Stuffed With Joy

by Emily

Peppermint and egg nog > nonholiday flavors. But even the nonseasonal bites were tasty this week. Highlights include…

Coffee = Coffee Mate sweet cream cold brew.

Also a peppermint mocha La Colombe can with a surprisingly good peppermint bark Clif Bar.

Limited seasonal item eggnog shake from Cook Out.

The best snacks of the week came from our Snack Crate. Particularly these chewy items that were all a bit milky in a delightful way.

Chicken fajitas stuffed peppers. A blend of shredded chicken, sauteed onion, fajita seasoning, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and cojita cheese, baked inside green bell peppers.

Homemade buffalo chicken macaroni and cheese. Plus simple side salads, dressed with evoo, honey, lavender salt, and garlic and herb cashews.

3Dec2018

Gingerbread Galore

by Emily

So many holiday flavors consumed this weekend! <– Squee! It was just kind of a great weekend in general – we had no major to-dos looming and the weather was fantastic. We got to go to brunch with my cousin and her boyfriend and on a long walk with the dog. Next weekend brings out of town plans so it was really nice to keep things low-key.

Highlights…

Forager’s coconut cream cashew milk cold brew. It was yummy but way too filling to consume all at once.

Starbucks’ Juniper iced latte – I recommend getting double the espresso and half of the syrup so it’s not too pine-y [holiday flavor #1].

Plain Greek yogurt with maple, almond butter granola, and the last of the cranberry sauce.

Brunch at Renewal was delicious, we will definitely be back. I had a gin fizz with egg white and cream.

Roasted brussel sprouts with garlic fondue and sherry gastrique / field greens side salad with grapefruit vinaigrette / fries with pimento cheese and aioli.

Sugar cookie frozen yogurt and eggnog gelato [holiday flavors #2 and 3}.

King of Pop’s gingerbread was the best popsicle I’ve ever eaten, it was like a cookie dunked in milk [holiday flavor #4]. Enjoyed at Hardywood where I also had a Christmas Morning – gingerbread stout with Black Hand Coffee [holiday flavor #5].

This Sweethaus gingerbread cupcake with meringue frosting was the best baked good we’ve ever eaten, hands down [also holiday flavor #6!].

Trader Joe’s cauliflower latkes for the first night of Hannukah [holiday flavor #7] with a chicken thigh take on this Mississippi Roast recipe.

19Nov2018

A New York Weekend

by Emily

Adam and I went on a quick vacation and just had the best weekend in NYC! We got super lucky with weather that was warm/dry enough for a long day of walking (including two trips across the Williamsburg Bridge and a spin around Washington Square Park). We tried a some new spots that totally knocked our socks off (see below). We met up with friends for a fantastic dinner at Bellwether (highlights included duck liver mousse with ramp mustard, strawberry preserves, and crostini and a Oaxacan Sour cocktail with mezcal, luxardo, agave, egg white, and lime).

The best Thanksgiving item and the entire impetus for this trip = Milk Bar‘s Thanksgiving croissant stuffed with turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce.

The best coffee = a quad, non-fat, iced latte of Stumptown at Black Brick.

The best doughnut = Alimama‘s sweet and savory mochi doughnut. It was topped with salted caramel and Nutella and was unbelievably, perfectly chewy. Plus we had a great ube cream puff.

The best brunch = Bricolage. There were so many things that sounded amazing we ended up ordering/sharing three entrees! Duck bahn mi with chicken liver pate, shallot mayo, pickled daikon, carrot, and herbs // five-spice fried chicken and waffles with red cabbage and fennel slaw, sriracha butter, and maple syrup // croissant french toast topped with Vietnamese coffee whipped cream, condensed milk creme anglaise, and blueberries.

The best ice cream = Morganstern‘s papaya guava ice cream alongside a scoop of American egg. P.S. the new location was beautiful and the line was far less out of control.

I ♥ New York.

2Nov2018

All Hallow’s Eats

by Emily

Pumpkin Noosa for breakfast. I sprinkled some crunchy granola from the cafeteria on top and it was fantastic.

Maple glazed doughnut with a maple pancake iced latte from Sugar Shack.

Snack attack. Is it even Halloween week if you don’t make yourself sick eating too much sugar? None of fun-sized candy at work was exciting to me and I had to drive myself to Wegman’s to buy my own chocolate.

Crispy honey garlic tofu bites served on top of roasted broccoli and cauliflower. The tofu recipe was perfect, I couldn’t believe how crispy it came out. After I took that photo I smothered my plate in Kewpie and Sriracha!

This Pumking version was toooo much bourbon for me.

Sweet potato hash success. Crispy sweet potato (cooked similarly to this method) / sauteed red bell pepper and spring onion with tumeric and smoked paprika / garlic chicken sausage / topped with a fried egg / and copious amounts of Cholula hot sauce.

Our Halloween dinner was perfectly on theme – vampire killer pumpkin pasta. Pumpkin shaped pasta / garlic chicken sausage / sauteed spinach with tons of garlic / tossed in aioli / topped with pan-fried haloumi.

Plus the best pumpkin beer of the year and a chai pumpkin ale.

19Oct2018

Maple – Marshmallow – Cinnamon – Pumpkin

by Emily

The flavors in my title were mostly enjoyed separately this week, but my goodness wouldn’t they be good all together?!

I missed last weekend’s post because I was out of town at a Nutrition Support conference.

Highlights from this week included…

A new all-time favorite coffee combo – Grady’s Cold Brew Concentrate with maple sweetened condensed milk!! P.S. Grady’s is the best home-brewed coffee that money can buy. P.P.S. The maple SCM is not to be missed either, if you spot it at your store I recommend buying multiple cans.

Pumpkin power homemade trail mix. Pumpkin Puffins / Pumpkin Pie White Chocolate M&M’s / roasted pumpkin seeds / pecans.

A cookie and coffee date at Sweethaus.

Pumpkin & Spice Siggi’s yogurt topped with Pumpkin Spice Frosted Flakes.

New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Atomic Pumpkin beer. It was cinnamon-spicy and quite enjoyable.

This month’s Snack Crate.

Homemade basil turkey burgers with roasted green beans and TJ’s root vegetable medley. I burnt the burgers just a little but I covered it up with ketchup and mayo.

Green curry bowls. Cauliflower rice cooked with coconut milk topped with ground turkey, onion, shredded carrot, green bell pepper, zucchini, and basil sauteed with green curry sauce.

12Oct2018

Pumpkin Everywhere

by Emily

It was a good week for pumpkin; I snuck it into my coffee, smoothie, pasta, beer, and nachos! Highlights from the week included…

La Colombe Pumpkin Spice Draft Latte.

Homemade salted maple cold foam coffee.

Pumpkin pie smoothie. Pumpkin puree, plain Greek yogurt, sour cream, maple syrup, clove, and skim milk. Pumpkin smoothies end up basically being puddings!

Homemade fall flavors trail mix with Maple Cheerios, raisins, salted peanuts, and yogurt covered peanuts. Plus a SweeTango apple.

Adam and I went on a date to try the new Cannoli Bar. Cannolis aren’t really my thing, but our bicerin – that’s drinking chocolate with espresso and frothed half and half – knocked my socks off.

Whole Foods hot bar. Including coconut chicken tenders, furikake fried tofu, horseradish and scallion cauliflower, vegan curry, plus an assortment of other veggies.

This cheesy veggie bowl was one of my favorite dinners I’ve made all year. Roasted broccoli / roasted potatoes (cooked similarly to this recipe) / topped with a take on vegetarian queso fundido – sharp cheddar, sour cream, green onion, yellow onion, serrano pepper, and Trader Joe’s vegan chorizo. I enjoyed this so much I ended up eating my entire bowl followed by most of Adam’s!

Pumpkin nacho night! Trader Joe’s pumpkin tortilla chips baked with green onion, yellow, onion, sharp cheddar, and maple chicken sausage. Then topped with copious amounts of Cholula and sour cream. Plus roasted broccoli on the side.

Pumpkin on pumpkin on pumpkin dinner.

Trader Joe’s pumpkin pasta tossed with a sauce made of pumpkin puree, sour cream, shallots, spices, sage, maple chicken sausage, soyrizo, and parmesan cheese.

Plus pumpkin beers. I thought the AleWerks pumpkin ale was too sweet (though Adam was a big fan) but really enjoyed the Punkin Ale from Dogfish Head.

Pumpkin purchase recommendations? All of it! Every product (and recipe) was delicious. The La Colombe and AleWerks items weren’t quite to my taste, but Adam enjoyed them both so I can’t say I wouldn’t recommend trying them yourself.