No post last weekend because Adam and I were both off and we wanted to spend every second together. We did some fun exploring, including a quick trip to Montclair for sourdough doughnuts and bon bons and hot chocolate.
The best yogurt I’ve ever tasted. It was basically pudding (but better!).
We managed to snag a can of Hardywood‘s Gingerbread Stout.
I made a boozy chocolate peanut butter shake.
Giant pasta bowls – whole-wheat rotini // garlic marinara sauce zhuzhed up with more garlic, fish sauce, and spices // ground turkey // caramelized mushrooms and onion // roasted zucchini.
Sheet-pan hash – potato // onion // poblano pepper // green bell pepper // orange and purple cauliflower // duck fennel sausage.
Is it because in addition to having black eyed peas on the 1st for prosperity in the new year we had tons of sweets for a sweet new year and rose hard candies for a rosy outlook? I made those last two up but I’m running with it!
Highlights include…
I am on my last carton of eggnog for the season and I am still 11/10 enjoying it in coffee.
We obviously bought this Lucy Glo apple because the Trader Joe’s end cap said it was Instagram-famous and it ended up being delicious – crispy and a good mix of citrus and sweet.
We have both cookie butter and fresh berries in the apartment so clearly I’ve eaten a million yogurt bowls.
100% impressed with the newest Reese’s cup variety – pretzel!
These Levain cookies aren’t quite as good as the fresh-baked ones in stores but they are the very best not-from-scratch cookies you’ll ever make at home.
Also loved this crispy Maman caramel, hazelnut, chocolate chip cookie.
A hot take on the black eyed pea salad we’ve loved for years. BEP, green bell pepper, turkey andouille sausage, smoked almonds, sharp cheddar, and green Tabasco.
Eggs scrambled with peas and crushed potato chips, topped with chili crisp.
Brunch from Edith’s, the Jewish food pop-up in Greenpoint. Braised brisket sandwich with labneh cole slaw, spicy pickles, and pickled mustard seed on a house-made Kaiser roll // house-smoked salmon mac and cheese.
Also they served me a cold brew with amaretto that legitimately blew my mind — we ended up adding a liquor store stop on our way home so I can make my own next weekend.
Hope everyone’s year is off to a smooth and happy start!
Last week was great, and filled with great eats. It worked out that I was off from work most of the week, which was just lovely! And Adam and I were both home together for Christmas, which has rarely happened in our marriage. The absolute best part of the week was walking around Manhattan (8 miles!) admiring holiday decorations and checking out the Rockefeller tree – – it was impossible to capture in a photo but even in the daytime the lights were stunning.
Other highlights included…
We obviously had to buy both of these eggnogs to do a comparison taste-test (premium was a bit better!).
Christmas morning dalgona coffee with eggnog.
Max Brenner‘s peanut butter hot chocolate blew our minds.
Trader Joe’s peppermint mini marshmallows are great.
And we loved this peppermint seltzer.
Birthday cake scone from Sweetie Pies on Main. We went out to Cold Spring Harbor to admire their decorations. And yes, we do have a car tree.
This snowball doughnut from Comfortland was insane. It was coated in coconut and stuffed with marshmallow cream.
Plain Greek yogurt bowl with banana, chocolate cashew butter, and cinnamon.
I’ve had my eye on this salmon candy spread for months and it did not disappoint. Paired wonderfully with everything-style crackers.
Still very into this frozen meal. Also fresh mandarin oranges.
Best meal I’ve ever made – crockpot five spice chicken thighs / celery, bok choy, and scallions / rice cakes / gojuchang brown sugar sauce. Topped with chili crisp.
We broiled the leftovers with mozzarella cheese and it somehow got even better.
The best meal we’ve ever eaten came from Milu. Mandarin duck with duck fat rice and marinated cucumbers / brisket with chili garlic mint sauce and tofu seaweed salad / chili crisp fried chicken with scallion mayo. Plus egg tart soft-serve. Every single bite was swoonworthy.
A roasted sheet-pan meal with brussel sprouts, cave aged blue cheese, turkey sausage, dried sweet cherries, yellow raisins, and sweet and spicy pecans.
Soft-scrambled eggs with roasted broccoli rabe and purple cauliflower, cucumber salad, and hot-smoked salmon.
The last week has been pretty wonderful; we made it through the first winter storm unscathed and I’ve officially eaten all of the on-theme holiday things I was excited about for this year!
Highlights included…
787‘s iced coquito latte won our hearts as our favorite coffee of the year! So thick and wonderfully spiced and just sweet enough! We also had a fantastic marzipan latte.
Strawberry jam filled / salted brown butter caramel glazed / pecan hawaij sticky bun.
Lunch at Nowon. I thought I didn’t like soju but this Tiger Bomb cocktail with jasmine, yuja citron, and mint syrup changed my mind.
I kept warm with Fire Chicken – spicy chicken with cabbage, rice cakes, and mozarella.
And lost my mind for the honey butter tater tots with labneh and seaweed.
Checking out Leyenda‘s Sleyenda decorations is our favorite holiday tradition and this year’s outdoor set up did not disappoint.
I had a Coquito Ho Ho – tequilla, sherry, coconut liquor, and coconut with cinnamon and egg.
And a Candy Striper which was hands-down our favorite cocktail/beverage of the year. I said at least ten times “this drink is making me so happy!” It’s a frozen blend of cachaça, coconut, vanilla, maple, lime, peppermint, and cardamom.
Hummus and pretzels with nougat and candied apricot candies my parents sent me.
Malai‘s toasted nutmeg ice cream basically tastes like eggnog! And the consistency is out of this world.
We made a batch of my Bahn Mi Chicken Salad and it was even better than I remembered. With roasted veggies and local sourdough.
Sourdough also made an appearance in great turkey sandwiches with cheddar, jam, and garlic mayo. Plus baby carrots and salted egg yolk chips.
Buffalo chicken meatball sandwiches. With sauteed carrot and celery in a mustard sauce.
It was a fun week, I had two days off and I did holiday/city stuff! The timing worked out perfectly that I was taking a long walk in Manhattan just in time for the 1st snow of the season!
Holiday stuff.
Doughnut Project‘s creme brulee doughnut filled with bourbon eggnog cream.
I brought home Brooklyn Cupcake because today is Adam’s birthday! They had the best flavors available – coquito, tres leches, flan, guava cheese, dulce de leche, and oreo cheesecake.
These ice creams are both just insanely delicious.
I made homemade sour cream and onion dip! With baby carrots and TJ’s whole wheat pita crackers.
Chinese leftovers. Sichuan noodles, ginger green beans, chicken, and lamb.
Pizza. Vodka and buffalo chicken. Plus roasted green beans.
I worked all weekend – crazy busy but super interesting days; we’ve had a ton of micronutrient deficiencies lately and I’ve really gotten to flex my nutrition-focused physical exam skills – but Adam and I managed to have some excellent date nights.
Eggnog punch bubble tea from Lazy Sundaes. I have been wondering for years why no one was doing the egg nog and boba combo and it was just as tasty as I had anticipated.
Homemade fish taco bowls. Roasted cabbage with lime Sriracha crema and beer-battered cod.
The new best dinner of the year from Canary Club. We ate in the frigid wind on the stoop (it could not have been any more safely socially distanced nor any more cold) so I couldn’t take photos but the the meal was a 10/10. Spicy mezcal cocktail with genepy, lime, pineapple, and pink peppercorn plus a berry rickey with cinnamon cachaça and citrus wild berry cider // black sesame tempura carrots with chili tahini and dill // smoked delicata squash with pecorino, creole butter, and Malaysian peanuts // duck fat broccoli and cauliflower with cilantro and toasted almonds // hanger steak with olive relish, crispy corn cakes, and French onion sauce.
An epic take-out spread from Birds of a Feather. We piled giant plates with numbing-spicy goodness!
We ordered a million things so we could try everything that sounded good and have leftovers for dinners next week: steamed curry chicken dumplings // chive pancakes with egg and dried shrimp // poached wood ear mushrooms with pickled peppers and cucumbers in a vinegar sauce // sautéed Chinese broccoli with soy sauce and scallions // string beans in ginger sauce // spicy and sour tofu pudding // shredded chicken with sesame and chili oil // spicy cumin lamb with bell peppers and miso // cold Sichuan noodles with peanut paste, chili oil, and peppercorns // fried rice with mustard green shoots // fried rice with shredded duck.
It’s beginning to taste a lot like Christmas! Very excited about this year’s ridiculous line-up on on-theme items.
Highlights from this past week include…
Eggnog + Trager Brothers Coffee (<– the stuff from the hospital coffee shop in Virginia that I was obsessed with).
Plus I made an eggnog dalgona coffee!
A very pepperminty breakfast. I was expecting the peanut butter/mint combo to be strange but that Perfect bar was actually amazing.
Greek yogurt bowl with cranberry sauce, cinnamon, and butter rum trail mix.
Still really loving these cocktail hour truffles from Trader Joe’s.
We are even more excited about these buttermints that my parents HANDMADE!?!
Turkey taco night. Corn tortilla with homemade chipotle salsa / sautéed white onion, yellow and orange bell pepper, and poblano pepper / ground turkey / shredded cheese / sour cream / hot sauce. Plus a taco-less pile fillings on the side.
Taco bowl night. Everything from the previous meal plus cranberry sauce and minus the tortilla.
We took a break from tacos with take-out from our favorite Japanese place. Garlic sautéed veggies, tempura veggies and chicken, seaweed salad, edamame, and tofu.
I hope all of my American readers had a safe but satisfying Thanksgiving. Adam and I both worked the holiday but were able to continue our tradition of Thanksgiving night nachos! And thankfully our days ended early enough that we had time to chat with my parents while taking the dog on a cocktail walk and Zoom conference with all of my in-laws in the evening.
We spent a little time talking about things we are thankful for which was an easy assignment for me because I feel like thankful is actually my primary state of being – at least five times a day I thank my lucky stars that I just get to know Adam and Webster, let alone have them both love me back.
By the way, even my non-holiday eats were still pretty much on-theme because the short list of superficial things I’m thankful for definitely includes coffee, boba, sprinkles, ice cream, and pizza! Highlights from the past week include…
Thompson Square Bagels (my favorite in the city) poppy seed with birthday cake cream cheese.
Yogurt bowl win. Plain Greek with peanut butter, cranberry dressing, and granola. Trader Joe’s cranberry dressing (the stuff in the refrigerated section, not the canned one) is the best in the game.
This s’mores kefir was good but not as exciting as I wanted it to be.
Whole Foods has a whole line of specialty holiday ice cream flavors so I am obviously going to be eating ice cream every day for the next month.
Thanksgiving nachos. This year we did Trader Joe’s horseradish and chives potato chips / shredded cheese / duck fennel sausage / shishito peppers / cranberry dressing. Plus roasted brussel sprouts on the side.
And we stayed on theme with maple margaritas.
No pie for dessert, but we did have these festive truffles.
Roasted broccoli and cabbage with spicy cashew sauce and rolled tofu.
We lucked out that Taglio is so close to our apartment because they are currently my favorite pizza in the city. This roasted potato and vodka slice were both 10/10. Plus they have given a ton of food to the workers at Adam’s hospital throughout the pandemic so I am thrilled to support them (multiple times a week!).
Homemade chili topped with sour cream, jalopenos, and pimento cheese. I used duck sausage, black beans, orange bell pepper, poblano pepper, sweet onion, diced tomato, spices, and beer.
Cold weather definitely hit NYC this week. Thankfully it looks like this weekend will be a little more long walk outdoors friendly. But you wouldn’t guess how cold our apartment is by my recent snack choices – popsicles galore! Highlights include…
I had a both personal day and a weekend comp day off this week which meant that I had a nice short and easy work-week. The weather was mostly beautiful too, so I got to maximize my time off with fun days in Brooklyn! And while I was at work I gave a presentation on critical care nutrition to all of the medical residents that went well.
Highlights include…
This remains my favorite coffee combo. So much fun that I can make *real* Vietnamese iced coffee at home!
This coffee – with brown sugar syrup, boba, tiger jelly, and cream mousse – from Tiger Sugar was pretty good too!
We almost never buy pre-cut fruit (Adam brought this home from work) but it is so luxurious to have in the fridge.
A girlfriend and I went to Williamsburg for spicy ramen… with lobster!
P.S. We took a walk afterwards – for milkshakes — in tank tops — in November —- and were a bit too hot which was both completely horrifying and also quite lovely.
It rained my other day off but Adam and I got take-out from Mission Chinese and had a fantastic time picnicing in the back of the car. Rice cakes with inari and bitter melon + Kung Pao with home fries, chili, peanuts, and pastrami.
