BitterSweet

Finally, after all that anticipation and excitement, I finally own a shiny new copy of… The Book. Yes, the very one. Obviously the only proper way to initiate it into my collection of cook books was to try out the most seasonally appropriate recipe, and utilize one of my favorite orange ingredients, so those chocolate chip pumpkin cupcakes had my name written all over them.

All I can really say is… Isa, you are brilliant. I will never again search for adequite vegan cupcakes anywhere else. Just this one recipe was enough to win me over, but really, you would understand if you made them, too. I made two batches of these treasures, primarily for a Halloween party that I’ll be attending tonight, but some also went off to work with my mom for her to share with her colleagues. If they’re half as big a hit at the party, then I’ll be able to go home happy.

I sent just a few extras in with my mom, and I hear that people not only enjoyed them, but they were raving. “We’re talking almost foaming at the mouth!” my mom assures me. Even after everyone learned of their vegan nature, they were only futher impressed.

Seriously, the flavor that these single serving sweets pack is unbelievable, and is only augmented by the simple cinnamon glaze. I’m not so great at decorating yet (but I’m sure I’ll be getting much more practice with this book around…) so I really liked how easy it was to make my mess of dripping sugar syrup into something fairly presentable. Originally, I was thinking of making a chocolate ganache to top them, but considering that fact that there’s already chocolate in them, it would have probably been overkill. Besides, the cinnamon glaze is so light and pure, it brings a whole new dimension to the overall taste.

I won’t be dressing as a witch, but nonetheless I’m all set to bring in my mini cauldron of pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes into the party later today. I can’t wait!

Happy Halloween Everyone!

In true procrasinator’s fashion, I managed to put off decorating for Halloween until it was just nearly too late. I doubt that anyone’s quite as behind as I am, but if you find yourself in the same predicament, I highly suggest simple little accents like these bright and cheerful faux-pumpkins.

Dead easy and dirt cheap, too. All you need are various sizes of styrofoam spheres and scraps of orange crepe paper. First, cut a small, rounded indentation on both the top and bottom using an exact-o knife. Grab your glue of choice (I suggest a hot glue because it dries so quickly) and place then end of a thin length of colored paper in a dollop of the adhesive in the top indent. Measure visually to see how long it needs to be to reach the bottom, cut, and attach to the opposite end. Repeat over and over until you get all the way around your sphere. The stems are simply made from old paper bag handles, cut short and fanned out slightly at the bottom.

These things are so basic, with proper supervision they could probably be great projects for younger kids. You could even go the extra mile and draw faces on them if you’d like.

It may be a bit late to post these for Halloween, but hey, pumpkins are still appropriate for Thanksgiving, so maybe they’re actually early in that sense!

One of the most time-sensitive tasks involved for Halloween preparations, excluding possibly making a costume, is carving pumpkins. It’s always so difficult to find the perfect space of free time that isn’t so distant from the appointed date that it would rot or become a feast for some lucky critter. I always try to hold off until about a week or so before hand, but I remember that last year was so crazed, I ended up carving my pumpkin the day before the holiday in a very rushed effort. Trying to prevent that from reoccuring again, I decided that it was now or never, and prepared myself for battle the other day.

This year, we bought our large orange gourds earlier in the month from Trader Joe’s for $5 a piece. I had wanted to pick them fresh from the local farm, but how could I pass up a deal like that, especially for such plump, solid pumpkins? Besides, I don’t think I would have been able to drag one of equal size all the way across the vast fields without dropping my prize and possibly crushing a toe.

Anyways, I had been planning to copy some sort of skull design unearthed from the abundant stencils found online, but after finally wrestling the stem and top free of my canvas, I discovered that my pumpkin had a thicker head than even our president. Believe me, I was quite impressed. No way was any intricate design going into my veggie of steel. Although carving, sculpting, or modeling of any sort are undoubtedly my weakest areas of craft, I decided to just slice in and wing it without any prepared stencil. So with absolutely zero skill or finesse whatsoever, the destruction began.

Hacking and sawing violently, pieces were were flyiing all over the kitchen. To my vague horror, I noticed the my dog was doing her part to clean up by eating the approximate 5 lbs of raw pumpkin I had extracted thus far. She’s definitely a very food-focused hound, but I never would have guessed that she would have any interest in consuming raw pumpkin! Still, thankful nonetheless for her help, it wasn’t long before my crude carving was completed.

Inspired by a passing comment made by my dad, my theme could be describe as something like “pumpkin torture.” It’s certainly no work of art, but it sure did help get my frustrations out and was a whole lot of fun at the same time. This poor guy should probably stock up on the asprin though, considering the massive headache and tooth ache he must be experiencing…

And of course, my mom has to show me up with her crazy artistic talent by replicating a design on the cover of a fall events pamplet from New York that she was impressed with. Hers did take more time though, so she’s certainly worked hard for her creation.

It’s still not entirely done though, as she plans on fully carving out the eyes completely before she’s ready to put it out on the front steps for trick -or-treaters to admire.

Oh, and lest I forget, one of the best parts about all of this pumpkin destruction has got to be the copious amount of seeds that they produced. 250 degrees on a lightly greased pan until crisp and browned, nothing store bought ever could beat that. The extra bits of pumpkin guts are really the tastiest part, after all.

It’s sad to say, but I have yet to find any version of traditional candy corn sporting those day-glow florecent colors that aren’t contaminated with honey, egg whites, gelatin, or some noxious combination of the three. I can’t even find a recipe, so I would have no idea where to start if I were to attempt recreating these tiny sugar bullets in a more vegan friendly way.

Scrapping that thought for the time being, why not go for something still sweet but quite a bit healthier: Caramel corn. Corn is frequently used as a symbol of the fall, so I think that this is a perfectly acceptable substitue for a seasonal treat. I’m also much more comfortable with serving this to loved ones based on it’s natural appearance, as opposed to real candy which look as though they belong in some cartoonish nightmare, much less in one’s mouth.

A golden sheen covered each kernel lightly, so it wasn’t an overpowering sweetness as one would encounter with other Halloween candies. Perhaps the corn was even lighter than the usual standby, Cracker Jack, since this recipe used regular popping corn, (”butterfly”) whereas most prepopped, flavored corn is a different shape (”mushroom.”) The mushroom type is used because it pops in a more uniform, spherical fashion, which lends itself to more thorough coating and agressive treatment, since there are fewer irregular bits that stick out and could possibly be broken off. Yet another example of why quality tends to decrease as production demands increase.

I had never made caramel before this venture, so I was slightly dreading all of the inevitable scraping and scouring of pots that was sure to follow, making for an unending cleaning effort. You can imagine my delight when all of the excess candy just wiped away in seconds under hot water. Who knew it was so easy, and why hadn’t I tried this sooner?

The recipe I used was infact called “Cracker Jane” as a spin off of the afore mentioned snack, and is found in The Garden of Vegan. My biggest complaint is that in my opinion, there are a lot of instances where this book is very vague when it comes to the types of sweetener or starch you should use. I get that you could substitute basically whatever you want in most situations, but for this one in particular, I don’t think you would be quite as happy with the results if you used anything other than brown sugar as the dry sweetener. I made a couple other modifications as well, since I only had light corn syrup, which I used without any detrimental effects. Oh, and in my household, putting nuts into caramel corn is an act of sacriledge. For fear of being disowned, I left them out and found that I agree that they sometimes do get in the way.

How ever you chose to do it, I highly recomend you start popping your corn right now. Trust me, I made only a half batch to test it out, and found that the every last kernel had been devoured within a day.

All dressed up with no place to go, what’s a sweet dancing bunny to do with herself?

Well, I guess she could always do a bit of reading. Not exactly what I might have guessed, but with a head that size, I’m sure she’s got quite the intellect! Besides, I’m not sure that with such short, rounded legs she would be such a fantastic ballerina… But don’t tell her that. She just loves her blue tutu, wearing it around the house even when she’s only planning on sitting around to read the newspaper all day.

I wonder where she got such a vibrant blue flower to place behind her ear, though. Considering the time of year, it must have cost nearly as much as my monthly yarn bill! Trust me, that’s a truly formidable amount.

As a newbie knitter oh so long ago, I wrestled with countless patterns before producing anything that was even half way identifiable as lace. Indeed, I ended up with many brand new scarves that were full of holes with no rhyme nor reason to them. Even attempting to read these strangely foreign diagrams were headache inducing. What were these odd hieroglyphics that everyone seemed so eager to use? I couldn’t understand for the life of me why the instructions for lace items are almost never written out in the abbreviations I was only just getting the hang of. Wouldn’t it be easier for the writers anyways?

What seemed like a never ending struggle when I was in the moment now feels like ancient history looking back on it now. I personally believe that my knitting ability has progressed a great deal since then, and I’m pretty darn proud of some of the things I’ve recently made. To demonstrate just how completely full-circle I’ve come, I I even prefer to use diagrams in general now, even for patterns that won’t produce lace. What I absolutely love about my Japanese amigurumi books is that they always use diagrams, so even if I’m unsure about a few kanji here and there, it’s a snap to figure out what to do next.

This particular scarf pictured is one that I attempted previously during my earlier knitting days, which failed miserably at the time. When I came across a delightfully autumnal muticolored yarn, I knew that it was destined to be a part of my second try. It was perfect in every way to me - a cozy scarf of falling leaves in gorgeous reds, browns, and greens, just like the colors our trees outside are displaying right now.

I’m very pleased to say that this time I was met with no problems making my way through the pattern. My fresh try was just in time, too, because this autumn is shaping up to be rather cold and windy. Although it still has holes since it’s still lace, it certainly provides comfort through the soft strands of cotton thread.

Sorry for the crummy detail picture, but I assure you that the lace really does look like falling leaves in person. I’m so happy to finally be capable of following such a skillfully written pattern and doing it proper justice.

There are some flavors that many could argue can go well with anything - Vanilla, chocolate, all the typical suspects. In my own opinion, I believe that there is one prominent culinary player that belongs in this category right up there with the best of them. Although rarely included, pumpkins deserve far more recognition in this area.

Autumn gives me an excuse to put pumpkin in just about everything, and I plan on taking full advantage of the opportunity before the season ends. I’ve already gone through three cans of it, and I’m just getting warmed up now! Oh, and just to clarify where I stand on the whole fresh vs. canned issue: I’ve heard a lot of argument that fresh is always better than canned, but please, give me a break here. With the vast quantities of puree necessary to satiate the pumpkin fiend in me, I would need a bigger car to accommodate their bulk when bringing them home. Not to mention the time, mess, cost… I do adore fresh pumpkin flesh and seeds, and plan to carve one of these lovely orange orbs for Halloween, but for baking and cooking, canned pumpkin is a joy in itself. [Even the experts agree with me!]

When I mentioned my desire to replicate the recipe I chanced upon at Slash-Food, I was met with a very skeptical response. Pumpkin hummus? Not what you might expect to find on grocery store shelves, but to me this sounded like a match made in heaven. I could never get enough of either of these individually, so mashed together I could only imagine it becoming a substance equally as addictive as crack.

The minute I saw a reasonable space of free time become available, I rushed to extricate my food processor from the jumble of assorted kitchen appliances strewn about in the cabinets. I was so excited to make my hummus, I was well on my way with everything out of cans and ready to go, when I discovered that there was no tahini in the house. Oops. Oh well, not a disaster - I just substituted a tablespoon of almond butter instead, to no ill effects. The clove of garlic I pulled from the bundle in the fridge appeared in my eyes to be puny in size, so I figured the more the merrier and threw three in to join the mix.

After hearing so many doubts about this particular invention, I found myself slightly reluctant to taste it when the moment of truth came. Oh the power of suggestion! Shaking off my momentary hesitation, I plunged my chunk of pita into the dip, and bit the bullet, so to speak. It did turn out very garlicy, but I wouldn’t say that’s at all a bad thing. To sum it all up though, all I can really say is… It’s simply delicious.

Such a lovely orange hue, isn’t it? I love this recipe so much, I think I may never buy commercial hummus again, and just make this version all year round.

Yes, it truly is that good.

Lately, it’s been very difficult to think of new food-related patterns. Every time I think I might have something totally unique and exciting, a brief internet search will turn up numerous other patterns for the same exact thing, and prove me dead wrong. It’s also been tough trying to think of more functional items, seeing as I’m beginning to run out of floor space as my pile of animals and things continue to grow at a somewhat disturbing rate.

I don’t know why, but my mind kept wandering back to cupcakes. Yes, I know, it’s already been done in both knit and crochet, many times, but… There’s something so intriguing about that shape, something so inspiring. In that same sort of vein, I came up with a small spin off on the cupcake-hat idea. Hostess anyone? Or should I say, Fauxstess?

The knitting the hat itself is very simple, it’s really the icing squiggle on top that pulls it all together at the end. I also knit this hat a bit on the shorter side, so feel free to add extra rows to the ribbed area to increase the length.

Instructions:

With #8 (US) DPNs and black worsted weight yarn, CO 80 and distribute among needles.

Knit 4 x 1 ribbing (k4, p1) around until length from the CO edge measures approximately 11 cm (or to your preference.)

When you reach your desired length, knit 2 rows even.
K8, K2tog*
K 2 rounds even
K7, k2tog*
K 1 round even
K6, k2tog*
K 1 round even
K5, k2tog*
K 1 round even
K4, k2tog*
K 1 round even
K3, k2tog*
K2, k2tog*
K1, k2tog*
K2tog*
K2tog*

(* Repeat until you reach the end of that round)

Cut yarn, tie off, and weave in ends.

For the icing, CO 3 in white and knit an I-cord for approximately 24 inches, or until you’re happy with the width of squiggles that it will create when applied to the top, straight across right at the edge of where the ribbing ends. Once you reach the end of your I-cord, k3tog and leave a long tail. I suggest you pin it in place before you begin sewing it, so that you can ensure even loops.

Now you can knit your cake and wear it too!

I would love to take care of some breed of tiny dog some day, but I’m afraid that I would never be able to keep up. Little dogs have so much energy, I’m sure I would tire out long before they would. I’m lucky that my own companion has settled down a bit after leaving the hyperactive puppy years, but every now and then, she can go a bit crazy. Usually if there is ever an issue involving food, going for a walk, or seeing other animals, she will run around, moaning and whimpering as though she had rabies.

But today, the crazy dog I’m thinking of is a whole lot smaller, and happens to be composed of the fiber of the gods: Acrylic yarn.

He would barely sit still long enough for me to tie on his very stylish bandana, wanting to explore every corner of the house and attack any foreign invaders, IE, anything that moved. I couldn’t even figure out where he had gone at first, until the high-pitched alarm coming from his tiny voice box reactivated after he had found a very threatening flower pot on the table.

Fearing for the flowers’ well being, I quickly scooped the ancy pup off the table and took him outside to calm down a bit. Saying that this didn’t work would be a gross understatement. Climbing onto the porch railing, I watched in wonderment as he preformed some crazy balancing act across the length of it. There was no stopping the ball of energy; The least I could do was hope he didn’t hurt himself or anything else.

After this whole ordeal, I feel so very thankful that my non-acrylic puppy is typically so sedate. In fact, I think I’d like to go take a short nap with her right now, and forget I ever thought I wanted anything different.