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 IV Week 4: Whip Appeal

Since everyone loved the pumpkin cheesecake, I decided to make another one. I bought extra supplies in case this might happen, mom taught me to always think ahead. Sometimes I get it right. When we were enjoying the first cheesecake, we wished we had a whipped topping for it. I would have bought some at Mother's but they didn't have any.

I remember my first attempt at vegan whipped topping years ago. It was probably the first time I really tried to make holiday desserts. None of them worked out very well. My desserts have come a long way since then but I've never revisited the whipped topping until today. There is a recipe in The Joy of Vegan Baking so I decided to try that one since that book has been an excellent resource whenever I'm not baking cookies or cupcakes since Isa and Terry have those covered. I do love Colleen's chocolate chip cookie recipe though!

Everything was loaded in the processor and blended to perfection. It tasted great when I was transferring it from the processor to a container. I put it in the fridge to let it chill and just took it out a while ago to try it with the cheesecake. I think it will be even better tomorrow. The recipe said to let it chill for several hours, but I only waited four to try it. I am an impatient gal and I wanted to get another entry in so I don't end this mofo as a failure. Tune in tomorrow for an update, and possibly coffee cake.