Tag Archives: seafood

Over, Left Not Underwhelmed

by

It genuinely took until Sunday morning but I finally feel completely back to normal! I even enjoyed a run. It was a very low-key weekend with some yummy bites. Highlights include…

I really enjoyed this instant espresso sachet from Blue Bottle.

Banana protein coffee (in the blender – brewed coffee, half and half, frozen banana, vanilla protein powder, cinnamon, and brown sugar).

I knew I was well because both coffee and booze appealed to me. Two new-to-me tries – Lagunita’s classic IPA and a Flying Embers hard kombucha.

Yogurt bowl perfection – plain skyr, Bear Naked vanilla almond crisp granola, blackberries, and a Juicy Crunch tangerine (aka my new favorite fruit; this was seedless and so sweet and wonderful).

The perfect chips and dip combo – 12 Tides everything-seasoned puffed kelp chips with smoked salmon salad.

Chia “pudding.” I didn’t give this enough time to gel but it made a delicious drink (chia seeds, skim milk, salt, cinnamon, and brown sugar).

It is super nice to have leftovers and easy items for quick dinners. Leftover chicken chili with green onion, plain skyr, sharp cheddar, and Trader Joe’s sweet and hot pickled jalapenos.

Plus roasted baby cauliflower and toasted beer bread with honey and butter.

Leftover sheet-pan breakfast tots topped with Kewpie, Sriracha, and furikake.

Trader Joe’s frozen chicken taquitos with roasted rainbow cauliflower. I ordered chicken fingers for lunch after that Kombucha (lol) and I had a plethora of leftover dipping sauces so this was a great dinner.

Bear, Cat, Fish

by

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.

Harissa Jalapeño Sriracha

by

Things from the weekend…

Breakfast from Simple Loaf Bakehouse – a giant, cheesy turkey cheddar jalapeño croissant.

Scrambled eggs with Dubliner cheddar and chili crisp. Plus cucumber on the side.

Mentioning these dried baby pineapples again because we are still loving them.

The vegan tuna salad I was obsessed with at the Charlottesville Whole Foods has finally made its way to Long Island.

Giant ice cream sundae. I topped Phish Food with melted peanut butter, sprinkles, granola, and cocktail cherries.

This Trader Joe’s Sriracha shrimp bowl remains my favorite frozen meal. It is so satisfying. I do always add more hot sauce and a bit of Kewpie though.

We got bowls and Cava and loved them. I got rice and honey harissa chicken with so many toppings I can’t remember them all. Plus the amazing pita crisps. Best of all – we hit the soda fountain and had diet cola mixed with blueberry soda!

Goodbye, 2023

by

Blogging a day early… My New Years Eve celebration of choice has always been going to bed at a reasonable hour and starting the new year refreshed. We are finishing our year with junk food and a nice bottle of champagne 🙂

Things from the last days of 2023 included…

Butterscotch iced latte from Think Coffee.

The cinnamon bun Chamberlain Coffee didn’t have enough flavor for us but the grapefruit elderflower Aura Bora is my favorite.

We met up with friends for coffee, a Bayside walk, and crepes. Mine had red bean, matcha ice cream, strawberries, and chocolate sauce. Plus I got a jasmine tea with an ice-bear.

Mexican street corn popcorn. I don’t love pre-popped popcorn but this variety was well-seasoned and a bit spicy.

Caramel on caramel. Great caramels that my parents made and even better Reese’s caramel big cups (sorry guys, yours would have won against a lesser candy!).

We’ve decided these Ben & Jerry’s s’mores cookie dough bites were the very best buy/new find of the year.

We were impressed with this Trader Joe’s orange chicken rice bowl.

Trader Joe’s frozen fish sticks (these I would not buy again) with roasted broccoli and delicata squash.

Hawkmoor Steakhouse. Sour cherry negroni.

Jockey Club – mezcal, lime, apricot, Campari, and Peychaud’s Bitters.

We shared a ton of things – I thought the steak was a bit underdone but the sides were great. Like sourdough with cultured butter.

Bitter leaf salad with Bluebird cheese, pecans, and anchovy dressing.

Beef-fat fries.

Chateaubriand.

Roast beef with potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, roasted carrots, roasted shallot and garlic, and a bone marrow gravy.

Finally, the Peanut Butter Louise – shortbread, crunchy peanut butter, and milk chocolate with a salted caramel ice cream.

Falansai. This Vietnamese spot is a 10/10. Vietnamese iced coffee.

Everything was mind-blowing but unfortunately my pictures are blurry. We shared spicy tuna confit with guacamole on a sesame rice cracker.

Beef and mushroom dumplings and daikon radish in a pho broth made with beef and lamb.

Lemongrass beef skewers with vermicelli noodles and a pickled egg.

And a chocolate ganache cake with candied peanuts and a condensed milk ice cream. <– my favorite dish of the weekend

The fridge is full of leftovers and happily most of these foods will be following us into 2024!

Bunches And Tons

by

Posting a day early because it’s our wedding anniversary (!!) and we are going out to a camera-free dinner! 

Yummy things from this week…

I made cinnamon chestnut scones. 

Gnubees lemon coconut fruit shake. Not super exciting but a pleasant flavor and a good pre-gym snack for us.

I really liked the new bananas foster Chobani Greek yogurt. It was a tiny bit too sweet for toppings but a really nice flavor. With persimmon, tangerine, and sugar cookie granola.

No one is surprised that I’ve expanded fancy holiday nachos to include red and green nachos for Christmas! These were loaded – and giant – and delicious. Potato chips / sharp cheddar / sauteed dinosaur kale / chopped broccoli rabe sauteed with tons of garlic / red baby bell peppers sauteed with Trader Joe’s sweet and hot pickled jalapeños / fennel duck sausage.

Sushi roll (ish) bowls. Brown rice mixed with roasted cauliflower rice and rice vinegar — we loved this and want to do it again / furikake / canned tuna and salmon with Kewpie and Sriracha / chopped baby cucumbers with sauteed orange bell pepper, rice vinegar, sugar, and Sriracha / avocado / sesame seeds / pickled ginger.

We turned our leftovers (cauliflower/rice, kale, garlic broccoli rabe, and duck sausage plus eggs, soy sauce, and Sriracha) into the best fried rice!

Festival Of Festivals

by

We had such a yummy weekend! NYC is doing so many fun pop-ups/holiday specials this year! Here was everything festive we did this weekend…

A trip to the Milleridge Inn Village to admire the lights.

787‘s coquito and tres leches iced lattes. These were too milky for our tastes but still so good; the coquito was perfectly spiced.

Cafe d’Avignon in Essex Street Market makes the best breakfast in the city – an iced vanilla latte and a fruit and nut bun with butter and cheddar.

We went to Supermoon Bakehouse for the eggnog kouign brûlée croissant (and gingerbread cheesecake filled doughnut).

But what ended up blowing our minds was the twice baked sugar cookie croissant filled with funfetti almond cream. <– swoon!

Brigadeiro Bakery‘s seasonal specials included cinnamon and gingerbread.

Brooklyn Cupcake‘s coquito cupcake.

Pokito is making seasonal jello shots! And they were beautiful and delicious! We also got an El Tigre – frozen light and dark rum, orange liquor, coconut, Thai tea, cinnamon, and cardamom.

Sleyenda at Leyenda.

Their Candy Striper is always my favorite drink of the season – frozen Cachaça, coconut, maple, peppermint, vanilla, lemon, and cardamom.

We also shared the arepa with chipotle-lime shrimp and pineapple salsa.

And fried green plantains with ropa vieja.

Snow Days at Sunday in Brooklyn. Polar Bear Club – frozen coffee-distilled rum, Aquavit, banana, coconut, pineapple, and cucumber / Comet’s Cosmo – tequila, ginger shochu, yuzu brandy, tart cranberry, elderflower, and shiso soda.

Jungle Bells – mezcal, prickly pear, Campari, poblano, pineapple, and tamarind.

The drinks/decorations were fun but the food was the standout. We adored everything we got to share. Roasted honey nut squash with brown butter, sesame, and coffee tahini.

Wood roasted brussel sprouts with pistachio, golden raisins, and lemon gremolata.

Wood roasted half chicken with Herb De Provence and roasted garlic jus and seasoned fries. I couldn’t get a good photo but this was outstanding – juicy, savory, and one of the best things we’ve eaten all year.

Plus we got a sundae with housemade hot chocolate and eggnog soft-serves for dessert.

Egg(nog)head

by

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.

Chobani eggnog yogurt with cinnamon, blackberries, and coffee cake (from my mom).

Boozy tiramisu eggnog from Dante West Village.

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!

Chestnuts Blending

by

Five things from the 1st weekend of December…

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.