Tag Archives: peppers

Almond, Peanut, Pecan, Pistachio

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Some favorites from this week…

Fun syrups from El Guapo, pecan and almond. They were good in iced coffees, okay in an iced matcha, and fantastic in an iced diet coke!

Obviously the best coffee of the week was the Dubai bar monthly special latte from Buzz’d.

My favorite skyr bowl this week had honey, salted peanuts, blackberries, and blueberries. I have been head over heels for the Driscoll’s “sweetest batch” blueberries.

I think I have tried and loved every flavor of these peelable gummies from Duane Reade. Peach was lovely and floral.

I’ll buy pretty much any new product Ben & Jerry’s puts out and this sundae style pint did not disappoint. It had butter toffee pecans!

I love a good egg salad. This one had chopped cornichons, poblano pepper, tons of mayo, and dijon mustard. Plus roasted broccoli on the side.

This dinner looks horrible but it really was good; brown rice and roasted riced cauliflower / baked eggplant sauteed with gochujang, black sesame paste, and sesame oil / a take on Korean steamed eggs / topped with chili crisp and peanuts.

I used leftover cauliflower/rice in kimchi fried rice. With poblano peppers, peas, green onions, eggs, soy sauce, fish sauce, and rice vinegar. Topped with surprisingly great grilled shrimp from Whole Foods.

Creamy gochujang pasta. Brown rice noodles tossed with cream cheese, gochujang, and sauteed dinosaur kale and green onions. Topped with sesame seeds and gochugaru and served next to some baked turkey meatballs.

Our favorite dinner of the week (month!) was savory oatmeal bowls. Trader Joe’s rolled oats with ancient grains and seeds / bok choy sauteed with ginger / TJ’s frozen tofu sheets / chili crisp / six-minute egg / candied peanuts with gochugaru.

Hudson Highlights

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Adam and I spent a GREAT weekend in the Hudson Valley (primarily downtown Hudson). On Saturday we walked around admiring the town for eight straight hours! Alphabetically…

Cafe Mutton. I ordered my Bloody Mary extra spicy and with excessive garnish (it came with a giant slab of house made sausage that Adam happily inherited). We shared a buckwheat scone with butter and curd.

And a mushroom and gruyere omelet with buttered toast. [And Bucitini with lamb ragu.]

Gracie’s Luncheonette (Leeds). Housemade cherry cola float.

Adam got a fantastic tuna melt and I got the brisket melt (my favorite sandwich of the trip!) – with smoked cheddar, jalopeno peppers, and white bbq sauce on white bread.

Lemon chess pie.

Hereafter. It was our first time at this bar. My drink on the right was a Magnolia Fizz – gin, Douglas fir brandy, magnolia oolong, milk oolong, cream, citrus, egg whites, and mint.

Hudson Roastery. Their iced espresso with skim milk is my 2nd favorite coffee in all of New York.

Kitty’s. Their brunch can’t compare to their dinner (but was still solid). I had a great mocktail, Kitty Temple – ginger beer, lemon, lime, and housemade grenadine.

We shared eggs on rice with pickled veggies and chili oil and and hashbrowns.

Lil Deb’s Oasis. Their cocktails are always amazing. Golden Thaw – Japanese whiskey, lemon, and tamarind / Unknown Legend – bay leaf, pisco, burnt honey syrup, grapefruit, egg white, and pimenton. [We also loved a Colorless Dream – Haitian rum, sake, bitter melon, and toasted rice.]

We shard a bunch of dishes. Loaded fries with vegan chz wiz and pickled onions and Fresno chiles.

Tamale with mushroom, poblano and nopal filling, and a golden milk veloute. (Adam’s favorite)

Llapingacho – a potato and cheese pancake with pickled pineapple, peanut salsa, and a fried egg. (My favorite).

Braised chicken mole with confit potato and a “Carolina Mole” (with vinegar).

For dessert we got the Sexpresso Martini – coconut nutmeg tequila, Forthave Brown, cold brew, and cola syrup.

And a scoop of chocolate sorbet.

Mel the Bakery. Pistachio and almond croissant and a fantastic corn cookie with blueberry jelly.

Stewart’s. We popped into this cute gas station and came away with maple French toast cold brew!

Willa’s (Catskill). Cinnamon sugar cruller.

And a buttery egg sandwich with sharp cheddar and honey Sriracha on a brioche roll.

P.S. Our favorites were Gracie’s, Lil’ Deb’s, and Cafe Mutton!

Green To Greenport

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This week started with St. Patrick’s Day and ended with a day-trip to Greenport! We took a day off yesterday to do North Fork stuff before the Spring/crowds. Highlights…

Coffees from Dark Horse. This one had peanut butter and marshmallow syrup. The lattes had too much milk but the espresso itself was wonderfully roasty.

A quad iced latte from Aldo’s – my favorite coffee in the world. And they had rock candy!!

We both really liked this lemon meringue Melo bar.

Two kinds of s’mores bites!

Lunch at Green Hill Kitchen. We shared burnt end brisket chili with red beans, cheddar, and crema.

And I had the lamb barbacoa taco with smoked brisket, salsa roja, guacamole, and radishes.

St. Patrick’s Day dinner – green chicken salad (chopped baked chicken with celery, scallions, mayo, and leftover spinach pesto), and green beans (steamed and then sauteed with honey, gochujang, sesame oil, and sesame seeds).

Jalapeño popper stuffed peppers. We baked bell peppers stuffed with – ground turkey sauteed with smoked paprika, green onions, minced Trader Joe’s sweet and spicy pickled jalapeños, and cream cheese / extra-sharp cheddar / panko bread crumbs sauteed with butter and garlic. Served with jalapeño poppers, of course.

A wonderful dinner at North Fork Table & Inn. The drinks were overpriced but pretty. We shared the Woman’s Month Empow-her Sour – Makers Mark, Amaro Nonino, earl grey, lemon, and egg white.

And the Spiced Sailor – Sailor Jerry, amaretto, lemon, pear puree, and egg white.

The housemade milk bread with caramelized onions was lovely. The bite in the back was a duck fat cooked potato tot with caviar!

We got sides of whipped potatoes and the Buried Beneath the Coals – butternut squash with red miso butter and pepitas.

Adam had great smoked chicken and I had a very solid cheeseburger (with some of the best/crispiest fries!).

We ended with double chocolate Baked Alaska. I am a huge meringue fan but somehow this was my very first time ordering this dish as an adult. <– I loved it

Chop Chop

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Things from this week…

Two types of blueberry drinks. We adore the Once Upon a Coconut blueberry, it is my favorite coconut water.

I bought a box of Melo bars without tasting them (flavor untasted?) and fortunately the 1st two kinds I tried were great.

I obviously bought this Slice soda because of it’s font/branding but I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor.

Gigantic dessert yogurt bowl – plain skyr, Ben and Jerry’s s’mores bites (this was a fantastic idea!), cereal, granola, and tons of blueberries and blackberries.

Chopped chicken sandwiches. I am so glad we started making these! Chopped together on the cutting board – baked chicken, sharp cheddar, Kewpie, garlicy sauteed broccoli rabe, kimchi sauteed with scallions and butter and sugar. Plus a side of roasted green bell pepper and purple cauliflower with curry powder, sweet and spicy pecans, and dried cranberries.

Big salads. Romaine with ponzu vinaigrette, bell pepper, scallions, bean sprouts, sharp cheddar, packaged fried tofu, and Trader Joe’s crispy mochi nuggets (10/10).

Chicken salad. I put so many things in here I don’t think I remember them all but this was definitely baked chicken with skyr, mayo, dijon, hoisin, lemon juice, scallions, celery, and toasted slivered almonds. Plus a Bibigo kimchi and cheese rice ball, buttered toasted baguette, and roasted zucchini.

A take on chicken laab. I loosely followed this recipe but used ground chicken, doubled the onion, swapped guava jelly for tamarind, and added bean sprouts. Plus a quick cucumber salad (sugar, rice vinegar, Sriracha, and yuzu ponzu).

Chili, Congee, Cookie, Chewy

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It’s March tomorrow, thank goodness! Did February feel even longer than January this year? Some things from the last week…

I searched for months for this chocolate chip cookie Nesquik to add to iced coffees and it ended up being very lackluster.

Meanwhile these Smash Bites are perfectly satisfying.

This pre-dinner snack was brought to you by the word “chewy.”

Yogurt bowl mix of the week – plain skyr with blueberries, blackberries, and granola and All Bran buds.

Dinners this week were all about comforting meals (and an excessive amount of unphotographed take-out!). Congee – brown rice slow cooked in chicken broth, topped with garlicy sauteed collard greens, silken tofu, chili crisp, and green onion. I loved the silken tofu texture/temperature contrasts in this.

Chili when it’s chilly! We made a huge batch with ground turkey, pinto beans, sweet onion, zucchini, yellow bell pepper, poblano pepper, fire-roasted diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and a ton of seasoning. I pre-cooked my veggies by roasting them in the oven and it worked out great. We always add fish sauce and dark soy sauce to our chili. Topped with tons of cheese, hot sauce, and plain skry. With beer bread on the side!

Painkillers In The Snow

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I knew we’d been homesick after my mom left so I filled the week with Caribbean flavors to remind us of home! Highlights…

This week’s coffee combo.

Smoothie – pineapple with frozen peaches, water, and vanilla protein powder.

The last of the hibiscus iced brownies.

Tropical candies. Passionfruit marshmallows and pineapple and passionfruit gummies. Both were delicious.

Painkillers!

I also made rum and coke slushies.

We love our loose take on callaloo – chopped spinach sauteed with yellow onion, habanero pepper, and garlic, with crab meat and coconut milk. Plus I made dumb bread – with butter and cheese – that we adored.

Rice and beans (brown rice with yellow onion, ginger, habanero pepper, dark kidney beans, and coconut milk) with baked salmon cakes (canned salmon with green onion, egg, panade, mayo, smoked paprika, and Jamaican curry powder) and roasted peppers (bell, poblano, and onions).

Super Duper

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Some things from the past week…

I had a day off for a doctor’s appointment and got myself a decadent brunch at East Rock Coffee. Tres Leches French toast! And a great iced latte.

I have to eat at least one yogurt bowl per week. I have also personally taken down a pint+ of blueberries every week for the past several months. This was vanilla bean skyr with maple pecan granola, peanut butter, blueberries, and pineberries.

We adored the peppermint coffee syrup from El Guapo but sadly I was underwhelmed by their Polynesian Kiss bitters; I tried them in coffee, seltzer, and diet coke and thought the flavor wasn’t strong enough.

Meanwhile these Every Body Eat chive and garlic crackers were delightful; like a crispy scallion pancake!

We homemade baked snack mix! Crispix cereal, crispy cheese, cheddar pretzels, and peanuts. I seasoned mine with butter, onion powder, garlic powder, and gochugaru.

If you’re looking for a Valentine’s week treat make Broma Bakery’s single-serve double chocolate cookies. We made them two nights in a row!

This week’s dinner theme (let’s be real, there is almost always a theme) was American classics — reformatted. Poutine — dip-style. Whole Foods frozen garlic and herb parmesan fries (10/10), Jack and Annie’s jackfruit nuggets, and roasted broccoli dipped in homemade chicken gravy.

Turkey reubens — as coleslaw bowls. Russian dressing coleslaw (shredded cabbage with skyr, mayo, dijon, ketchup-style chili sauce, hot sauce, vinegar, and smoked paprika) topped with sauteed ground turkey and crispy cheese bites.

Deviled eggs — egg salad. <– meal win of the week. Hard-boiled egg whites and chopped cornichons dressed with deviled egg filling (hard-boiled yolks, mayo, skyr, dijon, and paprika). Plus shredded brussel sprouts sauteed with garlic and parmesan.

Chicken nachos — as salad. Shredded iceberg lettuce / roasted sweet onion and bell peppers / Cholula medium salsa / extra-sharp cheddar / garlic baked chicken / Beanitos white bean tortilla chips.

Buffalo chicken wings — turned bean burgers. We always love this recipe and it was perfect for Super Bowl dinner. Plus roasted zucchini, store-bought fried ravioli, and a chipotle honey aioli.

Oh Chicken Salad

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Thoughts for the weekend… It is going to be unpleasantly cold all next week so I am hoping to take a long walk around the neighborhood today while it’s still enjoyable to be outside // I recently rediscovered/got ear-wormed by “No Games” by Serani and I play it twice daily at minimum // We bought Webster a blueberry muffin toy and it is delightfully cute.

Best bites from the week…

Peanut butter and jelly yogurt bowl. Plain skyr with blueberries, jam grapes, and the best peanut butter.

A spaghetti and meatballs-ish take on the lasagna soup trend. Sauteed garlic, tomato sauce, and Trader Joe’s tomato and roasted red pepper soup / roasted zucchini / whole-wheat elbow pasta / turkey meatballs (stuffed with panade, garlic, and parmesan) / topped with parmesan.

Chicken salad. Chopped chicken breast with grapes, slivered almonds, scallions, skyr, mayo, dijon, smoked paprika, and salt and pepper. Plus leftover PopUp bagels toasted with butter and roasted purple cauliflower.

Broccoli salad. Roasted broccoli and leftover cauliflower / roasted poblano pepper / baked super-firm tofu / scallions / sesame seeds / dried cranberries / extra-sharp cheddar / sauce – dijon, evoo, lemon juice, honey, and vinegar.