Raspberry Rabbit

Notes from the week – a) I made a big batch of baked meatballs – ground turkey with panko, half and half, fish sauce, gochugaru, egg, and sauteed green onion. b) We went to 99 Ranch and got a bunch of great snacks.

Highlights…

This week’s cinnamon coffee combo.

Iced matcha with fresh-squeezed orange juice and yuzu seltzer.

Two kinds of yogurt bowls. Plain Greek with 88 Acres dark chocolate sunflower seed butter, granola, strawberries, and jumbo blueberries.

And plain skyr with honey, black sesame paste, berries, and Heritage Flakes.

Two vegan protein options. Textured soy protein jerky and crunchy yellow peas.

Two kinds of bougie candy bars. Peanut butter crunch and chocolate mint cups.

Two kinds of chips. Seaweed Turtle Chips.

And white cheddar popcorn chips.

The new spiced raspberry diet coke is quite good (though it can’t compare to cherry).

White Rabbit candy ice cream cup.

Glazed meatballs with sauteed bok choy. I made a great sauce with oyster sauce, Sriracha, soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, white pepper, and cornstarch. Plus sesame seeds and green onions.

Meatball sub. Toasted rolls with meatballs, Trader Joe’s pizza sauce, gochugaru, and tons of mozzarella. Plus roasted purple cauliflower.

Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi and pizza sauce. We always bake this gnocchi (20 minutes at 400 degrees) and the texture comes out great.

Speaking of texture – I was very proud of these chewy rice cakes. Frozen rice cakes (simmered in chicken broth, gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, garlic, and brown sugar) with sauteed celery and green onions, roasted zucchini, and shredded chicken breast. Plus chili crisp and sesame seeds.

Dollars To Crullers

It was a fantastic weekend (including a 6+ mile Manhattan walk)! Highlights include…

Banana protein coffee (blender – coffee, milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla protein powder, frozen banana); Adam and I both decided we adore this.

Interlude‘s Cadenza is one of the most exciting coffees we’ve had in a while. Shaken espresso served with Mexican Coke topped with cold foam and vanilla whipped cream.

Sadly, Doughnut Project is closing this month so we had to go get a final fantastic maple cruller.

Related – Daily Provisions‘ monthly cruller special is lemon poppy seed so obviously we got that too! This was even better than DP.

Rigor Hill Market‘s hot chocolate is a 10/10; thick and creamy, a good balance of bitter and sweet, and it comes with toasted marshmallows.

Joe’s Steam Rice Roll, we got beef with egg and scallions. The sauce trio makes this.

Dinner at Thai Diner. We arrived early and managed to snag a table. I got Phat See Ew with beef shortrib. Any dish with broad rice noodles and Chinese broccoli is a hit with me.

Plus pea shoots with garlic, chili, and salted soybeans.

Guava sour with vodka and mint.

Dinner at Backyard BBQ in Freeport. I didn’t have my camera but I did Instagram our giant spread because we loved it here. Brisket, chicken with an amazing bbq rub, candied yams, and pickles.

Plus smoked baked mac and cheese that we both thought was perfect. We also had an unphotographed cheese burger!

An easy homemade dinner – Trader Joe’s chicken taquitos baked topped with ground turkey, zucchini, smoky salsa, and cheddar.

Root Beer Float

Highlights from the week…

I bought this cute squeezie-tube sweetened condensed milk and enjoyed it in some fun coffees. INCLUDING root beer with cold brew and condensed milk and coconut water with instant espresso and condensed milk.

Yogurt bowl – plain skyr with blueberries, blackberries, chia seeds, almond crunch granola, and Oat Haus vanilla granola butter.

Blackberries and an Autumn Glory apple with granola butter.

The best citrus fruit (Sumo mandarins) with the best bar (Perfect cookie dough).

Trader Joe’s garlic hummus with rosemary and olive oil crackers.

Mentioning again how much I enjoy the passionfruit mochi from Bubbies.

I was a big fan of this Heartbreaker canned cocktail from Livewire; it was balanced and not too sweet.

Root beer with golden rum and sweetened condensed milk; this was even better than a float.

This is a photo of my chips and guacamole appetizer because burritos are unphotogenic, but I did have a great steak burrito from Burrito Blvd with zucchini, corn, cheese, rice, and serrano mayo.

A wonderful and wonderfully easy dinner thanks to a microwavable base.

Quinoa and Nasoya Korean bbq plant-based steak (we loved this, the taste and texture were perfect) plus peanuts and a cold cucumber salad with tahini and gojuchang.

Creamy crab and tomato pasta. Buckwheat soba noodles / crab claws / roasted zucchini / sauce – shallots, garlic, butter, fresno chili, tomato paste, smoked paprika, half and half / topped with gochugaru and lemon zest.

This dinner was unhinged but successful – turkey cheeseburger egg salad! Ground turkey and medium-boiled eggs with sauteed shallots, chopped dill pickle, cheddar cheese, sesame seeds, paprika, mayo, and yellow mustard.

Plus potato tots and roasted broccoli with a homemade Greek yogurt ranch.

Bear, Cat, Fish

It was a great weekend! I had the best doughnut of 2024, the best coffee of the past 5 years, and tried a new favorite dessert. Plus we took two long city walks and saw a thousand beautiful things! My absolute favorite was the instillation of these tulle tree sculptures in Madison Square Park.

Highlights…

Butterscotch iced latte. Frame is definitely our new favorite coffee spot.

A fun home-coffee combo – cold brew with cold foam.

Plain skyr bowl with blueberries, pineberries, blueberry jam, and chia seeds.

Absolute Bagels‘ everything with olive and pimento cream cheese. We quite liked it but thought it could not compare to La Bagel Delight.

An after-school snack plate. Note to self – I don’t like that flavor of Mid-Day Squares, the chocolate is too thick. But apple slices with peanut butter is a classic for a reaason.

Bear Donut. We had a cookies and cream mochi doughnut and a filled tiramisu doughnut that was outstanding; the coffee center was roasty and the icing was a bit crispy.

Ănjelly, a newish Vietnamese dessert spot. We had a wonderful pandan latte and my new favorite dessert – a cacao jelly cat with passionfruit honey. Apparently cacao and passionfruit is the flavor combination my life was missing.

Gigantic sandwiches from Milano Market. I got rosemary focaccia with maple turkey, cheddar, horseradish sauce, and pickles.

Dinner at Rosella. We tried a bunch of dishes but my camera was dying. Some favorite were the smoked trout nigiri.

A maki roll with fatty bluefin tuna and housemade kimchi.

And the stunning grits with shrimp, mushrooms, and XO sauce.

10/10 homemade sheet-pan hash dinner. Roasted Japanese sweet potatoes and baby bok choy / Kewpie and Sriracha / candied smoked sockeye salmon and hot smoked sockeye salmon / pickled ginger.

Mishmash

Our dinners all knocked it out of the park this week. Highlights…

This week’s coffee combo. Note – I give both a 7.5 for flavor but I did have to add half and half with the creamer to get it as creamy as I’d like and dark roast to the coffee to get it as roasty as I’d like.

This drink started out butterfly pea tea blue, then turned purple when I added lemon juice and seltzer, then turned swamp monster when I added matcha.

I have no idea where I found this Jamaican cookie-flavored protein drink but it was tasty and I would buy it again if I found it.

Grapefruit sodas; these both made for great cocktails.

Fun Asian Kit-Kats my cousin sent me from a trip.

Bubbie’s passionfruit ice cream mochi. Hands-down my favorite mochi brand.

Adam and I have both been loving yogurt bowls lately. This one was plain skyr, sugar cookie granola, chia seeds, persimmon, and blueberries.

Congee made with brown rice and turkey broth. Topped with meatballs (turkey with panade, garlic, gochugaru, and fish sauce), sauteed red chard, and chili crisp.

This bowl was a wonderful mishmash – leftover congee / sauteed fairytale eggplant / Korean steamed eggs / vegan tuna salad / green onion / sesame seeds / chili crisp.

Amazing tofu (Trader Joe’s sprouted extra-firm tofu, baked until crispy and then tossed in toasted rice powder, white pepper, and Sichuan pepper salt) / Ming Bings plant-based sausage egg and cheese bing (10/10 – will buy again) / roasted romanesco.

Harissa Jalapeño Sriracha

Things from the weekend…

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!

I Am A Little Stitious

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.

‘Twas The Week Before Christmas

Highlights…

I made an affogato with vanilla frozen yogurt and it was an excellent idea! With tons of caramel and sprinkles.

My parents sent us such a fun box of Christmas goodies! Including homemade caramels, toffees, and seven layer bars.

I saved up my most obscure Christmas beverages – pine cone alcohol / eggnog protein shake / holiday cheer kombucha.

Brunch at Mekelburg’s. Guava cinnamon iced latte.

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).