Tag Archives: yogurt

Bon Bon Butterfinger

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Things from last week…

I bought an obscene amount of chocolate from Bon Bon Bon and we’ve loved every bite! We ordered from them once before during the Pandemic and probably will again; they have gorgeous packaging and inventive flavors. My favorites so far have been the Salty Sap (crystalized maple caramel, butter cracker ganache, dark chocolate) and the Bumpy (fudgy chocolate cake cream, buttercream frosting).

We also tried the candy corn homemade Butterfinger recipe! As a registered dietitian I should probably be able to explain the food chemistry of why this works so well — I cannot, but I can tell you it was delicious.

Best yogurt bowl of the fall – plain Greek with blueberries and persimmon.

The week’s dinner theme was meat salads. (<– not an unhinged sentence) Listed from good to great: Tofu grinder salad. Boiled super-firm tofu strips, pickled pepperoncini, Edam cheese, Bomb Squad baby tomatoes, shredded romaine, pickled red onions, and olives tossed with plain Greek yogurt, Duke’s, vinegar, onion powder, garlic powder, gochugaru, and dried basil.

Red curry tuna salad. Canned tuna and smoked trout with plain Greek yogurt, Kewpie, red curry paste, and lime / served on a microwave pack of coconut brown rice / with sauteed bok choy, red bell pepper, green onion, and garlic / and crispy onion and garlic.

Hot honey chicken salad. Shredded baked chicken breast, crispy baked navy beans, green onion, and chopped Trader Joe’s sweet and spicy jalapeños with plain Greek yogurt, Duke’s, Dijon mustard, honey, chili oil, and gochugaru. Plus roasted baby broccoli.

Jalapeño popper egg salad. Eggs (hard boiled eggs that I marinated in a mix of pickle brine, jalapeño brine, and rice vinegar), plain Greek yogurt, Duke’s Dijon mustard, chopped sweet and spicy jalapeños, and cubes of Kerrygold sweet cheddar. Plus sauteed asparagus. For added crunch across the plate – panko toasted in a skillet with butter, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and crispy onions and garlic.

Fancy Treats

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Our fabulous weekend included time in Long Island City, an in-season trip to Sleepy Hollow, some great walks, and tons of (delicious!) fancy treats. Highlights…

Safwa roasted peanut iced latte. I adored this.

Small Batch‘s caramelized pumpkin was also quite good. We tried their brown butter sage latte too but I did not like it.

Za’atar flagel with egg, cheddar, and turkey from Horseman Bagels.

Inspired by a fantastic treat from Kora, we made cheesy sweet buns. Potato roll baked with butter and Trader Joe’s vanilla sugar and topped with shredded Edam.

Spicy crab inari. I don’t get tofu skin often enough and I was excited for this (grocery!) roll.

Treats from Arellano Pandelsal. Ube ensaymada and a cinnamon roll with calamansi glaze!

Spot Dessert Bar‘s Cookie Camp – marshmallow cookie, pretzels, cookie crumbs, chocolate sauce, and condensed milk ice cream. Swoon. We also quite enjoyed a green tea with lychee jelly.

Stew Leonard‘s plain Greek frozen yogurt (great!) with tons of seasonal sprinkles.

I loved the topping options at Ilios – I got the plain Greek (even better!) with sprinkles, Kinder sauce, and cinnamon roll!

A black bean rice bowl from Tony’s with seasonal roasted squash (plus I added roasted baby zucchini from home!).

A lunch plate a Blue Hill at Stone Farms. The property was stunningly gorgeous! We appreciated how fresh and technically perfect the food was but weren’t necessarily over the moon about it. (We would still try the fancy dinner(s) though!)

We were over the moon for the honey roobios canned tea we had with lunch. It tasted like the holidays.

Pig Beach BBQ. This burger was solid, definitely would be number 6 on my New York favorite’s list! It was so smoky! We also liked the potato salad, vinegary slaw, and roasted turkey.

We had a great dinner at Soothr. My fun take on a Long Island came with a delicious mint jelly.

My favorite dish was the Khao Soi tofu aka the best egg tofu I’ve ever eaten.

And we shared Pad Si Iw with beef.

And we also had rice rolls that I wasn’t a fan of (but Adam enjoyed!).

Smashed, Toasted, and Themed…

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Themed things from this week…

A Pumpkin Month yogurt bowl. Pumpkin Noosa with maple almond butter granola and a side of blueberries.

A Pumpkin Month pumpkin spice latte ice cream sundae. Adirondack pumpkin pie ice cream and Ben & Jerry’s Honey Graham Latte ice cream with Trader Joe’s chocolate shell and granola butter.

A Pumpkin Month snack mix! Trader Joe’s maple kettle corn with candy corn and peanuts. Sooo good.

You know what time it was for dinners — Sandwich Week! Meatloaf. Duck Island whole-wheat sourdough with sauce (white miso, Dijon mustard, and Kewpie), leftover turkey meatloaf, sharp cheddar, and fried onion and garlic. Plus roasted green beans.

Chicken salad toasts. Sourdough baked with sharp cheddar and chicken salad (shredded chicken breast, plain Greek yogurt, Duke’s yellow mustard, Trader Joe’s sweet and spicy jalapeños, shredded edam, and fried onion and garlic). Plus roasted baby broccoli.

Smashed tuna melts. Potato buns with sharp cheddar and tuna salad (canned tuna and smoked trout, plain Greek yogurt, Kewpie, Dijon mustard, jalapeño brine, and chopped pickles and capers) smashed in a skillet with butter and evoo. Plus roasted broccoli and delicata and honeynut squash with a honey mustard sauce (horseradish, Sichuan pepper, honey, yellow mustard, plain Greek yogurt, and Duke’s).

My favorite of the week – tofu sandwiches. A potato bun with Kewpie and yellow and Dijon mustards, pickled red onion, sharp cheddar, fried onion and garlic, and tofu (super-firm thin sliced, marinated in gochujang, pickle brine, jalapeño brine, oyster sauce, onion powder, and garlic powder, and baked). Plus coleslaw (shredded cabbage, rice vinegar, lemon juice, plain Greek yogurt, Duke’s, Dijon mustard, sugar, and dried dill and mustard).

Banana, Bean, Black Sesame

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Highlights from last week…

Pachanga Coffee iced latte with oatmilk and guava.

Plan skyr bowl with blueberries (Sweetest Batch and Jumbos!) and Grady’s peanut butter coconut granola.

Plain skyr dessert bowl with One Trick Pony cinnamon sugar peanut butter (divine!), banana chips, chocolate chips, and granola.

Grape cruffin from Ansa Coffee (impeccable!).

We loved the banana soft-serve from Koke. I got black sesame with banana chips and black sesame sauce.

Also a perfect black sesame mochi cookie with groats in it.

A chocolate menagerie from L.A. Burdick.

Little Cupcake Bakeshop. Princess cake and a caramel peanut butter bar. They are probably my 3rd favorite cake shop in all of NY.

Gertie’s new bagel shop concept knocked our socks off. We shared a bagel with scallion cream cheese, whitefish salad, and pickled peppers and latkes with apple butter and sour cream.

Tuck Shop‘s tuna melt is my new favorite. I was also head over heels for their honey mustard mayo (2nd sauce of all time; nearly tied with the salsa I had in Taos, NM).

Mimi Cheng‘s Thai chili lime dumpling special.

Authentic Thai takeout. Pad see ew with mock duck and tom kha gai fried rice.

Curry beans. Great Northerm beans and roasted garlic sauteed with green onion, ginger, coconut milk, lime juice, red curry, soy sauce, and Sriracha. Served on a mix of brown rice and roasted riced cauliflower.

A very loose take on joomukbap. Leftover rice made into balls with sauteed kimchi, sesame seeds, shredded cheddar, canned tuna, roasted garlic, skyr, and Kewpie and coated in roasted seaweed and furikake. Plus roasted eggplant (a local baby eggplant variety!) sauteed with tahini, gochujang, sesame oil, and honey.

A loose take on callaloo. Frozen spinach cooked with yellow hot pepper, white onion, garlic, urfa chili, curry powder, coconut milk, and crab meat. I ate my bowl with a side of Vigil’s butter and mesquite beef jerky.

Brothy beans. Sauteed leak, green onion, and baby bok choy with ginger, gochugaru, butter, rice vinegar, chicken broth, and pinto beans. Served with buttered toasted sourdough bread (from Cafe d’Avignon, delicious).

Bananas, Bowls

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Highlights from the week…

Banana malted ice latte. Blended frozen banana, ice, malt powder, and chocolate milk topped with espresso. <– this was fantastic

Banana bread snack mix. Whole-wheat Chex, cinnamon sugar pretzel sticks, walnuts, and banana chips baked with butter, cinnamon, vanilla sugar, and brown sugar.

Nola malted. Vanilla ice cream blended with milk, Blue Bottle’s instant Nola coffee, and malt powder.

Garlic tofu dinner bowls. Roasted shredded brussels sprouts tossed with lemon zest and parmesan cheese / homemade pretzel bread croutons / super-firm tofu boiled and then sauteed with garlic, butter, lemon juice, miso, gochujang, and smoked paprika // I went back and topped my bowl with pickled red onion.

Veggie whipped cottage cheese dinner bowls. Food-processed cottage cheese / roasted baby zucchini / tomatoes sauteed with honey, chili oil, and gochugaru / Milu everything seasoning. Yes, there was a more significant protein component planned. No, my idea did not work out. Yes, I chased dinner with chopped cheese fries take-out.

BBQ chicken dinner bowls. Roasted riced cauliflower sauteed with blended cottage cheese and shredded sharp cheddar / baked chicken thighs tossed in a skillet with homemade bbq sauce (tomato paste, brown sugar, Trader Joe’s sweet and spicy pickled jalapeño brine, smoked pimento, onion powder, garlic powder, and water) / sauteed poblano pepper and green onion / crispy onion and garlic.

Buffalo tofu dinner bowls. Celery sauteed with green onion and then tossed with plain skyr, Duke’s, jalapeño brine, and Trader Joe’s ranch seasoning / shredded super-firm tofu baked until crispy and then tossed with Frank’s buffalo sauce / crispy onion and garlic.

Two Coffees

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We had a fantastic weekend! We ran on the Long Beach Boardwalk and got dinner at Lil Al’s and had a sunset burger picnic. We drove to Robert Moses Beach in a beautiful sunrise and did the walk to Fire Island (and saw so many deer, including a buck that was less than three feet from us!). We hung out just outside of the Blues Traveler and Gin Blossoms concert in Central Park and heard “Follow You Down” live (plus, even more excitingly, Spin Doctors performing “Two Princes!”).

Some food/drink highlights…

We had a fun time making mini lattes to taste-test these Bizzy espresso shots. I much preferred the dark roast but both were nice in milk.

Kismet Coffee served us the my favorite sweetened latte of the summer – with blueberry syrup and a coconut cold foam. We also had a banana bread cold brew.

This mint coconut cold brew from Bluestone Lane was so sweet that we had to throw it out after a couple of sips (but it was delicious!).

We loved (and finished) our coffees from Kora. Mint julep cold brew with oat milk (delicious!!) and iced espresso with leche fan cold foam.

We also loved our treats. Ensaymada croissant with buttered sugar and edam, kouign amann, FFG cookie with Medjool dates, pecans, toffee, and sea salt. These were all mind-blowing.

Mini black sesame bingsu with espresso from Seoul Sweets. This was tasty but not worth the hassle of the location for us.

The Greek yogurt frozen yogurt from Kostantina is the best froyo I’ve ever had. I got plain with stewed blueberries and peanut butter kataifi.

Fun drinks at Terrace including a trio of jello shots!

The best drinks of the weekend were consumed with dinner at Wang Lang. Adam had a satay old fashioned that was a 100% scent match for satay! And I get the hype around the mango sticky rice cocktail (Tito’s, mango puree, mango syrup, and lime with a toasted rice cream).

I also had their summer special – pandan-infused rice rum with ginger and green chili syrup and clarified lime. Delicious.

My entree – beef pad se ew – was also delicious.

And we shared the chicken larb spring rolls to start.

We ordered a lot from Masani Pizza but my favorites were the chicken roll and the swoon-worthy (literally!) cacio e pepe slice.

I made my Lil Al’s leftovers into something even better – macaroni and cheese (theirs was good but it was American-style and I much prefer baked) shaken up with a hot chicken tender from Dave’s Hot Chicken, Trader Joe’s ranch seasoning, and leftover roasted broccoli.

Chicken Salad JCT

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Highlights from an extra-yummy week…

Brunch date at Twisted Fork. We had a surprisingly good blueberry pancake iced latte (with maple syrup and blueberry cold foam).

A breakfast martini with gin, triple sec, lemon juice, and orange marmalade.

A bloody mary.

And I had a chicken sandwich on ciabatta with avocado, housemade pickles, and sweet chili aioli.

Dessert yogurt bowls. Plain skyr with granola, honey sunflower butter, and red plum and banana cooked down with butter, brown sugar, and vanilla sugar.

Plain skyr with (microwaved frozen) blueberries, peanut butter, and brownies (THE brownie recipe with the addition of espresso powder, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips).

I also blended brownies into a shake with vanilla ice cream and coconut syrup.

See also – this iced matcha latte with coconut syrup was lovely.

It’s my birthday this week and my parents sent me a plethora of on-theme snacks that my coworkers and I have been taste-testing.

Speaking of themes, we did another Sandwich Week for dinners! Chicken salad JCT, ie a BLT but with jerky, chips, and tomato. My chicken salad was shredded baked chicken breast with Duke’s, plain skyr, pickled jalapeño brine, and chopped pickles. We mixed in butter mesquite beef jerky (we brought home several bags of jerky from New Mexico and we are obsessed with it) and bbq potato chips and topped with fresh tomato; on sliced whole-wheat. Plus sauteed baby bok choy with green onion, salt, onion powder, and garlic powder.

Takeout from the OG – Roast. Half a fried chicken sandwich – with pickles, Mike’s hot honey, and cheddar / half a filet mignon special – with chimichurri, onion jam, potato straws, mozzarella, and roasted garlic butter / unphotographed fries / and homecooked veggies – sauteed zucchini with tomato, dried basil, sumac, salt and pepper.

Meatball wrap. Mission tortilla / baked turkey meatballs – ground turkey, panade, egg, hoisin, pepper, urfa, and shredded cheese / cream cheese mixed with confit garlic / crispy fried garlic and onions. Plus roasted green beans.

Tofu wrap. Roasted Trader Joe’s Cruciferous Crunch mixed with plain skyr, Kewpie, white miso, lime juice, and cotija / crunchy cheese bites / roasted super-firm tofu tossed in a skillet with honey, lime juice, soy sauce, chili crisp, gochujang, and ginger. Plus sauteed asparagus.

Hot pepper peach chicken bagelwich. One of my most important childhood taste memories is eating hot pepper peach jelly on cream cheese with my Ohio family and that informs this bagel. A leftover Apollo bagel, toasted and topped with a mix of cream cheese, baked chicken, Trader Joe’s sweet and spicy pickled jalapeños, and sauteed peaches. Plus baby broccoli sauteed with baby tomatoes, confit garlic, salt, pepper, and gochugaru.

A very important postscript – the 7-11 egg salad sandwich is a 10/10.

Crab Roll Nachos, Lemon Pepper Tuna Cakes

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The best things from the past week…

A chewy yogurt bowl. Plain skyr with blueberries, strawberry gummies, and red bean millet jelly.

Pizzaria G’s.

Green papaya salad-style roasted cabbage salad. Roasted cabbage, green onion, tomato, crispy baked shredded super-firm tofu, beef jerky, peanuts, and crispy garlic and onion dressed with lime juice, fish sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and serrano pepper.

I found lemon herb butter Cape Cod kettle chips so obviously I planned a meal around them (crab roll nachos). My crab mixture was claw meat with lemon juice, Kewpie, melted butter, white pepper, smoked paprika, green onion, and celery. Baked with sharp cheddar.

Lemon pepper baked tuna cakes. Canned tuna with lemon juice and zest, pepper, white pepper, leftover chips, Kewpie, and egg. Plus roasted shredded brussels sprouts with salt, pepper, gochugaru, and lemon juice.