Quesadillas, Chilaquiles, And Burritos, Oh My!

by Emily

As I flip from one classical musical references in my title to another in my opening line… This week these were a few of my favorite things –

Favorite breakfast – This incredibly excitingly pink coconut water.

One of my coffee combos – Birch Cold Brew roast with vanilla cashew milk. <– good idea in theory but the mouthfeel and taste were both sort of “empty” to me and I ended up having to add a splash of cow’s milk.

Favorite yogurt bowl – Vanilla & Cinnamon Chobani with Brown Sugar Cinnamon peanut butter. Plus a Kanzi apple.

Favorite snack – an assortment of nuts and dried fruits from Trader Joe’s.

Pears, persimmons, and sweetened dried lemons plus TJ’s nut and seed medley.

I can’t choose one favorite dessert, they were all so good! We were surprised by how tasty these TJ’s churro bites turned out to be.

I made a batch of snack attack brownies! This recipe, minus marshmallow, plus crushed potato chips, pretzels, and m&ms.

And I was killing it in the dinner department this week. Baked burritos – whole wheat tortillas / shredded chicken breast / sauteed onions and orange and yellow bell peppers cooked with cumin / shredded sharp cheddar cheese / TJ’s double roasted salsa.

Chilaquiles, mostly from scratch.

I made chips out of the whole wheat tortillas / cooked in salsa and diced tomatoes / with leftover onions and peppers / shredded chicken / lime / cheese / topped with a sunny side up egg and a dollop of plain Greek yogurt.

Egg and cheese sandwiches with homemade sausage.

Whole wheat hamburger buns toasted with mayonnaise / cheese / fried egg / turkey sausage made with smoked paprika, fresh sage, and maple syrup.

Plus roasted green beans.

And yesterday I had a late doctor’s appointment in the city so I grabbed dinner at La Esquina. I had a ridiculously delicious chicken quesadilla with salsa verde.

I am off of work today with a three-day weekend and we’ve got super fun dinner plans tonight, woo-hoo!

19Jan2018

Cookie Monster

by Emily

Friday, Friday, Friday! How did a short week feel so long? At least I had multiple sugar highs to carry me through.

Munk Pack sent me a sweet (but actually protein-packed) box of samples. Munk Pack Protein Cookies contain a whopping 18 grams of plant-protein and 6 grams of fiber per cookie. They are gluten-free, vegan, and do not contain sugar alcohols or soy.

I let Adam review two flavors on his own because he’s the one whose lifestyle depends on quick, protein-packed snacks (and he’s already obsessed with Munk Pack’s oatmeal packets). He thought double dark chocolate was good but not great and was over the moon for oatmeal raisin spice. To quote – “5/5. A little bit savory but not too spicy. Firm on the outside but moist on the inside, with a good texture from the oats. Very filling, it kept me satisfied for hours.”

And personally I liked peanut butter chocolate chip but I loooooved the coconut white chip macadamia. All of the flavors were very substantial, I actually ended up skipping lunch yesterday because I was still so satisfied from the cookie I ate for breakfast at 9!

Peanut butter wasn’t necessarily a cookie-cookie but was a darn good protein bar but the coconut flavor was straight-up decadent. It had the slightly gritty consistency of cookie dough and was one of the more delicious packaged cookies (dessert options included) I’ve ever eaten.

Plus we threw a baby shower for a coworker this week and I made and ate a million desserts. Matzoh toffee candy.

Triple fudge brownies with maraschino cherries and cherry cream cheese frosting.

I did eat one or two things that weren’t sweet. Like super spicy Thai food. I went out for lunch with a girlfriend in Astoria and had a great bowl of extra spicy pad see ew with mock duck.

Plus Adam and I hung out for a bit at Gossip; love it there.

Still obsessed with this Trader Joe’s seed and bean snack.

It was a week of fantastic home-cooked dinners. Like Asian-style cabbage wraps. <– best dish of the week

Red cabbage cups / ground turkey sauteed with shredded carrot, spring onion, orange and bell pepper/ crushed peanuts on top.

Plus two dipping sauces – miso, lime juice, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, gojuchang / avocado, cilantro, fish sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, Greek yogurt, evoo.

Another night I used the leftover avocado cilantro sauce to make a killer salad. With red cabbage, arugula, spring onion, shredded carrot, yellow bell pepper, black beans, sharp cheddar, and salty peanuts.

With an assortment of global gummy candies for dessert.

And another night we made loaded cheeseburger cheese fries!

Waffle fries / cheese / tons of sauteed onion / mini turkey cheeseburgers / with ketchup and mayo on top.

Plus broccoli slaw on the side, sauteed with rice vinegar and cream cheese.

Have a happy weekend!

15Jan2018

Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, And Eggplant, Oh My!

by Emily

Goodness me, did we fit in some fantastic eating this weekend! Three restaurant stops that were three of our best meals in NYC to date. I spent the past three days giddy and full.

Highlights…

First things first – they can’t all be winners. Both of these products seemed like things I would flip for so it felt like I should put out a PSA that I was not a fan. The protein krispie treat tasted stale and horrible and the drink was more peanut than caramel. Plus I’ve decided that the new Starbucks blonde espresso is not for me because I like the roasty flavor of the traditional espresso.

I do recommend this salted caramel cold brew that I drank with skim milk.

I am also a fan of toasted turkey and cheese sandwiches on brioche buns. With kettle chips and roasted green beans.

Now the stuff that knocked my socks off – Joyce Bakeshop. We got baked goods with our coffees on a whim and the kouign-amann ended up being the single-best pastry I’ve ever had.

Dinner at LIC Market. We ate on the beautifully verdant back patio and our scenery was lovely but the lighting was terrible. Fries with raclette to start.

With a gose.

I ordered two veggie sides as my entree. Brussel sprouts with soy, sweet chili, and garlic and eggplant with lemon aioli. The eggplant was one of my favorite dishes of the past five years, which is really saying something because we’ve had some exceptional eggplant dishes lately.

Brown butter pecan cake with a sherry chocolate sauce.

Dinner at Olmstead. Another stunning interior + terrible photo lighting situation.

My cocktail was not great – the only item we didn’t swoon over – but Adam’s fig sherry with vanilla and bitters was pretty delicious.

The menu is set up for sharing so we got to try a bunch of things. <– We actually felt like they encouraged us to order a little too much because we ended up having to take leftovers home. Duck liver mousse (with honey drizzled on top!) with garlic crostini and pickled cauliflower.

Beer-battered delicata squash rings with green tomato and a spice crust.

Sweet potato and uni dumplings.

Cauliflower okonomiyaki with yuzukoshō mayo and spicy hazelnuts.

I had trout with creamed brussel sprouts and shaved chestnuts as my entree. Adam’s succulent tamarind lacquered lamb is lurking in the background.

We ordered the “peanut butter and jello” for dessert because how could you see that and not??! It was strawberry mousse with strawberry jello and peanut butter powder. It was ridiculous and amazing and I literally giggled every time I took a bite.

Olmstead, LIC Market, and Joyce Bakeshop, we will be back!

5Jan2018

Hello, 2018!

by Emily

On a personal level, 2018 is off to a great start. Adam’s and my last week of 2017 staycation was deeply wonderful, so I’m starting the year in a damn good mood.

Though perhaps I’ll be less ecstatic today, by the time this post goes live I will already be outside attempting to dig my car out from the foot plus of snow dropped by the bomb cyclone. I work this weekend so thankfully I was already off for the worst of it on Thursday.

Here were the best bites from the year so far…

This week’s coffee – Starbucks espresso roast.

Plus on my snow day I sipped on a super fancy Stumptown Nitro Cold Brew with chocolate milk. Total frothy, creamy, goodness.

Yogurt bowl work lunches are off to a good start. Coffee and Cream Chobani with maple almond butter granola and a Pacific Rose apple and MadeGood chocolate chip granola minis.

Mint Chocolate Chunk Chobani with chocolate Cheerios and chocolate-covered cocoa nibs. This new flavor was surprisingly delicious, just like mint chip ice cream.

Smoked turkey and Swiss sandwich box from Starbucks.

Popping champagne gummies for the new year. I have loved all of the bears from Project Seven that I’ve tried so far.

Yummy vanilla bean French pudding.

Exciting limited edition seltzers tasting. We didn’t like the cola as much as I had hoped – it was too weird to have the flavor without the sweetness – and the unicorn kisses wasn’t magical but was very tasty.

I totally rocked it in the kitchen this week; three meals were 10/10. Like good luck bowls to start the year – forbidden rice / collard greens – sauteed with garlic / hoppin’ john – a slightly bastardized version with orange bell pepper added in.

Hot wing pasta with carrots and celery on the side.

Whole wheat pasta shells / sauteed baby spinach and green onion with fish sauce / shredded chicken breast with cream cheese and hot sauce / sharp cheddar.

Chick pot pie hot dish (loosely inspired by this recipe from Molly Yeh).

Shredded chicken breast / tons of sauteed mushrooms, onion, celery, and peas / roux + caned low fat milk and chicken broth with sour cream, hot sauce, mustard, liquid smoke, and smoked paprika / tater tots!

Hope everyone’s 2018 is off to a good start!

11Dec2017

Winter Weekend Wonderland

by Emily

Three fun facts…

{1} NYC got its first snow this weekend.

{2} Adam and I used the blustery weather as reason to spend an afternoon at the Metropolitan Museum. So much Van Gogh!

{3} We also watched and loved the first season of Stan Against Evil.

{bonus fact} It’s Adam’s birthday today! I was going to write a gooey, disgusting, you’re-my-everything post but our ten year anniversary is on December 28th so I’ll save up my feels.

Weekend eats highlights…

Eggnog ice cream spiked iced coffee.

Jalapeño cheddar potato pierogis at Baba’s with caramelized onions and mushrooms.

BBQ spread at Fletchers. I had smoked chicken, cole slaw, pickles, and rivers of bbq sauce.

Egg ‘n grog pie at Four & Twenty Blackbirds. It was a delicious, boozy custard.

Edible brownie batter! For 2, mix 1 Tbsp melted butter / 1 Tbsp granulated sugar / 2 Tbsp brown sugar / 1 Tbsp cocoa powder / 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour / 1.5 Tbsp milk of choice (I recommend eggnog).

I made stroganoff-ish turkey bowls. Ground meat sautéed with shallots, paprika, sour cream, and tons of fried mushrooms.

With carrots and hummus for additional veggies.

And Holiday Cheers Health-Ade Kombucha for fun. <– I was expecting to hate the ginger but this ended up being my all-time favorite kombucha, it was all sweet and no spice

Chicken tenders and slaw.

Oven-fried chicken tenders (using a rough version of this method) coated in crushed Heritage Flakes and drizzled with homemade honey mustard.

With homemade cole slaw on the side. I adore slaw and this quick version was better than any I’ve had in a restaurant. I didn’t make notes for a recipe but it’s sliced cabbage and golden raisins in a mix of mayo, sour cream, mustard, sugar, and rice vinegar.

Fantastic cheese plates. Fancy TJ’s crackers with white stilton with apricots, honey goat cheese, and raw milk cheddar.

Southern Tier Cinnamon Roll Ale that tasted like a cookie.

Plus carrots and orange bell pepper with hummus.

And sugared nuts and dried figs.

4Dec2017

Miracle On 9th Street

by Emily

New York City is the best place on Earth and that is doubly true around holidays! Adam and I had a lovely weekend with lots of walking and we explored Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan and saw and ate all sorts of fun holiday and city things.

Like lights in the Lower East Side.

And wild swans in Sheepshead Bay.

Coffees, specialty cocktails, pizza rolls, and other fantastic eats…

Mace’s Miracle Christmas Cocktail Pop-up is officially my new favorite holiday activity! I wish I had taken pictures inside because it was freaking magical.

The specialty cocktails were so fun! I had a Not Even a Mouse – pumpkin spice infused rye whiskey, Budweiser-marshmallow syrup, pumpkin puree, egg, and a marshmallow mouse.

And a Snowball Old Fashioned – gingerbread bourbon, sugar, and pecan bitters.

Iced latte love. Brooklyn Roasting Company.

Orso.

Yogurt bowl win. Plain Greek yogurt with maple jelly and vanilla bean powder with golden kiwi and granola on top.

Ice & Vice double scoop that was truly the best ice cream Adam or I have ever eaten. TBT – earl grey, dark chocolate, and speculoos chip and PSL – pecan, sorghum, and latte toffee.

The Nog at Sugar Sweet Sunshine, pumpkin cake layered with eggnog pudding and whipped cream.

Luda’s Dumplings.

We shared shrimp and loaded potato with garlic sour cream and mushrooms on top.

Brunch at Butter & Scotch, aka the restaurant that’s decorated like the inside of my heart.

I had biscuits with mushroom gravy and an egg on top.

The NameShake.

Birthday cake slice (the leftovers were still moist 24 hours+ later, fyi) and a Unicorn Treat – a brown butter cookie drenched in sprinkles!

The space was adorable, the music was wonderful, and as we were rolling ourselves to the door the waitress brought us a chocolate chip cookie to go since we had been so excited about everything.

Dinner at Thursday Kitchen.

You have to get a light-up booze-filled capri sun! I went with strawberry.

The menu is tapas style so we got to taste a lot. Everything was so interesting, and perfectly spiced. Pan-seared plantains with Korean chimichurri, honey ricotta, roasted pistachio, dried cranberry, and crispy plantain crumble.

Duck confit empanada with dill crème fraiche, cumin, and pickles.

Gnocchi with Korean chili pepper sauce, garlic aioli, parmesan, and crispy seaweed.

My homemade dinners weren’t bad either. I made vegetarian “rice” and beans casserole.

Riced cauliflower / pinquito beans / onion and bell peppers (yellow, orange, and green) baked in evoo / red enchilada sauce / sour cream / shredded cheese. I topped my bowl with more sour cream and some Cholula sauce plus beet and goat cheese cassava chips.

An epic take on cheeseburgers and fries.

Roasted green beans and butternut squash.

Cheeseburger roll ups! Crescent roll dough / ground turkey sautéed with chopped onion and pickle relish / mayo and ketchup / shredded cheese / brushed with garlic butter.

Happy 1st week of December!

2Dec2017

Winners And Losers

by Emily

I ate some really yummy prepared foods this week but I did not do so hot cooking my own meals. I had the day off on Wednesday and I spent most of the day cooking/baking and it did not go well.

I tried to make Oreo marshmallow peppermint magic bars. No. I ended up with a molten stew of brown gook.

I couldn’t feed this to anyone but it actually did taste delicious and I did scoop a serving into a jar to eat with yogurt.

I also spent several hours making brown stock and then lentil and tortellini soup. This venture at least looked like food but it tasted like… nothing. We ate Chipotle bowls for dinner.

Here were some of the things I ate that did work —

This work lunch looks unassuming but it was truly one of the best things I’ve eaten in months. Vanilla bean Greek yogurt with cranberry relish and maple + almond butter granola.

Plain Icelandic-style yogurt with cookie sludge, a SnapDragon apple, and La Colombe.

Cherry vanilla Chobani with golden kiwis and Heritage Flakes.

Some of my snacks were fairly fantastic as well. Seaweed salad.

Turkey jerky.

Carrots and garlic hummus.

Kombucha.

Coffee Chai tea. Good Earth offered to send me a sample and since chai is my favorite tea and I love coffee I accepted. It was delicious! Just a bit spicy and roasty. I drank a cup at work instead of a 2nd coffee a couple of days and did not resent it.

Hershey’s caramelized creme gold bar with peanuts and pretzels. It was so interesting and tasty, way more complex than a regular Hershey bar.

Treats at Vanilla Bean, our new favorite Long Island spot.

I had a Nutella-studded brownie and a delicious iced latte.

I may not have cook-cooked dinner but my throw-together dinners were good. Trader Joe’s frozen section did not let me down.

Fish sticks with roasted green beans and blue cheese and spicy cocktail sauce for dinner.

I also made great “Thanksgiving leftovers” baked sandwiches.

Sourdough, sliced smoked turkey, cranberry relish, mayo, and lots of Kerrygold Skellig sweet cheddar.

With burnt broccoli that still wasn’t terrible.

Please cross your fingers for no more kitchen disasters for me!

27Nov2017

Thanksgiving Week

by Emily

I always have a lot to feel thankful for and last week was no exception. With working two weekends in a row and Turkey Day my schedule worked out perfectly for lots of fun free time with the husband! We had a great time in the city on his post-call day and were able to drive to Pennsylvania Thursday evening to spend the holiday with his family.

Highlights…

Fancy coffees –

Noble Tree iced latte at Nickel and Diner.

Stumptown Winter Cheer.

Vietnamese cold brew.

Fun city restaurants –

Supermoon Bakehouse!

So cool. We tried a banana split sundae twice baked croissant – caramelized sous vide whole bananas, banana caramel sauce, creme patissiere, and chocolate almond creme, topped with chocolate fudge, banana caramel, dehydrated banana, gold leaf, and torched meringue.

And a Golden Boy Doughnut – golden turmeric brioche filled with mild chocolate salted caramel, rolled in sugar and topped with a chocolate shard – aka the best doughnut I’ve ever eaten.

Crazy good ramen at Ganso. A girlfriend and I went after work one night and it was so fantastic that I went back with Adam the next day! The first time we shared blistered shishito peppers.

And I had triple shrimp ramen – with shrimp paste chicken broth, thick Sapporo noodles, chili-fried shrimp, dried shrimp, garlic chives, and moyashi sprouts.