Letchworth State Park

Back in Mid-September DH and I decided to take a day trip to Letchworth State Park.  Eventho I grew up in and around Western New York I never visited Letchworth.  Come to find out, I used to live about an hour away from it!  People from the Buffalo/Niagara Falls area joke that locals don't visit The Falls (or more specifically ride on The Maid of The Mist) until after we move from the area.  I guess the same could be said of Letchworth State Park.

These first two photos are part of the Glen Iris Inn at Letchworth State Park.  It was formerly the estate of William Pryor Letchworth and has been a country inn since 1914.  It overlooks the Middle Falls on the Gennessee River and overlooks Letchworth. 

Before I start posting the waterfall photos I wanted to make special mention of this area within Letchworth.  It's called Tea Table Rock area.  It's located in the Wolf Creek section of the park and named for the unusual rock formation.  In the 1920's, photographs of the scenic area were said to show the 'table' high on the edge of the cliff.  As for this specific photo that I took this is one of the many picnic areas of Tea Table.  It was an open-air pavilion.  There was a back wall with a fireplace and chimney.  The two sides were somewhat enclosed but had window frames that were cut out much like you see on this back wall...other parts of the sides had half walls that were about hip-high or so.  Where I was standing - taking the photo - that entrance side was open and exposed.  I think it was a great way for people to huddle to get away from the elements but still have open air for the nature lovers.  It looked VERY old and really took me back to a different time.

Here is a photo of some of the cliffs they were referring to.  When we went in mid-September, the leaves had yet to change...as you can see here.  It was still an amazing sight to see, tho!

I tried to take as many photos as I could before DH's patience ran thin.  There is a lower falls, middle falls, and upper falls.  The Middle Falls was the largest.  We mistakenly thought that was the Upper Falls and didn't actually make it up to the top.  I know we have to go back at some point so when we do I will report back and hopefully have more photos of that waterfall.

I know it's hard to see, but close to the middle of this photo, there is a small bridge that you can walk over.  We didn't make it over to the other side so I didn't get any photos from that area.  Again, I hope to go back and explore it more!

Here is a closer look at one of the bridges.  It's a little grainy because I zoomed in as much as I could.  Again, we didn't make it over to that side or else I would have gotten a better snapshot.

Here's another angle of the gorge area.  And another one of the many cliffs.  Overall, Letchworth State Park is nearly 14,500 acres and about 17 miles long.  It's about a 35 mile drive from Rochester and a 60 mile drive from Buffalo.

I was able to get more photos of the Middle Falls when we went.  Here is one as we were approaching.  In the upper right-hand corner, (which is actually the Portage Viaduct), you can see what looks like a bridge and/or railroad bridge way type structure or skywalk.  That area is where the Upper Falls is.

As we continued to walk, we could feel the mist of the falls.  The stone surrounding everything was truly amazing!  It was a bit windy that day and because we arrived earlier in the day it wasn't too busy YET and was a tad chilly.

I've always LOVED waterfalls!  When I saw how massive the Middle Falls were I knew I had to take as many pictures as possible!  I'm bummed we didn't make it to the Upper Falls that day.  Letchworth State Park is also known as the "Grand Canyon of the East".

Here's a side-shot of the Middle Falls.  I read that as many as 50 waterfalls found on tributaries that flow into Gennessee River.  In some places, the rock walls are over 550 feet high!  I had a lot of fun that day and can't wait to go back!

Weekend Re-Cap in Photos!

Saturday I decided to take a short drive up to Kinzua Dam.  I didn't go to the actual Dam but the Big Bend Area. 

If I were to actually make a stop at the Dam I would be in a Parking Lot or at the Bridge going over top of the Dam that you see here. 

I wanted to do some thinking.  I also wanted to take some photos.  It's been a while since my last stop up there.  It's one of those places that people from far away visit often but the locals don't usually frequent.

If you visit my Instagram Account you can see more photos and even a short video, too!

The weather was gorgeous that day!  It seemed like it was the perfect temperature.  It wasn't muggy (like it has been most of the time the last couple years in the summertime) and it had just the right amount of breeze.  As you can see from the photos...the skies were blue and had some lovely, light clouds.

This photo is looking down 'water' from the Dam from the same spot.  One of these days I might go up to the Dam and the Bridge area and take some more photos to post here.

I wanted to go over to a small waterfall that is tucked off the road into the Allegheny National Forest a bit but ran out of time.

We left our house to make a quick trip up to the Buffalo area and stopped at The Pizza Plant for an early dinner.  Of course, I'm always excited because they not only have Vegan Pizza - they have Vegan Cheese for their Vegan Pizza!  I wanted to do a different topping for it this time around, tho.  Usually, I opt for Tomatoes or Mushrooms.  This time I went with the Artichokes.  It was fantastic!  I ate it for 4 meals!

Driving back wasn't fun.  There was a lot of construction.  We made a mistake with a detour and went about a half hour out of our way.  Oops!

Here's a close-up of an individual piece in case you're interested.

In other news...I've decided to take on another volunteering project.  This past month The Dyslexic Advantage eNewsletter was asking for volunteers to voice certain articles of their monthly online magazine.  I figured since I'm in radio full-time and have access to the equipment both at work and at home, I thought it was something I could easily do.  Plus, I have been wanting to get more involved in advocating for Dyslexics (since I, too, am one).

This past Thursday, there was a chair meeting for our Zonta Club.  It was a real eye-opener about just how much we do in our area.  I hope to help get the word out more about the efforts.  In the meantime, I was asked to chair the Service Committee so I'm looking forward to that, too!

Another thing we did this past weekend was stop in to our some-what-new, local Ollie's Bargain Outlet and we found some extra large fuzzy blankets for cheap.  We bought them and some other stuff for the house and I have to say that the blankets are a HIT with the dogs!  They LOVE them!

Here is a photo of Cricket sleeping on my lap...on the new blanket, of course.

What did you do over the weekend!?

VEGAN Smoked Gouda Beer Cheese, Recent Finds, & Power Bowl!

I'm going to hop around in this post but for good reason and that reason is this Vegan Smoked Gouda Beer Cheese I made literally just minutes ago!

But before I get to the recipe I have some 'explaining to do'.

For a week now I have been talking about our last trip over to Ohio and our visit to Mustard Seed Market, well, I have some new-to-me items to blog about along with some additional finds from my travels today!

First up...I FINALLY got my hands on Daiya's Smoked Gouda!  I have been searching for this stuff for about 8 months and I was able to find it at Mustard Seed Market in Solon, Ohio!  That's about 3 hours from my home so this will be a treat until I find it closer.  I have to say I'm a HUGE fan already!  It might be a good thing that I don't have access to this vegan cheese often or I would probably have to eat it daily.  I ate about half of it in small chunks as a side to my meals but I wanted to try to make something with it, too, so I ended up making a Gouda Beer Cheese - VEGAN!

Another item I found at Mustard Seed Market that I had not tried before was the So Delicious Coconut Milk Unsweetened Yogurt Alternative.  I know I am probably one of the last of our blogging buddies to try this but I'm still glad I was able to!  My first go-around with this wasn't a great one but that was totally operators error!  This time around it was a GREAT SUCCESS!  I also used this in my Vegan Smoked Gouda Beer Cheese!

So...here's the recipe...

10 T Light Beer
1 T Flour
1/2 Block Daiya Smoked Gouda, Shredded
2 T Plain, Unsweetened Vegan Yogurt
Yellow Mustard (Very Small Squirt)*
Smoked Paprika*

* = or to taste

If you would like this thicker just add a little bit more flour.

This was OUT OF THIS WORLD if I do say so myself!

Today we took another day trip - this time to the outskirts of Buffalo - more specifically West Seneca.  We went to a few music stores, a HUGE Wegmans, Feel Rite - which is a natural foods and vitamin type store, and a Halal Grocery Store.  We also went to Taste of India.  I asked them about their vegan options and after a long list I chose to go with their Chana Masala.  I brought the leftovers home for dinner.

While we were at Feel Rite I grabbed a Meyer Lemon Kevita.  I haven't seen this one where I live so I wanted to grab it.  I think I have a new favorite!  Then again, I'm partial to Meyer Lemons.

The other night I threw a bowl together for dinner.  This isn't the greatest photo but it was a tasty bowl.

I found at my local Shurfine Market a Wild Rice and Veggie Blend in the frozen foods section.  I found some flatbread that I toasted, and a half of avocado.  I also threw in the rest of the Pizza Hummus from the night before.

I still have LOTS to share over the last couple of weeks but I think I will stop there for today.

Laos Style (Cheater) Pumpkin Coconut Soup, Veggie Based Vegan Cheese Sauce, Cashew Sun Dried Tomato Topped Veggie Ravioli, & Tribute to Buffalo Broadcasting Legend!

It was 3 below zero when I left the house this morning on my last 'day off' of the year.  It's beyond cold - it's damn frigid!   I've said it before and I will say it again and again - I hate winter!  The only thing it's good for is SOUP!

This was inspired by Vegan Street Food by Jackie Kearney that I obtained a while back.  It's loosely based on her Laos-Style Roasted Pumpkin, Coconut, and Chili Soup.  But I changed it so much that I thought it would be ok to share my recipe and take on it with you!  I have 2 photos here - one in a bowl and one in a mug!  The one you see here has an added nutmeg sprinkle on top!

My take on the ingredients:

1 Can Pumpkin Puree
1 Can Lite Coconut Milk
1 T Vegan Broth/Powder
1/2 t Minced Garlic
1/2 t Minced Onion
1 T Grapeseed Oil
Sea Salt to taste*
Pinch Cayenne

As many of you know I don't add much sea salt to my foods and when I do it's not even a pinch.  But here I used about 1/2 t or so and it was tasty!

Yet another Vegan Cheese Sauce on this spiral!  Here's what I threw in my blender for this...
2 C Potatoes
1/2 C Water
1/4 C Grapeseed Oil
1 T Lemon Juice
2 Carrots
1 C Corn
1/4 C Nutritional Yeast
Handful of Cashews
1/4 t each of: Onion, Garlic, Turmeric, Paprika, Vegan Stock/Powder, Yellow Mustard, Apple Cider Vinegar, Sea Salt (or to taste)

Check out this super creamy Cashew & Sun Dried Tomato Sauce I made to top the Engine 2 Diet Roasted Veggie Ravioli I found at the Buffalo Whole Foods the last time I went!  I did a basic Cashew Sauce with Cashews, Water, and Lemon Juice.  I added in about 5 Sun Dried Tomatoes and blended.  On top of that you will see that I sprinkled Smoked Paprika and Parsley on it, too!  YUM!  A closer look - see below!

I know I'm jamming a lot in to one post here but I have a lot of catching up to do!  Sorry about that!

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by Engine 2's Roasted Veggie Ravioli.  There was a slight kick to the veggie mixture inside the Rav's which was neat!  This creamy, smoky, tangy sauce accompanied it well, too!

I wasn't able to find a good pic of the packaging but here's a visual for you...

This is the first product I have been able to find other than a package of the wraps which I wasn't thrilled with.  This Roasted Vegetable Whole Wheat Ravioli - on the other hand - was pretty tasty!  Yes...it did have the stereotypical whole wheat ravioli pasta texture but the veggie mixture inside greatly made up for it.  And the sauce was a nice finishing touch - if I do say so myself!

Before I end this post I wanted to insert a video from the other day.  It's about 9 minutes but worth it especially if you are in radio, TV, or from the Buffalo area.  It's a tribute to Irv Weinstein - a Buffalo Broadcasting LEGEND would passed away the day after Christmas from complications of ALS (AKA Lou Gehrig's Disease).  I grew up with this guy!  He was a staple in the Western New York Community and a life-long radio and TV guy!  He had a heart of gold and touched the lives of many.  When he retired back in '98 he was hardly able to make it thru his final broadcast before retiring.  Have 9 minutes?  I would love you to check it out!

3 New-To-Me Products I've Enjoyed Lately

I still have LOTS to catch up on but wanted to hurry up and post about 3 products that I have enjoyed lately.

The first being this Organic Cranberry Spiced Apple Kombucha from Trader Joe's in Rochester.

It was pretty strong for a nice kick in the pants! BAM!

Next up...

So Delicious Cheddar Shreds!  Yes!  So Delicious!  I found them at the Whole Foods Market in Buffalo!  And OMG I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE it!  It smells more cheddary than anything else I have ever smelled vegan-cheese-wise.  There is more of a TANG to it than other vegan cheeses, too!  I do LOVE Daiya Shreds - but - dare I say I enjoy THESE shreds more?  Possibly.  I'm upset that I only bought 1 bag because I know I won't be able to find any anywhere near me.  I've been Googling this and any online announcements only date back to mid-August and Mid September so this HAS to be a NEW product!

And speaking of Daiya...OMG...I'm in LOVE with their new Alfredo Sauce!  This is so creamy and so rich and so YUM!  I found it at Wegman's in Lakewood a few months ago and just got rid of the box last week because I was going thru my kitchen and pitching it.  It's not unusual for me to keep a label or box of something I enjoy to remind myself to pick it up again the next time I see it but I will NOT be forgetting about this little gem anytime soon so I figured it was safe to part ways with the box!

QUESTION OF THE DAY...what are the last 3 new-to-you-productions that have been memorable for you?

Road Trip to Rochester & Buffalo: Pi-Craft, New Whole Foods Market, and Wind Farms!

This past weekend DH and I were headed to Woodmere, OH, and decided to change directions and head to Rochester, NY, instead.  We wanted to get the Abarth out before winter, too!  When we got to Rochester we visited 2 Music Stores he wanted to go to and we stopped at a place called Pi-Craft for lunch.  It was WONDERFUL!  Basically, you put the toppings that you want on your pizza and they Stone Fire it in 3 to 6 minutes!  They had VEGAN options!  So as you can see here I opted for the Vegan Cheese, Sauce, Tomato, Artichoke, Mushrooms, Spinach, Garlic, etc.

Come to find out not only do they have a location in Rochester - they have another one in Buffalo!  I'm sure we will be stopping at the Buffalo Location in the future!  While we were in Rochester we briefly stopped at Trader Joe's.  I only bought 3 items one of which was their Apple Cranberry BOOCH.  It was a strange trip because we kept changing our direction throughout the trip.  We ended up in Buffalo on our way home.  I found out they finally opened the new Whole Foods Market there so we stopped real quick and it was unlike any other WF's I have seen!

I bought some things there but totally forgot to take photos before putting it away!  Oops!  This store was HUGE!  In this 2nd pic if you look to the far left there is a restaurant and bar there with local brews.  We weren't able to stop to eat there but it looked really neat.  We might be going to Buffalo on the 23rd with my parents who are looking into a camper so I might see if we can stop there again!

Because we were driving all over the place I can't really tell you an exact location where we started seeing these Wind Turbines and Wind Farms but I know one of the many locations was in or around Warsaw, NY.   There were HUNDREDS of them all over the place.  I've seen them in other places here and there but on this trip, we were certainly in the core of the Wind Farm zone.

Agree or Disagree with them - it was certainly not something most of us see every day!  

Again, I have multiple posts today so be sure to scroll down.  I just couldn't wait to share my vegan pizza with you or the mention of the new WF's in Buffalo!

CHEERS!

Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar Drink & YouTuber of the Moment

My first attempt at Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar Drink - Apple Cinnamon Flavor:

16 Ounces Water

4 T Apple Cider Vinegar

8 Ounces Apple Juice

3 tea Agave

2 tea Lemon Juice

1/2 tea Cinnamon

I feel this was a success!  And the timing was PERFECT because I just ran out of a 32 Ounce Guava and Black Tea Juice I bought from Trader Joe's!

Last night I discovered the YouTube Channel of No Egg Craig!  Apparently I'm a little bit behind with my discovery but I thought it was still worth a mention!  As I binged watched several videos I noticed something his family and I had in common (other than eating vegan, that is) it was the Buffalo to Syracuse Accent!  I had a hunch he was closer to the Syracuse area and sure enough I was right!  Come to find out he's not too far from The Vegan Zombie guys!  Gotta LOVE those 'Hard A's" in the Syracuse and Buffalo Accent!  I still can't shake it myself!

I'm totally LOVING this channel because he does a lot of shopping at Aldi and Budget Friendly Videos!  After watching a few of his quick meals I realized I'm not the only one who does creative quick meals that non-vegans may find a little CRAZY.  One of them I haven't tried and MUST is the Pumpkin Oats he does often and is featured in this video!

Happy Veterans Day & Buffalo Bills Game Day

Happy Veterans Day!  Special THANKS to all the veterans out there on this and everyday!  My father was in the Navy during the Vietnam years and he was on the USS Kitty Hawk during that time.  His father served during WWII and was in the Army.  I have other friends and relatives that have served too!  I appreciate them everyday!

This past Sunday my mom, dad, sister, and I went to the Buffalo Bills Game and this was a memorable site to see.  Soldiers HUNDREDS of them bought out a flag that stretched the entire length of the field.

This was one of the few games I have attended that we actually WON.  We were in a box which is always nice!  I piled up on Nachos and topped them with various veggies, salsas, and even a dry coleslaw with a subtle vinegar base.

It was a wonderful fall day for a football game, too!  The sun was shining brightly and it wasn't all that cold considering what time of year it was and us being in Buffalo, NY.

It was nice spending time with my mom, dad, and sister.  This upcoming weekend I will have more time with my mom and dad (and maybe sister) as we will be going to see Meatloaf LIVE in concert!  I'm excited to see him perform!  As you can see here we are all decked out in our BILLS gear!  And YES I am still rockin' the glasses!  My eyes are feeling better overall but I'm still not loving the fact I am wearing glasses instead of contacts.  I think it's probably better for me and my health in the long run having NOT to put plastic IN my eyes - if you know what I mean.

I'm trying to get more family photos these days!  Starting at the game and flowing on to the car ride home my sister and I 'got a little silly' and took pic after pic of the two of us.  It was pretty fun.

As you can see my sister is more of a girlie girl than I am.  She LOVES the color pink whereas I can't stand to wear it.  Even though my sister and I have a lot of opposites we are still very much a like in other ways.

I keep coming back to this photo that we took in the car and I filtered it black and white.  It's not the most clear photo but I love the way it turned out with our smiles and the sunlight.  I love how we are being a bit goofy, too!

We all have to be a bit goofy from time to time, don't you agree?

If you are looking for MWM (MidWeek Munchies) keep scrolling...I did TWO posts, today!  I also would like to say CONGRATS to Kelsea who was the winner of the MyKind Organics Multi-Women's 40+.

Vegan MoFo ~ Traditional Local Foods

Today's Vegan MoFo Prompt has to do with traditional local foods.  Since I'm originally from the Buffalo, NY, area - which is the birth place of Buffalo Wings - I really wasn't sure what to post for today.  I knew I HAD to post about a local product and favorite FRANKS HOT SAUCE and that is where the beginning of my thought process started with this one.

Sure there are vegan alternatives to look into for vegan Buffalo Wings such as this one...and they aren't bad...considering I'm not much for fake meats.  I have tried this product a time or two and will consume in a pinch.

But I have been making my own versions of Buffalo Sauce with some success!

And a recipe I am very proud of...Vegan Cauliflower Bites...which is a much better version that we can make at home with plant based ingredients!  

So...if I am working on a local traditional dish for the prompt I guess this would be it.  I no longer reside in the Buffalo area but visit as often as I can.  Where I live now there aren't any real traditional dishes for the area to speak of.  I even tried to search Erie, PA because I am fairly close to that city and still don't know what I would consider to be native to Erie as far as foods are concerned (other than Smith's Hot Dogs and NO those aren't vegan).

In other news...I thought I would share a new product with you today.  Check these out!  I just gnawed on them and they didn't last long!  They are from Awesome Foods based out of Bridgeport, PA, and raw and vegan.  I got them from my recent shipment from The Raw Food World and I can't wait to check out more of their products soon!

WNY VegFest - Part II - The Juices & Food!

Today's post is all about the juices and food we had at WNY VegFest on Sunday!  Be sure to scroll down for the speakers and other photos from yesterday!

As for the first photo in this post I HAD to give major shout outs to the folks at Ashker's Juice Bar in Buffalo!  They really pumped up VegFest full of color with their juices!  It was so awesome seeing so many people walking around with fresh juiced juices!  I really hope more juice business start opening up in the region!

Check out this first one...Heated Heart...with beet, carrot, lemon, sage, apple, and ginger!  It was SO tempting...I almost bought one but decided on a different one which you will see in a moment.

The one on the right of this photo is the one I opted for it was called Clean Greens and it had cucumber, kale, celery, apple, parsley, and mint!
It was FAB.

I wanted to try all of them!  As you can see there was a Zinger that had orange, lemon, carrot, apple, and ginger.  Then there was one called Golden Child and that one had gold beet, ginger, carrot, apple, and turmeric.

As you can see in the back there is a sign for their newest addition and I just HAD to get that, too!  That was the Watermelon Slushie and it had Watermelon, Lemon, cucumber, apple, and beet and it was AMAZING!

Here's a pic of me with the Watermelon Slushie with my green juice in tow.  We saved that for the upcoming speaker.  My sister and I both had some but I probably drank 75% of it to her 25%.  It was great!

My sister doesn't like watermelon - actually it doesn't like her.  My father has the same problem.  Not me...I could live off of it.  My mom and I usually treat ourselves when watermelon season is here.

We were sitting in a grassed area re-grouping before the speakers.  What you can't see in this photo is that we were watching and listening to one of the musicians on their outdoor stage.

The weather was great this year and I really think there were at least 5 (if not 10) times the amount of people at the event this year!

This was one of the first things we had when we first got to VegFest!  It was from a local bakery D & M Confections!  This is their Vegan Oatmeal Blueberry Banana Cupcake!  It was YUMMY!  My sister and I split this, too!

I don't usually eat sweets mostly because there are no local vegan dessert options near me and I'm certainly NOT a baker!

D & M Confections is located in Tonawanda, NY, and about 2 hours from where I live.  It's not a 100% vegan bakery but at least they have options, right?  I will say that THIS option was awesome!

The color was out of this world, too!

Taking a look at the Food and Food Trucks this year!  This place was there last year, too!  I was tempted by many of their menu items and probably would have ate more if I could but it seemed like we were eating and drinking all day!

The BEST part - at VegFest - everything is VEGAN - so I don't really have to think too much about what I can eat!  YAY!  I know this might sound silly to some people but where I live that isn't the case often!

There was at least 1 food truck that was missing from the previous year but there were many new food vendors this year which was AWESOME!  And some of them weren't even trucks but tents regardless the options were terrific!  There was a stand that did vegan nachos and another that had vegan ice cream.  I would have gotten some ice cream but didn't want to walk around and eat a cone.

Amy's Place in Buffalo was there with Amy's Truck!  Years ago I visited Amy's Place and LOVED it!  The truck stop was packed so we didn't grab food from there but I want to visit their location again, soon!

There were representatives from Strong Hearts Cafe in Syracuse, NY, at the event and I wasn't able to meet Joel but I saw him there!  My sister and I are planning a day trip to Syracuse with Strong Hearts Cafe in mind and top priority!  I'm sure we will find other things to do while we are there, too!  It's about a 3 and a half hour drive but I know it will be FUN!

One tent we did stop at for food was this place!  The SoHo Project!  The one guy was telling a fellow festival go-er that it was a proof of concept type food business.  The business helps their non-profit and the non-profit is to help animals.  I loved the idea!

My sister and I each had a quinoa bowl from here which you will see mine in just a moment.  We both opted for the Cilantro Lime Dressing.  Mine with WITH jalapenos and my sister's was WITHOUT.

My sister said it was one of the BEST quinoa bowls she's ever had!  In addition to quinoa it had black beans, avocado, corn, lime, cilantro, and lettuce!

We didn't get a "candy" apple but they sounded wonderful!

And here's what my quinoa bowl looked like!

All I want to eat now is variations of quinoa bowls!  They were so tasty!  I do make them often so it's not that much of a stretch to do them but it's nice to try other people's bowls, too, right?

So as you can see we had plenty to eat and drink during WNY VegFest!  It was bigger and better than last year and I know it will just continue to grow and I'm so excited about that!

I still have at least one more blog post I will be doing about VegFest so stay tuned!  I want to share many of the vendors that were there, too!