Weekend dinners — Chipotle makes quesadillas now. I got a chicken one because I am incapable of passing up anything that is promoted as a new and/or limited release.
We made wonderful chicken and veggie bowls. Roasted cauliflower rice / baked chicken thighs (marinated in lime, brown sugar, Sriracha, rice vinegar, and soy sauce) / scallion peanut sauce (loosely based on this recipe).
I was not able to get my hands on any pie but I celebrated Pi Day with key lime pie beer and buffalo chicken pizza pie!
This was an exceptionally tasty week! My snacks were on point, we tried a fantastic new restaurant, and the dinners we cooked were total successes. Highlights include…
Brunch at Xilonen, a new vegetarian Mexican spot in Greenpoint. We were blown away by the scrambled egg tostada with salsa mache, queso, and a crispy blue corn tortilla.
Heirloom corn tamal, stuffed with sweet potato al pastor, and topped with smoked crema and poblano rajas.
Boba-studded popsicles are currently my favorite snack category.
10/10 leftovers from The Meat Hook. The french onion dip was the best I’ve ever had.
Farro / glazed, baked tofu / sautéed bok choy and green onion / chili crisp / fried shallots (which we made in the microwave!!).
Soba noodles / peanut sauce (loosely based on this one) / cabbage / zucchini / ground turkey / chili crisp and smashed peanuts.
Oven-baked crispy chicken tenders (loosely inspired by this recipe) with brown sugar chili crisp sauce + roasted broccoli with fried shallots. I went back for thirds of that chicken!
Adam and I had a ton of time together this week, which is just the best. We both had time off in the day on Monday and Wednesday and we liked our date so much on Monday – breakfast at Winner, a walk through Prospect Park, and lunch at Ix Restaurant – that we did the exact same things in reverse on Wednesday!
Prospect Park was an iced-over death trap but it was my absolute favorite activity of the week because we got to see swans.
Highlights from the week include…
Lots of fun in coffee. I enjoyed these new Cokes with coffee exactly as much as I thought I would.
This Trader Joe’s instant cold brew is weak on it’s own but it can total save a not-great cup of coffee.
Coffee-flavored Nutrament with a canned Stumptown.
Fancy lattes from Brooklyn Perk, mine was made with rose.
Winner’s sourdough croissant was a total win.
Meal 1 at Ix. Corn thickened Champurrado hot chocolate.
I had the kimchi soup with chicken, noodles, and poached eggs.
Meal 2 at Ix. Hot chocolate with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Chips with bean dip and crazy-good housemade hot sauce.
Corn with cotija cheese, sour cream, cilantro, and chile.
Caldo Tlalpeno Rojo – soup with chicken, tomato, garlic, onion, peas, chickpeas, corn, achiote, chipotle, Oaxaca cheese, and tortilla strips.
Ciao, Gloria blew our minds with their lemoncello pistachio bars. Also we had an unphotographed housemade Oreo that was the best cookie I’ve ever eaten.
Trader Joe’s smoked salmon dip is a household favorite.
Leftover Thai green beans with soft-scrambled eggs, vegetarian pork floss, and chili oil.
Homemade taco bowls. Brown basmati rice / ground turkey / sharp cheddar / sautéed orange and yellow bell pepper and onion.
Loxchos(!!) with roasted brussel sprouts. Trader Joe’s everything bagel seasoning chips with swiss and Gruyere, hot-smoked salmon, and green onion.
Take-out dinner from Winner, plus roasted zucchini. We split a smoked chicken salad sandwich and a grilled cheese with cheddar, provolone, and romesco sauce on sourdough.
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.
We were trying to eat through some of our stores before I went grocery shopping this weekend so the past week we ate a lot of random foods from the back of the freezer and take-out. Somehow it worked out that everything was delicious! Highlights include…
First things first, it is Apple/Spice Month! Yes, I am already feverishly shopping for pumpkin beers too.
Peanut butter and jelly crispy waffle from Costa Nova + an iced latte.
Leftover olives from our dinner at Glasserie.
Local Cava Guava IPA which was basically beer champagne.
Adam and I are both 10/10, head over heels obsessed with these Swedish Swedish fish. We bought every flavor we could get our hands on at the store the other day.
We also lost it for these Ben & Jerry’s cinnamon bun cookie dough bites. We had their original cookie dough flavor when it first came out and were underwhelmed but these were outstanding.
Trader Joe’s Asian stir-fry veggies topped with scrambled eggs.
Boca Burgers with beautiful roasted purple potato and roasted broccoli with chili spice.
Chipotle nachos! Tortilla chips with cheese, chicken, roasted peppers, corn salsa, and guacamole.
Homemade okonomiyaki. Topped with Kewpie, Sriracha, and furikake.
Buffalo chicken pizza is good, but leftover buffalo chicken pizza topped with honey and Korean chili flake is even better.
Highlights from this weekend include – tons of coffee, tons of beer, tons of togetherness. Webster spent all of Saturday kicking it in Brooklyn with us, which was amazing.
Either Adam or I work the next several weekends so we tried to really maximize our fun date time!
Highlights…
We did a decadent car brunch picnic with take-out from Soul Brew in Huntington. Woop, There It Is weekend special – chocolate pancakes with marshmallow cream.
Scrambled egg burrito with potato, spinach, and smoked gouda.
I had pimento cheese and we split a chocolate peanut butter. Plus an ube iced latte!
Lavender toasted marshmallow iced latte from Pipeline Coffee.
Frozen cortado from Better Read Then Dead. <– the best thing I ate all weekend/month/year
We were 10/10 excited to buy/try this Gushers yogurt but it was, unsurprisingly, not all that good to eat.
Evil Twin Brewing is currently our favorite spot in the city/on earth. Everything is inventive and delicious and they offer smaller tasting cups so you can try a lot of things. Blackberry peach milkshake IPA // key lime pie milkshake IPA // gose brewed with soursop(!!) and sea salt.
Triple dry hopped IPA // Triple IPA with marshmallow // a Saturn frozen cocktail – Dorthy Parker Gin, L’Orgeat, Velvet Falernum, passionfruit, Rockey’s Milk Punch, citrus, and edible glitter!
I worked (long days!) Friday, Saturday, Sunday but we still had a fun weekend with amazing date nights! Five favorites were – –
Mekelburg’s rose black halva latte – an oat milk iced iced latte with rose halvah syrup, topped with rose petals and sesame seeds.
Westbrook Brewings‘ lemon meringue pie gose might be even better than their key lime pie gose!
Friday night we cuddled on the couch with nachos and ice cream and (re)watched “Love and Basketball” and it was kind of the best. Chipotle nacho hack – order chips and a rice bowl without rice (this one had chicken, fajita veggies, corn salsa, and cheese (and guacamole on the side!)) and bake.
We got three -epic – sandwiches from Mekelburg’s and had a picnic down by the water near Domino Park. Waygu roast beef for Adam / a bahn mi with Peking duck, duck rillettes, and sambal hoisin mayo for me / a Mekelburger with dry-aged beef, American cheese, grilled onions, fried onions, and tarragon mustard on Hawaiian bun to share.
Chinese take-out to finish the weekend. I got chili oil tofu with cabbage, celery and white rice.
Today is my 1st day back in at the hospital after a day off and a two-day stint of project days at home. I had to recertify in ServSafe and I had a big task to work on (updating the Nutrition Department’s Clinical Practice Guidelines to be more current/evidence-based) so my boss let me work from home, which was lovely. I got to leisurely brew Phin coffee and sip while I worked! Plus I ate a million snacks. <– Normally I sit in the ICUs and wear an N-95 for most of the day so I took full advantage of having a free face!
Highlights included…
The company that makes the instant espresso we love for Dalgona coffees also makes a really good espresso roast.
Plain Greek yogurt bowl with blackberries, peach, cashew butter, and a chopped up Bueno Bar. <– I realize it is ridiculous to stir a candy bar into your lunch but this was breath-takingly good and I’m glad I did it!
Vanilla skyr yogurt bowl with blackberries, black plum, cashew butter, coconut chips, and starry sprinkles.
Adam and I had to go into Manhattan for a doctor’s appointment so we stopped by Bibble and Sip for a cream puff. A cream puff topped with crème brûlée and filled with milk tea cream and boba!
Still obsessed with Hal’s caffeinated cola seltzer.
Adam and are both head over heels for these dinner mints. We made it through 12 years of marriage before we realized we are both fans of these guys!
This soursop ice cream was possibly the very best packaged ice cream I’ve ever tasted.
I topped this cheese enchilada meal with more cheese, sour cream, and Crystal hot sauce and it was 10/10. P.S. I highly recommend Amy’s frozen meal options, this one is good even if you aren’t over the top about it.
There’s a newish poke place in our neighborhood that lets you add a thousand toppings. This was white rice with crabcake, tofu, eel sauce, spicy mayo, cucumber, shiitakes, shredded carrot, string bean, green onion, tamago (shredded egg omelet), oshinko (pickled veggies), inari (tofu skin), garlic crisps, and lotus chips.
Blistered green beans – sauteed with garlic, ginger, and chili oil – with Trader Joe’s mini chicken and cilantro wontons.
{Coffee} Trader Joe’s cold brew with cookies and cream milk.
{Lunch} Leftover buffalo chicken pizza with roasted zucchini.
{Snack} Coca-Cola Tic-Tacs. How did they get the flavor so spot-on??!
{Dinner} Egg tacos. These are amazing; I’ve been eating them all week and I’m still not sick of them! Pan-warmed tortillas // sauteed corn and kale with paprika and TJ’s umami powder // soft-scrambled eggs with gouda // homemade salsa (I made a big batch loosely based on this recipe).
