Baking on a Tuesday...?

Yes, indeed. Tuesday night was full of baking. Three hours of baking, plus another hour and a half this morning. I was tired after all that, but it was for a good purpose - a party. We're always having some kind of party at work. ALWAYS. Today was a breakfast for all our different departments, and there's a lot of us, so we had to make sure there was enough food. I did my part. First, I made a double batch of cinnamon rolls. The same ones I made a couple of weeks ago, only double (duh). I did everything but bake them last night, and stuck them in the fridge to chill out until this morning so I could bake them fresh. They got huge in the fridge. Once again, I used flax as my egg replacer. Everything else was the same (x's two!).

Pretty in the pan.

Gooey

Up close and gooey

While the dough for those was rising so I could roll them out, I made Pumpkin Streusal Cake from Veganomicon. I made no changes to this one, it was awesome as is.

This cake was moist and perfect.

After the cake, I gave up for the night. I woke up bright and early (4 am) and made scones. Specifically, Chocolate Chip Scones from The Joy of Vegan Baking. I had a tiny problem with these. I kept adding flour and no matter how much I added, I couldn't get them not sticky so I could shape them. So I just scooped them up and dropped them on the cookie sheet. They came out fine. Fluffy and sweet and chocolatey.

Sprinkled with demerara.

There's the spread. Vegan sausage, pancakes with apples on top, pumpkin streusal cake, cinnamon roll and fruit. There was a scone, but I ate it before the photo. Like a true southern dweller, I washed it all down with a Diet Sundrop. Breakfast of Champions.

Bread & a Bike

Last Sunday night, I got a bug up my ass to make something. Anything. Earlier in the day, I had unsuccessfully made mini-blonde bites. I mean they exploded in the oven. Now, the bits that had overspilled onto the sheet actually didn't taste bad. They just weren't visually appealing and they were disgustingly greasy. I used a recipe I got off the interwebs, but I won't point any fingers. That's what lead to the brilliant idea I had to make bread at 8 o'clock at night. Which may not be late to some people, but I have to be up at 4 am for work. So it's a wee bit late for me. I pretty much had none of the ingredients for anything I wanted to make. I had very little margarine, so cookies were out of the question. I wanted to make pumpkin muffins, but had no pumpkin. I was going to make this Banana Coffee Cake, but I didn't have any agave nectar, or soy yogurt for that matter. What I did have was a ton of over ripe bananas, so I made bread. The Lower Fat Banana Bread from V-Con, because I loves it so much. I used an extra banana in place of the applesauce and a little of the oil, threw in walnuts, shredded coconut and carob chips. It was amazing.

Yesterday, I hit the (non-food) jackpot. I got a new bike! I sold my mountain bike a few weeks ago so I could get a cruiser. An old retro cruiser. I didn't really want to shell out a couple hundred bucks for one, though. I happened upon an ad in our local paper for one that was restored, and only $30. It's in great shape. It just needed air in the tires and oil on the chain. There's just a tiny bit of rust, but that doesn't bother me. It had been restored several years ago, and had been sitting in a storage shed for two years. I spent the afternoon shining the chrome.

Not the greatest lighting. The sun wouldn't cooperate with me.

You better believe I am putting a basket and a horn on it.

Why is there cat hair in my mixing bowl?

Oh. Nevermind. Mystery solved. On to other matters...(yes, I washed the bowl before using it).

I've been very lax in my food porn, as I have made tons of things lately, but never pulled out the ole camera to prove it. This past weekend I made Mom's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies from Vegan Planet and Oatmeal Raisin Cookies from The Joy of Vegan Baking. Did I take pictures? Nooooo. I made them to take on a visit to some friends in Nashville, who I was staying the night with. The oatmeal raisin cookies killed, as usual, and the chocolate chip cookies had a surprisingly different, yet awesome flavor. I wouldn't have made them if not for the fact that I was out of margarine, and needed an oil based cookie recipe. I'm glad I did though. They came out flat and chewy, and the recipe called for maple syrup, but I used brown rice syrup instead. Here's what I made the weekend prior to last that I managed to get pics of:

Cranberry Sesame Cookies, courtesy of Celine at Have Cake, Will Travel. These cookies definitely needed to sit overnight to develop their flavor. I tried one still warm, and was like, 'meh.' I took them to work the next day and they flew out of the container and into people's mouths. I tried another, and was like, 'now, that's a cookie.' Amazingly sweet and nutty, and healthy tasting in a good way.

I also had a bundle of bananas that were beyond rotten - just the way I like 'em. So I pulled out my trusty Veganomicon and made the Lower-Fat Banana Bread. Perfect, as always, and with walnuts inside and granola sprinkled on top to make it pretty.

As I mentioned, I was visiting friends this weekend. During a trip to an evil chain pet store which shall remain nameless (she needed rat chow...), I was peer-pressured into adding two new members into my family:

Meet Thelma and Louise. Two little lives saved. Oh, and they are perfectly safe from all my cats.

Winter: Give it up, already.

A combination of weather and lack of sleep is bringing me down today. It's a summery 48 degrees outside (huh?). Friday, it was nearly 80 degrees. DOES.NOT.COMPUTE. My mind is having a hard time wrapping itself around this weather concept. It's spring. In the south. This should not even be an issue. The lack of sleep comes from a very pregnant kitty cat, with the belief that if she can't sleep, no one can. Observe:

Check out that stomach. She's a tiny cat, so it is really prominent on her.

I only had enough energy to make one very small batch of cookies this morning. I had plans for two, plus some muffins, but it was becoming obvious that if I continued in the kitchen I was bound to burn myself or cut an appendage off. A tackled a cookie that I had read rave reviews on, and have been meaning to try for a while now - but kept putting off: Chewy Chocolate Raspberry Cookies from Veganomicon. The only change I made was to add raspberry oil instead of almond extract, for a little extra sweet kick. The dough was crumbly, as expected, but mine wouldn't hold up when I tried to roll it into balls, so I added the tiniest amount of soymilk. That did the trick. I did a half batch (as I mentioned), and got about 14. Two were tiny. I baked the first sheet for 10 minutes, but they were a little too brown on the botton, so I took the last one out a minute or two early, and they were perfect. They were chewy, and they had a good raspberry flavor, but, alas, not my favorite cookie. I bet they would make a kick-ass sandwich cookie. I am predicting a future endeavor...

Crackly...mmmm...

I am off to take a nap.

Chocolate, Chocolate Everywhere

Last week, the local fruits and veggies stand opened for the season on the town square. It's a small, family-operated stand very conveniently located a short walking distance from my office. A co-worker and I walk down there a few times a week, and last week was the first this year. I was eagerly anticipating their juicy apples and big green zucchini. I got some of their juicy Granny Smith's, but their zucchini were far from big. I guess they jumped the gun when it came to picking them, because they were very...miniature. The price was right, though, and they gave me a lot for it, so all was well. I toyed with different zucchini bread recipes, and even some zucchini cookies. I wanted something different. I wanted...brownies. Zucchini brownies. I found a recipe here that was very highly rated. I only made a half recipe, baked at about 30 minutes. They are very chocolate-y, and very moist. They are a more cake-like brownie, but I won't hold that against them. I didn't frost them either, they were rich enough without it.

Undercover lovers, Zucchini and I. He's nowhere to be seen (or tasted). You only feel his very moist presence. Dirty.

Sticking with a chocolate-y theme, I made chocolate ice cream. I prepped it all last night, blending everything and sticking it in the fridge to chill. I used the recipe from Veganomicon, as it has never let me down. After chilling overnight, it was a perfect pudding. I was tempted to stop right there and have fudgey pudding for breakfast, but I stayed focused, and continued on with the ice cream makin'. I cranked it for about 20 minutes in my machine, then put it in the freezer to firm up further. That's where it currently waits.

Smooth.

My last endeavor for the morning was to fulfill a request: to make more Oatmeal Raisin (Chocolate Chip) Cookies like last week.

Once again, pure perfection. Officially "The Best Damn Oatmeal Raisin Cookies EVER."

Um...

I guess I have a lot to catch up on. Might as well jump right in...

First up, a few weeks ago we had a welcoming party at work for a new department head coming in from another state, and we wanted her to feel welcome. Every shindig we have consists of nothing more than a potluck. I made the Enchilada Casserole from Fat free Vegan, and the Lemon Coconut Bundt Cake from V-Con. Unfortunately I do not have a picture of the casserole, which was very pretty with the blue corn tortillas I used, but it was very well accepted and I even had some recipe requests. The bundt cake was superb. It was devored by the next day. I was worried because there was some other bundt cake competition (a banana bundt cake brought by someone who was supposed to bring a pie), but my bundt triumphed. Despite being loaded with coconut and lemon, both flavors were very light and not all in your face. I did have a bit of a problem getting it out of the pan. The top on one side stuck to the pan and I had to "repair" it. I put all the pieces I could back in place, drizzled it with a powdered sugar glaze and stuck flaked coconut to the top. It covered it well.

From this angle you can't see my boo-boo, but I would have done the same thing even if it didn't have a blemish. Bundt cakes are so plain, and I don't do plain.

Now this, is all up in your face. As it should be.

Moving on to finished knitting projects...

I have finished two scarves recently, both in the same feather and fan pattern, but with two different yarns. Both have a different look about them. I like how changing yarns and needle sizes can alter the way one design looks. The first one:

Yes, it is sideways. It's actually draped over a door and I wanted to get as much of it in the shot as possible. Here's an up close and detailed photo:

The next scarf is the same pattern:

The detail is a little more noticeable and tighter. Up close:

Here's the snood I mentioned before. A snood being a tube scarf that you wear over your head. Duh.

Another sideways shot. Pink Floyd lyrics in the background.

Now on to this past Sunday. I wanted to make something themed for Valentine's Day for my co-workers, so I made heart shaped cookies. I made both sugar cookies and chocolate cookies. The sugar cookies are from here, and the chocolate roll-out cookies from here. The chocolate ones tasted like Cocoa Puffs. I haven't had Cocoa Puffs in years, but it is amazing the flavors that the brain remembers. Anyways, I followed both completely, I didn't alter the recipses like I do with everything else. I wasn't in the mood to deviate. Both turned out soft, and stayed soft, the next day. I decorated them both with icing, which I colored pink for the sugar cookies and reddish for the chocolate (and I added raspberry extract). Here's what I was working with:

Da tools.

Da dough, chillin'. I made a full batch of sugar, and a half batch of chocolate.

Da cookies, coolin'. I didn't get a shot of the chocolate ones cooling, though. Pretty, huh?

And just because I like close-ups.

Here's the finished products:

I just went all Jackson Pollack on the second and third batches. I got over 40 cookies, total. About 30 of those made it to work, and by the end of the day yesterday, 10 had survived. I don't expect there to be any left after today. I would say my best received cookies overall.

Love-shaped food

Or maybe food shaped with love? Either way, I've got it coming out my ears. I have within the last week aquired 4 heart shaped pans - 3 cake pans (2 silicone) and 1 silicone muffin pan. This was all by accident, as I wasn't necessarily in the market for heart shaped cookware. First off, two silicone cake pans and the silicone muffin pan from Target. When they have silicone pans of any kind for only $2.50, you would be an idiot to not jump on them. I don't know how I managed to contain my glee.Irresistable. As was the muffin pan:

Then on Saturday, I stumbled upon a metal Wilton heart shaped cake pan at Goodwill:

And my first task was to make some of the Lower Fat Banana Bread from V-con, in muffin form. They were made with and shaped with love.

I nixed the applesauce and just used extra banana and I added walnuts. Bottom shot:

No weekend is complete without cookies. I finally made something from The Everyday Vegan - Oatmeal Raisin Cookies - simple, but by request. I used whole wheat flour instead of grinding up oats (lazy!) and they turned out alright. There was something different about them. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but no one else noticed. They were nice and chewy.

Cue The Victory Music!

Today, I made the V-Con Lemon Bars (recipe on the PPK, too). On the outside, I am quietly excited that they turned out so well. On the inside, I am jumping up and down with the Rocky theme music playing. I just don't even know what to say. Actually, I don't know if I have ever had a lemon bar before. Now, I have a belly full of lemony jelly. I was worried they wouldn't work. For one thing, I have never used agar flakes before, and another thing, I didn't have any arrowroot so I used cornstarch instead. Here's how it started:

The crust. No problems there. Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention I halved the recipe. I didn't want a whole pan of failure on my hands, and now I regret it since they turned out AMAZING.

After cooking the goo. Sweet, sweet lemony goo.

Precisely three hours after chilling in the fridge, and sprinkled with sugar. They set very well. Actually, I checked them after an hour and they had already set quite a bit. I waited to be on the safe side. It was hard, trust me.

Perfection on a plate. Sigh.

In between all the goo-chilling, I made cookies. Surprise. Friday I bought a package of Cool Mint Oreos and wanted to put them to good use. I went with this recipe from Have Cake, Will Travel (originally from Cookie Madness). I went as is with the recipe, only adding about a 1/8 teaspoon of wintermint oil to the mix. Overall they have a nice minty flavor, and the green Oreo filling adds color. I got 15 total.

Bake-A-Palooza: Day 1

Five straight hours of baking. Five hours of sugar and 80's music. This was the beginning of the Christmas baking season. Today I managed to knock out three varieties of cookies and some brownies. I had two pans of brownies, but sadly, the second pan didn't turn out well. I scalded the chocolate, therefore giving them that burnt taste. In my (careless) defense, I was on the phone at the time (multi-tasking!). I started out with a full batch of these pecan sables that I have made previously. I did add some chopped pecans in addition to the ground pecans. Made a big difference flavor-wise. The end result all wrapped up and ready to go in the mail (the picture was an afterthought):

I had my cookie agenda planned out last weekend, but on an impulse last ngiht I decided to try the Rumnog Cookies from V-con. Only I had no rum. So they are more like Rum(less)nog Cookies. I briefly toyed with the names, "Noggies" and "Nookies." Both sound kind of dirty. The cookies are pretty though, and have a nice spice to them. Instead of plain ole s'milk, I used Silk Nog, and also used it in place of the rum.

Preeeeeety. Now, this is the point in which the phone rang, and I was distracted during the entire time I made the Ginger Sparkle Cookies from VWaV and the brownies. Only the brownies suffered. I made the Ginger Sparkle Cookies earlier this year for my co-worker's and they sucked them down. I expect more of the same this time.

Here's another pic of my multi-tiered cooling racks; a must-have when you have no counter space.

I had already started wrapping the cookies up in clear plastic wrap when I remembered that we had colored wrap from the previous year. I know blue and pink aren't Christmas-y, but it will have to do. The "Noggies" waiting to be packed away.

The gang altogether. Ignore my trash can. Please.

Brownies fresh outta the oven, pre-cut. These were the only survivors. They weren't so pretty when I packed them up in foil though. These are the the same as the brownies I posted before. Once I find something I like, I tend to get in a rut. A yummy rut.

Slightly underbaked. Maybe by a few minutes. It just makes them fudgier.

I had planned on making two more types of cookies today, but I went out this afternoon and didn't feel like making anymore today. Tomorrow there will be more. Oh, there will be. There can't be a Day 1, without a Day 2.