I know it’s been short, but a medical emergency is calling me away from blogland for now… I should hopefully be back in a [very] short while.  Please don’t give up on me?

Don’t shoot, I’ll confess! It’s all my fault, I swear!

Tempting? Why, yes. I did happen to use an amazing recipe by the Post Punk Kitchen, which would explain the fantastic flavor and concept. Unfortunately, when relatively little sleep is combined into the mix and I happen to be baking… bad things happen.

If you go to the actual recipe I linked above, you may notice that it infact is meant to create pumpkin muffins, whereas I have attempted a bread. Oh sure, both are great in their own way, I love muffins and have nothing against them, it’s just that my mother specifically requested a loaf of pumpkin bread. No problem! Won’t it be just fine if I pour it all into one big pan like a moron and not bother to change the oven temperature?? I’ll just bake it for longer!!

[If you yourself ever begin to have thoughts that are similar to these, I suggest you call some sort of hotline for the criminally insane, immediately. Especially if you have spent as much time in the kitchen as I have these past few months.]

After a good 45 minutes, the house had filled with the delicious smells of pumpkin and spices, and the outsides of the loaf were becoming a luminious golden orange… But a gentle prodding revealed… Pudding?! All I had to do was attempt to move the pan and it jiggled Not good. Okay, don’t panic, just keep it baking!

It eventually occured to me that I was absolutely nuking this poor thing - 400 degrees? No way it’ll ever cook through! So I turned off the oven and left it in to soak up the diminishing heat… As you can see, the edges got a little bit crispy. Later, much to my dismay and with my mother looking on, I cut the first piece with a flourish… To find a sad streak staring at me along the bottom of the bread. I guess it would have to be expected… although it was mostly cooked through!

Wait, don’t run off yet! By all means, you must make these muffins!

Just look at that! It’s not the bad guy here, I am. By all means, I want to clear this poor little pumpkin bread’s name - he was simply never meant to be a loaf. The flavor is beyond compare, and had it been given the appropriate confinement in which to rise, it morphs into a fluffy, heavenly breakfast or snack. Moist, but still with a very delicate crumb, trust me on this one; the Post Punk Kitchen knows their baked goods.

But whatever you do… Put away those loaf pans, or you’ll be hearing from me…

A face only a mother could love?

Strangely enough, my mother does, probably more than I do.

I’m sorry, Pointy Kitty, it’s not you or your pattern, which was so kindly provided for free by Wee Wonderfuls… it’s me.  I’m just… slightly disappointed with the end result is all; you’re not quite what I had in mind when I began cutting your little legs out of old scrap fabric.  Nothing went wrong when sewing you up, you’re simply… a different style.  My parents would be happy to adopt you, though!  They grinned at your arrival, saying things you were “mod” and “cute,” but to me, it’s a different kind of cute.  I hope you can understand someday.

Stuck at home with a terrible stomach virus the other day, I searched in vain for something, anything to keep me occupied - Can’t bake, it would make other people sick.  Can’t knit, no pattern or yarn.  Thankfully, I stumbled upon the Pointy Kitty pattern, which was plenty of fun to whip up.  Sadly, I just… don’t like it that much!  Even after changing the eyes and the nose, it just doesn’t fit my personal definition of “cute,” despite what others might see in it.

For now, he’s prowling the kitchen, until my parents decide what to do with him, because instead of being just a useless time waster, he actually became something better:  A gift.

There are some cookbooks, or in this case, websites, that manage to produce impossibly sumptuous recipes each and everytime you crack the cover. It doesn’t matter if it comes from an entirely different section or category, these prized treasures can simply do no wrong when it comes to baking. This has been the case for me with my discovery of Baking Sheet. Multiple times now, I’ve been able to just pull a recipe at random, seduced by the gorgeous, practically pornographic photography, convert it the standards of veganism, and create a dessert with wild success.

These particular scones are so unbelievably delicious and versatile, you will find that I’m not crazy to have made them on atleast two dozen separate occassions now! The only main adjustment is to convert the butter to a soy-based margarine, and the rest of the additions are so flexible, you can’t possibly become bored! Another beauty of making such a small batch is that you get to try lots of different combinations without any becoming bland or ho-hum.

Lacking both fresh and dried cranberries this time around, I’ve found dried apricots to be a huge hit with my mother. I can make a batch of these every morning, only to find that she’s finished them off by the end of that evening. In the past I’ve also used dried pears, apples, and even… (shh) chocolate chips. For the liquid, I was surprised how well the orange goes with most fruits, so I tend to stick with it, but lemon also packs a nice citrus-y kick, or on the other side of the spectrum, a vanilla soymilk could be a creamy, sweeter modification. Really, anything you can think of in terms of flavor can go, I have yet to discover a failing scone produced by this ingenious formula.

So what are you waiting for? Get your butt over to Baking Sheet, you won’t be disappointed!

Finally, a few extra minutes to actually knit something! It kills me how I’ve barely knit at all lately… I used to be pumping out 8-10 projects a week, knitting nonstop… But I was also essentially immoble, so I’m not sure if it was entirely worth it. Anyway, I thought that a glazed donut with sprinkles would be the perfect way to start a long vacation…

It was so easy to whip up, but binding off that thing was hellish. A 3-needle bind off in a space slighly smaller than an inch in diameter?! Let’s see you do it first! I ended up doing a modified style of fake-grafting, and after about an hour longer than it should have taken, I had myself a sweet little donut. It’s still not perfect, so I might try it again at some point… It was so difficult to stuff and then redistribute the batting, you can see how it came out a little lumpy in places…

Oh well, it was still fun, dispite the frustration. You can go make your own sweet little doknit using the pattern found at Strange But True.

Wishing to continue the theme that a specific day on the calender shouldn’t have to tell us when to care about our loved ones, I’m not going to care how far past that date now is; This idea is excellent anytime you want to tell someone they mean something to you.

Day dreaming in study hall (about food, as usual), I lazily thought of how much I wished I could thank my mother for everything she’s done for me. It’s just the small things we take for granted, and now I definitely owed her. Attempting to combine some of her favorite culinary aspects - chocolate, pastry, and fruit - I devised a ‘fancy’ treat that is so rediculously easy to throw together, it feels almost as if you’ve cheated or cut corners. Let me assure you though, the end result is not only a fantastic presentation and tastes delicious, there’s no one else to steal away the credit. Oh yes honey, hours thinking of you as I slaved in the kitchen…

Cheater’s Chocolate “Ravioli”

-Frozen Puff Pastry (check labels!!)

-Strawberries

-Various Chocolates

This barely even needs a recipe, only assembly, so sit tight while I bore you with the details.

Make sure you defrost the puff pastry for the alloted time marked on the package (atleast 45 minutes or so) before attempting to work with it. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, or whatever your specific brand suggests. Gentle roll out the pastry just enough to flatten out any creases or bumps, but don’t go crazy here - you’re not actually trying to make it any larger.

Cut out your desired shapes with fairly large cookie cutters, remembering that you need atleast two to make one ravioli (hey, sometimes it’s easier to screw up a simple recipe) and place one from each pair on a silpat (parchment paper, but I wouldn’t go for wax, unless you enjoy the taste of crayons.) Now, grab just the tiniest bit of chocolate - here’s where the fun starts to happen. This would be a great application for vegan truffles or simply your favorite vegan chocolate. Both of which will probably require a size reduction - it may not seem like much, but when paired with your delicious fruit sauce, it will come together beautifully, trust me.

Place your top half of dough over your bottom layer to create your little pocket of chocolate. Now is when you need to pay special attention to all sides, ensuring that there are no gaps or tears, or you will have leakage later. You may wish to moisten the edges for a firm seal, or crimp it all the way around with a fork, such as I did.

Throw these babies in the oven for about 10 - 14 minutes, checking periodically because there are few things that can go from perfect to blackened quite like pastry in general. As they cook away, puree your strawberries (fresh or frozen, doesn’t matter) and mix with sugar to taste. Nuke either in the microwave or on the stove until the heat and consistancy are to your liking. It’s not very specific, so go ahead and play around with it. Oh and as another aside, feel free to substitute any berry you might prefer instead. We just happen to have frozen strawberries, and I thought it would be cute to mimic a tomato-sauce type of side with the ravioli.

When the raviolis are lightly browned, pull from the oven and sprinkle lightly with a dusting of confectioner’s sugar. Allow to cool for a few minutes so your love isn’t burnt by molten chocolate, present with sauce on the side, and be prepared to accept a whole lot of praise.

Easy as that!

Funny, how fate never takes a day off…

Mere hours after complaining of the superficial direction that February 14th appeared to be heading, what else do I find awaiting me at my first class than this single crimison blossom, “admirer” in tow.  A late gift, not because he forgot thought - It’s true that he had mentioned his dillema the previous day, so it wasn’t a last minute idea.
I put this in quotes simply because it is a complicated, confusing matter, as matters of the heart usually are.  For now, I will accept this at face value, flattered, slightly embarassed, and very appreciative of the friends I have.

Maybe it’s not such a bad holiday, after all.

Honestly, one can only handle so much of this sappy, sugar-coated, cavity-inducing acts of love before getting a stomach ache. Admittedly, I have been much more tolerant this year, though. It’s perhaps the first time I have ever allowed that Valentine’s Day might actually be considered a real holiday [and not just a stupid date made up by the Halmark Company, which I do still believe.] And you know what? Despite the fact that I recieved no valentines, didn’t have an elaborate dinner, and have no significant other to share the occasion with, maybe I still enjoyed myself, just a little bit. I was able to shower my friends with sweets, and maybe take a step out of my usual hum-bugery for public displays of affection.

That being said, here is just a small bit of my typical cynicism returning, but in the most benine manner that could be hoped. I decided to make the hearts of my beaded choker black, but even still, the alternating pinks still leave a slight touch of femininity in my opinion.

I know it’s a little bit late in the game now, but should you desire your own little string of beaded hearts to wear around your neck, the [very clear, easy to follow!] pattern can be found here.

How many times have we all heard the dreaded comment: “Pretty good for a vegan dessert….”

No, stop right there. Not today.

As my Valentine’s gift to all of you out in blog land, I present with a fluttering heart, my perfect chocolate cupcakes. I know, every recipe out there claims to be the “ultimate” or “best ever,” but stick with me here, try these little cakes and you will never go back to that hodge-podge little brownie you usually end up with when omitting animal products.

Right from the start, you have to know that this batch will be different. After all, just look at those tops - they rise in the oven, such a novel concept! A firm, almost chewy exterior protects a soft, moist cake for the body. Oh, the flavor? A chocolate to suit any tastes - not too overpowering or sweet for the mature palate, but sure to be an instant kid pleaser without any alterations neccissary.

I made a double batch of these and gave them out to some test subjects friends yesterday, all of them traditional dairy / egg consumers… and not one of them had any idea. I got rave reviews, they absolutely couldn’t get enough of them. When everyone was stuffed and couldn’t eat other bite, kids we walking out the door with two or three in their hands to horde for later! Needless to say, I returned home with only an tray, with the odd fallen sprinkle or two.

Chocolate Cupcakes

1 1/2 Cup Flour
1/3 Cup Cocoa Powder
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Cup Vanilla Soymilk
2 Teaspoon Vinegar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and line medium cupcake tins with papers. The papers do tend to adhere themselves a bit to the cake, so you could sprinkle the papers with just a little bit of flour or cocoa powder… but you really don’t have to. They’ll still come out just fine.

Mix all of the dry ingredients a medium size bowl - no electric mixer required. Combine all the wet ingredients in separate bowl - *EXCEPT VINEGAR.* Add your wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients and stir until everything is mixed in, but don’t go crazy trying to beat out every single little lump. Now, add the vinegar quickly and stir in - pour batter into the pans and immediately put them in the oven. Bake for approximately 14 to 18 minutes. Allow them to cool in the pan for just a little bit, and then I placed mine on newspaper as a make-shift cooling rake until I was ready to frost them.

Makes one dozen lovely little snacks.

For the holiday, the obvious choice for this batch was to go the pink route, so I opted for a sugary sweet strawberry frosting, topped off with adorable little pink and white heart sprinkles. I admit, I was in a bit of a time crunch, so I cheated a little and used a store bought vanilla frosting as a base. For those of you planning on recreating these masterpieces at home, be sure to check labels carefully - Not all brands are vegan! For the proper flavoring, I added in about 1/3 cup of pureed frozen strawberries, along with a little less than a teaspoon of strawberry flavoring for an extra kick. No artifical coloring required, this is exactly what I ended up with.

…Now, who says vegan baked goods can’t compare?

In preparation for Valentine’s Day, I went a bit crazy with the baking this year. Normally, I don’t even consider February 14th a real holiday, (What calander is going to tell me I need a specific day to tell someone I care?!) but this time around, I just wanted to make so many sweet food-stuffs that I would never personally consume, it seemed like the perfect evil excuse! I know it’s a day early, but this one is for my dad, and he was originally going to be leaving for London tonight, so I had carefully planned ahead and gotten his treat all set to go. Of course, being tricky as he as, the trip has been postponed and he’ll now be home for the actual date. I just say screw it, his Valentine is slightly ahead of the game. I mean, better early than stale, right?

This is now the third time I have used the [amazing!] recipe provided by Brownie Points, to much success, I might add. For anyone curious, for the first try, I just made them plain vanilla, dipped / drizzled in chocolate with a smattering of colorful sprinkles for my sister. By far that was the favorite method, the second time opting for the exact instructions to the strawberry version.

My dad is a very simple guy when it comes to his tastes: If it has tons of sugar or involves some sort of fatty meat like bacon, he’s interested. This makes it very difficult to make him something like a cake, because he always claims it’s too heavy or dense (Cheesecake to him is the stuff of nightmares.) That’s why a marshmellow cake seemed to fit the bill, and a fruit flavor like strawberry is typically inoffensive to his tastebuds as well. Substituting agar agar for the gelatin, (Hooves and marrow do not say I love you!) the only additional changes I made was that I covered it in regular granulated sugar, because we were dangerously low on confectioner’s. I don’t think he’ll mind though - he loves Peeps, so this is just like a fancier, giant one… I hope.