My mom was in New York this weekend! She came up to see our condo and celebrate her birthday next weekend. We had a fabulous time and did all sorts of NYC things like – admiring the ceiling at Grand Central Station / admiring the ceiling at Albertine Bookstore / admiring the ceiling at Chelsea Market / admiring the snow in Central Park / shopping in Greenpoint / getting a flight of fruity milkshake beers at Evil Twin.
Here were some food highlights…
Morning coffees at home with this power duo (brown butter cookie cold foam!!?).
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.
Our favorite Pekin place in Long Island sadly closed but opened a new dumpling spot in Manhattan. We had steamed veggie and pan-fried chicken and corn dumplings and they were fantastic.
We tried a plethora of Thanksgiving turkey themed pastries. Trader Joe’s – cornbread stuffing, turkey, and Neufchatel cheese in a tortilla.
Starbucks – turkey sage sausage with Bechamel sauce in a danish.
Milk Bar – turkey, gravy and cranberry sauce in a herbed croissant.
Dinner at the newly reopened Kellogg’s Diner. The service/atmosphere and alcoholic drinks were meh but the food was worth it! Pimento cheese with saltines.
Short rib hash. This was great but Adam’s fried chicken and waffles was the best dish on the menu.
Desserts were the standout. Strawberry jell-o pretzel salad and passionfruit icebox pie.
Dinner at Sweetbriar. American Beauty cocktail (Rose Hip Luksosowa Vodka, lemon, rose water, egg white, and rose buds) and The Elixir (chamomile tea-infused Fords Gin, honey-ginger syrup, lemon, apricot preserves, and Laphroaig.
Cornbread with honey butter.
Wood-fired carrots with stracciatella, and salsa macha.
Roasted beets with shiso cream, green apple, avocado, and wasabi crumble.
Duck ham crostini with fig and gorgonzola.
Pistachio-crusted grilled chicken with snap peas, and red pepper pesto.
Croissant bread pudding with ice cream. This was crusted in cocoa nibs like a peppercorn steak and it was amazing.
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.
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.
Yummy, on-theme coffees. Vanilla cardamom cold brew with salted caramel and pumpkin butter.
Phin brew with pumpkin butter and marshmallow cream.
Siggi’s pumpkin skyr with blueberries, blackberries, and Nature’s Path blueberry cinnamon flax cereal.
Plan skyr with berries, Purely Elizabeth double chocolate cookie granola, and butter mochi.
Whole Food’s prepared foods section is nice for snack options. This week I bought kimchi dumplings and their Sonoma chicken salad.
Crunchy snacks. Everything bagel protein pretzels and Korean BBQ crunchy chickpeas.
These gummy bears from Buck Naked Bears are the perfect consistency, so firm without being overly chewy.
Hummingbird High’s pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are the best cookies – pumpkin, chocolate chip, or otherwise – you’ll ever make. They are chewy – NOT cakey or crispy – and almost taste like butterscotch.
Open face chicken sandwich melts. Toasted bread with pumpkin butter and sharp cheddar / baked chicken marinated with Greek yogurt and tons of garlic / homemade chicken gravy. Plus roasted broccoli.
Pumpkin chili. With ground turkey, pinto beans, canned pumpkin, fire-roasted diced tomatoes, chicken stock, yellow onion, poblano pepper, zucchini, spices, and one tablespoon of dark soy sauce. Topped with plain skyr, extra-sharp cheddar, and Caribbean hot sauce and served with Trader Joe’s pumpkin tortilla chips.
Big salads. Kale massaged with evoo, lemon juice, and salt and pepper / homemade dressing with tahini, pumpkin butter, maple syrup, evoo, and vinegar / crispy roasted chickpeas with Sichuan pepper salt, smoked paprika, cinnamon, and sugar / extra-sharp cheddar / dried cherries. Plus roasted honeynut squash and carnival squash, both of which were delicious!
Eating Chalk 