Tag Archives: sauce

Weekend Highlights – Rockaway Beach And Roberta’s

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We have got to squeeze every last drop of fun out of this summer before fall hits.  We made the most of our weekend with a beach trip and ice cream all day every day.

I’ve been crazy hungry lately so these pictures are just a drop in the bucket, but here are the highlights…

Coffee!  While I made my grocery list.

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The Vietnam blend from Starbucks is great with cocoa, cinnamon, and sugar.

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And the maple latte at Caffé Bene is on point.

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Toasted turkey cheese sandwich.

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Multi-grain bread with smoked turkey, colby jack, mayo, and lots of pickles.

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Plus roasted broccoli on the side.

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More roasted broccoli (and more of that plate).

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This time with truffle salt.

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And Applegate chicken nuggets with a Sriracha honey mustard dipping sauce.

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Frozen yogurt.  Birthday cake topped with chocolate stuff and Nutella.

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Pizza from Roberta’s.  We will definitely be back!  Cheesus Christ = mozzarella, taleggio, parmigiano, black pepper, and cream.

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Sunday afternoon we went down to Tacoway Beach.  They put rum in our watermelon juice and guacamole on our fish tacos.

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Plus we got Tostilocos, a big back of chips, black beans, seasoned cabbage, cojita, and Japanese peanuts.

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Then we spent some time on the beach.

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And stopped by Connolly’s for the all-time best frozen piña coladas.

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Have a great week!

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Weekend Highlights… A Bevy of Beverages

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notable snacks – –

Froyo again.  Can’t stop, won’t stop.

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Plain tart and Nutella yogurts with Nutella, mini peanut butter cups, chocolate-covered pretzels, and rainbow sprinkles.

Pizza-pizza.

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Buffalo chicken.

We bought the new brownie batter Oreos.

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Pretty good, especially when you smush two together for a double-stuffed.

Fresh mint in bubbly seltzer is delicious.

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Best of all the many, many beverages we enjoyed this weekend.  There were also several iced coffees that didn’t make the photos cut.

Long Island City – –

Saturday morning I picked up a very tired husband from a long shift at work,

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and we finally hit up LIC Flea and Food.

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We got mac and cheese and chicken empanadas.

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And a Nutella gelato and macaroon ice cream sandwich from Bakeshop by Woops.

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We explored LIC a bit with a walk on the waterfront.

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A stop at the gorgeous newest Sweet Leaf location for an intensely creamy Vietnamese iced coffee.

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And finally a flight of beers from Rockaway Brewing Co.

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#2, 4, 7, & 8.  We were very impressed.  The cream ale was the best.

Williamsburg – –

Matchabar.

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Iced matcha on fresh watermelon juice.  It was good, but not something I’m dying to go back for again.

On the other hand, lunch at Meatball Shop will be repeated very soon.  I need to make an ice cream sandwich.

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I got the jello shot special – Jack and Rosé.

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And chicken meatballs with pesto.

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They were served on an assortment of veggies – fennel, salad with apple, roasted squash, cucumber, and fresh green beans – that were tasty but literally dripping with oil.

a doggy date – –

On Sunday Webster took his first ride on the subway.

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We went on a family trip to Central Park!

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He was a total trooper for 3 hours of walking around the park.  We cooled down with a honey iced tea,

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and a double caramel Magnum bar.

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And some of us had bowls of water that we stomped in and spilled all over the place.

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Webster was beyond tuckered out when we got home and spent most of the rest of the day curled up in my lap!

homemade Korilla knock-off bowls – –

I made knock-off chicken and rice bowls and the husband said I did as good of a job as Korilla!

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  • brown rice with chopped kimchi and turkey bacon
  • roasted broccoli
  • quick pickled carrots and cucumber
  • chicken that was marinated in Gochujang paste, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, soy sauce, and rice vinegar
  • shredded cheese and a fried egg on top

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So good.  I am excited for the leftovers.

(Frozen)Yogurt

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breakfast

Coffee!

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With caramel.

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Or with Hint of Honey Almond Milk and plums.

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Or a Clif Bar.

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Also one morning my coworker brought in yummy poppy-seed Danish.

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lunch

I had a really great sandwich with spicy sliced chicken, pickles, and fresh mozzarella from the cafeteria.

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The other days I did yogurt bowls featuring the new blended flavors from Chobani.  Coffee with plums and KIND peanut butter granola.

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Mixed berry with blueberries, raspberries, multi-grain o’s and Nature’s Path Heritage Flakes.

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And vanilla with more berries and bran flakes.

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The texture of the 2% yogurt was seriously creamy and good.

dinner

I can’t show you Monday/Tuesday’s dinner because it is my Recipe Redux for this month.  I will show you some of the tasty stuff we had with it though… Like roasted green beans on the side.  I added thinly sliced shallots and they got insanely crispy, crunchy, good.

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And frozen yogurt for dessert.  With all of the chocolate toppings.

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We liked the Nutella on top so much we ended up going back again the next night.

Wednesday was Webster’s Buyday (the anniversary of the day we brought him home) so we made a special dinner with some of his favorite foods – Nachos!  Chips with cheese, broccoli, cilantro, and chicken (pronounced chick-ON chick-ON in this house).

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He even had his own little dish.

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And of course we got Chipotle.

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Of course.

random thoughts

I am so freaking excited that Target is doing away with gender-based labeling in some of its children’s aisles!  When I worked at a toy store in college I hated when people would come in and ask for “boy toys” or “girl toys.”  This awesome graph sums up my thoughts pretty well –

gender based toys

I’ve already seen some pumpkin beers and it is taking all of my self-control to not start stockpiling.  I’ve told myself that I’m waiting until mid-September.

Poorly Drawn Lines is always hilarious but I feel like this week’s comics have been especially great.

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We had dessert every single night this week.  I want to nip that daily habit in the bud, but I also have fifteen plus new ice cream joints that I want to visit before summer ends.

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Lunch N Oats

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breakfast

This week’s coffee (a mix of Community Coffee and Brooklyn Roasting Co) was iced with milk (a mix of vanilla almond milk and skim).  Sweetened with honey – meh.

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And maple – yum!

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And paired with watermelon juice.

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And an apple.

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lunch

2% Lingonberry Strawberry Siggi’s with chopped apricot and plum and Nature’s Path Heritage Flakes.

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The rest of the week was all about the oats.

Chocolate chip oats with peanut butter and diced apricot stirred in.  Plus goats milk maple caramels on the side.

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Coconut maple oats with purple rose plums(!!) and chocolate pumpkin seeds.

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And oats from home.  With freeze-dried strawberries, chia seeds, chocolate covered cocoa nibs, and chocolate chunks.

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snack

Delicious nougat bar my parents bought me at BRKLYN Larder.  Adam bought me Luxardo cherries for my birthday there too and I am so excited to start using them.

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Iced Americano with cream.

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Herbed turkey and Havarti roll-up.

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I ate several handfuls of prunes this week.  The snack situation was getting pretty bleak.

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But then we bought the new Reuben lays.

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It was amazing, if you were blindfolded you still would totally taste rye bread and thousand island dressing.  If they were kettle chips instead of the flimsy regular kind they’d be my new favorite.

dinner

Leftovers from Sunday.  Whole-wheat penne topped with sautéed turkey, mushrooms, and onions in marinara sauce.

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Eaten cold, out of the Tupperware, in front of the open fridge.  It’s kind of crazy how classy I am.

The next night really was pretty snazzy though.

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Lemon Pepper Baked Shrimp with shredded Brussels sprouts and barely.

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Recipe HERE, this cooks in less than 30 minutes.

Then we had big salads with red curry turkey burgers on top.

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Arugula blend topped with TJ’s Asian Sesame Vinaigrette, sliced cucumber, and baked shredded Brussels sprouts and broccoli.  Two notes – 1) baking the shredded B sprouts is my new favorite thing; 2) I bought TJ’s Thai-style chili and lime cashews to put on the salads and they were so spicy even I couldn’t eat them.

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The patties were lean ground turkey with tons of parsley and green onions, soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, red curry paste, and ground ginger.  Cooked in coconut oil.

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We were supposed to have this meal two nights in a row but we snacked on the 1st round of patties while we assembled the salads (and the dog ate an entire patty that fell on the ground!) and there ended up only being enough leftovers for one.  Really I won out though because this chile rellano from TJ’s was darn good.

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Best frozen meal ever.

Finish this thought – this weekend I am excited to…

Weekend Highlights

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This “peanut butter and jelly” yogurt bowl I brought to work was legit.

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Plain Greek yogurt with KIND peanut butter granola, grapes, chia seeds, peanut butter, and a drizzle of maple syrup.  Peanut butter in yogurt is so good!

We made deviled eggs that were only ok.

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And cookies that were fantastic.

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Number 2 pencil’s recipe with chocolate-covered pretzels crumbled in.

Plus watermelon cocktails.

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Woo-hoo!  We’ve got to squeeze the last out of summer.

I made big bowls of pasta with red sauce.

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Whole-wheat rotini topped with ground turkey cooked with tons of sautéed mushrooms and onion and TJ’s marinara.

This was the best meal of the weekend though.

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Scrambled eggs with corn and leftover bbq collards.

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Plus buttered burnt toasted baguette.

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Yum!

Reunited And It Feels So Good

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I had an absolute blast in Buffalo but this past week I have been so freaking excited to be home with my boys.  I usually miss them by the end of my workday so a long weekend away feels like an eternity.  I am lucky to have a husband and dachshund who are both so great! {/sap}

breakfast

Black and white coffee.

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Or Vanilla Chameleon Cold Brew with chocolate milk and an apple on the side.

Cereal with milk.  And blueberries.

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Plus Guava Mandarin Polar seltzer.

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I lugged that back from Wegman’s in Buffalo and it was so worth it.

Coffee-eee-eee.

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Always worth it.  I’d be lying if I said my birthday drink freebie wasn’t bringing me a lot of anticipatory joy.

lunch

Asian-ish.

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Microwave noodles and roasted seaweed.

Oatmeal bowl.

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Chai-spiced oats from Target with maple almond butter on top and 2 black pluots on the side.

Yogurt bowl.

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Vanilla Skyr Icelandic yogurt with blueberries, KIND peanut butter granola, and chia seeds.  This was so tasty; I need more of that yogurt immediately.

dinner

Adam was at the hospital when I got home on Sunday so we had to turn Monday into date night.  He picked me up at work and came bearing red velvet cupcakes.

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We went to dinner at East Wind Snack Shop by Prospect Park.

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We came in for the foie gras bao, which ended up being only ok.  For the cheap price the amount of foie gras was very fair, but I would have rather paid a bit more and gotten a better meat-to-bun ratio.

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But my Happy Buddha Vegetables were yummy.

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They describe this dish as “jasmine rice, fermented tofu, seasoning, and all sorts of vegetables.” I’m not sure what the green sauce was but it was worth going back for.  Then we walked to the theatre (our movie theatre) to see “Ant-Man.”  The character development was weak but the movie was still hilarious so we’re glad we went.

I didn’t have time to do a real grocery trip this week so the following two nights were admittedly a little weak.  This meal was fine but it’s not winning any prizes.

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Cheez-its, leftover roasted veggies that Adam made last week, and a turkey and Havarti cheese sandwich.

This meal was a bit better.  It definitely tasted good.

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We needed a carbohydrate side so we had beer!  Tusker is one of my all-time favorite beers, and pretty much the only lager I enjoy.

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With roasted veggies – asparagus, okra, and zucchini – with Applegate chicken nuggets.

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A copious amount of ketchup was added after I took that picture.

My parents come to visit tomorrow.  And Friday is my birthday.  I’m old, but excited!

Honey Chipotle Chicken And Vegetable Quinoa Bowls {Recipe Redux}

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From the Redux team –

Fresh from the Garden

The season of bountiful produce has arrived. Whether your produce comes from the Farmers Market, a CSA share, or a plot of dirt out back, show how you are using fresh July fruits or veggies.

Bowls of grains and protein topped with big piles of roasted vegetables are a dinner favorite in our house year-round, but in the summer-time it’s nice to be able to count on in-season produce that’s both fresh and locally grown.

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For these bowls I used both veggies and fruits – zucchini, grape tomatoes, and yellow peaches.  Plus some slightly out of season fresh lime juice.

Honey, chipotle, garlic, and lime marinated chicken strips.  Roasted zucchini.  And white quinoa with tomato, peach, honey, chipotle sauce.

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Honey Chipotle Chicken and Vegetable Quinoa Bowls; makes 4 hearty servings

  • 1/2 tsp and 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp ground garlic
  • 2 limes, juiced
  • 1 Tbsp and 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp and 1.5 Tbsp honey
  • 7.5 oz can chipotle peppers in adobe
  • 1.5 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
  • 4 cups sliced zucchini, sliced in 1/8 inch thick circles
  • 10 oz grape tomatoes
  • medium sweet onion, cut in half and then sliced into 1/4 inch thick half circles
  • 2 cups chopped yellow peaches
  • 2.25 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup white quinoa
  • 1/2 Tbsp canola oil

{In advance}  In a large, durable baggie, combine 1/2 tsp salt, pepper, paprika, garlic, lime juice, 1 Tbsp evoo, and 1 Tbsp honey.  Remove six chipotle peppers from the can (be sure to keep them!) and then dump the rest of the peppers and sauce into the bag.  Stir marinade until well-combined.  Add chicken breasts and toss to coat.  Marinate for at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours.

{When you’re ready to get cooking}  Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Prep two baking sheets with baking spray (and aluminum foil if desired for easy clean up).  On one tray, place the zucchini in an even layer; they can be bunched but try not to overlap.  On the other tray, place tomatoes, onion, and peaches in an even layer.  Drizzle the remaining 2 Tbsp of evoo evenly over the vegetables, then sprinkle with remaining 1/2 tsp salt.

Roast the tomatoes, onions, and peaches for 20 – 25 minutes, until the tomato skins have begun to blister but not brown.  Remove that tray from the oven and set aside to cool.  Bake the zucchini for an additional 15 – 20 minutes, 40 – 45 minutes total.

{While the vegetables are roasting} Stir together chicken broth and quinoa in a medium pot on high heat.  Bring to a rolling boil then reduce heat and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes, until all of the liquid has been absorbed, stirring occasionally.

Pour the canola oil into a large, lidded pan over medium-high heat, turning the pan to coat.  Working in batches as needed so as not to overcrowd the pan, cover the pan and cook chicken breasts 5 – 7 minutes on each side until cooked through.  Set aside cooked chicken until cool enough to handle then slice into thin strips.

{Once the quinoa is cooked}  Allow the cooked tomatoes, onion, and peaches to cool for at least 5 minutes.  Place them in your food processor and process 5 – 10 seconds until homogenous.  Add the remaining 6 chipotle peppers and the remaining 1.5 Tbsp honey and process until combined.  Stir the sauce into the cooked quinoa.  Note – you most likely will have more sauce than you need, we used about 3/4 of our batch and then saved the rest for turkey sandwiches and tortilla chip dip.

{When you are ready to serve}  Divide the quinoa evenly among four bowls, topping with additional sauce if desired.  Top with cooked chicken and zucchini slices.  Serve outdoors, if possible.

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Click the link below to see what other Redux members cooked up.  I’m hoping someone tackled watermelon!

I’d Have To Say April 25th

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This was the most boring week of the month (July includes my trip to Maryland, a trip to Buffalo, a visit from my parents, and my 30th birthday!) but Adam and I kept things fun with lots of little dates.  Honestly, I have more fun going to the grocery store with my husband than I would have doing almost anything with someone else, so grabbing donuts before work with him is pretty thrilling.

breakfast

Breakfast note 1 – I stuck with a coffee combo that worked: Dark Roast Community Coffee with skim milk and fat-free half and half.  The coffee bag says to use 2 Tbsp grounds to 6 oz water and I use 3 Tbsp and my crappy coffee machine and it comes out perfect for my tastes.

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Breakfast note 2 – the GoMacro bars in this post are another former freebie.  The flavors I had this week were my new favorites, they had a lot more texture than the previous ones I tried.

Coffee, cinnamon applesauce, and GoMacro apples + walnuts (morning harvest).  They should have just called this flavor “apple pie” because that’s what it tasted like.

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An aprium – apricot-plum hybrid like a pluot but more apricot than plum – and GoMacro sesame butter + dates (sweet revival).  Sesame butter is a bit sweeter than other nut butters naturally; I’m having a hard time explaining the flavor of sesame butter but it is what this bar tastes like.

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Doughnut Plant date before work.  The fresh lavender flower flavor was tasty but the yeasted doughnut was too big for me for breakfast, I’ll have to stick to the cake varieties unless another really fun flavor pops up.  Adam had the chocolate chip cookie special and was basically swooning.

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Freeze-dried Fuji apple slices and GoMaco granola and coconut (balanced goodness).  The oats gave this a great consistency.

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That pop of pink is a new notebook from Target.  I’m obsessed.  I also bought a new day planner.

lunch

I was all about the sandwiches this week.  Caprese sandwich from the cafeteria.  Tomato, basil, mozzarella, and spinach.

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The plainest sandwich ever, also from the cafeteria.  Turkey, cheese, and mayo on a white roll.  I didn’t even have a fruit, vegetable, or whole grain on the side.  I badly sunburned my knees last weekend, long story, and I was feeling a little under the weather that day.

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Starbuck’s Thai-style peanut chicken wrap.  I was impressed with this, all of the fancy new foods looks pretty good.

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Lunch date at La Bagel Delight.  We spit a poppy seed bagel with lox and dill cream cheese.

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On Friday I did get back to my yogurt bowl roots.  2% Lingonberry & Strawberry Siggi’s with chopped aprium and pluot and KIND peanut butter granola.

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Kids, that granola is ridiculous – somehow it tastes like cookie dough?!

snack

Saturday – July 11th or 7/11 – was 7-11 Day so I got a free small slurpee.  Sour Patch watermelon and Coke were amazing together.  Also, I eat my fair share of sugar but half of a small slurpee kind of makes me want to die so I’m horrified by the existence of that extra-large cup.

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Guava cheese empanada.  I will be so sad if this food truck moves away from my LIRR station.

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Ice cream date.  We got raw egg topped with salted caramel, sesame honeycomb, and Luxardo cherries.

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Morganstern’s ice cream is indescribably chewy, it is truly some of the best I’ve ever tasted.  And I cannot get over those cherries.

Have you seen this cute iced drink promotion at Starbucks yet?  Those ice cube stickers kill me.

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Maple latte.  With a sky-blue straw that made me so happy!

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I took a girlfriend to Nunu so I could try that spicy beer again.  And I forgot to write down the name for a 2nd time.  I enjoyed it, but not as much as I did when it was paired with chocolate; a full pint by itself was a bit much to get through.

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A chocolate chip cookie and a GoMacro cherries + berries (sunny uplift).  I was expecting to hate that flavor but it was actually yummy, the cherries were nice and tart and it had some oat texture.

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That cookie was totally not homemade.

dinner

My family sent me home from Solomon’s with some of my uncle’s amazing crab cakes.

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Best meal of the week.

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We sautéed the crab in a mix of melted butter and evoo.

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Served with a caprese-style salad on the side.

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Red and green lettuce mix dressed with truffle salt, evoo, and balsamic vinegar and topped with Kumato tomato and mozzarella.

Date night in the Lower East Side.  We got bowls at Korilla and they were so freaking good!  Sticky rice, gojuchang chicken, red kimchi, cucumber kimchi, monterey jack cheese, and a fried egg.  Plus Korean bbq and hot sauces.  My mouth was on fire and I was in heaven.

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We cooled down at Snowdays.  Black sesame shaved ice with sweetened condense milk, mochi, and Fruity Pebbles.

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We had parked in DUMBO so we got to walk home over the bridge.  It was so hot and sticky but still super fun.

Another day, another bowl, this time a Chipotle date on our couch.

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I got salad with peppers and onions, chicken, mild salsa, green salsa, sour cream, and cheese.  Plus chips and a giant diet coke on the side.  We go to Chipotle so often that the counter staff recognizes us, which is the most embarrassing thing on earth, but we can’t stop!

The opposite of date night, I made this dinner by myself while Adam worked a 30 hour shift.

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My Cheesy Eggplant Bake with diced yellow onion and light Havarti added in so I could use up some leftovers.

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Plus a great salad.

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Red and green lettuce // dressed with lavender salt, evoo, honey, and balsamic vinegar // topped with sweet and spicy pecans, dried bing cherries, and chia seeds.

Any other drink freebie deals I should know about for this summer?