Hello and welcome back to Five Things I Ate! This week, have a warm cuppa. Check out past posts here, and please follow my Instagram @fivethingsiate.
Gingerbread café au lait at home
Make it at your place, too!
It might only be November -- but I’m going to gingerbread early and gingerbread often this year, in hopes that it will bring me some semblance of cheer. You could call this concoction a gingerbread “latte,” but since I don’t have an espresso machine, it’ll be a café au lait for me. Be forewarned: This is no Starbucks gingerbread latte; it’s Sophie’s, which means it’s very spicy, very strong (and very easy to make!). Here’s how: In the bottom of a pretty mug, mix 1 tsp of molasses (not blackstrap), ½ tsp ground ginger (this will be quite spicy, and you can decrease to ¼ tsp), ½ tsp ground cinnamon, and 1 tsp brown sugar (you can omit the sugar if you want a stronger, more bitter drink). Bring a pot of water to a boil. Place your mug on a kitchen scale; put a drip coffee cone with one wetted paper filter on top. Zero the scale and add 16 grams of ground coffee to the filter; slowly pour in 250ml of just-boiled water. Meanwhile, warm ⅓ cup of whole milk in a small saucepan (do not let it simmer), and froth with a wand frother. Slowly pour steamed milk over coffee; stir, and enjoy.
Roast turkey leg at home
At your house and the Ren Faire in days of yore
I wanted to come up with some kind of beautiful sentimental story about how we’re all trying our best to eat alone for the holidays this year in light of COVID which is why I was testing turkey leg recipes. But the truth is that I never got to go to the Renaissance Faire in high school and I always wanted to, a sentence that says a lot about my adolescence. And that’s what turkey legs remind me of. I was getting really close to maybe going to Ren Faire this year because I made a lot of friends from certain areas of the internet, but then in a case of too-true roleplaying a literal global plague hit the Earth. Anyways, I really don’t recommend you roast turkey legs for Thanksgiving because to be honest they’re really not good. But if you really missed out on the Ren Faire in high school you should absolutely do it, especially if you live alone and no one will judge you (except for the cat) for eating it in a disgusting manner. In that case, fire your oven up to 350 degrees and line a baking pan with foil. Rub the turkey leg with a lot of salt and pepper, garlic powder and thyme, and then let it roast for 1.5-2 hours. Enjoy, I guess.
Everything bagel at Modern Bread and Bagel
472 Columbus Ave, New York, NY 10024
I can’t believe I’m going to endorse a gluten-free bagel on Five Things I Ate, but the bagels at Modern Bread and Bagel are the best ones I’ve had this year so far (although to be fair, it’s 2020, so standards and morale are both low). I usually find gluten-free goods to lack texture contrast -- crunch and chew -- but these babies have both: A crispy, everything-studded exterior and a moist chewy inside. I have yet to make it up to my old favorite, Absolute bagels, so I’ll let you know if these still hold once I do, but for now, these will suffice. If they only had more flavors of vegan cream cheese (I’m kind of fond of the fake-butter taste and cream cheese upsets my stomach in the quantity I want to consume it), I’d be all on board.
Lamb and beef meatballs at Shalel Lounge
65 W 70th St, New York, NY 10023
I last ate at Shalel Lounge seven years ago.* Its name has changed since then -- to the less sexy Shalel Kitchen -- but the moody, grungy, romantic vibes remain the same. The food is decent and comforting -- I like the cinnamon-y, spicy lamb and beef meatballs-- but that’s not why you should go there. It’s the kind of place that is perfect for an intimate, cozy dinner date and/or to plot a plan to dispose of a body, aka my absolute favorite kind of ambiance. “Would this be appealing anywhere outside of New York City, or would it just be someone’s creepy basement?” my dining companion mused, looking at the brick wall, plastic vine plant, and tiny tables, our conversation punctuated by the loud splatter of raindrops on the roof covering the tiny patio in the “outside” portion. To be honest, it would probably be someone’s creepy basement; but maybe I like that.
*I just checked my email, and it was indeed, seven years ago.
Allegro Tea, Organic Rose Tulsi Tea Bags at Whole Foods
Also available on Amazon
Roses are basically the cats of flowers -- fickle, pretty, and ready to scratch you -- which means I’m endlessly loyal to them. If I could make everything in my life rose-scented, I would. This Rose Tulsi tea from Whole Foods is a pretty good start. It is one of the loveliest herbal teas I’ve ever drank, with a beautiful light-but-powerful rosey scent, and a slightly-pink hue. It makes bedtime feel just a bit more fancy, like a bubble bath in a cup (although to get the maximum enjoyment, you should *take* a bubble bath and drink this tea, which I do). Just between you and me, I like Bezo’s version more than the original, but if you don’t want to support Amazon, you can buy it instead.
XOXO,
Soph