Rose Colored Coffees

Some highlights from this week include…

This week’s coffee combo – Chamberlain espresso roast and homemade rose syrup.

This seed and oat bar was great; it reminded me of one of those old-fashioned sesame bar candies.

Yogurt bowl – plain yogurt with golden nugget mandarin, red plum, honey, Heritage Flakes, and chia seeds.

A taro and salted egg yolk cake from 99 Ranch Market; overall we weren’t impressed with their prepared foods selection but this was fantastic.

Chewy, fruity Japanese candies. The grape ones were the best.

Leftovers of our duck two ways from Glasserie – honey and spice crusted duck breast and braised duck thigh with nuts and raisins in phyllo dough. Plus veggies from home – roasted cauliflower and gojuchang cabbage.

Chicken salad loosely inspired by Waldorf Salad. Shredded chicken with dressing (plain yogurt, mayo, salt, lemon, honey, and horseradish), apple, green onion, celery, toasted cashews, and dried cherries.

Peanut Butter, Pumpkin Butter

Highlights from this past week include…

Iced latte with ube cold foam!

Very into these chocolate peanut butter squares at the moment.

I even put one in a yogurt bowl – with vanilla bean yogurt, cinnamon, banana, and plum.

Yogurt bowl with plain Greek, pumpkin seed butter, pumpkin spice granola, and gumdrop grapes.

This week’s sparkling matchas – yuzu and mango.

This week’s pumpkin beers – the seasonal ale and imperial stout from Southern Tier.

These veggie crisps are great at baseline and even better with homemade guacamole.

I had orange juice in the house for the first time in years so I took the opportunity to make creamsicle milkshakes.

I made an amazing sundae with the guava and soursop ice creams from this fantastic line. Plus sweetened condensed milk, multi-grain Cheerios, and Luxardo cherries.

Brussel sprouts roasted with grapes, turkey kielbasa, white cheddar, and sweet and spicy pecans.

This citrus rice – I skipped the carrots and subbed almonds for cashews – with sautéed fennel and kielbasa. This was our first time cooking fennel – I used the bulb and the fronds – and we loved it.

One-tray sheet-pan hash – potato, sweet potato, red onion, bell peppers, sharp cheddar, and pinto beans, topped with guacamole, sour cream, hot sauce, and heirloom baby tomatoes.

Pumpkin Month

October first means it’s Pumpkin Month!! I’m very excited about this year’s pumpkin item cache.

But first, here were the gourd-free highlights from the last week…

Honey yogurt with blackberries, JUMBO blueberries, maple almond butter granola, and dark chocolate sunflower seed butter.

Yogurt with red plum, cheerios, cinnamon, and mulled cider apple butter (sent from my grandmother in Ohio; thanks, Nana!).

Still in love with the Matcha Bar sparkling cans. Also really enjoyed this canned tepache.

Homemade sparkling mango iced matchas. Can we talk about the fact that I did not drink matcha before this July??! I had a yuzu matcha at Ume and I am obsessed now.

The perfect work snack. My coworkers had somehow never eaten Cow Tails before but they were very into these caramel apple ones.

I enjoyed these dessert cups from Hail Merry, meyer lemon > peanut butter.

Whole Foods hot bar – yellow squash and zucchini, curried cauliflower, roasted potato wedges, and three types of chicken salad.

Chicken tenders, pretzels, and roasted yellow squash and zucchini, with pimento cheese.

Take-out pizza – buffalo chicken and a vodka grandma slice – with leftover roasted yellow squash and zucchini. I probably should vary my vegetables a bit next week!

Is it obvious from my dinner choices that Adam has been out of town at a conference all week?! 🙂

Highlights From The Hudson Valley

Adam and I just spent an absolutely fantastic weekend in the Hudson Valley. We did a day and a half in Hudson followed by a day exploring Tivoli and Woodstock. We had a million coffees and desserts, explored cute downtowns, hiked a bit at the High Falls Conservation Area, and took a quick walk at the Tivoli Bay.

Food and drink highlights include…

Perfectly roasty iced lattes at Hudson Roastery. This was how we started both mornings in Hudson.

Inventive, extra-flakey pastries from Breadfolks in Hudson. This was a lemon meringue danish and a baklava croissant(?!!).

A freshly fried doughnut at Kitty’s Marketplace in Hudson.

We are obsessed with this seltzer, that I have been sadly unable to find back in the city.

Halo halo at Harana Market in Woodstock.

Concord grape sorbet and peanut butter swirl ice cream at Fortunes in Tivoli. This is quite possibly the best ice cream I have ever eaten.

Pupusas with queso and loroco at Casa Latina in Hudson.

Lunch outside at the food truck at Phoenicia Diner in Phoenicia. Sourdough toast with mashed avocado, sweet corn, heirloom tomato, poached egg, lime tofu, and farmers cheese // tuna salad sandwich with line-caught tuna, mayo, herbs, and wasabi tobiko.

A pimento cheese smothered hot dog at The Maker in Hudson.

Woodfired sourdough pizzas at The Mud Club in Woodstock. Bianca Rustica – mozzarella di bufala, vesuvian semi-dry red and yellow tomatoes, and evoo + hot honey // Mellanza de Pesto – tomatoes, roasted eggplant, mozzarella, aged gouda, and house-made pesto.

A terrific dinner at Lil’ Deb’s Oasis in Hudson. Maiden Voyage – rum, spicy vermouth, soursop, tajin salt rim.

Tuna crudo with mango-habanero water, plum, husk cherry, and kohlrabi // sweet plantains with cilantro yogurt.

Crispy potatoes with lime pickle aioli, curry leaf, and pickled chilis.

Bok choy and endive salad with caesar-poblano dressing, pistachios, and anchovy.

Plato tropical – rice, black beans, and garlicy greens.

Fermented lentil dosa with marinated shiitakes, radish, and herbs. I am a sucker for mint in savory dishes and this ended up being one of my favorite things I’ve ever eaten!

All in all, a wonderful weekend!

Apples And Marshmallows

Highlights from the weekend include – amazing coffees, gooey marshmallow desserts, and some of the best Vietnamese food we’ve ever eaten. Also we – went to a Farmers’ Market on the water in Garvies Point, drove up to the tip of the North Fork for a picnic at Orient Point, stopped at several farm stands, walked around an apple orchard, visited a few LI craft breweries, took strolls around Greenport and Greenpoint…

Freddo cappuccino from 99 Franklin.

Quad iced latte from Aldo’s. <– this was hands down the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had and my favorite thing I ate all weekend!

Rice Krispies Treat iced latte from Coffee Booths.

Frozen apple cider in an apple orchard.

A flight of IPAs (plus a pumpkin ale!) from North Fork Brewing. We also tried some great things at Uber Geek.

S’mores babka from Spilt Milk Bakes.

We took Korean fried rice with duck (from Ellen’s) on a picnic at Orient Point.

An Apple Month toasted cheese sandwich – sharp cheddar, smoked turkey, and tons of apple butter on sourdough. With cotton candy grapes and roasted broccoli.

Best dinner of the month at Falansai – a great Vietnamese spot with a koi pond in the back garden! Beef dumplings.

Eggplant with fermented tofu bbq sauce and crispy shallots. Plus a housemade salted plum drink and Vietnamese iced coffee.

Spicy green curry with seasonal veggies and silken tofu. Broken rice on the side.

Coconut chia pudding with plums, peanuts, and hibiscus ice.

Ube, Inari, Cheese

Highlights from a very tasty weekend…

Fresh soursop juice!!

Lunch at Kabiesera. Rice with amazing adobo chicken. Ube iced latte. Ube pastry.

Giant inari (tofu skin stuffed with rice and meat) from Yubu. We got salmon, crab, and spicy tuna.

Chai tow kueh (fried radish cakes) from Queens Night Market.

Mochi dango with red bean and condensed milk.

An epic homemade cheese plate. Smoked goat cheese / red plum / bucheron / whole-wheat matzoh / roasted purple cauliflower / 2 year aged cheddar / espresso-infused dark chocolate / mixed nuts / dried apricots.

We made the best pizza. Trader Joes crust / marinara sauce that we jazzed up with sardines, urfa pepper, gojuchang, chili oil, and tons of garlic / sautéed oyster mushrooms / chicken and wild mushroom sausage / cheese. Plus roasted green beans.

Sort Of Rad

I worked the past three days, so no weekend for me, but I did make time for some yummy food! Highlights include…

Deconstructed apple smiles – an apple with mini marshmallows and a peanut butter breakfast bar. <– recommend

A yogurt bowl with peach, plum, and peanut butter.

Leftovers assortment for a work snack – hard-boiled egg, chicken sausage, radish, bell pepper, and Russian dressing.

Chamoy candies!

Egg salad (with mayo, honey dijon, paprika, and horseradish) plus mini cucumbers, radish, and bell pepper.

Leftover sheet-pan hash topped with havarti cheese, Kewpie, diced radish, pickled jalapenos, and Korean chili flake.

Spicy wok-fried green beans with cheesy scrambled eggs, vegan pork floss, and chili crisp.

Peanut Butter And…

Highlights from the past week – mostly things with peanut butter…

This Oatmega bar was good, if a bit fishy.

Summery yogurt bowl – plan skyr with peanut butter, granola, and tons of stone fruit (apricot, red plum, and white peach).

My co-workers were head over heels for these cookies! This peanut butter chocolate chip recipe + mini marshmallows.

Whole Foods chicken nuggets and honey mustard with roasted brussel sprouts.

Leftover chicken chilaquiles (we made a big batch and froze some a few weeks ago) with scrambled egg, sour cream, cheddar, and hot sauce.

Plus a paloma sour, which I loved.

P.S. As of tomorrow Adam and I are both on vacation! Woo-hoo! My family is coming to visit for a bit and then we’re heading back to Virginia. I’m not planning on carrying a camera but my Instagram should have the highlights.

Sprinkles And Sushi

We were easing ourselves back to work so we kept my birthday weekend pretty low-key.  Adam and I made super exciting, sprinkle-packed coffees and walked around Cold Spring Harbor admiring the flowers in the morning and then got sushi take-out for dinner and  I video-chatted with my parents while opening presents.  And the next night we met up with friends for drinks/dinner/a long walk around Park Slope.  It was perfect!

Highlights include…

Birthday dalgona coffee.

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Quad iced latte from Balancero.

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Fredo cappuccino (espresso blended with ice and topped with frothed milk) from The Grand.  <– my new favorite coffee

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Lox and cream cheese biscuit from Comfortland.

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An epic yogurt bowl – – plain Greek yogurt with cashew butter, plum, plucot, apricot, and Bueno Bar.

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I left key lime pie off of my list of favorite foods the other day, but it’s definitely in the top fifteen!  Westbrook’s Key Lime Pie Gose is fantastic.  I also made a wonderful key lime pie cocktail with lime juice, vodka, sweetened condensed milk, and key lime seltzer.

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Birthday sushi.  I got seaweed salad, a roll with egg and pickled vegetables, and a roll with king crab, crunch, avocado, and spicy mayo.

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Chuko Ramen.  I got the kimchi ramen with soy eggs.  It was so great to see friends for the first time in months… we were sitting outside and only took our masks off to eat and we all felt pretty safe about it.

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Cross your fingers for me that it’s an easy transition back to work, please!

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Soursop And Szechuan Peppers

Today is my 1st day back in at the hospital after a day off and a two-day stint of project days at home.  I had to recertify in ServSafe and I had a big task to work on (updating the Nutrition Department’s Clinical Practice Guidelines to be more current/evidence-based) so my boss let me work from home, which was lovely.   I got to leisurely brew Phin coffee and sip while I worked!  Plus I ate a million snacks.  <– Normally I sit in the ICUs and wear an N-95 for most of the day so I took full advantage of having a free face!

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Highlights included…

The company that makes the instant espresso we love for Dalgona coffees also makes a really good espresso roast.

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Plain Greek yogurt bowl with blackberries, peach, cashew butter, and a chopped up Bueno Bar.  <– I realize it is ridiculous to stir a candy bar into your lunch but this was breath-takingly good and I’m glad I did it!

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Vanilla skyr yogurt bowl with blackberries, black plum, cashew butter, coconut chips, and starry sprinkles.

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Adam and I had to go into Manhattan for a doctor’s appointment so we stopped by Bibble and Sip for a cream puff.  A cream puff topped with crème brûlée and filled with milk tea cream and boba!

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I snacked on nuts every day this week.  These sweet Thai chili almonds were a favorite.

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Still obsessed with Hal’s caffeinated cola seltzer.

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Adam and are both head over heels for these dinner mints.  We made it through 12 years of marriage before we realized we are both fans of these guys!

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This soursop ice cream was possibly the very best packaged ice cream I’ve ever tasted.

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I topped this cheese enchilada meal with more cheese, sour cream, and Crystal hot sauce and it was 10/10.  P.S. I highly recommend Amy’s frozen meal options, this one is good even if you aren’t over the top about it.

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There’s a newish poke place in our neighborhood that lets you add a thousand toppings.  This was white rice with crabcake, tofu, eel sauce, spicy mayo, cucumber, shiitakes, shredded carrot, string bean, green onion, tamago (shredded egg omelet), oshinko (pickled veggies), inari (tofu skin), garlic crisps, and lotus chips.

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Blistered green beans – sauteed with garlic, ginger, and chili oil – with Trader Joe’s mini chicken and cilantro wontons.

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Have a great – safe, distanced – weekend!

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