Yogurt bowls of note – Plain skyr with passionfruit syrup, white chocolate passionfruit truffle, blackberries, blueberries, and maple pecan granola.
Plain skyr with granola, strawberries, and persimmon.
Iced matcha with condensed milk and plum seltzer.
These Kodiak s’mores bars taste exactly like the Chewy bars from your childhood.
Abomination Brewery’s Fogsicle is obviously our new favorite summer beer – sour double IPA with peach, vanilla, and marshmallow.
I liked the flavor of this maple cardamom candied pecan ice cream but the texture was a little funky.
I finally hopped on the TikTok smashburger taco trend and it was worth the hype. With ground turkey, extra-sharp cheddar, and a house sauce on the side. Plus roasted cauliflower.
Dinner inspired by my favorite dish from Very Fresh Noodles. Buckwheat soba / quick cucumber salad with sugar and rice vinegar / in the food processor – crumbled super-firm tofu baked until crispy, roasted serrano pepper and green onion, basil, Sichuan peppercorn, extra-virgin olive oil, crunchy yellow peas / topped later with chili crisp.
NYC is warm approaching hot and positively bursting with beautiful flowers. Of course my highlights from the week include an array of spring-y foodstuffs.
I enjoyed this passion fruit & hibiscus simple syrup in a variety of applications – diet coke (7/10), iced matcha (7.5/10), iced coffee (8.5/10), plain skyr (9/10).
Plan skyr bowl with blueberries, lolliberry strawberries, yuzu curd, honey almond granola, and edible flowers.
Whole-wheat bread with vanilla granola butter and strawberry guava jam. This was actually the best snack of the week.
These jalapeño cheddar Corn Nuts were delicious and almost too spicy for me.
Hu dark chocolate with vanilla crunch. It’s rare to find a vanilla chocolate though I wish the flavor was a little more prominent here (honestly the bar was a bit salty).
Noosa honey vanilla bean frozen yogurt gelato (so good!) with yuzu curd, strawberries, purple sprinkles, and edible flowers.
Important shout out – I am still completely head over heels for these Ben & Jerry’s s’mores bites.
This week’s dinner them was — SALAD. It was such a success, each night was better than the last! Potato salad. Baby potatoes that I boiled, smashed, topped with evoo and extra-sharp cheddar, and baked until crispy / celery / cucumber / smoked sockeye salmon and salmon candy / dressing – plain skyr, mayo, yellow mustard, dijon mustard, honey, vinegar, sesame oil, mustard powder, paprika, and celery seed.
Weekend things – I worked on Sunday and managed to get home on time / We went on a mall date and I bought new running shoes (the next generation of the Brooks’ Adrenalines) that seem great / We ate champagne mangos that were so juicy and perfect / I ordered a ton of Taco Bell take-out from their new Cantina menu and it was shockingly good!
Highlights…
Still on my yuzu iced matcha spritzer kick. Matcha tea, orange mandarin passionfruit jam, yuzu marmalade, and yuzu mandarin seltzer.
This beautiful sludge was actually a black sesame caramel dirty iced matcha. Matcha, espresso, skim milk, caramel Nut Pods vegan creamer, black sesame paste, and caramel drizzle.
We ate at Shukette last weekend and were sadly/surprisingly underwhelmed but we did have a fantastic dish of labne with candied kumquats and black sesame seeds. Hence this bagel – toasted egg bagel with cream cheese, yuzu marmalade, and sesame seeds. Also the other half with peanut butter, honey, and poppy seed filling.
I have been searching obsessively and I finally found the Dirt Cake Oreos! They are delicious and more importantly they are topped with gummy worm inspired sprinkles!!!
Spicy cold tofu. With roasted zucchini and Trader Joe’s mini chicken and cilantro wontons.
The best nachos I’ve ever made. Adam and I were both swooning! Trader Joe’s plantain crisps / extra-sharp cheddar / chopped baked chicken tossed with bbq sauce / green bell pepper, poblano pepper, baby tomatoes, and scallions sauteed in evoo with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and Jamaican curry powder / homemade guacamole and chipotle lime ranch.
This week’s coffee situation was some combination of one-all of these salted caramel things with iced Bones Coffee Jamaican Me Crazy. Also one day I added coconut milk!
Berry smoothie with frozen dark cherries, fresh blueberries, and vanilla protein powder.
Many good yogurt bowls this week. This one was plain skyr with watermelon plum, blueberries, Heritage Flakes, and salted caramel granola.
Plain skyr with plum, poppy seed filling, and orange mandarin passionfruit jam.
Trader Joe’s maple pancake corn puffs are perfectly savory and sweet.
Turkey-cheese roll up – Lavash bread with smoked turkey, extra-sharp cheddar, garlic hummus, and leftover roasted green beans.
Baked tofu and roasted broccoli with homemade ranch dip (mayo, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and ranch seasoning). The tofu was Trader Joe’s super-firm that I marinated in pickle juice and coated in pulverized potato chips, roasted seaweed, sesame seeds, and panko.
A very loose but tasty take on callaloo made with frozen spinach and broccoli (plus yellow onion, scotch bonnet pepper, ginger, urfa chili, coconut milk, crab, and turkey bacon).
Topped with pickled ginger and this soursop hot sauce from home.
And paired with rum and Coke slushies, my greatest boozy creation.
I made a great rillete (aka fish dip) in the food processor with canned sockeye salmon, smoked trout, mayo, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, chili crisp, smoked paprika, and celery seed. Scooped with orange bell pepper, cucumbers, 12 Tides everything kelp chips, and Trader Joe’s spicy tempura seaweed snacks.
Jalapeño popper turkey burgers (I mixed the cheese in and these were fantastic!), roasted cauliflower, and a big pile of crispy baked fries. Plus an array of dipping sauces (ketchup, a quick honey mustard, and leftover ranch).
St. Patrick’s Day iced latte. A Shamrock vanilla protein shake that I dyed green plus Starbucks espresso and pistachio sauce. I also topped it with gold sprinkles! This tasted fantastic.
I also brought home a s’mores bar and a blondie that were some of the gooiest and most decadent desserts we’ve ever tasted.
Will I ever get tired of yogurt bowls? Unlikely! Plain Greek with blueberries, blackberries, Heritage Flakes, and chocolate chips.
We both were fans of these lemon frosted Trader Joe’s animal crackers. Crispy without being too crunchy and the lemon was well-balanced.
Loaded salad from Burrito Blvd. With chicken, zucchini, tomato, corn salsa, and cheese. I added ranch dressing and hot sauce at home. Plus chips and guacamole.
We got take-out from Brooklyn Dip & Burger and their steak sandwich blew my mind. Thin sliced black angus ribeye, cheddar, and five spice dusted fried onions on a buttery brioche hero. Plus a mountain of fries that were crispy and well-seasoned. We got a bunch of their appetizers and loved those too!
Brie-bimpap bowls, inspired by Cafe Maddy. I bought light Brie at Trader Joe’s and it tasted like nothing and thus added nothing to the bowl but my bibimpap base was a 10/10. Brown rice / terrible brie / this sauce / crispy tofu – extra-firm tofu that I shredded and marinated (gochugaru, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar) overnight before baking at 400 degrees for 40 minutes / sauteed brown beech mushrooms / roasted zucchini / frozen chopped spinach sauteed with chili oil, sesame oil, and sesame seeds / fried egg.
Sushi roll bowl. Leftover brown rice reheated with gochugaru, Sichuan pepper salt, seaweed, and butter / Sriracha salmon salad made with Kewpie, Sriracha, and hot smoked salmon / spicy cucumber salad / pickled ginger.
Things from this week — It was 70 degrees yesterday and the dog and I took an afternoon walk sans coats! Adam and I started watching Farzar on Netflix – it is basically just Paradise PD in space but both shows are so funny I can’t even fault them. Thursday was Pi(e) Day and Sunday is St. Patrick’s Day – so many theme food opportunities.
Food things —
Cherry pie smoothie – frozen dark cherries, salted caramel granola, water, vanilla protein powder, vanilla extract, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
Yogurt bowl win – plain Greek, yuzu marmalade, blueberries and blackberries, and granola.
Iced matcha with yuzu marmalade and yuzu mandarin seltzer. <– I am hooked on this combination
Adam got a Zero Gravity Irish cream porter for St. Patrick’s Day so I tried their Power Jones IPA – 9/10.
I was so excited to find these puddings at 99 Ranch but we ended up throwing them out; they tasted like slightly milky gelatin.
Haribo lemon ginger chews. Better than gummy bears but not as good as the grapefruit slices.
Cake! We brought this home from Butterfield over the weekend. This sprinkled/cookies and cream frosting filled slice is one of my favorite desserts in NYC.
I searched for this limited edition Tillamook ice cream since last summer and it fully lived up to my expectations.
This Sriracha shrimp bowl from Trader Joe’s has consistently been my favorite frozen meal option for years now. I always top it with Kewpie and more Sriracha and it is so satisfying.
Roast’s St. Patrick’s Day sandwich special – corned beef reuben with swiss, sauerkraut, onion rings, and thousand island dressing on marble rye. Plus fries and rainbow cauliflower (Trader Joe’s frozen bag that I sauteed with evoo, salt, pepper, and celery seed – delicious).
Our best meal of the week took less than 20 minutes to make. Buckwheat soba / sauteed celery / Korean steamed eggs (made with water, miso, and fish sauce) / sesame oil, sesame seeds, and chili crisp.
A take on okonomiyaki – roasted cabbage and green onion, shredded egg tofu, white pepper, gochugaru, minced ginger, flour, baking soda, lime seltzer, and eggs. Topped with Kewpie and Sriracha.
No post from me last week because we were on VACATION. It was perfect! We went home to the Virgin Islands and got to start every single morning with a run and/or iced coffee and/or breakfast right on the water. Then we came back to New York and had a fancy stay at the Wall Street Hotel and an amazing meal at their restaurant (La Marchande).
Highlights from this week included…
Valentine’s things! Like heart-shaped candies.
Chocolate cherry protein bar from 88 Acres.
Chocolate covered cherry smoothie – plain Greek yogurt, frozen dark cherries, and chocolate milk.
Chocolate cherry cookies – this recipe with the addition of chopped cocktail cherries.
I paired this wonderfully pink peach apricot rose soda with vodka and edible glitter!
Do these winter citrus fruits count as on-theme because I love them? My last two juicy crunch tangerines were a bit lackluster though, so sumo mandarins have regained the number one spot in my heart.
Yogurt bowl with juicy crunch tangerine, canned peaches, blueberry jam, and granola.
Snack plate – pimento cheese dip scooped with mini cucumbers, baby carrots, and white cheddar popcorn chips.
This week’s dinners were all – a) fantastic and b) served in bowls. Butter chicken inspired tofu. Extra-firm tofu marinated in tomato sauce, olive oil, ginger, curry powder, and smoked paprika then sauteed. For the sauce I cooked the marinade with yellow onion, fresno chili, butter, tomato paste, and a big splash of half and half. Served with a quick cucumber and tomato salad (tossed with lemon juice, olive oil, pepper, and Sichuan pepper salt) and a blend of brown rice and riced cauliflower.
Cava inspired bowls. Leftover rice/cauliflower / leftover cucumber tomato salad / marinated grilled artichoke hearts / honey harissa baked chicken (we use this recipe as our base and it is perfect) / baby corn / Cava crazy feta dip.
Bowls very-loosely inspired by Bún thịt nướng. Whole-wheat vermicelli noodles / roasted brussel sprouts / tomatoes / chicken breast cooked in the crockpot with water, soy sauce, lime juice, honey, and ginger / topped with Nước chấm sauce and chili crisp.
Eating Chalk 