Notes from the week – a) I made a big batch of baked meatballs – ground turkey with panko, half and half, fish sauce, gochugaru, egg, and sauteed green onion. b) We went to 99 Ranch and got a bunch of great snacks.
Highlights…
This week’s cinnamon coffee combo.
Iced matcha with fresh-squeezed orange juice and yuzu seltzer.
Two kinds of yogurt bowls. Plain Greek with 88 Acres dark chocolate sunflower seed butter, granola, strawberries, and jumbo blueberries.
And plain skyr with honey, black sesame paste, berries, and Heritage Flakes.
Two vegan protein options. Textured soy protein jerky and crunchy yellow peas.
Two kinds of bougie candy bars. Peanut butter crunch and chocolate mint cups.
Two kinds of chips. Seaweed Turtle Chips.
And white cheddar popcorn chips.
The new spiced raspberry diet coke is quite good (though it can’t compare to cherry).
White Rabbit candy ice cream cup.
Glazed meatballs with sauteed bok choy. I made a great sauce with oyster sauce, Sriracha, soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, white pepper, and cornstarch. Plus sesame seeds and green onions.
Meatball sub. Toasted rolls with meatballs, Trader Joe’s pizza sauce, gochugaru, and tons of mozzarella. Plus roasted purple cauliflower.
Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi and pizza sauce. We always bake this gnocchi (20 minutes at 400 degrees) and the texture comes out great.
Speaking of texture – I was very proud of these chewy rice cakes. Frozen rice cakes (simmered in chicken broth, gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, garlic, and brown sugar) with sauteed celery and green onions, roasted zucchini, and shredded chicken breast. Plus chili crisp and sesame seeds.
I feel like I say this every time, but what a yummy week! Highlights…
Starbucks’ chicken, maple butter, and egg sandwich is a limited/occasional release that’s worth trying if you ever see it. I’m not sure why they don’t think maple butter needs a permanent menu spot.
Nut Pods’ toasted marshmallow creamer goes wonderfully in an iced matcha latte.
Especially when paired with these dried baby pineapples.
I love these Craize guava corn crackers. I scooped the last of the garlic hummus with them and the salty-sweet situation was great.
Peanut butter cup banana bread! This perfect recipe plus peanut butter, chocolate chips, and mini peanut butter cups.
Juicy Crunch Tangerines are definitely my new favorite citrus/fruit. They are so sweet and juicy, and mostly seedless.
Yogurt bowl with plain skyr, tangerine, blueberries, passionfruit, and granola.
Yogurt bowl with plain skyr, blueberries, and banana bread.
We thought our Backyard BBQ leftovers were still a 10/10. Brisket, chicken, smoked macaroni and cheese, and candied yams. Plus homemade honey bbq sauce and roasted broccoli.
Plus a boozy peach tea from Voodoo Ranger to go with the theme.
Hedgehog tofu. Scored/baked super-firm tofu with this sauce and roasted brussel sprouts. Topped with chili crisp and furikake.
Chicken salad. Shredded chicken (breasts and thighs cooked in the crockpot) with plain skyr, mayo, lemon juice, ranch seasoning, and chopped dill pickles. Plus green beans sauteed with honey and honey dijon.
Chilaquiles. Orange bell pepper, poblano pepper, yellow onion, and tortilla chips sauteed with chicken broth and smoky salsa, with chicken and cheddar. An egg on top and chipotle Cholula and fresno chili.
It was a great weekend! I had the best doughnut of 2024, the best coffee of the past 5 years, and tried a new favorite dessert. Plus we took two long city walks and saw a thousand beautiful things! My absolute favorite was the instillation of these tulle tree sculptures in Madison Square Park.
Highlights…
Butterscotch iced latte. Frame is definitely our new favorite coffee spot.
A fun home-coffee combo – cold brew with cold foam.
Plain skyr bowl with blueberries, pineberries, blueberry jam, and chia seeds.
Absolute Bagels‘ everything with olive and pimento cream cheese. We quite liked it but thought it could not compare to La Bagel Delight.
An after-school snack plate. Note to self – I don’t like that flavor of Mid-Day Squares, the chocolate is too thick. But apple slices with peanut butter is a classic for a reaason.
Bear Donut. We had a cookies and cream mochi doughnut and a filled tiramisu doughnut that was outstanding; the coffee center was roasty and the icing was a bit crispy.
Ănjelly, a newish Vietnamese dessert spot. We had a wonderful pandan latte and my new favorite dessert – a cacao jelly cat with passionfruit honey. Apparently cacao and passionfruit is the flavor combination my life was missing.
Gigantic sandwiches from Milano Market. I got rosemary focaccia with maple turkey, cheddar, horseradish sauce, and pickles.
Dinner at Rosella. We tried a bunch of dishes but my camera was dying. Some favorite were the smoked trout nigiri.
A maki roll with fatty bluefin tuna and housemade kimchi.
And the stunning grits with shrimp, mushrooms, and XO sauce.
10/10 homemade sheet-pan hash dinner. Roasted Japanese sweet potatoes and baby bok choy / Kewpie and Sriracha / candied smoked sockeye salmon and hot smoked sockeye salmon / pickled ginger.
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.
Highlights from the weekend (including some highlights of the whole damn year!)…
Eggnog dalgona iced coffee – after driving around with cocoa and the dog to look at lights this is our favorite holiday tradition.
Peppermint white mocha iced latte from Buzzed. We also shared an eggnog cold foam cold brew and were pleased with both. I wouldn’t go back all the time but I will definitely check out their next seasonal specials.
I’Milky oat milk iced matcha with chestnut creme. I was mostly getting this to be seasonal but we ended up both loving it – super balanced and satisfying.
Petit Chou tropical tres leches cake with a layer of jammy pineapple. I need to try more things from this spot.
Spudsy sweet potato snacks. I thought these would be like Chex Mix but they were actually the size of a small clementine.
Comfortland frozen eggnog (15/10) and a chocolate, coconut, marshmallow doughnut. This was the best doughnut I’ve ever eaten; the outside was sugary and crispy.
We also got the Everything Everywhere Tots at Once special – with cheddar, hot honey, marinated ribeye, gochujang aioli, ranch, chives, and everything bagel seasoning.
Brunch at Madre. This spot deserves the hype – the space was beautiful, the service was great, the food was all wonderful. We shared a Granddaddy Purp – sake, lavender, plum, cereal milk, and egg white. Gorgeous and delicious.
El Sancho – mezcal, apricot, campari, habenero, and cinnamon.
Jalapeño cornbread madelines with whipped honey butter.
The burger with gruyere and fennel slaw (didn’t make my top five but definitely in the top ten and Adam loved it).
And the brown butter french toast with caramel and roasted banana.
Scooping/dipping dinner. Baked wontons with togarashi / roasted broccoli / blended tuna salad – with smoked trout, mayo, and capers / pimento cheese dip – warm with honey and spiced pecans on top.
P.S. We checked out the Rockefellers tree and it was totally stunning and worth the crowd!
Peppermint coffee – candy cane cold brew from Blank Street.
This week’s home coffee combo wasn’t my best. I did not care for the Browny cold brew, too sour. The Ronnybrook egg nog was crazy thick, almost too thick, so it was good but not my favorite.
Peppermint breakfast – a chocolate mint Perfect Bar and a peppermint mocha La Colombe can.
Peppermint watermelon is my favorite Aura Bora seltzer flavor.
Peppermint booze – Smirnoff peppermint vodka with lime and club soda (and food coloring!).
Six Point Bone Chill pear and spruce double IPA (8.5/10).
Peppermint mini meringues – from Trader Joes.
Peppermint ice cream – with candy cane bits, fudge, and cookies.
I had the day off on Thursday and spent the afternoon admiring decorations in the city and got lunch at Chelsea Market. Very Fresh Noodles‘ very spicy vegan dan dan mian. These were super spicy and numbing and wonderful and topped with crunchy soybeans and cucumber salad that were the perfect foils.
It was Adam’s birthday on Monday and his dinner choice was Subway. I got a tuna salad sub with mustard, pickles, banana peppers, and cheese. Plus leftovers from Sunday in Brooklyn – brussel sprouts and the amazing roast chicken.
And I made him his favorite cinnamon brownies – just the Bakers Chocolate one-bowl recipe with 1 cup of chocolate chips instead of nuts and 2 tsp of cinnamon extract instead of vanilla.
Salad #1 – romaine / homemade ranch dressing – sour cream, dijon mustard, ranch seasoning / red bell pepper / pickled banana peppers / homemade croutons / baked chicken – marinated in Greek yogurt and banana pepper juice.
Food things from the 1st week of December – good dinners / baked goods my parents brought us from home during their visit / EGGNOG! Highlights included…
Jelly doughnut iced coffee! Iced coffee with blueberry jam and a cold foam with cinnamon, brown sugar, and cocoa powder.
As much as I adore plums and plucots I think I am most excited for mandarin season each year. These are seedless and the peel slips right off so they are so easy to eat.
Trader Joe’s spicy tempura seaweed snack. This is heavy on togarashi, which I love.
Eggnog in my coffees, of course.
Eggnog iced matcha latte.
Trader Joe’s eggnog Greek yogurt (my favorite) with nutmeg, fresh persimmon, and Target sugar cookie granola.
Abomination Brewing‘s best beer – Fog Nog, a double IPA with spices and lactose.
Xi’an Famous Foods‘ spicy cumin lamb hand-ripped noodles are consistently an 11/10.
A take on the broccoli salad we are obsessed with. Roasted broccoli / sauteed green onion / crispy baked tofu / dried cranberries / food-processed sauce: evoo, serrano pepper, parsley, peanuts, smoked sardines, soy sauce, rice vinegar, gochugaru, and brown sugar. Plus pumpkin bread (from my aunt) toasted with butter.
Roast‘s weekly special was a short-rib grilled cheese so we obviously had to get it, with cheddar and crispy onions on sourdough. Plus leftover broccoli salad and leftover roasted cabbage with Sriracha and Sriracha-ranch peanuts.
A 1st night of Hannukah feast. Trader Joe’s cheese blintzes topped with blackberries, blueberry jam, and Greek yogurt with lemon and brown sugar. Plus Trader Joe’s latkes, roasted brussel sprouts, and a honey Sriracha dipping sauce.
P.S. Happy Hannukah to all of my readers who celebrate!
Eating Chalk 