Pig Squared

Highlights from the weekend…

We went in to Manhattan early Saturday morning to check out the SNL line.  <– never going to happen, people had been camped out for at least 24 hours  On the plus side, we got to check out the leftover Easter decorations in Rockefeller Plaza.

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We spent the day with a Buffalo friend who is living in the city for a year for fellowship.  We took him to two of our favorite porcine named restaurants and on a long walk from Lower East Side to Tribeca and back.

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Pig Bleeker for lunch.  Smoked fried chicken sandwich with mayo, mustard sauce, hot sauce, and pickles, plus the crispiest fries.

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Pig and Khao for dinner.  I ordered the half hainanese duck, which came with duck fat fried rice which is apparently my favorite thing.

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We had birthday cake croissants at Union Fare.  Can sprinkle dust be a part of my everyday life?

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We had a variety of cinematic favorite tributes this weekend.  90’s throwback snacks while we watched Empire Records on Rex Manning Day!

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And a Thackery Binx inspired Daiquiri Binx cocktail – apple cinnamon infused white rum, simple syrup, fresh lime, egg white.

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Eggcellent dinners using up our Easter leftovers.

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Egg salad – with mayo, dijon, smoked paprika, and red and yellow bell pepper.  Plus roasted broccoli.  We scooped the salad with Trader Joe’s honey butter potato chips which was pretty fantastic.

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Salad salad with a mango kombucha.

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Romaine / cilantro salad dressing / blue cheese / smoked almonds / fried tofu / hard-boiled eggs.

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Have a great week!

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Bunny Bites

The best things I ate this weekend were…

Easter candy!  So much Easter candy.

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Plus I made Oreo truffle balls with purple marshmallow Peep Oreos.

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Lunch at Little Skips, an adorable coffee spot in Bushwick.

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I got a bomb latte aka a latte that’s the bomb because it has sweetened condensed milk in it.

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And a vegan blt with smokey maple tempeh bacon, tomato, mixed greens, and house-made vegan cilantro-lime aioli on wheat toast.

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Hawaiian desserts at Mahalo Bakery.  We split a milk lovers cupcake (vanilla cake infused with a concoction of milks with cardamom spice and topped with whipped cream) and a slice of haupia pie (layers of semi-sweet Belgium chocolate, haupia, and coconut whipped cream).

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Black eyed pea salad.  We love this dish, it’s super tasty but easy-(black eyed) peasy.  BEP / green bell pepper / smoked almonds / Kerrygold Dubliner cheese / Cholula hot sauce.

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Spicy cabbage salad with shrimp.  I loosely followed this recipe from Bon Appetit that I am obsessed with.

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Have a great week!

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Open Toasted Sesame

Highlights from the week…

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Lemon shortbread Greek yogurt with a Jaffa mandarin and a coconut seltzer.

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Coconut Chobani with Heritage Flakes and a sumo mandarin and a lemon seltzer.

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Cookie butter cotton candy.

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Sandwich night.  Mock beef shaved tofu sauteed with red bell pepper and bbq sauce / served on a brioche bun / with mayo and provolone.  Plus broccoli.

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Barley bowls.  Barley / roasted zucchini / crumbled seaweed snacks / canned mackerel and smoked sardines mashed together with some mayonnaise / Sriracha and gojuchang on top.

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A knock-your-socks-off good dinner date at Gristmill.

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The Ali Baba cocktail = gin, lemon, cream, egg white, and toasted sesame.

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I went with the pre-fix option because I wanted too many things to choose!

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Local greens salad with carrot, watermelon radish, and toasted sesame vinaigrette.  This was delicious af and while we were eating it the owner came by and excitedly told us about sourcing his greens, so that was fun.

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Chicken liver mousse with bread crackers, concord grape jam, and dulce de leche.

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Best plain cheese pizza I’ve ever eaten.  <– Gristmill is famous for their wood-fired oven.

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Plus we had an affogato and that thing lurking in the back is the best chocolate cake I’ve ever eaten with caramelized white chocolate ganache and sourdough pretzel crumbs.

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I work the weekend so I’m off today, woo hoo!

And Now My Favorite Color is Zhough

Highlights from the week…

Fancy shmancy coffee.  I cold pressed espresso roast with vanilla bean powder, brown sugar, and clove.

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Honestly though, my current favorite-favorite combo is espresso, ice, and chocolate milk.

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Milkadamia sent me a box for review [no cash was exchanged, all opinions are my own, yadda yadda].  Their macadamia nut milk is vegan, dairy-free, soy-free, and gluten-free.  The unsweetened vanilla has 50 calories, 1 gram of protein, and zero grams of sugar (1 gram carbohydrate) per 8 oz serving.  The milk has almost no flavor, but that is pretty much what I’m looking for in my nut milks because I want them to make my coffee creamy without distracting from the coffee taste.  The unsweetened vanilla went perfectly with a cup of iced coffee this week, no clumping or separation to be found.

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I also used it in a smoothie with frozen blueberries and coconut chunks, vanilla, maple, and chia seeds.

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My packed work eats were all about the Sumo mandarin and plain Greek yogurt combo.  With maple or granola.

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Snack attack.  Peanut butter puffs.

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Mexican marshmallow shortbread cookies.

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Super sour soda and cola hard candies.

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Mini sundae from Van Leeuwen.  Cookies and cream topped with hot fudge, almond brittle, and sprinkles.

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All of our dinners this week had a Middle Eastern bent, thanks to lots of zhough and copious amounts of olive oil.  Like scrambled egg pita sandwiches.  Scrambled eggs / sauteed orange bell pepper and red onion / whole wheat pita / zhough.  With roasted zucchini.

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Pita chip nachos!  Sharp cheddar / red onion and cucumber / marinated chickpeas with lemon juice, olive oil, fresh parsley, oregano, cayenne, and paprika / zhough and tzatziki.

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Veggie bowls.  Sauteed red onion, yellow bell pepper, and roasted eggplant / tomato sauce / marinated chickpeas / zhough and tzatziki / fried egg.

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Also pizza.  Is there a better food on the planet than buffalo chicken pizza??

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It’s almost the weekend!  Who has green beer on their Saturday agenda?

Charcoal And Cheez-its

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From this weekend I have some exceptional highlights and some cautionary tales…

I am a marketer’s dream – I’ll buy pretty much anything that says limited edition; it’s not a lifestyle I can really recommend, as both of these coffees were just terrible!

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This coffee shop, on the other hand, was worth the hype.

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Saltwater Cafe gave me a very tasty charcoal vanilla chai latte.

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Other Lower East Side spots that redefine hypeworthy?  Ice & Vice and Baohaus.  I had an epic cup of Milk con Leche with goat milk cajeta and kaya jam.

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And an Uncle Jesse Bao and a Spiceland Bao – fried tofu and spicy fried chicken with pickled cabbage, crushed peanuts, Taiwanese red sugar, and cilantro.  Plus housemade lemonade.

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Representing from the frozen section, Trader Joe’s scallion pancakes are damn good.  With Sriracha on top and yellow bell pepper on the side.

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And one night I cooked a great plate of Cheez-it crusted chicken tenders with homemade cole slaw.

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P.S.  CW Pencil Enterprise looks like what the inside of my soul looks like.

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Hope everyone enjoys their week!

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Heart On My Apron

It’s hard to believe that the Valentine’s celebration of love fell on a week when America really needs some extra love <– but more importantly needs better gun control legislation.

– – There is no good segue from my opening thoughts to blathering about my lunches so I’m just going to abruptly start talking about food here. – –

Highlights from this week…

Chocolate covered strawberry smoothie – plain Greek yogurt, frozen strawberries, and chocolate milk.

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Chocolate covered cherry iced coffee – espresso roast with chocolate milk and Luxardo cherry juice.

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There is a snazzy new Hungry Ghost location near my work and their fantastic iced lattes have not been a good thing for my coffee budget.

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Seriously though, the best coffee of my life was Sunday while grocery shopping – the frozen moolattas from Stew Leonard’s are unreasonably delicious.

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Birthday cake flavored protein bar.

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Sumo mandarin // conversation hearts // sweetened dried lemon and dried persimmon.

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Lavender yogurt with blueberries // dark chocolate heart.

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Vanilla bean yogurt with blueberries and a jaffa murcot mandarin.

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Coffee and chicory yogurt with blueberries // cinnamon churro crispy treat.

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Pinch of Yum’s bourbon chicken.  I used breasts instead of thighs, roasted shredded cabbage instead of rice, and upgraded to maple bourbon.

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Cheesy baked crab dip – with shredded crab, cream cheese, cheddar, green onion, Old Bay, minced ginger, and fish sauce.

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Scooped with orange bell pepper slices and Trader Joe’s coconut shrimp.

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Spiralized zucchini sauteed with lemon and pepper topped with  extra-firm tofu crusted in peanut sauce (peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, fish sauce, canola oil, sugar, garlic, and ginger).

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I hope everyone has a fun, safe, love-filled weekend.

 

Emily Of Sandwich

This was a short week for me on the work front, I was off Monday from the weekend (with Adam!!) and off Thursday for a doctor’s appointment.  Wear your sunblock, kids – I have to have two moles surgically removed, one on my chest and one on my back, complete with stitches, giant gross scars, and a month straight of no gym and no normal showers.  At least I got a good lunch in Manhattan out of the deal?

Highlights…

We finally made it to Doughnut Project!  The Malter White was great, malted milk chocolate with a malted chocolate chip mini cookie and cookie crumble.

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We got a gift certificate to the Russian Tea Room for Christmas this year and we enjoyed a super fancy lunch.  We had vodka, of course.

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And caviar.

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And I had delicious Kulebiaka for my entree –  salmon with slow cooked onions, mushrooms, and vegetables wrapped in pastry, served with braised caraway cabbage and mustard beurre blanc.

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Yogurt bowl wins.  Greek with fresh strawberries and caramel almond butter.

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Strawberry Icelandic style with a fancy tangerine.

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Chicken quesadilla from La Esquina.

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Best ever ice cream from Ice & Vice.  Malted vanilla with sea salt caramel.

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Dessert at Vanilla Bean.  Banoffee tart for me and a crazy good iced latte.

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Caramelized banana peanut butter cups.

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It was sandwich week for dinners!  Croque Madame – rye bread, smoked turkey, sharp cheddar, strawberry jam, french toasted – with roasted broccoli and shishitos.

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Jalopeño popper turkey burgers with smoked gouda and roasted green beans.  We didn’t have buns but I’m still counting this as a sandwich.

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Asian-style turkey reubens – with gojuchang mayo and kimchi – with roasted shredded brussel sprouts.

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You Do Win Friends With Salad

Weekend highlights…

**Brunch at Freeks Mill a gorgeous, airy, much lauded restaurant in Gowanus.

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Paloma – Cimarron Blanco tequila, lime, contratto bitter, grapefruit, preserved lemon, salt.

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I had the puntarelle salad with anchovy vinaigrette, grana cheese, and a soft boiled egg.

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Plus Shishito peppers with honey and salt.

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We want to go back for dinner!

**Coffee and treats at Abboutsford Road, a fantastic coffee shop and roastery in Gowanus staffed and owned by handsome, friendly Aussies.  I had a yummy iced latte plus bites of a cheddar chive biscuit and lamington (chocolate cake, raspberry jelly, coconut) cupcake.

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I also had a ridiculously delicious cup of strawberry iced tea.

***Tea cake at Charlotte Patisserie.

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Macadamia nut cake filled with salted caramel and covered in milk chocolate.

**Cheese plate.  A crazy simple cheese plate, but a good one nonetheless.  Roasted green beans / baked whole wheat tortilla chips / smoked gouda / sweetened dried lemon.

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Plus chocolates from Dylan’s.

**Homemade Caesar salads with salmon.

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Romaine tossed in homemade dressing <– not worth the effort / crispy cheese bites for croutons / dijon and brown sugar baked salmon.