Tag Archives: yam

Americana Idiot

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My other song title option was “Like It Was 1980,” and if you don’t get that reference you are sorely missing out! This week’s dinner theme was Americana/nostalgia. We made Salisbury steak, tuna pasta salad, macaroni and cheese, and chili and grilled cheese sandwiches!

Highlights from the past four days include…

After-school snacks. Apple + peanut butter (I didn’t have mini marshmallows to make smiles!). This was a Sugar Bee apple and it was wonderfully crisp and sweet.

Important note – the Whole Foods unsweetened crunchy peanut butter is wonderful. It is some of the best I’ve ever had and certainly outranks the other options at this price point. Just peanuts and salt.

This week’s yogurt bowl combo was plain skry, blackberries, peanut butter, and Nature’s Path honey almond granola.

Love Corn bbq corn nuts. These have a very satisfying consistency.

Junior Mints minis are fantastic. They are like the popping boba of chocolate candies.

Fun in sparkling waters – Target caffeinated cherry cola and Ruby tart hibiscus. Both were an 8/10.

I had never actually tried Salisbury steak before but I loved it. We loosely followed this recipe but I used ground turkey and way more mushrooms. Plus roasted purple and Japanese sweet potato and zucchini.

I did not use Italian dressing in my tuna pasta though that is how I grew up eating it. Whole-wheat macaroni, canned tuna, roasted zucchini, edamame, extra-sharp cheddar, and balsamic vinegar. Maybe Italian is the way to go though? Adam and I both went back and topped our bowls with hot sauce.

Macaroni and cheese muffins. I used extra-sharp cheddar instead of parmesan and added mustard powder. Plus roasted broccoli.

Plus we had bbq Wilde chicken chips.

Chili = ground turkey, celery, white onion, fire-roasted tomatoes, fire-roasted green chiles, kidney beans, chicken broth, evoo, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. I topped my bowl with plain yogurt and hot sauce. Plus I made amazing grilled cheese sandwiches; the filling was a mixture of extra-sharp cheddar, marinated artichoke hearts, mayo, white pepper, mustard powder, and a pinch of sugar.

What’s With Today, Today

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So many things to celebrate this week, the eclipse and Rex Manning Day were both on Monday. We are on vacation starting tomorrow and I am READY – it took a lot of little treats (TM) to get through this week.

Some highlights…

This week’s yogurt combo – plain skyr, giant blackberries, and cookie dough granola.

I brought this birthday cake drink syrup back from my trip to Kingston. Not bad but too fruit-forward for my tastes. I tried it in iced coffee, iced matcha, lemon seltzer, and diet coke.

Chocolate-covered frozen cheesecake bites (9/10).

Dark chocolate peanut butter bites (10/10). <– I can’t remember where I found these but I would rebuy if I found more.

Our King’s does a fantastic chocolate cake with ganache, marshmallow, and cookie dough (11/10).

A Moon Pie to celebrate the eclipse. All I could find last-minute was a protein bar Power Pie which was actually delicious.

And I, of course, celebrated Rex Manning Day with pizza, brownies, and an Empire Records rewatch.

Roast’s special of the week – brisket, mac and cheese, crispy onions, and bbq sauce on a roll.

Homemade veggie and meatball bowls. Roasted cabbage, baby cauliflower, Japanese sweet potato, and red bell pepper / turkey meatballs with panko, fish sauce, half and half, ginger, urfa chili, gochugaru, and egg / peanut sauce with chunky peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, Sriracha, sesame oil, sugar, and warm water / green onions and sesame seeds.

Frame Worthy

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Some highlights from a tasty weekend…

Coffee at Frame. The Upper West Side location is currently our favorite Manhattan coffee. We got the special latte with cinnamon and caramel.

We had to make a couple of stops to find worthwhile bagels near us in Long Island but this everything egg with salmon cream cheese did the trick.

We did a very fun 1990’s theme night and watched “Hey Dude” and “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” while eating throwback snacks. The Combos were lackluster but we had forgotten just how wonderful Bugles and Gushers are.

I tried tanghulu for the first time and loved it. Fresh fruit with a delicate layer of crispy sugar.

Treats at Lady Wong. The baked ube rice cake was the very best thing we ate all weekend.

Lunch at Bahn. This was the best meal of the weekend. Egg cream cold brew!!

We shared vermicelli bowls with butter beef.

And beer-battered chicken.

Dinner at Maldon and Mignonette. The lighting was bad but the food was surprisingly good. I had a nice cocktail with tequila and passionfruit and a crunchy salt rim.

Seasoned roasted carrots.

We share two (amazing) pastas. Ravioli with duck confit, sweet potato, sage, and pecorino and pappardelle with short rib and vodka sauce.

And two desserts. Cinnamon bundt cake and cheesecake-stuffed oatmeal cookies!

Bear, Cat, Fish

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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.

I Am A Little Stitious

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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.

Staycation 2023 [part 2]

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Highlights from the second half of our staycation, which ended up being one of the best vacations!

We did so many fun things! Like checking out the Halloween-themed spot Haunted House of Hamburgers to grab a drink and admire decorations.

Spending a beyond lovely morning exploring the Avalon Nature Preserve and communing with nature.

And roadtripping to Connecticut for coffees and booze. Food hightlights included…

Aldo’s Coffee. This spot in Greenport makes the most perfectly roasty espresso.

Druthers Coffee. This burnt caramel latte was amazing

Perkatory Coffee [CT]. I loved this spot, especially their monthly special – cold brew with vanilla and strawberry, topped with condensed milk cold foam and Fruity Pebbles.

Yellow King Brews [CT]. Cold brew flight??!! My favorite was the fantastically blue one – cold brew shaken with cookie butter sauce and topped with cookie cold foam.

12% Beer Project [CT]. They had taps from Evil Twin, Abomination Brewing, and Fat Orange Cat. Also really good housemade thin crust pizza.

Evil Twin taproom. Always a favorite.

Whole Food’s pumpkin pie cookie.

Alligator Pear for a New Orlean’s lunch. We had (a lot) drinks and started with the wonderful cornbread with sweet brown butter and the blue crab beignets.

We shared the summer salad – baby kale with strawberries, goat cheese, candied pecans, and a honey mustard vinaigrette – and a po’boy with grilled shrimp.

Kappo Counter at Okonomi Market for a lovingly currated multi-course tasting menu. Some of my favorites included the tilefish and cucumber with yuzu and coconut.

Roasted Japanese sweet potato with salmon roe and toasted tahini.

And the frangipane with toasted rice ice cream and pickled strawberries.

Rolo’s for the best lunch of the vacation/the best meal of 2023! Spicy mezcal bloody mary.

Beet salad with concord grape vinaigrette and castelrosso cheese // grilled oyster mushrooms with pine nut miso.

Double cheeseburger with grilled onions and dijonnaise // malted waffles with plum compote and ricotta. We also had the super crispy potatoes topped with Kewpie and a spicy peanut sauce.

Apple Crumb Pie Sour

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Highlights from the week…

I get so much joy from my milk frother; cold foam on a homemade coffee is such a treat.

I couldn’t capture it in the rainy light but this apple I got at J-Mart was delightfully pink.

Trader Joe’s chile and garlic cashews are a satisfying snack.

As are the Perfect Layers bars, though I’ve decided I prefer the originals.

We visited Fern and Aurora – a newish Filipino bakery – and got an assortment of fun treats. Including a solid halo halo and a calamansi meringue that was one of the best desserts of this year.

Fat Witch mint brownie. This is our favorite of their flavors.

10/10 beer line up. Abomination Brewing Ice Cream Sandwiches in Space milkshake-style double IPA (P.S. I also tried their pumpkin milkshake IPA at a bar this week – we went out to do poorly at trivia – and was a fan) / Blue Point Apple Pie Crumb Sour.

Homemade callaloo with spinach, crab, and turkey bacon. Plus leftover teff biscuits and blue cornbread from Hav & Mar (the bread basket was the highlight of that meal!).

Tuna pasta. Whole-wheat spaghetti with roasted zuccini and romanesco, pine nuts, canned yellowfin tuna packed in olive oil, lemon juice and zest, gochugaru, and urfa chile pepper.

Tasting plate dinner – smoked salmon spread / bitchin dip / baby sweet bell peppers / everything corn crackers / Trader Joe’s black bean and cheese taquitos.

Pesto Pizazz

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Things from this week…

My fruit bowl had an admirer. Dogs can’t eat grapes (these were Thomcords), but Webster enjoyed some of my giant blackberries.

This swamp drink was a butterfly pea tea lemonade (with fresh lemon, lime, and brown sugar) with matcha.

Alani maple donut protein coffee (6/10, I wanted it to have more flavor and caffeine but there was no aftertaste).

Spudsy ranch sweet potato fries (9.5/10, so crunchy and savory).

Rainbow bites gummy candies (1/10, I was excited for these but I thought the flavor was so strange. We ate them while watching Rainbow Bright and even the on-theme of it all couldn’t save them).

We really enjoyed both of these IPAs. Three Floyds’ Cat Date double > Grimm’s Classic Rewind

This dinner was super quicky and easy but so satisfying. Cold silken tofu sauced with soy sauce, sugar, chili crisp, gochugaru, sesame seeds, and furikake / kimchi veggie dumplings / frozen edamame that I reheated in the microwave for two minutes.

Pesto pizza! Homemade dough (I swapped Greek yogurt for blended cottage cheese in the two-ingredient recipe) / sliced gouda / homemade pesto / sliced tomato / parmesan. Plus roasted zucchini.

Whole-wheat spaghetti with pesto, zucchini, tomato, and mushroom and herb chicken sausages. I topped mine with chili flakes.