Novelty
My recent favorites that I highly recommend
This past week has truly tested my ability to continuously keep re-balancing myself, and frankly, I’m exhausted.
My week began with me being ambushed by three dogs roaming free last Saturday as I chose to take my own pup on a morning walk — and here I am thinking merely caffeine could give you the adrenaline you need for the day — how foolish of me!
September truly knows how to keep me on my toes, that’s for certain.
That being said, I want to allow my brain to rest in subtle mindlessness, as I share with you what has kept me on my toes lately in a lighter sense.
I’m partially embarrassed to admit that this list of newly found favorites is merely of food, which mostly contain nuts, so apologies to those with such allergy.
Though, I hope something will inspire you to open yourself to novelty, adding something grand to your life, opening you to new doors of enlightenment.
Things I’ve Come to Love Lately
- Cashew Butter and Fruit
I am a fool for juicy, crunchy fruits of all kinds, though, towards the end of summer, I tend to become bored even of the ripest peaches as I’ve had more than enough of my share of fruit by then.
I purchased cashew butter once, perhaps for baking, and had some left over, along with some green grapes that were slowly going bad, which I didn’t want to throw out, but hadn’t held an appetite for them much more — sorry, grapes.
I put together a mini charcuterie plate — green grapes, cashew butter, rosemary crackers and diced cheddar, and a diced chocolate granola bar — pairing my grapes with cashew butter in skepticism (I am anti-peanut butter and assumed it’d taste similar), and the rest was history.
And thus began my craving for fruits of all kinds all over again — cherry plums, plumcots, peaches, pears, champagne grapes — losing myself in the taste of summer once more.
- Pistachio
When I travelled to Europe last summer, everything was pistachio flavored, which, as an American who has access to very little pistachio flavored items, thought this was strange.
Pistachio croissants, who would do such a thing?!
I recently tried a pistachio oat milk “creamer” from Sprouts (Elmhurst Pistachio Creme), which quickly took my judgement to obsession.
Now, I scavenge the grocery aisles for every and anything pistachio flavored.
When I go back to Europe, it will be strictly for pistachio croissants, and pistachio croissants only!
- Flavored Nuts
I have yet to try a flavored pistachio as opposed to something flavored of pistachio, though, I have learned to enjoy nuts as cashews and almonds more when they are flavored.
I first tried some honey roasted, sesame seed coated cashews from Trader Joe’s, which opened me to a whole new world.
They also have caramel coffee flavored almonds, which are also life changing!
Unfortunately, I missed out on some parmesan and pepper cashews, which I decided to purchase some other time since being $8 for a small tin…alas, I haven’t seen them since.
Some life advice: money will come back, a moment and what it has to offer may not; buy the $8 cashews.
I’ve also tried some interesting banana nut flavored cashews, which were amazing, and am on the prowl for rosemary sea salt ones I’ve seen, and perhaps mistakenly didn’t purchase when I first found of their existence.
If you haven’t gathered yet, cashews are my guilty pleasure as of late.
- Cashew Creme
While we're on the topic of cashews, I’d like to open you to a new world of cooking.
I’ve always enjoyed the combination of flour, milk, and butter when cooking for its ability to be utterly versatile.
Though, I’ll be honest, regular milk is rarely ever my first choice, nor is regular bleached flour, and using butter too often makes me feel guilty.
Do I overthink when it comes to cooking? Maybe, but I’m very keen when it comes to watching what I put into my body…most of the time.
I usually turn a blind eye when eating almond croissants.
One day, though, I wanted to make something that required cream cheese, which I didn’t have (and also often feel guilty using when I’ve had too much dairy from cheese lately), so I sought an alternative, and as the new cashew-lover I’d come to be, cashew cream was my favored option, also because it was a simple fix:
Boil however many cashews for 30 minutes, drain, blending with water (slowly adding until you’ve reached the consistency you desire), and a wedge of lemon’s juice.
And viola, I had cashew cream!
I used this as my cream cheese alternative alone and have also added a splash of vanilla and honey, creating a healthy alternative for frosting some days after.
I also use it as a base for my pasta and chicken sauces now, replacing the common flour, milk, and butter combination!
Throw in a handful of grated parmesan, another wedge of lemon juice, salt and pepper, mixing in a rosemary stalk for a few minutes, pour it over Tarder Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi, topped with a smidge more of parm, and take your taste buds on a magical journey!
- The Essence of Fall
I only every opened myself up to fall flavors beginning last year, falling in love with butternut squash to begin, and countless other squashes thereafter.
Since then, I’ve also welcomed with open arms other flavors fall has to offer, mainly on the spectrum of spice: pumpkin, chai, and gingerbread.
Don’t get me wrong, the pumpkin spice chai at Starbies is great, but also not my cup of tea (or coffee) when it comes to price (to be fair, I customize mine to the nines — two shots of espresso, with soy milk, and extra caramel drizzle…oops).
I recently purchased the Chobani pumpkin oat “creamer,” which I highly recommend over “normal” creamers flavored in pumpkin, simple because I feel as if regular pumpkin flavored creamers have a hay bale after taste.
And if you want to take it a notch higher, mix the Chobani creamer with regular sweet cream, a sprinkle of chai spice (I used a homemade one that my brother and I created), and pour it in Emma Chamberlain’s Social Dog blend…endless chef’s kisses!
I can’t recall everything my brother and I used to make our chai spice, and I didn’t save the recipe, but I do recommend making your own!
We made the most fall embodied vanilla-chai muffins with it and I’ve also made amazing overnight oats with it, topped with ginger!
Side note: My sister and I recently raided the aisles at Tarder Joe’s for their fall produce that just came out, and so far, I recommend the mini pumpkin-ginger scones, the mini pumpkin-ginger ice cream cones, the most adorable chocolate box that has corn and squash shaped chocolates, and the cauliflower-butternut squash risotto!
For the risotto, I sliced a chicken tender (too thick, I might add), searing it on the stove with a dash of salt and pepper, rosemary, thyme, sage, nutmeg, and paprika.
I also mixed some pine nuts in the risotto (cooking tip: if your meal has rosemary, pine nuts are your best friend!), placed the chicken atop, and sprinkled with freshly grated parmesan; magnifique!
Even though life’s been a little messy lately, cooking has become an art I’ve fallen in love with for its ability to keep my mind calm and my tastebuds eager, which is mainly why all my love at the moment for novelty is towards food.
All in all, even though I’m still trying to re-balance myself from this past week’s chaos, I’m also looking to the future for better days…on the edge of my seat for parsnips to be in season — I want to make hazelnut soup and watch Tangled (Repunzal loves hazelnut soup, so I will too!)
