Tag Archives: squash

(C)how Fun

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Fun eats from the past week…

A coffee date at Quhwah House. I got an iced Yemeni latte (great in theory but I ultimately am just not a ginger in coffee fan) and we shared a yummy creamy pistachio dessert.

I was very pleasantly surprised by this Cafe Bustelo coffee. Not as good as brewing their coffee myself but the best pre-made coffee I’ve tried.

Snack plate – olive oil and za’atar labne, baby carrots, and corn fritters (we got bar food one night!).

I went to J-Mart for fresh noodles and scored in their amazing snack isle – these Sichuan pepper chips were fantastic.

Drinks and desserts at Whisk and Whiskey. We really enjoyed this spot and want to go back ASAP.

We made Hummingbird High’s best ever banana bread recipe.

I, of course, ate some cubed in a yogurt bowl with blueberries.

And, of course, I toasted thick slices to be the B in BEC (banana bread, soft-scrambled eggs, extra-sharp cheddar). Served with blueberries and roasted green beans.

Another fun dinner I made was Leah Cohen’s recipe for Chow Fun! With baked chicken subbed in for beef and roasted zucchini subbed in for bean sprouts. It was delicious.

Big salads. Romaine / cucumber / balsamic vinaigrette / roasted pumfu (pumpkin seed tofu) / crispy rice (leftover black rice roasted with soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili crisp).

Best meal of the week = Bricolage. We’ve loved this Vietnamese spot for years. Their take on coquito blew me away – Ten to One dark rum, house-made creamy coconut spice blend, and Chinese cardamom. I also had a great Vietnamese Espresso Martini – Grainger’s vodka, chicory infused coffee, condensed milk, and five spice coffee garnish.

Mushroom ginger congee with lemongrass tofu.

Five spice roasted honey nut squash with maple gastrique and a kale cauliflower cous cous salad.

Hawker broad noodles – fresh flat rice noodles, shiitake mushrooms, Chinese broccoli, cherry tomato, peanuts, crispy shallots, and spiced soy three-bean peanut sauce.

Caramelized shrimp pot – Gulf shrimp, baby bok choy, onion, cherry tomato, and scallions in a caramel-chili sauce. This is my favorite dish on the menu!

Oh Chicken Salad

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Thoughts for the weekend… It is going to be unpleasantly cold all next week so I am hoping to take a long walk around the neighborhood today while it’s still enjoyable to be outside // I recently rediscovered/got ear-wormed by “No Games” by Serani and I play it twice daily at minimum // We bought Webster a blueberry muffin toy and it is delightfully cute.

Best bites from the week…

Peanut butter and jelly yogurt bowl. Plain skyr with blueberries, jam grapes, and the best peanut butter.

A spaghetti and meatballs-ish take on the lasagna soup trend. Sauteed garlic, tomato sauce, and Trader Joe’s tomato and roasted red pepper soup / roasted zucchini / whole-wheat elbow pasta / turkey meatballs (stuffed with panade, garlic, and parmesan) / topped with parmesan.

Chicken salad. Chopped chicken breast with grapes, slivered almonds, scallions, skyr, mayo, dijon, smoked paprika, and salt and pepper. Plus leftover PopUp bagels toasted with butter and roasted purple cauliflower.

Broccoli salad. Roasted broccoli and leftover cauliflower / roasted poblano pepper / baked super-firm tofu / scallions / sesame seeds / dried cranberries / extra-sharp cheddar / sauce – dijon, evoo, lemon juice, honey, and vinegar.

Oodles

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Two down! Some highlights from a tasty week…

This week’s coffee was Madrinas’ cheesecake instant cold brew. The flavor was nice (not artificial tasting) and it mixed easily but this was a bit sweet for me; I liked it best mixed with half water and half black coffee.

Peanut butter cup protein cookie yogurt bowl. Plain Greek with chocolate protein powder, chunky peanut butter, brown sugar, and chocolate chips.

One of my best yogurt bowls in recent memory – plain Greek with granola, blueberries, and a perfect persimmon.

Lobster sandwich sushi from Iavarone Brothers. I was underwhelmed by their pizza but the sushi counter was a nice find.

Trader Joe’s spinach and artichoke dip / a take on baba ganoush (roasted eggplant with Greek yogurt, evoo, black sesame paste, lemon, garlic, salt, and sumac) / Simple Mills garlic and herb seed flour crackers.

Chinese take-out in bulk. Beef and broccoli / General Tso’s chicken / veggie lo mein / crab rangoon / and veggie dumplings.

Zoodle/noodle bowls. Ramen noodles, spiralized zucchini, roasted sprouted tofu, scallions, and garlic sauteed with this sauce.

Kale Caesar salad for the win. Kale massaged with evoo, lemon, and salt / roasted cruciferous crunch veggie mix / parmesan cheese / Trader Joe’s frozen chicken nuggets / homemade pretzel bread croutons / homemade dressing (in the food processor – Greek yogurt, mayo, dijon, evoo, lemon juice, garlic, capers, black pepper, anchovies, and parmesan).

Dips and Sips

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This post is late because my laptop was in the shop. Things from the week/end, many dips and sips, 50% seasonal!…

Kings Coast Coffee Company‘s The Griswald – espresso with cinnamon and housemade oat nog.

Iced matcha latte with candy cane syrup.

Cheesecake-y smoothie – cottage cheese, vanilla protein powder, water, and frozen blueberries, cherries, and pineapple.

A take on our favorite seasonal smoothie – plain Greek yogurt, frozen strawberries, vanilla protein powder, chocolate milk, and candy cane syrup.

Hint chocolate peppermint flavored water. Good but not something I would seek out again.

Chobani eggnog Greek yogurt with blueberries and Heritage Flakes (and tiny star sprinkles!).

I also had a really great bowl with fresh persimmons, blueberries, granola, and plain Greek.

I made extra chestnut cream cheese frosting so that I could scoop it with pretzel thins and that was a very good idea.

See also – Trader Joe’s blue cheese roasted pecan dip with garlic parmesan pretzels.

I tried two new-to-me Trader Joe’s prepared items – crunchy slaw salad and peanut udon salad – both 8/10’s; both had some nice spice and fresh vegetables.

This soup was so easy and so satisfying – baby bok choy sauteed with scallions and ginger, chicken broth, and Trader Joe’s mini chicken cilantro wontons.

Hedgehog roasted super-firm tofu – topped with a mix of thinly sliced scallions, gochugaru, sesame seeds, furikake, sesame oil, honey, sugar, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, and water – and roasted baby zucchini.

Use Your Noggin

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Fun things from the weekend so far included a long walk around Manhattan – it was super cold but super beautiful. We admired the Rockefeller tree, the tree at Union Square Park, and decorations at Chelsea Market, Hudson Yards, and Grand Central Station. Food highlights…

787‘s coquito iced latte is a seasonal tradition.

This was our first time trying Bluestone Lane‘s eggnog iced latte but we will definitely be back next year.

See also – Buzz’d Coffee‘s cold brew with espresso and bourbon eggnog cold foam.

Seasonal things from Supermoon Bakehouse – brûléed eggnog danish and a peppermint marshmallow brownie.

Plus a scoop of ube condensed milk ice cream that was fantastic.

Librae Bakery‘s za’atar labneh morning bun is the best baked good we’ve eaten this year. Their halvah chocolate pasty was a very close second but no photo because of the wind/cold/crumbles situation.

I’m not that excited about peanut M&M’s but these holiday toasty peanut ones were delicious.

Candy cane syrup! We’ve enjoyed it in ice coffee (good) and Diet Coke (better).

The best cocktail I’ve ever made – eggnog with Blue Bottle’s instant nola coffee, amaretto, and dark rum.

Lunch at Dante West Village so we could get their tiramisu eggnog – Seven Tales XO Vin Santo, amaretto, mascarpone, espresso, and whole eggs.

Plus I had a wonderful Harvest Bowl – maple miso tofu, picked red cabbage, kale, buckwheat, mutsu apple, crispy chickpeas, avocado, roasted butternut squash, soft-boiled egg, and garlic tahini dressing.

Leftover chilaquiles casserole with all the sauces.

P.S. now we are headed to dinner at Rolo’s!

Snowday Sley

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The 1st week of December has been fantastically festive!

Highlights include…

Red and green yogurt bowl; plain skyr with frosted bran flakes, strawberries, and pumpkin seed butter.

One of Blue Bottle‘s winter specials is a chocolate mint Nola.

I was not a fan of either of these “winter” energy drinks.

But I loved this Target brand eggnog in iced coffees.

Also with iced matcha.

Leftover brownies from Thanksgiving. I make the Baker’s Chocolate recipe – with the addition of chocolate chips and espresso powder! – and they always get rave reviews.

White chocolate peppermint ice cream from Jeni’s; it is pink!

Malai‘s ice cream has the perfect texture and their nutmeg flavor tastes exactly like eggnog.

Coquito cupcake from Brooklyn Cupcake.

Taco salads. Spinach / baby bell peppers / homemade dressing with Greek yogurt, mayo, lime, and ranch seasoning / sharp cheddar / Love Corn sour cream and onion corn nuts <– 10/10 / ground turkey and sweet onion sauteed with fajita seasoning / Frontera double roasted tomato salsa.

Nachos with baby bell peppers instead of chips (plus leftover turkey, salsa, and tons of sharp cheddar). I know this sounds like a bad TikTok trend but these were delicious.

Chilaquiles casserole. A spin on this recipe with shredded chicken; roasted bell pepper, poblano pepper, zucchini, and scallion; crushed tortilla chips; sharp cheddar; salsa; and eggs and chicken broth.

We’ve been to TWO holiday pop-ups already. Both were fabulously decorated and unflatteringly lit. Sunday – Sunday in Brooklyn‘s Snowday in Brooklyn.

We thought their themed drinks were great/better than last year. Noggin’ Toboggan – Australian whiskey, allspice, eggnog soft-serve, and Thai tea soda / Yule Shoot Yer Rye Out! – NY Distilling Jaywalk rye, Japanese whiskey, pawpaw fruit, pineapple, artichoke amaro, and curry leaf.

Polar Bear Club –  frozen rum, Aquavit, coconut, pineapple, banana, and coffee bean.

North Pole Dancer – Haku vodka, passionfruit, popcorn tea, saffron, and sparkling sake. This was my favorite of the night and not just because it came with caramel corn.

We also had some really wonderful food. Wood-fired pita topped with spinach, artichoke, white cheddar, and bechamel.

Roasted honeynut squash with coffee tahini, brown butter, and a watercress salad.

Wood-roasted brussel sprouts with toasted pistachio, golden raisins, and lemon gremolata. <– these were 10/10 leftover

French Dip – grilled brisket, provolone, Gold’s mustard, and beef jus.

Wood-roasted chicken with Herb De Provence, roasted garlic jus, and seasoned fries.

Wednesday – Leyenda‘s Sleyenda. I am not a talented enough photographer to deal with their low lighting but they were decked to the nines.

I also only took a single food photo even though we great drinks and dinner. We shared fried plantains and I had the Panuchos – fried corn tortillas topped with coconut habanero shrimp, refried black beans, avocado, and pickled onions. Once again the themed drinks were great and better than last year! My favorite (always) was the frozen Candy Striper – Diplomatico planas rum, cachaca, coconut, maple, vanilla, peppermint, and cardamom.

Thankful

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No post last weekend because we were busy moving into OUR condo. We all (Webster included!) love it here and I feel very thankful.

Things from the past week…

Thanksgiving-themed foods abound!

I was in a celebratory mood and bought eggnog from my coffee one week early.

11/10 yogurt bowl – plain skyr with frosted bran flakes, blackberries, and persimmon.

I am a big fan of these chia Smash Bites. Blueberry and cashew butter.

Baskin Robbins seasonal ice creams – eggnog and pumpkin cheesecake. <– way better than I was anticipating, the pumpkin was loaded with cheesecake pieces and marshmallow swirl.

It’s soup season. This one was great. Chicken broth / canned diced tomatoes / roasted zucchini / sauteed onion and celery / baked chicken meatballs with garlic, panko, half and half, and hot sauce. Plus Trader Joe’s ciabatta.

Thanksgiving dinner-inspired fried rice. Leftover white rice and roasted cauliflower rice refried with eggs, smoked paprika, celery seed, butter, spicy candied pecans, dried cranberries, Trader Joe’s oven-roasted turkey breast, and sauteed onion, celery, and cremini mushroom. I topped my bowl with cranberry sauce and chipotle Cholula.

Thanksgiving dinner-inspired crunchwrap from Roast. Turkey, white cheddar, stuffing, cranberry jam, crispy onions, green beans, and mashed potatoes. Plus leftover zucchini and some blackberries.

Thanksgiving dinner nachos! Stuffing chips with Trader Joe’s unexpected cheddar, smoked turkey ham, spicy candied pecans, dried cranberries, poblanos and scallions sauteed in butter with celery seed, and topped with cranberry sauce. Plus leftover Thai green beans sauteed with gojuchang and cranberry.

Gourd Eats

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Things from the past week…

Current yogurt bowl – plain Greek, blueberries and blackberries, and frosted bran flakes.

Target’s version of Thanksgiving stuffing potato chips. I don’t think they are as good as the original Trader Joe’s version but Adam loved them (I am a kettle chip loyalist).

The Nuts Factory birthday cake bar was good but not what I was expecting (some sort of cake butter); it was literally a slice of cake enrobed in chocolate.

Butternut squash bowls. Roasted with roasted shredded brussel sprouts, dried cherries, Trader Joe’s sweet and spicy pecans, duck fennel sausage, and sauce (mayo, German mustard, honey, lemon juice, and Crystal hot sauce).

A take on our favorite broccoli salad. Roasted broccoli, red onion, and white beans with dried cherries and a fantastic sauce (food processed – cilantro, macadamia nuts, smoked sardines, gochugaru, pepper, evoo, honey, and Trader Joe’s sweet and spicy pickled jalapenos). Plus roasted delicata squash.

Leftovers on leftovers. Plus Whole Food’s buffalo chicken nuggets.