Tag Archives: salad

Pie Not Spice

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It’s Pumpkin Month! Over the years I’ve accepted that I like pumpkin but not pumpkin spice. That said, with the numerous varieties of pumpkin beers that exist now I still had a pretty giant gourd cache this year.

P.S. Sunday night Adam and I went on a seasonal date to buy a big pumpkin and try the Wendy’s pumpkin spice frosty (the initial flavor was an 8/10 but the aftertaste was too much spice. I also tried the new nacho chicken sandwich – also only ok)

Highlights from the weekend included…

Green protein smoothie – frozen chopped spinach and banana blended with a Premier Protein cake batter.

This bar has been one of my top-three favorites for more than five years.

Spicy rice cake snack. These were almost too spicy and very satisfying.

These Trader Joe’s brigadeiros were good but not great.

This dirt cake Ben & Jerry’s was very good but not great.

Meanwhile, this ice cream cozy my mom bought me for my birthday is one of the best things we own!

Salad night. Romaine / baby bell peppers / Trader Joe’s strawberry basil vinaigrette / Beecher’s Flagship cheddar / dried cherries / bacon-seasoned crunchy mung beans / super-firm tofu that I shredded; tossed with canola oil, white pepper, and Sichuan pepper salt; and roasted.

Sandwich and salad night; Adam and I split two things from Roast. The weekly special – bbq brisket, cheddar, crispy onions, peach slaw, and a cherry pepper aioli on a brioche roll.

The bbq chicken salad with ranch, avocado, roasted corn, crispy tortilla strips, and pepperjack.

Chicken tacos from Burrito Blvd – with zucchini, tomato, roasted corn, cheese, and chipotle aioli.

Apple Month, Starting Strong

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Some highlights from the past week…

This was the best bowl of fruit I’ve ever eaten together. Aprium, mango, and blueberries.

And this was the best yogurt bowl I’ve ever eaten! Plain Greek yogurt with honeycrisp apple pie granola and a Sonia apple that I microwaved with brown sugar and cinnamon.

Paired with an iced phin brew with brown sugar cinnamon cold foam.

Apple ginger crisp bar; I forget every year how excellent these 88 Acres seed and oat bars are, very balanced and satisfying.

Trader Joe’s dried apple chips (Adam loved these, I prefer the honeycrisp ones) and a BelliWelli chocolate chip cookie bar.

Caramel apple cocktail! Michigan Apple Whiskey, Goldschläger, ginger seltzer, and caramel sauce.

The Trader Joe’s cookie butter ale was okay but not as good as I was expecting; it was overly spiced in a way I found sort of nauseating.

Same review for these Utz hot honey chips.

Brunch at For Five while I powered through some work projects. I got a poached shrimp cobb salad (it came with turkey bacon so it was perfect for me).

Noodles with a gojuchang tahini sauce, topped with soft-boiled eggs, Sriracha, and furikake.

The “hack” where you shake macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets with blue cheese and buffalo sauce is a go-to in this house. I used Whole Foods macaroni, Applegate Farms nuggets, and added roasted cauliflower.

Nacho night. Tortilla chips and extra-sharp cheddar with smoked turkey, roasted zucchini, Blind Betty’s hot sauce, and a salsa with heirloom baby tomato, tomatillo, lemon, pepper, and Sichuan chili salt.

Basil tofu (so good!) on brown rice with sauteed baby bok choy and red bell pepper.

Another winner recipe – spicy salmon sushi bake. For my salmon layer I used a mix of hot smoked salmon, canned smoked salmon, and canned wild Alaskan pink salmon (all from Trader Joe’s). Plus a side of seaweed and a cucumber salad.

Good(le) Eats

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Highlights from a yummy week…

Plain skyr with blueberries and Blue Stripes Cacao peanut butter banana granola.

Such good snacks this week! Apriums.

Strawberry bites cereal. I loved this and Adam hated it.

Whole Foods’ pimento mac and cheese bites. I think they are best with honey and hot sauce.

Caramel core ice cream.

Soursop chocolate bar. I carried this home from Denver and it was worth it.

Rum and coke slushie.

BLT pasta salad. Whole wheat cavatappi / heirloom baby tomatoes / turkey bacon / romaine lettuce / and a sauce with mayo, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

I bought these Goodles noodles 90% because the box was so pink and 10% because they were whole-wheat, and they ended up being delicious.

Loaded salad. Romaine, tomato, turkey bacon, mozarella, cashews, and Trader Joe’s cilantro dressing.

Beans and rice (kidney beans and brown rice cooked with onion, hot pepper, ginger, and coconut milk) / tuna cakes with Jamaican curry powder and red curry paste / roasted zucchini / hot pepper jelly.

Wonton More

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It was a tasty week, great snacks and even better dinners! Highlights included…

A beautiful latte with espresso, butterfly pea tea, and sweetened condensed milk.

Smoothie success – cottage cheese, frozen banana and cherries, ube extract.

See also – blueberry Greek yogurt, frozen blueberries and grapes, butterfly pea tea.

Still obsessed with these Belli-Welli bars. I finally shared one with Adam, who was not a fan, but I think they taste great.

It turns out my favorite dried fruit is kiwi; the texture and taste of these was so satisfying.

Rainer cherries (swoon) plus Haribo berries gummies.

See also – these Honest gummies are wonderfully juicy and chewy; not the best gummy I’ve ever eaten but hands-down the best fruit snacks.

Creamy lemonade – fresh lemon and lime with sweetened condensed milk and lemon seltzer.

These alcoholic Frescas are a 9.5/10 – perfectly balanced and just sweet enough.

Pinch of Yum‘s bbq salmon plus roasted Japanese sweet potato and roasted cabbage dressed in a mix of honey, rice vinegar, and Caribbean hot pepper sauce.

Korean rice cakes sauteed with tomato sauce and gojuchang, plus roasted zucchini, shredded chicken, and sharp cheddar.

Homemade baked wontons. Our filling was fresh crab and roasted cabbage and green onion with soy sauce, white pepper, and hot pepper jelly. Plus roasted cauliflower and dumpling sauce.

Salad success – baby kale, this dressing, leftover cabbage, baby bell peppers, chicken breast, cashews, homemade baked wonton crips, and furikake.

Homemade baked wonton chips (these are going to become a staple!) seasoned with szechuan pepper salt and togarashi plus baby bell peppers and pimento cheese. Full disclose, I went back for thirds!

Traverse City 2023

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Adam and I had an amazing vacation in Michigan! We ran along the lake, took a ferry to Mackinac Island and admired the flowers, explored downtown, and spent time with friends and met their twin babies!

Our favorite things we ate included…

A perfectly roasty latte from Higher Grounds.

Iced espresso with cherry cold foam from Espresso Bay.

A fantastic s’mores cold foam cold brew from Biggby Coffee.

Rocky road fudge on Mackinac Island.

Ice cream with housemade fudge from Milk & Honey.

Yuzu and Earl Grey macarons from Merlyn’s Patisserie. Also an ube crinkle cookie that was the 2nd best cookie I’ve ever eaten.

The number one best cooke we’ve ever eaten was a peanut butter cookie from Common Good.

The smoked whitefish hushpuppies from Great Turtle.

Everything on the menu at Sugar2Salt, our new favorite restaurant. We liked it here so much we went back the next day! This was The Duck – duck leg confit, duck ham, duck sausage, and a duck egg with applesauce, poached pear, and crispy greens.

The salad from Mama Lu’s with pepitas and gigante beans. Plus a margarita made with creamy coconut.

A cherry whiskey slushee from Traverse City Whiskey Co.

The Pterodact Ale IPA from Terra Firma.

Staycation

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By the time this post goes live I’ll be on my way to visit friends in Traverse City, Michigan! I can’t wait!!

I’ve actually been on vacation since Saturday, which is great. Adam’s siblings came into town and we took them to Eataly, Roast (off course!), an escape room, and more. Then they took a family trip and Webster and I had a little staycation. Basically I spent three straight days with the dog on my lap — it was perfect.

Some highlights from the past few days include…

Southdown Coffee‘s espresso tonic. I don’t even like tonic water but I love this.

The Layers Perfect Bars are an 11/10.

I had not expected to love these BelliWelli bars but I do, the chocolate chip cookie flavor is easily a 9/10.

Yogurt bowls. Plain Greek with chocolate chip cookie dough granola, blackberries, and blueberries.

See also – watermelon with fresh berries. I love summer!

His and hers Ben & Jerry’s for the dog and me. We loved it.

Roast breakfast burrito with eggs, avocado, hashbrowns, and aioli.

Giant salad from Burrito Blvd. With chicken, zucchini, corn, tomato, and cheese. See also, but without a photo – we took Adam’s family to Rosa Mexicano and I had the best cheeseburger I’ve eaten in 2023.

Blue Mountain Dew

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Things from the weekend…

There is a new coffee spot near us with Jamaican Blue Mountain.

The homemade Snickers are definitely one of the best things I’ve ever made. And so quick and easy too.

I mostly drink IPAs but I do really love this key lime pie sour.

Multiple theme snacks! We ate these orange slices with orange slices.

And drank a variety of Mountain Dew and then rewatched the Slurm episode of Futurama.

Egg salad dinner plate. Six minute eggs with Greek yogurt, mayo, mustard, pickle juice, dill, pickles, and red bell pepper. Plus pickled red onion, crackers, and roasted purple cauliflower.

Cheeseburger-inspired salads. Romaine / special sauce dressing – 1 Tbsp each mayo, yellow mustard, olive oil, and vinegar, plus 1/2 Tbsp ketchup and a pinch of salt and white pepper / pickles / tomato / quick pickled chopped white onion / mini turkey patties topped with sharp cheddar / dill / sesame seeds.

Plus special sauce kettle chips!

Snickers Or Salad

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Highlights from this week…

I took myself on a sunny coffee date to Wired on my day off. Espresso with marshmallow and Oreo cold foam.

Blackberries and a blood orange. So pretty!

Snack plate – corn nuts, smoked almonds, cacao almonds, blackberries, vegan jerky, and salmon jerky.

Loved both of these summer-y seltzers; the Polar was so pineapple-forward!

These marshmallows were so asthetically pleasing and so terrible (crumbly and very odd tasting).

But I used the vanilla ones to make homemade Snickers! This nougat recipe with salted peanuts and caramels folded in, topped with milk chocolate.

I was actively grocery shopping when I saw this week’s Roast specials and I changed my list to accomodate a night of take-out. Crunchwrap with honey Sriracha fried chicken, cheddar, coleslaw, french fries, and sweet chili aioli / buffalo chicken mac and cheese balls / roasted zucchini from home.

Filipino-ish dinner bowls. Ground turkey sauteed with tons of sisig seasoning, red and sweet onion, eggplant, and crispy baked shredded tofu. On a base of rice noodles tossed in chili crisp.

Bagel and lox inspired salad – romaine (with ranch, I was too lazy to figure out a cream cheese dressing), tons of fresh dill, quick-pickled red onion, hot smoked sockeye salmon, and everything seasoning roasted chickpeas.