Tag Archives: potato

Bulgogi, Burger, Babka

by

We had a wonderful NY weekend, complete with trips to Red Hook, Brooklyn and Astoria, Queens!

Some highlights…

Blueberry muffin frozen coffee. Coffee blended with frozen blueberries, frozen banana, vanilla protein powder, malted milk powder, and butter extract.

Humble Cafe iced matcha latte with guava syrup. This was fantastic. Plus a matcha mochi cookie.

Homemade chocolate banana iced matcha. Water and milk blended with frozen banana, chocolate protein powder, Dutch-processed cocoa powder, and brown sugar, topped with a shot of matcha.

Chocolate sandwich cookie from Baked.

I have been coveting From Kora since 2020 and they finally have a storefront so we tried a little of everything. Ube Babka Swirl with and ube butter filling / a special – laminated pastry with short rib, mushrooms, and bearnaise / Chocolate Chunk Cookie / Leche Flan Ni Lola, a brioche doughnut topped with caramel and some of the best flan I’ve ever had / Coffee Cruller / Calamansi Rosemary Cornbread Sable. Our standout favorite was the babka followed by the sable. It all traveled/kept well.

Between the Bagel Seoul Meets Bagel – a toasted everything with American cheese, spicy mayo, bulgogi, and kimchi. This was amazing; it was Adam’s favorite thing of the weekend a close second to the babka for me. The owner also handed out delicious bulgogi arancini and Nutella banana pudding. P.S. my photo does not do justice to how huge this was!

Red Hook Tavern. We, of course, got the burger but were actually a bit disappointed; our patty was overdone and we didn’t love the volume of raw onion.

On the other hand, their cavatelli with oxtail ragu and garlic breadcrumbs is one of our favorite pastas in the city.

Summer Salad

by

Things from the week…

It is my birthday month so I, of course, opened my stash of birthday cake coffee concentrates.

Trader Joe’s sparkling matcha lemonade. Not too sweet but the flavor was weak.

Fruity candies. The freeze-dried orange slices were okay (good texture but the flavor was off) but we loved the strawberry gummy assortment from Trader Joe’s.

We are head over heels for protein peanut butter cups this week. 2 tablespoons of peanut butter mixed with 1 Tbsp malted milk powder, 1 Tbsp vanilla protein powder (for texture), 1 Tbsp total maple and/or honey, and a pinch of salt; topped with chocolate shell.

Summer salad! Heirloom tomatoes with plum, peach, nectarine, pan-fried paneer, and crispy roasted chickpeas, topped with salt, chili oil, honey, and balsamic vinegar.

We paired our mostly fruit salad with a side of roasted romanesco, which was delicious.

This meal was a watery fail and I am blogging it to remind myself not to put cold silken tofu on top of dumplings again. Silken tofu / pan-fried Trader Joe’s Thai shrimp gyoza / celery and green onion sauteed with garlic, Sichuan pepper, and white pepper / homemade dumpling sauce – rice vinegar, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, chili oil, sugar, sesame seeds, green onion, and chopped smoked almonds.

BBQ plates. Mashed potato salad (we overcooked our potatoes so we leaned into the mashed vibe and made them extra creamy) with celery and cornichon pickles, dressed with plain Skyr, Duke’s mayo, Dijon mustard, pickle brine, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. Turkey meatballs with panade, egg, ranch seasoning, bbq sauce, and shredded sharp cheddar. And roasted green beans.

I don’t know what to call this bowl but the combination worked! Roasted zucchini and orange sweet potato topped with pan-fried paneer and tempeh sauced with Dijon, rice vinegar, and apricot jam.

Coconut Iced Coffee

by

Completely unintentionally, the bulk of what I have to share from this weekend is coconut iced coffees. I’m not mad about it. The highlights…

New York Beanery‘s seasonal special – Moonbeam Iced Latte – coconut-infused espresso with coconut sweet cream and marshmallows.

See also – Cholita‘s Cocada – espresso with oat milk, sweetened condensed milk, and coconut.

Finally, we had brunch at Hellbender and I had a coconut shakerato. And a spicy Bloody Maria!

Hellbender is one of our favorite restaurants in the city and this was our first time trying their new brunch menu so we shared a bunch of things. Crispy lamb taco with avocado salsa, onion, and cilantro. 10/10.

Soft scrambled egg tostada with black beans, cheddar cheese, salsa macha, and sesame. This was my favorite dish of the meal. Plus chorizo-spiced crispy potatoes.

We didn’t love our heirloom masa pancakes because they tasted a bit burnt but if the edges weren’t overdone I could see this being fantastic.

Jell-o flavor of the day for dessert – coconut lime. Definitely the best jell-o I’ve ever eaten.

I find Chip City hit or miss but I was a fan of the oatmeal cream thinwich.

Chicken and waffle fries! Waffle fries with sharp cheddar, maple syrup, crispy chicken, and a crispy Whole Food’s Belgium waffle.

Plus a jumbo salad for balance – romaine with Trader Joe’s cilantro dressing, baby tomatoes, cucumber salad (thinly sliced cucumbers with sugar, salt, and togarashi), raisins, and smoked almonds.

Spicy California Roll Bowls With Crispy Rice

by

I’m at work today but starting bright and early tomorrow — I am on vacation! I am eating a take-out burrito bowl while I type but here is some of what I ate before we ran out of groceries…

Smoothie – frozen banana, blueberries, and cherries, Greek yogurt, honey, water, matcha, and vanilla protein powder.

We tried a new to us clear protein drink and were fans; this was nice and thirst-quenching.

Trader Joe’s Crunchy Curls and Everything and the Elote dip are a snack dream team.

Obviously I bought this Dubai chocolate sundae gelato. The mix-ins were a little sparse but I topped it with extra pistachio butter and chocolate shell!!

Beans with beans. Crispy beans – baked cannellini beans with evoo, panko, corn starch, salt, urfa pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder / with spicy green beans – steamed and then sauteed with evoo and butter, chopped kimchi and piquante peppers, walnuts, salt, white pepper, and sugar.

Taco turkey bowls with brown rice / baked cabbage with evoo, salt, pepper, and ranch seasoning / taco and nacho Quest protein chips / ground turkey sauteed with Jamaican curry powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder / sharp cheddar / sauteed bell pepper and green onion with lemon / and I topped my bowl with Blind Betty hot sauce.

Spicy California roll bowls with crispy rice. Crispy rice – leftover rice baked until crispy with dark soy sauce, chili crisp, sugar, and sesame oil / salad – cucumber, avocado, green onion, and imitation crab with soy sauce, rice vinegar, and ponzu sauce / furikake.

Pistachio, Passionfruit, Pickles

by

Some things from the weekend…

This pistachio butter was perfect in an iced latte.

Also in an ice cream sundae! Jeni’s darkest chocolate with pistachio butter, Heritage Flakes, and Trader Joe’s chocolate shell.

Yogurt bowl – plain Greek with blueberries and tons of fresh passionfruit.

We did not care for this Trader Joes tarragon chicken salad wrap. The flavor was hollow; we split it and neither of us wanted to finish our half.

But I did quite enjoy their packaged southwest salad.

We got take-out from the Burger Spot for the 1st time so we ordered a bunch of things to try — Country Veggie salad – chopped kale, cabbage, avocado, cucumbers, cranberries, red onion, and a homemade veggie patty with cilantro ranch dressing / fries and onion rings (their sauces were all a 10/10!) / chicken parm sandwich – chicken fillet with marinara and mozzarella on ciabatta / and the special chicken burger with pickled jalapenos, pickles, coleslaw, cheddar, and bourbon sauce. We will be back!

We also had a shockingly good meal at Little Beet – herby rice with charred broccoli, smoky maple carrots (some of the best vegetables I’ve ever eaten!), baked tofu, and chimichurri.

Savory oatmeal bowl. Trader Joe’s rolled oats with ancient grains and seeds / frozen broccoli sauteed with gochujang, ginger, fish sauce, and gouda / fried egg / chili crisp.

Milk Tea, Pistachio, Rose

by

We have one more work-week before we go on a vacation and my motivation to adult has already left the building. There was no dinner theme this week, just vibes, but we did have some good packaged snacks! Highlights…

El Guapo rose syrup. Enjoyed in an iced coffee (pretty good) and an iced matcha with lemon seltzer (I am between matcha brands so the drink in total wasn’t very good but I would definitely attempt this again).

Tochi milk tea popcorn. 10/10. I don’t always love pre-popped popcorn but this texture was perfectly crisp. We loved the sweet/salty/earthy flavor profile.

Obviously I bought this Dubai chocolate pistachio tiramisu from a local grocery.

I also obviously bought this Buddy’s Detroit-style frozen cheese pizza. We were fans – this was well-seasoned and the crust got nicely crispy. Made into a dinner with some chicken salads.

Waldorf-style chicken salad. Cubed baked chicken with celery, green onion, Honeycrisp apple, raisins, walnuts, Trader Joe’s sweet and spicy pecans, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, Greek yogurt, mayo, Dijon, lemon juice, and honey.

Served with sauteed asparagus with lemon and a [bag of] Bloody Mary [kettle chips] for a country club feel.

Chicken tot pie. This was made with baked chicken, zucchini, celery, leek, and tons of spices. We used butter, flour, vegetable stock, and Dijon mustard for our sauce – no cream – and thought it turned out great. Baked with frozen potato tots on top.

Blackbird Blueberry

by

Highlights from the weekend…

Buzz’d Express Coffee‘s monthly special is a cinnamon roll latte.

Dessert-y yogurt bowl – plain skyr with Trader Joe’s chocolate shell, crunchy peanut butter, cookie dough granola, and tons of blueberries.

We both love those these Whole Food’s sour citrus slice candies.

Dinner at Blackbird. The food was great, the lighting was not. Among other things we had a wonderful salad with medjool dates, almonds, pecarino, and a mustard vinaigrette. And homemade pasta with short-rib ragu!

Sourdough pasta with food-processed roasted bell pepper, green onion, jarred piquante peppers, evoo, and walnuts. Plus cheese. And roasted cauliflower on the side.

Potato hash with poblano peppers, bell peppers, green onion, urfa, and gochugaru. Plus roasted Chinese eggplants with a spicy peanut sauce (peanut butter, gochujang, rice vinegar, dark soy sauce, white sugar, and water) and sesame seeds.

Pickle Honey Mustard

by

It was an eclectic but tasty week. P.S. My best meal was at The Tyger catching up with out of town family (two sets of aunts and uncles!) – best bite was specifically the “Morning Glory,” stir-fried water spinach, with chili, garlic, and shrimp paste – but I took a long walk first and didn’t have my camera. Some highlights…

Smash Foods sunflower butter and strawberry jam bites. These are in my top-five favorite “bars.”

I always have to eat at least one yogurt bowl a week – plain Greek with blueberries, blackberries, and Heritage Flakes cereal.

I think every baked good is better mixed with plain Greek yogurt! This was a cookie dough chocolate cake (plus 99 Acres chocolate sunflower seed butter and blackberries).

Boba tea from Gong Cha. I did an iced black milk tea with black and white bobas <– the mix is definitely the way to go.

Turkey cheeseburger meatballs (ground turkey, salt, white pepper, panko bread crumbs, cream, ketchup, sesame seeds, chopped pickles, and sharp cheddar) with baked fries (tossed in smoked paprika and ranch seasoning) and the best snap peas (sauteed until almost charred with crumbly gouda, walnuts, and gochugaru).

Nachos! Whole Food’s honey mustard kettle chips with gruyere, gouda, chopped cornichon and sweet gherkin pickles, sauteed poblano pepper and green onion, and tofu cubes (marinated in pickle juice, baked, then sauteed with the best sauce – Trader Joe’s dill pickle mustard, gochujang, rice vinegar, honey, and a bit of water). Plus roasted broccoli.

Loaded tuna salad – canned tuna, chopped pickles and Trader Joe’s sweet and hot jalapenos, crunched honey mustard chips, pickle mustard, mayo, and Greek yogurt – with baked green beans.