June 8, 2019
In celebration of an impending summer, I’m thinking about tropical fruits, sunshine, and reasons to use mini cocktail umbrellas. I am thinking about my 50th state, πΊHawaiiπΊ. Beginning a process of getting there with an appreciation of its elements and its culture within and outside of the culturally-appropriated components. But Read more…
June 2, 2019
How drastically different Sunday morning and Sunday evening feel? Do you get a jolt of energy as Sunday evening rears its head? I sure do. Like a last gasp of freedom–and most of the resulting activity is in the kitchen. I assemble my lunch for Monday, finally get my overnight Read more…
May 20, 2019
Wanting to level-up my dough skills, I bought a 4 ounce jar of active dry yeast. To start my mission, cinnamon buns. I used Chocolate Covered Kate’s recipe as my inspiration. Yeast getting its feeding on. The dough before it rose (left). And after (right). It was a beautiful, buoyant Read more…
May 12, 2019
My Mom is cooler than yours. I mean, look at those brows. Though mine look pretty good too. I had grand cake intentions for today, but… sometimes I have cake fails. My Mother’s Day cake was a hot mess, though my sweet Mom would never say that. The problem was Read more…
May 11, 2019
Sometimes people expect you to make a batch, and so you do, dutifully but no less lovingly. And sometimes you get a satisfaction by using, finally, some of the applesauce you had to buy when you last made the recipe. I hate to have jars lying about, staring at me Read more…
May 2, 2019
With two days of state exams and an awesome testing schedule, I spent my back-to-back free periods in my favorite place: Green-Wood Cemetery. It is crazy to think I first set foot into its grounds only a year ago. This time, peak flowering for its gorgeous trees would make it Read more…
April 20, 2019
Easter is like Christmas but with pastels! Well, in a secular sense… Easter used to be one of my favorite holidays as a child. For one, my Mom made thee best easter baskets for us, including two of my all-time favorite confections: Cadbury Cream Eggs and Peeps. She also made Read more…
April 17, 2019
Getting out of work slightly earlier on Wednesdays makes the evening seem endless! Enough to make cookies, make tomorrow’s quiz, and other such home errands. But back to them cookies… This recipe is perfection. Every time. So enjoy pictures of the cookies while I do the dishes. πͺβ€οΈ
April 15, 2019
Box-free Baking, Cakes & Cupcakes, Cooking Stuff, Dressing Up, Hosting Duty, Pies, Tarts, & Parfaits, Special Events
It was finally time for the Season 8 premiere of Game of Thrones! And it was time to completely nerd out. And have a vegan Game of Thrones feast with all the bells and whistles. My weekend was full of prep and running around… and then festivities. Here it is Read more…
April 1, 2019
With a very special friend relocating to Florida, we sent her off from the Sunshine State within Brooklyn, Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club. The space was a festive backdrop for the bittersweet affair. And though smiles were plentiful, I certainly won’t be the same without my best gal near by. Of Read more…
March 20, 2019
“She liked the last one I gave her. This one turned out better.” This special baked treat was not on my original vegan Game of Thrones menu, but it seems ridiculous not include the most famous of the series’ baked treats: Hot Pie’s Direwolf Bread. I also just used the Read more…
March 19, 2019
Sansa is all about the Lemon Cakes. Unfortunately Lemon Cakes were the only taste of happiness in a terrible string of horrific life experiences for Sansa. So let’s rejoice in Sansa’s simple pleasures before all hell breaks loose in Season 8. Candy Some Lemons π 1 cup water 1 cup Read more…
March 17, 2019
Usually I wear my “Italians Do It Better” shirt on March 17. But I am Irish, too, so it’s a joke. Actually, my Irish blood is far more festive than my other components. My great grandfather (or possibly great-great? I’ll have to ask my cousin who dug deep on our Read more…
March 14, 2019
I’m a math teacher. I’m a vegan food blogger. So, I had to make pies for Ο day, March 14. I made a s’more pie for each of my classes… and I tried to make them see how delicious math is. I made them help me double the recipe, too. Read more…
March 10, 2019
For my sweet Mom, sweet cupcakes… and a bouquet of flowers! In this case, same-same. Instead of the usual vanilla recipe, I tried this new one from Nora Cooks. Well, new to me. I love that it has aquafaba, vegan butter and oil in it, for flavor and for moistiness. Read more…
February 10, 2019
Did you know my sugar cookie game is subpar? Yeah. But messily decorated treats are adorable in a special way. They say, “I am not all that good at this, but I did it anyway, because:” love. And in that way these cookies for my students are perfect. The first Read more…
February 3, 2019
My search for the world’s best vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe continues. This time I tried Baker By Nature‘s version which uses coconut oil. I’ve never seen that in a cho cho chip recipe. The dough was thick, yet light and airy. Sublimely smooth. Gosh, I love chocolate chip cookies. Read more…
January 26, 2019
With a brunch get-together happening, I decided to break in my new cookbook, a gift from my Secret Santa at work: Modern Vegan Baking, filled with next-level vegan baking challenges. I started with the lemon meringue… but improvised the throw down of some Mi-Del Lemon Snaps on the bottoms of Read more…
January 20, 2019
I didn’t know this but Crumbs Bakeshop, one of the early cupcake-only bakeries, closed all their doors, filing bankruptcy in 2014. I looked into them in the cupcake heyday (2003/2004), but they never had a vegan option. Then, eventually, they offered some vegan options–I’m not sure when this happened. I Read more…
January 14, 2019
What is that, velvet? Why yes, they are Red Velvet. Sprinkles’ fantastic vegan recipe makes for a very impressive addition to a work function. And because it’s for colleagues, I didn’t skimp on the red and the sweet. Because you eat with your eyes… and then you eat with your Read more…
January 5, 2019
Looking back in my blog archives, J. Spaceman and his Spiritualized has served as my muse several times. And I am going to use him again for this foray into food coloring, partly because I’m finally able to listen to him again and partly because the trend of “galaxy” foods Read more…
January 4, 2019
An ideal Pantry Turnover recipe allows you to utilize several lingering pantry items… without having to buy anything new. When I saw Chocolate-covered Kate’s cookie recipe, I immediately thought of the items I would incorporate into its traditional base. I thought of what I could turnover. First, flour. After scoring Read more…
December 19, 2018
The second selection of my holiday cookie gifts is the Caramel Pecan Bars from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. Gosh, this cookbook is such a throwback. But this is a great addition to a holiday cookie spread because it’s all about richness, texture, and ooey-gooey caramel. Here’s the batch Read more…
December 17, 2018
Boy, I’ve been wanting to veganize these for a really long time. Now that I have a pretty reliable marshmallow recipe, this is just the beginning. I’m coming for you, all marshmallow treats… which I suppose isn’t all that many. π¬ Ok, let’s get started. Vegan Marshmallows E Q U I Read more…
December 13, 2018
I finished off the last of the pumpkin puree from the classroom pumpkins with three more batches of the well-loved pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes. And the kiddos were excited to decorate their own at our Holiday Party. Though extremely stressful at times, I love that my profession allows me to Read more…
December 3, 2018
For many years I have made the same chocolate chip cookies.Β But I’ve been meaning to try an aquafaba recipe since seeing this post.Β This, to me, is a big deal since I’m pretty particular about my favorite cookie, the chocolate chip cookie.Β But after needing chickpeas for my chili, Read more…