September 3, 2018
Back to school means back to lunch… back to lunch with the only heat source being my trusty mini-crockpot. So curry… not the most seasonally appropriate choice, but I’m going to need something hearty, flavorful, and a vehicle for my leftovers and pantry contents. And it was certainly the right Read more…
August 15, 2018
It’s crazy to bake in this heat, yes. But it’s also crazy to not have a sweet bite on-hand given the frequency of my cravings. And I need to work out some kinks with food photography in my new space… like where is the best light? Definitely not in the Read more…
August 2, 2018
Ok, ok–that wasn’t a very clever post title. But I have recently started watching Game of Thrones all over again in slow anticipation of Spring 2019’s release of the final season. And besides that, it is true; it is what I do: eat and take care of business. In celebration Read more…
April 24, 2018
First, Ovenly‘s salted chocolate chip cookie. Such a delicious cookie from this Brooklyn bakery. I dare say my favorite chocolate chip cookie? Well, maybe I’ll just have to do a chocolate chip cookie bracket! I treat myself with one or two on the way home when the middle schoolers are Read more…
March 3, 2018
Sometimes I make a double batch of cookies, then I make a batch of cupcakes with vanilla buttercream, then I make a lemon bundt cake (not pictured). Then, I bring them to my Mom for her birthday. Then I run the dishwasher. VCTOTW basic chocolate, of course. I tried to make Read more…
December 20, 2017
I made marshmallow chocolate chip cookies for holiday gift-giving. And I’m too tired to say much more about it. But a picture is worth… yadda yadda yadda.
November 12, 2017
Firstly, a giggling me photoshopped the picture above… but it is not that far off an idea that Cook’s Illustrated, my favorite print magazine, would soon contain a vegan or “plant-based” feature. To this point, the latest issue had write-up on the coconut whip, the well-loved easy-peasy pantry tip, in Read more…
October 12, 2017
In September, I long for this October feeling… when the dust settles and I’m back in the swing of things. Routines are set, classroom is running smoothly, and Brooklyn and me are friends again. Good friends, maybe lovers. I begin to re-appreciate her, her beauty which can be overshadowed, and Read more…
August 19, 2017
Another day in one of our nation’s national parks, my #21, Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee. This park, like Shenandoah, feels more like home. Though spectacular they are, the geology of the western parks in their different biomes can be almost otherworldly. There is a slight uneasiness underneath Read more…
August 15, 2017
How gorgeous is this blue Morning Glory? It looks as if stroked by a partially dry paintbrush. This bloom mysteriously disappeared shortly after I took this picture. I wonder if blue plants are sought-after vittles for critters since they are so rare? Hibiscus time. I associate the hibiscus bloom Read more…
July 18, 2017
On my last day in my second favorite city I headed to Chinatown. Mostly because when I saw the huge drive-in line at In-n-Out Burger I felt slightly disappointed I couldn’t partake in such a characteristic LA sociological gathering. But my friend told me that Burgerlords, which was on my Read more…
November 11, 2016
A trip to Manhattan to visit to all-vegan eateries started with killing time at By Chloe’s Sweets shop. I was impressed with their extensive selection. Pies, bars, cookies, layer cakes, cupcakes… Everything sitting pretty. I got a couple of old fashioned chocolate chip cookies. They were reminiscent of Otis Spunkmeyer cookies. Read more…
July 10, 2016
The bummer of my flight being cancelled seemed to infiltrate my food choices, too. I plan to make up for these less than wonderful options with a kick-butt breakfast tomorrow. But first, some roamings: The Babcock Building of the South Carolina Lunatic Asylum, now empty and decaying. The UFO Welcome Center Read more…
May 14, 2016
Trader Joe’s now has vegan marshmallows. That’s how Trader Joe do. They buy formulas and sell ’em under their brand. So it’s important to understand that these marshmallows are really… Dandies. The deal is helping spread vegan joy through Trader Joe’s massive distribution. Now that they are so cheap, I’m going to Read more…
February 12, 2016
Have you ever told an eatery that you had an allergy that you didn’t have? I think in my two decades of being vegan I have, though probably not in the last 10 years. Although silly, it was easier than fighting or starting an irritating ethics debate while hungry… or Read more…
January 31, 2016
2016 is 1/12 complete. January is new routines inside old comforts, like the best vegan chocolate chip cookies: your own. It’s taking care… with a Long Island rec. center membership bonus: nobody in the sauna with you. It is having fire with the snow… with tempeh. It’s inspiration from the ground; the potato plays nicely Read more…
January 23, 2016
My annual week of gluten-free is coming! I’m going to need cookies to munch on. I adjusted this recipe with very delicious results. They’re satisfying and not so gritty. Dry: 1 1/4 cups blanched almond flour 1 1/4 cups gluten-free flour blend (I used Namaste.) 1/4 heaping teaspoon salt 1/2 Read more…
October 4, 2015
With Hurricane Joaquin worries put out to sea, I had my first proper weekend after my first proper full week of working, finally. Summer is officially gone. It’s back to the grind. Kitchen renovation cookies, with just a pinch of sawdust. Various gourds for the stoop as October is here, Read more…
August 24, 2015
We woke up with some goals. There were some cruise clarifications that were pretty important. Then there was breakfast, the sometimes-unattainable meal for a traveling vegan. And requisite basking in the breathtaking beauty of Alaska, the Last Frontier. For breakfast, a local favorite, Snow City Café, which has the honor Read more…
August 5, 2015
Travel tucks you into new environments, which facilitate different experiences. And experience is the basis of all learning, all growth. So, travel is enlightenment…. Luckily, there is no need to head to an ancient Buddhist temple to derive this wisdom. There is plenty of beauty, adventure, inspiration, oddity (and vegan eats) just a couple of hours away. Read more…
August 3, 2015
I am excited to report on Sweet Annabelle’s, an all-vegan ice cream maker from right here on Long Island. I made the trip to Northport to meet the magical lady behind Sweet Annabelle’s and collect my baby-sized chocolate chip ice cream cake. But c’mon, an ice cream sandwich for the road? Read more…
April 9, 2015
One can measure the the veg-friendliness of a city on many things. I suppose I have my own algorithm. Part of my measure: if vegan options penetrate mainstream “normy” places, like sports stadiums and airports. So in both of these arenas, San Francisco is decidedly veg-friendly. AT&T Park (where the SF Giants Read more…
March 29, 2015
To say “vegan” or not to say “vegan,” that is sometimes the question. Slowly but surely I believe hesitant proprietors are seeing the light. When you say it, they will come. By say, I mean signage outside and on the website. And by they, I mean me. Especially if you’re 9 Read more…
July 11, 2014
With this midwest jaunt winding down, it was time to head back to Chicago so check out some of their great vegan options before time runs thin. We returned to Chicago by way of Madison, Wisconsin, hitting two spots we missed on the way out west. First, Bloom Bake Shop Read more…
July 4, 2014
Lunch on Day 4 was a pile of veggies. Or–a scrumptious and wide variety of well-cooked vegetables covered in a delicious peanut sauce, in pile form. And paper-thin chocolate chip cookies that were almost tuile-like. I’m going to miss these freshly prepared, flavorful vegan lunches… and these beautiful grounds… and inspiring people. Read more…
April 15, 2014
It was a whirlwind of a day in Montana. I am grateful to have tasted some really good vegan options… I ate well! And today that started at Bernice’s Bakery in Missoula, which has vegan bakery options. I was there bright and early with some other early birds. And I ate Read more…