Food:
I made Miso Chocolate Chip Black Sesame Swirl Cookies this month, and they turned out amazing! We baked a few right away and stashed the rest in the freezer so we can bake them fresh whenever we're craving something sweet!
We took my in-laws to Kouzina in Peabody and had a great meal, as always! We love this spot. The food is always delicious, and the portions are so generous. Some favorites this time were the zucchini chips and dip trio, and I tried the lamb chops for the first time and loved them!
October means I can finally order a fall-flavored coffee without shame! This year, I tried Starbucks’ Iced Pumpkin Cream Shaken Espresso, and it did not disappoint. Definitely on the sweeter side, but such a fun and festive fall treat!
October also meant more work travel, which took me to Evanston, IL, and Philadelphia, PA, twice! Whenever I'm in Philly, I try to visit as many Michael Solomonov restaurants as I can to enjoy all of my favorite foods. This time, I stopped by K'Far Cafe for the Jerusalem bagel grilled cheese and a Yemenite latte, plus a few baked goods to bring home!
I also took some of my coworkers to Laser Wolf, which had been on my list for a while, and it was amazing! It reminded me so much of some of my favorite spots in Israel, like Abu Nasser, with all the salatim to start and then your choice of protein for the main course. We ordered the dorade fish, swordfish kebab (my favorite!), and steak kebab, and everything was so delicious!
We got together with some friends at Sichuan Gourmet in Burlington, MA, one of our favorite spots for Chinese food! The meal was amazing, as always, and we tried the Kung Pao shrimp for the first time. It was so good and will definitely be a staple in our order from now on!
During my second trip to Philadelphia, I stopped by Dizengoff for lunch and had some of the best chicken schnitzel I've had in the US! It was so delicious and definitely a highlight of the trip.
To celebrate our 10-year dating anniversary, my husband and I went to Saltie Girl on Newbury Street for our favorite warm lobster rolls! Such a delicious way to celebrate a special milestone!
My cookbook club met this month, and we chose Lozhka by Alissa Timoshkina because we were craving something warm and cozy! The book is all about Eastern European soups and stews, which felt perfect for this time of year. I loved everything everyone brought and am so excited to have this cookbook in my collection!
We went to a Halloween party, and I brought a few treats to share! One of them was a vanilla sheet cake with white chocolate cream cheese frosting. Look how cute it turned out!
Other:
This month, we went to see Operation Mincemeat at the Emerson Theater, and we absolutely loved it! The music was amazing, and while we already knew the story from the movie, it was so fun to see it come to life on stage. The show features just five actors playing multiple roles, which made it even more entertaining to watch as they transformed into different characters throughout the performance!
shoutout, but we added these plug-in LED night lights around the house this month, and I love them! They're sleek and barely noticeable during the day, but give off just the right amount of light when the house is dark. Such a small upgrade, but it makes such a difference!
I read Min Jin Lee's new book, American Hagwon, this month and thought it was brilliant! Like her other books, it's so beautifully written, and she has such a gift for developing characters in a way that makes you feel like you know them on such a personal and intimate level.
Lenny:
