Chestnut iced coffee – I blended skim milk, half and half, chestnut paste, brown sugar, and cinnamon. The flavor was good but unfortunately the blender did not work at all to create a cold foam texture.
I am still very much enjoying these Trader Joe’s dried baby pineapples.
These nuts from 7-11 were very ranch-y but not as spicy as I was hoping for.
A red and green yogurt bowl. Plain Greek with pomegranate, pumpkin seed butter, and halvah.
A weirdly wonderful dinner. Roasted cauliflower / roasted baby zucchinis / sauce – Greek yogurt, Kewpie, Sriracha, and lime juice / Trader Joe’s frozen fish sticks.
P.S./Number six – I had the cheesy nacho fries with steak from Taco Bell this weekend (I didn’t take a photo because I ate them out of the bag like a rat) and they were fantastic.
It’s the first day of Eggnog Month! Also known as December. I am very excited about this year’s cache of themed goods.
Also a time for peppermint.
And other good tidings and joy.
Highlights from the last week of November include…
Several good yogurt bowls. Plain skyr with blueberries, chia seeds, and Seed & Mill lemon and white chocolate halvah.
Plain skyr with blueberries, leftover cranberry sauce, and Target sugar cookie granola.
The newest Reese’s big cup. The caramel layer is THICK and wonderful.
The last of the stuffing-inspired fried cauliflower-rice. Topped with the last of the cranberry sauce and pineapple hot sauce. I am definitely making this dish again next November!
Roasted spaghetti squash with baked turkey meatballs (stuffed with panade, tons of garlic, urfa pepper, and cheese). Plus Trader Joe’s pizza sauce and chili flakes.
Hot/cold tofu. Cold silken tofu topped with a mix of soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, chili crisp, gochugaru, sesame seeds, and furikake. Plus roasted baby cauliflower.
Chicken and veggie dumplings from Mandu (the best!) the best with spicy sesame miso green beans (steamed, then sauteed in a mix of lime juice, brown sugar, gojuchang, miso paste, tahini, and water) and leftover tofu sauce.
We are both really enjoying this flavored s’mores coffee from Bones Coffee Company.
Extra-purple smoothie – frozen grapes, frozen berries, Greek yogurt, and butterfly pea tea.
Yogurt bowl with fresh persimmon, caramel apple granola, honey, and nutmeg.
This giant apple was labeled a “Winter Banana” at the farmers’ market so obviously we bought it.
Such good packaged snacks this week. Jalapeño and honey chicken jerky (9/10) / peanut butter dark chocolate Over Easy bar (8/10).
Abomination Brewing’s marshmallow double IPA with a marshmallow fluff rim!!
True or False – I buy anything new Ben & Jerry’s has to offer? At least once! The peanut butter cup cookie dough bites were a new favorite, 2nd only to the s’mores option, but the Oat of this Swirled flavor wasn’t for me.
We also shop Seed & Mill pretty indiscriminately! These halvah coated pecans were a 10/10.
Take-out steak soft tacos from our local Mexican place. With zucchini, chopped tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, and hot sauce.
Noodle bowls loosely inspired by Khao Soi. Hand-cut noodles / shredded chicken breast / brothy sauce with coconut milk, red curry paste, and chicken broth / dinosaur kale sauteed with shallots, ginger, garlic, fish sauce, soy sauce, and rice vinegar / topped with tons of cashews and chili crisp.
Caribbean-inspired rice and beans (brown rice cooked with yellow onion, habanero pepper, coconut milk, chicken broth, and dark red kidney beans) / roasted broccoli / curried chicken salad (shredded chicken with mayo, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, sauteed onion, dried cranberries, salt and pepper, and Jamaican curry powder). I topped my bowl with pineapple Blind Betty’s hot sauce and the whole thing was divine.
I enjoyed the (new?) chocolate and cherry 88 Acres bar.
These 12 Tides kelp chips are perfect; great crunch and very garlicy and savory.
I’m holding out on eggnog and peppermint until after Thanksgiving, but a winter-themed beer felt appropriate for November! Abomination Brewing’s Wandering in the Snow – double dry hopped IPA with lactose and marshmallow.
The Roast special this week was a shortrib smashburger with pickles, roasted mushrooms, caramelized onions, arugula, white cheddar, and aioli on a potato bun – we obviously had to try it. Plus fries and amazing homemade green beans (sauteed with butter, garlic, and honey dijon).
Cajun-ish rice casserole. I baked brown rice with Trader Joe’s turkey summer sausage, red kidney beans, cream of mushroom and roasted garlic condensed soup, fire-roasted Rotel, red bell pepper, yellow onion, salt, pepper, and paprika. Topped with Cholula and Greek yogurt and served with a side of garlic sauteed broccoli rabe.
A new variation on a broccoli salad we made almost one year ago that I’ve thought about ever since. Roasted broccoli, roasted red onion, roasted cannellini beans, dried cherries, and the sauce (in the food processor – cilantro, roasted jalapeno, garlic, white cheddar, smoked sardines, pine nuts, honey, salt, paprika, gochugaru, evoo, and water). I topped my serving with Trader Joe’s hot and sweet pickled jalapenos. Plus a side of roasted honeynut squash that we also swooned over.
One of the best salads we’ve ever made at home. Romaine and chicory blend lettuce / charred asparagus / strawberries / white cheddar / Trader Joe’s sweet and spicy candied pecans / Greek yogurt marinated baked chicken / homemade honey mustard vinaigrette (equal parts mayo, honey dijon, yellow mustard, honey, lemon juice, and vinegar).
I signed up for an online CEU in GI Nutrition this weekend. The speakers were former UVA colleagues so that was neat! It was four+ hours on a Saturday though so I needed a fun breakfast – Adam and I split a Roast breakfast burrito (scrambled eggs, avocado, crispy potato, peppers and onions, hot sauce aioli, and I added sliced turkey) and fries.
Starbucks’ new sugar cookie cold foam is tasty but not as good as chocolate or pumpkin. Sandwiched between shots of espresso and cinnamon dolce sprinkles.
I made a dalgona iced coffee with cinnamon and chocolate milk (YUM).
I paired Whole Food’s hot bar chicken tenders and charred broccoli – and a hard boiled egg – with every kind of dipping sauce (ranch, blue cheese, Roast house sauce, honey mustard, bbq).
Dinner at Sandro’s, which someone at work highly recommended for Long Island Italian.
It was good! I got garlic broccoli rabe and the Mafaldine pasta with pesto, tomato sauce, Stracciatella, and toasted pine nuts. This was so satisfying.
I didn’t dress up this year but still considered it a successful Halloween; Adam and the dog and I packed bags of candy and drove around admiring decorations.
Related – this candy corn hared cider was better in concept than flavor but still fun.
Other highlights from the week…
This Blue Point Big Mother Pumpkin was the last of (and one of the best of) the pumpkin beers.
Made Good cinnamon bun oat bar with fresh strawberries.
Trader Joe’s dried baby pineapple. Their selection of (unsweetened and unsulfured) dried fruit is unmatched.
An aggressively Southern snack hour. Stubbs BBQ chips with pimento cheese. Pro-tip – I served the dip warm with honey and spiced pecans on top.
This week’s dinners were all about the sauces! Trader Joe’s scallion pancakes + cucumber salad with Sriracha, sugar, soy sauce, and rice vinegar + canned salmon salad with Sriracha, mayo, and soy sauce + Sriracha, Kewpie, oyster sauce, and furikake.
Fried mini tofu, Sea For Yourself bechamel and sherry lobster cake, roasted purple cauliflower, and a toasted miso sesame dipping sauce (in a saucepan over low heat – canola oil, miso, tahini, urfa pepper; whisked with mayo and a squeeze of lemon).
Bok choy sauteed with miso and ginger and Mandu chicken and vegetable dumplings. Plus a spicy peanut dipping sauce (for 2 big servings – 2 Tbsp peanut butter, 2 Tbsp hot water, 1/2 tsp brown sugar, heaping 1/2 tsp Sriracha, 1/2 tsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp rice vinegar).
It’s a short work-week for me because tonight I head to Ohio to celebrate my grandmother’s NINETY-FOURTH birthday! She moved into an assisted living facility that she loves since I last saw her and I am so excited to catch-up!
Highlights from an incredibly tasty week…
Pumpkin smoothie – pumpkin puree, cottage cheese, maple syrup, cinnamon, and ice.
We consumed our spookiest pumpkin beers while watching Goosebumps (Roadsmary’s Baby – 9/10 and Howling Gourds – Adam’s favorite). Also mystery-flavor, black-tinted Fanta!
It’s Pumpkin Month but my apple line-up was top-notch. Snap Dragon, Cosmic Crisp, and Lady Alice.
These Trader Joe’s Crunchy Curls are probably the most satisfying snack food; 12/10, perfect crunch, texture, and flavor.
How cute are these little strawberry gummies I found at Target??!
Pumpkin chili! Ground turkey, pink beans, yellow onion, bell peppers, chicken broth, pumpkin puree, tomato paste, fish sauce, soy sauce, salt and pepper, urfa chili, gochugaru, smoked paprika, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Topped with cheese, sour cream, and pickled jalopenos.
Plus we snacked on Trader Joe’s pumpkin tortilla chips with salsa while we cooked.
Egg tofu with mushroom gravy. I used shitake and brown beech mushrooms and served on top of riced cauliflower. We loved this (especially topped with Sriracha and chili crisp).
Winter veggie sheet-pan hash. I roasted butternut squash, Trader Joe’s cruciferous crunch mix, and chicken and mushroom sausages with sweet and spicy candied pecans and sharp-cheddar. Topped with a miso maple mustard vinaigrette.
Pumpkin Noosa (the best pumpkin yogurt of the month) with caramel apple granola.
Pumpkin spice Chobani with apple pie granola and frozen/warmed berries and cherries. Plus a pour-over coffee with a cinnamon and vanilla bean cold foam!
Southern Tier is the greatest of all time when it comes to pumpkin flavored alcohol.
Paris Baguette brie and cranberry croissant. This was great. I also tried an everything cream cheese croissant from Whole Foods that was only ok.
Perfect peanut butter and berry layers bar. Delicious. I’ve been very into things with a jammy layer recently (I had a Jenny’s doughnut ice cream over vacation with a mind-blowing jam swirl).
Someone at work gave Adam these spicy cashews and they are hands-down the best nuts I’ve ever eaten.
Good enough to salvage this very lackluster Cup Noodles flavor.
Taco bowls. Roasted cabbage with Sichuan pepper salt, cilantro, and lime / turkey sauteed with yellow onion, poblano pepper, and spices / double roasted tomato salsa / everything and the elote dip / sharp cheddar.
Enchilada-inspired casserole. Trader Joe’s black bean and cheese taquitos baked with a topping of roasted zucchini, leftover turkey, salsa, sour cream, and cheese. <– I will be making this again
Eating Chalk 