V.V. Holidaze 2022:
Holiday Spirit Check-in


Another Pumpkin Babka {Pictorial}

I made another loaf for a friend. Here is the step-by-step pictorial.


Long Island Farm Colony
Kings Park State Hospital
Building 90: Business Office & Personnel Office
Building 94: Hospital Laundry

Long overdue, another visit to Kings Park Psychiatric Center! I’m happy to report on some new interiors as access points continue to change. Building 90: Business Office & Personnel Office Though I have been inside these connected structures, this was a first venture to the upper floor. The hallways were Read more…


V.V. Holidaze 2022:
Holiday in the Sun ๐ŸŒž

Holidays are moving in… and I am doing my best to bask! So a trip to see my friend on Long Island’s North Fork would have us helping out Santa. But first, synchronized lattes from Hampton Coffee Company! And a bagel for Black Sheep Bagels in Jamesport. The beautiful seashell Read more…


Carousel Bake Shop
Wading River, New York

Along with some Christmas shopping, some cupcakes! Yes, Carousel Bake Shop in Wading River has sweet treat options for vegans. Ready for a newly discovered vegan cupcake option on Long Island… What to try! Luckily my friend was going to try a vegan flavor too. A sign of a good Read more…


รผbergeek Brewery &
Eat Me, Drink Me Food Truck

A couple of quick stops as we deeply explore Long Island’s food and beverage options! รผbergeek Brewery is an all-vegan brewery with some delicious beer offerings. And because the name of the brews are always part of the fun: existential meltdown is a vibe: raspberry, blackberry and vanilla fruit tart Read more…


Pumpkin Babka, My Favorite Babka Recipe Yet

This recipe from Domestic Gothess is really great. It will be my new go-to! Just watch it all unfold below. Firstly, I don’t have instant yeast on hand… because I have a huge thing of active dry yeast I have been using since the “lockdowns.” So I have to activate Read more…


V.V. Holidaze 2022:
The Tree is Up! ๐ŸŽ„

I, like many, are welcoming in the Holiday season. My beloved vintage tree has been decked and trimmed and now the whirlwind of end of year activities begins. I needed to pick up some cheap garland from the discount store. They asked if I needed a bag and said, No, Read more…


Pumpkin & Chocolate Layer Cake
Thank You Very Much

Well you know I have pumpkin puree in my fridge… so maybe you knew this was coming? More pumpkin goods. This layer cake would be dessert for Thanksgiving. Though my layers were a bit wonky (I didn’t measure and my floor is not level clearly), the contrast of orange and Read more…


Thanksgiving 2022

This is me, Thanksgiving 2022, wearing my oven mitt jacket I have long-associated with Thanksgiving. Perhaps it’s the colors? I got the Whole Foods Vegan Thanksgiving meal again, the one by Chef Coscarelli I got a couple of years back. It is a great value considering how long I spent Read more…


V.V. Holidaze 2022:
The 13th Annual Classroom Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes ๐ŸŽƒ๐Ÿง

And just like that, it is that time of year… the first frost, a final storing of the light jacket for more insulating outwear, kids with hat head at school, the sneaking melody of holly jolly subtly sandwiched in-between the in-between. And it is time to process Halloween’s pumpkins… because Read more…


4 Ingredient Banana Cake

I used this fantastic and astonishingly easy recipe from Kirbie’s Cravings to make this delicate and delicious banana cake. 4 ingredients! All done and golden Some cream cheese butter cream and blam! The next layer is ready to sit pretty.. The beauty… Time to try! Sublime… how is a recipe Read more…


Cloudy Donut Co. โ˜๏ธ ๐Ÿฉ
in Brooklyn Heights

Powdered donuts have got me like… Looking like a fiend! I was excited to check out Cloudy Donut Co.‘s all-vegan donuts, now slingin’ in Brooklyn Heights. They offer a selection of donuts on a selection of days… Friday, Saturday and Sunday, to be exact. And those are the best days Read more…


F&F Pizzeria ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn

F&F Pizzeria has outstanding vegan pizza. Outstanding. Though you can choose from a couple of vegan pizzas by the slice, they’ve also got pretty fantastic sounding pies I plan to devour soon. Let’s first look at their Red Sicilian slice, made with Bianco DiNapoli Tomatoes, Castelvetrano Olives, Sicilian Oregano, and Read more…


Matcha & Raspberry Parfait

This is another recipe trial that was a bit of a fail. Though this is quite gorgeous, I am kind of bummed I used up the rest of my matcha making it and the texture is just way off. But when the cake crumbles, make it a parfait. Gosh, matcha Read more…


Cornbread Covered Chili

It’s that time of year all of a sudden… it’s cooooold! And so it is chili time. Just a few pics during a very busy week. Trying to hold onto time tightly before the whole year is done. This was an okay recipe, but I think it could be much Read more…


๐Ÿ‘‘ The Current Reigning Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookies

So these cookies… these cookies are absolutely amazing. And everyone I share them with seems to echo the sentiment. And I, and they, really know chocolate chip cookies. So I don’t have to go digging up the recipe tucked away in one of the million posts I’ve done about baking Read more…


Lots of Vegan Food in Rochester, NY {Part 6.5}

Yet another mini-report on Rochester, New York’s vegan offerings! My quick trip had some yummy bites… starting with brunch at Voula’s Greek Sweets. Their food really blew me away last time I visited, so I knew I would have to try their brunch. First, their vegan sweet case, including Melomakarona, Read more…


Scenes From Rochester

Some quick shots from my extended weekend in Rochester. At Krudco. . . I always like taking pictures of the decks. Making pancakes with/for the little ones Gosh, kids eat so little. Some funny looking pancakes This is the Times Square Building in Downtown. It really is gorgeous… Art Deco. Read more…


Autumn in Mount Hope Cemetery
Rochester, New York

When we drove by Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester, I knew I’d have to get in. The bright pops of color that were on the branches not too long ago was now a gorgeous carpet… red to orange to yellow. It was a quick trip, but a memorable one. Not Read more…


Another Layover at the TWA Hotel
Mid Century Beauty in Queens

Ok, so I did have a flight to catch… but I got there extra early to, once again, see this gorgeous mid century modern gem. I’m just going to lay these images down here and remind you of one of my favorite things: mid century design. Till next time, TWA Read more…


Mid-November Miscellany

Bowling with my class at Melody Lanes in Sunset Park. Kind of bummed they renovated their old school look. But their pool ball bowling bowls are pretty cool. Back to making fancy T.L.T.s… marinated tempeh, basil spread, spinach, tomato, housemade pickles, vegan Miracle Whip Pancakes… always a pleaser I love Read more…


Long Time, No Chocolate Cake

I made this pretty chocolate layer cake for a friend’s birthday. But each step, a yummy photoshoot. Raspberry and chocolate… a pretty great combination Ok, blackberry too Everything in order here Berries on cake are the best decoration… and they’re edible! Ok, time to cut into it Sturdy layers. I Read more…


Vegan Stuffed Shells
An Easy Dinner

Within a finally low key weekend, an easy dinner… vegan stuffed shells. With tofu ricotta, basil and spinach, the pasta shells will be piped to the brim. And then I’d take many pictures. All ready and looking good. How perfect is this meal?


Foliage in ๐Ÿ‚
Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery

A gorgeous and warm autumn day brought me to Green-Wood Cemetery to capture the falling color before it’d be too late. The golden sunlight illuminated the last surge of color before the branches go barren–to build suspense for their buds in March. Every season is gorgeous in Green-Wood. Sun-bathing turtles Read more…


My Birthday Layer Cake

When I bring the cake, I try to go hard for its recipient… including myself! Wanting a lighter textured cake, this is my first attempt at a sponge cake. I will be trying again because I had some issues: mainly not having the seltzer at room temperature when I added Read more…