A Week Of Splendid Sandwiches

by Emily

Can I really use that title in a week without a single grilled cheese or lobster roll? I did have some exceptionally above-bar poultry-based sandwiches.

The winning ‘wiches…

Milk Bar‘s Thanksgiving croissant is the best sandwich of all time. Adam and I waited for it with baited breath this year.

The seasoned croissant is stuffed with turkey, cranberry sauce, and stuffing!

Flip Bird at the Ashland does a damn fine chicken sandwich – pulled chicken, harissa honey, pickled coleslaw, sambal mayo, and crispy skin.

And my homemade toasted sandwich dinner was nothing to sneeze at.

Sourdough / Applegate Farm smoked sliced turkey / 4 year aged cheddar / smoked maple mayo (olive oil based mayo, maple, liquid smoke, smoked paprika).

With roasted zucchini on the side.

Other fun stuff…

Vegan eggnogs in my coffee. Adam really enjoyed the TJ’s almond milk version but I remain loyal to Silk.

Here’s my current holiday stash, so exciting!

Amazin’ Raisin sent me some samples to review. The fruit-flavored raisins contain three ingredients – California raisins, citric acid, and natural fruit flavors – and are packed with flavor but no artificial sugar or sulfur dioxide. Adam and I have both been really enjoying them. So far his favorite flavor is pineapple and mine is watermelon.

Some key work eats included raisins and a Larabar.

And blackberry Siggi with holiday grapes and a maple maca bar.

Really, the best dinner of the week was movie theater pretzel bites with fake cheese. We went to see Thor: Ragnarok and split our sides laughing. Our AMC has extra-wide seats that fully recline so the whole experience was really nice.

We also went gaga for these scallion pancakes from Trader Joe’s.

They were crazy flavorful and satisfying. I topped mine with mayo and Sriracha.

With baby carrots and potato snacks for an appetizer for crunch.

A girlfriend and I met for a mid-week dinner at Bricolage and were both big fans. Sriracha butter wings to start.

And we both had pink drinks! She had the pink soda salted lemonade and I picked an option with a cute name that I can’t remember where you pick a spirit and let the bartender go crazy. I said “vodka, no ginger” and ended up with something delicious with raspberry and lime.

My caramelized shrimp claypot was 10/10. Georgia white shrimp, vidalia onions, cherry tomatoes, and chili paste with rice to soak up the sauce.

Enjoy your weekends!

10Nov2017

Pumpkin’s Still In Season

by Emily

This post includes three more days of vacation (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday); I eased back into the work-week after my trip. It’s supposed to be in the 20’s in NYC later today so now I kind of wish I was away on vacation again!

Highlights from the week…

Coffee!

Pumpkin spice my grandma brought me from Winans.

Pumpkin smoothie with Greek yogurt, maple syrup, cow’s milk, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

BBQ at Salt and Bone.

I got a ridiculous but tasty Percocet with aged rum, coco lopez, citrus.

And had turkey breast – 3 hour smoked with a butter sauce – cole slaw, and a few bites of Adam’s potato salad.

Thai food in Sunnyside. Fried tofu.

And drunken noodles that actually had enough veggies for my tastes.

One of our favorite winter traditions is visiting Winter Village at Bryant Park for a thick hot chocolate.

Gooey walnut chocolate chip cookie from Chip in Astoria.

Buckeye straight from Ohio.

We tried something fun from Minamoto Kitchoan – Sakura Gomora, sweet bean and mochi wrapped in a cherry blossom pancake.

Packed lunch – strawberry and rosehip kefir cup with a cupcake crumbled in! Plus a snap dragon apple.

I brought in chocolate cupcakes (from a mix!) with homemade cream cheese frosting and Amy Sedaris sprinkles for a coworker’s birthday.

Yogurt with pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice Cheerios and Frosted Mini Wheats.

Roasted fall salad – quinoa / shredded brussel sprouts / leeks / turkey bacon / sweet and spicy pecans / gold raisins / and oven-fried sage.

One of the co-founders of CHUT UP reached out to my about sampling their new line of condiments and I happily accepted, so those were featured in dinners for the rest of the week. All three flavors are made with minimal processing and no added sugars (and they’re tasty!).

I made a veggie-packed version of chana masala with the addition of celery and orange and yellow bell pepper.

Topped with apple and caramelized onion chutney.

And a dinner for dipping with blue cheese dressing and beet ketchup.

Roasted broccoli and a root veggie mix from Trader Joe’s (carrots, beets, parsnips, and sweet potato).

Baked chicken tenders crusted in panko after an overnight marinate in peri peri hot sauce, minced ginger, lemon, and brown sugar.

27Oct2017

Won’t You Brie My Neighbor

by Emily

Bites from the week…

I was on a FUN – aka sweetened and spiced – iced coffee kick. Dark roast cold brewed with brown sugar, pumpkin spice, and extra cinnamon.

La Colombe pumpkin spice draft latte.

Vanilla cold brew from Bowery Coffee Co with half and half.

Since we have multi-grain sourdough in the house I’m back to loving toast. With Smart Balance, strawberry jam, and cheese!

Yogurt bowl lunches. Pumpkin Chobani with toffee bits and sweet and spicy pecans and a Snap Dragon apple.

Pumpkin Noosa with a brown sugar cinnamon peanut butter packet. Plus a honey tangerine and a Sweet Thorn kombucha.

Maple yogurt with vanilla granola, banana chips, and tangerine.

Plus one day I got cafeteria sushi.

A quick but delicious dinner.

Roasted brussel sprouts and a sliced RosaLynn apple.

A toasted sandwich with smoked sliced turkey, pumpkin butter, and brie. The sandwich was so freaking good that I ended up making it again for dinner the next night too (except we were out of turkey so I added cheddar for a double-cheese dream!).

Pumpkin sausage pasta topped with cheese and fried sage!

I loosely followed this recipe from Rachel Ray. A few key changes – I toasted my pasta / I used half as much pasta (whole wheat bow ties) so there was a greater ratio of sauce / I used turkey maple breakfast sausages / I added orange bell pepper with my onions / I used extra stock instead of wine / I added cayenne pepper / I used fat-free half and half.

Best thing I ate all week? Banoffee (aka banana toffee) Magic Bars!

My coworkers loved them so much they asked my to post the recipe on the blog.

Banana Toffee Magic Bars, makes 24 squares

1/2 cup salted butter
15 sheets graham crackers, crushed
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup toffee bits
1 cup chopped dried baby bananas (from Trader Joe’s)
1 cup unsweetened banana chips
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place butter in a 9×13 inch baking dish in heating oven.
When butter is fully melted, remove dish from oven and combine graham cracker crumbs and butter. Mix well, then press firmly into the bottom of the dish.
Sprinkle remaining ingredients on top of crust then top evenly with sweetened condensed milk.
Bake 25-30 minutes, until lightly browned.
Allow to cool before cutting. I recommend storing these in the freezer and letting them come to room temperature to serve.

16Oct2017

White Gummi Slushie

by Emily

I worked the weekend (and had two weekdays off) so my schedule has been a bit out of whack. It is still basically summer temperatures here so we haven’t moved on to hot chocolate and soups but we have been loving the crap out of Pumpkin Month. Here were some highlights from the past 7 days…

Weekly coffee combo – Black Hand and chocolate milk.

This pumpkin spice kefir is super tasty.

Pumpkin Noosa with a TJ’s pumpkin cereal bar and a SweeTango apple.

TJ’s pumpkin yogurt with pumpkin spice Cheerios and Frosted Mini Wheats and a Starkrimson pear.

Key lime skyr with pomegranate and Heritage Flakes.

Adam and I got a midweek lunch at Sweet to Lick vegan cafe and we are completely in love. We had a terrific hero with bulgogi style setain, gochujang mayo, and pickled vegetables.

Plus the best chocolate chip cookies ever sandwiched around Oreo cream filling!

Detroit Friends potato chips (expo sample). These are some of the very best kettle chips we’ve ever tasted and their company is totally fantastic too – some of the potatoes are grown in a vacant lot in Detroit’s Hope District.

Orange slice candies. There’s a vitamin commercial where a woman squeezes an orange slice shaped gummy and it made Adam and I both immediately want to run out to the drugstore.

Campfire S’mores ice cream.

White gummi slushie from 7-11. We are obsessed, these are so good. I’m not sure what the actual flavor is (pineapple? or maybe white grape?) but they are juicy and delicious.

All-you-can-eat sushi buffet at Mizumi. We love it there, everything is super fresh and expertly prepared. I didn’t snap all of my plates but the highlights included crab cakes, inari, and seaweed salad.

Roasted squash and tuna quinoa cakes with cocktail sauce.

Veggie bowls. Shredded cabbage tossed in this sauce / roasted edamame / marinated hard-boiled eggs (marinated in gochujang, brown sugar, soy sauce, and rice vinegar).

Mexican food at Oak House in Floral Park.

I had a Mezcal mojito.

And veggie fajitas with carrots, onions, squash, peppers, and mushrooms. They had chipotle Cholula at the table and we doused everything with it.

Plus Adam and I split vanilla flan and tres leches cake for dessert.

Have a great week!

6Oct2017

Oh My Gourd, It’s Pumpkin Month!

by Emily

I didn’t do the best job with photography this week but I wanted to post anyways to share my pumpkin stash!

Oooh.

Ahhh.

Woo-hoo!

Here were some snacky, squashy highlights from the workweek…

Coffee = Wicked Joe’s with 1% cow’s milk.

My hospital’s cafeteria has a sushi bar now. They don’t have brown rice or any vegetarian options so it’s not something I’d get for lunch every day, but this spicy shrimp tempura roll sure was fun.

Pumpkin spice Siggi’s with a Caramel Almond Pumpkin Spice KIND bar and a SweeTango apple.

KIND bar with a cranberry almond Noosa.

I’ve been loving turkey-cheese roll ups as a snack recently. Provolone, smoked turkey, and a bit of pesto rolled up and microwaved until warm and melty.

La Colombe latte can with a polvoron (a fantastically delicious milk cookie my coworker brings us from the Philippines).

Dragonfruit lemongrass kombucha.

I got a blog invite for the 2017 Healthy Brand Showcase. Adam and I tasted some yummy things (shared on my Instagram Live) and I came home with tons of samples. I’ll be sure to share when I try product I love.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

29Sep2017

The End Of Apple Month

by Emily

Highlights from this week…

Coffee coffee. More Black Hand magic.

PSA – the maple pecan latte at Starbucks tastes like nothing and we do not recommend it.

I’ve finished out my Apple Month yogurts. Cinnamon apple Chobani with chia seeds, vanilla almond granola, and an applesauce on the side.

TJ’s caramel apple with Heritage Flakes and a SweeTango on the side.

Snacks of note included apple mix candy corn (green apple, caramel apple, and apple pie flavored).

And white truffle chips and baby carrots with garlic dip.

I made bean burgers for dinner. This recipe but with white beans (great northern and white kidney), pesto, and parmesan. With roasted cauliflower and a smoked garlic aioli.

Clean out the freezer night. Veggies and orange chicken from Trader Joe’s.

It was actually a pretty good meal, but cocktail hour was better – calamansi lime juice with club soda and vodka.

Last night we did a dinner date in Brooklyn at LaRina. 10/10, we adored it! Housemade pastas, an innovative menu, a great interior/vibe. I had lemon gigli with duck ragu.

And we had fantastic panna cotta with salted caramel for dessert. YUM!

Have a sweet weekend.

22Sep2017

Law And Order SVU (Spectacular Vittles Unit)

by Emily

I still don’t want to talk about anything important. I’d rather think something else than the fact that my hometown was just ravaged by yet another hurricane. St. Thomas – and the devastated Caribbean as a whole – is pretty much all I’ve been thinking about for the past 2 weeks. Let’s talk about yummy food instead.

Three facts before we get into the meat of this post –

{1} I just learned that vittles is actually an outdated spelling of the word “victuals.”

{2} I was serving on the jury for a criminal case for the past 5 days. I don’t dread my civic duty at all, and it was a very positive experience. Deciding a verdict is an awesome responsibility and I feel like I got a learn a lot about our legal system over the past week.

{3} I have added to my apple stash! Gum, kombucha, and gummy bears, all of which I highly recommend, by the way.

Plus Noosa Yoghurt sent me a fun package of fall flavors, including one of their newest flavors – Apple!

The highlights…

This week’s coffee – Campfire Blend. Plus I purchased a latte every day on my lunch break.

Since I couldn’t have my camera with me in court, I’m missing a lot of my day-time eats this week, but I do have shots of my packed snacks (including a full lunch for my Thursday back at work). Maple Chobani with Heritage Flakes and a gingergold apple.

Apple Noosa with an apple bar. This Noosa really does taste like pie filling! The yogurt is soooo creamy and sweet and the apples are just a bit cinnamon-y.

Pink lady apple kombucha, cinnamon apple sauce, cinnamon apple oatmeal, and sour caramel apple gummy bears.

Snacks worth mentioning include: this 365 brand popcorn. It’s low sodium but totally not bland; I loved it and I usually won’t even eat bagged popcorn.

A yogurt bowl with chocolate Siggi’s yogurt, chopped plucot, granola, and a few caramel chips.

Trader Joe’s new peanut butter roundels. They are basically supersized peanut cups, so obviously we are obsessed.

It’s not officially fall until today, but we still made some cold weather comfort foods for dinners.

Grilled cheese sandwich on whole-wheat sourdough with labneh, sharp white cheddar, and a sprinkle of sumac.

Dipped in tomato soup (a low-sodium boxed variety from TJ’s that was good but not great).

With roasted squash.

I also made a ridiculously delicious Mac and Cheese and Greens casserole.

Make a roux with 2 Tbsp butter and 2 Tbsp flour // whisk in 1 cup skim milk and 8 cups baby spinach food processed until smooth with 3 Tbsp pesto and salt and pepper to taste // stir in 9 oz shredded sharp white cheddar and a healthy sprinkle of cayenne and smoked paprika // fold in 8 oz whole wheat shell pasta cooked according to package directions // pour into a casserole and top with 1 oz cheese // bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.

On the agenda this weekend? We’re hoping the weather holds out for a final trip to Smorgasburg and a first-time visit to Roosevelt Island.

18Sep2017

How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria

by Emily

My title is a tongue in cheek joke about how the weather channel is turning me into a crazy person this month. I was having such a good week too. The VI was finally getting some desperately needed federal assistance and national news coverage and my parents got cell service back and I was able to talk to my mom. But now, Maria is expected to hit the Virgin Islands as a category 3 hurricane this week. Fantastic.

I’m still not really feeling up to prattling on about my days, but I did have some fun this week so I’m posting a top five…

{1} favorite work bites

{a} coffee coffee coffee

{b} I am still obsessed with that Trader Joe’s nut and seed mix

{c} I also packed a nice tasting plate – dried apples, TJ’s crispy cheese bites, and a maple salmon bar.

{d} This cafeteria wrap was on point. Chicken / pinto beans / tomato / bell peppers / banana pepper / cheddar.

{2} apple eatventures

{a} I made caramel apple bread from scratch! Basically just pumpkin bread made with apple sauce instead of pumpkin puree and totally just an excuse to use these caramel chips.

{b} Caramel apple oatmeal. Rolled oats / caramel chips / cinnamon / chia seeds / dried apples.

{c} Caramel apple Twizzlers.

{d} Apple pie milkshake. Vanilla ice cream / Greek yogurt / applesauce/ cinnamon and gingerbread spice.

{3} cobb salad pasta salad

Whole wheat bowtie pasta / crumbled fancy aged blue cheese / turkey bacon / chopped chicken breast / hard-boiled eggs / diced avocado / shredded spinach / roasted baby tomatoes.

{4} a Mile End meal recreation

Mile End Deli has a Brussel sprouts dish on their menu that we were over the moon for, so I recreated it at home. Our version was roasted brussel sprouts / tossed with crispy turkey bacon / plus olive oil and honey / sprinkled with sumac / on a base of labne.

While we cooked – which took no time at all – we sipped on Switchel.

Up Mountain Switchel sent me a box for review. The lemon flavor was too spicy ginger for me, but I loved the Yerba Mate. The ingredients list is short and simple (the four things listed on the front of the bottle plus water) and a serving has 54 calories and 10 grams of sugar. It paired nicely with our meal and would be a good alternative option to booze or soda with dinner.

{5} a trip to the South Fork of the Hamptons