Nailed It! (Or I’ll Never Be a Cake Decorator…….)

March 27, 2013 12 Comments

To prove a point that most of us food bloggers are real life humans and not everything is perfect, lets talk cakes. Cakes are something I can bake, but lord knows I cannot decorate them. Piping? Fancy frosting? Hahaha….especially when I am using natural coloring and making a cake vegan. And I forget just why I hate my cake pans – which went in the garbage can after I was done I might add! The cake was tasty, as was the frosting, but wow….what a hoot. Still, I gave it the old try. And found myself giggling loudly as I made it, knowing mine would never, ever look like a professional cake.

Sunday was Walker’s 3rd birthday. A few weeks back I had picked up a copy of Better Homes & Gardens Cakes! book-magazine (sold in grocery stores) -

Cakebook

You know the type: many wonderful ideas and great photography of delightful cakes. And with recipes, of which I veganized the yellow cake and white frosting recipes.

So I let Walker look through, in the kid section. Here is what he picked:

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“Racer Cars, Mommy!!!!! Race cars!!!!”. Hehe, sure, I’ll try. Nailed it, right? Lol……..or is that “close enough”? Now you see why I was giggling…..

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But you know what? He loved it. He was SO happy. He was running around screaming and laughing. He kept telling Daddy and Ford to stay away from his cake. And I let him demolish one whole cake, while he happily made a huge mess. (And after, it visited the compost bin….)

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And he got a gift from my MIL, a new play suit, a Melissa & Doug Police Officer Role Play Costume Set.

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Er…maybe the hippie skull cracker didn’t come with the outfit ;-)  Johnny Law says he better not have to run after you!

It was a good birthday. We spent the weekend on the Olympic Coast here in Washington State -

K12

And had a lovely trip, of hiking in the rain forest and being lazy on the beach.

~Sarah

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Cherry Cupcakes and a Birthday Weekend Away

March 4, 2013 5 Comments

This all started with an idea. Why should one celebrate turning 40 with a black cake (or cupcakes)? Why not be happy? Go for bright. Celebrate spring coming! I was a March baby, and as I write this post…it is sunny outside. I am sure it won’t last, but I’ll enjoy the late winter promise of spring.

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I considered dried cherries, then fresh. Finding fresh wasn’t going to be easy or fresh, the produce man asked if frozen would work. Maybe it would….and off home I went. Helped I had a huge bag of frozen cherries waiting for me there.

Cherry

Cherry Cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup unsweetened cherry juice
  • 1 tsp white vinegar
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar, preferably organic
  • 1/3 cup neutral vegetable oil
  • 2¼ tsp pure almond extract
  • 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 Tbsp cornstarch, preferably organic
  • ¾ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • 2 cups cherries, pitted, drained and finely chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°, line 18 muffin cups with liners, such as Reynolds Stay-Brite.

Whisk the cherry juice and vinegar together, add to a medium mixing bowl with sugar, oil and almond, whisk until dissolved.

Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large mixing bowl, pour wet over dry, stir until just mixed, fold in cherries.

Divided equally between lined cups, rap on counter to settle.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool, then frost as desired.

Makes about 18 cupcakes.

Notes: 

If using frozen cherries, thaw, drain and pat dry, then chop.

LQ22

Cherry Frosting

Ingredients:

Directions:

Beat the shortening with a stand mixer until light. Add in powered sugar, beating in. Add almond extract and 1 Tablespoon cherry juice at a time, beating in, until spreading constancy is reached (mine took about 1/4 cup juice).

The frosting will be a light pink.

Frost as desired.

Now then…how did I spend my birthday weekend?

In a ton of emails one caught my eye awhile back. It was from Lake Quinault Lodge, which sits on Lake Quinault in Olympic National Forest. I have stayed there several times, it was an email with deals for previous visitors with a winter deal. I nearly deleted it, then I took a look. It was a bargain. Buy one night, get one night free, at a fabulous low price ($79 weekdays, $99 weekends plus taxes).

LQ1

And pretty much all of the rooms were up for grabbing at the lodge. Being that we are a family of 5, I grabbed the Beverly Suite in the Boathouse, which sits between the lodge and the modern lakeside hotel wing. It is rustic, but large, and more so, the only suite (ie. a bedroom for us!) at the lodge. For 2 nights we payed less than $138 (with taxes included). Considering that this same room can run for $239 to $289 a night, you can see what a bargain it was.

Yes, those mailing lists can be a good thing! The Boathouse is the oldest building of the lodge (built in 1923), the suite is the top story.

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They don’t lie, you do get a 360° view from the suite, with large windows and views of all sides, especially of the lake. The “suite” is a one-bedroom cabin. Very rustic but comfortable, and yes, large. It has a bathroom (with a very tiny shower), hide-a-bed couch, 3 roll-a-way beds, 6 person dining table, a partial kitchen that has a refrigerator, microwave, sink and a hot plate to use, along with dishes and tools. The bedroom has a king bed and love seat. Lots of ceiling fans and huge windows that open. You do have to climb a very narrow indoor staircase (though the landing before you head up is a great storage area for wet gear and getting boots on). The staircase is NOT child friendly, so we blocked off the top with one of the roll-a-way beds. A baby could take a very scary fall, so be wary. We brought his pack and play for safety. It was a great choice otherwise for our large family. Just be wary of the very slanted ceilings in the bathroom. Our poor teen kept knocking his head. Hehe.

At the price we paid, I was happy. No 5-Star, but for the price it was a good deal. (Although I can’t believe people pay $239 and up for the rack rates for this room!! It isn’t worth that….)

LQ10

We woke up early on Saturday morning to rain. Gee, no shocker there. It is a rain forest and it is March ;-) It is nice to lay in bed listening to it – and not be in a tent dreading getting out. After wandering around on the covered veranda below – and just enjoying the misty morning, we headed up to the lodge.

LQ3

Traveling with three kids isn’t the easiest thing I suppose, I learn new things every time. One is a lot of patience. And not over-planning. I let them wander and have fun. The baby had eyes only for the lanterns, his brother, The Toddler, for bossing around his little brother.

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Which resulted in “B! You get back here!” (B is Alistaire’s nickname) and B running away. It was one of those moments when life is good and all is well.

LQ7

After a fun breakfast (yeah, roughing it…maybe not) we set out for a hike. Where upon it dumped as it should in a rain forest. And kept dumping. Our trail eventually ran out, with it under a good foot of water. At least we tried :-D

When Walker was young, I picked up a Deuter Kid Comfort Deluxe Rain Cover to go with our Deuter Kids Comfort III pack. It has been worth the cost, Alistaire was bone dry inside the kid carrier and even took a nap.

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Walker, me and Alistaire on my back -

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I loved the tree. It looks to me like a large tree with legs, sitting down on the nurse logs (which was taller than Walker). Walker loved playing in the creeklet of water. Finally we got so rained out and with the trail under water, we called it a day. We headed back to the lodge, used that handy landing to dry our rain gear and spent the early afternoon in the lodge’s lobby, soaking up the heat from the fireplace, reading, talking and playing. Lots of other folks were doing the same. Add in a warm mocha and it was very relaxing.

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Walker enjoyed finding a tiny rocking chair and a pile of books -

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Late in the afternoon, the weather started clearing. Kirk watched Alistaire while he napped and told us to go hiking. I took Ford and Walker out on a short hike -

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We found a stream to enjoy -

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A set of waterfalls -

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And a bridge that Walker had fun crossing over and over -

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It was an odd hike in that it was sunny and 60° out!

After, we went out for dinner. We ended up having a 2 hour dinner that was so relaxed I wondered who had switched all my kids ;-) The kids all passed out happy.

The clear skies lasted through Sunday morning. One of the prettiest sunrises I have seen over that lake. We got up and had a nice family hike, all of us, before checking out.

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Me, Alistaire on my back, Walker and Ford (Kirk took the photo) -

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It was this small window of perfect weather. As soon as we got done hiking and were finishing loading the van, it started raining.

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My little hiker, Walker -

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The lake was calm -

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~Sarah

Filed Under: baking, cooking, Dessert, Family, Hiking, Plant Based Diet Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Little Feet

January 6, 2013 7 Comments

No recipe tonight….just a happy smile thinking about today. Kirk and I took the boys on a hike in a nearby state park. We found a lull between rain storms and set out. Walker ahead of me….like with his older brother, Ford, I have outfitted him in mini-me gear. I go by the theory my children should have as nice as gear as I do! Walker loves his backpack.
Lilfeet2

 

At the trailhead, Kirk carried Alistaire today. Him and Ford set off and soon left Walker and I in their dust. Which was OK…..

lilfeet1

 

As Walker and I hiked the loop, hand in hand, I realized it was the most relaxing hike I had ever taken. Ford was always a strong hiker, and where Walker is as well, he is also curious. He asks questions about what he sees. Just him and I, slowly walking, breathing the cold air of the Cascade foothills. We looked at root balls, ferns, moss and more. We met dogs and humans. We looked down and saw we both had similar shoes on.

Lilfeet3

 

Near the end, Kirk was waiting for us. Someone had to have a trekking pole suddenly!

Lilfeet4

 

Alistaire riding in the backpack carrier. Kirk said he sat quietly, watching as he and Ford walked and chatted.

Lilfeet5

 

I am so happy with todays stroll with Walker. It lifted my spirit so much. I hope you all had a wonderful Sunday!

~Sarah

Filed Under: children, Family Tagged With: , , ,

Fears, Rain & Cupcakes

December 20, 2012 7 Comments

The past 9 days have been unnerving to say the least. Alistaire fell backwards and smacked his head on my desk leg (the cool design from Costco was apparently not such a great idea, it has “X” legs). After a couple of Dr. visits to watch the lump on his head, and then x-rays on Tuesday (that was very traumatic – he howled and howled and I felt horrible having to hold him down), his pediatrician wasn’t sure. They couldn’t see any fractures and overall the baby was feeling great. After the Dr. had a conference with the specialist in Tacoma they decided to wait. But holy his head looked awful. He had a HUGE lump on the side/back of his head that only stabilized in size today.

Daddy’s hat covers a multitude of lumps!

LittleBuddy

Yesterday our Doctor called us and said he had a conference with another colleague, this time at Seattle Children’s Hospital. They recommended we bring him in for more testing, to rule out any internal pressure, under the skull. We took the risk of a CT Scan so we could get a better look.

The good news?

No internal pressure. No fractures. Just one hell of a swelling, which could be seen in the scans. For me, the scans were worth it. It allowed that tight feeling across my body and head to dissipate. To breathe again. To not be hyper-freaked that the swelling would get even bigger.

The downside is it is basically blood. And it is going to take a good amount of time to come down. He might get left with a small reminder of it above his skull, calcified. That’ll be a family lore to tell for years!

The happiness of my week was that. And then he walked last night!! By himself!! Those first steps :-) So happy!

Lilbuddy2

“Coffee with Momma is the best!”

After so many stressful and sleep-deprived nights, filled with storms of thundering rain and snow, walking out of the hospital this afternoon to clear skies and dry roads was wonderful. And it seemed fitting to come home to what I had baked last night. I have said it before, when I am stressed, creating is an outlet for me. And due to my stress I had forgotten about a bunch of bananas. They were at that stage. The one where if you don’t make banana bread/muffins/cupcakes then the next day your compost bin is burping after eating up $3 of organic vittles (that might be the fat squirrels that chewed a hole into our bin)……So I got busy and made an inspired banana cupcake, moist inside with a snappy frosting on top. And oh yeah, they are vegan friendly to boot. And very toddler n’ teen approved.

BCC1

Banana Cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • ¾ cup really ripe banana, measured after mashing (about 2)
  • ¼ cup neutral oil
  • 2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp pure almond extract
  • 1¼ cups white whole wheat flour
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • ½ cup walnuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°, line a 12 count muffin tin with foil lined papers.

Place walnuts on a small baking sheet, toast in oven for 5 minutes. Remove and let cool a bit, then finely chop in a mini food chopper.

Whisk wet ingredients smooth in a medium bowl.

Whisk dry ingredients together in a large bowl, add in walnuts, then wet ingredients, Stir till just mixed.

Divide evenly between liners, about ¼ cup per liner.

Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and tops are not damp. Let cool for 10 minutes, transfer to a cooling rack. Once cooled, frost as desired.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

BCC2

Maple Cream Frosting

Ingredients:

Directions:

Beat shortening with a hand mixer until smooth. Beat in salt and maple syrup, then add in sugar. Slowly add the milk, as needed, beating till smooth and just spreadable.

Spread on cooled cupcakes as desired. If piping, add a bit more milk.

Decorate as desired. banana chips make a nice edible topper.

~Sarah

PS: Don’t forget to enter for a chance at a copy of Vegan Slow Cooking – 2 more days left!

Filed Under: Baby, baking, cooking, Dessert, Family Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Upcycling Baby Food Jars: An Advent Calendar

November 27, 2012 8 Comments

A simple truth: I get carried away with hot glue guns. What starts out as a small idea in my mind, it blossoms into a large-scale project ;-) My Advent Calendar came out of a whimsical thought – to have one big enough for all three kidlings to share. The past 4 or so years Ford, and then Walker, had a normal sized one, but it only held 2 pieces of tiny candy in each slot. It was too small now, though I am keeping it for Ford, I’ll save it for him when he is older. Or next year he can have it all to himself ;-)

It all started with an idea – of recycling/upcycling baby food jars once again. 24 jars in total. Alistaire (and Walker…who loves to eat his brother’s food…) helped me get the jars ready -

And then this happened:

What started as a concept for 24 pretty jars turned into a Sarah-Creation. Because all advent calendars need a 2 foot tall flocked tree! No? Well, they should. (I should state this disclaimer: I once took a garage sale $1 bookcase, painted it luxe black, lined the shelves with crushed blue velvet, painted the interior gold and added black fringe….my taste has always been questionable – ask my husband about our 3 tier wedding cake holder decorated as a PNW forest with mini tent, backpacks and animals – and a mini lake.)

My point being that with a little work and some paint, ordinary ‘junk’ can be recycled and upcycled into something whimsical. I didn’t grow up celebrating Christmas, I don’t have set notions of what the holidays should be like. I had no traditions and do it for our kids more than anything – and I know Kirk enjoys it. For me…it is simply a season where I get an excuse to be crafty, to create and bake a lot of goodies and candy.

A mini tree topper completed it -

I love this shade of blue a lot (my wedding ring and earrings match it). I am still on the fence if I want to put up the big tree this year. With Alistaire furniture/wall cruising (he is now standing for up to 30 seconds without holding on!) all I could imagine was him making a mess of the tree. More so, I have no idea where to put it this year while we still have the pack n’ play downstairs. So the idea of a small tree, brightly decorated, yet above the baby’s reach sounded great. We shall see. But for once I got to pick out the colors I love (with Walker’s help of course!) A small and portable holiday scene? Perfect.

Each jar is filled with artificial dye free candy, ranging from candy-coated chocolate, peppermint candy, gum drops and chocolate coins. Walker loves to walk around the dining room table and take it all in. He happily pulls up a chair and tries to inch closer….

So how did I do it?

First I matched all the jars – I liked the shape of Safeway’s O Organics line, the stage 2 jars. Remove the labels, soak off the sticky residue in the way you like, then wash the jars and lids in hot soapy water. Let air dry overnight.

Fill the jars with candy or treats of choice. Secure the lids on, making sure they are even.

Using a small brush, paint the lids as desired, with craft acrylic paints. I used my old standby, Ceramcoat®, in Metallic Silver and 24K Gold. At $1.39 a container it is cheap and effective. I painted 2 coats total, giving them an overnight rest between coats. I painted 12 silver, 12 gold. As for how much paint? You will barely break in a bottle!

After they sat and dried fully, I applied tiny stickers I found in a scrap booking section, by Jolee’s Boutique. They are cute as can be. The ones I bought came in packs of 20, so I picked up 2.

For the tree:

Kirk had an extra shelf lying around, from an old IKEA storage shelving system. He cleaned up the edges on one of his manly tools I am scared of, then handed it over to me. I hot glued the tree’s base to the board (using a 2 foot pre-flocked/pre-lit tree that I opened up and did the branches beforehand). Once set, I draped a cheap tree skirt around it, glueing the skirt down on the edges to keep it neat.

Then I decorated the tree with mini-ornaments, I used 3 sets total. I also decorated below the tree with matching bead garland, then lined up the jars as desired.

I am not quite done, I still need to number the jars. My free-hand skills are not the greatest for painting numbers, so I need to find mini-stencils or stickers, that will take a trip to a large craft or scrapbooking store for that. If I get that done this year, great. If not, there is always next fall!

To store I am going to save a large cardboard box I can set it into, on a bed or large bubble wrap. When I think about this tree…it makes me want to not do a big tree. It is SO easy!

PS: The gingerbread house I built over the weekend is sitting in front of the tree now….and I love it!

PS2: In a Google search I saw a Pinterest Board on “Baby Food Jar Crafts” where my blog was pinned a couple of times. I had a huge smile knowing there are plenty of other weirdos out there like me ;-)

PS3: How much did this project cost me? Ummmmm…..let’s not talk about that. It would have been frugal if I hadn’t bought the tree and ornaments. But hey, they were all 40% off! I paid about $16 for the tree, so it wasn’t “too” bad.

~Sarah

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Sunday Mornings: Gourmet Breakfast & Cornfields

October 22, 2012 8 Comments

Perusing through the November 2012 issue of Whole Living Magazine, I saw a recipe for Baked Sweet Potato with Maple-Oat Crumble and I knew I had to try them out.

I adapted the recipe a bit, first off my potatoes took 30 minutes longer to bake than listed, then I doubled the granola topping. Good thing I got all crazy and got up early, way before everyone else. They all came down to a hot breakfast, an unusual one, but delicious. Cinnamon apples are a wonderful treat, they can be made with a lot less fat and sugar than most recipes call for. (Yeah, I am calling out Cracker Barrel and its ilk here…and bonus is no modified corn starch!)

Baked Sweet Potato with Maple-Oat Crumble

Ingredients:

  • 4 large sweet potatoes
  • 1 cup old-fashioned oats
  • ½ cup raw almonds, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup pure maple syrup
  • 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp fine sea salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°, line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Scrub the potatoes and poke holes in them Place on baking sheet, roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes, or until soft when touched and oozing a bit. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Meanwhile, toss the oats, maple syrup, oil, cinnamon and slat together. Spread on a small rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 12 or until golden brown, stirring halfway through.

Split sweet potatoes down the center, mix the potatoes until smooth. Add a drizzle of favorite melty or oil, if desired, then sprinkle granola liberally on top.

Serves 4.

Sautéed Cinnamon Apples

Ingredients:

  • 6 apples, a crispy variety, such as Gala
  • 1 large lemon, juiced
  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter or Earth Balance buttery stick (for vegan)
  • 1 Tbsp arrowroot (or corn starch)
  • ½ cup cold water
  • ¼ cup dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg

Directions:

Add the lemon juice to a large bowl. Peel, core and thinly slice apples, toss in juice.

Heat a large skillet over medium. Melt butter and add drained apples. Saute for 10 minutes, stirring often.

Whisk cornstarch and water smooth, add to apples and stir, along with the sugar and spices. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.

Serves 4.

After cleaning up breakfast I noticed the sun was out. Which hadn’t been in the weather forecast. Looking at the WunderMap on Weather Underground we could see we had a few hours before the next storm came in, so we quickly loaded up the van with the kids and drove over to the corn maze/pumpkin patch at Mosby Farms, along the Green River. The farm had repeated their “Family Deal” on Amazon Local again (we did it last year as well), of which I had happily snagged the deal again (2 adults+2 kids=$12+free gourds and coloring books!). I like Mosby Farms, because while they are not the biggest or flashiest (no petting zoo for example), it is the perfect length for small kids. Last year Walker was exhausted by the end of the maze, this year he was running circles around us. Ford set off on his own and had a blast. And carrying Alistaire in his carrier was a lot easier than last fall, when I was pregnant with him, waddling in the boot sucking mud.

This year they put down a lot of wood chips so the mud wasn’t bad at all – even though it had been dumping for days. This little Ladybug caught my eye -

Blue skies? Sigh – wonderful.

With my three boys – Ford, Walker and Alistaire (Kirk does a great job of hiding from the photos!) -

Walker in the pumpkins -

And “driving” a vintage Ford tractor -

A plane went over. Walker is very fascinated by planes -

“Outta my way!”

Love the old logo -

We had a nice afternoon. As we drove home we were pacing a large train that was heading to the hills – Walker hadn’t been that close to one before and was very enthralled. It was honking loudly. Yeah, he is easy to please!

And then when we got home? The rain came back. A perfect clearing of time….

~Sarah

Filed Under: baking, breakfast, cooking, Family Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Of Liberating Apples and Apple Maple Butter

September 27, 2012 13 Comments

A lovely box of apples…..and I wasn’t planning on finding them either. So how did I come to liberate them? You know you want the long and windy story….

Last weekend Kirk and I took the boys up to Whidbey Island for the kite festival held yearly. Well….the festival was a disappointment this year. The wind was flat. Almost none. You need wind for a good show. Ah well. We still had fun, the festival is held next to Ft. Casey State Park, right on the water. The boys were happy, who doesn’t love being near the open water? And my brother met up with us (he still lives on the island), so the boys were extra happy.

Sit here for a few minutes and you will see the ferry crossing the Strait to Port Townsend -

It was an easy bump to the beach, Alistaire hanging out, having lunch -

Looking up the island, towards Ebey’s Landing, all along West Beach -

Me, with Port Townsend behind me, and if it hadn’t been cloudy, the Olympic Mountains – and ooh! my new jeans that are a size smaller!!

The beaches are not what most think of as beaches, but I’d not trade them for sand….to me the beach should be rocks, sea whips and driftwood – and the water shouldn’t be warm. I lived on Whidbey for 13 or so years and I miss the water a lot.

Ford had a lot of fun running around on the bluffs, checking out parts of the old fort -

Walker and Daddy, in one of the old gun placements -

Then Ford found a part of the fort I had never seen, and I have been all over it – as a kid and as an adult. It was a neat section, a tiny one, Walker’s size!

Walker checking the tiny room out -

The wild roses had gone to rose hips, thousands of them, lining the bluffs. The roses are something I love. I found Salmon Berries as well. After that, we had lunch at the van and then all of us drove over to my Aunt Vikki’s place. I had forgotten she has apple trees lining her road. And they were loaded! She also had one part of her property boasting a lovely patch of native Pacific Blackberries. Of which Walker ran right up to and started picking, He ate till he was full and waddled off, covered in purple streaks, to go play with my brother and Vikki’s dogs – of which he truly loved her new 9 week old Irish Setter. He went crazy over that puppy!

The blackberries with Rose Hips intermingling. We picked quite a few, I froze them till later, when I have time to make jelly. That will be coming soon.

The apple trees have grown for a number of years now, big crisp apples, some even seedless. After filling two bags and barely denting the trees……

It was time to make apple butter. The best way of all I have decided – in the slow cooker. No fuss, no mess. I hope to never make fruit butter on a stove top again! If anything stands out most in going unprocessed is that I am using the kitchen tools Kirk bought me more and more. I used the slow cooker maybe twice in all our married years till this year. I find I use it for all sorts of projects now and apple butter is a great use. No splattering, no worrying about scorching and it cooked while I slept. It was the most enjoyable canning session I have had. I woke up and had everything done by 9 am!

Apple Maple Butter

Ingredients:

  • 7 pounds apples, preferably natural/feral or organically grown
  • 1¼ cups pure maple syrup
  • 6 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (about 2 large)
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Peel, core and chop the apples. Add the apples to a 4 quart slow cooker, add the remaining ingredients, stir to coat. Cover and set on high for an hour, turn to low and let cook for 12 hours.

Take off the lid, stir and purée with an immersion blender (be careful – it will be VERY hot). Turn to low and cook uncovered for another 2 to 3 hours, stirring often, until thick. Taste for sweetener, adding more if desired (your apples will determine if you need more).

To can/process:

You will need 8 Half-Pint canning jars with rings and new lids (or your favorite combination of sizes), a large stockpot/pasta pot for sterilizing the jars, a canning pot with rack (I use a Granite Ware 706-2 11.5-Quart Covered Preserving Canner with Rack), a canning funnel and tongs. It helps to have clean kitchen towels and paper towels on hand as well.

Wash and rinse the jars; put them into a big stockpot; cover the jars with water and bring to a boil; turn off the heat. Let stand in hot water until you are ready to fill.

Wash the bands and lids, bring a saucepan of water to boil, add them let sit until you are ready to screw them on the jars. (Use new lids each time, bands can be reused.)

Fill the canning pot halfway with water, hang the canning rack on the sides and start heating the water over medium. When you are ready to fill the jars, turn up to high.

Grab a jar with tongs, empty the water out of your jars, fill to ¼” of the top (a sterilized canning funnel works great). Wipe the rims with a new damp paper towel, removing any spilled butter, especially on the rim.

Place a lid on top and tighten a band around each jar, place them into the canning pot, using the canning rack to lower in. Make sure all jars are upright and that jars are fully submerged, with at least 2″ of water above. If not, add some of the hot water out of the pot that held the jars. Cover the pot and bring to boil.

Process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. Turn off the heat, take out carefully using a jar lifter or tongs. Have a clean kitchen towel on the counter, place each jar on it and let cool for at least 6 hours, overnight is better. Listen for the “popping sound” and keep track of how many times you hear it. Check after cooling that the lid is firm when pressed on, if it pops up and down, it isn’t sealed. If that happens, refrigerate that jar and use within a couple of weeks.

Once cooled, store the jars in a pantry for up to 12 months. Once opened, store in the refrigerator and use up within 3 to 4 weeks.

PS: To my Aunt, I have saved you a jar!

~Sarah

Filed Under: cooking, Family Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Vegan Vanilla Wafers & Banana Pudding? Oh Yes.

September 18, 2012 8 Comments

First up? How did my youngest get SO big?

Alistaire moved out of his infant car seat last week. His legs were hanging over the end! 12 month clothing is now skin-tight, time to move up to 18 months (and he is 7 months old…). Walker thinks it is great though – now they both have ‘big-boy’ seats in the van. I kept the infant car seat, leaving it attached to the jogger stroller. He is too small for the stroller seat and he stays warmer in the car seat (it blocks the wind). I love listening to them wake up in the morning, in their room. Alistaire cooing, Walker talking to his brother, lots of giggling, especially with Alis now sitting up!

Walker is talking like crazy, adding a new word almost every day now! I received an email this morning that was on early childhood development and had a neat infographic included. Click to expand -

But enough about my kiddos, onto the banana pudding. The last time I made it, it was a swank affair. Loaded with eggs and butter. Don’t get me wrong, it tasted fantastic. The pudding part is easy enough to veganize, the ‘nilla wafers I had to ponder. I took a recipe I had used before and messed with it, since i knew the recipe was solid. Another change is I made bigger cookies. Yum.

Although trying to take photos of the pudding was a challenge. One thing I noticed is the color change. Between almond milk and the vanilla, my pudding wasn’t very ‘bright’ – the egg puddings are a pretty yellow. Still, the taste is fantastic. A few fresh banana chips decorating the top brings in lots of color.

So if anyone says “Ewwww! Why is it gray-ish”…. Just tell ‘em “shush till you try it!” -

The cookies taste the same as fresh non-vegan ‘nilla wafers do. You won’t miss the egg! And if you have never made them? Please do. You will never be tempted by a box of those things in the grocery store again. Well…. especially if you read the side of a box of them:

Unbleached Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate {Vitamin B1}, Riboflavin {Vitamin B2}, Folic Acid), Sugar, Soybean Oil, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Partially Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil, Whey (From Milk), Eggs, Natural And Artificial Flavor, Salt, Leavening (Baking Soda And/Or Calcium Phosphate), Emulsifiers (Mono- And Diglycerides, Soy Lecithin).

You can do better. A LOT better. They can be made with whole wheat flour, better fats and no eggs. Nor corn syrup. Now granted this set of recipes isn’t health food. It still has lots of sugar. It is a treat – nothing more, nothing less. Do weigh the flour, these are delicate cookies and whole wheat can weigh down in a measuring cup.

Vegan Vanilla Wafers

Ingredients:

  • 7 ounces white whole wheat flour
  • ¾ tsp baking powder (I am using Hain’s)
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 stick Earth Balance buttery stick or similar
  • ½ cup granulated sugar, preferably organic
  • 1 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 3 Tbsp cool water
  • 4 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk

Directions:

Position your oven racks so one is in the top third, the other is in the bottom third, preheat oven to 350°. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Add the flaxseed meal and water to a small bowl, let sit for 15 minutes to hydrate , whisk till thick.

Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a small bowl.

Beat the EB and sugar for 2 minutes in a large mixing bowl, using a hand mixer. Add in the flaxseed, vanilla and almond milk, beat until smooth. Add the flour mixture, beat in on low until mixed.

Refrigerate the dough for 10 minutes.

Make 1 Tablespoon balls with a 1 Tablespoon Disher), place 12 per tray. Flatten gently with a palm. Bake both trays at once for 10 minutes, flipping the bottom pan to the top, then baking for 10 minutes more.

Let cool for 5 minutes, transfer to a cooling rack.

Makes about 24 cookies.

 

Yes, this pudding is sweet. Feel free to cut the sugar back to ¾ cup. Although it does work once you layer it with the bananas.

Vegan Banana Pudding

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup granulated sugar, organic preferably
  • 6 Tbsp corn starch, organic preferably or favorite thickener
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • 4 cups unsweetened almond milk (coconut would also work)
  • 1 Tbsp Earth Balance buttery stick or similar
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Whisk the sugar, corn starch and slat in a heavy medium saucepan, add the milk slowly, whisking till smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking often. Once bubbling, whisk non-stop for a minute.

Take off the heat, whisk in the EB till melted and then the vanilla. Transfer to a large mixing bowl, chill for 30 minutes before assembling.

To Assemble:

Line the bottom of an 8×8″ glass dish with 9 cookies, 3 to a row. Cut a ripe banana into slices, layer over the cookies, then cover with half the pudding, sealing the bananas in. Add another layer of cookies, another banana and the other half of the pudding. Decorate the top with the remaining cookies. Cover with plastic wrap or a lid, chill for a couple of hours.

Decorate with banana chips if desired.

~Sarah

Filed Under: baking, children, cooking, Dessert, Family Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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