Tag Archives: squash

It’s Apple Month

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If you follow the Emily calendar of themed foods then September is Apple Month! Here are some of the products I’ve been squirreling away in anticipation –

And some highlights from this week include…

A perfect coffee combo.

Apple kombucha.

Apple cinnamon overnight oatmeal with a coffee dark chocolate bar.

These apple items were both only ok.

But we adored these (off-theme) peanut butter brownie crisps.

Sautéed kale with green onion, serrano pepper, shredded chicken, peanuts, and a zippy garlic-ginger sauce.

Fancy tuna salad with pine nuts, sundried tomatoes, and capers + a Trader Joe’s frozen veggie blend with marinated eggplant, zucchini, and red peppers.

Chicken salad (a blend of shredded breast and thigh meat with mayo, honey dijon mustard, and horseradish) with grapes and spiced pecans + roasted green beans + sourdough toast with apple butter and cinnamon (and tiny star sprinkles!).

Hibiscus Shaved Ice

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Some highlights from the past week include…

The hipster version of a classic breakfast – citrus kombucha and peanut butter oatmeal.

Lemon lime sparkling matcha with a (new flavor!) lemon poppy seed perfect bar.

I almost never buy cereal but these reminded me of the raisin frosted mini wheats I loved as a kid and I couldn’t pass them up.

These crunchy yellow peas are smoky in a very pleasing way.

We had great empanadas at Love, Nelly. This one was sweet plantain with guava and cheese!

Plus hibiscus + almond shaved ice with sprinkles and condensed milk.

An amazing (giant) lemongrass chicken bahn mi from Nha Minh.

Dinner pasta 1 – whole-wheat penne with marinara sauce (from the pizza we made last weekend), chicken sausage, and roasted zucchini.

Dinner pasta 2 – a loose take on these spicy braised eggplant noodles, with whole-wheat bow ties.

Pesto Bow Ties

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Long time no blog! I’ve actually been home since last Thursday (and back at work since last Friday and through the weekend!). Adam and I had an absolutely wonderful little trip to the Hudson Valley. We want to go back ASAP! Some of our favorite things included exploring the downtown in Hudson, pastries from Breadfolks, Fortunes ice cream at Kitty’s, dinner at Lil’ Deb’s Oasis, and the Round House hotel in Beacon.

Highlights from this past week included… lots of snacks and pesto-smothered dinners.

Chameleon canned cold brew. (7.5/10)

Matcha + roasted seaweed.

These Trader Joe’s plant-based pork rinds are great. Crispy and just a bit spicy.

Fruity sour double IPAs brewed with lactose from Proclamation.

Pesto pasta salad! Homemade (extra-garlic) pesto / whole-wheat bow tie pasta / roasted extra-firm tofu / roasted zucchini / baby tomatoes / smoked mozzarella.

Toasted sandwiches with smoked turkey, sharp cheddar, and pesto on TJ’s sprouted sourdough bread. With roasted romanesco and cheesy waffle fries.

Esquites Sheet Pan Hash

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Adam and I had a fantastic time on vacation! I have no photos to share, but not to worry, we ate all of the things! We spent the weekend in the city with my parents (Roosevelt Island, Central Park, Seaport, Williamsburg, Montauk, +) and then drove to Virginia (Charlottesville and Richmond) to visit with friends and family and visit a million craft breweries. And then we came home and had insane work-weeks and no longer feel relaxed at all, the end.

Some highlights from the week include…

Dessert-y cold brews. Salted caramel from Whole Foods.

We loved these cans from Red Hat Coffee.

S’mores snack mix – Trader Joe’s ube shortbread cookies with chocolate chips and mini marshmallows.

Dipping plate – pimento cheese with pretzels, baby carrots, and mini cucumbers.

Reuben nachos! Whole Food’s pastrami on rye potato chips with shredded gouda and swiss cheese, roast beef, and homemade Russian dressing. Plus sautéed broccoli slaw with pecans.

Our best sheet pan hash to date – yellow potatoes, zucchini, white onion, corn, Cajun-style chicken sauce, and cojita. Topped with diced radish and an esquites inspired sauce with Kewpie, garlic mayo, sour cream, lime juice, paprika, and gojuchang.

Paired with these tamarind chamoy bears from 7-11 that I cannot recommend enough.

Call Me Buffy

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Highlights from an extra-garlicy, pizza packed week!

Mini cucumbers and Trader Joe’s caramelized onion dip are a very good combo.

As is coffee syrup and brown butter almond ice cream.

Hummingbird High’s Supernatural Brownies are out of this world good (we made the small batch version and it took less than 30 minutes!).

Homemade meat lovers pizza! I made a big batch of sauce by cooking down jarred marinara with yellow onion, garlic, turkey bacon, ground turkey, shallot oil, urfa chili, Korean chili flake, smoked paprika, and fish sauce. On a Trader Joe’s frozen crust with whole-milk mozarella balls. Plus roasted caulilini.

We had leftover sauce with roasted zucchini and Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi.

And I put leftover bacon in some homemade okonomiyaki (eggy cabbage pancakes). I also stuffed it with ginger and chili crisp and topped it with Sriracha, Kewpie, and furikaki.

We also made a sandwich style pizza that was my favorite meal of the week. With mozzarella, cheddar cheese curds, sliced turkey, and a homemade roasted garlic aioli. Plus sautéed snap peas and red bell pepper with tons of garlic and butter.

Chipotle, Coconut, Curry, Callaloo

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I hope all of my American readers are enjoying Memorial Day long weekends. I worked Friday-Monday; womp, womp. But Adam and I are off together next weekend and I am so excited I could burst. Meanwhile, most of what we ate last week was truly fantastic. Highlights include…

Phin-brewed coffee with herbed cold foam.

Tropical yogurt bowl – Trader Joe’s guava and passionfruit Greek yogurt with coconut chips and fresh mango.

This hibiscus water was nice and refreshing.

How excited was I to find Dr. Brown’s in a 2-liter?!

IPAs brewed with milk sugar are my favorite. The Founder’s was good and the Evil Twin is god-tier.

Pretty much any time I go to any store for any reason I come out with at least one ice cream.

Caribbean beans and rice – brown rice cooked with coconut milk, red kidney beans, habanero pepper, urfa chile, garlic, ginger, and onion // with curry chicken breast – baked after marinating in goat’s milk yogurt, green Tabasco, lemon juice, Jamaican curry powder, and paprika // and roasted zucchini.

Salad night – baby spinach and spring mix blend with green onion, red bell pepper, avocado, coconut chips, roasted garlic salmon cakes, and homemade creamy passionfruit vinaigrette.

I made callaloo! A very loose take on callaloo but a good one nonetheless. Spinach cooked with green onion, yellow onion, habanero pepper, spices, coconut milk, and crab meat.

Often eaten with rice, I paired mine with chipotle cheese crisps.

Black Sesame

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I’m late — I worked the weekend and it knocked me out — but last week was too yummy not to post! Tons of ube, black sesame, and homemade fried shallots, oh my!

Highlights included…

Vietnamese coffee combo all week.

See also, phin-brewed coffee with sweetened condensed milk and black sesame paste.

Cookie dough Perfect Bar and a fresh peach = my new favorite breakfast combo.

Calpis filled marshmallows.

Everything new and ube from Trader Joe’s! P.S. we made epic sundaes with those items plus sliced banana, frosted flakes, sweetened condensed milk, and black sesame paste.

We have loved everything we’ve tried from Fat Orange Cat, particularly this sour double IPA.

Udon noodles / roasted zucchini, shredded rainbow carrot, green onion / ground turkey / sauce including doubangijang (spicy bean paste), chili crisp, tahini, soy sauce, and rice vinegar / fried shallots.

Roasted eggplant with shallot oil and sumac / roasted super firm tofu / sauce including tahini, black sesame paste, gojuchang, lemon, maple, and rice vinegar / green onion and fried shallots.

Baked chicken thighs / roasted green cabbage with carrots and green onion plus tons of fresh mint and cilantro / Nuoc Cham / fried shallots.

Weekend Work

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Adam and I both worked (super busy!) both days this past weekend; what a way to spend your first weekend post-vacation! I was too tired for cooking so mostly we ate an obscene amount of take-out.

Other highlights included –

Eclectic snack mixes. Salmon jerky + whole-wheat matzoh + chocolate toffee candy.

Pecans + yellow raisins + chocolate chips + ruby cacao covered cherries + wasabi peanuts.

A crazy good ice cream sandwich. The cookies were just salty/savory enough.

Spinach and cheese tortellini with marina sauce, turkey pepperoni, and roasted zucchini.