Tag Archives: pasta

Oodles

by

Two down! Some highlights from a tasty week…

This week’s coffee was Madrinas’ cheesecake instant cold brew. The flavor was nice (not artificial tasting) and it mixed easily but this was a bit sweet for me; I liked it best mixed with half water and half black coffee.

Peanut butter cup protein cookie yogurt bowl. Plain Greek with chocolate protein powder, chunky peanut butter, brown sugar, and chocolate chips.

One of my best yogurt bowls in recent memory – plain Greek with granola, blueberries, and a perfect persimmon.

Lobster sandwich sushi from Iavarone Brothers. I was underwhelmed by their pizza but the sushi counter was a nice find.

Trader Joe’s spinach and artichoke dip / a take on baba ganoush (roasted eggplant with Greek yogurt, evoo, black sesame paste, lemon, garlic, salt, and sumac) / Simple Mills garlic and herb seed flour crackers.

Chinese take-out in bulk. Beef and broccoli / General Tso’s chicken / veggie lo mein / crab rangoon / and veggie dumplings.

Zoodle/noodle bowls. Ramen noodles, spiralized zucchini, roasted sprouted tofu, scallions, and garlic sauteed with this sauce.

Kale Caesar salad for the win. Kale massaged with evoo, lemon, and salt / roasted cruciferous crunch veggie mix / parmesan cheese / Trader Joe’s frozen chicken nuggets / homemade pretzel bread croutons / homemade dressing (in the food processor – Greek yogurt, mayo, dijon, evoo, lemon juice, garlic, capers, black pepper, anchovies, and parmesan).

Dips and Sips

by

This post is late because my laptop was in the shop. Things from the week/end, many dips and sips, 50% seasonal!…

Kings Coast Coffee Company‘s The Griswald – espresso with cinnamon and housemade oat nog.

Iced matcha latte with candy cane syrup.

Cheesecake-y smoothie – cottage cheese, vanilla protein powder, water, and frozen blueberries, cherries, and pineapple.

A take on our favorite seasonal smoothie – plain Greek yogurt, frozen strawberries, vanilla protein powder, chocolate milk, and candy cane syrup.

Hint chocolate peppermint flavored water. Good but not something I would seek out again.

Chobani eggnog Greek yogurt with blueberries and Heritage Flakes (and tiny star sprinkles!).

I also had a really great bowl with fresh persimmons, blueberries, granola, and plain Greek.

I made extra chestnut cream cheese frosting so that I could scoop it with pretzel thins and that was a very good idea.

See also – Trader Joe’s blue cheese roasted pecan dip with garlic parmesan pretzels.

I tried two new-to-me Trader Joe’s prepared items – crunchy slaw salad and peanut udon salad – both 8/10’s; both had some nice spice and fresh vegetables.

This soup was so easy and so satisfying – baby bok choy sauteed with scallions and ginger, chicken broth, and Trader Joe’s mini chicken cilantro wontons.

Hedgehog roasted super-firm tofu – topped with a mix of thinly sliced scallions, gochugaru, sesame seeds, furikake, sesame oil, honey, sugar, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, and water – and roasted baby zucchini.

Merry Mint

by

Things from the week…

Chestnut spread in iced coffees.

I also made cinnamon brownies with chestnut cream cheese icing! What a great combination.

We had a few peppermint losers. This is my reminder for next year that this Smirnoff peppermint vodka is not pleasant in plain seltzer. (yes, I also dyed it pink)

And I remember liking this Perfect Bar before but the peanut butter mint combination was too much for me.

Meanwhile, these Jelly Belly candy cane jelly beans were toothpaste-y in exactly the perfect way and I loved them.

Trader Joe’s eggnog Greek yogurt (always a winner!) with blueberries and Bob’s Red Mill maple sea salt granola.

This honey dragon fruit had much more flavor than the other types.

Sheet pan hash. Roasted brussel sprouts, scallions, and baby bell peppers with blue cheese and smoked turkey.

Buffalo chicken baked pasta. We loved this. Whole wheat macaroni, spinach, and baked chicken breast / sauce, heated up in a skillet – cream cheese, cottage cheese, Frank’s, and sharp cheddar / topped with more cheddar, blue cheese, and scallions. Plus roasted cauliflower.

We (over-)ordered from a local steakhouse and sushi place and were pleasantly surprised. I got a California roll topped with kani salad, spicy mayo, avocado, and crunchies / spicy tuna roll topped with spicy tuna, spicy mayo, eel sauce, and crunchies / crab and shrimp beignets.

All Hallows’ Eats

by

It was a yummy Halloween week!

Highlights…

You already know I had a cache of on-theme snacks.

Dunkin Donuts’ potion macchiato is marshmallow and ube flavored; obviously a great idea but unfortunately it was fairly underwhelming.

Skyr bowl with Cara Cara orange and double chocolate granola.

Pumpkin smoothie. Pumpkin puree, cottage cheese, frozen banana, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla bean powder, and water and ice.

I saved my best pumpkin beers for last. Blue Point Big Mother Pumpkin (10/10) / Fat Orange Cat Pumpkin Patch Kittens (9.5/10) / Abomination Forbidden Pumpkin (10/10).

Served with a brown sugar cinnamon rim!

Veggie rice bowls. Jasberry rice and riced cauliflower / Whole Food’s sesame seaweed cashews / avocado / chopped kimchi crisped up with a bit of butter and sugar.

Mac and three cheese muffins with baked chicken and roasted brussels sprouts.

Pumpkin pasta. Whole-wheat rotini topped with ground turkey sauteed with pumpkin puree, chili crisp, and cream cheese. Plus roasted orange cauliflower.

Black and orange big salads! Local lettuce / cucumber / homemade dressing – pumpkin butter, brown sugar, evoo, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and fish sauce / roasted kabocha squash / crispy rice – leftover rice tossed with chili crisp and black sesame paste and baked. We loved this.

Falling For Fall

by

Things from the week, mostly pumpkin…

Yummy, on-theme coffees. Vanilla cardamom cold brew with salted caramel and pumpkin butter.

Phin brew with pumpkin butter and marshmallow cream.

Siggi’s pumpkin skyr with blueberries, blackberries, and Nature’s Path blueberry cinnamon flax cereal.

Plan skyr with berries, Purely Elizabeth double chocolate cookie granola, and butter mochi.

Whole Food’s prepared foods section is nice for snack options. This week I bought kimchi dumplings and their Sonoma chicken salad.

Crunchy snacks. Everything bagel protein pretzels and Korean BBQ crunchy chickpeas.

These gummy bears from Buck Naked Bears are the perfect consistency, so firm without being overly chewy.

Hummingbird High’s pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are the best cookies – pumpkin, chocolate chip, or otherwise – you’ll ever make. They are chewy – NOT cakey or crispy – and almost taste like butterscotch.

Open face chicken sandwich melts. Toasted bread with pumpkin butter and sharp cheddar / baked chicken marinated with Greek yogurt and tons of garlic / homemade chicken gravy. Plus roasted broccoli.

Pumpkin chili. With ground turkey, pinto beans, canned pumpkin, fire-roasted diced tomatoes, chicken stock, yellow onion, poblano pepper, zucchini, spices, and one tablespoon of dark soy sauce. Topped with plain skyr, extra-sharp cheddar, and Caribbean hot sauce and served with Trader Joe’s pumpkin tortilla chips.

Big salads. Kale massaged with evoo, lemon juice, and salt and pepper / homemade dressing with tahini, pumpkin butter, maple syrup, evoo, and vinegar / crispy roasted chickpeas with Sichuan pepper salt, smoked paprika, cinnamon, and sugar / extra-sharp cheddar / dried cherries. Plus roasted honeynut squash and carnival squash, both of which were delicious!

Cardamom, Maple, Pumpkin

by

Things from this week…

This maple chocolate instant coffee did not have nearly enough flavor (maple nor coffee) but it did mix instantly.

This new Trader Joe’s vanilla cardamom cold brew was more successful.

Pumpkin Noosa (best in the game) topped with blueberries, blackberries, and Purely Elizabeth double chocolate cookie granola.

Pumpkin beers! Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin was one of our favorites years past but it was too syrupy for us this year. Meanwhile, Great South Bay’s Baked pumpkin pie ale was a new hit; it was very well balanced between beer, pumpkin, and pie.

This isn’t a flattering picture but it serves as a reminder PSA – if you live near a Nuts Factory you NEED to go get their viral Dubai pistachio chocolate bar.

Peanut butter noodles. Udon stir-fried with eggs, peanut sauce (chunky peanut butter, brown sugar, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, Sriracha, sesame oil, and water) and sesame seeds. Plus spicy green beans – steamed and then sauteed with honey, rice vinegar, yellow mustard, and chili crisp.

Thai basil chicken. I used chicken breasts instead of thighs and added red bell pepper and baby corn. Served on a bed of roasted riced cauliflower.

Korean-ish tofu plates. Shirakiku frozen kimchi pancake / super-firm tofu that I shredded, baked, then tossed in a skillet with Trader Joe’s green tea yuzu jelly, gochujang, sesame oil, and rice vinegar / bok choy, asparagus, and green onions sauteed with ginger and sesame seeds.

Holy Mole

by

I did not do a good job of taking photographs this weekend and we ate SO MANY good things! Possibly too many, I am still full.

Here were some highlights…

We love this Nola instant coffee from Blue Bottle. It is super tasty and mixes instantly even in cold water.

Noa A Cafe. Banana pudding iced latte with housemade oat banana milk and cold foam.

Concept Coffee. Coconut ube iced latte and cookie.

During the world’s most exciting trip to 7-11 I scored both the Oreo flavored Coke Zero and the Coke flavored Oreos! Super fun. I thought both were very successful and would definitely buy the soda again.

Casa Enrique. Their brunch is just as good as their Michelin-rated dinner service. Jicama and beet salad with queso fresco, mint, candied pumpkin seeds, and lemon vinaigrette.

Chicken mole enchiladas. Their mole is a work of art.

My mezcal tamarind margarita was the best drink of the weekend.

Katana Kitten. We thought the drinks could have been more alcoholic but loved the food. My amaretto sour was a standout – Wild Turkey rye, amaretto, salted plum, honey, lemon, egg white, and yukari.

We had deviled eggs with white miso, Japanese mustard, and salmon roe.

And an astonishingly good Sukiyaki Sando – soy-braised ribeye, caramelized onion, pickled ginger, jalopeno, and mayo on a baguette with au jus.

Foul Witch. The lighting was unflattering, the food was magical. We shared a great dinner. Their house bread was a 20/10.

Fairytale eggplant with heirloom tomato and fresh cheese.

Maine lobster bucatini.

Lamb shoulder with squash blossom and chimichurri. The very best bite of the night was a dessert that was too dark to photograph but blew our minds – carrot cake with meringue and husk cherry.

An easy but great homemade dinner. Mandu bulgogi chicken frozen dumplings / roasted zucchini / cold silken tofu / spicy peanut sauce (peanut butter with sugar, chili crisp, sesame oil, rice vinegar, dark soy sauce, and water) / furikake.

Bluebird, Blueberry

by

Things from the weekend…

It is Apple Month! I started my Sunday, September 1st with a trip to New York Beanery for their caramel apple latte special.


And I, of course, have an Apple Month stash. P.S. Those fall Whole Foods hand soaps smell amazing.

Baklava flavored protein bar.

Burrata ice cream (only ok) topped with blueberry jam, honey, and aged balsamic (delicious).

Leftover creamy mushroom turkey pasta. I went back and topped with bowl with Sriracha and furikake. Goodles noodles are wonderful leftover.

Homemade cole slaw topped with baked chicken breast that I chopped and then tossed in a skillet with butter, honey, and several types of mustard.

Dinner at Bluebird Kitchen. We shared housemade chips with french onion dip and deviled eggs with gochujang mayo and furikake.

I had a Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner with Tito’s, lychee, grapefruit, and rose petals. The petals were in a rose-shaped ice ball!

And the best frozen pina colada we’ve ever tasted.

Lobster mac and cheese for dinner.

And we got the sundae for dessert – housemade vanilla soft serve, bruleed banana, chocolate
magic shell, sugar cookie crumble, whipped cream, and a maraschino cherry.