January 7, 2021
As we enter 2021 still within this health crisis, still within political insanity, the Scenes continue! Freshly testing out of a quarantine, to follow are Scenes from several quarantines past, in-between negative Covid tests… the ones before seeing my family for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, as well as after my Read more…
December 17, 2020
Using up my produce makes up a good amount of my home to-do’s. This week, some of the scratch-made seitan loaves would find delicious partnership with the contents of my fruit and vegetable bowls: apples, pears and the gnarly bulbous celeriac… or celery root. Perhaps you’ve seen these beauties in Read more…
December 12, 2020
This Sicilian street food is what some folks call “accidentally” vegan. With minimal ingredients–chickpea flour, parsley and water fried in oil–I thought I’d try my hand at making them for a panino rather than seek out an eatery to fulfill my hankering. Here is the recipe I followed: 300 grams chickpea Read more…
December 2, 2020
I have been experiencing very specific cravings for loaded potato bar food: tater tots and potato skins. And because I like to make myself happy, I devoted my day to satiating this hankering. Starting with making my own seitan… As I have begun pantry turnover, I had to improvise some Read more…
November 25, 2020
Welcome back to my Scenes From a Quarantine series! Because 2020 said so. Convinced of this being a short-term predicament, let us continue to embrace the bizarre of this before it is buried in our collective memories. O.G. vegan: Bean curd with broccoli in garlic sauce with vegetable fried rice. Read more…
November 22, 2020
With ample pumpkin puree ready to rock, this week’s lunch would be a pumpkin version of curry, my go-to lunch concoction. But it’d be Vegan Richa‘s guidance that creates this creamy vehicle for all the produce I had laying around… and the ton of pumpkin puree just processed. Creamy coconut Read more…
November 21, 2020
Every November I look forward to my annual chocolate chip pumpkin cupcakes… made from the classroom pumpkin and shared at a harvest celebration with my students. It would be the 11th year of my carrying out this tradition. The pumpkin sat in waiting in my classroom. So when it was Read more…
November 19, 2020
And Boom! The winter coat is out. This year has passed with record speed… but its timestamps are upside down, half off the page and mostly indiscernible. My old trusty (this blog) will file away the months neatly for reference when the dust clears. So here are some things that Read more…
October 31, 2020
Determined to have some down time, it’d be horror movies all day this Halloween… and a delicious autumn curry. I made a few tweaks to my Indian-Thai curry and it is now my fave. And I filled it was squash in an Autumn homage. I’m going to post the recipe Read more…
October 18, 2020
🎉 I guess my birthday celebration starts… now… on the day that my friend mistakenly thought was my birthday. Though we’ve been friends for like 15 years. 😐 But I shouldn’t complain as The Greek got me a tent for my birthday and facilitated a great camping experience on the Read more…
October 16, 2020
The last few weeks has felt like 6 months. But I am eating well. Luckily I have some upcoming escapes on the calendar to balance my tremendous workload. In the meantime, these signs of the time. My perfecto pancakes. Ginger garnish in the works Pan-fried till crispy. Week 2, test Read more…
October 6, 2020
Fall is for roasted roots and vegetables the hue of the Earth in all its vibrance. And, thankfully, the busiest time of the year calls for the easiest dinner preparation–coat in olive oil, salt and pepper and set in the oven. Repeat. If only I can lesson plan this way. Read more…
October 3, 2020
Autumnal veggies are perfect for a heartwarming curry inspired by Vegan Richa. Though I probably should expand my lunch repertoire, a good curry is easy, satisfying throughout the week and such a perfect vehicle for whatever veggies I have laying around… Like a ton of kale… Withering away I had Read more…
September 15, 2020
I kind of made up this Indian-Thai Fusion Curry and hope it doesn’t offend either nation in any way. I just love these both cuisine’s flavor profiles so much. So this recipe has the things I love about both–thick, peanut-based sauce and a bunch of Indian spice. You can use Read more…
September 6, 2020
The worst part about the last days of summer is that you are farthest away from her return. But she is not quite gone yet. There is still time to worship, to lay under her—for hours as she roasts you good and well, imparting her powerful rays onto your surface Read more…
August 27, 2020
Nothing makes me feel more at home then filling up my sink with dishes and cooking up a storm. Of course having to adjust my spending necessitates my making my own meals, it is an option I miss on the road. First, potatoes. I have a hard time with them Read more…
August 11, 2020
It ain’t over till it’s over, I suppose. And with a mostly honored mandatory 2-week quarantine after my Virginia trip, I have plenty of scenes for part 11… before I go and get myself another mandatory quarantine after my big summer trip. But with punches, we roll. Making lemonade… watching Read more…
August 10, 2020
Dragon Fruit, or Pitaya, is usually a bit expensive. But my neighborhood produce shop Garden Hills, my go-to for quick, safe grocery shopping during this pandemic–and often my only human contact during the day, had a bunch for two-for $1! So I bought some. Mostly because alien egg-looking fruit is Read more…
July 20, 2020
Sunday’s produce delivery will not go to waste! Since freshness is difficult to get on the road, I prepared some snacks that will hopefully survive my cooler. Firstly, fruits with skins are generally good travelers. So apples, oranges, and plums are already prepped. But this huge beet would need some Read more…
Despite the continuing of restrictions, I try to get out often and stay busy–but safely. And since my car is not mine anymore, I have been sampling all kinds of mass transit. My favorite: The Ferry. My bike, here, at the Brooklyn Army Terminal when I missed a ferry. And Read more…
June 26, 2020
I found fibonacci perfection in this daisy along my walk. The rose season moves into daisy and lily days. One of the reasons I love summer in New York City. Tajin covered perfectly ripe mango for $3 on the street. Black Lives Matter outside Staten Island’s Borough Hall. But I’m Read more…
June 25, 2020
Soon I’ll be on my way, within an early summer get-away. So the produce needs to be used! I decided on whipping up an old fashioned tofu scramble… for its versatility, its ease and its deliciousness. And so you can try it out when you have your own variety of Read more…
June 23, 2020
No more pencils, no more books… oh wait! We haven’t used either since March! Though I have enjoyed seeing my students’ ceilings in our Google Meets, the school year is ending on a rather anti-climactic fashion. A trip to my school to pick up some curriculum planning stuff for summer Read more…
May 30, 2020
We’re up to the 7th edition of Scenes from a Quarantine! But the outside world is getting far more active than it’s been in months. But people are stressed. It all feels kind of weird, all of this restraint. A springtime trip to the nursery is always a pick-me-up. I Read more…
May 15, 2020
So I didn’t make cookies in this turnover. Because Sweet Rice Flour or Glutinous Rice Flour is predominantly used in Asian preparations, I had to try that direction using this recipe to make savory Korean pancakes. But look at how many jars I got to use! I also decided I’d Read more…
May 6, 2020
Here are the latest highlights from the Quarantine cafe! First in the bakery, my failed sourdough starter. It was bubbling nice and fine, but I accidentally killed it. I’m starting another tomorrow, because… persistence. Next a stop at the bar before I’m seated at the best seat in the house. Read more…