Are You Smuggling Seitan Sausages or Just Happy To See Me?

I really bombed the last few weeks of mofo so I am going to try to make up for them. I am still on a budget and trying to make the most of the cookbooks and ingredients I already have. You should do it even if you aren't on a budget since wasting food is terrible and sleeping on your cookbooks can really bum you out when you realize all the awesome stuff you could be making.

I have been in love with seitan since some time last year when I finally switched over to the "steam team" and had great results. Even though its really easy and you can do a bunch of other things while you wait for them to cook, I don't make seitan as often as I should. I have been wanting breakfast/brunch type foods so when I flipped through Vegan Brunch I knew it was time to get of the dime and make the "Chorizo Sausages."

These came out great. I love that they have the flavor of chorizo but without all of the grease. I halved the crushed red pepper and avoided the cayenne because I didn't want them to be too hot. I'm building my spice tolerance but since I was planning on serving these to my niece I wanted her to be able to enjoy them too. Whenever I make seitan, we call it "meat log" so I asked her if she wanted to try the "meat log". She loved it. I asked her if it was too spicy and she said it had a little kick to it but it was really good. She had a few little slices while I was prepping and we made some chorizo/cheese cracker sammiches too. I really wanted to make a frittata but it was just too warm this week so I am going to make the "Taquitos with Chorizo and Potatoes" from Viva Vegan instead. There's a chorizo recipe in that book too!

Vegan Mofo VI- Day 21: So Where's the Lebanese Delight?*

With yet another change in weather and my current state of yuckiness, I just knew I would have to make soup this week. I already had my grocery list written up but I decided to take a quick flip through one of my recipe binders for a soup recipe that didn't require me to buy too many new items. I passed over one of my favorite lentil soup recipes because I like to only make new recipes during mofo. You never know when you might meet a new favorite, right? I chose another recipe that sounded good and added those ingredients to my list. After the first grocery trip I hadn't found anything I needed for that recipe and I was having second thoughts about it. What if I didn't like it? I would be wasting so much food. Before we hit the next store I grabbed Appetite for Reduction off my shelf and looked at those soup recipes. I was pretty sure I'd only made two of them so the rest were fair game. I quickly decided upon "Arabian Lentil & Rice Soup" since it was what I wanted and it slightly resembled the soupI would have made if not for my "rules" about repeats.

Even though there were some similar ingredients between the two recipes, I vote this one to be my new favorite forever. The other recipe is still awesome, but this one is just a teensy bit awesomer. Maybe it's the carrots, or the rice, the combo lemon zest and lemon juice. I cannot get enough of it. I had a small serving to take a photo before I walked the dog and I had some more when I came home. I would go back for thirds but I want to save some for tomorrow and the rest of the week. I really want to tell my sister how good it came out and share with her, but I am tempted to keep it to myself so I can have more awesome soup. What a dilemma!

*In the recipe intro, Isa mentions how there are so many great Lebanese restaurants in PDX, which makes me think of Mary and Mustafa in the movie Party Girl. I need a huge push to at least apply to a grad program!

M'damn Curry

I didn't drink a single green smoothie last week and began to worry about all the spinach that I was on the verge of wasting. I remembered I had copied a recipe from an Indian cookbook that sounded good, but while I was looking for that, I found the copies I had made from VWAV, which included the recipe for "Chickpea and Spinach Curry". Having had an imaginary and unfounded curry aversion in the past, I had not tried this recipe yet. It was the perfect thing to make use of all that spinach and help me get over my picky food past. For the record, I used to have a copy of the book, but I loaned it out and I have a feeling I may not ever see it again. I made a few copies to tide me over until I can buy another copy of one of my favorite cookbooks ever. You should buy it if you don't already have it!

I took a quick glance at the recipe and I seemed to have everything I needed, except for the asafoetida, which was optional, phew! It wasn't until I got further along that I realized I was missing something else, cardamom pods. I have whole nutmeg and cinammon sticks but no cardamom pods! I ran to the computer to see if I could use ground cardamom instead, even though it wouldn't be nearly as good, I had to try. I think it turned out well, but of course, will be even better next time when I have taken a better look at the ingredient list (and the cupboard!) before starting. Luckily I still had some basmati rice that I managed to cook without messing it up. I haven't cooked rice since college so it doesn't come quite as easily to me these days.

I can't wait to try more recipes like this, that push me out of my old comfort zone and give me more delicious options. I love Indian food when I am out, but I've not given much effort to making my own at home. I'd love to make my own naan, and even more than that, dosas. After I get enough practice it would be really fun to have a little theme dinner, hopefully with leftovers for lunch.

"I Wanna Dip My Balls In It!"*

My sister decided to have a small get together to share a photo project she worked on throughout March, so she enlisted me to help with the food. She requested the "Smoky Curls" and "Great Smoky Mountain Cheeze" from Vegan Diner and the rest was up to me. I wanted everything to be easy to grab and go but also wanted it to be cute and impossible to resist. I knew for sure I would make Oreo truffles, which set me on a path of small, ball type snacks. I offered to make chocolate dipped macaroons but she said she'd prefer the truffles. 

I wanted one more poppable dessert so I decided to make the "Cookie Dough Scoops" from VCIYCJ.  I have really underused that book so I was excited to try a new recipe. Plus, it gave me a chance to use the new hand mixer I bought myself for Mother's Day. It's so much better than the one I had been using, plus it's my very own which makes it so much more fun to use. I don't have my own kitchen (yet) but at least I have my own equipment.

I am still working on my chocolate dipping "skills". I've gotten better but still have a way to go. I dipped all the oreo truffles while the cookie dough scoops were in the freezer. I think I had about 4 dozen of each so that was a lot of dipping. I originally planned to cover the cookie dough bites completely but ended up just dipping the bottoms in chocolate like the recipe suggests. They're so yummy. I can't wait to mix them up with some ice cream.

I put them in mini cupcake wrappers so they would look fancier on the table. I wanted to bring s'mores bars too, but I just didn't have time to make them on Sunday. I ended up making them yesterday before work so I shared some with my co-worker and brought the rest to my sister's for our slumber party.  Even though I've made and enjoyed all these sweets the last few days I have actually been eating a lot healthier lately. I am working really hard to get my weight down so I can eventually get off of my blood pressure medication. I am going to kick it's asparagus!

*if you don't know, now you know. 

It's Cookie Time!

Girl Scout cookies are everywhere and I really want to support the troops, but since there are two different bakeries, it can be tough to find the vegan cookies in your area. I haven't been hit up by the girls in green as hard as I have the past few years, so when two adorable little girls came into the library with their order forms I couldn't say no. Fortunately for my waistline, they did not have the cookies I could eat, but I still bought some to pawn off on the rest of my family. For a second I wished I had ordered my own five boxes, but then I remembered what little restraint I have when it comes to sweets.

I wanted to make the Lazy Samoas from VCIYCJ for my niece's award ceremony after party on Tuesday but I wasn't able to finish them on time. I had never used coconut oil before and didn't know to try warming/softening it up in my hands before adding it to the mixture so it did not get mixed in as thoroughly as I would have liked but since I was running low on time and patience, I kept going. I barely got them out of the oven and onto racks before it was time to leave. Don't worry, I was already bringing about 4 dozen chocolate chip cookies, 2 dozen chocolate cupcakes and 2 dozen jelly donut cupcakes, so we were not short on treats.

I did the dipping and "drizzling" the next day before work. I know to use a shallower container next time. I got way more chocolate on my hands than on the cookies. I also overdippped the bottoms so there was not as much chocolate left for the drizzling. But, who cares? They came out awesome and I can't wait to make them again. Maybe with some other GS-type cookies since many bloggers have been posting recipes the past few weeks. I can't talk about girls selling cookies without giving a shout out to Troop Beverly Hills!

Scrambled Torts are Tops!

The more I cook from Vegan Brunch, the more I fall in love with it. I get into a bad habit where I have a few favorites I make over and over and forget that there are 40 or 50 more recipes in that book I can try. I'd been meaning to make the "Scrambled Tortillas" for a while, and actually bought all the ingredients to make it last week, but it was just too hectic and it didn't happen. This week I got back on track and put them back on the menu. They will definitely be on the repeat list.

As much as I love one-pot cooking, I will bust out three pans and a blender to make this. Even though it uses a few more dishes than I would like, none of the steps are too hard and it doesn't take very much time. And if you are a "clean as I go" person, you shouldn't have too much of a mess by the time you are finished. Or even better, you can sucker someone else into doing the dishes for you. Food is always a good bribe.

This dish reminded me of chilaquiles, which I love, but with potatoes thrown in to make it even more yummy. I tried to present it as prettily as possible, garnishing with green onions and avocado, but the next time I eat it, it's all getting piled into a bowl and heading straight for my belly. ¡Buen Provecho!

Did You Say Cookies?

 I've slacked on holiday baking the past few years so I think I made up for it when I made four different kinds of cookies and they were all delicious. I made my most requested chocolate chip cookies from The The Joy of Vegan Baking and the Mexican Wedding Cakes from a tattered piece of paper in my mom's recipe box. There are recipes for both of these in Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar that I should also try since they are probably equally, if not more, amazing. Since I make those two every year, I wanted to add some variety and try at least one cookie that would challenge me. Done and done!

The Chocolate Fudgy Oatmeal Cookies from VCIYCJ are serious crowd pleasers. Everyone who tried these was in love at first bite, no joke. I tested one while transferring from sheet to rack and immediately texted my sister something like, "these cookies are effin' bomb". I can't do an exact quote because I am smart and deleted all my text messages yesterday. Anyway, these are incredibly rich but without being too much, if that makes sense. You can probably get away with only eating one, but you'll be back in half an hour for another fix. Make these when you want to win someone over or just to hang onto what you've already got. They're that good, promise.

For my "challenging" cookie I wanted to do the Starry Fudge Shortbread, but freaked out that piping cookie dough and making ganache, each for the first time, would be pushing it. So I made the variation with candied cherries instead and they were still good. My piping skills are still under construction so I hope to do much better next time. I really want to try the ganache version soon, but I am almost out of buttery sticks. I think I had five at the beginning of the month and now I only have one, one and half at the most. Maybe I won't feel I have to bake as much in 2012 now!

Gingerbread, Gingerbread, Gingerbread Rocks!

I spent all day Saturday in the kitchen getting ready for my Tia's Tamale Party. She makes so much food for everyone, there is no way I expect her to make something special for a small group of vegans. I usually bring a snack or a dessert but this year I wanted to do both. I made Jackfruit Carnitas from The Vegan Girl's Guide To Life and the Gingerbread Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World. I also had two pots of frijoles cooking, but didn't have time to refry them in time for them to make it to the party. I really tried to fit too much into a day so I had to pack up the icing and ginger pieces to decorate the cupcakes at the party. Nobody minded since they were delicious, but I will remember to pare down the menu if I don't have enough time. I can't believe I thought I could make two desserts, but the strawberry cupcakes I planned for Saturday are in the oven right now and they smell yummy. Cookies are going in next.

There's not much to say about these cupcakes except that they are amazing. Until about a year ago I hardly ate anything with ginger in it. Now I can't get enough of it. The lemon is the perfect compliment, which I would never have figured out on my own, luckily I have Isa and Terry to teach me everything! If you don't already own VCTOTW, I highly recommend you get yourself a copy (or make someone buy it for you!). There are 75 recipes and I've only tried 8 in the three years I've owned the book. I've got a lot of catching up to do, but you can enjoy this book, and the cupcake goodness for many years. I only made two dozen of this recipe, so I might make some again for Christmas if I have time. I would eat these any time of the year, but that's just how I do. Enjoy!

"Anytime Of The Day Is A Good Time For Pie"

 Fabienne couldn't have been more right. When I made these pies sometimes I would have a slice after breakfast, sometimes after dinner and other times when I happened to pass the table and couldn't wait for any better time than the present.

If you're pie-shy, you will have to get a copy of Vegan Pie In the Sky and get over it. Before the book came out, I hadn't attempted pies in about ten years because the few attempts I made ended in failure. Now I am well on my way to becoming a pie professional. What I'm most excited about is that the substitutions for pie are much easier than for cupcakes or cookies, so it's even easier to trick and appease omni's now. My mom is totally sold on vegan pies, which is great because as amazing as they are, the other baked goods were a hard sell. Now I know I don't have to eat a whole pie by myself, even though I could if I had to.

I made "She's My Cherry Pie" and the "Chocolate Mousse Tart". They both turned out lovely. Now that I had the correct pan my tart shell turned out just right. I still have to master pressing it into the pan more evenly, but that will come with time. For the cherry pie, I did get crazy with the cutters, so I know to ease up on that for next time. Also, for the first time, I broke the rules and did not trim my crust before crimping it, so it got too crispy. I flaked it off and still had a decent amount of crust, but I definitely learned my lesson.

I can't wait to make more pies from this book. I am thinking of doing the Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Pie next, but I haven't seen rhubarb at the stores so I might have to do strawberry hand pies instead. That would be the perfect excuse to use the mini lattice pie mold I found at TJ Maxx a month ago. Save room for pie!

Gobble Gobble Gobble

This Maple Pecan Pie was my first recipe from Vegan Pie In The Sky. I've never had pecan pie but have wanted some since last holiday season when my friend told me how good they are. I was always so content with pumpkin I foolishly did not give any other pies a chance. I think this is going to be the beginning of a life-long affair. In fact, I'm not sure I can wait two more days to try this gorgeous pie. The only thing stopping me is thinking of how tacky I will look showing up to my aunt's with just half a pie, or only a wedge for my grandma. If you don't have enough for sharing, don't bring it, right?

My sister and niece are allergic to nuts so I'll  have other options for them. I'm going to make two rounds of Susan Voisin's Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake. It's a favorite and I've made it every year since first discovering it. I want to have my niece help me make some sugar cookies with the harvest cutters I bought (leaf, turkey, pumpkin). I'm cheating with a packaged mix for those. I might to give the VPITS Chocolate Mousse Tart another try tomorrow. I've never done tarts before, but I think the biggest mistake was using a flan tin that had a really light bottom (almond colored). I have a square 9" quiche pan that might work better but I'm not sure it's deep enough, so I might just scrap the whole thing and try again when I get the right pan. I only made the shell and noticed it was uneven and burned in some parts so good thing I didn't waste the mousse ingredients too!

Anyhow, I am really happy with how my pie turned out. It was only my second attempt at pie crust so I know they will get better as time goes on. I can't wait to perfect my crimping skills. I can't believe I've been in the kitchen all day long today. I'm going to have some of the "Lotsa Veggies Lentil Soup" I made last night, walk Penny and take it easy for the rest of the evening. I have a lot to do tomorrow!

Vegan Mofo V Day 27: It's Easy Being Green

If you were traumatized by soggy brussels sprouts as a kid, I apologize. I never had them until I was an adult, and luckily they were quite scrumptious. That is largely due to Heidi Swanson at 101 Cookbooks, which is one of my favorite blogs ever! Anyhow, if you've had them before and hated them, I beg you to try them at least one more time before you write them off for good.

Tonight I made the "Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Garlic" from VWAV. I will duck and cover while admitting it's the first time I've made them. Can I make up for that by saying it definitely will not be the last time. Hot damn were these good! I ate the whole pan, minus one, by myself. My mom tried a bite but didn't really like it. Oh well, more for me! I finished roasting them and tried a few morsels before taking P for her nightly walk. When I got back I popped the rest in the toaster oven, planning to eat them during Parks and Rec.

It was a good plan, until I came back and saw the plate I toasted them on broke during the process. It's an old thrift store plate that my sister bought some years ago and it already had some cracks in it. Maybe it was glued back together at some point. I have no idea and it was not my smartest kitchen move lately, that's for sure. I'm glad she wasn't planning on taking the plate with her when she moved, but this is the second one I've broken this month so I do feel bad about it. However I found two really cute xmas plates for myself at  the thrift store today so maybe I was subconsciously making room for those? Probably not.

We have a new inhabitant I'd like you to meet. S/he doesn't have a name yet, but I discovered him/her some time last week and finally snagged a photo tonight. I'd never seen one before so I was super excited. My mom will be thrilled that the cricket population will be under control, but I am a little sad because I love those little creatures too.

Vegan Mofo V Day 22 : Time for Treats

We're having our Friday "Dinner and a Movie" tonight since last night was too hectic. Since my sister is cooking dinner, I decided I would make dessert. We won't have any of the kids next weekend so this is kind of our last Halloween hurrah.

I did chocolate cupcakes with orange-ish buttercream on top, both recipes from VCTOTW of course. Then I put chocolate sprinkles on top of that. I don't have a proper cupcake carrier (yet) so they don't look very pretty in the makeshift rig I've got going right now. I didn't want to do the sprinkles on the table and make a bigger mess than I already had.

When I told my sister the cupcake idea she wasn't too thrilled. I took it the wrong way and got upset for a minute until she reminded me that we had chocolate cupcakes a few weeks ago and again a few days ago from the bakery. It was a good point, but not as good as the argument that you can never really have too many cupcakes of any kind. She suggested cookie sammiches, but I wasn't really in the mood for those. I wanted to practice my piping, which still needs practice (see pics).

Luckily I was able to find a solution. I would do my cupcakes and the cookies, just not cookie sammiches. I made my favorite chocolate chip cookies, probably the only one I will ever use until forever. It's from The Joy of Vegan Baking. I am going to bring six cupcakes and a dozen cookies, so each of us will get one cupcake and two cookies. I'm probably going to bring my own almond milk along too. It's been a while since I switched from soy to almond milk but the other day I had my first sip of vanilla Silk in ages. It was so sweet I couldn't believe it. I love my o.g. almond breeze but am going to try the unsweetened one since it's probably just as good, if not a million times better. What is your go to beverage for washing down desserts?

Breakfast Thyme

I love to come home and have breakfast waiting for me, but that doesn't happen very often. To adjust for that I made my breakfast last night and reheated this morning after my walk. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day but I am usually too hungry to bother to make it, which is why I often make weekly scrambles ahead of time. It's so much easier to eat well when you plan.

Today I had VWAV Scrambled Tofu and Brussels Sprout-Potato Hash from Appetite for Reduction. These potatoes are my new jam. They are so flavorful and tender, I might just have to lay off the VB Diner Home Fries for a while. I like brussels sprouts, but I think that even people who don't like them will still enjoy this. My niece turned her nose up when I mentioned the sprouts but then she had a bite and quickly changed her mind.

Both of these recipes have thyme in them, which I absolutely love. I don't think I ever used thyme until I started cooking from Isa's books. Now I cannot keep a steady supply of it on hand, but that's good because it means I am cooking a lot of delicious food for myself. I just need to get a huge drum of it, or start growing my own.

Mame Mia!

Last night I made Spinach Linguine Spaghetti with Edamame Pesto from Appetite For Reduction. Yeah, you read right, there is edamame in the pesto, and it's to die for. If you need convincing "it has about one-fifth the fat and calories of your average pesto plus five times the fiber".

I am not quite sure what real pesto is supposed to taste like because I never ate any in my picky pre-vegan days. I was strictly a red sauce gal, but I've grown up since then. This came out super creamy and delicious. I will definitely add a bit of cilantro next time per Isa's suggestion.

Another food I never ate much of in the past was mushrooms. I had an irrational food fear that I held onto for far too long. When I was cooking up the mushrooms with the onions, garlic and thyme I felt like a grown up making fancy food. I know that sounds stupid, but it looked and smelled like something the pros would do even though it was so simple. Those are usually the best dishes in my opinion. My mom even said it smelled good, so I offered to let her try it but I forgot she doesn't like mushrooms. Maybe that will change. There are so many foods I eat now that I would have never ate before. I don't think you have to go vegan to broaden your food horizons, but I am fairly certain that is what did it for me. Rather than limiting what I could/would eat, it busted the doors open and I am never looking back.

Oodles of Noodles

I've been trying more new recipes lately and I love it. My cookbooks had been suffering from neglect and there are still some foods/ingredients I've yet to try. Of course the list is much shorter than it was in my pregan days where I ate almost no vegetables at all. Ginger is my new favorite ingredient to work with. I am disappointed that it took me so long to get over any unfounded fears/biases and just start peeling it already. I've made three recipes with it in the last few weeks and it gets better each time.

Last night I made the Ginger Bok Choy & Soba from Appetite for Reduction. Oddly enough, I've never cooked bok choy and I haven't used soba in years. There was a soba dish I used to make that was quite good, but one night after dinner my niece got sick and that was the end of that. I'm certain it had nothing to do with the food, but after that happened, it took a lot of the appeal away.

I wanted to use the soba I found during my cupboard clean out and really got lucky with this recipe. Per usual, I took way longer with prep than I should have. I was only cooking for myself so there was no need to hurry. Next time I will add the soba in a little at a time since it was a challenge to get everything mixed up properly. I would also like to try using three bunches of baby bok choy instead of one regular sized, and throw in some tofu as well. I am glad this book is getting a workout, and now it is my turn, since I had a few refills on that bowl last night!

Omelet You In On a Secret*

Diner Home Fries, Loaded Omelet, Tempeh Bacon Revamped

I finally made the omelets from Vegan Brunch.  Well I actually only made one omelet, on the fourth or fifth try. It took me a while to get the batter to the right consistency and then there was the matter of my flipping "skills". I will do a much better job next time, but my omelet failures did not go to waste. I did the next best thing and turned them into scrambled "eggs".  I finished cooking them up and then scrambled in the veggies that would have been omelet filling. It didn't look nearly as lovely, but it tasted great.

Afterward I started thinking of all the things I could make with scrambled egg type bits. Fried rice was the first thing to come to mind. The second was something we ate a lot as kids- hot dog and eggs. My dad would slice the hot dogs into rounds and then scramble them into the eggs. We would eat them in burritos with lots of ketchup. We would also eat hot dogs and potato burritos, which I am tempted to make with any home fries that survive my brunch week menu, but I'm not sure there will be any.

My "brunch week" wasn't too well planned out but I knew for sure I wanted to have tofu scramble, omelets,
"Fronch Toast" and maybe even waffles for dinner. I've done two out of the three so far. I have to double check whether or not I have molasses because the gingerbread waffles from Vegan Brunch sound really good to me right now. If I don't have any I will probably make the VWAV pumpkin waffles, those are delicious!


*There are no eggs on this plate!

Beethoven's Favorite Fruit

What do you do when you have too many bananas? Make Banana Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding from Veganomicon. Well, that's what I do. You can also make banana pancakes/waffles/bread, and add them to smoothies (I did-there were still too many).

I know it is foolish to bake in the summer, especially as warm as it has been lately, but a gal's gotta have her sweets and homemade ones are slightly less terrible than store bought. They're also cheaper which is important when you are a brokie. Though I could eat this all by myself, I timed it for an occasion when I knew I would have two others to help me gobble it up. I put more bananas than I normally would, forgetting that my niece doesn't particularly care for them. My sister and I put a good dent in it, but there was still some left for the next day, and a tiny bit more for the day after that.

This is a fun treat for when you are casually entertaining and don't care about dishing things out neatly, or at all. We scooped portions into bowls this time, but in the past we each grab a fork and just go for it. You could probably make individual portions in ramekins too. I'm not sure how much this resembles traditional bread pudding since I never ate one. They grossed me out, but I assure you this has to be the polar opposite of squishy squashy chocolaty awesomeness.

p.s. The title comes from a joke I first learned on the ppk, something like,
Q: What's Beethoven's favorite fruit?
A:  Ba-Na-Na-Naahhhhh

Whatchu Got On My 40?

If you haven't already made the "Forty-Clove Chickpeas and Broccoli" from Appetite For Reduction, you better get on it, and fast. The recipe actually only calls for ten cloves of garlic, but since I always put more than the recipe states, I think I ended up with about 15. The directions are easy and the ingredient list is short, but my favorite part is that you use the broccoli stems, which I almost never do. It says the active time is fifteen minutes but it took me a bit longer because that is my favorite and most relaxing part of the cooking process. I was carving out my broccoli like a fool, but it turned out beautiful so I'm okay with that. If I made this for company I would do a double batch because I could have ate the whole pan of toasty roasty goodness by myself.

Happy Ssert-Day To Me!

Today is my birthday. I had planned on going out tomorrow night but no one seemed interested so I scrapped that a week ago. Then I decided I would rather do something constructive and go for a hike tomorrow morning. I haven't hit the trail in over a month since my partner is out of commission, and I know my sister would love it. I thought this was going to be my "no one showed up to Il Cantinori for my dinner and I had to buy my own cake birthday", but I double checked and that isn't until CB's 35th birthday and I plan on it being much different for KG's 35th. I have a whole year to plan it!

Anyway, I decided I wanted a variety of desserts so I spent most of yesterday and today working toward that goal. I should have had someone else do it for me, but I like to bake and I have a ton of time on my hands these days. Plus it is fun to pretend that I burned a small fraction of the calories I would consume in advance. I mixed two cupcake batters, three icings, and another cookie type mix today. I lost count of how many dishes were washed and how many hours I was standing. I do know I finished a disc of "Arrested Development" .

I made Crimson Velveteen Cupcakes, stuffed them with Fluffy Vegan Buttercream and frosted them with Cream Cheese Frosting, all from VCTOTW. I also made the Coconut Heaven Cupcakes from VWAV, stuffed them with buttercream and topped with icing and chocolate drizzle. I also attempted a vegan version of these s'mores cookie bars. Mine didn't look too much like the photo but they are a gooey sticky delicious mess, so I am okay with it.

I'm enjoy the rest of my day by relaxing, reading and enjoying the gorgeous roses my sister and niece surprised me with this morning. This is going to be my last year of "rounding down" so I have to make the most of it, starting tomorrow.

I'm Cuckoo for Coconut!



naked



iced





close up

Its really odd, but I never really liked coconut until after I became vegan. Now I cannot get enough of the stuff. It started with moonpies at RFD (which are on menu now!), then the coconut white cake when they were out of something else I wanted. When I had the cake again it wasn't quite like I remembered. Maybe it really is never as good as the first time?

I've really been wanting sweets and I'm less and less interested in paying someone else a bunch of money to make them for me. Sometimes it is nice to be served and not have to do the dishes, but other times I feel incredibly stupid paying five dollars for a cupcake or piece of pie, when I know I could make my own at home. Maybe I am getting a bit conceited, but the last few desserts I've had while out were not nearly as good as anything I've made myself.

Of course I'm never truly at it alone since I always have my favorite cookbooks at the ready. Today I made the Coconut Heaven Cupcakes from Vegan With A Vengeance. I can't believe I have had this book for so long and have never made them. I made two little mistakes, I put the coconut in with the wet ingredients instead of folding it in at the end. They turned out fine, but I had a moment of panic. I also should have left them naked instead of frosting them all at once. The icing is not very thick and could melt/run off your cupcakes. I've got to work on my icing skills, but I think next time I pipe instead of spreading. Anyway, they turned out amazing, so the presentation won't matter so much. You'll get more calls for seconds than you will decorating critiques (unless yours came out gorgeous).