December 23, 2013
Sometimes we buy pizza dough from one of the million pizzerias on Long Island. This was a minimalist pie: artichoke, salt, pepper, olive oil. Still using pumpkin puree… these were the pretty little ditties I whipped up for my grade team holiday lunch. Received some rave reviews and I can’t Read more…
November 30, 2013
My white and regular pumpkin puree layer cake with vanilla buttercream and cinnamon glaze. Jay Astafa‘s amazing cashew cheese wheel… and his Thanksgiving meal, though my re-plating killed his presentation. Pecan-crusted seitan, parsnip puree, creamed corn and sauteed kale. Amazing. An impromptu trip to Chelsea Market: Lunch at Beyond Sushi Read more…
November 24, 2013
Processing my pumpkins marks the unofficial start of the holiday season! The first one to get roasted is my classroom pumpkin. I usually make cupcakes from the puree. The kids get excited about it… and I like showing them that vegan baked goods can knock their socks off. It’s a win-win. Read more…
September 15, 2013
This week’s lunch–lasagna with spinach, tofu ricotta, and roasted eggplant and tomato right out of my garden. Sauce is Paesana, thee best jar sauce. Looking forward to lunch this week. I loved this past week’s beet cake so much that I tried another beet cake recipe for this week. This Read more…
September 8, 2013
As I brace myself for the start of another school year, I needed to make sure I had an adequate lunch and lunch dessert to feed my head during the week. It was going to take beets to get me through the first week of school–which is a full week. Read more…
August 6, 2013
Today was a special occasion for my friend’s family… so we made a vegan cake! I was excited to use Biovegan’s Zuckerstreusel on top which I had picked up at Bio Bio. We used a coconut-rice milk with the only vinegar in the pantry, white vinegar, in make the “buttermilk” for Read more…
July 21, 2013
My mother has been looking forward to throwing my sister and father a birthday party for months. My sister’s 40th and my Dad’s 70th are, after all, big milestones. I signed on for the planning fun and it almost swept me away. Luckily, I’m on my summer break. The big Read more…
July 4, 2013
Blueberry vanilla cupcakes with strawberry curd, all blinged out with the colors of the season. Happy Independence Day!
July 3, 2013
The 4th of July is here! That means red, white, and blue baked goods reign. What better use of my farmers market berries could I ask for? It was time to make that flag cake, the one with the blueberries and strawberries that graced the women’s magazine at the grocery Read more…
June 27, 2013
2-ingredient banana soft serve straight from the Vitamix! With a homemade hot fudge. Definitely worth an overheated blender. When The Electrician shows an interest in a cupcake, I need to deliver. Peanut butter creme-filled cupcakes with a thick chocolate buttercream. I can’t stop taking pictures of them. I’m also proud Read more…
May 12, 2013
It’s time to bake a cake for mom day! Here is my beautiful Mom holding a pint-sized me next to my sis. And here I am photobombing a very proper picture of my brothers and sister in their Easter best. This became a bit of a common occurrence as I would Read more…
May 6, 2013
I have never baked gluten-free before… but I like baking challenges! I decided to try out both a ‘from scratch’ recipe (from the tried and trusted VCTOTW) and Cherrybrook Kitchen‘s yellow cake mix. On the left, the Cherrybrook Kitchen’s mix. Batter was very sweet (the ingredients list both cane sugar Read more…
April 1, 2013
Since I was a little girl, vanilla has been one of my favorite flavors. I used to huff vanilla extract on the sly, enjoyed only vanilla ice cream, eating around other flavored add-ins, and, as my birthday neared, requested only vanilla cake. Fragrant and delicate, it is still my first Read more…
March 10, 2013
Vanilla cake crumb, coconut whip, and peanut butter cream… and that’s just the bells and whistles! The Cuisipro Cupcake Corer is a fun little addition to my baking spread. Heavy dollops of sweetened peanut butter goo, as requested by my mom. With a layer of coconut cream and a piping of Read more…
January 14, 2013
Three bean and three pepper chili improves a dreary winter day. Sneaking in salba (and its extraordinary nutritiousness) as an egg replacer, this scallion cornbread’s subtle sweetness balances the heat of the chili. A winter load of chili. Not much beats a hot bowl of chili when toes are cold. One Read more…
December 22, 2012
I made beautiful pumpkin spiced cupcakes and a pastry bag of vanilla buttercream for my classroom party. Luckily I made enough to have a bunch to take back home. The kids didn’t know what to make of cupcakes that were not chocolate or vanilla. After a light sprinkling of Madecasse Read more…
December 9, 2012
It was time to say goodbye to the beautiful pumpkins that graced my home and classroom for weeks. I really love this part. Opening ’em up, pulling their stringy innards and seeds from their packed, dense flesh with my bare hands, I imagine the procedure is akin to butchering. Processing Read more…
November 22, 2012
Since moving I’ve been peeking at my cookbooks ore often. My Sweet Vegan is literally brimming with little Post-its marking the recipes that enticed me. Post-its on the tops of pages, on the sides, on the corners. It’s been years since I flipped through its pages and I no longer remember the rhyme or reason for Read more…
November 15, 2012
I have been thinking about a big bowl of chili since the first shivers of an always-short autumn. A big bowl of chili makes weekday lunch easy. And it gets better with every passing day. Chili is quite the texture-fest… I gave the Follow Your Heart‘s sour cream because I Read more…
October 21, 2012
I love vanilla cake. I love vanilla ice cream. I was a vanilla extract huffer when I was a little girl. In fact, vanilla, though slang for basic and boring these days, is, to me, far more exciting than chocolate. Chocolate is too easy. Vanilla’s subtle, nuanced flavor is a Read more…
September 2, 2012
ith summer on the outs, and a stock of Asian noodles to utilize, I wrapped up some end-of-summer rolls. Fresh, vibrant and with a variety crunchy textures, these see-through beauties have all the elements of a delicious summer snack. Inside: vermicelli, basil and mint from the backyard, cilantro, sliced English cucumber Read more…
August 3, 2012
I have emptied the mangosteen and jackfruit cans in my Strange Fruit series, next up: a can of lychees! Lychees are delicious, fragrant Asian fruits. These little olive-size wonders are a beautiful pale pink with a soft, fibrous flesh. Their sweetness is distinct, even after canning and significant sit-time in syrup. To Read more…
June 29, 2012
Bananas are one of my favorite fruits for many reasons. They are sweet starches, the best of both worlds; they have a ton of health benefits; they’re versatile; and, the ultimate, they pair beautifully with chocolate. And since I prefer to munch on bananas when they’ve still got a tint Read more…
June 20, 2012
Remember this? Creepshow was one of my favorite movies as a kid. Having older siblings, I began watching horror movies at a very young age. Who knows the psychological effects this has had on my development and outlook. Anyway, this past weekend was Father’s Day! So I wanted to try Read more…
