this week's menu

Quick and Cheap Dry Erase Menu DIY

Truth time:
I'm pretty damn ready for the chalkboard trend to be over.

I will gladly grant you the fact that chalkboards are stylish, and have an old-fashioned beauty to them, and some of the designs artists create are breathtaking. But LORDY ME, I cannot stand the feel of chalk on chalkboard. I don't know why we even needed to come up with the phrase "nails on chalkboard," because isn't chalk bad enough?! You can never get that dry, scratchy feeling to go away, and the dust gets everywhere. Messy, messy. Definitely not a practical every day solution to me. You know what IS? Dry erase. I LOVE me a dry erase board. They erase so crisply and cleanly, write so smoothly, and there's no dust to be found. Beauteous.

The problem, however, is that most dry erase boards are seriously butt-ugly. Plasticky and cheap-looking, even the pricy ones, and if you buy a cheap one they tend to stain after a couple erases.

The solution? The thrift store! My favorite solution to so many problems!

Step One: Buy a framed picture from the thrift store. It'll need to have a glass pane, not plastic.

Shocking that someone before me hadn't picked up this water-damaged little gem...

Step Two: Destroy! Tear out the back of the frame and remove the current photo/drawing. If you can find a fancy schmancy one with a removable and replaceable back, good on you. This one was so thoroughly sealed that I'm still a bit surprised there weren't incriminating documents hidden within.

Step Three: Almost die of tetanus poisoning. Avoid this step, if possible.

There were EIGHTEEN nails in this sucker. I have bookshelves with fewer fasteners.

Step Four: Create! Make a pretty menu (or just pretty paper/whathaveyou, if you're making a regular dry erase board) and paint/finish the frame, if necessary. I spray painted mine white.

Step Five: Reassemble! Put everything back together, and voila! A pretty, personalized dry erase board, and the glass will be higher quality than any of the cheapo boards you can get at most stores, and erase more nicely.

Mushroom, Fennel and "Sausage" Stew

Recently, I purchased a tube of Light Life Gimme Lean Sausage on impulse. Since I didn't eat much meat before I went vegan, I don't really ever miss it, and so rarely feel the need to buy faux meat foodstuffs. But lately I've found myself feeling pretty tired of plain old tofu, and though I wasn't sure what I'd use it in, it seemed like a fun way to play around in the kitchen. 

Later, as I was putting away my groceries, I realized I'd unintentionally picked up ingredients to make the MOST delicious stew ever, and the perfect meal for this sh*tastic weather. Mushrooms, fennel, "sausage," potatoes and vegetable stock -  it practically created itself right there on my counter. It was like a far less creepy version of that scene in Ghostbusters where Sigourney Weaver's carton of eggs comes alive. 

How many times have I seen this movie and I'm JUST NOW noticing that those are Stay-Puft Marshmallows?

It's also pretty great that it's quick and simply to throw together and, despite being hearty and filling, is only 300 calories and less than 1 gram of fat per serving. 

Mushroom, Fennel and Sausage Stew

makes 4 servings

1 14 oz package of Light Life Gimme Lean Ground Sausage

2 bulbs fennel, sliced (I'm partial to pretty sizable chunks)

2 carrots, chopped

2 cups chopped mushrooms

2 medium potatoes, chopped

1/2 onion, diced

1 cup white wine

4 cups vegetable stock

1.5 tsp sage

1.5 tbsp thyme

salt to taste

olive oil for sautéing

Saute the onions in oil in the bottom of a medium pot. After a minute, add the fennel. Cook, stirring occasionally for a couple minutes, then add the sage and thyme, and cook for several minutes more. Add the sausage and wine and cook, stirring (and chopping the sausage into pieces) for several minutes. Toss the potatoes, carrots and stock into the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the potatoes and carrots are just about done. Add the mushrooms and continue to simmer until all the vegetables are tender and the stock has reduced enough to thicken the stew. If you like your stew thicker or thinner, simmer for more or less time accordingly.

Keeps well in the fridge, and freezes well, too, so it's great to have on hand, especially for chilly nights. 

Enjoy!

wishlist wednesday

Ahem. So. It miiiight be Friday, not Wednesday. But I'm a pretty firm believer in "better late than never," so we'll make due. Plus, it gave me inspiration for this week's theme: time-travel!

A. I wish I could pop back to Wednesday real quick and make this post then.
B. I wish I could go back in time and meet Eleanor of Aquitaine, because she was a seriously badass lady. Plus, maybe we could work out some sort of French-English citizenship deal.
C. I wish I could go back to the late 1930's and hang out with Katharine Hepburn on the set of The Philadelphia Story. And sing Lydia, Oh, Lydia with Virginia Weidler. And drool over Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart. But mostly I'd just LOVE to be buds with Katharine Hepburn.
D. I'm not one to want to know the future, so that has little appeal to me in a time-travel-empowered world. But I would love to go far enough into the future to reach the point when space travel is available to the everyman. RocketBus to Mars? Yes, please.

Happy wishful thinking, and happy Valentine's Day!

miso hungry: a love letter to souen

While I was living in New York, I didn't do nearly enough of the things I love most about the city. I didn't go to enough galleries or museums, I didn't spend enough time in Central Park, and I most certainly didn't eat out enough at my favorite restaurants. So every time I go back to visit, I'm torn between looking for new places to eat or returning to old haunts, namely among them Pukk, 'S Nice and Souen. A lot of the time I try something new, because it seems like a waste not to, since I'm usually upstate, where there's a grand total of two restaurants with largely vegan menus.

But every once in a while I need to make an exception, and go with what I know and love. And, oh, how I love me some Souen. Such simple, clean food is good for the soul, and I feel at peace with the world and myself every time I step inside. It's my haven. From the waitstaff that never changes to the friendly clientele happily munching on macrobiotic goodness, I breathe a sigh of relief upon entering. While you could certainly argue that some of the menu is overpriced considering it's mostly vegetable-based, the lunch specials are quite reasonable, and making a meal out of several appetizers is another thrifty way to go. This time I had some miso soup, vegetable dumpings and a lemon-cucumber-kale juice, with some green tea to round it out. Though on my recent trip I only had time for a quick lunch, it's lovely to bring a book or journal and take some time to simply eat, drink and be at peace.

wishlist wednesday

This week's Wishlist Wednesday is all about books I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see made into movies. But seriously well done ones. Hence the wishful bit. 

Oryx and Crake Trilogy- Margaret Atwood's trilogy just finished this fall, and I can't get over how well done they are, nor can I believe how ultimately pleasant and inviting her post-apocalyptic world wound up seeming. Labeled as sci-fi for being about the future, the books are in the vein of Bradbury or Vonnegut, in terms of using fantastical concepts to write about human nature.

The Phantom Tollbooth- To be honest, I haven't seen the film they did in the seventies, so it could be this is a wasted wish. But I think about special effects today and the wonderful things they could do to this masterpiece.

The Riddles of Epsilon- A somewhat obscure YA novel, this was my absolute favorite book when I was 13. The story is really engaging and at times incredibly creepy, yet ultimately it's not a book about supernatural lore, it's about mother-child relationships. Another one that would make a seriously fun movie. 

Tales of the Jazz Age- This collection of short stories is at times deeply sad and at times darkly humorous, and would make the coolest compilation of vignettes, a la Coffee and Cigarettes.  

Happy wishful thinking!

carrot soup with chickpea croquettes

This recipe was a total crapshoot, haphazardly thrown together after work one night. My aunt makes a carrot soup with turkey meatballs that is just about her daughter's favorite food, so when I saw this recipe for chickpea meatballs I decided to play around and see what I could come up with. And holy moly, it came out even better than I had hoped. I love it when a plan comes together.

It's comforting and absolutely perfect for this weather (Cue impending snowstorm. Sigh.), in addition to healthy and easy to have on hand. I recommend making extra soup to freeze, and then all you need to do in future is throw together some croquettes, which takes less than 30 minutes. You can call them meatballs if you like, but it just feels bizarre to me. For the same reason I prefer when seitan is called seitan and not Chikn. Or Beeph. *shiver*

Carrot Soup with Chickpea Croquettes:

First, the soup:

• 1 lb carrots, peeled or unpeeled, chopped
• 1/2 lb parsnips, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• Oil for sautéing
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp dill
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• Salt to taste

Heat a couple teaspoons of oil in the bottom of a medium pot. Add the onion and sweat over medium-low heat for two or three minutes. Add the dill, turmeric and salt and sauté several more minutes. Add everything else but the milk and bring to a boil. Reduce to a hearty simmer and cook, covered, until the carrots and parsnips are tender. Let cool slightly before pureeing using an immersion or upright blender. 

While the soup is cooking you can make the croquettes.

• 1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and thoroughly rinsed
• 2 tbsp veganaise
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp dried sage
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1 tbsp mustard
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and mix till smooth, scraping down as needed. Roll into twelve balls and place on oiled cookie sheet. Spray or brush with oil and bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned and firm to the touch.

Place two or three croquettes in each bowl of soup and enjoy!

superbore

Alright. I give up. I'm officially throwing in the towel. After 23 years of trying to make nice and act blandly entertained, I can't do it anymore.

I despise football. With a fiery hatred.

source

There are some sports I simply find boring or off-putting (I'm looking at you, speedwalking.) But I so dislike American football that it's become anger-inducing. I am completely incapable of seeing where the entertaining bit lies. Hockey and basketball are fast-paced and dangerous. Baseball is an engaging combination of strategy, physical skill and fit men in tight pants. Curling is both weird and difficult enough that I have a sneaking suspicion it's secretly awesome.

Before we even address the brooms, can we please talk about their hatwear?

But football? Really, America? THAT one is our favorite? The one where every 37.2 seconds we stop and talk for ten minutes? Senior center chair yoga is more action-packed. I just don't like sitting through three hours of game and commercials for approximately 15 minutes' play time involving any legitimate physical prowess or strategy.

Between being a fan of neither the ol' pigskin nor chicken wings, the Superbowl is simply not my kind of holiday. So I'm going to give myself a break, and for the first time in memory, not attend a Superbowl party. I won't even go within spitting distance of a television. My evening is going to be throroughly un-Blue-blooded American Sportsfan.

However, just because I am a Superbowl grinch doesn't mean I don't feel for the vegan football fans out there who have to subsist on chips, salsa and beer for the duration of the game. So I've put together a recipe that should satisfy vegans and meateaters, Coloradoites and Washingtonians, football-fans and football-toleraters alike. A grinch and a peacekeeper, both, that's me.

Buffalo Tempeh Pizza with Caramelized Onions and Blanch Dressing

Ahem. Yes. Some explanation. Before you go either the Golden Girls or Streetcar route, let me clarify by saying that the blanch dressing is a cross between blue cheese and ranch dressing.

Now, don't get overwhelmed by the amount of recipes listed below- yes, there are several different things to make, but each is incredibly easy, and this doesn't take as long to throw together as you'd think.

First off, caramelize some onions:

• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 tbsp Earth Balance
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar (I used serrano-honey, YUM)

Melt the Earth Balance in a skillet and add the onions, then toss to coat them. Cook for 45-60 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes. If they start to dry out and stick to the pan too much, add a splash of water. When they're as soft and dark as you'd like, add the vinegar and scrape up all the delicious caramelized bits off the pan (FYI: that stuff is called the fond). 

You can prepare everything else while the onions are cooking.

Buffalo Sauce

• 4 tbsp Frank's Red Hot (you can use other brands if you'd like, but it a) won't be authentically "Buffalo," at least according to this particular upstate girl, and b) don't use Tabasco. Aside from generally feeling like it's a sub-par hot sauce, it simply doesn't work in a buffalo sauce)
• 4 tbsp Earth Balance butter
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (add more or less depending how much heat you'd like)
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 1/4 tsp minced garlic

Melt the butter and whisk in all the other ingredients. Set aside.

Blanch Dressing:

• 1/3 cup veganaise
• 1 tbsp tahini
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2-1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
• nutritional yeast
• almond milk

Alright, these are just ballpark estimates. I did use 1/3 cup veganaise and 1 tbsp tahini. Past that I added a bit more vinegar and lemon juice, and several dashes of nutritional yeast. So just taste and adjust as you go.

Breaded Tempeh:

• 1/4 cup cashew meal
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp nutritional yeast
• 1 8 oz block tempeh 
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1 tbsp veganaise
• olive oil for frying

Whisk together the almond milk and veganaise til completely blended and there aren't any lumps, then pour into a shallow bowl. 

Whisk together the cashews, bread crumbs, garlic and yeast and put in another shallow bowl. Slice the tempeh into strips and roll in the milk, then in the bread crumbs til well coated, patting to make sure they stick if necessary.

Coat the bottom of a pan with oil and heat on high. When hot enough to sizzle, fry the tempeh strips, a couple minutes on each side, til golden brown and crispy. Slice into small chunks and toss in a bowl with Buffalo sauce, stirring to coat. 

Pizza

• your favorite pizza dough (I just used store bought, but I've been itching to try this one)
• Breaded tempeh tossed in Buffalo sauce
• caramelized onions
• Blanch dressing
• finely ground cornmeal

Roll out your pizza dough and put it on a pizza stone (preheat it in the oven) dusted with cornmeal. Top it with the onions and tempeh and bake according to your pizza dough's  recipe. Top with blanch dressing and enjoy!

wishlist wednesday

Today's theme is music.

A. I wish I could have a guitar lesson with Josh Homme.
B. I wish I could eat a meal with Alex Kapranos.
C. I wish I could get drunk with Scott Hutchison.
D. I wish I could do karaoke with Karen O.

...preferably in that order. My birthday IS coming up, you know, and a girl can dream...

Happy wishful thinking!

brunch with the ladies

Greetings from Brooklyn!

I took a last minute trip to visit my sister and her awesome roommates, who just happen to be former coworkers of mine, in their sweet new digs. In addition to the promise of brunch with some of my favorite people, I get to cuddle with this guy:

Nephew Jack

It's really a win-win. Not to mention we're walking distance to Champ's, the best vegan diner and currently my favorite vegan restaurant in general. So many options, so reasonably priced. Go there.

Oh, and someone foolishly thought it was a good idea to introduce me to Dun-well Donuts. A monster has been created, and I will no doubt have dreams about these bad boys for weeks to come.

I hope your weekend is as lovely as the donuts I am about to cram into my face. Happy brunching!

foreign lands!

Today my pastotto recipe is being featured for Foodie Friday over at the Wandering Dago's blog!
This fantastic food truck does Italian with a twist, combining endless fusions of various cuisines, and literally has something for everyone. The meat lover and vegan alike will find a plethora of seriously tasty options.

Plus, the owners, Andrea and Brandon are some of the coolest people around. If you stop by the truck, make sure to stay and chat. It's worth it.

Their blog focuses mainly on discussing food trucks as an (awesome) option for catering weddings. Most people associate truckside service with lunch and picnics, for which they're great, it's true, but not as many people realize that they're also a stellar way to cater weddings and events. Brandon answers FAQ and discusses the process of having a truck-catered event, and it's a really helpful resource. And it doesn't hurt that on Fridays they feature different recipes from local chefs and foodies!

Here is the link to their website, and here's a link to my feature!

Happy eating!

wishlist wednesday

Today's theme is DIY.

a. I wish to update a piece of furniture with these.
b. I wish to cover my ugly radiators with something kind of like this.
c. I wish to organize my necklaces with something akin to these.
d. I wish to do this to some champagne flutes.

Happy wishful thinking!

pastotto

This, friends, is a post you need to pay attention to. I am about to do you all a massive favor. It will involve yelling at you, but I yell because I care.

STOP COOKING YOUR PASTA IN PLAIN, BORING WATER AND STOP EATING PLAIN, BORING PASTA. THERE IS NO REASONABLE EXCUSE FOR THIS BEHAVIOR. JUST STOP IT.

Let's face it: pasta is dull. Unless you find authentic, homemade stuff, pasta is bland as can be, and even finding homemade doesn't guarantee it's going to be flavorful. Plus, half the time the sauce is too thin and just rolls off the noodles, and what you end up with is a forgettable, disappointing meal, which is why people end up just dumping mass amounts of cheese on top, or even worse, that "Parmesan" dust that doesn't even need to be refrigerated.

Never again! Now your pasta can actually taste like things!

There is one simple rule for pasta to be rich and flavorful: cook it like risotto. Start off like you're making the sauce (saute some onion/shallots/garlic/tomatoes/whathaveyou), then add oil and dry noodles, then broth in half-cup increments til the pasta has absorbed it all, then finish it like you're finishing the sauce (with "cream," a thickener, etc) and that's all. Since the pasta is cooking with  the sauce ingredients and stock rather than water, it's infused with all that flavor. Delish.

Here's one I messed around with to bring to my holiday potluck party on Friday. It's lovely as is, but next time I may also finish it with a bechemel, just to give it even more lushness.

Mushroom Leek Pastotto

Earth Balance butter and olive oil for sauteing
1/2 lb pasta (gemelli is a classic, but I quite like to use orecchiette or campanelle)
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/2 to 1 cup leeks, thinly sliced
1 shallot, minced
1 tbsp minced garlic (I use jarred, minced garlic because I like how much mellower it is than fresh)
1/2 cup white wine
2.5-3 cups vegetable stock (I never use tomato-based stocks since mostly they make things taste like tomato paste, and here it's especially important to avoid them because you don't want to overpower the delicate flavors of the mushrooms and leeks)

 Heat a heavy and deep skillet over medium heat and melt 2 tbsp Earth Balance in it. Add the shallot, garlic and leeks and saute for a minute or two, then add mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms brown. Add the pasta and a tablespoon or two of olive oil, and stir and toss the pasta until it's evenly coated and glossy. Add the white wine and simmer, stirring frequently, until the wine is mostly absorbed. Add 1/2 a cup of stock and repeat the process. Once absorbed, add another 1/2 cup, and so on, until the stock is absorbed and the pasta is tender. Serve piping hot, and you just try not to eat 3 helpings, I dare you.

It's so easy to vary this recipe, and use whatever herbs, spices and vegetables to different effects, plus the whole shebang takes less than 1/2 an hour, so it's a nice last minute meal idea.

Enjoy!

perfect potluck

Last night was the holiday potluck my manager holds every year. Since it was both the last Christmas-y event I have and the official end of the season, as well as the first time in four years I've been able to make it to the party, I was pretty excited. I decided I wanted to bring two dishes, and figured I'd fool around and make something up, and then bring something that's a sure bet.

I'll share both recipes, but here's the sure bet first. It's adapted from Alicia Silverstone's "The Kind Diet," which is a book I'd highly recommend and played a large role in my becoming vegan in the first place. I've just tweaked the recipe a little bit so it's a little thicker and more like a stew than a soup. It's delicious on it's own, though I sometimes spoon it over whole grain couscous or polenta. It'd also be lovely over some bulghur.


Alicia Silverstone's Sweet Potato and Lentil Stew

Oil for sauteing (I just use olive, but the book recommends safflower)
1 onion, diced
2 small tomatoes, diced
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1.5 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cayenne
salt to taste
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
2.5 cups vegetable broth
1 cup dry brown lentils

Heat the oil in a sizable, heavy bottomed pan. Saute the onion til softened, about two minutes, then add tomatoes and ginger and saute two more minutes. Add the spices and a bit of salt and stir it all together. After a minute or two, rinse the lentils and add to the pot, followed by the sweet potatoes and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce to a strong simmer, cover, and let cook about 20-30 minutes, til the tomatoes and lentils are soft. And that's all she wrote; it's a mindlessly simple recipe and really tasty. It's also fantastic comfort food, especially on these chilly nights, and guilt-free, to boot.

irony

When last we met I was fearlessly going on about how no one and no thing could steal away my ability to meander around the internet aimlessly. Appropriately, two days later I was laid up in bed with a bout of colduenzanitis so severe that the mere act of gazing across the room longingly at my computer would require a recovery nap. After three hellish days of delirium (it doesn't take a very high fever before my brain melts into a useless puddle of madness) and more mucus than I care to even think about, I started to slowly recover, and by some miracle, feel even better than before my illness. Possibly because we've reached the halfway mark in January, possibly because the weather has been positively balmy, or maybe I'm just thankful to have regained locomotion.

Or it could be the antibiotics talking. You never really know.

Anywho, I've bypassed this Wishlist Wednesday, but expect a return to regular programming next week, albeit with a post that makes fewer boasts about my god-given right to procrastination.

Hubris, ladies and gents. It'll get you every time.

inaugural wishlist wednesday

Well, it's disgusting outside.
I am NOT a lady that was built for the cold and right now it's about 7 degrees outside. As happens every year, January feels like it's never going to end, and we're not even halfway through. I couldn't tell you whether it's the lack of vitamin D, or the inability to frolic outside, or the impending risk of death by ice/hypothermia/space heater fire, but for some reason January is my least cheerful month of the year. Followed closely by March, but that's another blog post for another time.

The icy weather may take away my sloth-like morning "run," my favorite seasonal fruits and vegetables, and all of the feeling in my extremities, but it can never take away my ability to squander hours on the internet daydreaming of (mostly) impossible things. And to honor that noble art of "wasting time," I present you with my first ever weekly post:

Wishlist Wednesday!

Woohoo! I've decided that each Wednesday I'll put up things I've been daydreaming about/pining after/considering tattooing on my face. We can share our hopes and dreams. That's a thing, right?

My hopes and dreams this week are pretty primal: to stay warm. Well, to get warm in the first place and then stay that way.

A. I wish I could live in this house.
B. I wish I could put this sofa in my cute little house.
C. I wish I could wrap up in this blanket (from what might be my favorite store in the world.)
D. I wish I could make myself a dirty chai latte with this.

Happy wishful thinking : )

a 100% plant-based log!

One of my very favorite Christmas traditions is making the yule log I bring in for my coworkers. A buche de noel is one of those lovely dishes that appear somewhat complicated and time-consuming, but is in fact incredibly simple and fun to make.

This was the first year I tried to bake a vegan buche de noel, and simply made substitutions in the recipe I've used for years. After some tweaking, and a somewhat unsuccessful attempt at using rice-milk whipped cream as filling (NOT recommended unless you like your logs rather flat and puddly), I came out with a tasty and foolproof recipe.

The jellyroll:

1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1 cup sugar
1 tbsp and 2 tsp Ener-G egg replacer
1/4 cup and 2 tbsp warm water
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp room temperature water

First things first: whisk together the warm water and Ener-G in a small dish until are the clumps are gone and it starts to foam nicely.

Next, preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 10x15 in jellyroll pan with Earth Balance or the like. If you don't have a jellyroll pan, don't sweat it. Fold up a sheet of aluminum foil and wall off 10 x 15 inches in a regular baking pan, using the Earth Balance to make it stick. Grease both the pan AND aluminum foil, then line with wax paper, and grease that, too.

Like so! The nonstickiest of nonstick.

Next, sift the flour, baking powder and salt together three times. Set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer, beat the Ener-G mixture, gradually adding sugar til completely combined and frothy. Beat in vanilla and water. Add flour mixture in thirds, blending completely each time. Once smooth, pour into prepared pan, and use a spatula to spread the batter evenly into all the corners.

Bake for 12-15 minutes. It won't brown at all, so just go by the firmness in the middle.

Before the cake is out of the oven, prepare to roll it up. Place a clean dishtowel, a smooth cotton one, preferably; definitely not a fluffy one, flat on the counter and dust it heavily with powdered sugar.

While the cake is baking, prepare the espresso buttercream frosting:

1/3 cup Earth Balance, softened
1/4 cup vegetable shortening (I use Crisco sticks)
2 tbsp instant espresso dissolved in 1 tbsp warm almond milk (or soy, potato potahto)
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted.

Cream the Earth Balance and shortening together til combined and fluffy. Add 1/4 cup of the sugar and beat til smooth. Add the cocoa and espresso (Note- if you don't have instant espresso, brew SERIOUSLY strong coffee and use 1 tbsp of that), then the rest of the sugar and beat til smooth. If it seems a bit too wet, add more sugar. If too stiff, a dash of almond milk. It's buttercream, you probably know the drill.

By now the cake should be ready. Take it out of the oven and let it sit for just a minute or two before inverting the pan onto the sugar-dusted towel. Gently peel off the wax paper. Then, sprinkling copious amounts of sugar on the towel as you go, gently roll up the cake and towel together:

Make sure you use tons of sugar anywhere the towel touches cake. As long as you do that, unrolling it after it's cooled is a breeze. 

Once you've rolled it up completely, set it on a board or plate someplace to cool.

All that's left to make is the filling, a basic vanilla buttercream.

1/4 cup Earth Balance, softened

1/4 cup vegetable shortening (Crisco again)

1 tsp vanilla

1.5 - 2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted

2 tbsp almond milk (more/less as needed)

Same protocol as before: cream Earth Balance and shortening, add vanilla and sugar, cream 'til smooth and add almond milk until you get the consistency you'd like.

Once the cake feels cool (depending how chilly the place you let it sit, it should take 20-30 minutes to cool properly), gently unroll it from the towel and roll each end part of the way back up to keep it from cracking.

Spread the vanilla buttercream and roll up as you go.

Place it seam side down on whatever you'll be serving it on (this particular cake I brought down to Jersey with me, so I just frosted it in the tupperware) and frost each end with espresso buttercream, sealing off the vanilla filling.

Frost the rest of the cake, and use a metal offset spatula or a butter knife to create a bark effect:

Some people leave their cake like that, or use a fork to create an even bark-ier texture, and if you'd like, use powdered sugar to look like a dusting of snow. Sometimes I'll make marzipan mushrooms to serve with it, and one of these years I'm going to make a smaller jellyroll and create a branch coming off the log.

That's it! The whole thing only takes a little over an hour and it's a really tasty treat, with the lightness of the cake offsetting the sweetness of the frostings.

A note about the filling: traditionally I used to fill the log with whipped cream rather than frosting, which I tried to emulate with vegan canned whip, to no avail. If you have a vegan whipped cream recipe that you think would keep it's shape and not absorb into the cake, I say give it a go (and send along the recipe!) but what's nice about using vanilla buttercream (aside from being seriously delicious) is that, unlike the cream, it's shelf stable, so you can leave it at room temperature and not have a firm buttercream when you slice into it.

Alright, seeing as it's Epiphany today, and officially the end of Christmas, I have to go pack away my Christmas village and garlands and such. And start thinking about gifts for next year, naturally.

But I'm not taking down my tree just yet. Not until the temperature gets back above, oh, 20 degrees.

Speaking of which, best of luck to everyone affected by the snowy madness across the country! 72 days 'til Spring, folks!

chocolate peppermint thumbprint cookies

Well, I managed to make it home from Jersey, though running an errand in Queens on the way back did almost end our journey in a sizable snowbank.

But I'm home safe in time for mother nature to dump more freezing rain and snow on us in two days. Think maybe it's January?

Time has taught me the best thing to do in preparation for a snowstorm is stock up on canned items, make sure your thickest socks and sweatpants are clean, and have at least one type of cookie hoarded in your kitchen. These adorable little delights are a fun twist on a classic cookie, and since they're so quick and simple, it's a perfect recipe to make with kids on a snow day.

Incidentally, having this recipe in your arsenal is a perfect excuse for always keeping Junior Mints in the house, which is never a bad thing.

1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup almond milk
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup sugar
30  Junior Mints

      Preheat oven to 350 F. Sift together flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda. In a separate bowl, blend together oil, milk, vanilla and sugar til completely combined. Add dry ingredients in 3 additions, and once completely blended it should be thick enough to roll into balls. Roll into 30 balls and place on lined cookie sheet. Bake for 6 minutes, then remove from oven and using a small metal measuring spoon (1/2 or 1/4 tsp works best), indent the middle to make the thumbprint. Place a Junior Mint in each indentation and return to the oven for 6 more minutes. Remove and let cool on the cookie sheet before moving to a rack and cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

looks like a snow day

I can currently only barely make out the buildings across the street from the apartment I'm at in Jersey City. While it's really gorgeous, and I'm pretty pumped that I'm here, with my car nicely parked in the garage rather than upstate, where I'd have the lovely task of digging it out, I also can no longer deny the fact that I'm probably not making it home tomorrow.

Oh well. We've got tea and cocoa to last about 8 years, and a liquor store on the ground floor, so I'll make due.

Incidentally, here's the regular view:

Not too shabby, right? While I'm not about to move here, I'm definitely warming up to Jersey City.

Hope everyone is safe and warm during this mess!

it really IS the little things

My mother has instilled in me many life lessons over the years, and they're hard-wired into my head at this point. Clean the kitchen as you cook. Il faut souffrir pour être belle. Moisturize. Stretch. It's bad luck to put shoes on the table. If you're thirsty you're already dehydrated. And so forth. Though that second one is in jest. Mostly.

But one of her instructions that has firmly stuck with me is to never underestimate the pure magic and luxury that is having a programmable coffee pot right in your bedroom. 

And Jo, unsurprisingly, was not mistaken. If I can only give you one suggestion to make the whole of 2014 a good year, it would be to buy a coffee pot immediately. Or just move the one from your kitchen. It's astonishing how much joy I get each morning when I turn off my alarm and hear the gentle trickle of lovely caffeine from the corner. It's never too early in the day to have hot coffee in your bloodstream, and what better to entice you from your bed on an awful January morning?

If I can find a way to have my oatmeal ready when I wake up, too, then I might just become a morning person after all.

Happy waking up!

happiest of new years!

Source

As each year always is, 2013 was chock full of ups and downs, and I can't say I'm sad to see it go. But rather than dwell on the past, I'm glad to look to the future of 2014 and ring in the new year with hope and happiness!

May your night be filled with tasty champagne and fantastic friends!

Happy 2014!

Northern Ireland, New Year's Day 2013