December, 2011

Entries from December 4th, 2011

2011 Wrap Up

12.31.2011

I don’t do this very often but I’m going to make this post be about my life instead of food (don’t worry. I’m not turning this into a vanity blog on you; just have some end of the year things I’d like to discuss).

First, I know I talk about food a lot (well…this is a food blog) but my first passion is actually music and I feel alittle ridiculous not posting about my ‘Top Albums of 2011′ because everyone does it and I swear I have an opinion too! Anyways, I am no music expert of any kind and am not going to try to show off so I’ll keep it short to a top 5 (and then add a bunch of honorable mentions). Also, I should mention that my criteria for a music list is based off no musical competence what-so-ever and I base my list off of how much I listened to these albums (this is a PERSONAL list after all), how they influenced my year, and overall general enjoyment of them.

Honorable Mentions:

Ty Segall- Goodbye Bread (Drag City)

To be honest, this probably wouldn’t be on my list if it wasn’t for the fact that it’s Ty Segall. This album didn’t catch me the way that ‘Melted’ managed to but it’s still a great album and did slowly grow on me. Ty Segall is one of my all time favorite artists so I am going to give him a break with this album since he manages to put out music a couple times a year anyways so I’m sure he’ll redeem himself soon enough. Plus, I do have to give him credit for trying to go in a different (softer) direction than much of his previous music so I guess at least he is expanding, right? Sure.

Jacuzzi Boys- Glazin’ (Hardly Art)

This album probably should have made the cut because of how much I managed to listen to it this year. It’s poppier than their previous album which is often times bad (for sure since my boyfriend tends to play albums into the ground) but it never got on my nerves and I still manage to find it catchy after the 100th listen.

Mikal Cronin- S/T (Trouble in Mind)

Wow, I am so predictable. I’ve managed to make all of my ‘Honorable Mentions’ part of the same genre. I promise I’ll try to expand on my actual list (oh yeah..I should probably get to the ACTUAL list here eventually). Anyways, my love for Mikal Cronin was discovered because of Ty Segall…Ty produced this album, Mikal produced the Ty album mentioned above. They are both great musicians and although my loyalty lies with Ty Segall…this album was much better than ‘Goodbye Bread’. This album was actually just a really great album and I’m going to leave it at that.

Now, for the list.

5. Kurt Vile- Smoke Ring For My Halo (Matador)

Can’t say that this album is perfect for every mood but when in the right mind set, this album is phenomenal. He’s just a really great songwriter and this album got me. I didn’t have any experience with Kurt Vile before this album so I do have to admit that I came into it not knowing what to expect but it was far better than I could ever imagine. It’s not even my “type” of music but it’s great for what it is. Yup, that’s all I’m gonna say about that.

4. Bon Iver- S/T (Jagjaguwar)

So the honest truth with this album is that I’ve probably only heard it all the way through 2 or 3 times. I can’t say he is my “cup of tea” (not that he’s bad or anything) but it’s on my top list because of the influence it’s had over my year. Because he’s an artist of ours at work, it’s been amusing to see the excitement of other employees as he has been succeeding and it’s been fun to see him explode as an artist over this past year. Being the distributor of this album, I’ve probably have seen this cover everyday for the past six months and this is the album that has made work crazy (at times and in a good way) and it’s just an overall great feeling to be proud of being part of this artist’s career. Sorry, I’m done being sappy…I just honestly really love my job and am very happy for all the good this album did for the great people I work with.

3. Yuck- S/T (Fat Possum)

I feel a little embarrassed putting this album on my list but I’d be in denial if I didn’t. My first encounter with this band was back in March at SXSW and they put on one of the worst shows I have ever witnessed (and I’ve seen ALOT of music). They were too pretentious to even be in Texas (let alone on stage in front of a bunch of Americans) and yet they literally fell apart halfway through their set and just ended. It was God awful. Anyways, this album came out a few months later and I listened to the whole album at work (without realizing it was them) and loved it. It’s raw (but not disastrous) and catchy and simple. It’s such a shame that they can’t seem to get their live performance together or they could probably blow some people out of the water.

2. Tennis- Cape Dory (Fat Possum)

This album is the girl side of me coming out but damn, I am in love with Tennis. The girl has a beautiful voice, the music is feel-good, and the story behind the band is oh so romantic. SUPPOSEDLY, this band is a couple that knew nothing about music and gave up everything to travel down the East coast by boat. Along their journey, they managed to make this album. Ideal life? I’d say so.

1. JEFF The Brotherhood- We Are the Champions

I first heard of this brother duo a couple years ago because we distribute a 7 inch of theirs at work but I didn’t really think much of them. It was not until I saw them (coincidentally, at the same showcase as Yuck) at SXSW that I fell in love. I have yet to find someone who doesn’t like this album. I work (and I mean this in a nice way) with 3 big headed (when it comes to music) musicians and to find something that we all agree on is VERY VERY rare (according to my metal loving boss, my music is too girly and boring) but we all sing along to this one.

Phew, done. Well I was also hoping to post about my winter picnic the other day but this post has been long enough so perhaps another time. I do want to make a quick New Year Resolution list…nothing too personal or anything. My Music Business professor claims that people are 80 percent more likely to follow through with things if they write them down so if I publish my list on the internet then that has to raise it to at least 88 percent, right? Maybe? No?

1. Polish my Photoshop skills

2. Expand my photography skills

3. Figure out what I’m going to do with my life (stay in Bloomington? Move? Move where? Get a job where?- Luckily and not luckily, this will have to be figured out regardless of if I’m ready come May)

4. Take Arizona road trip

5. Adopt a puppy!

6. Visit Farm Sanctuary

7. Keep up with my blog

7 is already too many so we will end it there.

Corn Pancakes

12.30.2011

As a stocking stuffer, I received a GIANT tub of Michigan maple syrup which, could not have come at a better time with my two week vacation following the holidays. I love maple syrup because it’s used in a lot of vegan cooking but of course, it’s also great with breakfast. So this maple syrup has inspired many of my recent breakfasts.

And I came across this idea of corn pancakes because I recently saw some polenta pancakes on the Food Network (I Know, TV is lame but sometime it’s a good distraction from homework). Anyways, this led me to search out polenta pancake ideas and I came across lots of corn pancakes (to be specific, this recipe was adapted from Smitten Kitchen). At first, I was weirded out by the idea of making corn patties and then lathering them in maple syrup but damn. I am converted. The salt and sweet combination gets me every time.

Corn Pancakes

1 cup frozen corn
1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1 large egg, beaten
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
dash of vanilla extract
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 Tablespoons butter, divided

First, melt 1 Tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Saute the corn for about 5 minutes or until it begins to slightly brown. Set corn aside and season with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Reuse the skillet in a bit for the pancakes.

Mix the egg, buttermilk, vanilla extract, corn and sugar in bowl. In another large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and baking soda. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and slowly add the wet ingredients to the batter. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet until everything is well incorporated.

Reheat that skillet over medium heat and grease the pan with butter. Use a 1/4 measuring cup to spoon the batter onto the skillet. Let them cook until bubbles form on top of the batter (about two to three minutes) and then flip on the other side for a minute or two. Repeat with the rest of the batter.

Lather with additional dollops of butter and loads of maple syrup.

Get back into bed and munch down while enjoying a big mug of french press coffee and enjoying rerun episode of ‘Unsolved Mysteries’.

Easy Vegan Pad Thai

12.28.2011

Okay, so after having an epic cooking marathon this past weekend for Christmas, I’ve been feeling a bit less motivated in the kitchen and have been making my boyfriend survive off of leftovers. Finally, I regained the desire to cook up something fresh last night and decided to whip out this pad thai for dinner because we had everything on hand and it was about as simple as recipes come.

Although this recipe was simple, it was (to my honest surprise) super delicious. Sometimes I find “half-assed” pasta recipes to be bland and not as flavorful as their scent but this stuff was really as good as take out. It took us maybe 20 minutes to whip up (at the most) so I am excited to add this one to my weeknight rotation when I’m short on time and need something comforting.

Plus, it’s vegan (thank goodness. Cheese in pad thai…yuck)!

Vegan Pad Thai

8 ounces of Lo Mein noodles
4 cups of broccoli
4 Tablespoons brown sugar
3 Tablespoons lime juice
4 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 green onions, chopped
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Fresh cilantro, chopped (for garnish)
Peanuts, chopped (for garnish)

In a large pot, boil the lo mein noodles according to the package directions. In the last five minutes, add the broccoli. Drain and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, soy sauce, and brown sugar. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Next, add the noodles/broccoli and soy sauce mixture. Toss until the noodles are well coated with the sauce. Remove from heat and stir in the green onions.

Garnish with cilantro and peanuts.

Enjoy with your kitty while watching an episode of Twin Peaks and wishing you had every article of clothing that Audrey Horn fashions.

Cranberry and Pecan Cheese ball Pops

12.27.2011

So my stepmother has a “Cake Ball” (if you’ve never heard of cakeballs…oh goodness! You need to get your hands on a few because they are absolutely delicious. Check them out here or here) business where she makes anything from red velvet to key lime pie cake-balls for weddings and other occasions. This has conditioned me to notice every cake-ball shaped baked good that I pass; I feel like I’m constantly sending her new ideas from magazine covers, bakery stop ins, and blog scans. Because of this heightened awareness of “cake-ball” like things, I came across this idea of miniature cheese-balls on a stick from a locally owned grocery store a few weeks back (because, of course, I had assumed they were cakeballs at first). This led to searching out a few recipes on the web and finally settling on creating an adapted version from Cooking On The Side.

I made these for Christmas as part of the appetizer tray and they were a huge hit! The whole concept of being able to have bite size cheese balls that you could carry around the house was fantastic. None of that getting stuck standing around the food table talking to Uncle so-and-so because you’re too hungry to wander away. Okay, that was a bit mean.

But on a serious note, I am super excited to make these again for a New Years party this weekend. They are going to be the perfect thing to bring to a cocktail party! Plus, they took about five minutes to make and are just so damn cute! I plan to experiment with the ingredients by mixing up the cheeses and nuts (perhaps swap out the pecans for walnuts and gruyere for swiss or even cheddar).

Anyways, keep these in mind for your next party…whether it’s a major bash like New Years or a simple tea party with a few girl friends. They are so easy to whip up and enjoy with drinks that there’s no need to restrict this recipe to one occasion.

Cranberry and Pecan Cheese ball Pops

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup finely chopped dried cranberries
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded
3 teaspoons local honey
20 lollipop sticks

Mix the pecans and cranberries on a shallow dish and set aside.

In a food processor, add the feta, cream cheese, Gruyere, and honey. Pulse until well combined.

Use your hands to form tablespoon size balls and roll in the cranberry/pecan mixture.

Place on wax paper and repeat with the rest of the cheese mixture. Top each ball with a lollipop stick and stick in the fridge for an hour or so to firm up.

Serve the sticks by sticking them into a decorative styrofoam piece or hand them out yourself. Make sure to walk around with some to show off your pride and joy for your new favorite cheese ball.

PS This is my 50th post! Next time I should plan better and make a cake for my 100th!

Oh, and share with your kitty if there is any left. You know how they feel about dairy products.

Chocolate Pizzas

12.24.2011

These pizzas have it all: gooey marshmallows, salty peanuts, sweet chocolate, and juicy cherries. My mother picked this recipe up early in her adulthood (probably around the age I am at now!) and has been making these every Christmas since…which means I could not resist sharing this recipe since I’ve been eating these pizzas every Christmas since I could ever remember. I use to give my teachers them when I was younger and am still to this day impressed with how wonderful of a gift they make! All you have to do is wrap them in some clear cellophane and pop a bow on top!

We traditionally make these at Christmas because of the red and green on them but feel free to make these anytime of the year and subsitute the cherries for other color candies or nuts. Also, this recipe is great for potlucks or as something to bring to a party since they are easy to divide into slices.

So as you get ready for the Christmas chaos tomorrow, spend this low key Christmas eve poppin’ that festive Frank Sinatra vinyl in the player, sing to your kitty, and whip these pizzas up while dancing in the kitchen.

Chocolate Pizzas

Serving Size: 3 pizzas

1 bag (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 pound white almond bark
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 cup rice crispy treats
1 cup peanuts
dozen red maraschino cherries, halved
6 green maraschino cherries, quartered
1/3 cup shredded coconut
1 teaspoon oil
3 disposable 12 oz pie/pizza tins

Combine the chocolate chips and 14 ounces of the almond bark (save the other 2 ounces to drizzle on top later) in a large bowl and melt by cooking in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes (stirring it every 30 seconds). Stir the marshmallows, rice crispy treats, and peanuts into the melted chocolate mixture.

Divide mixture evenly between the 3 GREASED pie pans and spread evenly. Top with the “pepperoni” cherries and “green pepper” cherries. Sprinkle the three pizzas with the shredded “mozzarella” coconut.

Melt the other two ounces of almond bark with 1 teaspoon of oil in the microwave for about one minute (checking every 30 seconds). Drizzle on top of the pies and then stick them in the fridge (or outside because it’s Christmas and it’s cold out there!) for an hour or until the chocolate hardens.

Slice like a pizza and devour all three pizzas. Or give away one for a gift and munch down on the other two.

Peanut Butter Clusters

12.22.2011

I was introduced to these cookies a few years ago by a lady who lived at my parents’ house for awhile. She’s a retired elementary school teacher and spent most of her time baking in the kitchen. I honestly cant say anything she made stood out more than these cookies. And ever since I had these cookies, I’ve made sure to make them every Christmas season.

These cookies are unique because of their special ingredient: potato chips. I know, I know. I realize that sounds really weird to put chips into gooey, chocolatey cookies but I’m telling you, it really makes these little guys. It’s that whole salty/sweet combination that just blows your tastebud’s mind. And on top of that, these cookies are by far the easiest thing I’ve ever made. 4 ingredients. Ten minutes to prep (TOPS).No baking. Period.

So, after this looooong rant about the dreaminess of these little peanut butter guys, I’m going to end this by just saying to try them. Crank up some David Bowie on that vinyl player, pour yourself a glass of white zinf, and enjoy the next ten minutes of whipping these clusters up. I promise you’ll love them. And so will you’re hubby. And kitties. And probably your dog too (but don’t give him any because his stomach doesn’t like chocolate, remember?).

Peanut Butter Clusters

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 cup crushed potato chips (I used Lays but use whatever you have. This recipe doesn’t brand discriminate)
1 cup honey roasted peanuts

Put peanut butter and chocolate in a saucepan and stir over medium heat. Stir until melted and then remove from heat. Stir in peanuts and chips. Pour clusters in cupcake liners and put in the fridge to cool for a half an hour or so.

Bask in their salty/sweet/nutty goodness. And then share with whoever is near.

Hazelnut Shortbread with Dark Chocolate Drizzle

12.21.2011

I am now into day three of my holiday vacation and it’s about time I made some Christmas sweets already! I’m the type of person who will eat anything that is coated in chocolate so I turned to my boyfriend for inspiration on where to start. This recipe is a perfect hybrid between a traditional recipe (shortbread) and something modern/unusual (baking with hazelnut).

I found hazelnut in the bulk section of my local co-op so I’d suggest you should start there if you are having troubles finding it. Plus, buying in bulk is the best invention ever so that you can buy the exact amount you need and don’t have half a bag of hazelnut laying around with no use.

Anyways, this shortbread turned out fantastic with an unbeatable texture. Dry, flaky cookie with warm, melted chocolate drizzled on top. Mmmmm. Perfect for that holiday potluck you got talked into going to or to help you get through the family get-togethers.

*Side note:Veganize this recipe by substituting the butter with earth balance and the chocolate with vegan chocolate chips. Mmmmmm

Hazelnut Shortbread with Dark Chocolate Drizzle

(Adapted from BakerStreet)

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 sticks of butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped hazelnut (+more for topping, if you’d like)
4 oz dark chocolate

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine the flour, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl. In another bowl, blend the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Then mix in the dry ingrdients to the butter/sugar fixture. Fold in the hazelnuts.

Spread dough (it may be alittle dry but that’s okay) onto a 9×9 pan. Cook for 25-27 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool.

Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave in 30 second increments (stir between each 3o seconds) until fully melted. Sprinkle the shortbread with remaining hazelnut and melted chocolate.

Munch down with coffee or milk.

Cranberry Goat Cheese Breakfast Bake

12.20.2011

So Christmas came early this year.I decided to buy myself a new camera for all the hard work I’ve put in this year but instead of waiting til I saved up the money for it (surprise, surprise) I splurged and bought it last week. I reasoned it with that fact that I was gonna need the holiday break to play with it and figure out how to use it…right? Anyways, I’m sorry if I get a little excessive with the pictures for awhile but it’s only because I’m super excited about my new toy.

So, in other exciting news, I am FINALLY on holiday vacation(well sort of- I still have to work at the Record Label in the afternoon but I’ve got all mornings and evening off for the next month!). This means lots of breakfasts in bed. I am the type of person that likes to take two hours to wake up…You know, make some coffee, get back into bed to drink that coffee, watch a movie in bed while drinking coffee, make breakfast and get back into bed while it cooks, eat in bed, etc.

To start off my morning I made this super simple breakfast bake so that I could crawl back into bed while it cooked. These miniature bakes are soooo easy to make and sooo delicious. In the summer we got use to throwing whatever was fresh from our garden into them (cherry tomatoes, basil, thyme, corn, etc) but now that it’s winter it’s more like…whatever is in our fridge. It’s a rather simple equation: 2 eggs + a cheese + dash of milk + a spice + veggie/meat= delicious. The combinations are absolutely endless! Here I did the whole sweet and savory combination to please just about anyone’s taste buds.

Cranberry Goat Cheese Breakfast Bake

Serving Size: 1

2 Eggs
2 tablespoons milk
A couple chunks goat cheese
4-5 dried cranberries
2 teaspoons dried thyme
Salt/Pepper

Preheat oven to 350. In a small greased remekin, add in this order: 2 eggs, milk (pour it over the egg yolks so keep them from drying out), goat cheese, cranberries, thyme, salt, and pepper.

Cook for 10-12 minutes. In the last minutes, put the broiler on (but keep a very close watch on it!) so that the top browns.

Enjoy with toast. In bed with some french roast coffee. And your favorite slippers.

Gingerbread Muffins with Cream Cheese Icing

12.12.2011

To celebrate finishing my first exam of finals week, I dedicated my afternoon to baking festive goods and listening to Christmas Elvis albums. And damn, it was perfect. There is something about baking that is just so relaxing and it was a perfect ending to three straight days of studying.

Anyways, If you haven’t been able to tell yet, I seem to have this weird thing for cupcakes/muffins. Something about how they are in miniature form and easy to take on the go gets me everytime. I guess what I am trying to say is that I do realize that 1/3 of my posts are about cupcake and muffins but they always turn out so damn good that I can’t help it!

On another note, I found the original recipe for this muffin in Homemade by Yvette Van Boven which is a ridiculously inspiring cookbook. She does the most amazing photography in this book which makes me want to recreate everything in it (which I hope to, at least admit, to do over Christmas break).

Anyways, this recipe has the perfect balance because the muffin itself isn’t super sweet which is why the tangy cream cheese icing compliments it perfectly. I’d recommend this recipe for some type of breakfast or to go with your afternoon tea. It’s simple, easy if you’re in a hurry in the morning, and goes perfectly with tea or coffee. Plus, these taste straight up like christmas so how could they possibly be bad?

Gingerbread Muffins

4 oz. Butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp all spice seasoning
1/4 cup milk

Icing:

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cup confectioner sugar
1 squirt of lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl and wet ones in a small. Grease a muffin tin or fill with liners. Fill liners about 2/3 full and stick in the oven. Cook for 15 t0 18 minutes.

While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the icing! Just mix all the ingredients together and lather over the muffins. Sprinkle cinnamon or allspice on top of each cupcake.

Munch down while dancing to Elvis Christmas tunes. Or over coffee while watching recaps from Kid Rock on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives (if you’re feelin’ American). Uh yeah.

Homemade Pretzel Bread

12.07.2011

This is the time of year where I go from class to work then studying then bed EVERYDAY so cooking gets put on the back burner (it’ll be over next week which means Christmas cookies galore will be happening after). Anyways, so I decided to make some yummy soup to get me through the week. Although I can sustain myself off of the same soup for 4 days straights, my boyfriend seems to get cranky at the idea so I told him to just whip up some bread in the bread maker if he was so upset about it.

In turn, this amazing pretzel bread was created. He ended up not using the bread maker to make the dough and it still turned out fantastic. He had the dough all ready to go when I got home from work Monday and we were able to whip up the rest in less than a half an hour. Psh, no biggie. I love the fact that we’ve discovered how simple and easy making homemade bread really is. Damn, it’s so gooooood all the time.

Anyways, so we made two small loaves with this recipe. It was perfect because we ate one immediately and saved the other for dinner the next day which was still soft and yummy. Next time I think I’m going to make smaller buns out of them and just reduce the cooking time because these guys would have been perfect to eat by themselves on the go or save leftovers for grilled cheese.

Homemade Pretzel Bread

A packet of yeast (about 2 heaping teaspoons)
2 Tablespoons milk (room temperature!)
1 cup warm water
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
5 Tablespoons butter
1 tsp salt (+ more to sprinkle on top of loaves)
2 1/2 cups bread flour (you may have to add more if the dough is stickey)
3 quarts water
1/4 cup baking soda

First prepare the dough an hour and a half ahead of time so it can rise! Whisk together yeast, milk, water, 3 Tablespoons butter and brown sugar until well combined. Let mixture sit for about ten minutes so that yeast can activate. Next, add in the salt then slowly start adding in the bread flour until a sticky but formable (should be able to make a ball out of it. if not, then its TOO sticky and add more flour) and shape into a ball. Grease a bowl and put the dough in it to rise; cover for 30 and minutes and then knead by hand for about 10 minutes. Recover in bowl and let rise for about 45 minutes.

Now finally the fun part! Preheat oven to 400 and bring the 3 quarts of water to a boil. Once bowling, add the baking soda slowly until well combined (I say slowly because it could make the water boil over otherwise and no one wants a baking soda mess on their hands).

Split the dough into two (or three or five or whatever amount you’d like!) and shape into balls. Place in the boiling water for 30 seconds then remove onto a greased baking sheet. Repeat with the other balls of dough.

Melt the other two tablespoons of butter in a small bowl. Cut slits in the top of the dough so that it can expand and brush with the melted butter. Sprinkle with salt and bake for 22 minutes (rotate the baking sheet once during baking).

And then munch down real hard with soup or with a dip. Be careful to save some for your friends or keep away from drunk roommates who may devour the whole thing before you get the chance to.

Vegan Chocolate Stout Beer Cupcakes

12.06.2011

I feel like I haven’t baked since summer. With school and work and homework I always find time to make something for dinner (girl needs that fuel) but it’s not always easy to convince myself I need t0 bake sweets (girl really doesn’t need that sugar…).

Anyhow, I found myself with leftovers one night this weekend and decided it was the perfect opportunity for me to take that dinner prepping time and make some cupcakes! These cupcakes were made with Bell’s Kalamazoo Stout but feel free to use any stout (Pick one you like so you can finish the extra while assembling the cupcakes).

Even though I was surprised at how subtle the stout flavor was, these chocolately cupcakes were still very delicious and had a great moist and soft texture. I’d suggest making them for any beer loving friend in your life or perhaps for a birthday potluck.

Vegan Chocolate Stout Beer Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 oil
1 cup stout beer
1 Tablespoon vanilla
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Your favorite vegan icing recipe, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 12 cupcake pan with cupcake tins.

Combine all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa, and baking powder) into a large bowl and mix. Next, combine all remaining ingredients into a medium bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients by pushing them to the side and pour wet ingredients in the center. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet with a spatula until well combined.

Fill cupcake tins 2/3 full with the batter and bake for 18 to 20 minutes.

Top with your favorite vegan frosting and sprinkle cocoa powder on the top.

Munch down. Share with your kitties while enjoying that David Bowie album you’ve ignored for a few months.

Retro Recipe: Spiced Orange Apple Cider

12.04.2011

Woah, where to begin? It’s been over two weeks since my last post but I promise I have good excuses for this. First off, I spent my Thanksgiving vacation in the mountains in Colorado with my Ma’s side of the family. And although living on the side of a mountain in a mansion of a log cabin is perfect for skiing and sledding and getting drunk off of bloody marys…it’s not the type of place where I’d have internet connection….. sooooo no posting for me that week.

But, while we are on the topic, I got some awesome pictures of the long weekend!

We decided to drive which meant that those 36 hours of car time was bound to ignite a roadtrip-esc experience of stopping at every road side attraction possible.

The weekend consisted of hanging out with my brother in Denver, taking snow filled walks, drinking with family, eating, eating, eating, and playing in the mountains.

I didn’t really have the patience or internal heat for skiing (although we did try it one day! But that just ended in us spending 80 percent of the time in the lodge at the bottom getting tipsy). We did go tubing on top of a mountain at Keystone the Sunday we were there (pictured above) and it was so much fun. I promise my brother is not as mean (well…mostly) as he looks in this picture.

So where am I going with this lengthy and wordy post? Well, on our 36 hour car ride endevour, we made it a point to stop at as many Goodwills along the way as possible (we are vintage shopping horders. Serious problem, we know). And while at a small Goodwill in Middle-of-nowhere, Kansas I came across a Betty Crocker Deluxe cookbook set. I mean this thing is legendary, it was published in 1969 and has 4 separate cookbooks that fit perfectly into a boxset with Betty Crocker’s face (or at least what they decided she should look like if she was to really exist) painted across the front (don’t worry- I’ll include a picture of it later!). Anyhow, this boxset got me to thinking that the places I look for recipes are all quite similar and I need to start experimenting with other sources. So I’ve decided that every so often I’m going to do a retro recipe where I adapt one of the original Betty Crocker recipes from this deluxe set into a revamped, modern vegetarian dish! Don’t worry, there are alot of recipes in this book that went out of style for a reason (cactus juice=milk and green food coloring. wwaaaah?) so I’ll try to stick to appetizing oldies.

This recipe I made while we were staying in the cabin. What I did was make it alcohol free for all the kiddies but keep the whiskey close for people who wanted to add it to their serving.

Spiced Orange Apple Cider

(Adapted from Betty Crocker)

2 oranges
30 cloves
1/2 cup sugar
4 cinnamon sticks
1 gallon apple cider
2 teaspoons all spice
4 cups cranberry juice
Whiskey, optional

Stick the cloves into the orange skins like shown.

Then add everything to a big pot and let simmer for an hour! This will mend the flavors all together to create a warm and crisp flavor!

Serve with whiskey or cinnamon sticks. Boom. that’s it.