Vegan Prep and a Sh*t Day
Nov. 1st, 2019 09:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lydamorehouseHalloween was a crappy day for me, mostly because I spent almost all of it shuttling my various family members to places AND I had to work at the library. I ended up feeling too physically exhausted to carve pumpkins.
Just to give you a recap of all the stupid: In the morning, I had to drop Shawn off at the dentist, come back home and take Mason to school, go BACK to the dentist's to get Shawn, deliver her to work, and get my a$$ all the way out to Shoreview where I worked for four hours, on my feet. Then, immediately after work, I went back to pick up Mason at school and deliver him to his college class, from there, I swung back over to the History Center to get Shawn and take her to her hand PT in downtown, where I sat around and waited in a waiting room. After that, I took her home so she could start handing out candy, went back to get Mason at college, and brought him home. All this, and I forgot to pack my OWN lunch, so I didn't eat for the FIRST TIME until 4:00 pm. No breakfast, and only a handful of chips found in the break room at the library for lunch. NOT VERY SMART, FYI. To say that I was hangry was probably an understatement.
Also? This may be the first time, ever, for me not to have carved pumpkins for Halloween in my entire life. :-(
Halloween is one of my major holidays and I never even dressed up. Mason did, at least, and that cheered me greatly. He feels too old to go out trick-or-treating (which I would argue, but it's up to him,) so he dresses up to hand out candy to the littles who come door-to-door.
Picture: Mason with a zombie mask over his face. His glasses are over the top of the mask making him look like a weird, old man.
He actually mostly wore a devil mask most of the night, but I find this particular mask on him to be kind of hilarious. It was his idea to dress-up in a suit coat, because he's going for the "gentleman monster" look, which I also found amazingly charming. Honest to all the god(desse)s, Mason's whole thing last night was what cheered me up and turned my day around.
The day before, I started trying out some vegan desserts.
As I mentioned previously, we have a contingent of vegans who come for (American) Thanksgiving, a holiday centered around the consumption of MEAT.
To be fair, I personally consider it a holiday to celebrate made-families (to which our vegan friends 150% belong), but, you know, the turkey is still central to many people's conception of Thanksgiving. We long ago discovered vegan roasts for them that I can buy pre-made, so that part is no longer the issue. I also have a number of easy substitutions for many of the sides that I would normally slather in butter, drown in milk, etc. So most of the sides on the table they can eat (without having to be shoved onto a vegan-only table, which, I mean, the point is to make everyone feel welcome...) My French bread is almost vegan to begin with; I just need to not put on the egg wash at the end to make it so.
So... the thing I continue to try to improve every year that they come is the desserts.
Vegan baking is tricky.
You are bereft of most of your leavening (obviously soda and baking powder are still on the table, but eggs are out,) and, of course, chocolate. I did, this year, manage to find vegan chocolate chips. I discovered a recipe for "chocolate and orange vegan crinkle cookies" in a magazine devoted to vegan cooking, which I bought because it was their "holiday special" and promised not only baked goods, but also a vegan egg nog.
On Wednesday night, I tried out the crinkle cookies.
At any rate, I hunted down and assembled all my vegan baking needs:
Picture: all the vegan things in their drab, sad earth-tones.
What I love about the peppermint crinkle cookies that Shawn makes for Christmas is that they're chewy. The top is a little crinkly-crisp (hence the name), but then you get that great "mouth feel" when you bite into them and get all the chocolate-minty goodness that's just so chewy and yummy. It's sensual experience.
I was really hoping that I might be able to duplicate that.
Alas, not so much. I believe the main critique from my family was a very Minnesotan: "They're not bad, but..."
They looked promising all the way through the process. I thought the batter was weirdly fudge-like, but Shawn reassured me that that's how hers are pre-baking.
Picture: very dense, chocolate batter.
I followed the recipe precisely, which is often a thing I'll do the first time I try something, even if, at the time I'm thinking, "Really? That much orange extract??" Because I go under the assumption (possibly a false one) that these things have been taste-tested and perfected in some industrial kitchen and maybe there's something about vegan chocolate that I don't know about that works really well with that much additional orange flavor.
No surprise, my instincts were right. Next time I try these I'm going with a teaspoon less of the orange extract, possibly even reducing it down to just a hint (like a 1/4 teaspoon.) Because, I know from experience that is POWERFUL stuff. One of the other consistent complaints I got from my taste testers (aka my family) was that the orange was "a little weird."
The end result was also less chewy and more granular, which is something I'm not sure quite how to fix. I am considering also trying a little bit of a baking soda/baking powder mix (as offered on a vegan website devoted to "fluffy" baking,) to see if that addition will get the desired consistency. I'm going to freeze all these attempts in separate baggies so that, should they want to play taste tester, too, my guests can try out a sample from each batch. This one is going to be labeled, "too orange-y, cake brownie texture."
Which, you know, isn't terrible. So, I do, at least, consider these a partial success.
Now the question is, do I subject my family to vegan egg nog, or do we try vegan sugar cookies (which I plan to shape into turkeys, for the IRONY.)
Just to give you a recap of all the stupid: In the morning, I had to drop Shawn off at the dentist, come back home and take Mason to school, go BACK to the dentist's to get Shawn, deliver her to work, and get my a$$ all the way out to Shoreview where I worked for four hours, on my feet. Then, immediately after work, I went back to pick up Mason at school and deliver him to his college class, from there, I swung back over to the History Center to get Shawn and take her to her hand PT in downtown, where I sat around and waited in a waiting room. After that, I took her home so she could start handing out candy, went back to get Mason at college, and brought him home. All this, and I forgot to pack my OWN lunch, so I didn't eat for the FIRST TIME until 4:00 pm. No breakfast, and only a handful of chips found in the break room at the library for lunch. NOT VERY SMART, FYI. To say that I was hangry was probably an understatement.
Also? This may be the first time, ever, for me not to have carved pumpkins for Halloween in my entire life. :-(
Halloween is one of my major holidays and I never even dressed up. Mason did, at least, and that cheered me greatly. He feels too old to go out trick-or-treating (which I would argue, but it's up to him,) so he dresses up to hand out candy to the littles who come door-to-door.
Picture: Mason with a zombie mask over his face. His glasses are over the top of the mask making him look like a weird, old man.
He actually mostly wore a devil mask most of the night, but I find this particular mask on him to be kind of hilarious. It was his idea to dress-up in a suit coat, because he's going for the "gentleman monster" look, which I also found amazingly charming. Honest to all the god(desse)s, Mason's whole thing last night was what cheered me up and turned my day around.
The day before, I started trying out some vegan desserts.
As I mentioned previously, we have a contingent of vegans who come for (American) Thanksgiving, a holiday centered around the consumption of MEAT.
To be fair, I personally consider it a holiday to celebrate made-families (to which our vegan friends 150% belong), but, you know, the turkey is still central to many people's conception of Thanksgiving. We long ago discovered vegan roasts for them that I can buy pre-made, so that part is no longer the issue. I also have a number of easy substitutions for many of the sides that I would normally slather in butter, drown in milk, etc. So most of the sides on the table they can eat (without having to be shoved onto a vegan-only table, which, I mean, the point is to make everyone feel welcome...) My French bread is almost vegan to begin with; I just need to not put on the egg wash at the end to make it so.
So... the thing I continue to try to improve every year that they come is the desserts.
Vegan baking is tricky.
You are bereft of most of your leavening (obviously soda and baking powder are still on the table, but eggs are out,) and, of course, chocolate. I did, this year, manage to find vegan chocolate chips. I discovered a recipe for "chocolate and orange vegan crinkle cookies" in a magazine devoted to vegan cooking, which I bought because it was their "holiday special" and promised not only baked goods, but also a vegan egg nog.
On Wednesday night, I tried out the crinkle cookies.
At any rate, I hunted down and assembled all my vegan baking needs:
Picture: all the vegan things in their drab, sad earth-tones.
What I love about the peppermint crinkle cookies that Shawn makes for Christmas is that they're chewy. The top is a little crinkly-crisp (hence the name), but then you get that great "mouth feel" when you bite into them and get all the chocolate-minty goodness that's just so chewy and yummy. It's sensual experience.
I was really hoping that I might be able to duplicate that.
Alas, not so much. I believe the main critique from my family was a very Minnesotan: "They're not bad, but..."
They looked promising all the way through the process. I thought the batter was weirdly fudge-like, but Shawn reassured me that that's how hers are pre-baking.
Picture: very dense, chocolate batter.
I followed the recipe precisely, which is often a thing I'll do the first time I try something, even if, at the time I'm thinking, "Really? That much orange extract??" Because I go under the assumption (possibly a false one) that these things have been taste-tested and perfected in some industrial kitchen and maybe there's something about vegan chocolate that I don't know about that works really well with that much additional orange flavor.
No surprise, my instincts were right. Next time I try these I'm going with a teaspoon less of the orange extract, possibly even reducing it down to just a hint (like a 1/4 teaspoon.) Because, I know from experience that is POWERFUL stuff. One of the other consistent complaints I got from my taste testers (aka my family) was that the orange was "a little weird."
The end result was also less chewy and more granular, which is something I'm not sure quite how to fix. I am considering also trying a little bit of a baking soda/baking powder mix (as offered on a vegan website devoted to "fluffy" baking,) to see if that addition will get the desired consistency. I'm going to freeze all these attempts in separate baggies so that, should they want to play taste tester, too, my guests can try out a sample from each batch. This one is going to be labeled, "too orange-y, cake brownie texture."
Which, you know, isn't terrible. So, I do, at least, consider these a partial success.
Now the question is, do I subject my family to vegan egg nog, or do we try vegan sugar cookies (which I plan to shape into turkeys, for the IRONY.)
no subject
Date: 2019-11-01 03:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-11-01 08:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-11-03 08:52 pm (UTC)I have a vegan chocolate chip pumpkin cupcake recipe if that would be appropriate!
no subject
Date: 2019-11-03 09:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-11-04 12:28 pm (UTC)I usually do a chocolate ganache with some cinnamon in it instead of the cinnamon glaze, but the glaze might be more Thanksgiving appropriate (it's a fine glaze, I just really like chocolate!).
Also note in case relevant for anyone: this turned out pretty well when I substituted a gluten free all purpose flour for gluten free housemates. The pumpkin is forgiving.
no subject
Date: 2019-11-01 03:48 pm (UTC)Also, you can (well, I have) make quite a good pie crust using margarine for the shortening.
no subject
Date: 2019-11-01 08:52 pm (UTC)I will also consider coconut flakes. It's going to be a fun month of experimenting!!
no subject
Date: 2019-11-02 01:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-11-01 04:52 pm (UTC)K.
no subject
Date: 2019-11-01 08:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-11-01 06:21 pm (UTC)I have a splendid gingerbread recipe that is vegan if you substitute Earth Balance for butter, and that non-vegans beg me to make. I don't know if gingerbread fits into your holiday dessert concept, though.
P.
no subject
Date: 2019-11-01 08:57 pm (UTC)Thank you for the suggestions of cashew butter, etc. I am really enjoying all the experimenting.
no subject
Date: 2019-11-01 09:15 pm (UTC)I should note that the gingerbread itself is not very sweet, but the sugar crust balances things. Also, if you overbake it, it gets a little dry.
I think I will email it, because DW comments tend to mess up formatting and glom all steps and ingredients into one mass.
P.
no subject
Date: 2019-11-03 09:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-11-01 06:54 pm (UTC)Tell Mason I love the gentleman monster look.
no subject
Date: 2019-11-01 08:58 pm (UTC)And, I will tell him!
no subject
Date: 2019-11-01 08:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-11-02 10:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-11-02 10:52 pm (UTC)Depending on time of year, I could maybe host you at my folks' place.