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!
Hello, 2024! I am not superstitious, but I do like to start every new year with a run and some traditionally lucky foods. This year we got in black eyed peas, collard greens, and grapes. Plus something sweet for a sweet year!
Highlights from a tasty week…
1/1/24 brunch date at For Five while I set up my planner.
I got a roasted turkey sandwich with cheese, sprouts, and avocado.
Plain skyr with strawberries, persimmon, and sugar cookie granola.
These jelly sakes are my favorite drink. Related – we played trivia at a bar midweek and got to try Abomination Brewing’s Christmas cookie Fog Nog (fantastic).
Hawaiian fruit jellies; the starfruit and passionfruit ones were obviously the best.
The best snack plate of the year – Trader Joe’s Chicken Tikka samosas (with spicy truffle mayo and plum sauce) / Lolliberry strawberries / jam grapes.
Not a bad runner up – soy marinated eggs / cucumber / cheddar.
Dinner on the 1st – sauteed collard greens with green onion and garlic and black eyed pea salad with garlic and black pepper almonds, green bell pepper, Kerrygold Dubliner cheddar, and mayo and chipotle Cholula.
We tried the Bombay Sando from Oak and Orange – toasted ciabatta with grilled chicken, amul cheese, seasoned potatoes, pickled red onions, and a housemade chutney. Plus the best green smoothie I’ve ever made – frozen spinach, banana, and cherries, fresh tangerine, and water.
Sheetpan hash. Roasted brussels sprouts, grapes, poblano peppers, sweet potato, and chili verde chicken sausage with green onion and dried cranberries. I went back and topped this with a maple-Cholula aioli.
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 🙂
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.
A very orange tasting plate dinner. Baked wontons / baby bell peppers / crispy baked chicken fingers with panko, egg, flour, sisig seasoning, and smoked paprika / a ranch onion dip situation with sour cream, Kewpie, ranch seasoning, chives, sautéed shallot, and white cheddar.
These Muddy Bites were a 9.5/10, very satisfying.
We went out as a family to admire Christmas lights with cups of drinking chocolate — our favorite holiday tradition after Thanksgiving nachos!
Smashed burger with cheddar, pickles, and charred onions.
Pizza from Taglio – buffalo chicken and a vodka slice – smothered in chili crisp.
Giant burrito from Burrito Blvd. With rice, pinto beans, chicken, zucchini, corn, tomatoes, cheese, and sour cream. Roasted zucchini makes this hands-down my favorite Mexican spot in Long Island.
Crispy beans. Butter beans tossed in evoo, ranch seasoning, gochugaru, furikake, and panko and baked until crispy. Plus roasted cauliflower and pimento cheese for dipping.
Creamy mushroom pasta. Cut noodles tossed with tons of mushrooms, ground turkey, sour cream, tomato paste, paprika, and urfa chile.
A winning plate of leftovers. Pasta (topped later with Sriracha and furikake), cauliflower, and steak (from a fun dinner last weekend at Bowery Meat Company).
Highlights from the weekend (including some highlights of the whole damn year!)…
Eggnog dalgona iced coffee – after driving around with cocoa and the dog to look at lights this is our favorite holiday tradition.
Peppermint white mocha iced latte from Buzzed. We also shared an eggnog cold foam cold brew and were pleased with both. I wouldn’t go back all the time but I will definitely check out their next seasonal specials.
I’Milky oat milk iced matcha with chestnut creme. I was mostly getting this to be seasonal but we ended up both loving it – super balanced and satisfying.
Petit Chou tropical tres leches cake with a layer of jammy pineapple. I need to try more things from this spot.
Spudsy sweet potato snacks. I thought these would be like Chex Mix but they were actually the size of a small clementine.
Comfortland frozen eggnog (15/10) and a chocolate, coconut, marshmallow doughnut. This was the best doughnut I’ve ever eaten; the outside was sugary and crispy.
We also got the Everything Everywhere Tots at Once special – with cheddar, hot honey, marinated ribeye, gochujang aioli, ranch, chives, and everything bagel seasoning.
Brunch at Madre. This spot deserves the hype – the space was beautiful, the service was great, the food was all wonderful. We shared a Granddaddy Purp – sake, lavender, plum, cereal milk, and egg white. Gorgeous and delicious.
El Sancho – mezcal, apricot, campari, habenero, and cinnamon.
Jalapeño cornbread madelines with whipped honey butter.
The burger with gruyere and fennel slaw (didn’t make my top five but definitely in the top ten and Adam loved it).
And the brown butter french toast with caramel and roasted banana.
Scooping/dipping dinner. Baked wontons with togarashi / roasted broccoli / blended tuna salad – with smoked trout, mayo, and capers / pimento cheese dip – warm with honey and spiced pecans on top.
P.S. We checked out the Rockefellers tree and it was totally stunning and worth the crowd!
Peppermint coffee – candy cane cold brew from Blank Street.
This week’s home coffee combo wasn’t my best. I did not care for the Browny cold brew, too sour. The Ronnybrook egg nog was crazy thick, almost too thick, so it was good but not my favorite.
Peppermint breakfast – a chocolate mint Perfect Bar and a peppermint mocha La Colombe can.
Peppermint watermelon is my favorite Aura Bora seltzer flavor.
Peppermint booze – Smirnoff peppermint vodka with lime and club soda (and food coloring!).
Six Point Bone Chill pear and spruce double IPA (8.5/10).
Peppermint mini meringues – from Trader Joes.
Peppermint ice cream – with candy cane bits, fudge, and cookies.
I had the day off on Thursday and spent the afternoon admiring decorations in the city and got lunch at Chelsea Market. Very Fresh Noodles‘ very spicy vegan dan dan mian. These were super spicy and numbing and wonderful and topped with crunchy soybeans and cucumber salad that were the perfect foils.
It was Adam’s birthday on Monday and his dinner choice was Subway. I got a tuna salad sub with mustard, pickles, banana peppers, and cheese. Plus leftovers from Sunday in Brooklyn – brussel sprouts and the amazing roast chicken.
And I made him his favorite cinnamon brownies – just the Bakers Chocolate one-bowl recipe with 1 cup of chocolate chips instead of nuts and 2 tsp of cinnamon extract instead of vanilla.
Salad #1 – romaine / homemade ranch dressing – sour cream, dijon mustard, ranch seasoning / red bell pepper / pickled banana peppers / homemade croutons / baked chicken – marinated in Greek yogurt and banana pepper juice.
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.
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.
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.
Eating Chalk 