Tag Archives: tofu

Chestnut, Coquito, Eggnog, Mint

by

This post includes highlights back through last weekend; it was Adam’s birthday and I didn’t want to waste his time blogging. We had a wonderful weekend including great weather for two days of long walks in Brooklyn, lots of delicious meals, a trip to Sundays in Brooklyn’s Snow Days in Brooklyn winter pop up (which included egg nog soft serve and a Dark and Snowy cocktail, among other things), and a drive-through holiday light show.

Highlights…

Breakfast at Ursula. We split a pine needle mocha(!!).

And a cream cheese frosting stuffed cinnamon roll(!!!).

And I had a sandwich with scrambled egg, cheddar, and green chile on housemade brioche.

Chestnut and vanilla iced latte from Nerd Be Cool.

A Christmas yogurt bowl – Trader Joe’s eggnog Greek yogurt with kiwi, pomegranate, and granola.

See also – plain Greek yogurt with honey, cinnamon, granola, kiwi, pomegranate, and fresh mandarin.

We went to Oddfellows for a scoop of coquito ice cream.

And Brooklyn Cupcake for a coquito cupcake. Plus flan and guava cheese, since it was a birthday!

We really loved this chocolate mint sparkling water.

Trader Joe’s Thai tea mini ice cream mochi.

These chip-stuffed Reese’s cups were just as good as I thought they would be! Completely worth the months of gas station stops to search for them.

We were also pretty pleased with these Dove truffles.

I ate an obscene amount of take-out this week but here were two really good “homemade” dinners. Chili cheese fries plus roasted romanesco.

Cold silken tofu with chili oil (I used urfa pepper paste with garlic oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, white sugar, and scallions) plus sautéed eggplant, bok choy, and red bell pepper with ginger and peanuts.

Highlights From The Hudson Valley

by

Adam and I just spent an absolutely fantastic weekend in the Hudson Valley. We did a day and a half in Hudson followed by a day exploring Tivoli and Woodstock. We had a million coffees and desserts, explored cute downtowns, hiked a bit at the High Falls Conservation Area, and took a quick walk at the Tivoli Bay.

Food and drink highlights include…

Perfectly roasty iced lattes at Hudson Roastery. This was how we started both mornings in Hudson.

Inventive, extra-flakey pastries from Breadfolks in Hudson. This was a lemon meringue danish and a baklava croissant(?!!).

A freshly fried doughnut at Kitty’s Marketplace in Hudson.

We are obsessed with this seltzer, that I have been sadly unable to find back in the city.

Halo halo at Harana Market in Woodstock.

Concord grape sorbet and peanut butter swirl ice cream at Fortunes in Tivoli. This is quite possibly the best ice cream I have ever eaten.

Pupusas with queso and loroco at Casa Latina in Hudson.

Lunch outside at the food truck at Phoenicia Diner in Phoenicia. Sourdough toast with mashed avocado, sweet corn, heirloom tomato, poached egg, lime tofu, and farmers cheese // tuna salad sandwich with line-caught tuna, mayo, herbs, and wasabi tobiko.

A pimento cheese smothered hot dog at The Maker in Hudson.

Woodfired sourdough pizzas at The Mud Club in Woodstock. Bianca Rustica – mozzarella di bufala, vesuvian semi-dry red and yellow tomatoes, and evoo + hot honey // Mellanza de Pesto – tomatoes, roasted eggplant, mozzarella, aged gouda, and house-made pesto.

A terrific dinner at Lil’ Deb’s Oasis in Hudson. Maiden Voyage – rum, spicy vermouth, soursop, tajin salt rim.

Tuna crudo with mango-habanero water, plum, husk cherry, and kohlrabi // sweet plantains with cilantro yogurt.

Crispy potatoes with lime pickle aioli, curry leaf, and pickled chilis.

Bok choy and endive salad with caesar-poblano dressing, pistachios, and anchovy.

Plato tropical – rice, black beans, and garlicy greens.

Fermented lentil dosa with marinated shiitakes, radish, and herbs. I am a sucker for mint in savory dishes and this ended up being one of my favorite things I’ve ever eaten!

All in all, a wonderful weekend!

Caramel Apple

by

Favorites from this week were caramel apple snacks and fizzy beverages. Highlights included…

Coffee shake! Iced coffee, cold brew powder, and vanilla ice cream.

Caramel apple Greek yogurt. For Trader Joe’s seasonal yogurts this was better than pumpkin and not as good as eggnog.

My parents sent me these caramel apple Cow Tails and they are hands-down the best Apple Month item.

Good pea flower, rosemary, and black tea kombucha and out-of-this-world-excellent peppermint watermelon sparkling water.

We paired these to make sparkling yuzu matchas.

Still obsessed with these maple almond butter pretzels.

I ordered a bunch of Thai take-out so we could have leftovers. The remains of this chicken pad see ew was a standout.

[Homemade] Soba noodles stir-fried with eggs, frozen stir-fry veggies, baked tofu, and spicy tahini sauce.

Chicken nuggets, roasted purple and orange cauliflower, and crispy roasted potatoes (loosely based on this method), with homemade maple mustard dipping sauce.

…

Apples And Marshmallows

by

Highlights from the weekend include – amazing coffees, gooey marshmallow desserts, and some of the best Vietnamese food we’ve ever eaten. Also we – went to a Farmers’ Market on the water in Garvies Point, drove up to the tip of the North Fork for a picnic at Orient Point, stopped at several farm stands, walked around an apple orchard, visited a few LI craft breweries, took strolls around Greenport and Greenpoint…

Freddo cappuccino from 99 Franklin.

Quad iced latte from Aldo’s. <– this was hands down the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had and my favorite thing I ate all weekend!

Rice Krispies Treat iced latte from Coffee Booths.

Frozen apple cider in an apple orchard.

A flight of IPAs (plus a pumpkin ale!) from North Fork Brewing. We also tried some great things at Uber Geek.

S’mores babka from Spilt Milk Bakes.

We took Korean fried rice with duck (from Ellen’s) on a picnic at Orient Point.

An Apple Month toasted cheese sandwich – sharp cheddar, smoked turkey, and tons of apple butter on sourdough. With cotton candy grapes and roasted broccoli.

Best dinner of the month at Falansai – a great Vietnamese spot with a koi pond in the back garden! Beef dumplings.

Eggplant with fermented tofu bbq sauce and crispy shallots. Plus a housemade salted plum drink and Vietnamese iced coffee.

Spicy green curry with seasonal veggies and silken tofu. Broken rice on the side.

Coconut chia pudding with plums, peanuts, and hibiscus ice.

Ube, Inari, Cheese

by

Highlights from a very tasty weekend…

Fresh soursop juice!!

Lunch at Kabiesera. Rice with amazing adobo chicken. Ube iced latte. Ube pastry.

Giant inari (tofu skin stuffed with rice and meat) from Yubu. We got salmon, crab, and spicy tuna.

Chai tow kueh (fried radish cakes) from Queens Night Market.

Mochi dango with red bean and condensed milk.

An epic homemade cheese plate. Smoked goat cheese / red plum / bucheron / whole-wheat matzoh / roasted purple cauliflower / 2 year aged cheddar / espresso-infused dark chocolate / mixed nuts / dried apricots.

We made the best pizza. Trader Joes crust / marinara sauce that we jazzed up with sardines, urfa pepper, gojuchang, chili oil, and tons of garlic / sautéed oyster mushrooms / chicken and wild mushroom sausage / cheese. Plus roasted green beans.

Pesto Bow Ties

by

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.

Black Sesame

by

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.

Chili Crisp Galore

by

This was an exceptionally tasty week! My snacks were on point, we tried a fantastic new restaurant, and the dinners we cooked were total successes. Highlights include…

Brunch at Xilonen, a new vegetarian Mexican spot in Greenpoint. We were blown away by the scrambled egg tostada with salsa mache, queso, and a crispy blue corn tortilla.

Heirloom corn tamal, stuffed with sweet potato al pastor, and topped with smoked crema and poblano rajas.

Masa pancakes with maple and butter.

Chocolate cherry cold brew.

Dalgona iced coffee with black sesame vanilla bean milk.

An ideal snack array – sumo mandarin, salted peanuts, and lava cake kisses.

My parents sent us a box of St. Patrick’s Day goodies, including homemade clover sugar cookies.

Peanut butter chocolate chip Perfect Bar + boba milk tea mochi.

Boba-studded popsicles are currently my favorite snack category.

10/10 leftovers from The Meat Hook. The french onion dip was the best I’ve ever had.

Farro / glazed, baked tofu / sautéed bok choy and green onion / chili crisp / fried shallots (which we made in the microwave!!).

Soba noodles / peanut sauce (loosely based on this one) / cabbage / zucchini / ground turkey / chili crisp and smashed peanuts.

Oven-baked crispy chicken tenders (loosely inspired by this recipe) with brown sugar chili crisp sauce + roasted broccoli with fried shallots. I went back for thirds of that chicken!