans.
Baked tofu and roasted broccoli with homemade ranch dip (mayo, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and ranch seasoning). The tofu was Trader Joe’s super-firm that I marinated in pickle juice and coated in pulverized potato chips, roasted seaweed, sesame seeds, and panko.
A very loose but tasty take on callaloo made with frozen spinach and broccoli (plus yellow onion, scotch bonnet pepper, ginger, urfa chili, coconut milk, crab, and turkey bacon).
Topped with pickled ginger and this soursop hot sauce from home.
And paired with rum and Coke slushies, my greatest boozy creation.
I made a great rillete (aka fish dip) in the food processor with canned sockeye salmon, smoked trout, mayo, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, chili crisp, smoked paprika, and celery seed. Scooped with orange bell pepper, cucumbers, 12 Tides everything kelp chips, and Trader Joe’s spicy tempura seaweed snacks.
Jalapeño popper turkey burgers (I mixed the cheese in and these were fantastic!), roasted cauliflower, and a big pile of crispy baked fries. Plus an array of dipping sauces (ketchup, a quick honey mustard, and leftover ranch).
I bought this cute squeezie-tube sweetened condensed milk and enjoyed it in some fun coffees. INCLUDING root beer with cold brew and condensed milk and coconut water with instant espresso and condensed milk.
Yogurt bowl – plain skyr with blueberries, blackberries, chia seeds, almond crunch granola, and Oat Haus vanilla granola butter.
Blackberries and an Autumn Glory apple with granola butter.
The best citrus fruit (Sumo mandarins) with the best bar (Perfect cookie dough).
Trader Joe’s garlic hummus with rosemary and olive oil crackers.
Mentioning again how much I enjoy the passionfruit mochi from Bubbies.
I was a big fan of this Heartbreaker canned cocktail from Livewire; it was balanced and not too sweet.
Root beer with golden rum and sweetened condensed milk; this was even better than a float.
This is a photo of my chips and guacamole appetizer because burritos are unphotogenic, but I did have a great steak burrito from Burrito Blvd with zucchini, corn, cheese, rice, and serrano mayo.
A wonderful and wonderfully easy dinner thanks to a microwavable base.
Quinoa and Nasoya Korean bbq plant-based steak (we loved this, the taste and texture were perfect) plus peanuts and a cold cucumber salad with tahini and gojuchang.
Creamy crab and tomato pasta. Buckwheat soba noodles / crab claws / roasted zucchini / sauce – shallots, garlic, butter, fresno chili, tomato paste, smoked paprika, half and half / topped with gochugaru and lemon zest.
This dinner was unhinged but successful – turkey cheeseburger egg salad! Ground turkey and medium-boiled eggs with sauteed shallots, chopped dill pickle, cheddar cheese, sesame seeds, paprika, mayo, and yellow mustard.
Plus potato tots and roasted broccoli with a homemade Greek yogurt ranch.
Posting a day early because it’s our wedding anniversary (!!) and we are going out to a camera-free dinner!
Yummy things from this week…
I made cinnamon chestnut scones.
Gnubees lemon coconut fruit shake. Not super exciting but a pleasant flavor and a good pre-gym snack for us.
I really liked the new bananas foster Chobani Greek yogurt. It was a tiny bit too sweet for toppings but a really nice flavor. With persimmon, tangerine, and sugar cookie granola.
No one is surprised that I’ve expanded fancy holiday nachos to include red and green nachos for Christmas! These were loaded – and giant – and delicious. Potato chips / sharp cheddar / sauteed dinosaur kale / chopped broccoli rabe sauteed with tons of garlic / red baby bell peppers sauteed with Trader Joe’s sweet and hot pickled jalapeños / fennel duck sausage.
Sushi roll (ish) bowls. Brown rice mixed with roasted cauliflower rice and rice vinegar — we loved this and want to do it again / furikake / canned tuna and salmon with Kewpie and Sriracha / chopped baby cucumbers with sauteed orange bell pepper, rice vinegar, sugar, and Sriracha / avocado / sesame seeds / pickled ginger.
We turned our leftovers (cauliflower/rice, kale, garlic broccoli rabe, and duck sausage plus eggs, soy sauce, and Sriracha) into the best fried rice!
Eating Chalk 