October 28, 2018
Though I love to bake, I like to use my birthday to sample cakes by other vegan bakers. This year my folks got me a beautiful cake from Pisces Rising after I found them, or her really, via Instagram. And lucky me, Pisces Rising just started taking custom orders. After Read more…
April 1, 2018
I tried dying Dandies for Easter… The color changed but they became so sticky! So I coated them with crystal sugar in assorted colors. Then, taking a bite, they felt just like Peeps! Ah, nostalgia. Hello, Pretty Happy Easter!
November 26, 2017
It was kind of hard for me not to hum the intro to House of Cards during my visit. It is kind of the best part of the show. The Capital building peeks out. The White House. Whoopie. Washington’s phallic monument The National Mall, Lincoln’s Memorial in the far distance. My Read more…
November 23, 2017
I love to cook for hours. It’s true. Give me time, space, and the radio and I’ll happily create numerous dishes from scratch with loving care. This Thanksgiving my goal was to use a lot of the ton of pumpkin puree I have. So I started with using it in Read more…
November 19, 2017
Much can be conveyed in one glimpse. One glimpse of Brooklyn, in one isolated second, is a masterpiece. Action, composition, color, texture, emotion, layers, industry, human interest. I like walking in Brooklyn. One glimpse of her, standing tall from afar, with a heart-shaped leave. Worth a sidewalk pause. A glimpse Read more…
October 29, 2017
Mother of Pearl on the LES is such a pretty place. I was happy to join a group of old friends to celebrate getting older. The scrumptious Char Sui Buns with roasted mushroom and celery root and fresno chile. Sweet and succulent. Is there nothing more perfect than a well-balanced Read more…
August 30, 2017
Tiramisu translates to “pick me up” in Italian. That’s adorable. Beside that, it’s such a lovely dessert. It is worth making just to sit a slice on a pretty plate and take a picture of. After seeing Seitan is My Motor‘s recipe, I was inspired to make it again. The Read more…
June 30, 2017
I made this cute cake for a good friend of mine. I got a little cake-trendy with it. Besides the whole unicorn thing, I filled it with a mix of goodies that’ll pour out upon slicing… To do this, use a biscuit cutter to punch out the centers of your Read more…
April 13, 2017
One thing that Europe does right is their train stations. Besides being within massive and ornate cathedrals, they are always wide open and airy, contain several flapping pigeons for effect, and are very easy to navigate. Like this here Amsterdam Centraal Station. Why are they so beautiful? Perhaps because the rails are so Read more…
March 25, 2017
I had been patiently waiting for restaurateur Ravi DiRossi’s Cienfuegos to go all-vegan… then I forgot about it. But then I remembered and went relatively soon thereafter for a friend’s birthday soirée. We tried most of the small plates on the menu. They were all fantastic, though photographed poorly in the Read more…
June 26, 2016
This year’s Pride celebration coincided with cake duty for a very special colleague who will be moving on to a new job. He is also fiercest gay man I know. Naturally, I’d express myself through cake, signing up for dessert at the goodbye potluck. It’s a language I am pretty Read more…
May 8, 2016
I get my beautiful brown bangs from mom, as evident in this picture of my Mom and her twin brother on trike patrol. On her day, my mother requested a chocolate cake with vanilla icing. So that is what she got. I Read more…
April 3, 2016
Like New York, Philadelphia’s vegan options are ever-evolving. From the vegan mock meat Asian restaurants I visited decades ago when I briefly contemplated moving to Philly with a friend to all the brief day trips through the passing years, today’s highlights are a quick skimming off the mound of Philly vegan options to Read more…
January 10, 2016
I am starting a month of salads! So most of my week’s groceries were from the produce section. In order to hold my interest while sustaining my nutritional needs, I was going to do a lot of mixing and matching. You know what they say about variety… So here are my Read more…
January 4, 2016
Guittard‘s Cocoa Rouge is a wonderful red Dutch processed cocoa powder, the first in my quest of finding a go-to cocoa powder. The reddish brown is Earthy and clay-like. The deep brown chocolate cake boasts the cocoa’s richness. Those light chocolate smears are melted chocolate chunks. Once the cake is Read more…
December 30, 2015
Match #1 of the V.V. Burger Showdown Semi-Finals: I Must Break You(r Brand Marketing). Pickle Shack vs. Bareburger We are now in the Semi-Finals of the V.V. New York City Burger Showdown! Sixteen burgers in, I have tasted some amazing burgers. But with new burger options already in waiting for another match-up, this field is ever-evolving. Read more…
December 13, 2015
Upcycled bread box. Yellow and teal. “You don’t bring me flours anymore.” Coke bottle crate spice holder. Vintage aesthetic / modern function. Animals on plates. Black radish heart procession. In the train, out at the station, the slither of pink sunset. Christmas is here. Fir on the floor. Weekly banana bread. Read more…
July 29, 2014
My first go at Hummingbird Cake, vegan style, was a bit of a fail. So I won’t share the recipe. But I was hopeful that the traditional South banana and pineapple spiced cake would be a success. Thank goodness for parchment circles. Also parchment strips under the cake while frosting Read more…
July 22, 2014
With my Dad’s birthday nearing and their belated love for Breaking Bad in full bloom, I got the blue raspberry rock candy out of the refrigerator finally. It would be the ultra-pure Heisenberg garnish to his birthday cake! Two big layers of blue-ish cake sandwiching a delicious vanilla buttercream. The Read more…
June 15, 2014
Happy Father’s Day! When I asked my Dad what kind of cake he wanted… my Mom replied, “Strawberry Shortcake.” They knew it was a bit more involved a recipe. But I was up for the challenge! [I’m the queen in the throne.] It starts with strawberries from the farmers market. Read more…
December 31, 2013
Banana in dessert form is one of my favorites. Nothing beats a soft, sweetened warm banana. Not even you, chocolate. A banana-based dessert is a sure bet. A banana-based dessert that is born of My Sweet Vegan Hannah Kaminsky is an even surer bet! I’ve been wanting to make her 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…
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…
January 5, 2013
There’s a lot I won’t miss about Brooklyn. Hipsters. Transplants. Or worse, hipster transplants. But I will miss the food. After a long morning of hauling 8 years of stuff out my apartment, CP and I needed a satisfying lunch. We needed carbohydrates, and plenty of them. We needed Bliss Read more…