Last week we ended our work-week early and took some vacation days to go home to St. Thomas! Runs along the ocean, iced coffees while walking on the beach, and family time were just what I needed! My mom’s entire side of the family was down and we had a fantastic family reunion.
I took no food photos, only (a thousand) beach photos. Things I ate of note – 1) Fish Bar‘s smoked fish dip at a delicious dinner with my cousins 2) Soursop coquito that was sweet and creamy and boozy and wonderful 3) My mom’s homemade dumb bread – with cheese and butter – that was the best thing I ate this quarter
I had to work the holiday so we flew back in time to celebrate our first Christmas/Hannukah in our new home! {have I mentioned on there that we bought a condo? It’s been a whirlwind}
Five holiday things…
1) This week’s eggnog iced coffee was the best yet. Farmland wins this year by a mile.
2) Chinese take-out for Christmas Eve dinner felt perfect and festive. From Orchid where we will be going again shortly.
3) Red and green nachos for Christmas dinner. Kettle chips / cheese / duck sausage / roasted red bell pepper / garlic sauteed broccoli rabe.
4) Abomination Brewing‘s gingerbread and eggnog double IPAs. 100/10. These are my favorite beverages (alcoholic or otherwise) of all time.
5) Trader Joe’s thoughts — frozen vegetable and cheese enchiladas – 0/10. They were watery and under seasoned; I gave up after three bites and threw them out.
Pink Lady cinnamon sugar apple chips – 10/10. These were perfectly sour and sweet and nicely crunchy.
The 1st week of December has been fantastically festive!
Highlights include…
Red and green yogurt bowl; plain skyr with frosted bran flakes, strawberries, and pumpkin seed butter.
One of Blue Bottle‘s winter specials is a chocolate mint Nola.
I was not a fan of either of these “winter” energy drinks.
But I loved this Target brand eggnog in iced coffees.
Also with iced matcha.
Leftover brownies from Thanksgiving. I make the Baker’s Chocolate recipe – with the addition of chocolate chips and espresso powder! – and they always get rave reviews.
White chocolate peppermint ice cream from Jeni’s; it is pink!
Malai‘s ice cream has the perfect texture and their nutmeg flavor tastes exactly like eggnog.
Taco salads. Spinach / baby bell peppers / homemade dressing with Greek yogurt, mayo, lime, and ranch seasoning / sharp cheddar / Love Corn sour cream and onion corn nuts <– 10/10 / ground turkey and sweet onion sauteed with fajita seasoning / Frontera double roasted tomato salsa.
Nachos with baby bell peppers instead of chips (plus leftover turkey, salsa, and tons of sharp cheddar). I know this sounds like a bad TikTok trend but these were delicious.
Chilaquiles casserole. A spin on this recipe with shredded chicken; roasted bell pepper, poblano pepper, zucchini, and scallion; crushed tortilla chips; sharp cheddar; salsa; and eggs and chicken broth.
We’ve been to TWO holiday pop-ups already. Both were fabulously decorated and unflatteringly lit. Sunday – Sunday in Brooklyn‘s Snowday in Brooklyn.
We thought their themed drinks were great/better than last year. Noggin’ Toboggan – Australian whiskey, allspice, eggnog soft-serve, and Thai tea soda / Yule Shoot Yer Rye Out! – NY Distilling Jaywalk rye, Japanese whiskey, pawpaw fruit, pineapple, artichoke amaro, and curry leaf.
Polar Bear Club – frozen rum, Aquavit, coconut, pineapple, banana, and coffee bean.
North Pole Dancer – Haku vodka, passionfruit, popcorn tea, saffron, and sparkling sake. This was my favorite of the night and not just because it came with caramel corn.
We also had some really wonderful food. Wood-fired pita topped with spinach, artichoke, white cheddar, and bechamel.
Roasted honeynut squash with coffee tahini, brown butter, and a watercress salad.
Wood-roasted brussel sprouts with toasted pistachio, golden raisins, and lemon gremolata. <– these were 10/10 leftover
French Dip – grilled brisket, provolone, Gold’s mustard, and beef jus.
Wood-roasted chicken with Herb De Provence, roasted garlic jus, and seasoned fries.
Wednesday – Leyenda‘s Sleyenda. I am not a talented enough photographer to deal with their low lighting but they were decked to the nines.
I also only took a single food photo even though we great drinks and dinner. We shared fried plantains and I had the Panuchos – fried corn tortillas topped with coconut habanero shrimp, refried black beans, avocado, and pickled onions. Once again the themed drinks were great and better than last year! My favorite (always) was the frozen Candy Striper – Diplomatico planas rum, cachaca, coconut, maple, vanilla, peppermint, and cardamom.
No post last weekend because we were busy moving into OUR condo. We all (Webster included!) love it here and I feel very thankful.
Things from the past week…
Thanksgiving-themed foods abound!
I was in a celebratory mood and bought eggnog from my coffee one week early.
11/10 yogurt bowl – plain skyr with frosted bran flakes, blackberries, and persimmon.
I am a big fan of these chia Smash Bites. Blueberry and cashew butter.
Baskin Robbins seasonal ice creams – eggnog and pumpkin cheesecake. <– way better than I was anticipating, the pumpkin was loaded with cheesecake pieces and marshmallow swirl.
It’s soup season. This one was great. Chicken broth / canned diced tomatoes / roasted zucchini / sauteed onion and celery / baked chicken meatballs with garlic, panko, half and half, and hot sauce. Plus Trader Joe’s ciabatta.
Thanksgiving dinner-inspired fried rice. Leftover white rice and roasted cauliflower rice refried with eggs, smoked paprika, celery seed, butter, spicy candied pecans, dried cranberries, Trader Joe’s oven-roasted turkey breast, and sauteed onion, celery, and cremini mushroom. I topped my bowl with cranberry sauce and chipotle Cholula.
Thanksgiving dinner-inspired crunchwrap from Roast. Turkey, white cheddar, stuffing, cranberry jam, crispy onions, green beans, and mashed potatoes. Plus leftover zucchini and some blackberries.
Thanksgiving dinner nachos! Stuffing chips with Trader Joe’s unexpected cheddar, smoked turkey ham, spicy candied pecans, dried cranberries, poblanos and scallions sauteed in butter with celery seed, and topped with cranberry sauce. Plus leftover Thai green beans sauteed with gojuchang and cranberry.
Current yogurt bowl – plain Greek, blueberries and blackberries, and frosted bran flakes.
Target’s version of Thanksgiving stuffing potato chips. I don’t think they are as good as the original Trader Joe’s version but Adam loved them (I am a kettle chip loyalist).
The Nuts Factory birthday cake bar was good but not what I was expecting (some sort of cake butter); it was literally a slice of cake enrobed in chocolate.
Butternut squash bowls. Roasted with roasted shredded brussel sprouts, dried cherries, Trader Joe’s sweet and spicy pecans, duck fennel sausage, and sauce (mayo, German mustard, honey, lemon juice, and Crystal hot sauce).
A take on our favorite broccoli salad. Roasted broccoli, red onion, and white beans with dried cherries and a fantastic sauce (food processed – cilantro, macadamia nuts, smoked sardines, gochugaru, pepper, evoo, honey, and Trader Joe’s sweet and spicy pickled jalapenos). Plus roasted delicata squash.
Leftovers on leftovers. Plus Whole Food’s buffalo chicken nuggets.
I – of course – have a stash of Thanksgiving Month themed foods.
I didn’t try any of those this weekend but I did have pie cookies from Whole Foods – pumpkin and pecan (6/10 and 10/10).
Another amazing Whole Food’s snack – salt and pepper kettle chips and caramelized onion dip.
The snack I will never tire of – plain Greek yogurt with cereal and blueberries.
We made the best grilled cheese sandwich I’ve ever eaten this weekend. With sharp cheddar, cream cheese, blueberry jam, and gochujang. Plus honey mustard sauteed green beans.
I have family in town and we are going to meet up today and do fun city stuff!
Some things from the 1st half of the weekend…
People rave about Clean Simple Eats so I snagged a mint chocolate cookie to try in coffee but unfortunately I thought it’s flavor was too fake sugar forward (as in I am not excited about the eggnog packet I obviously also bought).
Drowned Lands Scythe Pumpkin Ale. I was not a fan but Adam loved it.
Kettle’s spicy pimento cheese chips were just begging to be a huge pile of nachos. With sharp cheddar, Trader Joe’s sweet and spicy pecans, and super-firm tofu that we shredded, baked, and tossed in homemade bbq sauce. Plus roasted rainbow cauliflower.
Homemade breakfast. A sandwich with scrambled eggs, sharp cheddar, and Trader Joe’s pumpkin butter. Plus wonderful berries and a Vietnamese iced latte.
Trader Joe’s jalopeno and cream cheese wontons. These are good, better and spicier than I was expecting.
Pumpkin beers! Southern Tier Caramel Pumpking (9.5/10 – this was so sweet and creamy, my favorite so far this year) and Schlafly vanilla pumpkin ale (8/10 – very nice for a pumpkin beer but not something I would reach for year round).
I got bar food take-out on Friday. Popcorn chicken bites with Memphis bbq dry rub and Cajun fries. Plus roasted broccoli from home. <– yes, we accidentally made too much broccoli last week
So that Saturday I had leftover fries available for chili cheese fries! Fries topped with leftover pumpkin turkey chili and tons of Trader Joe’s unexpected cheddar. Plus pickled jalopenos on top and Trader Joe’s buffalo chicken dip on the side. Plus more broccoli.
I am showing you Sunday’s dinner both to prove that I occasionally eat grown-up food and to remind me of how wonderfully this salad kept. Leftover kale salad with leftover roasted squash that I sauteed with a peanut butter gochujang sauce.
Eating Chalk 