Struggling with Apple Crisp

As the blog world is well aware, I am not much of a baker.  I struggle following directions and it causes some issues when trying to bake.  I have several go to recipes that are hits but overall it is not my forte'.  Over the years I have dramatically improved my limited baking skills but apparently a good crisp still alludes me.

My apple crisp recipe is very tasty but I did not develop the crisp myself.  The apples were all mine, the crisp was all Ashley.  She is a quite an outstanding baker, despite her relative inexperience.  She designed the crisp on my recipe while I did the apples.

With some of the apples I had left from our recent annual apple picking trip, I opted to make my crisp recipe.  Somehow, my crisp did not come out much like a crisp, again.  My apples were spot on but the crisp was a little off.  Don't get me wrong, I still ate nearly the entire pan by myself, but it was not as good as when Ashley makes the crisp.

Vegan MoFo with Roasted Corn and Corn Bread

Its here!  Vegan MoFo 2012!  For those who do not know, Vegan MoFo is a 1 month project where vegan bloggers try to make as many posts as they can for a month.  Personally, I really like that this month always falls in the autumn.  Autumn is my favorite food season.  Rich robust flavors and roasted veggies.  Nothing better.

I recently asked a co-worker what she thought I should make for meals to bring to work.  Of course, her reaction was a proclamation that I eat weird foods and she did not know what I could eat.  I told her that I just wanted her ideas and that I could adapt if I heard something I liked.  I really enjoy trying to play with more everyday foods and making them vegan.

She said she would make a plate with corn, some beans and a meat.  I took her idea and ran with it.  I made my roasted corn and red peppers dish with a side of pinto beans.  I also baked a loaf of corn bread just to keep the theme going.  It hit the spot perfectly and I even brought my co-worker a plate and she loved it.

I had some leftovers later in the week, and rolled them into burritos!  Another perfect to go lunch for work.  Great autumn foods and a fun start to Vegan MoFo 2012.

The Mischievous Orchard

For the third year in a row, Ashley, Kaleigh and I went to the apple picking festival in Ellijay Georgia.  I really enjoy the trip we have taken each each.  It is great to see how much Kaleigh has grown from year to year and it is a great reminder of the memories I have with my mum taking me to the apple orchard.  I am not sure I appreciated it at the time but looking back, they were really great experiences.

On the drive up, Kaleigh and I had some great conversation about the concept of mischief.  We talked about the fine line between trouble making / lying and mischief.  We talked about good mischief and bad mischief.  It was really interesting to see how curious she was about it.  Personally, I think is anyone is going to talk with a child about the potential benefits of mischief, it should be me.  As both a child and an adult, I have gotten into my fair share of mischief and I feel I might be a qualified expert on the issue.

This year, for Ashley and Kaleigh, it was much of the same.  We watched some silly dancing on stage, played in a jumping house like thing, pet lots of farm animals, walked around seeing the sites (including the store), watched compassionate bee caretakers talk about the importance of bee survival, and of course, picked apples!

While in the orchard, Kaleigh and I jumped at the chance to cause a little mischief; we made sure to sample a number of apples before picking from the trees.  You have to make sure they are worth putting in the bag!

As with our tradition, after leaving the orchard, we went to Amicalola Falls State Park.  There is a nice walk through the woods (where Kaleigh and I got into mischief by climbing on rocks in the water) and after climbing 175 steps, you get to see the actual falls.  Amicalola is such a nice falls, always pounding water and it is massive.  It is also the starting point for most folks who are going to hike the Application Trail.

The apple festival trip is always a highlight in my autumn.  I hope that as Kaleigh gets older, she looks back on these trips she took with her mom with the same fondness I do.

Wordless Wednesday!

Wordless Wednesday!

Tofu with Sweet Chili Sauce

BBQ Seitan

Famous Fries

S'mores Cookies

Soy Chikin

Simple Salad

New England Shepherd's Pie

As fall creeps into the Atlanta area, I get to start eating heavier foods without feeling gross about it.  Comfort foods in the fall are a favorite of mine.  I am fairly heavy handed in the kitchen and falls leave me open to go for bold flavors.

Last week I made a quick batch of seitan to use in a shepherd's pie.  As a New Englander, shepherd's pie is a staple.  Every crummy diner you hit along the coast of route 1 from Rhode Island to Maine is going to have a shepherd's pie on the menu.

It is a very comforting food for me, reminds me of Maine.  In fact, my vegan version is better than any other version I can recall from my childhood.  It is a nice rich, heavy dish that combines the sweet and the savory.  Not to mention, it travels well for my work meals!

I am a Bean Man!

As a child, I never really ate beans.  We occasionally had canned baked beans but that was the extent of my bean eating.  After going vegan in 1998, I still had not much experience with beans.  I still ate a lot of canned (vegetarian) baked beans but other than that, I was bean free.

At my daycare as a young child, they used to make us eat lima beans.  I hated them.  I have never had them since, although I would guess they were poorly prepared and I may like them now.  I think I assumed that all beans were like lima beans, dry, slightly slimy, and gross.

The past few years I began to slowly get into eating more beans.  Mostly from a can and generally only in a burrito.  Slowly I have venture out of the proverbial can and really begun to go bonkers for beans.  I have been soaking my making my own beans for awhile now and I can not image all the amazing dishes I dodged with my pseudo-bean phobia.

Recently I have been making my own refried beans to take to work with me.  They are quick, easy, tasty, and travel well.  Toss to avocado or mango on it and it is fantastic.  I love the flexibility of refried beans, I can cook them with so many things to bring out different flavors.  With Vegan MoFo coming up, I may post a nice refried bean recipe.

Bringing it back!

I have been revising a lot of older recipes of mine recently.  There have been some really delicious dishes that I want to go back and have again instead of working on newer things or the same-old same-old.  I really like the variety that foods offer but sometimes you just want that one outstanding bowl of tempeh corn chowder that you had a year ago.

After some cold symptoms and a pulled back, I have been feeling much better.  Quality rest and food go a long way.  It never ceases to amaze me that how you eat has such an impact on how you feel yet so many people eat so poorly.

Vegan MoFo is next month.  This year, I made sure to get on the actual blog roll.  Last year I dropped the ball a bit and missed the deadline.

Cracking the Gingers: A Dinner Party

I often have spoken on dinner with the Cracks (Adrienne and Nate of Crack the Plates) and most readers of this blog know who Ashley and Kaeligh are but interestingly enough, they had never met.  Bound to correct this oversight, we made a dinner plan, for all 5 of us.  My house, 630pm on Friday.

I made chickin nuggets using a variation of my basic seitan recipe (how to) upon request from the Cracks.  Seitan seems to be a big hit with them, it is fun to make so I generally oblige.  These were marinated overnight then double breaded and deep fried for extra crispy goodness.

As requested by the Gingers, I made brocoli and cheeze soup.  Kaleigh has been on the lookout for a good 5 year old friendly cheeze soup an Ashley thought this would do the trick.  I rarely make this dish so it was a special treat.

I also made some cabbage and mashed potatoes.  Kaleigh mashed the potatoes by herself while Ashley helps fry the nuggets.  My back has been hurting so I was trying to take it as easy as I could.

After dinner, Adrienne, Kaleigh, and Ashley built a fort in my livingroom while the boys stood in the kitchen and talked shop (dorky card games and RPGs).  I decided at the last minute I would whip up some chocolate chip cookies for everyone.

All in all it was a good night.  Nothing like spending time with good folks and eating good food.

Evenings out

I have been trying to get out of the house a bit more when I have time off.  My motivation has been low but I have forced the issue and felt better for it.  Even if much of the time, I am simply going to Ashley's house and spending the evening there.  It is at least out of the house!

We have been eating mostly quick foods when I have been there but one afternoon I made some on my mum's homemade pickles for the neighborhood kids.  Kaliegh really liked them but her friends turned up their noses and ran off mumbling something incoherently southern.

One of the evenings we took Kaleigh to play laser tag.  We got in two rounds of child shooting fun before we had to leave.  It was great fun, and Kaleigh had a great time.  This might be becoming my new thing, strangely it is a nice stress reliever.

Laura Visit; Day 3: Dulce Vegan and more

 After Ashley got out of work, she picked up Kaleigh and met Laura, Terri, and I at my house.  We were going to lunch at Dulce Vegan.  I had only been once before, when they first opened and was a little underwhelmed.  It was good but the portions seemed small for the price.

This experience was night and day.  The sandwiches were quite filling and the prices were reasonable.  The food was also fantastic!  I had a Tempeh Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato sandwich.  Some folks at the table got the Eggplant Parmesan sandwich.  We also got cinnamon rolls.  All of it was outstanding.  Kaleigh really liked the cinnamon rolls.

After Dulce Vegan, we went to the park for a bit and then went to Southern Sweets for more treats!  We were determined to get all the good food that we could.

Later that afternoon it was off to work for me.  Laura and Terri took themselves out to eat at Soul Vegetarian.  When I got home, there was a surprise for me!  Laura had made me her famous peanut butter balls!

Early the next morning, I took them to the airport and said my goodbyes.  It was sad but I will see my good friend again!