Pizza Pizza

by Emily

Flavor themes from the week – cherries and cheese. These were the highlights…

Brooklyn Roasting Co coffee. After this I have one last tin left from NY… guess we need to take another trip soon!

It was a good week in snacks, thanks in part to a fun package full of goodies from my parents. Including cherry cola Mike & Ikes and delicious chocolate-covered dried cherries.

Two new to us snacks, salted caramel Somersaults (<– best flavor yet!) and Sweet Sapphire grapes.

Another new flavor, sesame bbq chicken Epic bar.

I cooked salmon for dinner one night. Roasted coho topped with a vegan scallion pesto – food-processed pine nuts, parsley, sauteed green onions, and evoo. Plus homemade cole slaw. The sauce was great, but sadly the salmon was fairly flavorless without it.

The rest of the week dinners were all about pizza! I loosely followed this recipe for pepperoni pizza macaroni and cheese. Whole wheat shell pasta > macaroni pasta. Pro tip – any time I make macaroni and cheese (or any roux thickened sauce) I always substitute low-fat condensed milk for the recommended liquid. The results always taste fantastic and it means we don’t have an open container of whole milk in the house which is great because both Adam and I dislike it. Plus roasted zucchini.

Meat lovers pizza. Frozen crust from Trader Joe’s / we added tomato paste while we sauteed some chicken sausage and added that to our marinara sauce / topped with turkey pepperoni and turkey bacon / plus mozzarella and cheddar. With roasted green beans.

What is your favorite pizza topping? Apparently mine is bacon!

3Aug2018

Hell Of A Halvah

by Emily

Highlights from this week…

It’s really lovely to have a husband who arranges me flowers and buys me cupcakes when I’m cranky! Related note – it’s also really nice to live walking distance from Sweethaus because apparently they are our favorite cupcakes on the planet.

Random drink assortment from work, the lemon rose blossom water was surprisingly delicious.

Weirdest/most exciting snack award goes to – this Japanese candy we brought home from NY. It was like a fun dip but with a cola flavored lollipop and fizzy milk powder.

Fantastic product sample – Absolutely Gluten Free sent me their newest snack item: TahiniBARs. Halvah is a candy made of sesame paste and it is both Adam’s and my very favorite treat.

The TahiniBARS come in vanilla, pistachio, and cocoa nibs. They are certified kosher, dairy free, and gluten free. Each serving has 100 calories.

We LOVED them! They absolutely stacked up to the halvah I grew up eating and the artisinal varieties we’ve had in NY.

One of my favorite ways to eat halvah is crumbled up in yogurt, so one day I made an absolutely ridiculous snack – plain Greek yogurt / vanilla TahiniBAR / Soom chocolate tahini spread / red plum and green pluot. Delicious.

We had some tasty dinner too. Like bbq chicken fried rice. Fried rice / carmelized red onion / shredded rotisserie chicken / fresh corn / collard greens cooked with rice vinegar / bbq sauce / eggs.

Jalopeno popper pasta, loosely inspired by this recipe. We used whole-wheat shells, turkey bacon, no cream, and less cheese; plus I topped mine with panko. With roasted zucchini.

Leftovers with an assortment of baby wines. I do NOT recommend the rose.

Homemade buffalo chicken dip / scooped with baby carrots and potato chips / celery sauteed with butter, salt, pepper, and celery seed.

I’m trying out a recipe that sounds super fun this weekend, so please cross your fingers for me that it turns out!

20Jul2018

Bells, Poblanos, And Shishitos, Oh My

by Emily

Highlights from this pepper-filled week…

Coffee coffee.

I made bang bang shrimp with zucchini noodles loosely following this recipe. I swapped in gojuchang and honey for sweet chili sauce and tossed the shrimp in some cornstarch to help give it a nice crust.

Nacho night. Kettle chips / shredded turkey breast / Camembert and cheddar cheese sauce / parsley // roasted green beans.

Veggie bowls. Sauteed red, orange, and yellow bell pepper with sweet onion and garlic / black beans sauteed with charred poblano pepper and cojita cheese / avocado / fried egg / sour cream and Cholula hot sauce.

Cheese plate. Grapes / Camembert and sharp cheddar / olives / tamari almonds / shishito peppers with sea salt, lime juice, and honey. <– I was so excited for this meal and it ended up not having enough protein being the least filling thing on earth and we both had to make sandwiches

Local dessert love. Cheesecake ice cream.

Cupcakes from Sweethaus. That middle one is cookie dough!

We’re doing something fun this weekend…

25May2018

Three Kinds Of Eggs

by Emily

Highlights from this week included eggs served three different ways, a new take on pesto, and my current favorite snack combo…

The week started out on a high point – a breakfast date at Golda.

Quad espresso + ice + cream.

I had the grilled asparagus toast – strawberry-chili mostarda / alfalfa / ras al hanout / soft egg / charred lemon / local sourdough.

Homemade coffee combo = half and half, ice, and Stumptown Founders blend.

Snacks of note include fresh alfonso mango with cottage cheese.

Our Deadpool movie snack was right on the nose. DP 2 was not as good as the first movie but still laugh out loud funny.

My current favorite snack combo is roasted chickpeas with blistered peanuts. Eaten in bulk.

Tuesday – my early day, when I leave the house before 6 am – I drove across town after work to attend what ended up being a very disappointing lecture on TPN. The speaker ran a bit late and I didn’t start heading home until after 9 pm, at which point I was basically whimpering from hunger. Suffice to say, this is the most satisfying Chipotle bowl that’s ever been eaten!

The other three nights I cooked legitimate meals and had some major successes in the kitchen! Like a Mediterranean frittata, complete with a new recipe page.

Replete with feta, zucchini, and sumac.

One night I made okonomiyaki. We use three eggs and a heaping 1/3 cup flour for 2 servings. With shredded garnet yam, roasted cabbage, and ginger. Topped with Sriracha, Kewpie mayo, green onion, and seaweed.

I also tried a new take on pesto that turned out to be delicious. The last time we made homemade pesto we found the raw garlic and basil to be a bit too spicy, so this time I cooked them. Sweet onion, green onion, and garlic sauteed in evoo / basil cooked with the onion for 90 seconds or so / tossed in the food processor with more evoo, parmesan, and pine nuts. Served with whole wheat pasta with baby kale, toasted white beans, and roasted heirloom tomato.

Weekend plans include a bridge walk, a bar date, and a bbq spot.

14May2018

My New Favorite Thing

by Emily

This weekend was all about fancy coffees, restaurant brunches, and yummy home-cooked dinners.

I took a vacation day on Friday – just for funsies – and had lunch with one of my favorite former co-workers and her new baby! Plus I took myself on a long walk: Penn Station down to Chelsea Market, over to Gramercy Park, and back up to Penn Station. Saturday I had a literal every cloud has a silver lining situation – the gloomy weather gave me an excuse to wear my snazzy new rain boots!

Here were the highlights…

Fancy coffees – Iced latte from Seven Point Espresso.

Rose iced latte from Terremoto. <– best coffee of the weekend

Crack pie latte from Milk Bar.

Restaurant brunches – MeMe’s Diner.

The O.C. = cara cara and blood orange, tequila, and Tang.

I ordered the greens with chili oil and a fried chicken biscuit sandwich with spicy maple syrup and root vegetable slaw. The picture does not do justice to just how gigantic that sandwich is.

Cake! I wish I had more photos because this cake is officially my new favorite thing I’ve ever eaten. Vietnamese iced coffee cake with condensed milk frosting and cocoa cardamom fudge. Moist cake, fluffy icing, perfectly balanced.

Midwinter Kitchen. I had a salad with pistachio crusted goat cheese, frisée, watercress, a sunny side up egg, and sherry vinaigrette. Those goat cheese balls were out of this world.

Home-cooked dinners – Trout salad melts. Trader Joe’s canned smoked trout with mayo and gojuchang on toast with sharp cheddar. Plus roasted zucchini with sumac.

And I had this killer drink line-up while I cooked – creamy mango soda and key lime pie gose.

Eat Live Run’s green chile crock pot chicken. I subbed in cauliflower rice to get some more veggies in there.

Gojuchang turkey burgers on toast, smothered in a tasty sauce – kewpie mayonnaise, honey, dijon, and miso. With a side of pear slices and chips – gojuchang kettle chips from Whole Foods and kettle popcorn chips from Trader Joe’s.

Have a great work-week, guys!

30Mar2018

Open Toasted Sesame

by Emily

Highlights from the week…

Lemon shortbread Greek yogurt with a Jaffa mandarin and a coconut seltzer.

Coconut Chobani with Heritage Flakes and a sumo mandarin and a lemon seltzer.

Cookie butter cotton candy.

Sandwich night. Mock beef shaved tofu sauteed with red bell pepper and bbq sauce / served on a brioche bun / with mayo and provolone. Plus broccoli.

Barley bowls. Barley / roasted zucchini / crumbled seaweed snacks / canned mackerel and smoked sardines mashed together with some mayonnaise / Sriracha and gojuchang on top.

A knock-your-socks-off good dinner date at Gristmill.

The Ali Baba cocktail = gin, lemon, cream, egg white, and toasted sesame.

I went with the pre-fix option because I wanted too many things to choose!

Local greens salad with carrot, watermelon radish, and toasted sesame vinaigrette. This was delicious af and while we were eating it the owner came by and excitedly told us about sourcing his greens, so that was fun.

Chicken liver mousse with bread crackers, concord grape jam, and dulce de leche.

Best plain cheese pizza I’ve ever eaten. <– Gristmill is famous for their wood-fired oven.

Plus we had an affogato and that thing lurking in the back is the best chocolate cake I’ve ever eaten with caramelized white chocolate ganache and sourdough pretzel crumbs.

I work the weekend so I’m off today, woo hoo!

16Mar2018

And Now My Favorite Color is Zhough

by Emily

Highlights from the week…

Fancy shmancy coffee. I cold pressed espresso roast with vanilla bean powder, brown sugar, and clove.

Honestly though, my current favorite-favorite combo is espresso, ice, and chocolate milk.

Milkadamia sent me a box for review [no cash was exchanged, all opinions are my own, yadda yadda]. Their macadamia nut milk is vegan, dairy-free, soy-free, and gluten-free. The unsweetened vanilla has 50 calories, 1 gram of protein, and zero grams of sugar (1 gram carbohydrate) per 8 oz serving. The milk has almost no flavor, but that is pretty much what I’m looking for in my nut milks because I want them to make my coffee creamy without distracting from the coffee taste. The unsweetened vanilla went perfectly with a cup of iced coffee this week, no clumping or separation to be found.

I also used it in a smoothie with frozen blueberries and coconut chunks, vanilla, maple, and chia seeds.

My packed work eats were all about the Sumo mandarin and plain Greek yogurt combo. With maple or granola.

Snack attack. Peanut butter puffs.

Mexican marshmallow shortbread cookies.

Super sour soda and cola hard candies.

Mini sundae from Van Leeuwen. Cookies and cream topped with hot fudge, almond brittle, and sprinkles.

All of our dinners this week had a Middle Eastern bent, thanks to lots of zhough and copious amounts of olive oil. Like scrambled egg pita sandwiches. Scrambled eggs / sauteed orange bell pepper and red onion / whole wheat pita / zhough. With roasted zucchini.

Pita chip nachos! Sharp cheddar / red onion and cucumber / marinated chickpeas with lemon juice, olive oil, fresh parsley, oregano, cayenne, and paprika / zhough and tzatziki.

Veggie bowls. Sauteed red onion, yellow bell pepper, and roasted eggplant / tomato sauce / marinated chickpeas / zhough and tzatziki / fried egg.

Also pizza. Is there a better food on the planet than buffalo chicken pizza??

It’s almost the weekend! Who has green beer on their Saturday agenda?

12Mar2018

געשמאַק

by Emily

Adam is post-call this morning and I am taking my weekend day off so we get to share the same space for a bit, woo-hoo! We have some really exciting date options to chose from, like a grocery trip and maybe the gym.

I worked Saturday and Sunday – and was off on Friday but spent the entire day reading and/or watching tv – so I don’t have too much excitement to share this recap. We did go on a very delicious dinner date Saturday night though.

weekend highlights…

Coffee coffee.

Cinnamon chocolate pudding.

Snowdays shaved ice! Black sesame with grass jelly, mochi, and strawberry sauce.

Yesterday I made a dish that was moussaka-adjacent. No potatoes but the other layers were there. Roasted eggplant / sauteed turkey with tons of onions, spices, and tomato / mornay sauce with parmesan.

And Saturday we did an awesome Israeli dinner at Timna. You select an entree and then the table gets all of the appetizers tapas-style. Also we ordered two desserts because we just couldn’t choose! It was one of our best meals to date. Falafel with pickled mango.

Kubneh bread baked in a flower pot served with crushed tomato, creme-fraiche, and jalapeño salsa.

Grilled beet salad with beluga lentils // tuna sashimi with green tabouli, tatziki, and ponzu // grilled cauliflower and artichoke with curried yogurt, homemade raisins, and pickled onion // smoked eggplant with feta cheese and sumac.

I had “the fish,” striped bass with cherry tomato confit, grilled zucchini, grilled fennel, fried eggplant, Greek yogurt, and bread crumbs. We loved the meal from start to finish but the fried eggplant was my favorite bite of the night.

Kubneh bread with creme patisserie, white chocolate, and honey and sage ice cream.

Sicilian pistachio ice cream with tahini, silan, and shredded halva. swoon

Back to the grind we go!

Eating Chalk

Tag Archives: squash

Pizza Pizza

Hell Of A Halvah

Bells, Poblanos, And Shishitos, Oh My

Three Kinds Of Eggs

My New Favorite Thing

Open Toasted Sesame

And Now My Favorite Color is Zhough

געשמאַק