Magical Fruit

Highlights from the week…

I tried another new-to-me protein coffee. This one was a 7.5/10, I’d prefer a stronger coffee taste but the flavor was nice.

Excitement in yogurt. A very sweet, very tasty soursop drinkable yogurt.

Did you know Haagen Dazs makes yogurt now?!

I’m glad I tried it but it’s too sweet to be a new staple. I topped the coffee flavor with aprium and peanut butter banana granola.

Fruity booze for the end of summer. I disliked the rum punch hard seltzer and greatly enjoyed the paloma sour.

Guava caramel candies. These are so good, the crunchy sugar is perfect.

This edible cookie dough is a 12/10. I warmed some up and made the best sundae of my life.

Bean week dinners; I am always looking to top my weirdest theme week! Buffalo blue cheese black bean burgers. With roasted broccoli, leftover fried tofu, and spicy ranch dipping sauce.

A take on our favorite black eyed pea salad. With green pepper, hearts of palm, peanuts, extra-sharp cheddar, and Caribbean hot sauce.

Spicy saucy chickpeas. Sauteed with sweet onion, orange bell pepper, eggplant, tomato sauce, spices, and harissa. I didn’t cook the eggplant enough and I actually hated this but it’s a good idea for the future if I pre-roast the eggplant.

Crispy butter beans. Tossed with evoo, cornstarch, panko, salt, gochugaru, furikake, and ranch seasoning and then roasted in the oven. Plus roasted baby cauliflower.

Good(le) Eats

Highlights from a yummy week…

Plain skyr with blueberries and Blue Stripes Cacao peanut butter banana granola.

Such good snacks this week! Apriums.

Strawberry bites cereal. I loved this and Adam hated it.

Whole Foods’ pimento mac and cheese bites. I think they are best with honey and hot sauce.

Caramel core ice cream.

Soursop chocolate bar. I carried this home from Denver and it was worth it.

Rum and coke slushie.

BLT pasta salad. Whole wheat cavatappi / heirloom baby tomatoes / turkey bacon / romaine lettuce / and a sauce with mayo, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

I bought these Goodles noodles 90% because the box was so pink and 10% because they were whole-wheat, and they ended up being delicious.

Loaded salad. Romaine, tomato, turkey bacon, mozarella, cashews, and Trader Joe’s cilantro dressing.

Beans and rice (kidney beans and brown rice cooked with onion, hot pepper, ginger, and coconut milk) / tuna cakes with Jamaican curry powder and red curry paste / roasted zucchini / hot pepper jelly.

Taco Bout It

Highlights from the 1st week of July…

Lunch at I am Nacho Mama. I had a wonderful iced latte with almond milk and honey.

Mexi-cola cauliflower wings.

Chicken tacos with griddled cheese and special sauce.

Best snack of the week – guava corn crackers with Trader Joe’s Everything and the Elote dip. <– we were big fans; it was best with baby carrots

Themed snacks for the 4th – watermelon seltzer, Italian ice beer, and s’mores ice creams.

Definitely my most obscure week of themed dinners yet – handheld seafood! Tuna melts. A mix of tuna and smoked trout with tons of relish and mayo, on sourdough, with banana peppers and sharp cheddar. Plus roasted brussel sprouts and carrots tossed in a honey mustard sauce.

(Salmon) hot dogs for July 4th. On a whole-wheat bun with Sriracha and tarter sauce. Plus roasted yellow squash.

Crab handrolls. Shredded imitation crab with Kewpie and Sriracha / satuted cauliflower rice with salt, white pepper, and rice vinegar / avocado / poorly wrapped in nori.

Shrimp tacos. Corn tortillas with Whole Foods grilled shrimp and chipotle aioli and homemade mango salsa (with green bell pepper, poblano pepper, lime, salt, and gochugaru). Plus roasted broccoli and Trader Joe’s breaded cheese curds. Best meal of the week.

Sippable Split

I worked this weekend but Adam and I had some really nice date nights! We tried two new top-five-favorite spots in Brooklyn! Highlights included…

My ongoing love affair with summer berries. This bowl was blueberries and blackberries with a few Luxardo cherries.

Ciao Gloria‘s coffee and oat milk granita.

Maman‘s banana split iced latte(!) – strawberry milk, banana puree, Parlor espresso, topped with whipped cream, fudge, sprinkles, and a cherry.

Dinner at Three Maples. I had a 50/50 – Tito’s with tamarind hibiscus lemonade and black tea.

And a burger – short rib blend, house sauce, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion. With fries.

We also got the elote dip.

And the charred baby broccoli with confit garlic and red pepper flakes. <– swoon

Wild Maine blueberry crisp with vanilla ice cream for dessert. <– double swoon

Dinner at Little Rascal. We shared some amazing drinks. Cosmic Debris – basil bourbon, fresh lemon, egg white, frooty pebbles infused sugar cane extract, and pistachio cream.

The Dough of Existance – avocado spiced rum, soursop nectar, avocado pit orgeat, and wormwood. And an unphotographed Kurosawa’s Dream – Japanese whiskey, aloe, shiso honey, fresh lemon, and mint — the best drink of the night/weekend/summer.

Caviar(!!) with creme fraiche and blinis.

Halloumi croquettes with eggplant jam and parsley oil.

Roasted cauliflower with hawaji sauce and tahini dressing.

Chicken skewers with meyer lemon yogurt and mini pepper pickles.

And lamb tacos with pickled onion, feta, and paprika yogurt.

Double Chip

Five favorites from the weekend…

New York Beanery s’mores iced latte.

Nectarines. Summer fruit is so good!

Giant double chocolate chip – white and milk! – cookies (this recipe).

Thai take-out! I got chicken Pad See Ew and Ma Khue Puang (stir-fried eggplant with chili sauce and lime leaves).

Mish-mash but it works salad. Baby kale with honey chipotle vinaigrette / leftover eggplant / baby bell pepper / cashews / crispy tofu – marinated in pickle juice, breaded in Cheez-Its, and baked.

Wonton More

It was a tasty week, great snacks and even better dinners! Highlights included…

A beautiful latte with espresso, butterfly pea tea, and sweetened condensed milk.

Smoothie success – cottage cheese, frozen banana and cherries, ube extract.

See also – blueberry Greek yogurt, frozen blueberries and grapes, butterfly pea tea.

Still obsessed with these Belli-Welli bars. I finally shared one with Adam, who was not a fan, but I think they taste great.

It turns out my favorite dried fruit is kiwi; the texture and taste of these was so satisfying.

Rainer cherries (swoon) plus Haribo berries gummies.

See also – these Honest gummies are wonderfully juicy and chewy; not the best gummy I’ve ever eaten but hands-down the best fruit snacks.

Creamy lemonade – fresh lemon and lime with sweetened condensed milk and lemon seltzer.

These alcoholic Frescas are a 9.5/10 – perfectly balanced and just sweet enough.

Pinch of Yum‘s bbq salmon plus roasted Japanese sweet potato and roasted cabbage dressed in a mix of honey, rice vinegar, and Caribbean hot pepper sauce.

Korean rice cakes sauteed with tomato sauce and gojuchang, plus roasted zucchini, shredded chicken, and sharp cheddar.

Homemade baked wontons. Our filling was fresh crab and roasted cabbage and green onion with soy sauce, white pepper, and hot pepper jelly. Plus roasted cauliflower and dumpling sauce.

Salad success – baby kale, this dressing, leftover cabbage, baby bell peppers, chicken breast, cashews, homemade baked wonton crips, and furikake.

Homemade baked wonton chips (these are going to become a staple!) seasoned with szechuan pepper salt and togarashi plus baby bell peppers and pimento cheese. Full disclose, I went back for thirds!

In Paradise

This past weekend Adam and I… lost our minds over the beautiful flowers all over Park Slope / went to a Filipino/JapanFest street fair / checked off two restauarants on my “lauded cheeseburgers” list. Highlights included…

Birthday cake smoothie bowl from Juice Press. I kept seeing the advertisement for this and I couldn’t help myself! The smoothie was meh but the Out Haus birthday cake granola butter was perfection.

Marvelous by Fred – mini meringue with coffee and hazelnuts.

Ice cream from Teo’s – coffee crunch and sprinkles. Great texture, I love an egg-heavy ice cream base.

Street fair finds. Ube and calmansi juice was a surprisingly sucessful combo.

Okonomiyaki.

Mini twinkie with jackfruit and Frooty Pebbles.

Drinks at The Warren. I loved my Madame Brown with bourbon, passionfruit, sour, and egg whites. We also had the best (unphotographed) deviled eggs I’ve ever eaten; I want to come back here for dinner immediately.

Dinner at Red Paper Clip. My drink was the best of the weekend, College Drop Out – a whiskey sour with passionfruit.

Roasted cauliflower with yuzu agro dulce, shiso, and sunflower seeds.

The everything brioche with cured trout, miso egg yolk, and trout roe was a showstopper; this was stunningly good.

We got the cavetalli with nori, parmesan, and bonito.

Lobster three ways, fried salt and pepper claws / fried rice / and in a miso beurre blanc.

The burger – double patties, lettuce, special sauce, and yellow cheese.

Dinner at Emmy Squared. Palomo.

The burger – double patties, american cheese, spicy sammy sauce, greens, and pickles; served with waffle fries.

We also got a pizza with red sauce, meatballs, and banana peppers.

Niether burger makes my top three list (Elder Greene, Nowon, Ruthies) but they were quite good and it was a great weekend!

Pecking Order

Adam and I were both on vacation last week and we went home to St. Thomas for Carnival! It was a perfect week – we had time with family, went on my favorite runs, ate my favorite foods (highlights included soursop shaved ice and a dark rum and coke), and went to the beach every day. It’s hard to beat a morning walk in the sand with an iced coffee!

We went right back to work when we got home (seriously, I was at my desk less than 10 hours after we left the airport!) and I didn’t get to go grocery shopping until yesterday but thankfully I had left myself a well-stocked freezer and pantry. Highlights from the week included…

This week’s coffee combo.

Beautiful smoothies. Frozen spinach, banana, and blueberries with honey, water, and key lime juice.

Frozen soursop, banana, and strawberries with vanilla almond milk, cinnamon, and plain Greek yogurt.

Trader Joe’s crispy apple chips.

These s’mores Ben and Jerry’s bites are hands-down my favorite thing.

Leftover chicken soup I made and froze a few weeks before vacation; this reheated really well.

“Freshly made” soup with this trio. Trader Joe’s ginger miso broth and garlicky cabbage plus ginger chicken dumplings.

Farro / furikake, kelp granules, black garlic, gochugaru / canned salmon and smoked trout with mayo, rice vinegar, and Sriracha / zoodles and celery / fried egg. I actually decided I didn’t like this and abandoned it halfway through for ramen but Adam liked it and I still think it was a good idea.

I work this weekend so I was off on Thursday and I went into the city for a haircut and a fun Brooklyn date. I have wanted to go to Pecking House for more than a year and it more than exceeded my high expectations! We shared fries with chicken seasoning.

Cornbread. Charred turnips with miso and almonds.

Fried chicken with salted egg sauce.

And the fantastic spicy chicken sandwich with Fuqi chili sauce, Oaxaca cheese, and pickled jalapenos on a brioche bun.

Plus gelato for dessert. A butter and salt scoop and a scoop of a cannolo flavor with candied fruits that blew my mind.