Harry Potter Cauldron Cakes

First off, I know not everyone out there is a Harry Potter fan and
not everyone is an avid fan as some of us. If you’ve never read the
books, watched the films, or taken part in the wizarding world of
J.K. Rowling, I strongly encourage you to.

It may not change your life, but you may be missing out on some really
good entertainment. What’s all the hype about? It may have just gotten
on your nerves and now you’re ignoring it out of principle. Get over it
and go read the books. Really. Honestly. It’s not high classic literature,
but they are really FUN and undeserving of your contempt.

I am not just saying this because of how much I love swords and
sorcery, or because I was one of those teens those wore capes to the
midnight book releases, or was one of those who finished the last book
in less than 48 hours.

I enjoy fan culture like this because of the sense of camaraderie.
Sure you can go to a rocky horror picture show screening or some other
cult flick and experience the same type of tuned-in energy, but the
whimsy of the whole thing becomes addictive. The HP bug doesn’t turn
off when you leave the theater, it stays with you the whole way home
and the next morning and lingers-- leaving you wanting more!

Cult flicks are tons of fun, all the fans cheer when certain characters
come on or when certain credits roll, but Harry Potter is much more.

I think it also has something to do with how loyal the movies were
to the books and how disappointed I was in the new Star Wars and
Lord of the Rings movies. I’ve given up on comic book films (Scott
Pilgrim excluded). I still enjoy the rebooted films like TRON and
Star Trek etc. But they simply don’t exude the same intoxicating energy
that Harry Potter does.

It is engrossing because of the depth, the detail, and the sheer
extent of character development. For many of us it was also a coming
of age ritual. It was something for us to look forward to each year
and to hide away in when reality got a little low. Hogwarts was a little
escape for each of us and sadly it has come to an end. I was a few years
older than the kids in the books when it first came out, but I was still
growing up while I was reading them. So it truly is the end of an age for
some of us.

Now all the films are out, I plan on going back and rereading the series
(when I get some time-- Eventually). I’ve read the first few books more
than once, but not the later ones. So, I’ve gone a little fuzzy on many of
the details. Besides, it is always fun to go back and try and pick up on
all the little hints when you know what the ending is going to be.

To be honest, the end has left me feeling a little low and really old.
I don’t like waiting for Halloween to costume up. How often to I get to
flaunt my Ravenclaw uniform? For now, I’ll have to bid a fond farewell
to Hogwarts and a turning point in my life-- now I’m coming up to my
quarter-life crisis who knows if anything will catch on like Harry Potter
and steal the hearts of so many muggles... at least in our lifetime!

So lets all raise our butterbeer and pumpkin juice to what was a damn
good, magical decade!

Yes, I saw it opening night-- not the midnight showing, but still...
And of course it was epic! (Surprisingly violent, watch out little ‘uns)



In celebration of Book 7 Part Two, I made some Cauldron Cakes
for your enjoyment. To be honest can’t remember if there was a
description in the books of these or not. So I just made what I thought
Cauldron Cakes sounded like. These are not sweet, so don't expect a
cupcake. They are hearty and look like they were cooked over a cauldron!

Harry Potter Cauldron Cakes



3 cups unbleached wheat flour
3 tbsp powdered sugar
2 3/4 cup non-dairy milk + 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp cocoa powder
3 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup berry jam
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup raisins, cranberries, cherries or chopped dates

Sift together the dry ingredients.
Mix the oil, jam and curdled non-dairy milk, slowly add to the
dry mix and stir briefly to not over-mix the soda. Add the nuts and
which ever dried fruit you like.

Pour into greased and floured cupcake cups or mini bundt tins.
Bake for about 30-40 minutes at 350•F.

Serve while still warm with powdered sugar and jam.



Try em with some Pumpkin Juice!

Here is also a Vegan version of ButterBeer from PETA2 which sounds
pretty good, except I might add some vanilla vodka or spiced rum
to give it a real kick.

Christmas Cookie Commotion & Yuletide

I was really excited for Monday as Winter Solstice aligned with
a lunar eclipse. However, we've been getting some nice rainfall
here in Los Angeles and I'm certainly the last one to complain about
rain. I know our water reserves needed it more than I needed to see
a lunar eclipse. Alas, our night was cloudy.

Yet, the rain certainly didn't stop me from making Buche De Noel:
A french sweet cake in the shape of a Yulelog. Otherwise known as a
chocolate heart attack! Traditional French versions are filled with
chocolate whipped cream and rolled with a egg-laden sponge cake.

I just used a basic vegan chocolate cake and made a special flavored
chocolate frosting for the filling.

My frosting is about 1 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, 3 tbsp cocoa powder,
3 tbsp earthbalance, a tbsp- 2 tbsp of soymilk and 1/2 tsp of raspberry
extract.



I went pretty overboard with the presentation and everything.
I frosted the middle (filling) and then frosted the log when it was
rolled up. Then I melted semi-sweet chocolate chips with a little
bit of soymilk to make a firm chocolate glaze. Usually it is just
chocolate frosting on the outside, scraped to look like a wooden
log. But I really like the glossy chic-ness of the glaze.
Very neo-traditional!



I melted some more chocolate chips by themselves and drizzled designs
on to wax paper, then froze them to make the twigs on the top.


Then I topped it with toasted almonds, some powdered sugar for snow
and some decorated truffle cookies.



Traditionally, the plate would be adorned with meringue mushrooms,
but I make sugar cookies filled with raspberry jam. I then glazed them
and painted them with coloring and vodka, like my snowflakes from
yesterday.



Here you can see the jam in the little pocket. I just shaped them
into little bowls, plopped in the jelly, then covered it up with
another piece of dough and rolled it gently before baking.





Monkey-man had to work late, so this was his surprise when
he came home. I love Buche de Noel and its much more eco-
friendly than burning a wooden log!

Dilly Dally~ Spring Break

In the middle of a continual string of immeasurable miscommunication
between my cousin's boyfriend and myself, a very obnoxious thing took
place. Or a few obnoxious things really.

First, he weed-wacked my newly planted squash/pumpkins. Actually, I
later realized that he pulled them up and weed-wacked around it.
??
I don't know either.

Second, I woke up to find my composter gone. Not the compost per se
but the wooden pallets that I had built around it to contain my
compost.

It turned out that he though the composter was my garden... and since
I was starting to plant elsewhere he took the initiative to get rid
of said pallets. Also he put of a large piece of wood in the spot
where I was planting, mainly in an effort to make it appear useful
so he didn't have to get rid of it.

After all this when down, I was zen kicking ass angry.
By noon, I had my prime garden space back, hopefully salvaged my
squash, and demanded my pallets returned. We'll see how soon
that happens. Its hard to explain the use of a composter to someone
who doesn't understand what decomposition is.

After that I built a little brick border to clearly delineate
where my garden is now. I planted some potatoes, beets, and an onion
that I sprouted. So much more to come!!




In the kitchen, I've been practicing different cakes for
Monkey-man's birthday coming up this weekend. So much to plan,
so much to cook!


Mocha Blackberry




I also made Orange-ginger and Orange Chocolate, but the pictures
were terrible. Both the orange ones were good, but the mocha
one was too dense and tasted like a muffin.

Finally for dinner I made a quick batch of soup and biscuits.
It just the Irish garlic soup I made for St. Patrick's Day,
but I added kale because I was craving some rich greens.

Back to testing!

Still high on the holidays

Our Christmas, I'm actually glad to say, was very quiet.
Usually I spend the Christmas eve and the later part of
Christmas Day running around and trying to visit with as
many people possible. But this year I got to have a very
peaceful day with my Boyfriend.

We spent our time dozing, eating Christmas goodies,
cooking, and opening presents. All of my favorite things.






























This is our wee little Christmas Tree.




























I love our funny little tree topper. Neither of us are in
to angels or stars, so we improvised a little.
We're both just starting out pretty much in LA again,
so neither of us have much stuff built up.
(except for all the random things my aunt and grandma keep
sending me, but that's for a whole other story)


















Me in front of our wee tree.

I made breakfast before we opened presents.
Or started it rather. We opened while it baked.
I made my traditional Christmas dish, Cranberry-Orange Sweet Buns!























































































Then we opened presents, lots of vegan goodies!
I got some awesome gadgets!







































































I also got a bunch of little do dads from my folks and some
great intellectual reads! Can't wait!

So we watched Elf, my favorite Christmas movie, while eating
some sweet buns. Then I passed out because it was just too
much excitement for me.

Later on we went around Hastings Ranch and looked at Christmas
lights. Each block has a different theme, my favorite block
was the peace dove themed. The design was very pretty and well
thought out. On our way back we drove up Christmas Tree Lane
in Pasadena.




























































After that we came home for dinner of Borscht and quesadillas,
yes a weird combo but very good all the same.



































Overall it was a very lovely Christmas. Our Christmas Eve
was pretty fun, lots of visiting and driving. We were up
in the Mountains for a night with my Grandparents. I have
photos from there, but sadly I left my camera there, so right
now I'm just bumming off my boyfriend. Hopefully I will get
it back soon and get back to more consistent blogging.
Until then, I hope you all had an excellent Christmas and
have a safe and Happy New Year.

Three Days until Christmas: tremendous amounts of Truffles

I Completely admit that I probably went way overboard
with the truffles. I made a lot. Then with all the
sugar plums? Lets just say we have enough Christmas treats
to go around. I showed you guys the peppermint truffles.
I did a few other version that I thought you may enjoy!

Although there is seriously no way you could not enjoy these
unless of course you are allergic to chocolate and then I
am very very sorry for you. These vegan truffles are smooth,
soft and melt perfectly in your mouth (and probably anywhere
else warm you leave them for long).


















I talked about starting from chocolate chips...
And the soymilk


















The Ganache which is just chocolate and 'cream', whipped.

















Now, before I added finely chopped dried cranberries,
but this time I also added one orange's worth the zest
and 1 tsp of vanilla extract.

































If you have a hankering for one of those chocolate
oranges that you smack on the table to open, this is your
cure. But I'm not too sure about how hard you wanna smack
these truffles on the table.



























































































The other variations I made had about 1/2 cup of finely
chopped walnuts and gingerbread filled.
The gingerbread ones are probably the best because the
gingerbread is so soft and hold the overwhelming richness
of the chocolate back just enough. I dusted them in dutch
cocoa powder or plain vegan powdered sugar.

So altogether I made about 6 batches of truffles, the peppermint,
the cranberry-orange truffles, the gingerbread filled truffles, the
walnut truffles and variations of all those in between!

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!

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.**