Savory Chickpea Pancake

I found this beautiful looking recipe from the OhSheGlows blog.  It looked so interesting, and I am always trying to find different kinds of recipes to make for breakfast to keep things interesting.  When I tried this the first time, I was surprised by how different it was, but in a good way.  Tasty.  It definitely needed some more spices, and when I made it a second time, it came out great!  This was from the second time I made it - one for Hubbs and one for myself.  Sometimes he is really good about allowing me to take pictures the food I make and sometimes he is pretty impatient and just wants to dig right in.  This was one of those days.  And most of the time I give him the prettier of the dishes.  So his of course was beautiful and I was left to take a picture of the funky looking one. ;(  It was equally delicious though!  Take a look at the one Angela makes on her blog and see what is should really look like!

The cooked chickpea pancake.  Sad looking, but so delicious!

One side cooked, waiting to flip!

Savory Chickpea Pancake

Serves: 1

1/2 cup chickpea flour
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 cup filtered water
1/2 teaspoon unchicken boullion
1 green onion, sliced
1/4 cup red pepper, small diced
1/4 cup roma tomato, small diced


1.  Place the chickpea flour, nutritional yeast, baking powder, garlic powder, black pepper and red pepper flakes in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. 
2.  Add the filtered water and the unchicken boullion and whisk together for several seconds.
3.  Add the veggies and unchicken/water mixture to the dry ingredients.  Whisk together until a medium-thick batter forms.
4.  Place a medium sized saute pan over medium-low heat and allow the pan to heat.  Spray pan with nonstick spray and pour the batter into the pan.  Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the top dries out and is able to be flipped over.
5. Flip pancake over and cook an additional 3-4 minutes.

Garnish with hummus, avocado and sriracha.


Enjoy!

Koko

Vegan Breakfast Sandwich: Tofu Egg Hollandaise

It is definitely no secret now that my Hubby and I plan to open our own vegan cafe here in Michigan.  We are working hard on it everyday it seems like.  In theory it doesn't seem so hard or involved - people open restaurants and other food businesses everyday.  But do they do it well?  Do they open simply because they like to eat?  Or because they see themselves as good cooks?  It definitely takes more than that to open a food establishment!  I have known since I was a teenager that I wanted to open up my own place.  It has certainly evolved over the years in regards to the theme.  I didn't always want to open up something vegan.  But I definitely know what I want now and have been working so hard over the last 10+ years to build experience and make it happen. 

 

 

I test recipes pretty much everyday.  Some days that means baking and decorating like 6 whole cakes, 10 different kinds of cookies, 5 different sandwiches, etc.  Some days that means only testing a smoothie or soup recipe.  Some are very involved, some are pretty simple and straightforward.  This is a recipe I tested recently.  As simple as it may look, it took quite a bit of time because each component was homemade.  And it was very tasty.  Hubbs and I had our own critiques, but both thought it was a great idea and definitely warranted further testing.  After I finish this post, it's time to work on the business some more.  Phew!  A lot of work, but it is going to be so worth it once we are open!  Can't wait!!

 

 





Crazy delicious!  And awesomely messy!
On a fresh baked vegan biscuit.



Fresh Baked Biscuit - it ended up being a bit too big for the sandwich.



Biscuit cut in half  - it looks so fresh!
And a juicy sliced tomato.



Tofu Egg cooking.



Almost done - just needs the sauce!  So pretty!

Hope you enjoyed the pics of the tasty sandwich!

Koko

Banana Walnut Bread

It seems to me that I am always buying bananas.  With the best of intentions of course.  I intend to eat them while they are nice and yellow and fresh.  I do not like to eat them when they are speckled and too ripe.  It rarely happens though that I am able to eat them all.  So they end up super ripe, peeled and placed in a gallon size plastic bag in the freezer, which continues and continues to accumulate.  Oh sure, some get used for green smoothies (for me) or strawberry banana smoothies(for the hubby), but there is always way too many in the freezer.  A few days ago I decided to reorganize my freezer and came across that big bag of frozen bananas and decided I was going to make some banana bread out of them.  I put the plastic bag on the counter in a big bowl and let them thaw out for a couple hours - until they were mashable.  Then I went over to one of my favorite vegan food blogs Oh She Glows, and made her Banana Bomb Muffins - minus the bomb part and used unbleached flour - not whole wheat.  Always so good!  Hubbs and I were definitely happy with the bread, and I was happy that my tiny freezer was that much less full.  Until the next time I have a bag full of frozen, super ripe bananas ....

Beautiful loaf of banana bread!

So moist and yummy!

Enjoy!

Koko

Vegan Broccoli Cheese Quiche

Quiche is something I used to love eating when I was simply vegetarian.  And it was always something that took a little bit more time, but was so worth it and such a great thing to make with guests.  I have made quiche several times since becoming vegan, but they have never really turned out so great before.  I think a lot of it had to do with the crust always being too health-foody.  I found a recipe for a quiche on the Oh She Glow's blog (I am a huge fan!) and decided to try it.  It was certainly the best vegan quiche I have made before, but it needed a little something extra.  So the next time around I made it, changing and adding a couple things, and it came out amazingly!  So delicious!  And who doesn't love broccoli and cheese? Yum!

 



 

 

Isn't this the most gorgeous thing ever?

Omg, I wish I could eat this again, after looking at the picture!

Base recipe from Oh She Glows website with the following changes:

-used homemade "buttery" crust
-blanched the tofu before blending - and blending it while warm
-used yellow onion
-didn't use: mushrooms, chives, basil, sundried tomatotes, spinach
-added an extra 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
-used 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
-added 2 tablespoons cashew butter to make creamy
-added 1/2 teaspoon vegan boullion powder
-used 1/2 bunch of broccoli, blanched and cut into small pieces, folded into the mixture after it thoroughly blended
-added 1 cup of shredded mozzarella-stlye daiya
-baked for 45 minutes - anything less resulted in a too-soft texture

That's it - and it came out crazy good!


Enjoy!

Koko

Savory Vegan French Toast

 My Hubby and I differ quite a bit on what we like for breakfast, especially since we moved away from New York and due to the fact that he is not vegan (read - he loves eggs).  When we were in NY and had access to fresh plantains, yucca and other amazing Spanish foods, we would eat those most days.  Those things are not so easy to find here in Northern Michigan, and when we do find them, they are very costly and not super fresh.  Most of the time, Hubbs and I will choose a savory breakfast over a sweet one, even eating sandwiches sometimes.  But sometimes I just want some American-style breakfast - like pancakes, waffles, (tempeh) bacon, etc.  But when I make those suggestions, he groans. 

Then one day when I was looking through the freezer to see what we had, I noticed we had a ton of bread (Hubbs gets bread for free from his job when the expiration date is close and we just pop it in the freezer).  I hadn't had French toast in a long time - basically since I was a kid living back home.  I made the suggestion to Hubbs, and he was kind of grossed out, but intrigued.  He had one request though: don't make it sweet.  Not sweet?  I thought about it for a while and decided it was a great idea.  I came up with a batter to dip it in and it turned out pretty good.  After making a couple adjustments, it came out great and this is one of our go-to breakfasts - something we can both agree on.

Nicely Spicy with Cool, Tangy Sour Cream

Serves: 5-6 slices, about 2

Multigrain Bread - 5-6 slices
Olive oil/canola oil

French Toast Batter:
1/2 cup chickpea flour
3 tablespoons unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
2 pinches black pepper
2 pinches cayenne pepper
2 pinches chipotle pepper powder
pinch of each onion and garlic powder
1/2 cup water

Toppings:
vegan sour cream
sriracha
salsa

1.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, unbleached flour, baking soda, sea salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, chipotle powder, onion and garlic powder.  Whisk together until combined.
2.  Add the water and whisk together to form a batter.
3.  Place a medium saute pan over medium heat and add a tablespoon or so of the olive oil or canola oil.  Allow the pan to become hot.
4.  In the meantime, make an assembly line of the bread, batter and a clean plate.  Dip each piece of bread in the batter, being sure to evenly coat both sides.  Place up to two slices of the dipped bread onto the clean plate. 
5.  Once the pan is hot, place both of the dipped slices of bread carefully into the oiled pan.  Allow each side of the bread to cook for a couple minutes per side, or until golden and crispy.  While the French Toast is cooking, continue dipping both sides of the bread until all of the batter and bread is used up. 
6.  Once all of the dipped bread has cooked through, place two slices on a plate, cut each piece in half and top with the sour cream and hot sauce or salsa.  That's it - simple and crazy delicious!



Enjoy!

-Koko

I've Officially Moved to Michigan!

Hello everyone!  After quite a while away, I'm back!  I survived the huge, long move to Michigan and am trying to get settled into life here, although it has admittedly been more difficult than I was expecting.  We have officially been back for about three weeks and these past few weeks have definitely been full - no time left to sit around.  My mom took off several days from work and was running us around like maniacs.  Have I mentioned that we now have to purchase and drive vehicles to get to where we want to go to on a daily basis?  No mass transit?  This is the strangest feeling and such a transition!

I feel like I should be working right now, not sitting in my parents' quiet, massive house on the computer.  It is beautiful out right now and so damn quiet!  I should go do some laundry to hang on the clothes line out back or go explore the garden some more. See if there are any veggies ready to be picked.  Hmmm.  Or maybe I'll just sit out in the sun for a little bit.  I've already got more color in these past few weeks than I have in the last 6 years living in NYC!  I've got to try to chill out and enjoy the peace while it lasts!

And after taking my own advice and going through the garden, I discovered these:



After moving from NY, this is the biggest blessing I have
experienced in a long time - picking my own food and eating it.



And I made a delicious tofu scramble for breakfast, which I did not take a picture of, because Hubby started inhaling it before it was even set completely in front of him!  Love this fresh food and beautiful weather!

Until next time,

Koko

Monday, Not Sunday Brunch

It's Brunch Time!  This was from the Brunch I made for Hubbs and I on Monday - the only day I don't have to be to work at 5 am. 

I mentioned in the last post that I still want to keep this blog going even though I have not had a ton of time to work on it lately.  What I had intended when I first started it was to take pictures of everything I cook and bake, write and post the corresponding recipe.  Most of the time I do take all of the pictures and write all of the recipes down.  Sometimes, somehow, I do not write down the recipe due to timing issues, or Hubbs inadvertently throwing it away, or some other mishap, but I still have all the pictures that I would like to share.  It makes me sad going through the thousands of food pictures I have taken over the last couple years and think of not being able to share them, simply because it would not follow the initial purpose I had of creating this blog, by not also posting a recipe.  So perhaps from now on, I may be posting some/more blog posts without recipes, but with more pictures.  Besides, food pictures are always fun to look at right?  So, here are all the lovely pics of the brunch we had, which was delicious!  I could barely get the pictures taken because the Hubbs was standing over my shoulder with his fork, declaring how "starving" he was.  So they were taken pretty quickly.

Monday Brunch!





The plate all loaded with delicious food: homemade vegan
sausage, diner potatoes, tofu scramble, pancakes.




Tofu Scramble.


 

Pancakes!





Diner-Style Potatoes.

 

The whole spread before it was dished up.  Beautiful!

Enjoy!



Koko

Gluten Free Testing: Yeast Free Baked Donuts!

Remember that baked donut craze that happened a while ago?  Is it still going on?  I am still seeing baked donuts on menus in places here in the city.  Back when that was happening, I was working with a girl that was gluten free and had several allergies on top of that and I came up with this recipe for her, surprising her when she came to work one day.  I haven't made these in a little while, but I remember them being very tasty.  Being the perfectionist that I am, I don't think they are quite perfect yet, so that is why I labeled them "testing".  But that shouldn't deter you from making these tasty little bites.  And being that I made them in a mini baked donut pan, they are one-biters.Yum!  My favorite was the cinnamon sugar ones - always has been.  Make them and let me know what you think.

Vegan, Gluten Free, Yeast Free Baked Mini Donuts



I made coconut glazed, cinnamon sugar tossed and chocolate
glazed.  Can you see she grabbed the chocolate before
I could even snap a picture?  The rest were eaten literally 10
seconds later!!



Yields: 2 dozen mini donuts

1 cup sorghum flour

1/2 cup potato starch

1/4 cup tapioca starch

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

3/4 cup organic sugar

2 tablespoons canola oil

1/4 cup flax eggs

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

3/4 cup soymilk

Cinnamon Sugar Mix:

1 cup organic sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray two mini donut pans with spray oil and set aside until ready to use.

2.  In a medium sized mixing bowl, add all of the dry ingredients: the sorghum flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, baking powder and soda, sea salt, xanthan gum and nutmeg.  Whisk well to combine all ingredients.

3.  In a separate medium mixing bowl, add the wet ingredients: the organic sugar, canola oil, flax eggs, cider vinegar and soymilk.  Whisk together until the sugar dissolves and all the ingredients are well combined. 

4.  Add the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients.  Whisk together just until combined.

5.  Place several scoops of the batter into a pastry bag fitted with a large circular tip.  Squeeze the batter into the mini donut pan, into each individual donut hole. 

6.  Place into the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes. 

7.  Allow the cooked donuts to cool for a couple minutes, then flip onto a pastry cooling rack to cool until easy to handle. 

8.  If using the cinnamon sugar, do not allow the donut to cool completely.  The sugar sticks better if the donut  is still slightly warm.

9.  Liberally toss the donuts in the sugar.  (Or other desired topping.)

Enjoy!

Koko

Brunch: Roasted Potatoes, Black Bean Tofu Scramble, Fried Squash

 I must admit my mind is elsewhere right now.  My grandmother on my mom's side is in the hospital and has been all last week.  Her health is declining and although everyone is trying to be positive, I think we have to be realistic too.  She has been in poor health for a while now, with diabetes, open heart surgery back when I was in college and now dementia.  She is unfortunately in congestive heart failure and is so upset to be in the hospital.  She hates being away from home and is worried because she had a bird at home that she is never away from.  I really do appreciate and am thankful for being in New York, but at times like this it really makes me want to drop everything and move back home to be with my family.  All of my 8 aunts and uncles (my mom is included in that number) are at the hospital now talking to the doctor to see what he feels.  My mom left me a voicemail as I was leaving work saying that my Grandma is terminal.  Please keep her any my family in your thoughts.  As of last night Grandma wasn't eating or drinking anything, talking about how she had a great life and wanted to be cremated and buried.  As soon as I hear back from my mom, I'm going to decide what to do.  I have to see my Grandma again.  This is making me get teary-eyed now just typing this up.  It also brings me back to the death of my sister-in-law Kenia not even a year ago - in May from cancer.  It makes me really reevaluate my life, what I am doing, where I am and what my goals are. 

This is just a heads up that I may not be blogging for a while, depending upon how things go.  In the meantime, enjoy what my Hubby and I had for brunch yesterday, our day off together.  I had some leftover cooked black beans in the fridge that needed using up, as well as a package of tofu, so I thought of doing a Spanish-style scramble, with some roasted potatoes (I am always getting organic potatoes for free from work.  Today I got some really cool organic purple potatoes and I am debating making mashed potatoes with them just because I think it is going to look so crazy on our dinner plate!) and fried up some squash I got from work.  It was tasty and came together pretty quickly, which was great - I was able to spend more time with my Hubby!

Roasted Potatoes, Black Bean Tofu Scramble, Fried Squash:



So delicious!  Wish there was some left!

Tofu Scramble:
1 lb. extra firm tofu, drained well and pressed
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 roma tomato, diced
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon turmeric
3/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
pinch red pepper flakes
1/2-2/3 cup cooked black beans
tamari, as desired

1.  In the base of a large wok or saute pan, add the oil over medium-high heat.  Allow to become hot.
2.  Once the oil is hot, add the onions, green, red and jalapeno peppers and garlic.  Saute for a couple minutes, or until beginning to soften. 
3.  Crumble the tofu to desired size directly into the pot.  Keep stirring the mixture.  Add the spices: nutritional yeast, turmeric, cumin, sea salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes.  Stir very well into the vegetables and tofu mixture until tofu is completely yellow in color. 
4.  The amount of time you cook the scramble from here is up to you.  I like the tofu to be pretty firm with a more "dry" texture, otherwise it reminds me of undercooked eggs.  Gag.
5.  Add the diced tomato, black beans and tamari to taste.  Stir and cook until all ingredients are heated through. 
6.  Serve with the remaining components.

Enjoy!

Koko

Soy Free Cinnamon Rolls

 I have been making and enjoying these cinnamon rolls for a couple years.  They come from the cookbook Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.  That book is amazing!  I work as a Private Chef in the mornings for a family that lives in Queens.  Everyday I have to make some form of a "baked good", whether that is pancakes, waffles, muffins,coffeecake, etc.  I keep the Vegan Brunch book at the family's house - that's how serious I am about it.  And I really regret that sometimes because then I want to make something at home and don't have the recipes. But the good thing about it being there is that I have a legitimate excuse to eventually make all of the recipes in the book.  That is goal.  I literally have at least 100 cookbooks - all of them either vegan, vegetarian or gluten free, except of course my professional pastry and cookery books from culinary school back in Michigan - I would love to look over them at some point and try to veganize some of the recipes - especially croissants.  I also have this thing where after I prepare the recipe, I will write down -in the cookbook itself- the results, my opinion, any modifications I have made or that I should make the next time around.  I always do it. And why not, after making hundreds of them - it's impossible to remember all the recipes I have made.

Anyway, I have been making the cinnamon rolls since I got the book and pretty much loved them since I first tried them.  Then I became a little picky and changed a couple things, making it even better and yummier!  So below is the recipe from Vegan Brunch, modified to be made soy-free and even tastier (in my opinion) than the original.  I don't think the recipe holds very well the next day - it tends to dry out a bit, so I like to separate the prepared rolls (unbaked, and before they've proofed) into batches, bake like 6 or so of them, keep 6 more in a container, then freeze the rest of them.  To freeze them, I place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, spaced well apart so they are not touching, and freeze them until they are solid - overnight is usually good.  Then I will transfer them to a deli container with a tight fitting lid, label them, and take them out whenever I am craving that deliciousness.  You can either de-frost them overnight in the refrigerator, or place them on top of the oven, allowing it to thaw and proof at the same time. 



Soy Free Cinnamon Rolls:

Amazing!

Yields: 12 Cinnamon Rolls

Dough
2 1/4 teaspoon yeast
1/3 cup + 1 teaspoon turbinado sugar
1/2 cup filtered lukewarm water
3/4 cup rice milk
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 1/2 - 4 cups unbleached flour

Filling
1/4 cup sucanat
1/4 cup organic sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped pecans

To roll
1/3 cup soy free Earth Balance

Icing
1 cup organic powdered sugar, sifted
1-2 tablespoons rice milk

1.  Place yeast, 1 teaspoon turbinado sugar and lukewarm water in a medium mioxing bowl.  Whisk together and allow to sit for 5 minutes, or until the top becomes frothy and bubbly.  If nothing happens, this may mean that your yeast is dead.  Throw out and try again with a new yeast. 
2.  Into this mixture, add the oil, rice milk, remaining sugar, sea salt and cinnamon.  Whisk to combine.
3.  Add 2 cups of the flour and mix with a wooden spoon.  Add more flour by the 1/2 cupful until the dough is too thick to continue being mixed by hand.
4. Add the remainig flour on a clean countertop.  Place the dough on top of the flour, sprinkling the top with additional flour.  Using the palms of your hands, knead the dough until most of the flour is incorporated and the dough is no longer sticky.  Keep in mind, however, that this is not bread dough - so don't knead too much or the end result will be too tough.
5.  Place in a clean bowl with 1 tablespoon of oil.  Roll the dough around in the oil and cover the bowl either with a clean towel or plastic wrap.  Place in a warm place and allow to double in size, about 45-60 minutes.
6.  In the meantime, prepare the filling.  Mix together both of the sugars, the cinnamon and chopped pecans.  Set aside until ready to use. 
7.  Punch down the dough so that it deflates.  Sprinkle your work surface with a small amount of flour and place the dough in the center.  Roll out dough to approximately 12" x18", trying to keep it as rectangular as possible. 
8.  Rub the earth balance over the suface of the dough, keeping about 2 inches on the very top free of the earth balance.  Sprinkle the filling evenly over the entire surface of the dough. 
9.  Start rolling from the bottom of the dough, working slowly and trying to keep the roll as tightly together as possible. 
10.  Oil a large baking tray and set aside.  Cut off the very two ends of the roll and set aside.  Cut as acurately as possible:  cut the log in half, then each half in half again, then each quarter into thirds.  Carefully pick up the pieces and place them on the tray, leaving lots of room between each roll.  Do not throw out those little ends you set aside - place them on the tray as well - you can eat those yourself, while you present the others for company! :)
11.  Cover the tray with a clean towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm place for 30-45 minutes.
12.  While the rolls are rising again, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
13.  Bake the rolls for 18-20 minutes, or until the top bounces back lightly when touched and the roll is golden in color.
14.  While the rolls are baking, prepare the icing by whisking all of the ingredients together.
15.  Allow the rolls to cool for at least 10 minutes before icing them, or all of the icing will melt off.



An idea to think about is not baking them all at once.  When I make these, since it is only the Hubby and I, I do not bake them all at once.  I am a Cinnamon Roll a couple times a year kind of girl, and will only ever eat one at most when I bake these.  What I usually do, unless I am having company or prepaing a brunch, is keep 4 of the rolls out to bake, and place the other rolls on a sheet tray lined with waxed paper, pop it into the freezer for about 4 hours, then transfer the rolls to a sturday bag or container.  That way I can easily and quickly have them whenever the mood strikes, since I have already prepared them most of the way.  I'll just take them out of the freezer, the night before, placing them in the refrigerator.  They will thaw out all of the way and may even start rising inside.  You can then take them out in the morning, preheat the oven, and let them keep rising for about 20 minutes.  Bake them, and viola!  Cinnamon Rolls in the A.M. without all the work!



Enjoy!

- Koko

Gluten Free Arepa and Dominican-Style Hot Chocolate

My husband doesn't cook a lot, but when he is really in the mood to do so, look out!  I love it when he comes up with ideas from his home in the Dominican Republic and recreates them using the ingredients I would prefer we use.  The recipe he made for the arepa ended up making a huge 9x13" pan, and for only two people, we were eating it for over a week, but we didn't complain at all!  It was crazy delicious!  Now, arepa is a dish that is traditionally prepared over an open fire and eaten for breakfast, so it is not super sweet, which makes me happy.  I am not into the overly sweet dishes.  Now, admittedly, watching my husband in the kitchen is a little painful sometimes, seeing how he uses my expensive knives and pots, or chooses to use a tool that is not super efficient, but I keep my mouth closed and end up smiling in the end when I see how happy he is and how amazing and delicious the food turns out. 

Unfortunately, I do not have a recipe for this at the moment, because my hubby  never ever measures anything and thinks I am hilarious for measuring everything.  Next time, I will stand over his shoulder and estimate everything he puts in there.  It is the exact same way I learned to make Dominican beans from his cousin Wady, who barely speaks a word of English, and my Spanish is certainly nothing to get excited about.  Wady taught me how to make the beans speaking Spanish, which I could understand maybe every other word, and also didn't measure anything, so I stood over under his shoulder, seeing as he is 6'5" tall, and estimated the amounts of everything he was adding.  And damned if it didn't turn out so so close when I made it by myself the next time.  So, to make a short story long, next time Hubbs makes this, I'll write it down and post it.  I will write up a list of the ingredients I can remember that he put in there, but I will come back with a tasty recipe soon.  The recipe for the Dominican-Style hot chocolate is below.



Dominican-Style Hot Chocolate and Arepa


Dominican-Style Hot Chocolate:

8 ounces non-dairy milk or water (definitely better with the milk!)
pinch cinnamon
3-4 tablespoons organic sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted

1.  Place the non-dairy milk or water in a small pot and bring to a simmer.
2.  Place the cinnamon, sugar and cocoa powder in a small bowl and whisk to combine, making sure there are no lumps.
3.  Add the cocoa mixture to the simmering milk/water and whisk very well to combine.
4.  Allow the hot cocoa to cool for a couple minutes before enjoying.




The Amazing gf Arepa


Ingredients for Arepa (that I can remember):

corn meal
organic sugar
whole cinnamon sticks
fresh nutmeg, grated
whole cloves
pinch sea salt
Michigan cherries (sent to us by my mum!)
coconut milk
almond milk/ soy milk (I can't remember which one)

Until I can figure out the recipe from him!

Enjoy,

Koko

Crepes with Homemade Nutella

These pictures are admittedly from the very first time I made vegan crepes for the family I was cooking for almost a year ago now.  You can tell from the first picture that the first couple were thicker than they should have been, but they were still crazy delicious!  Now you may be wondering how or why there is nutella in the middle of the crepes, since nutella isn't vegan - it contains both skim milk and whey.  That's why I made my own vegan nutella, which turned out amazingly!  It wasn't as smooth as the nutella that comes in the jar, but is was just as delicious as I remember it being, probably even more so because it was sweetened with agave and was both dairy and soy free. 

I made another  batch several weeks ago when Hubbs and I were testing smoothie recipes for our cafe.  We wanted to make a breakfast coffee chocolately smoothie and everything we had tested so far was pretty terrible to be honest.  Then I had the brilliant idea to put some of the nutella I made in it and it was crazy delicious!  Smoothie approved for the cafe!  Yay!  So, I'm not going to include the recipe for the crepes, because they came from the vegan brunch cookbook, but I am including the recipe for the vegan nutella.  Make it and soon because it is so freaking delicious!



Crepe filled with delicious chocolatey vegan nutella!


Vegan Nutella

Yields about 2 cups

8 oz. raw hazelnuts

1/2 oz. cocoa powder
2 1.2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 teaspoons canola oil
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
heaping 1/3 cup agave
heaping 1/3 cup hazelnut milk

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place the hazelnuts on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the skins come off easily.
3. Allow the hazelnuts to cool for several minutes, then remove the skins.
4. Place the still warm hazelnuts in the food processor and process for several minutes, until the hazelnuts turn into a butter.
5. Add the remaining ingredients: the cocoa powder, vanilla extract, canola oil, sea salt, agave and hazelnut milk.
6. Blend for several more minutes, or until completely smooth.
7. Season to taste.
8. Place in a sealable container. Allow the mixture to cool for several hours in the refrigerator before using, to thicken.




Pile o' vegan crepes!




Look at that deliciousness!


Enjoy!

Koko

Apple Pie Crumb Cake Muffins

I decided to make these tasty muffins over the weekend along with a bunch of other tasty things and they turned out really well.  Hubbs loved them and ate two of them as soon as they came out of the oven, even though I insisted that they were much tastier when cool. ;)  This recipe comes from the Vegan with a Vengeance cookbook, with a couple modifications.  Very tasty - I've been making it for a couple years now.    And there is definitely something fun about the name Apple Pie Muffins.  Yum.  Try it, you'll agree.



So much crispy struesely topping!



Yields: 12 small muffins

Muffin Base:
1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons organic sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon cloves
3/4 cup almond milk
1/3 cup canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup peeled, chopped apples
1/2 cup peeled, grated apples

Crumb Topping:
1/4 cup unbleached flour
1/4 cup organic sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
pinch sea salt
3-4 tablespoons canola oil

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Either spray a cupcake/muffin pan with spray oil or line the pan with cupcake liners and set aside until ready to use.
2.  Prepare the topping first.  In a small bowl, add the flour, sugar, cinnamon, allspice and sea salt.  Stir to combine with a fork.  Add the oil - start with the smaller amount.  Stir well to combine until the topping sticks together, but is not too wet.  Set aside while preparing the batter.
3.  In a medium bowl, add the unbleached flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon, allspice and cloves.  Whisk together until well combined.  Add the wet ingredients: the almond milk, canola oil and vanilla extract.  Whisk together until a thick batter forms.  Add the chopped and grated apple and stir to combine. 
4.  Using a portion scoop or a 1/4 cup measuring cup, portion out the batter amongst the 12 count muffin pan.  Top each muffin with about a tablespoon of the crumb topping, being sure to cover the entire surface of the muffin.




The Muffins Topped with the Delicious Crispy Topping!

5.  Place the muffin tray in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the muffins are baked through and the center bounces back lightly when touched. 
6.  Allow muffins to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack top cool the rest of the way.  If you did not use papers, this step is even more important, because if the muffins stay in the pans too long, they will become soggy.  Serve with a delicious strong cup of coffee, or better yet, an espresso!

Enjoy!

-Koko



So ridiculously tasty!



Gluten Free Wednesday: Gluten Free Cherry Almond Biscotti

Happy Gluten Free Wednesday!

I have honestly never really been that into biscotti before.  Not until my brief stint working as a vegan baker at 'Snice Brooklyn.  They have several creative baked goods that I really enjoyed making, although not eating.  The thing I didn't like about the baked goods there is that they were very refined.  They used a ton of Earth Balance, which I appreciate as much as the next person, but do not use it in all of my vegan baking applications.  I tend to use it in only certain things and would never use it in muffins or cakes, unlike 'Snice.  But I really did appreciate their creativity and presentation of the baked goods.  I love how they serve their cookies behind the counter in cookie jars - I think it is adorable and I am hideously obsessed with their sandwiches.  They are really too expensive for my tastes at the moment, unfortunately.  One of the good things about working there though was that I was given a bagel and coffee for breakfast and a complimentary sandwich when I left each day.  That was very cool, since I was able to sample a lot of the sandwiches free.  I have tried to replicate several of them at home, to the approval of my Hubby.  When I was working there, I would save him half of the sandwich, which he absolutely enjoyed.

Back to biscotti, shall we?  The first time I actually ever made biscotti was at 'Snice.  And it was another one of those things calling for mixing Earth Balance and white sugar together, then adding several other ingredients to the mixer to create the dough.  I do have a stand mixer, which is a little uncommon for NYC, simply because we tend not to have a lot of counter space.  Most of the time my mixer is in storage and I only get it out occasionally, so I did not want to make something with the mixer unless it is absolutely necessary.  I also thought their biscotti was far too sweet, but a good starting point.  So, I searched and searched for a gluten free recipe for biscotti, because I figured why not make something that I have never made before a little more complicated by trying to make it gluten free.  I came across several, but not a vegan gluten free biscotti recipe.  So I took several points from several of the recipes and combined them. 

The first time I made the recipe I was convinced it wouldn't work.  I was very surprised when it almost worked.  So I set about making several changes, trying it again, with the result being even better but not exactly what I was looking for.  It really improved the third time around.  Sometimes I think about how many times I test each recipe, and think about how many resources it takes to prepare them: time, money, supplies, disappointment when it doesn't work out ...  But I hate the fact that even after Hubby and I sample it, we have to throw it away.  If it is edible and enjoyable, I give it to him to take to work and give to his coworkers who are very honest in their opinions.  But a lot of the time when I make the first or second batches, they don't turn out and I wouldn't want to give them to someone.  Yuck.  I would love to compost them, like my parents in Michigan do.  They have an amazing organic garden and have composted my whole life.  I'm sure there are locations here in NY I can bring my compost to, but do I really want to keep a container of smelly compost in my apartment, and lug it on the train or bus somewhere.  Sigh.  Until a garden opens up down the block.  Shall we get onto the biscotti???

Gluten Free Cherry Almond Biscotti:

Perfectly Crisp & Delicious, Studded with Bits of Almonds
& Dried Cherries

Yields 8 Pieces, plus the ends

¾ cup sorghum flour
1/3 cup whole almonds
3 tablespoons tapioca starch
2 tablespoons arrowroot
¾ teaspoon xanthan gum
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup sliced almonds
½ cup dried cherries
½ cup organic dehydrated cane juice
¼ cup flax eggs (1 tablespoon ground flax seeds mixed with 3 tablespoons water)
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside until ready to use.
2. Place the almonds and the sorghum flour in a food processor and process until it is fine textured and no bits of almonds can be felt. Place in a medium mixing bowl and add the rest of the dry ingredients: the tapioca starch, arrowroot powder, xanthan gum, baking powder, sea salt, sliced almonds and dried cherries.
3. In a separate bowl, add the sugar, flax eggs, canola oil, vanilla and almond extracts. Whisk together until completely emulsified and thickened.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix together with hands until a very firm dough forms - this cannot be mixed with a spoon or spatula. Press into a rectangle and bake for about 30 minutes, or until firm in the very center and the edges are golden brown.
5. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.
6. Place baked biscotti onto a cutting board. Using a very sharp knife, slice off the very ends. Slice the remaining dough into 8 slices, about ¾” each. Lay the biscotti on their sides and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until firm and crispy. They will continue to firm up as they cool.
7. Allow to cool completely before serving.

Enjoy!

-Koko

Deer Run Bed & Breakfast Part II

Hey guys and gals!

Here is a continuation of the post I began in November.  This is Part II of the trip I took to the Florida Keys to teach a lovely woman named Jen the basics of vegan baking.  Jen and her partner own this gorgeous B&B called Deer Run Bed and Breakfast, which I had the great opportunity to visit back in September.  Here is Part II of my lovely experiences.  You can check out Part I here.

(9/26) Day 4:

Today started off the same. Up at 7:30 am, coffee and pre-breakfast. Today was a Banana Walnut Muffin garnished with star fruit and strawberries.



I love how she does these cute little place settings!


It was still rainy so we had breakfast inside, which was good because it was crazy humid out! Breakfast was amazing! Jen really outdid herself. It consisted of the beautiful pineapple (one of my favorite fruits), homemade cornbread made with her homemade soymilk (that's for another time - it was lots of fun!), spicy roasted potatoes, and the best thing, mini Quiche in ramekins. That was crazy good! I believe it was Italian-style, and had layers of seasoned tofu, layers of garbanzo beans, daiya cheese, salsa, onions, spices, etc. It was very very tasty and again so filling. I feel like I have never eaten this well! I was incredibly ridiculously full today, but it was so worth it!




Isn't this absolutely gorgeous?!

 I got the basic recipe for the quiche from Jen - I basically just scribbled as she dictated how she made the recipe. I really hope I can read it later - it's pretty illegible. She was also telling me a story about how she submitted the recipe to either Veg News or Vegetarian Times (I can't remember which one), they tested it and said it wasn't up to their standards. I was completely shocked. I'm not kidding-it was seriously that good! We both were convinced it was some kind of conspiracy because I cannot imagine anyone tasting it and not thinking it was amazing. Whatever!

After digesting a little more than usual, we were onto baking. Today we baked like maniacs again and made peanut butter and jelly scones, apple walnut scones, savory sundried tomato and herb scones (which we brushed with refined coconut oil (meaning it didn't taste or smell like coconut) and baked and were so buttery and delicious!) and brownies. By that time we were really feeling the sugar, which is crazy because at most we ate a couple bites of each item - never a whole scone, cupcake, etc. I suggested miso soup for lunch, because I remember when I was in the chef training program at NGI and we were doing the baking program and were so od-ing on sugar that we were almost comatose, the instructor prepared a giant pot of miso soup, and after eating giant bowls, we all felt much much better! It was amazing. Even though we hadn't been eating a huge amount, we were both feeling so tired and lethargic - I believe it was because we were ingesting the sugar as we were baking it, and it was going into our system that way.

SO, we ate the miso soup and had these little half-sandwiches filled with the hummus Jen made earlier in the week, tapenade, artichokes and roasted peppers. They were super tasty, and a nice savory end to the baking session that day.



This was so damn tasty, with shiitake mushrooms & all!



The lighting inside definitely doesn't do these justice- they
were crazy delicious!

 
Once we finished baking, we chilled out a little bit and decided to go out for dinner. It was still a bit rainy, but it was a good night. There really are not a lot of vegetarian, especially vegan options for eating out in her area, so we had to kind of go to special areas to see where we could eat. Then there was usually one or two things on the menu we could eat. It was a little different than what I am used to in NY, that's for sure. I have become really spoiled living here. If I'm hungry and don't want to cook, I can just call the local Asian veggie restaurant in the hood and they will deliver right to my door, with all kinds of tasty meat analogues. Or I could take the bus 15 minutes to Park Slope and have sooooo many veggie options there-there are tons of veg restaurants there!

But, back to Florida - it was such a gorgeous place and really inspired you to want to cook health supportively at home. Jen told me that there is a vegetarian restaurant in Key West that we will visit in a couple days, which I am very excited about. The place we went to today was called Parrotdise (funny name I know!). It was rainy like I said, so the view wasn't great, but it was really neat, because Jen was telling me that during the busy season, people can dock their boats right up to the dock and can get their meals delivered right to them. How fun? Check out their website, and the menu - you can see that it is very fish oriented, which seems obvious, great for others, but not for us, so we got the Vegetarian Black Bean Burger. I got the jalapeno burger option because I love spicy food, but it was quite spicy if I do say so myself. I'm not sure what was used as the egg replacer, all I know is that it was incredibly messy and fell apart as soon as I picked it up, which Jen warned me about. We ended up eating most of it with forks. It was pretty funny actually.




Looks delicious, doesn't it?  I'm still remembering the spiciness!


It was then that we talked and talked and I feel like really bonded and got to know each other a lot more. I learned about her housing experiences in New Jersey, she learned about my goals and aspirations for my cafe, and we told ridiculous housing horror stories. She learned about the woman that lives two floors up from me in Brooklyn that religiously throws her garbage out her kitchen window. No clue why, but Jen nicknamed her the Spaghetti Woman. It's gross, believe me!

Dinner was great - a nice end to a nice day! Afterwards we went out to have drinks at an open-air bar that boasted live music. I had a rum and coke and listened to the "Key West Cowboy" sing country songs (definitely not my favorite!), but I had a great time! It was also a definite plus that there was an incredibly incredibly drunken man there when we got there at about 8:30 pm who was just behaving completely ridiculously and made us laugh. What a great night! Jen, uber-generous, bought 3 cd's for my mom, from this "Key West Cowboy" guy, just because I mentioned that she would really enjoy this guy because she loved the songs he was singing. What a sweet heart!



Another pic of their beautiful beach - I find myself constantly
snapping pics here.  Everything is just so beautiful!



(9/27) Day 5:

This morning I had a creepy little friend greet me as soon as I walked out of my room.  I really had to force myself not to scream, which is ridiculous I know.  I have this crazy fear of things that are like a one-millionth of my size, but that run/crawl very fast.  Check him out - you probably wouldn't freak out. 

Little Mr. Creepy Crawly was on the side of the rain barrel!

Today's prequel to breakfast was a blueberry scone. The flavor was great, but as I told Jen, I am a bit of a purist when it comes to scones - I don't like them with nuts in them, which this one had. But the blueberries were super juicy and the scone wasn't too heavy or sweet.



So many delicious, juicy organic blueberries!

 Breakfast was French Toast topped with strawberries and served with pineapple slices and a container of papaya (from her organic garden of course) and bananas, which was drizzled with a sweet cashew crème sauce. The French toast was super tasty as was all of the fruit. The only thing is that I have a bit of an issue when it comes to papaya. I truly feel like it smells like dirty smelly feet. Sorry, but can't help it. And that is how it was first described to me by someone, so I can't get that image out of my head. I really only like it at this point in smoothies, so I just ate around it. Sorry Jen!



Her presentation is amazing!


Today we made vegan baked donuts. Lot and lots of donuts! We made vanilla donuts, chocolate donuts and pumpkin donuts! We made different garnishes, including chocolate glaze, coconut glaze, powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar and a plain glaze. All delicious and tasty!

Glazed & Shredded Coconut Baked Donut



Chocolate Baked Donut with Chocolate Icing & Vegan Sprinkles




Cinnamon Sugar Glazed Baked Donut



Chocolate Baked Donuts with Misc. Toppings

Jen decided that we needed to take a break and actually take some time to enjoy the Florida Keys while I was there.  So, we decided to go to Key West, followed by the Vegetarian Cafe there, called appropriately, The Cafe.  It was quite delicious for the most part and we had such a good time exploring Key West and just generally behaving touristy.  The one thing I will say, however, is that it was so uncomfortably hot.  I literally had sweat dripping off my back after the first 5 minutes walking around.  Whenever we would go inside of some shop, I would sigh in bliss at the amazing coolness.  Another awesome thing we did was go to this hot sauce store.  Seriously, everything in the entire store was either bottles of hot sauce, or products that were super spicy in some way.  We literally spent like an hour looking for the place, and finally ended up finding it right before it closed, which was really lucky.  I met the owner and talked to him about being a chef in NY, and about food, etc.  I wished we would have had more time to talk to him - he was really nice.  I bought literally 7 bottles of hot sauce - it was crazy.  (As of today, the day that I am posting this, I have not even finished one full bottle of hot sauce yet, although I do have 2 containers open in my fridge.)




This city is gorgeous!  Too bad about the constant flooding :(




It was so freaking hottt!!




I love taking pictures of interesting things, telling myself I
will remember what they are later - yet I never do.




Wild chickens running through the streets!




Gotta love Hello Kitty graffiti!




Momma & her babies getting dangerously close to the street!



I love this sign!



Buffalo-Style Tofu.  Had real potential, but they didn't use
extra-firm tofu, & didn't press it, so it was awfully squishy.




Stuffed Spinach Dumplings.  Cute and tasty- loved the sauce!




Seitan Pasta Veggie Bowl.  This was pretty tasty, just in need of
some tamari - & a little more flavor for the seitan!
This literally fed me for 3 meals!




Green Tea Ice Cream with Red Bean Sauce.  Would have liked
the sauce to be saucier!



(9/28) Day 6:

Breakfast was gorgeous as usual today, but way too many carbs! That was partly my fault because I didn’t sample everything from the day before, and Jen wanted me to try everything we prepared. Pre-breakfast was a lemon poppy muffin, which I love and ate happily.



Love love love lemon poppy!


There was also a beautifully presented yogurt parfait that used the granola we had made a couple days before. I am not a huge yogurt person – never have been, but it was so tasty with the granola and fresh fruit.  And of course my pumpkin baked donut we made yesterday was there, but I couldn’t bring myself to eat it because there was still breakfast to think about – so I brought it back to my room with me for later.



Yogurt & Granola Parfait with my
Pumpkin Baked Donut




Close up of the tasty parfait


Breakfast, thankfully, was a simple affair – pancakes with shredded coconut, organic maple syrup and organic fruit. Yummy. Can never say no to some good maple syrup!



Beautifully Presented as usual.


I was reading the morning paper and made a funny discovery: I read my husband’s name in the paper – only the thing is, my husband wasn’t 79, 20 years ago, working at McDonald’s in the Florida Keys. What a funny thing! His name is pretty common, I’m guessing. So funny! Had to take a pic to show him-he thought it was hilarious!



Still can't get over how funny it is!


Jen, marvelously, gave me the rest of the day to chill out and enjoy the amazing B&B. I took full advantage of it and couldn’t believe my stay was coming to an end – way too sad. It went by far too fast! As I was changing clothes to go into the mineral salt pool and spa, Jen brought me an adorable drink. I don’t know a lot about drinks, but I am sure it was a non-alcoholic Pina Colada. All I know for sure that it was crazy delicious and amazing served while I was indulging in the pool.



So Thick and Yummy!


And all I can say about the pool and spa, was it was such a great thing to be in water that did not smell and feel deathly like Chlorine. Yuck! It was also great hanging in the pool and watching the Key deer walking by, watching me, and just hanging out. What a time!



What a beautiful tropical paradise!


For lunch, we ventured outside of the Deer Run B&B sanctuary, and went to the health food store in Marathon, called Food for Thought. The place was pristine – absolutely gorgeous, had a ton of books to choose from, a surprisingly large selection of products, and the nicest workers you will ever meet. I met a woman who was gluten free, and a new vegan and we talked for a while. I also met the owner, a tiny little thing who was very well versed in raw and she took me on a verbal tour of their kitchen. I admittedly, am not huge on raw, but ordered lunch and it was actually seriously quite good. And the thing I also liked about it was that not everything was raw, which made for a nicer texture and flavor. So I had this Mexican-style wrap with a nut “meat” filling and all of the other goodies you would expect in a taco. It was delicious. The only thing I really miss down here is a nice Hass Avocado. I really really have found that I do not like Florida avocados in the least. They are too watery and have a funky flavor, and I found myself picking them out.



The Chips were clearly not raw, and the wrap was sprouted
grain, but the filling was totally raw.



A close-up of the tasty filling.


Jen got a meat loaf type dish with raw coleslaw. She let me try a bite and it was quite good. It was a delicious and surprisingly filling lunch.



I love the presentation!


Then came dessert – a mostly raw cacao coconut pie with a date nut crust. It was very tasty, very rich and not overly sweet. I also like that the pie was frozen, because being the Keys, it was incredibly hot outside, so it really hit the spot.



Delicious!


The rest of the day we just hung out and had a good time. Then came dinner! It was Harry’s turn to make dinner. And of course it was to be made on the grill- typical guy, but I was not complaining! Grilled Asparagus and Roasted/Grilled Potatoes in a mushroom gravy with crusty bread to soak up all the delicious sauce! It was so homey-tasting, filling and delicious, and such a nice gesture on the last night!



Delicious Salad - Jen is the Queen of salads!



Wish I could have that dinner again now - it was so tasty!


And I of course had to get a picture of their amazing kitty Aggie. Such a sweetheart – I completely fell in love with her and had such a great time! Had to get her picture. I was planning on taking it home to the Hubby to further convince him that we needed a kitty – fat chance unfortunately!




Aren't I the most adorable thing in the world??




Hanging out on my favorite chair with my favorite blankie.
Look deep into my beautiful eyes!



(9/29) Day 7:

So sad to say it’s the last day. But I feel very fortunate in meeting Jen & Harry and feel like I have made friends for life. It has been such an amazing experience and I would absolutely love to come back and bring my Hubby. I know he would love them as much as I do. So, before breakfast, I went around and took my final pictures of the gorgeous B&B – Jen and Harry’s home.



Looking down from the balcony.




Goodbye little Key Deer!  I will miss you!



Sunrise.  Sigh.

Wish we could have hung out more here!

The backyard garden.



More of the gorgeous-ness behind the house.



One last look at the beautiful water.


I had a very filling breakfast of a rice scramble instead of tofu (Jen was out) – which was a great surprise. Nicely spicy. Roasted potatoes and fresh fruit went along with it, as well as homemade biscuits made with Jen’s homemade soymilk, in cute shapes, which I promptly slathered in Earth Balance. Yum!



A touch on the blurry side, but we were in a hurry!


Then Harry took me out to their organic garden to pick an unripe papaya to take home as a gift.



Picking the papaya.  I was convinced it was going to drop on my head!




Got it!


Jen also gave me a Cuban Oregano plant and several key limes, which I cannot wait to use and explore! They are crazy delicious and so cute! Then some more beautiful pics, and one with Jen. (Harry was feeling a bit camera-shy. :) Then on our way. I met their neighbor, a man in his 90’s living on his own, that they bring baked goods every day, and check up on. His name is Pop, fittingly. He was so amazing, I wish I had snapped a picture of him! He shook my hand firmly, looked me in the eye and we talked about me going back to NY (I believe he said he was originally from Philly) and seeing my Husband. He told me to go back and make Hubbs happy – what a cutie! He was married for many many years before his wife passed away. Then he told me to go ahead and go back to the “bullies” back home, which I thought was funny and cute.

Then off to the airport. On the way of course, we saw a turtle trying to make his way across the road. So, we stopped and attempted to help him, with me snapping a couple pics along the way. He was adorable!



Hey Mr. Cutie!


On the plane and back home to NY! Bye Jen and Harry and thanks again so much for sharing your home and life with me! I will never forget you guys!



Bye Jen!


Enjoy!

-Koko