Frost those cookies: Six Days til Christmas

I'm only posting something small tonight because I'm beat.
I've been cooking sweets since about 2 this afternoon.
Its all mainly truffles, but some cookies-
Also the orange gingerbread...

The only thing I can compare this perfect setting glaze to
is those oatmeal mother's cookies with the glazing on top.
I love the smoothness of a glazed cookie, especially when
they are still fresh and soft.

Another reason I like glazes, although I do love full on
decorating my Christmas cookies, is that a glaze doesn't
usually involve any added fat. Whereas, frosting is mainly
'butter' or oil of some kind.

I used up the rest of my gingerbread cookie dough that I
stuck in the freezer and made sure to roll it out thicker.
I no longer own cookie cutters, so I used a small drinking
glass instead.
The glaze is so simple and the gingerbread is so good,
that really I didn't know what to do with myself besides
make a cup of tea!

Ice Pond Glaze

1 cup vegan powdered sugar or confectioners sugar
3-4 tablespoons soymilk
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

mix all together until sugar is dissolved.
Dip cookies face down into glaze and pull straight up,
allowing excess to drip off. Allow to dry for a least
one hour.

You can add food colouring if you like to make it a little
more festive. Or you can use this for a cake glaze as well
as it firms up perfectly without being crunchy.

So I sit, waiting with my tea and cookies for the monkey man
to get back so we can decorate our wee Christmas tree!

Gingerbread in my head: 8 Days til Christmas

I'm sorry, but it is simply not Christmas to me without gingerbread.
Doesn't matter if its cookies or actual ginger bread-bread, I need that
smell in the air and the taste in my tummy. Gingerbread is one
of those things that if made right, I feel like I could live off of.

This was my test batch that I made to get back in the groove.
I'm going to do the frosted and decorated ones this weekend and
the days to follow. Hopefully they will get to their intended recipients
uneaten... I can just imagine my friends opening their little boxes
of goodies-
"Hey, Why is this gingerbread man headless?"

Vegan Whole Wheat Gingerbread Cookies

3/4 cup black strap molasses
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
1/3 cup water
3 tablespoons earthbalance
2 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp allspice
2 tsp fresh grated ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1 tsp cinnamon

Mix the molasses, sugar, water, and earthbalance
together in a large bowl. Blend everything up so your
earthbalance kind of just floats there in your liquids...

Mix in the remaining ingredients. Form the dough into
separate balls, cover and refrigerate at least two hours.



When dough has been chilled enough, remove one chunk
at a time and roll out into 1/4 inch thickness.
Cut out into desired shapes...
Bake at 350F for about 10 minutes.

Snuffling for Christmas Truffles: 9 Days til Christmas

My solution this year to getting presents for friends and family
that I'm generally unsure about, is cooking. I'm tired of getting
things that people don't really give a waddle about and spending
way too much money. So I'm bouncing back from being way way
sick and kicking the kitchen witchery into overdrive.

I bought cute little gift/boxes at the craft store to fill with different
goodies. I'm starting with truffles, then I'm gonna go on to jams,
cookies and candy. Seems at first like I'm spending a bundle on
supplies, but when you spread out the cost its a real break

So, with my first batch of truffles I hit Christmas on the mark.
You get cranberries, chocolate and of course peppermint.
I always seem to get stuck with a load of uneaten candy canes,
so this is a great way to use them up!

We were trying to think of a good names
for these little treats and the best thing
we could come up with were frosty balls...
or Frosty's Balls...

I will be posting some different variations
of these as Christmas nears and our cooking
hits high on the burner, so keep your mouse
poised and your eyes peeled!

Vegan Chocolate Peppermint Truffles
"Frosty's Balls"

12 oz vegan chocolate chips
be sure to get a decent brand as the quality
of the chocolate will reflect directly in the
quality of your truffles
2/3 cup nondairy milk, preferably vanilla soy
1/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped
1/2 tsp flavoured extract (opt)
about 12 candy canes, pulverized

Over low-medium heat combine nondairy milk and chocolate
chips. Melt while stirring constantly to avoid burning. This
can be done in a double boiler to be safe, but its not entirely
necessary. Once chocolate is completely melted, add cranberries
and extract if using.

Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 1/2 hours. Remove and scoop
out by rounded tsp-tablespoons. Trying to keep your hands clean
of too much chocolate, roll in powdered candy canes.

Try to keep chilled until serving or gifting!

The Pie Saga finally concluded: Raw Fruit Pie

Things finally seem to be falling into place with the internet,

food, the coming Holiday, and our health. Thank goodness.

I promised it so here it is... my first Raw Pie.

No kidding around, I'll voice my comments throughout the

recipe. This is across the board refreshing and guilt-free!!

Raw Apple-Pear Pie

Crust

2 cups almonds, soaked overnight

2 tablespoons mildly flavoured oil

1/4 tsp salt

Blend all together- better yet throw it in a food processor.

Unfortunately, I do not have one. But process it until the almonds

have the consistency of sand. From now on this is how I am going

to use my almond pulp leftover from when I make almond milk.

Make sure to scrape down the sides as you go so it has an even

consistency. Press into

a pie pan evenly and set aside.

Filling

1 gala or fuji apple

2 ripe pears

1 tsp lemon juice to prevent browning

1/4 cup golden raisins, chopped

6-8 dried apricots, chopped

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

For easier blending , chop the apple and pears and blend

with lemon juice to obtain a chunky apple sauce texture.

Mix in dried fruit and spices.

Pour into prepared crust and serve! Easy as pie.

My only complaint? A little wetter than baked pies.

But the filling is amazingly just like a cooled cooked apple pie!

Sooo tasty.

Stupid problems and stupid people

Hi everyone, I will be back in business in a couple days- ASAP.
I have one more pie entry and was already planning on starting my
Twelve Days of Christmas entries, but had some major setbacks the
past week. First I got super super sick, and was bedridden for nearly
six days. Thankfully my wonderful partner in crime took care of me
and I couldn't have gotten better without him. Now that I'm home and
ready to go, the internet at my place is completely kaput. No ethernet
and no wifi, my 'landlord' has not been home and I don't know whats
up because the phone is not working either. *Sigh

So I am posting from campus right now and will hopefully have
something tasty for you very soon.

Stay safe and satisfied

Emergency Freeform Pie, no lie: Part Six

Sometimes you've gotta do what you've gotta do.

We came home and we were in the mood for food.

After hitting a mall and taking out some hard-core holiday

shoppers we needed some sustenance- but comfort food

is what we were looking at. And since I have two more days

of pie to throw out there...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The pie angels smiled down upon us once more.

They said unto Monkey-man,

"Do-a unto the crust what thou would do unto...

some flour and nondairy butter. Roll it out in a shape

like the sun and almighty creator's bum, but leave the

pan in the past, dear boy."

They spake at me then, beckoning the berries, sugar,

flour, ginger, nutmeg, and earthbalance.

"Mix it thrice more, oh witchy one, and it will taste of

supple sweetness. Add chocolate chips only if thou wishest

to sin in the greatest of ways."

"Oh Pie Angels, why didst thou not instructith me earlier

to relinquish the pan and fold my pies as such?" I bade them.

"Because you idiot," They replied. "You were making custard

and it would have gone all over the place."

And we baked it at 375F for 40 minutes.

And sweet and supple it was....

Cranberry-Chocolate Freeform Pie

1 pie crust recipe, enough for an average 9" pie

2 cups of cranberries or mixed berries

2/3 cup sugar (I did half raw sugar and half maple syrup)

1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg

a couple tablespoons vegan chocolate chips

1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon of earthbalance

Roll out the pie crust into a circle. Mix all the other ingredients

together, except the earthbalance. Transfer the crust to the

middle of a baking sheet. Dump the filling into the center of the

crust and begin folding the edges up, pinching the dough together.

It is sort of a fan effect and looks very fancy-shamansy.

Although, its super easy once the swearing subsides.

Bake at 375F for about 40 Minutes with the exposed fruit

protected by a piece of foil...

To be used in emergencies only... (a loosely assigned status)

**Note: our crust was a little too thick, so it didn't reach in as

far as it should have, thats why it looks a little wonky.

But you should have a circle opening with about a 6 inch diameter.**

Dinner Pie, Oh My: Part Five

I've heard it said "Eat Dessert first, you never know when

you're gonna die." I strongly concur.

However, what if your dessert was hijacked by a dinner

disguising as a dessert. Like a pie, that wasn't your

average pie...

Yes my friends, I am talking about the dastardly meal

that is shepherds pie or worse yet pot pie. Shepherds pie

though is very often mislabeled... It actually is just a

veg and meat pie topped with potatoes and baked. Pot

pie actually has a pie crust.

I remember my dad making shepherd's pie when I was

a kid and I hated celery, so I never wanted to eat it.

And you have to admit that dinner pie isn't the most

photogenic or appetizing looking meals... So naturally,

as most children do, I had to give it a suitable nickname.

My Dad's shepherd pie became "Shepherd's Hulgh" --

as in a puking noise. I'm not sure how to spell that, but

you get the picture.

I feel pretty bad about this because my Dad is a damn

good cook and he doesn't cook nearly as much as he used

to, very sad. Also, I know that if I had his shepherd's pie today

I wouldn't be complaining.

We did a special take on the whole shepherd's pie idea today

for dinner... Our filling was just a load of mostly broccoli that

could be the base of a very good soup. (onions, garlic, broc,

carrots, sage, rosemary, bay leaf, soymilk, salt, pepper,

and a vegan roux).

Now the crust is what brings us back to the traditional sense

of shepherd's pie-- taders. Instead of lobbing some potatoes on

top we made a potato crust, as follows.

Potato Pie Crust

2 cups mashed potatoes, cooled

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp water

Mix all but water. Slowly add water until a ball is formed.

Divide and roll out in to about 1/8" thickness.

This is good for a 9" crust and up. We used an 8" pan and

still had some dough left over. Once the bottom

of the crust is in place, pierce some holes in it with a fork

and prebake for about 8 minutes at 350F.

Pour in your filling and apply the top crust. Cut a couple of

slits in it, so the heat can escape. Bake for 30 minutes or

until golden brown.

My Shepherds "hulgh!"

Hee hee looks like the pie puked though!