Tag Archives: eggplant

Cookie x Cookie

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Highlights from another exceptionally tasty week…

A brunch date at Blacksmith’s Breads. I got a vanilla quad iced latte.

And an egg burrito with extra veggies. This was only ok (who puts carrots on a burrito? And it needed way more hot sauce) but Adam’s egg and cheese sandwich was a work of art.

Cookie x cookie coffee wins. I 11/10 loved the Stew Leonard’s cookie dough flavored coffee and also enjoyed the Califa cookie butter almond milk creamer far more than I was expecting to.

Sliced Hunnyz apple (a new favorite) with honey, cinnamon, and chunky peanut butter.

Yogurt bowl with plain skry, vanilla bean paste, honey, persimmon, passionfruit, chia seeds, and vanilla almond granola.

See also, plain skyr with cinnamon, blueberry jam, persimmon, Mineola tangerine, and granola.

We spent an obscene amount of money on Taco Bell delivery for dinner one night so I tried to bring balance back to the Force with a green juice. Lol, unfortunately I grabbed the wrong bottle because this ended up basically being lemonade with aloe and chlorophyll.

We liked these Zapp’s honey mustard pretzels a lot. Not as much as Dot’s but more than their voodoo variety which ended up being too seasoned for us. Also, I use the adjective “jazzy” at least four times a week so clearly I had to buy these.

We loved these Trader Joe’s lentil and chickpea crisps. Great texture.

These Ben & Jerry’s s’mores cookie dough bites are my favorite thing I’ve ever eaten. I love everything about them but the truffles specifically are mind-blowing.

Leftover jalopeno cheddar hushpupies from Sweet Chick with honey and leftover crab dip.

The Burrito Blvd near our apartment has the best toppings; this rice bowl was 40% rice and 60% chopped zuchinni (my ideal burrito bowl ratio). Also chicken, corn, tomato, cheese, and mild salsa.

Homemade laab. I followed this recipe. We quite enjoyed it and were not sad to have sourced toasted rice powder. Plus sauted bok choy with ginger and sesame seeds.

Spicy, tomato-y chickpea bowls. I sauteed graffiti eggplant and sweet onion with fire-roasted diced tomatoes, harissa, and chickpeas. Topped with plain yogurt and fresh mint.

Homemade cashew chicken. I followed this recipe except that I swapped breasts for thighs and added red bell pepper. With brown basmatti rice and roasted broccoli.

P.S. We have exciting dinner reservations tonight for Omakase at Koyo. I’m not bringing my camera but from what I can tell online everything should be gorgeous (and delicious!).

Top 5, x2

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Some of our favorite things from an exceptionally delicious weekend. We went to our favorite brewery and tried two restaurants that both easily made the cut for top five meals we’ve eaten in 2022.

Drinks at Evil Twin – we had a fall x candy x Wonderland line-up of beers.

Even More Hydra fruited sour / Fresh Feet & No Chicken citrus milkshake IPA / Fun Sized Halloween candy sour ale / Marshmallow is the New Milk Sugar marshmallow triple IPA / Back to the Pumpkin Patch pumpkin milkshake IPA. Also a Concrete Jungle fruit punch gose.

Dinner at Sobre Masa – a Mexican restaurant and tortilleria in Bushwick.

We shared seared queso fresco with fresh salsa.

And the best chips and guacamole we’ve ever tasted, with a variety of salsas.

I drank an El Pastor De Flavor – fat-washed tequilla, rum, roasted guava, masa, Vino de Agave, lemon balsam magnolia aperitif, and Mexican bitters.

And I ordered the oyster mushrooms with cracked corn, hoja santa, and guajillo mole. Plus housemade tortillas.

Housemade flan and tres leches for dessert.

Dinner at Potluck Club – a Cantonese American Restaurant on the Lower East Side. Everything was fantastic and the space was so cute!

A yuzu hard seltzer and a Chinese pale ale.

Spicy eggplants with fried shallot and cilantro.

Braised short rib with kobucha squash.

Rice roll noodles with oyster mushrooms, asparagus, chives, and hanger steak. <– best dish of the weekend!

Chestnut, Coquito, Eggnog, Mint

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This post includes highlights back through last weekend; it was Adam’s birthday and I didn’t want to waste his time blogging. We had a wonderful weekend including great weather for two days of long walks in Brooklyn, lots of delicious meals, a trip to Sundays in Brooklyn’s Snow Days in Brooklyn winter pop up (which included egg nog soft serve and a Dark and Snowy cocktail, among other things), and a drive-through holiday light show.

Highlights…

Breakfast at Ursula. We split a pine needle mocha(!!).

And a cream cheese frosting stuffed cinnamon roll(!!!).

And I had a sandwich with scrambled egg, cheddar, and green chile on housemade brioche.

Chestnut and vanilla iced latte from Nerd Be Cool.

A Christmas yogurt bowl – Trader Joe’s eggnog Greek yogurt with kiwi, pomegranate, and granola.

See also – plain Greek yogurt with honey, cinnamon, granola, kiwi, pomegranate, and fresh mandarin.

We went to Oddfellows for a scoop of coquito ice cream.

And Brooklyn Cupcake for a coquito cupcake. Plus flan and guava cheese, since it was a birthday!

We really loved this chocolate mint sparkling water.

Trader Joe’s Thai tea mini ice cream mochi.

These chip-stuffed Reese’s cups were just as good as I thought they would be! Completely worth the months of gas station stops to search for them.

We were also pretty pleased with these Dove truffles.

I ate an obscene amount of take-out this week but here were two really good “homemade” dinners. Chili cheese fries plus roasted romanesco.

Cold silken tofu with chili oil (I used urfa pepper paste with garlic oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, white sugar, and scallions) plus sautéed eggplant, bok choy, and red bell pepper with ginger and peanuts.

Pumpkin, Cinnamon, Squash

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Highlights from a nice weekend…

A coffee menagerie.

Drip Coffee has gotten a lot of good press and I see why – this oat milk latte was smooth and delicious!

Bars – pumpkin pie was good, chocolate seed and oats was great.

It was Sweetest Day on Saturday so Adam and I went on a date to Laderach to buy an unreasonable amount of chocolates.

Golden Years in Brooklyn for a classic cheeseburger with fries.

Plus not-so-classic Cuba Libre with fernet and Paloma with mezcal and jalopeno.

Dinner at Kings Co Imperial. Guangzhou Layover – mezcal, plum, Campari, and Strega.

Crispy oyster mushrooms with Sichuan chili pepper.

Chinese eggplant with garlic and kung pow sauce.

Chicken dumplings in cinnamon oil.

Noodles with mushrooms.

Best meal of the weekend was this homemade dinner. Curried chicken salad with celery, toasted almonds, and dried apricots, plus roasted yellow squash and delicata squash with cinnamon, urfa chili, and gochugaru.

Spooky Season

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It was a nice, Long Island weekend! We tried several new-to-us spots and went to Farmer’s Markets in Huntington and Port Jefferson.

I kicked off Pumpkin Month with a pumpkin pie soda taste-test at work! We were split 50/50 on liking it or not (not for me but it was fun to try, fyi).

Also new cookies and scream m&m’s. Again, split, my coworkers who really like m&m’s at baseline thought they were great.

And Adam and I kicked off spooky season with a trip to GHOST brewing.

Bougie green juice – pineapple, ginger, lemon, cucumber, kale, and mint.

We made a baby iced matcha with salted maple cold foam.

Blackberry jam stuffed doughnut.

Yogurt bowl with honey, jumbo blueberries, coconut, and sweet and spicy pecans.

Tiny cucumbers with buffalo chicken dip.

Macarons from Crave – Oreo and peanut butter cup.

Ridiculous scrambled eggs with butter, cheddar, gouda, leftover roasted squash, urfa chili, and gochugaru.

Whole Foods hot bar – salmon, cauliflower, broccoli, mac and cheese, and roasted butternut squash.

Chicago dog from Rock City Dogs, with crispy fries.

Plus I got a pumpkin ale with an amazing cinnamon sugar rim.

Best meal of the weekend goes to dinner at Ella’s. Great pizza! Tell All Your Friends – roasted Japanese eggplant, marinara, ricotta, garlic confit, mozzarella, and pickled fennel // Dark Side of the Moon – smoked duck, brie cream, caramelized onions, and mozzarella.

Plus inventive cocktails, I had a cherry coke with vodka, bitters, and fernet and a smoked tequila with coffee and grapefruit.

Highlights From The Hudson Valley

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Adam and I just spent an absolutely fantastic weekend in the Hudson Valley. We did a day and a half in Hudson followed by a day exploring Tivoli and Woodstock. We had a million coffees and desserts, explored cute downtowns, hiked a bit at the High Falls Conservation Area, and took a quick walk at the Tivoli Bay.

Food and drink highlights include…

Perfectly roasty iced lattes at Hudson Roastery. This was how we started both mornings in Hudson.

Inventive, extra-flakey pastries from Breadfolks in Hudson. This was a lemon meringue danish and a baklava croissant(?!!).

A freshly fried doughnut at Kitty’s Marketplace in Hudson.

We are obsessed with this seltzer, that I have been sadly unable to find back in the city.

Halo halo at Harana Market in Woodstock.

Concord grape sorbet and peanut butter swirl ice cream at Fortunes in Tivoli. This is quite possibly the best ice cream I have ever eaten.

Pupusas with queso and loroco at Casa Latina in Hudson.

Lunch outside at the food truck at Phoenicia Diner in Phoenicia. Sourdough toast with mashed avocado, sweet corn, heirloom tomato, poached egg, lime tofu, and farmers cheese // tuna salad sandwich with line-caught tuna, mayo, herbs, and wasabi tobiko.

A pimento cheese smothered hot dog at The Maker in Hudson.

Woodfired sourdough pizzas at The Mud Club in Woodstock. Bianca Rustica – mozzarella di bufala, vesuvian semi-dry red and yellow tomatoes, and evoo + hot honey // Mellanza de Pesto – tomatoes, roasted eggplant, mozzarella, aged gouda, and house-made pesto.

A terrific dinner at Lil’ Deb’s Oasis in Hudson. Maiden Voyage – rum, spicy vermouth, soursop, tajin salt rim.

Tuna crudo with mango-habanero water, plum, husk cherry, and kohlrabi // sweet plantains with cilantro yogurt.

Crispy potatoes with lime pickle aioli, curry leaf, and pickled chilis.

Bok choy and endive salad with caesar-poblano dressing, pistachios, and anchovy.

Plato tropical – rice, black beans, and garlicy greens.

Fermented lentil dosa with marinated shiitakes, radish, and herbs. I am a sucker for mint in savory dishes and this ended up being one of my favorite things I’ve ever eaten!

All in all, a wonderful weekend!

Apples And Marshmallows

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Highlights from the weekend include – amazing coffees, gooey marshmallow desserts, and some of the best Vietnamese food we’ve ever eaten. Also we – went to a Farmers’ Market on the water in Garvies Point, drove up to the tip of the North Fork for a picnic at Orient Point, stopped at several farm stands, walked around an apple orchard, visited a few LI craft breweries, took strolls around Greenport and Greenpoint…

Freddo cappuccino from 99 Franklin.

Quad iced latte from Aldo’s. <– this was hands down the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had and my favorite thing I ate all weekend!

Rice Krispies Treat iced latte from Coffee Booths.

Frozen apple cider in an apple orchard.

A flight of IPAs (plus a pumpkin ale!) from North Fork Brewing. We also tried some great things at Uber Geek.

S’mores babka from Spilt Milk Bakes.

We took Korean fried rice with duck (from Ellen’s) on a picnic at Orient Point.

An Apple Month toasted cheese sandwich – sharp cheddar, smoked turkey, and tons of apple butter on sourdough. With cotton candy grapes and roasted broccoli.

Best dinner of the month at Falansai – a great Vietnamese spot with a koi pond in the back garden! Beef dumplings.

Eggplant with fermented tofu bbq sauce and crispy shallots. Plus a housemade salted plum drink and Vietnamese iced coffee.

Spicy green curry with seasonal veggies and silken tofu. Broken rice on the side.

Coconut chia pudding with plums, peanuts, and hibiscus ice.

It’s Apple Month

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If you follow the Emily calendar of themed foods then September is Apple Month! Here are some of the products I’ve been squirreling away in anticipation –

And some highlights from this week include…

A perfect coffee combo.

Apple kombucha.

Apple cinnamon overnight oatmeal with a coffee dark chocolate bar.

These apple items were both only ok.

But we adored these (off-theme) peanut butter brownie crisps.

Sautéed kale with green onion, serrano pepper, shredded chicken, peanuts, and a zippy garlic-ginger sauce.

Fancy tuna salad with pine nuts, sundried tomatoes, and capers + a Trader Joe’s frozen veggie blend with marinated eggplant, zucchini, and red peppers.

Chicken salad (a blend of shredded breast and thigh meat with mayo, honey dijon mustard, and horseradish) with grapes and spiced pecans + roasted green beans + sourdough toast with apple butter and cinnamon (and tiny star sprinkles!).

Hibiscus Shaved Ice

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Some highlights from the past week include…

The hipster version of a classic breakfast – citrus kombucha and peanut butter oatmeal.

Lemon lime sparkling matcha with a (new flavor!) lemon poppy seed perfect bar.

I almost never buy cereal but these reminded me of the raisin frosted mini wheats I loved as a kid and I couldn’t pass them up.

These crunchy yellow peas are smoky in a very pleasing way.

We had great empanadas at Love, Nelly. This one was sweet plantain with guava and cheese!

Plus hibiscus + almond shaved ice with sprinkles and condensed milk.

An amazing (giant) lemongrass chicken bahn mi from Nha Minh.

Dinner pasta 1 – whole-wheat penne with marinara sauce (from the pizza we made last weekend), chicken sausage, and roasted zucchini.

Dinner pasta 2 – a loose take on these spicy braised eggplant noodles, with whole-wheat bow ties.

Nuts for Baru Nuts

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How are we in the 2nd to last week of August??! Some highlights from this week included…

A blackberry and soursop smoothie (with banana, plain Greek yogurt, and brown sugar).

A banana and coffee smoothie (with cinnamon roll oat milk creamer, cinnamon, brown sugar, and cold brew powder).

Whole Foods snacks. The baru nuts are fantastic! They taste like a cross between peanuts and almonds. I brought some to work and got all of my coworkers hooked as well.

Quinn pretzels with Bitchin’ sauce. A coworker recommended this dip and she did not steer me wrong. We are also both obsessed with these delicious pretzels.

Kombuchas and or matchas.

A loose interpretation of this chicken and corn stir-fry recipe. Instead of rice we paired ours with sautéed shishito peppers and mushroom.

So much Thai take-out! We had pad see ew, cashew chicken, and amazing spicy ginger eggplant.

Very fancy salads – local lettuce, black garlic vinaigrette, pistachios, dried apricots, and goat cheese.

Spicy peanut chicken pizza (a Trader Joe’s crust with spicy peanut sauce, shredded chicken breast, quick-pickled carrots, and cheese) with smashed cucumber salad.