Tag Archives: fruit

I Am A Little Stitious

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Hello, 2024! I am not superstitious, but I do like to start every new year with a run and some traditionally lucky foods. This year we got in black eyed peas, collard greens, and grapes. Plus something sweet for a sweet year!

Highlights from a tasty week…

1/1/24 brunch date at For Five while I set up my planner.

I got a roasted turkey sandwich with cheese, sprouts, and avocado.

Plain skyr with strawberries, persimmon, and sugar cookie granola.

These jelly sakes are my favorite drink. Related – we played trivia at a bar midweek and got to try Abomination Brewing’s Christmas cookie Fog Nog (fantastic).

Hawaiian fruit jellies; the starfruit and passionfruit ones were obviously the best.

The best snack plate of the year – Trader Joe’s Chicken Tikka samosas (with spicy truffle mayo and plum sauce) / Lolliberry strawberries / jam grapes.

Not a bad runner up – soy marinated eggs / cucumber / cheddar.

Dinner on the 1st – sauteed collard greens with green onion and garlic and black eyed pea salad with garlic and black pepper almonds, green bell pepper, Kerrygold Dubliner cheddar, and mayo and chipotle Cholula.

We tried the Bombay Sando from Oak and Orange – toasted ciabatta with grilled chicken, amul cheese, seasoned potatoes, pickled red onions, and a housemade chutney. Plus the best green smoothie I’ve ever made – frozen spinach, banana, and cherries, fresh tangerine, and water.

Sheetpan hash. Roasted brussels sprouts, grapes, poblano peppers, sweet potato, and chili verde chicken sausage with green onion and dried cranberries. I went back and topped this with a maple-Cholula aioli.

Bunches And Tons

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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!

Frozen Eggnog

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Highlights from the weekend (including some highlights of the whole damn year!)…

Eggnog dalgona iced coffee – after driving around with cocoa and the dog to look at lights this is our favorite holiday tradition.

Peppermint white mocha iced latte from Buzzed. We also shared an eggnog cold foam cold brew and were pleased with both. I wouldn’t go back all the time but I will definitely check out their next seasonal specials.

I’Milky oat milk iced matcha with chestnut creme. I was mostly getting this to be seasonal but we ended up both loving it – super balanced and satisfying.

Petit Chou tropical tres leches cake with a layer of jammy pineapple. I need to try more things from this spot.

Spudsy sweet potato snacks. I thought these would be like Chex Mix but they were actually the size of a small clementine.

Comfortland frozen eggnog (15/10) and a chocolate, coconut, marshmallow doughnut. This was the best doughnut I’ve ever eaten; the outside was sugary and crispy.

We also got the Everything Everywhere Tots at Once special – with cheddar, hot honey, marinated ribeye, gochujang aioli, ranch, chives, and everything bagel seasoning.

Brunch at Madre. This spot deserves the hype – the space was beautiful, the service was great, the food was all wonderful. We shared a Granddaddy Purp – sake, lavender, plum, cereal milk, and egg white. Gorgeous and delicious.

El Sancho – mezcal, apricot, campari, habenero, and cinnamon.

Jalapeño cornbread madelines with whipped honey butter.

The burger with gruyere and fennel slaw (didn’t make my top five but definitely in the top ten and Adam loved it).

And the brown butter french toast with caramel and roasted banana.

Scooping/dipping dinner. Baked wontons with togarashi / roasted broccoli / blended tuna salad – with smoked trout, mayo, and capers / pimento cheese dip – warm with honey and spiced pecans on top.

P.S. We checked out the Rockefellers tree and it was totally stunning and worth the crowd!

Festival Of Festivals

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We had such a yummy weekend! NYC is doing so many fun pop-ups/holiday specials this year! Here was everything festive we did this weekend…

A trip to the Milleridge Inn Village to admire the lights.

787‘s coquito and tres leches iced lattes. These were too milky for our tastes but still so good; the coquito was perfectly spiced.

Cafe d’Avignon in Essex Street Market makes the best breakfast in the city – an iced vanilla latte and a fruit and nut bun with butter and cheddar.

We went to Supermoon Bakehouse for the eggnog kouign brûlée croissant (and gingerbread cheesecake filled doughnut).

But what ended up blowing our minds was the twice baked sugar cookie croissant filled with funfetti almond cream. <– swoon!

Brigadeiro Bakery‘s seasonal specials included cinnamon and gingerbread.

Brooklyn Cupcake‘s coquito cupcake.

Pokito is making seasonal jello shots! And they were beautiful and delicious! We also got an El Tigre – frozen light and dark rum, orange liquor, coconut, Thai tea, cinnamon, and cardamom.

Sleyenda at Leyenda.

Their Candy Striper is always my favorite drink of the season – frozen Cachaça, coconut, maple, peppermint, vanilla, lemon, and cardamom.

We also shared the arepa with chipotle-lime shrimp and pineapple salsa.

And fried green plantains with ropa vieja.

Snow Days at Sunday in Brooklyn. Polar Bear Club – frozen coffee-distilled rum, Aquavit, banana, coconut, pineapple, and cucumber / Comet’s Cosmo – tequila, ginger shochu, yuzu brandy, tart cranberry, elderflower, and shiso soda.

Jungle Bells – mezcal, prickly pear, Campari, poblano, pineapple, and tamarind.

The drinks/decorations were fun but the food was the standout. We adored everything we got to share. Roasted honey nut squash with brown butter, sesame, and coffee tahini.

Wood roasted brussel sprouts with pistachio, golden raisins, and lemon gremolata.

Wood roasted half chicken with Herb De Provence and roasted garlic jus and seasoned fries. I couldn’t get a good photo but this was outstanding – juicy, savory, and one of the best things we’ve eaten all year.

Plus we got a sundae with housemade hot chocolate and eggnog soft-serves for dessert.

Egg(nog)head

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Food things from the 1st week of December – good dinners / baked goods my parents brought us from home during their visit / EGGNOG! Highlights included…

Jelly doughnut iced coffee! Iced coffee with blueberry jam and a cold foam with cinnamon, brown sugar, and cocoa powder.

As much as I adore plums and plucots I think I am most excited for mandarin season each year. These are seedless and the peel slips right off so they are so easy to eat.

Trader Joe’s spicy tempura seaweed snack. This is heavy on togarashi, which I love.

Eggnog in my coffees, of course.

Eggnog iced matcha latte.

Trader Joe’s eggnog Greek yogurt (my favorite) with nutmeg, fresh persimmon, and Target sugar cookie granola.

Chobani eggnog yogurt with cinnamon, blackberries, and coffee cake (from my mom).

Boozy tiramisu eggnog from Dante West Village.

Abomination Brewing‘s best beer – Fog Nog, a double IPA with spices and lactose.

Xi’an Famous Foods‘ spicy cumin lamb hand-ripped noodles are consistently an 11/10.

A take on the broccoli salad we are obsessed with. Roasted broccoli / sauteed green onion / crispy baked tofu / dried cranberries / food-processed sauce: evoo, serrano pepper, parsley, peanuts, smoked sardines, soy sauce, rice vinegar, gochugaru, and brown sugar. Plus pumpkin bread (from my aunt) toasted with butter.

Roast‘s weekly special was a short-rib grilled cheese so we obviously had to get it, with cheddar and crispy onions on sourdough. Plus leftover broccoli salad and leftover roasted cabbage with Sriracha and Sriracha-ranch peanuts.

A 1st night of Hannukah feast. Trader Joe’s cheese blintzes topped with blackberries, blueberry jam, and Greek yogurt with lemon and brown sugar. Plus Trader Joe’s latkes, roasted brussel sprouts, and a honey Sriracha dipping sauce.

P.S. Happy Hannukah to all of my readers who celebrate!

Chestnuts Blending

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Five things from the 1st weekend of December…

Chestnut iced coffee – I blended skim milk, half and half, chestnut paste, brown sugar, and cinnamon. The flavor was good but unfortunately the blender did not work at all to create a cold foam texture.

I am still very much enjoying these Trader Joe’s dried baby pineapples.

These nuts from 7-11 were very ranch-y but not as spicy as I was hoping for.

A red and green yogurt bowl. Plain Greek with pomegranate, pumpkin seed butter, and halvah.

A weirdly wonderful dinner. Roasted cauliflower / roasted baby zucchinis / sauce – Greek yogurt, Kewpie, Sriracha, and lime juice / Trader Joe’s frozen fish sticks.

P.S./Number six – I had the cheesy nacho fries with steak from Taco Bell this weekend (I didn’t take a photo because I ate them out of the bag like a rat) and they were fantastic.

Thankful 2023

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I hope all of my American readers had a lovely Turkey Day! My parents flew up yesterday evening and we got to spend the holiday together. They are here through the long weekend and it is going to be a great visit. I am feeling extra grateful for family time this year – my grandmother passed away earlier this month at 94 years old. I am obviously sad, but mostly I have been feeling thankful. Thankful that I had my grandmother until my late thirties and she remained her funny, gracious, smart as a whip self until the end. Thankful she died so soon after her birthday and we had all just gotten to see her. Thankful we had such a perfect last visit – I took her out for lobster and she ate every bite and we went to a family birthday dinner and she and I shared nachos and had a wonderful talk about her life and my grandpa.

I am also grateful for cheese and good coffee, both of which I got to enjoy this week! Highlights included…

Look at my impressive stash of on-theme snacks! I was very pleasantly surprised by the popcorn.

And drinks!

Wired Coffee‘s holiday specials include a tiramisu cold foam and it was just divine.

Plain skyr with fresh persimmon, maple, cinnamon, nutmeg, and granola.

Roast‘s holiday specials are unmatched – Thanksgiving crunchwrap with turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry jam, crispy onions, green beans, and stuffing / potato croquettes with cheddar, green onion, and a side of ranch. Plus homemade green beans – sauteed with garlic, lemon, and honey dijon.

This stuffing-inspired fried cauliflower rice was one of the best dishes I’ve ever made. Riced cauliflower stir-fried with smoked turkey, celery, yellow onion, portabella mushroom, butter, dried cranberries, spiced pecans, and eggs.

But the best dish of the week was Thanksgiving nachos. These nachos are at least a quarter of why my parents wanted to brave the cold and visit now. Trader Joe’s stuffing chips, white cheddar, swiss, gouda, smoked turkey, poblano peppers, and cranberry sauce. Plus sided of roasted cauliflower and brussel sprouts.

Plus for dessert we ate Ben & Jerry’s pecan pie ice cream (I thought it was only fine, basically butter pecan, but my mom and Adam were fans) with homemade pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

Winter Banana

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Highlights from the week…

We are both really enjoying this flavored s’mores coffee from Bones Coffee Company.

Extra-purple smoothie – frozen grapes, frozen berries, Greek yogurt, and butterfly pea tea.

Yogurt bowl with fresh persimmon, caramel apple granola, honey, and nutmeg.

This giant apple was labeled a “Winter Banana” at the farmers’ market so obviously we bought it.

Such good packaged snacks this week. Jalapeño and honey chicken jerky (9/10) / peanut butter dark chocolate Over Easy bar (8/10).

Abomination Brewing’s marshmallow double IPA with a marshmallow fluff rim!!

True or False – I buy anything new Ben & Jerry’s has to offer? At least once! The peanut butter cup cookie dough bites were a new favorite, 2nd only to the s’mores option, but the Oat of this Swirled flavor wasn’t for me.

We also shop Seed & Mill pretty indiscriminately! These halvah coated pecans were a 10/10.

Take-out steak soft tacos from our local Mexican place. With zucchini, chopped tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, and hot sauce.

Noodle bowls loosely inspired by Khao Soi. Hand-cut noodles / shredded chicken breast / brothy sauce with coconut milk, red curry paste, and chicken broth / dinosaur kale sauteed with shallots, ginger, garlic, fish sauce, soy sauce, and rice vinegar / topped with tons of cashews and chili crisp.

Caribbean-inspired rice and beans (brown rice cooked with yellow onion, habanero pepper, coconut milk, chicken broth, and dark red kidney beans) / roasted broccoli / curried chicken salad (shredded chicken with mayo, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, sauteed onion, dried cranberries, salt and pepper, and Jamaican curry powder). I topped my bowl with pineapple Blind Betty’s hot sauce and the whole thing was divine.