Hell Of A Halvah

by Emily

Highlights from this week…

It’s really lovely to have a husband who arranges me flowers and buys me cupcakes when I’m cranky! Related note – it’s also really nice to live walking distance from Sweethaus because apparently they are our favorite cupcakes on the planet.

Random drink assortment from work, the lemon rose blossom water was surprisingly delicious.

Weirdest/most exciting snack award goes to – this Japanese candy we brought home from NY. It was like a fun dip but with a cola flavored lollipop and fizzy milk powder.

Fantastic product sample – Absolutely Gluten Free sent me their newest snack item: TahiniBARs. Halvah is a candy made of sesame paste and it is both Adam’s and my very favorite treat.

The TahiniBARS come in vanilla, pistachio, and cocoa nibs. They are certified kosher, dairy free, and gluten free. Each serving has 100 calories.

We LOVED them! They absolutely stacked up to the halvah I grew up eating and the artisinal varieties we’ve had in NY.

One of my favorite ways to eat halvah is crumbled up in yogurt, so one day I made an absolutely ridiculous snack – plain Greek yogurt / vanilla TahiniBAR / Soom chocolate tahini spread / red plum and green pluot. Delicious.

We had some tasty dinner too. Like bbq chicken fried rice. Fried rice / carmelized red onion / shredded rotisserie chicken / fresh corn / collard greens cooked with rice vinegar / bbq sauce / eggs.

Jalopeno popper pasta, loosely inspired by this recipe. We used whole-wheat shells, turkey bacon, no cream, and less cheese; plus I topped mine with panko. With roasted zucchini.

Leftovers with an assortment of baby wines. I do NOT recommend the rose.

Homemade buffalo chicken dip / scooped with baby carrots and potato chips / celery sauteed with butter, salt, pepper, and celery seed.

I’m trying out a recipe that sounds super fun this weekend, so please cross your fingers for me that it turns out!

30Jul2018

My Kingdom For A Coffee

by Emily

Random things from the weekend…

We tried what felt like a million different coffees. I have yet to find a local ready-made option that can keep up with Grady’s. Iced Vietnamese latte from Cville Coffee.

Iced latte from Grit.

Ice latte from Feast.

Muddy Waters was meh.

But much improved with a large scoop of violet marshmallow ice cream!

We had really good bagels at Bodo’s. Everything with olive cream cheese. They are made fresh all day long and the texture is perfection.

And only ok doughnuts from Duck. Strawberry glazed with rainbow sprinkles and marshmallow drizzle. I did not like that they were served fresh – aka hot – because it ruined the frosting.

I made a delicious vegetarian dinner. Cauliflower rice roasted in the oven / baked extra-firm sprouted tofu / scallion peanut salsa loosely based on this recipe.

I am incapable of having peanuts in the house and not eating five plus handfuls per day.

We went back to Maya and loved it a 2nd time! We had two fantastic appetizers: a local mushroom plate with Sharondale Farm mushrooms, pork belly (for Adam!) spring onion grit cake, buttermilk curd, sunflower seed and sundried tomato pesto, and lemon parsley aioli // pimento cheese fritters(!!!) with hot pepper jelly and chive sour cream.

I had the crab cakes for dinner, with sweet corn and green tomato chow-chow, smoked onion aioli, and mache. Plus sauteed broccoli and leafy greens.

And we somehow also ate peanut butter fluff pie for dessert.

How is it possibly already August this week??!

27Jul2018

Supermoon And Sprinkles

by Emily

It was my birthday!

The day itself was pretty ho-hum – I worked an extra-long day, it rained like crazy, the cupcake shop I planned on visiting closed early without warning – but it’s always nice to have survived another year! And my pre-birthday trip to New York was pretty fabulous; I am glad I got my good weather then.

Highlights from the week…

Pathetically, I ate this strawberry Airhead as my birthday-day dessert.

But later in the week we splurged on this $9 pint of marshmallow and violet ice cream. <– best ice cream I’ve ever tasted, including the stuff I ate at a Jeni’s in Ohio last fall

Lately in coffee, I’ve tried and been disappointed by several packaged options.

At least I fulfilled my favorite birthday tradition – freebie Starbucks quad iced latte with sprinkles on top.

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I made a cocktail with this dream team –

We got salad bowls at Chipotle with so much cheese on them it was almost too much, almost.

My birthday dinner was our first – mightily successful – trip to Beer Run. They’re kind of famous for their nachos.

And I had a salmon bahn mi (with pickled strawberries!) that was pretty good.

Plus a key lime brown sugar margarita and a key lime pie tart ale.

Yesterday we slow-cooked a delicious dinner. Brown sugar garlic chicken thighs. I added smoked paprika, but otherwise followed the recipe. With roasted broccoli with crock pot drippings and Sriracha.

Less than 12 hours to the weekend!

23Jul2018

A New York Weekend

by Emily

We just had the best! weekend!! ever!!! Or at least that’s what Adam and I told each other multiple times each day. It’s my birthday tomorrow (the 24th) and he took me back to New York to celebrate.

We got super lucky with the weather and managed to do a million fun things, including try out a few new restaurants that we missed going to before the move, eat all the ice cream, and drink all the coffee (and put ice cream in our coffee!).

Here were the highlights…

Staying in Williamsburg in the Pod hotel, which was adorable and totally big enough for us. And they had games and a bar in the lobby with Grimm Icing on the Cake on tap.

Brunch at Fausto, our new favorite spot. I had a cocktail with ontratto aperitif, aperitivo select, grapefruit, and tonic. Polenta with braised duck, poached egg, and pea greens. And hashbrowns with chili aioli.

Quad, non-fat, iced lattes from Black Brick.

Aussie iced coffee from Sweatshop. Basically a quad, non-fat, iced latte with a scoop of ice cream in it.

West Side Story from Paper Plane Coffee = guava, sweetened condensed milk, and espresso. It was surprisingly delicious, and pink!

Running along the East River.

Lunch at Sauvage. We split baked eggs and a salad with arugula, charred corn, pistachio, and whipped chevre.

Smorgasburg! We got fantastic okonomiyaki and a scoop of mint ice cream with toasted Swiss meringue on top. <– my favorite iteration of marshmallow of all time

Ice cream at Milk Bar. I got a babyquake (aka mini blizzard) with birthday cake truffles and the best sprinkles.

Stocking up on Japanese goodies at Midoriya.

Buying an adorable bear t-shirt for me and a succulent pin for Adam at Brooklyn Flea.

Dinner at Dez. We shared cauliflower and crispy capers and chimichurri and I had a chopped vegetable salad with roasted potato, crispy eggplant, a seven minute egg, umbah, zhough, and tahini.

Beating our favorite team shooting game (Ghost Hunter) at Barcade.

Getting drinks with old friends at Freemans.

Beers at Greenpoint Brewery.

Walking across the Williamsburg Bridge.

I love New York.

20Jul2018

Bells, Poblanos, And Shishitos, Oh My

by Emily

Highlights from this pepper-filled week…

Coffee coffee.

I made bang bang shrimp with zucchini noodles loosely following this recipe. I swapped in gojuchang and honey for sweet chili sauce and tossed the shrimp in some cornstarch to help give it a nice crust.

Nacho night. Kettle chips / shredded turkey breast / Camembert and cheddar cheese sauce / parsley // roasted green beans.

Veggie bowls. Sauteed red, orange, and yellow bell pepper with sweet onion and garlic / black beans sauteed with charred poblano pepper and cojita cheese / avocado / fried egg / sour cream and Cholula hot sauce.

Cheese plate. Grapes / Camembert and sharp cheddar / olives / tamari almonds / shishito peppers with sea salt, lime juice, and honey. <– I was so excited for this meal and it ended up not having enough protein being the least filling thing on earth and we both had to make sandwiches

Local dessert love. Cheesecake ice cream.

Cupcakes from Sweethaus. That middle one is cookie dough!

We’re doing something fun this weekend…

16Jul2018

Let’s Taco ‘Bout The Weekend

by Emily

Booze, tacos, doughnuts, and iced coffees… it was a good weekend! Here were the highlights…

Cookie dough milk iced coffee.

Cinnamon vanilla iced latte.

Iced latte with toasted marshmallow syrup.

Also I had a caramel macchiato doughnut. Sugar Shack makes some of the best doughnuts I’ve ever tasted!

Brunch at Marie Bette, a European-style bakery.

I had a ho-hum grapefruit hibiscus cider. <– I need to stop ordering ciders, I think I really am not a fan!

And the quiche of the day – tomato and white cheddar.

Sandwiches at Hot Cakes, another super cute bakery. Rye, smoked turkey, muenster, and cole slaw. I think cole slaw on sandwiches is the best.

Take-out from Silk Thai. Fried tofu and chicken pad see ew.

Saturday night, we got tacos with my cousin and her boyfriend. Brazos is dog-friendly, which is fantastic, and our tacos were delicious. Triple pickle = refried black beans, mushroom bruja, roasted pepitas, chopped jalapeños, red onion pickles, jalapeño pickles, and pickled watermelon // tres quesos = Oaxacan cheese, manchego cheese, and queso fresco, with refried black beans, sliced avocado, roasted corn pico, and pickled watermelon // and a hibiscus margarita.

Then we went to Three Notched and I had vodka (with mint limeade) and a dog in my lap – aka all my favorite things!

9Jul2018

Burgers And Breweries

by Emily

Highlights from the weekend included…

New coffees. Shenandoah Joe was perfectly roasty.

I got a nitro nom nom cold brew from Snowing in Space.

And this can of cold brew was delicious (there’s skim milk in there too, it was frothy but not as much as the picture looks).

Brunch at Maya. I had a Hurricane with Cruzan rum in it!

And a super Southern plate of chicken and waffles. House-fried chicken thigh, caramelized onion and cheddar biscuit waffle, hot honey, and maple syrup.

Snacks of note – Virginia peanuts.

Voges caramel marshmallows with roasted walnut and pecan.

Friday night we met up with my cousin for dinner and drinks. I got a vegetarian chili and a mound of fried cheese curds at South Street Brewery.

And a yummy flight at Three Notch’d including passion fruit and watermelon goses.

Saturday night Adam and I tried out Citizen Burger. More passion fruit, in a lackluster cider.

I had a turkey burger topped with white onion, pickles, mayo, and pimento cheese. Plus so many fries.

Sunday night I finally cooked in our new kitchen!

Homemade turkey burgers / on sweet potato buns / topped with ketchup and mayo / turkey bacon / and Kerrygold Dubliner cheddar. Plus roasted green beans.

Have a nice week!

15Jun2018

Last Day

by Emily

Holy frick. It’s my last day of work today!!

It’s been a weird last week – I’ve actually been crazy busy because a coworker is out sick so I’ve been covering additional units. Usually you don’t do much patient care on your final day, but I’m planning on squeezing in a pretty full morning before I start my exit paperwork. Plus I’ve been wrapping up various projects, including an hour-long presentation on critical care nutrition guidelines that I gave to the residents covering the ICUs.

It’d be nice to have some time to decompress but the last two weeks of June are going to be insane with the move. And in busy-ness that is fun, my parents are coming into town tomorrow for a final city visit. And then Adam’s family is joining us to celebrate his graduation next week!

Busy, busy, busy, busy, busy! <– name that movie

Here were the highlights from my last week of work…

{fun in bottled coffee} Cold brew from Trader Joe’s.

Pecan cold brew from Chameleon Coffee.

{fruit forward snacks} Fresh watermelon chunks with TJ’s cucumber watermelon mint Greek yogurt.

The last of the ambrosia my coworker made me. I for sure ate out every single piece of palm seed.

{vegetables masquerading as chips/fries} Roasted green bean “cheese fries” with ketchup and mayo. I’ll be honest, I wanted Kewpie mayo for years and finally bought a bottle the month before this move and now I’m looking for any excuse, no matter how flimsy, to use it.

Spinach and parmesan tzatziki dip scooped with sugar snap peas and baby carrots.

{good foods and goodbyes with coworkers} An after-work walk to DeKalb Market Hall for Ample Hills. Baby I was Churned This Way.

Lunch at Bolivian Llama Party in the Ashland. I had a fried seitan sandwich and we split insanely good cilantro cheese fries.

{New York must-eats} A poppy seed bagel with jalapeno-cheddar cream cheese from La Bagel Delight. <– eaten on the walk to work, key feature

Shaved ice from Grace Street. We swooned over black sesame ice with sweetened condensed milk, honey boba, and mochi. <– all-time best boba and mochi in the city/world