Still not tired of yogurt bowls. This one was plain Greek with granola, cereal, blueberries and pomegranate.
Nuts Factory released new versions of their viral Dubai chocolate bar and I obviously bought them. S’mores was a 10/10; almost as good as the pistachio flavor.
Mediterranean-ish rice bowls. Brown rice and black rice slow cooked congee-style with chicken broth / ground turkey sauteed with garlic, smoked paprika, harissa, and tomato paste / roasted zucchini / topped with local Za’atar chili crisp.
Pepper beef inspired tofu. Super-firm tofu and onions sauteed in this sauce and served on garlic sauteed cabbage.
Butter chicken inspired slow cooker meal. In the crock pot – chicken breast, sweet onion, serrano pepper, black pepper, celery seed, smoked paprika, curry powder, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and butter. I stirred in some half and half after the heat was off. Served with riced cauliflower and roasted zuccini.
I have family in town and we are going to meet up today and do fun city stuff!
Some things from the 1st half of the weekend…
People rave about Clean Simple Eats so I snagged a mint chocolate cookie to try in coffee but unfortunately I thought it’s flavor was too fake sugar forward (as in I am not excited about the eggnog packet I obviously also bought).
Drowned Lands Scythe Pumpkin Ale. I was not a fan but Adam loved it.
Kettle’s spicy pimento cheese chips were just begging to be a huge pile of nachos. With sharp cheddar, Trader Joe’s sweet and spicy pecans, and super-firm tofu that we shredded, baked, and tossed in homemade bbq sauce. Plus roasted rainbow cauliflower.
We went to the Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze and LOVED IT. It is a self-guided tour through a field with thousands of hand-carved lit-up pumpkins.
We made a pumpkin bread inspired frozen coffee – with coffee, ice, half and half, cinnamon, maple syrup, pumpkin butter, and vanilla granola butter.
We had a lackluster dinner at a fancy sushi spot and got a garlic sauteed Chinese broccoli side that was just delightful.
We made and loved another recipe from Recipe Tin Eats – Spicy Korean Noodle Soup. I used ramen instead of egg noodles. Plus Trader Joe’s frozen tofu kimbap.
We embraced the season/theme and bought Ben & Jerry’s pumpkin cheesecake ice cream (9.5/10).
This maple chocolate instant coffee did not have nearly enough flavor (maple nor coffee) but it did mix instantly.
This new Trader Joe’s vanilla cardamom cold brew was more successful.
Pumpkin Noosa (best in the game) topped with blueberries, blackberries, and Purely Elizabeth double chocolate cookie granola.
Pumpkin beers! Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin was one of our favorites years past but it was too syrupy for us this year. Meanwhile, Great South Bay’s Baked pumpkin pie ale was a new hit; it was very well balanced between beer, pumpkin, and pie.
This isn’t a flattering picture but it serves as a reminder PSA – if you live near a Nuts Factory you NEED to go get their viral Dubai pistachio chocolate bar.
Peanut butter noodles. Udon stir-fried with eggs, peanut sauce (chunky peanut butter, brown sugar, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, Sriracha, sesame oil, and water) and sesame seeds. Plus spicy green beans – steamed and then sauteed with honey, rice vinegar, yellow mustard, and chili crisp.
Thai basil chicken. I used chicken breasts instead of thighs and added red bell pepper and baby corn. Served on a bed of roasted riced cauliflower.
Korean-ish tofu plates. Shirakiku frozen kimchi pancake / super-firm tofu that I shredded, baked, then tossed in a skillet with Trader Joe’s green tea yuzu jelly, gochujang, sesame oil, and rice vinegar / bok choy, asparagus, and green onions sauteed with ginger and sesame seeds.
During the world’s most exciting trip to 7-11 I scored both the Oreo flavored Coke Zero and the Coke flavored Oreos! Super fun. I thought both were very successful and would definitely buy the soda again.
Casa Enrique. Their brunch is just as good as their Michelin-rated dinner service. Jicama and beet salad with queso fresco, mint, candied pumpkin seeds, and lemon vinaigrette.
Chicken mole enchiladas. Their mole is a work of art.
My mezcal tamarind margarita was the best drink of the weekend.
Katana Kitten. We thought the drinks could have been more alcoholic but loved the food. My amaretto sour was a standout – Wild Turkey rye, amaretto, salted plum, honey, lemon, egg white, and yukari.
We had deviled eggs with white miso, Japanese mustard, and salmon roe.
And an astonishingly good Sukiyaki Sando – soy-braised ribeye, caramelized onion, pickled ginger, jalopeno, and mayo on a baguette with au jus.
Foul Witch. The lighting was unflattering, the food was magical. We shared a great dinner. Their house bread was a 20/10.
Fairytale eggplant with heirloom tomato and fresh cheese.
Maine lobster bucatini.
Lamb shoulder with squash blossom and chimichurri. The very best bite of the night was a dessert that was too dark to photograph but blew our minds – carrot cake with meringue and husk cherry.
An easy but great homemade dinner. Mandu bulgogi chicken frozen dumplings / roasted zucchini / cold silken tofu / spicy peanut sauce (peanut butter with sugar, chili crisp, sesame oil, rice vinegar, dark soy sauce, and water) / furikake.
New apple treats! My coffees this week were made with Califia Farms caramel apple crumble creamer.
See also – apple seltzer and caramel apple energy drink.
Loved these rosemary and herbs buckwheat crackers.
Trail mix blend – smoked almonds, dried fruit (apples, peaches, and persimmon), and Simple Mills Pop Mmms cheddar crackers.
Leftover blueberry cream pie in plain skyr with fresh blueberries. <– best bite of the week
We hopped on the candy salad trend and ended up with a pretty good mix – apple harvest Sour Patch Kids, grape strawberry Nerds gummy clusters, watermelon rings with Tajin, and Target sour gummy insects.
Big salads. Red leaf lettuce, balsamic dressing, smoked almonds, smoked tofu, sharp cheddar, and Oishii strawberries.
Pasta night. Basil peso plin pasta from Whole Foods with Rao’s marinara, duck fennel sausage, and parmesan cheese. Plus roasted purple cauliflower.
Kings Coast Coffee. I got a great iced latte with toasted coconut syrup.
Chocolate mint protein bars – NuGo and Barebell, both 9.5/10.
We give these Cheddies crackers two thumbs up; they are nicely cheesy and crunchy.
Fried brussel sprouts (leftover from a fantastic Friday night sushi dinner at Kissaki) with togarashi, sharp cheddar, and a fried egg.
Crunchy tacos from Burrito Blvd. With chicken, zucchini, corn salsa, tomato salsa, mild salsa, and cheddar.
Lido Kosher Deli is one of our favorite Long Island spots. It doesn’t hurt that we usually go after an ocean-front run on the Long Beach boardwalk! Pastrami stuffed into a knish can’t miss. They have great cole slaw and house-made pickles.
Summer salad plate – plum, plucot, Midnight roma tomatoes, fried halloumi, baked tofu (marinated in honey, vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, and harissa), honey, and za’atar chili crisp.
This week marked Webster’s thirteenth Buyday! We celebrated with a walk at Edgewood Oak Brush Plains Preserve.
Plus smashburgers from Paper Plate. The dog and I shared a double 🙂
The human family members also enjoyed some fries.
Also we checked out Kismet Coffee and had a honey vanilla latte. They were out of skim milk and the pistachio milk was surprisingly pleasant.
Snacks this week were most bougie/international candies. The last of my Bon Bon stash.
Blueberry and sour passionfruit gummies (both 9.5/10’s!).
Colombian guava caramel candies.
My parents sent me this hibiscus sugar for my birthday so I tried it in some fun drinks.
Like a smoothie with frozen blueberries, vanilla protein powder, and water.
And in cold foam on an iced matcha.
One of my favorite dinner combinations is cole slaw with baked chicken. This bowl was Bang Bang inspired! Cabbage slaw with plain skyr, sweet chili sauce, honey, rice vinegar, Sriracha, mayo, and dijon mustard and baked chicken that was marinated in skyr, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, sesame oil, oyster sauce, and sweet chili sauce.
Turkey Laab. Paired with roasted zucchini and a mix of brown rice and roasted riced cauliflower.
Leftover cauliflower/rice with marinated kale (basically this recipe) and cheesy scrambled eggs.
Tofu – baked shredded super firm tofu that I tossed in a skillet with Trader Joe’s yuzu green tea jelly, gochujang, rice vinegar, and sesame oil / sauteed baby bok choy with ginger and sesame seeds / radish cakes from the 99 Ranch freezer section.
Eating Chalk 