Green With Satisfaction

by Emily

Some weekend highlights…

St. Patrick’s Day iced latte. A Shamrock vanilla protein shake that I dyed green plus Starbucks espresso and pistachio sauce. I also topped it with gold sprinkles! This tasted fantastic.

Hometown Bakeshop‘s insane tres leches cake iced latte.

I also brought home a s’mores bar and a blondie that were some of the gooiest and most decadent desserts we’ve ever tasted.

Will I ever get tired of yogurt bowls? Unlikely! Plain Greek with blueberries, blackberries, Heritage Flakes, and chocolate chips.

We both were fans of these lemon frosted Trader Joe’s animal crackers. Crispy without being too crunchy and the lemon was well-balanced.

Loaded salad from Burrito Blvd. With chicken, zucchini, tomato, corn salsa, and cheese. I added ranch dressing and hot sauce at home. Plus chips and guacamole.

We got take-out from Brooklyn Dip & Burger and their steak sandwich blew my mind. Thin sliced black angus ribeye, cheddar, and five spice dusted fried onions on a buttery brioche hero. Plus a mountain of fries that were crispy and well-seasoned. We got a bunch of their appetizers and loved those too!

Brie-bimpap bowls, inspired by Cafe Maddy. I bought light Brie at Trader Joe’s and it tasted like nothing and thus added nothing to the bowl but my bibimpap base was a 10/10. Brown rice / terrible brie / this sauce / crispy tofu – extra-firm tofu that I shredded and marinated (gochugaru, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar) overnight before baking at 400 degrees for 40 minutes / sauteed brown beech mushrooms / roasted zucchini / frozen chopped spinach sauteed with chili oil, sesame oil, and sesame seeds / fried egg.

Sushi roll bowl. Leftover brown rice reheated with gochugaru, Sichuan pepper salt, seaweed, and butter / Sriracha salmon salad made with Kewpie, Sriracha, and hot smoked salmon / spicy cucumber salad / pickled ginger.

15Mar2024

Pie Versus Cake

by Emily

Things from this week — It was 70 degrees yesterday and the dog and I took an afternoon walk sans coats! Adam and I started watching Farzar on Netflix – it is basically just Paradise PD in space but both shows are so funny I can’t even fault them. Thursday was Pi(e) Day and Sunday is St. Patrick’s Day – so many theme food opportunities.

Food things —

Cherry pie smoothie – frozen dark cherries, salted caramel granola, water, vanilla protein powder, vanilla extract, brown sugar, and cinnamon.

Yogurt bowl win – plain Greek, yuzu marmalade, blueberries and blackberries, and granola.

Iced matcha with yuzu marmalade and yuzu mandarin seltzer. <– I am hooked on this combination

Adam got a Zero Gravity Irish cream porter for St. Patrick’s Day so I tried their Power Jones IPA – 9/10.

I was so excited to find these puddings at 99 Ranch but we ended up throwing them out; they tasted like slightly milky gelatin.

Haribo lemon ginger chews. Better than gummy bears but not as good as the grapefruit slices.

Cake! We brought this home from Butterfield over the weekend. This sprinkled/cookies and cream frosting filled slice is one of my favorite desserts in NYC.

I searched for this limited edition Tillamook ice cream since last summer and it fully lived up to my expectations.

This Sriracha shrimp bowl from Trader Joe’s has consistently been my favorite frozen meal option for years now. I always top it with Kewpie and more Sriracha and it is so satisfying.

Roast’s St. Patrick’s Day sandwich special – corned beef reuben with swiss, sauerkraut, onion rings, and thousand island dressing on marble rye. Plus fries and rainbow cauliflower (Trader Joe’s frozen bag that I sauteed with evoo, salt, pepper, and celery seed – delicious).

Our best meal of the week took less than 20 minutes to make. Buckwheat soba / sauteed celery / Korean steamed eggs (made with water, miso, and fish sauce) / sesame oil, sesame seeds, and chili crisp.

A take on okonomiyaki – roasted cabbage and green onion, shredded egg tofu, white pepper, gochugaru, minced ginger, flour, baking soda, lime seltzer, and eggs. Topped with Kewpie and Sriracha.

8Mar2024

Pizza Pizza Pizza Pizza

by Emily

Some things from this week that weren’t pizza (but are mostly fruit and/or yogurt and/or dessert) –

Cherry cheesecake Chobani yogurt and a sumo orange. 5.5/10 – I need to accept that I mostly prefer the flavor of plain yogurts. That said, I added granola and the texture was fantastic.

Loaded yogurt bowl. Plain Greek with peanut butter, a Reese’s caramel peanut butter big cup (!!), granola, and blueberries.

Berry smoothie. This was good, I don’t know why the dog looks so dubious. Frozen cherries and berries blended with water, vanilla protein powder, and matcha tea powder.

Trader Joe’s had several pizza-flavored crunchy snacks and obviously that spawned a whole theme week for dinner –

Pizza Party kettle chips. 7.5/10 – they were excellently seasoned but ultimately I didn’t love how tomato-y these were.

Pizza flavored baked crisps. 6.5/10 – these were a bit too airy for me but Adam was a fan.

Homemade pizza bagels. Everything egg bagels with marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, and turkey pepperoni. Plus some heirloom tomato.

Homemade pizza bites. This recipe – I skipped the basil but added turkey pepperoni, gochugaru, and ranch seasoning. Plus roasted broccoli and cauliflower and a homemade blue cheese dip (Greek yogurt, mayo, lemon juice, ranch seasoning, and blue cheese crumbles).

Supreme pizza inspired nachos. Pizza party chips with mozzarella, sharp cheddar, Trader Joe’s plant-based pepperoni, chicken parmesan sausage, red onion, green bell pepper, and mushrooms. This was a spot-on flavor match! Plus marinara/chili oil for dipping.

Actual pizza. We got takeout from Dario’s and loved it. Eggplant and ricotta / birria / spicy chicken and peppers. This was the best eggplant pizza I’ve ever had.

26Feb2024

Lula Mae Fan (Fan)

by Emily

Some highlights from an exceptionally delicious weekend…

Homemade cookie dough cold foam iced latte with frothed milk, brown sugar, vanilla bean paste, and baking soda.

Banana sesame protein coffee. Blended – coffee, chocolate milk, frozen banana, black sesame paste, vanilla protein powder.

Cookies and creme protein bar. Yes, I paired this with the cookie latte.

Golda. Breakfast plate – two eggs [over easy], spiced home fries, sourdough toast, and housemade hot sauce.

Brooklyn Kolache. We shared pimento cheese, beef sausage, and a sweet poppy seed.

Also a wonderful ube iced latte.

Fan Fan Doughnuts. I was underwhelmed by the dough today, sadly, but the toppings were top-notch. Dark chocolate with meringue / salted brown butter / lemon / Iranian Love with labne frosting.

Petee’s Pie. I am sad that we slept on this spot for so long because we were quite impressed. I had the Maine blueberry crumble pie with maple whipped cream.

These jelly sake cans – particularly in yuzu – are one of my favorite things.

This photo isn’t that exciting but it’s mostly a reminder to myself that the chicken and poblano pepper burrito from Whole Foods is pretty darn good.

I forgot to take a photo of my turkey cheeseburger salad – red lettuce, sauteed red kale, ranch dressing, ground turkey, tomatoes, extra-sharp cheddar, and sesame seeds – but we paired it with creamy dill potato chips.

Lula Mae – Cambodian food and the best meal of 2024. They had a pre-fixe happening for Restaurant Week and we got to try a ton of (amazing!) things. Spicy mezcal mule and a Tokyo Mae – Suntori whiskey, Cynar, yuzu, anise, and sarsaparilla bitters.

Cha kway fried bread with tom yum butter and pickles. <– mindblowing

Tuna on crispy rice.

50:50 fried chicken – dry rubbed with a lemon pepper dressing and a soy tamarind sauce.

Braised short-rib and morning glory greens in a tamarind stew.

26Jan2024

Root Beer Float

by Emily

Highlights from the week…

I bought this cute squeezie-tube sweetened condensed milk and enjoyed it in some fun coffees. INCLUDING root beer with cold brew and condensed milk and coconut water with instant espresso and condensed milk.

Yogurt bowl – plain skyr with blueberries, blackberries, chia seeds, almond crunch granola, and Oat Haus vanilla granola butter.

Blackberries and an Autumn Glory apple with granola butter.

The best citrus fruit (Sumo mandarins) with the best bar (Perfect cookie dough).

Trader Joe’s garlic hummus with rosemary and olive oil crackers.

Mentioning again how much I enjoy the passionfruit mochi from Bubbies.

I was a big fan of this Heartbreaker canned cocktail from Livewire; it was balanced and not too sweet.

Root beer with golden rum and sweetened condensed milk; this was even better than a float.

This is a photo of my chips and guacamole appetizer because burritos are unphotogenic, but I did have a great steak burrito from Burrito Blvd with zucchini, corn, cheese, rice, and serrano mayo.

A wonderful and wonderfully easy dinner thanks to a microwavable base.

Quinoa and Nasoya Korean bbq plant-based steak (we loved this, the taste and texture were perfect) plus peanuts and a cold cucumber salad with tahini and gojuchang.

Creamy crab and tomato pasta. Buckwheat soba noodles / crab claws / roasted zucchini / sauce – shallots, garlic, butter, fresno chili, tomato paste, smoked paprika, half and half / topped with gochugaru and lemon zest.

This dinner was unhinged but successful – turkey cheeseburger egg salad! Ground turkey and medium-boiled eggs with sauteed shallots, chopped dill pickle, cheddar cheese, sesame seeds, paprika, mayo, and yellow mustard.

Plus potato tots and roasted broccoli with a homemade Greek yogurt ranch.

19Jan2024

Over The Weather

by Emily

We started out the week with a pretty horrific bout of food-borne illness, so that was fun. I spent several days not eating or eating Easy Mac and canned fruit, so this will be a short post.

The first thing I ate and enjoyed this week was this bowl of chocolate cereal with blueberries and pineberries.

And we managed to get it together for some great dinners the last two nights! Homemade chili (which I realize is a just bonkers thing to make on the heels of GI distress) plus beer bread with blueberry jam. Tons of shallots, yellow and orange bell pepper, poblano pepper, roasted diced tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and pepper, smoked paprika, chicken broth, cannellini beans, and shredded chicken breast. Topped with plain skyr, cheddar, green onions, and hot sauce.

Related – beer bread makes an excellent snack.

Cheesy breakfast tots sheet-pan hash. Adam said that the composition of this meal was not flattering, but it was delicious. All roasted on same sheet-pan – zucchini, green onion, poblano pepper, frozen potato tots, chicken breakfast sausage, eggs, and cheddar.

5Jan2024

I Am A Little Stitious

by Emily

Hello, 2024! I am not superstitious, but I do like to start every new year with a run and some traditionally lucky foods. This year we got in black eyed peas, collard greens, and grapes. Plus something sweet for a sweet year!

Highlights from a tasty week…

1/1/24 brunch date at For Five while I set up my planner.

I got a roasted turkey sandwich with cheese, sprouts, and avocado.

Plain skyr with strawberries, persimmon, and sugar cookie granola.

These jelly sakes are my favorite drink. Related – we played trivia at a bar midweek and got to try Abomination Brewing’s Christmas cookie Fog Nog (fantastic).

Hawaiian fruit jellies; the starfruit and passionfruit ones were obviously the best.

The best snack plate of the year – Trader Joe’s Chicken Tikka samosas (with spicy truffle mayo and plum sauce) / Lolliberry strawberries / jam grapes.

Not a bad runner up – soy marinated eggs / cucumber / cheddar.

Dinner on the 1st – sauteed collard greens with green onion and garlic and black eyed pea salad with garlic and black pepper almonds, green bell pepper, Kerrygold Dubliner cheddar, and mayo and chipotle Cholula.

We tried the Bombay Sando from Oak and Orange – toasted ciabatta with grilled chicken, amul cheese, seasoned potatoes, pickled red onions, and a housemade chutney. Plus the best green smoothie I’ve ever made – frozen spinach, banana, and cherries, fresh tangerine, and water.

Sheetpan hash. Roasted brussels sprouts, grapes, poblano peppers, sweet potato, and chili verde chicken sausage with green onion and dried cranberries. I went back and topped this with a maple-Cholula aioli.

31Dec2023

Goodbye, 2023

by Emily

Blogging a day early… My New Years Eve celebration of choice has always been going to bed at a reasonable hour and starting the new year refreshed. We are finishing our year with junk food and a nice bottle of champagne 🙂

Things from the last days of 2023 included…

Butterscotch iced latte from Think Coffee.

The cinnamon bun Chamberlain Coffee didn’t have enough flavor for us but the grapefruit elderflower Aura Bora is my favorite.

We met up with friends for coffee, a Bayside walk, and crepes. Mine had red bean, matcha ice cream, strawberries, and chocolate sauce. Plus I got a jasmine tea with an ice-bear.

Mexican street corn popcorn. I don’t love pre-popped popcorn but this variety was well-seasoned and a bit spicy.

Caramel on caramel. Great caramels that my parents made and even better Reese’s caramel big cups (sorry guys, yours would have won against a lesser candy!).