Tag Archives: sauce

Screamsicle

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Tasty/spooky things from the week…

Siggi’s pumpkin & spice skyr with Super Jumbo and Sweetest Batch blueberries (plus a mellowcreme pumpkin and candy eyes!).

Hummingbird High’s pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are our favorite thing we bake all year.

Seasonal brews – Southern Tier’s Screamsicle vanilla and orange DIPA and Great South Bay’s Baked pumpkin pie ale.

We enjoyed this themed candy (plus more Bon Bon Bon!) while we admired Halloween decorations in our neighboorhood.

These Utz cheddar protein pretzels are delightful; super malty and roasty.

Little Beet is our favorite fast-casual restaurant. This bowl had harissa cauliflower, charred broccoli, roasted sweet potato, and baked tofu with crispy chickpeas, chili crisp, and chimichurri.

Pumpkin pasta! Goodles pasta with a creamy vegan pumpkin sauce (blended canned pumpkin, silken tofu, gochujang, white miso, and tons of roasted elephant garlic). We topped our bowls with roasted zucchini, turkey (sauteed with green onions, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and chili crisp), and crispy onions and garlic.

I mixed my leftover pumpkin pasta with Frank’s buffalo sauce, steamed broccoli, baked chicken nuggets, and cheddar.

Jack-o’-lantern patties! Turkey burgers (ground turkey with grated sweet onion, panko, egg, dark soy sauce, pepper, and smoked paprika; sauteed) with carved sharp cheddar. Plus leftover broccoli sauteed with with a spicy sesame sauce (tahini, gochujang, sesame oil, honey, and water), sesame seeds, toasted walnuts, and Milu everything spice.

Bon Bon Butterfinger

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Things from last week…

I bought an obscene amount of chocolate from Bon Bon Bon and we’ve loved every bite! We ordered from them once before during the Pandemic and probably will again; they have gorgeous packaging and inventive flavors. My favorites so far have been the Salty Sap (crystalized maple caramel, butter cracker ganache, dark chocolate) and the Bumpy (fudgy chocolate cake cream, buttercream frosting).

We also tried the candy corn homemade Butterfinger recipe! As a registered dietitian I should probably be able to explain the food chemistry of why this works so well — I cannot, but I can tell you it was delicious.

Best yogurt bowl of the fall – plain Greek with blueberries and persimmon.

The week’s dinner theme was meat salads. (<– not an unhinged sentence) Listed from good to great: Tofu grinder salad. Boiled super-firm tofu strips, pickled pepperoncini, Edam cheese, Bomb Squad baby tomatoes, shredded romaine, pickled red onions, and olives tossed with plain Greek yogurt, Duke’s, vinegar, onion powder, garlic powder, gochugaru, and dried basil.

Red curry tuna salad. Canned tuna and smoked trout with plain Greek yogurt, Kewpie, red curry paste, and lime / served on a microwave pack of coconut brown rice / with sauteed bok choy, red bell pepper, green onion, and garlic / and crispy onion and garlic.

Hot honey chicken salad. Shredded baked chicken breast, crispy baked navy beans, green onion, and chopped Trader Joe’s sweet and spicy jalapeños with plain Greek yogurt, Duke’s, Dijon mustard, honey, chili oil, and gochugaru. Plus roasted baby broccoli.

Jalapeño popper egg salad. Eggs (hard boiled eggs that I marinated in a mix of pickle brine, jalapeño brine, and rice vinegar), plain Greek yogurt, Duke’s Dijon mustard, chopped sweet and spicy jalapeños, and cubes of Kerrygold sweet cheddar. Plus sauteed asparagus. For added crunch across the plate – panko toasted in a skillet with butter, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and crispy onions and garlic.

Smashed, Toasted, and Themed…

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Themed things from this week…

A Pumpkin Month yogurt bowl. Pumpkin Noosa with maple almond butter granola and a side of blueberries.

A Pumpkin Month pumpkin spice latte ice cream sundae. Adirondack pumpkin pie ice cream and Ben & Jerry’s Honey Graham Latte ice cream with Trader Joe’s chocolate shell and granola butter.

A Pumpkin Month snack mix! Trader Joe’s maple kettle corn with candy corn and peanuts. Sooo good.

You know what time it was for dinners — Sandwich Week! Meatloaf. Duck Island whole-wheat sourdough with sauce (white miso, Dijon mustard, and Kewpie), leftover turkey meatloaf, sharp cheddar, and fried onion and garlic. Plus roasted green beans.

Chicken salad toasts. Sourdough baked with sharp cheddar and chicken salad (shredded chicken breast, plain Greek yogurt, Duke’s yellow mustard, Trader Joe’s sweet and spicy jalapeños, shredded edam, and fried onion and garlic). Plus roasted baby broccoli.

Smashed tuna melts. Potato buns with sharp cheddar and tuna salad (canned tuna and smoked trout, plain Greek yogurt, Kewpie, Dijon mustard, jalapeño brine, and chopped pickles and capers) smashed in a skillet with butter and evoo. Plus roasted broccoli and delicata and honeynut squash with a honey mustard sauce (horseradish, Sichuan pepper, honey, yellow mustard, plain Greek yogurt, and Duke’s).

My favorite of the week – tofu sandwiches. A potato bun with Kewpie and yellow and Dijon mustards, pickled red onion, sharp cheddar, fried onion and garlic, and tofu (super-firm thin sliced, marinated in gochujang, pickle brine, jalapeño brine, oyster sauce, onion powder, and garlic powder, and baked). Plus coleslaw (shredded cabbage, rice vinegar, lemon juice, plain Greek yogurt, Duke’s, Dijon mustard, sugar, and dried dill and mustard).

Pandan, Pickles, Poke

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We had an exceptional weekend, including great food, long walks, and time in Dumbo, Chelsea, and Chinatown. Some of our favorites…

Fishs Eddy‘s newish Dumbo location has a coffee bar. Their delicious Fridge Cigarette take is their house-made cola with vanilla syrup and espresso.

Bunny & Bro‘s blackberry pie iced latte.

Bahn by Lauren‘s lime drip (flashed chilled coffee with sweetened lime) is a 100/10.

Their famous pandan honeycomb cake was good but not my personal favorite.

MOTW pumpkin pie iced latte.

We also tried their butter chicken empanada.

Nine Treasure’s Creamery ice cream sandwich with kaya toast ice cream on mango crinkle cookies.

Seed and Mill‘s sesame sundae is Adam’s favorite dessert in the city. We also got a square of pb&j halvah that was amazing.

Hawaiian food from Aloha Alley. We shared their Loco Moco plate (beef patties with beef bone broth mushroom gravy, eggs, rice, and macaroni salad) and the ahi poke (tuna with scallions, seaweed salad, sweet onion, soy garlic shoyu, and crushed macadamia. Plus furikake rice).

Hots Pizza was adorable and had the nicest workers. We swooned over this pickle slice and want to go back to try their other stuff ASAP.

Big Tings in Chelsea Market served us an great jerk chicken sandwich and iced tea with sorrel.

We were totally smitten with the sandwiches from 20 Blocks, every ingredient is clearly chosen with so much care. We shared a Turkey Town (house turkey, fried green tomato, baby romaine, and Cajun mayo on honey whole-wheat) and a Corn Star (charred corn, cowboy candy, and havarti on toasted milk bread).

Dinner at the always excellent Her Name is Han. We got a Mint Garden (green tea infused soju with fresh mint, basil, and perilla leaves) and a Hallabong Spritz (basically an aperol spritz with Jeju citrus).

We shared a bunch of things and are already excited for our appetizers. Korean fried chicken (which comes with a great sauce and wonderful radish kimchi).

Rice cakes with kabocha squash, shishito peppers, and a yuzu gochujang sauce / kimchi cheese pancake topped with a poached egg.

Gochujang grilled chicken thighs (the onion slaw on the side was my favorite bite of the evening). We also had minced beef bulgogi that I forgot to photograph.

P.S. Our actual favorite item of the weekend was a 100/10 cafecito from Titi’s Empanadas on the Lower East Side.

Apple Month 2026

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Highlights from this week…

You know it’s a good week when you have two kinds of blueberries! Super Jumbo and wild.

On the Emily calendar, September is Apple Month! (October – Pumpkin, November – Pumpkin again and Cranberry, December – Eggnog, Gingerbread, and Mint). I have, of course, amassed a fun stash of apple-themed snacks.

Here was (some of!) the on-theme stuff I ate this week. The apple Altoids are weak but otherwise all winners. Also – the ruby apple Alani is a 10/10 (not a flavor I’d reach for every day but I had no notes).

Later in the week I also scored a Hal’s apple seltzer.

And some Trader Joe’s juicy apple gummies. <– hands down the best apple treat!

I made an apple syrup by boiling down apple cider with brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Apple brown betty matcha – vanilla yuzu seltzer, apple syrup, butter extract, and matcha.

Apple smile iced latte – skim milk, espresso, apple syrup, marshmallow fluff, and One Trick Pony cinnamon sugar peanut butter. This was amazing, in no small part thanks to the peanut butter which is wondrously good.

See also – New York Beanery caramel apple iced latte.

An apple-themed dinner – apple pie chicken salad. Shredded chicken breast with Duke’s, plain skyr, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, cinnamon, smoked paprika, gochugaru, sharp cheddar, green onions, and toasted walnuts. Plus green beans (steamed then sauteed with honey, yellow mustard, rice vinegar, and chili crisp), apple chips, and toasted sourdough with butter.

Spaghetti with sauce and balls. Whole-wheat spaghetti / gussied up pasta sauce – Trader Joe’s pizza sauce sauteed with roasted garlic, tomato paste, gochugaru, urfa pepper, and dried basil / baked turkey meatballs – ground turkey with panade, egg, hoisin, and urfa pepper / mozzarella pearls.

We also made spaghetti casserole – all of the ingredients above baked in a casserole with sharp cheddar on top. Plus sauteed greens – fennel and broccoli rabe with roasted garlic, smoked paprika, and gochugaru.

I don’t have a name for what this dinner bowl was but its adjective was “yummy!” Waffle fries baked with sharp cheddar, Milu everything seasoning, and za’atar / roasted baby zucchinis / soft-scrambled eggs / homemade artichoke tapenade – marinated artichokes food processed with Castelvetrano olives, capers, evoo, and lemon juice. I went back and topped my whole bowl with smoky chili crisp.

Middle Eastern-inspired rice bowls. Brown rice / roasted cauliflower rice / crispy-baked navy beans / shredded super-firm tofu baked with evoo, za’atar, and urfa pepper / roasted garlic, toasted almond silvers, chopped dried apricots, and chopped olives. This was delicious but when I make it again I would add sauteed onion.

P.S. I’m going to go make a caramel apple cocktail when I hit publish!

Banana, Bean, Black Sesame

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Highlights from last week…

Pachanga Coffee iced latte with oatmilk and guava.

Plan skyr bowl with blueberries (Sweetest Batch and Jumbos!) and Grady’s peanut butter coconut granola.

Plain skyr dessert bowl with One Trick Pony cinnamon sugar peanut butter (divine!), banana chips, chocolate chips, and granola.

Grape cruffin from Ansa Coffee (impeccable!).

We loved the banana soft-serve from Koke. I got black sesame with banana chips and black sesame sauce.

Also a perfect black sesame mochi cookie with groats in it.

A chocolate menagerie from L.A. Burdick.

Little Cupcake Bakeshop. Princess cake and a caramel peanut butter bar. They are probably my 3rd favorite cake shop in all of NY.

Gertie’s new bagel shop concept knocked our socks off. We shared a bagel with scallion cream cheese, whitefish salad, and pickled peppers and latkes with apple butter and sour cream.

Tuck Shop‘s tuna melt is my new favorite. I was also head over heels for their honey mustard mayo (2nd sauce of all time; nearly tied with the salsa I had in Taos, NM).

Mimi Cheng‘s Thai chili lime dumpling special.

Authentic Thai takeout. Pad see ew with mock duck and tom kha gai fried rice.

Curry beans. Great Northerm beans and roasted garlic sauteed with green onion, ginger, coconut milk, lime juice, red curry, soy sauce, and Sriracha. Served on a mix of brown rice and roasted riced cauliflower.

A very loose take on joomukbap. Leftover rice made into balls with sauteed kimchi, sesame seeds, shredded cheddar, canned tuna, roasted garlic, skyr, and Kewpie and coated in roasted seaweed and furikake. Plus roasted eggplant (a local baby eggplant variety!) sauteed with tahini, gochujang, sesame oil, and honey.

A loose take on callaloo. Frozen spinach cooked with yellow hot pepper, white onion, garlic, urfa chili, curry powder, coconut milk, and crab meat. I ate my bowl with a side of Vigil’s butter and mesquite beef jerky.

Brothy beans. Sauteed leak, green onion, and baby bok choy with ginger, gochugaru, butter, rice vinegar, chicken broth, and pinto beans. Served with buttered toasted sourdough bread (from Cafe d’Avignon, delicious).

Bananas, Bowls

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Highlights from the week…

Banana malted ice latte. Blended frozen banana, ice, malt powder, and chocolate milk topped with espresso. <– this was fantastic

Banana bread snack mix. Whole-wheat Chex, cinnamon sugar pretzel sticks, walnuts, and banana chips baked with butter, cinnamon, vanilla sugar, and brown sugar.

Nola malted. Vanilla ice cream blended with milk, Blue Bottle’s instant Nola coffee, and malt powder.

Garlic tofu dinner bowls. Roasted shredded brussels sprouts tossed with lemon zest and parmesan cheese / homemade pretzel bread croutons / super-firm tofu boiled and then sauteed with garlic, butter, lemon juice, miso, gochujang, and smoked paprika // I went back and topped my bowl with pickled red onion.

Veggie whipped cottage cheese dinner bowls. Food-processed cottage cheese / roasted baby zucchini / tomatoes sauteed with honey, chili oil, and gochugaru / Milu everything seasoning. Yes, there was a more significant protein component planned. No, my idea did not work out. Yes, I chased dinner with chopped cheese fries take-out.

BBQ chicken dinner bowls. Roasted riced cauliflower sauteed with blended cottage cheese and shredded sharp cheddar / baked chicken thighs tossed in a skillet with homemade bbq sauce (tomato paste, brown sugar, Trader Joe’s sweet and spicy pickled jalapeño brine, smoked pimento, onion powder, garlic powder, and water) / sauteed poblano pepper and green onion / crispy onion and garlic.

Buffalo tofu dinner bowls. Celery sauteed with green onion and then tossed with plain skyr, Duke’s, jalapeño brine, and Trader Joe’s ranch seasoning / shredded super-firm tofu baked until crispy and then tossed with Frank’s buffalo sauce / crispy onion and garlic.

Super Duper

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Weekend highlights (mostly snacks!)…

My favorite Long Island coffee spot hopped on the fridge cigarette trend. Their version is diet coke with espresso, vanilla almond syrup, and a sweet cream cold foam. <– delicious

We also loved the tiramisu ice latte from MOTW. The espresso here had fantastic body.

We did not like this ube iced coffee with pandan cold foam (that’s on us, I really just don’t care for iced coffee with milk; I am mentioning it so maybe I stop trying it).

Meanwhile we adored our assortment of sweets from Fern and Aurora. Ube coffee cake swirl muffin / blueberry pop tart / pandan coconut butter mochi (the best butter mochi I’ve ever eaten, including in HI!) / ube krispie treat. We needed excellent snacks because we went to see Super Troopers at the movie theatre (I liked it! Not as good as the original but I preferred it to the 2nd one).

I also made a super duper homemade snack mix. Wheat Chex cereal and honey mustard protein pretzels baked with butter, ranch seasoning, and gochugaru plus peanuts, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds candied in a skillet with brown sugar.

Haribo bananas are a 9.9/10 for me.

Tori T’s is my favorite Long Island pizza. The texture on the square slices is unbeatable.

Red curry salmon cakes with a complementary dipping sauce. The cakes were a baked mix of canned salmon, red curry paste, lime zest, panko and egg. The sauce was Duke’s, red curry paste, Sriracha, honey, lime juice, and sesame oil. Plus roasted cauliflower.

Frozen dumplings (Bibigo chicken and vegetable mandu) plus frozen spinach, kale, and cauliflower rice sauteed with garlic, sesame seeds, gochugaru, rice seasoning, fish sauce, and soy sauce. Served in one bowl so I could easily top everything with chili crisp.