Halloween Party Food 2010

Now onto the party food! I think I did really well this year because there really wasn’t much left at all after the party. That tells me two things: (1) I’m getting better at determining how much food to make, and (2) people really liked the food!

I made a lot of the same stuff as last year (as I do every year), but I did add a very new items/variations. Here’s the “Booffet” menu:

It the Great (Chocolate Chip) Pumpkin (Cookies), Charlie Brown
Broken Glass Cupcakes
Toenail Brittle
Oatmeal Scream Pies
Poisoned Apples

Boo-ternut Squash Soup
Dead Man’s Fingers
Vegetable Vertebrae Wraps
Seven-Layer Spider’s Nest Dip
Dried Bat Wings
Spicy Black Bug Cakes
Stuffed Eyeballs

Bleeding Heart Punch
Warm Vampire Blood
Mauled Apple Cider
Veritaserum

It's the Great (Chocolate Chip) Pumpkin (Cookies), Charlie Brown

This is basically a cookie that will win everyone in the world over with it’s soft, cinnamon-y goodness. I’ve made them every year since 2004, and they never get old. I hope you all appreciate me giving you my secret Halloween food weapon! 😀

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

Ingredients:
– 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
– 3/4 cup brown sugar
– 1/4 cup shortening
– 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon unsweetened applesauce
– 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
– 1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
– 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
– 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
– 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
– 1/2 lb semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
– Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
– In a large bowl, cream together the sugars, shortening, applesauce, pumpkin, and vanilla until light and well-combined.
– Mix in the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon until just combined.
– Stir in the chocolate chips
– Drop by teaspoons onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 12-13 minutes or until set.
– Let cookies cool on a rack.

 

Broken Glass Cupcakes

I know I’ve already posted about these – but you didn’t see them in party action! Red velvet cupcakes (from VCTOTW) and a store-bought vanilla frosting + red gel icing. The hard candy “glass shard” recipe can be found here.

 

Toenail Brittle

Peanut Brittle

2 C sugar
1 C light corn syrup
1 C boiling water
1 lb raw peanuts
1 1/2 TSBP vegan margarine
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp baking soda

Have a long sheet of aluminum foil (about 3 ft) sprayed with cooking spray set off to the side close by. Have all ingredients measured and ready next to the stove.

Place sugar, corn syrup, and water into a medium saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer and boil all over, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture reaches 300 degrees. Once it reaches 300 degrees, stir in the peanuts. (This will be a little tough at first, but just keep stirring and it will smooth out.) Keep stirring until the mixture reaches 325 degrees. At this point, remove mixture from heat and stir in margarine, vanilla, and baking soda. Pour onto the oiled aluminum foil and spread evenly. Allow to cool and harden, break into pieces.

 

Oatmeal Scream Pies

I made mini-oatmeal cream pies by just using 1-tablespoonful to make each cookie.

Oatmeal Cream Pies

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) vegan margarine (at room temperature)
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Ener-G egg replacement
1/4 cup applesauce
1 1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup golden or regular raisins
8 ounces non-dairy cream cheese
2 cups confectioner’s sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. In another large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugars, and molasses on high until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add vanilla, beat until combined. Beat in egg replacer and applesauce, one at a time, scraping down bowl after each addition.
With mixer on low, add flour mixture and beat just until combined. Fold in oats and raisins. Drop dough in 2-tablespoonful mounds, 2 inches apart, onto two baking sheets. Bake until cookies are just set at the edges and slightly soft in the middle, about 11 minutes, rotating sheets half-way through. Let cookies cool on sheets, about  minutes. Transfer to wire racks and let cool completely.
In a medium bowl, using mixer, beat cream cheese and confectioner’s sugar until light, about 2 minutes. Spread filled on flat side of half the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies. u

Poisoned Apples

I used this recipe from AssociatedContent.com:

From Scratch Candy Apple Recipe:

Popsicle sticks
6 Fuji or Granny Smith apples
1 1/2 cups water
4 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/8 cups corn syrup
3/4 teaspoon red food coloring

The first step is to clean apples. Place your Popsicle stick in the center of the apple. Set your apples on the counter next to your stovetop.

Now, add the water, sugar, and corn syrup in a medium to large sized saucepot. Stir the ingredients together, it will look grainy.

Place the candy apple mixture on medium heat until the sugar boils. Once the sugar boils, turn the heat to high. You will need to occasionally clean the sides of pot with cold water and a brush. This will prevent the mixture from crystallizing. Cook the mixture eon on high heat to 283 degrees F.

Once the mixture has come to this temperature, add red food coloring and swirl around in the pot, do not stir. Continue to cook to 328 degrees F. Remove from the heat and let rest for 3 – 5 minutes.

The next step requires a little caution. The candy apple mixture is extremely hot. Dip the apple on an angle. Twirl the apple around to coat it. Place the coated candy apple on a sheet of wax paper that has been sprayed with Pam.

Warm drinks and Boo-tternut Bisque

For the “Boo-tternut Bisque”, I used this recipe from MarthaStewart.com, replacing the butter, chicken broth, and half-and-half with margarine, vegetable broth, and soymilk. It’s really good served with vegan sour cream and an extra pinch of cayenne pepper. I served this with Dead Man’s Fingers. I used a bit of agave nectar and water for the egg wash. Of course, I didn’t get a picture of my fingers. For some reason, they’re nearly always the thing I don’t get a picture of and that makes me sad because they looked really cool this year 😦 Oh well.

 

Vegetable Vertebrae Wraps

These wraps were made with (v) cream cheese, alfalfa sprouts, spinach, red onion, diced cucumber, diced tomato, and salt and pepper. Spread the cream cheese over the entire surface of the wraps and season with salt and pepper. Place all the veggies and greens along the middle of the wrap. Roll into a tight log and slice into 1 1/2-inch pieces, using a toothpick to hold each piece together.

 

Seven-Layer Spider’s Nest Dip

This is a seven-layer dip of awesomenss. I used two 9-inch pie pans so that it would be easier to get all seven layers on one chip. Layers: refried beans (canned vegetarian variety), corn (again, canned-drained), sliced black olives, chopped tomatoes/jarred salsa, chopped lettuce, homemade guacamole, and a piped-on (v) sour cream spider-web. I added some plastic spider rings before the party.

 

Dried Bat Wings

Blue corn chips. These were served with the spider’s nest dip.

 

Spicy Black Bug Cakes

These are mini Black Bean an Pumpkin Chipotle Burgers. The topping is a mixture of (v) sour cream, (v) cream cheese, and adobo sauce.

 

Stuffed Eyeballs

I never can get an exact recipe for these, because I just keep adding stuff to get it right and never have time to write it down before the party. But, basically:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Clean and de-stem two packages of baby bella mushrooms. Brush with melted margarine and place in a baking dish. For the stuffing, mash together half a block of firm silken tofu, creole seasoning, and a few tablespoons of (v) cream cheese until combined. Taste and adjust to your liking. [I know I use a LOT of the creole seasoning (Emeril’s Essence)].  Put mixture into a plastic bag and snip off the end for a make-shift piping bag. Pipe filling into mushrooms. Dip tops into breadcrumbs, use sliced olives and pimento pieces to make eyes. Bake for about 20-30 minutes until they look awesome and yummy.

 

Bleeding Heart Punch

This is my go-to holiday punch from now on. It’s the same punch I made for Christmas last year. It’s 1 large jug of fruit punch (Hawaiian Punch), 1 small bottle ginger ale, and one container of Apple-Passion-Mango juice concentrate. Add plenty of ice and stir it all up! I liked it a lot with the pretty orange slices floating in it last year, but for Halloween I had a human heart made of ice and some dry ice to make it fog.

The warm vampire blood (spiced cranberry punch) can be found here. The apple cider is store-bought. I added mulling spices (cinnamon sticks and cloves) to each of them. The Veritaserum was just filtered water in a seasonally orange Brita pitcher. haha.

So, vegan Halloween party food is pretty awesome. Make some and give it to people!

Happy Halloween!

– Andrea

Halloween Party Decor 2010

This year my Halloween party theme was “Ghosts of Halloweens Past”, based on childhood memories of Halloween. I made DVDs filled with old Halloween specials, cartoons, and commercials; had a Hal O’Ween “autopsy table”; and our main game had a lot of old Halloween trivia.

Here’s some pictures of the decorations before everyone arrived:

Me and my boyfriend made 30 goody bags for our guests, filled with candy and little Halloween trinkets. Each bag had a different face! 😀

The witch's cabinet!

 

My bone collection.

Hal O'Ween autopsy table.

Everyone did this as a kid, right? Feel around in the dead man’s body parts? Anyway… The hair was fennel leaves (I meant to use corn silk but ran out of time), brain- cauliflower, ear- dried apricot, eyes- peeled grapes, teeth- popcorn kernels, ribs- celery, heart- fennel, guts- spaghetti noodles with oil, bladder- balloon filled with water, hand- plastic glove filled with water, “dingle dong”- baby gherkin pickle.

The desk had the "Death List" where everyone signed in.

Outside area where we had a table set up for pumpkin painting.

Too bad no one brought a pumpkin.

Trick or Trivia

A game I kind of came up with called “Trick or Trivia”. I had a bunch of knick knacks I didn’t want anymore, as well as a bunch of items I had picked up from the Dollar Tree. Each balloon contained either a trick you must perform or a trivia question you had to answer – all Halloween-related. Everyone that played got a prize, assuming they answered correctly or followed through with their trick. The prizes were in categories 1-5 and the category was determined by how hard the trivia was or how embarrassing the trick was. Category 1 prizes were things like cheap hand puppets and Category 5 prizes included $5 DVDs.

Overall, I was really pleased with how the party turned out! I got all my food prepared and ready 3+ hours before the party, so I didn’t have to worry about that. I also learned to put as much food out as possible so that I wouldn’t be stuck filling up the “boo-ffet” all night. There’s always going to be a huge rush 2-3 hours before the party, and that’s never fun. But my boyfriend really helped me out this year, and we did pretty darn well. Everyone’s costumes were great, and I think everyone had a good time.

I’m glad this year turned out well, because this will be my last Halloween party for a while. I may try a small dinner party or murder mystery the next few years. But I’m taking a break from the big parties. It’s too draining and takes up too much of my October. Plus it’s just too darn expensive. Granted, I did a lot better this year, as far as not fussing over the little things goes. But I’m still taking a break. 😀

Up next: Party food!

– Andrea

Tofu Tombstones and Smashed Spirits!

My boyfriend will be here in about 10-15 minutes, and I just got done making our dinner 😀 We’re going to have a spooky movie night. We may or may not carve pumpkins, but I did pick up four more today! Haha.

Tonight we’re having Tofu Tombstones, Smashed Spirits, Rotten Roasted Vegetables, and Graveyard Gravy!

The tofu was sliced into four cutlets, drained and pressed, and then cut into tombstone shapes using a cookie cutter. Then I battered and fried it, using salt, pepper, garlic powder, poultry seasoning, onion powder, and a little cayenne pepper to season the cornstarch.

The “smashed spirits” are Yukon gold potatoes, boiled until soft. Then I mashed them with some soymilk, (v) sour cream, salt, and garlic powder.

The “rotten vegetables” are carrots and red onion, roasted at 425 degrees with some vegetable oil, salt, and dried dill.

The “graveyard gravy” is water, no-chicken bouillon, soy sauce, garlic powder, sage, and cornstarch to thicken it up.

Each of our plates are adorable and look like this:

Fun! He just got here, so I’m going to go outside because he says they’re playing The Haunted Mansion ride soundtrack on some Halloween channel on his XM radio! *squeals*

Happy Halloween!

– Andrea

Eyeballs, Petrified Pumpkin, and Broken Glass

I find it hard to believe I haven’t made a single post all October. I guess it all started when we didn’t have our pumpkin patch picnic at the pumpkin patch and, instead, had it in my front yard. Wasn’t a good way to start off the Halloween season. 😦 I have made a few things throughout the month, though. And I had my Halloween party this past Saturday. I’m hoping to make up for lost Halloween food time this weekend, and extending it into next week for Day of the Dead.

Foods I’m planning on making before the Halloween season is over:

– Caramel apples
– Tofu tombstones with smashed spirits and graveyard gravy + “rotten” roasted vegetables
– Spooky-faced veggie pizzas with an orange pumpkin crust
– Chocolate Chick-o-stick tarts
– Scarecrow toastadas

For Day of the Dead, I’m thinking something along the lines of:

– Mexican-spiced calavera cake (anise seed, orange, and cinnamon)
– Cornbread sugar skulls (with sour cream and green onion decorations)
– Black bean soup with lime, cilantro, and avocado

I hate to admit that I’m ready for a new holiday season to start, but I think I got a little burned out on Halloween early this year. I still can’t wait to have some spooky fun these last few days, though! Here’s a few foods I’ve made this month:

Stuffed Shell Eyeballs

This is just a regular stuffed shell recipe, with olive and roasted red pepper added to make the eyeballs. I used tofu, non-dairy cream cheese, nutritional yeast, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper for the filling. Then I just used a jarred pasta sauce. It’s easiest and less messy to put the filling into a plastic bag and cut the corner off to pipe it into the shells. These were covered and baked at 350 degrees until warmed through.

Petrified Pumpkin Enchiladas

I used this recipe for the sauce. For the filling, I used Gardein chick’n and steamed Yukon gold potatoes. Then I just made a face using Toffuti sour cream, olives, and chopped green onion.

Broken Glass Cupcakes

These are red velvet cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. I used a store-bought vegan icing and I made a hard, clear candy to break up into glass shards. Then I added some red gel icing to make it look like the cupcakes were bleeding 🙂 If you make these – Don’t add the hard candy until you’re about to serve them. The candy will pick up the moisture from the cupcakes and start to “melt” and deteriorate after a few hours.

Hard Candy:

1 C sugar
3 TBSP light corn syrup
1/3 C water

– Coat a baking sheet (or sheet of aluminum foil) with nonstick spray. Put sugar, corn syrup, and water into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occassionally with a wooden spoon.
– Continue to boil until mixture reaches 310 degrees on a candy thermometer.
– Immediately remove from heat and pour mixture onto prepared baking sheet or aluminum foil, spreading thin with the back of a wooden spoon.
– Allow to cool and harden. Break into glass-like shards.

I hope you’ve all been having a wonderfully spooky October!

– Andrea

$20 Worth of Apples (Take 2) – Muffins and Soup!

It’s a good thing apples last a decent amount of time. Last week I made two apple-y items: Apple Spice Muffins and Pumpkin-Apple Soup.

These apple muffins came out of The Joy of Vegan Baking (which I’m a big fan of, by the way). I added some nutmeg, ground cloves, and allspice to mine. They were wonderfully autumn and I’m proud to say my boyfriend liked them, even though they weren’t the normal “cupcake muffin” (super sweet). The apple chunks really made the muffins. So tasty! We took these to the pumpkin patch with some apple cider on an early autumn morning last Thursday. Great way to start the day!

The second apple-filled food I made last week was this Apple Pumpkin Soup from a 2009 Halloween issue of Taste of Home magazine. I was a bit disappointed in this soup, even though it has two of my favorite things in it. I probably wouldn’t make it again, but here’s the original recipe for those that would like to try it:

I used non-dairy margarine, vegetable broth, and soymilk to replace the non-vegan ingredients in the soup. I also added more sugar to taste, just because I wasn’t a big fan of how it turned out. I topped my soup with roasted pumpkin seeds 🙂

I’m planning on using the remaining apples for apple butter tomorrow. I just realized I have a slow cooker.

I’ve got two Halloween dinner ideas to share soon, plus some accidentally vegan Halloween snacks that I’ve found in stores lately! I can’t wait to share them all!

– Andrea

Happy First Day of Autumn, 2010!

I’ve been a bit confused over the last few days about when the first day of Autumn was supposed to be this year. Someone said it was on Tuesday, then there were people wishing everyone a happy autumn yesterday.

HOLD THE PHONE!

All of my calendars said the autumnal equinox was today! So, screw everyone else’s calendars. I have a cute, Gil Elvgren, pin-up calendar. And it most certainly is not wrong. So I went with today as the first day of autumn 🙂

So, happy, happy Autumn, everyone!

I made Pumpkin Pot Pies! Well, I actually only made one. This one:

I don’t really have a recipe, because I cut the original into 1/3, and then it only filled up one pumpkin instead of two.  And the veganization of it didn’t really turn out the way I had planned. So, basically:

Cut the top off of a sugar pumpkin. Scoop out the seeds (save for roasting!) and pumpkin guts. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the inside of the pumpkin and cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until soft when poked with a fork. Then add your favorite pot pie filling. Use your favorite crust (I used this one) and some small, autumn leaf cookie cutters to create leaves. Use a toothpick to create a crease (you can obviously be more detailed with this) and lay them around the rim of the pumpkin. (You could also create a full crust on top of the filling using the leaves.) Bring oven temperature down to 350 degrees and bake the pot pie for another 30 minutes.

I added a lot of hot sauce to mine, because my awesome boyfriend brought me some today! 🙂 It was much better after that.

I would definitely do this again with a better pot pie filling. I shouldn’t have tried to veganize the original recipe, since I have my own favorite filling. But I’ll know better next time!

I hope everyone had a good start to autumn today! Even if it was 95 degrees!

– Andrea

$20 Worth of Apples (Take 1) – Apple Cake!

So, last Thursday, I bought a lot of apples for a photoshoot I was doing. I actually didn’t really need that many, but I thought I better be safe than sorry. I didn’t weigh the apples before I went to the register to pay for them. Turns out, I had grabbed $20 worth of apples. Too late to turn back, I sucked it up and handed over the cash.

Upon leaving the grocery store, I thought to myself, “Well, at least they’re edible props.”

So I came up with a bunch of ways I’d like to use the apples – the first being an apple cake! For most recipes, I usually turn to MarthaStewart.com for a basic recipe. This instance was no different, as I found this recipe for John’s Three-Layer Apple Cake. I didn’t do a three-layer cake, because I didn’t feel like it. *shrugs* I’m not trying to be fancy here, I’m trying to use up some apples. So I baked mine in a 13×9 inch baking dish.

Vegan Apple Cake

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted margarine, melted, plus more for pans
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pans
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups packed light-brown sugar
• Egg replacement for 2 eggs (I used Ener-G Egg Replacer)
• 4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, two coarsely grated (squeeze out excess moisture) and two diced

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. “Butter” a 13×9 inch baking dish with margarine, then flour the bottom and sides (tapping out excess); set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together margarine, sugar, and egg replacements until well combined; fold in grated and diced apples. Add flour mixture; mix just until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan; smooth top.
3. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool cake in pan, 20 minutes. You can leave the cake in the pan, or you can invert it onto a wire rack to finish letting it cool and then transfer it onto a pretty serving platter.

I frosted mine with a (v) cream cheese frosting but, honestly, I wish I hadn’t. The cake is amazing as it is, and would have been much better with just a dusting of powdered sugar. Probably would have been a bit prettier, too.

The cake reminded me of carrot cake, in both taste and texture. It was really moist and, instead of carrots, had nice chunks of apple all in it. I’d definitely make the cake again, sans frosting!

First day of autumn is only two days away! And I’m going to the pumpkin patch on Monday 🙂 I need to make a spooky meal plan for the next week..

– Andrea

Stocking Your Pantry for a Very Vegan Holiday Season

The first day of Autumn is coming up next week. To me, that is the official start of the three month-long holiday season. Now is the perfect time to start stocking your pantry and freezer with non-perishable items and baking supplies! Starting early also gives you the opportunity to gather coupons and save money on things you would otherwise buy last-minute and pay full price for.

Everyone has their favorite brands and products, but I’m going list what I use most of during the holidays and suggest brands if need be.

Items to Have on Hand for the Holidays

In the Pantry:

All-purpose flour
Whole wheat flour
White sugar
Brown sugar
Powdered/Confectioner’s sugar
Baking soda
Baking powder
Cornstarch/Arrowroot powder
Egg-replacement powder (Ener-G brand)
Vegan chocolate chips (I use Whole Foods brand, because they’re cheapest!)
Various decorating supplies (sprinkles, colored sugar, food coloring – I use Wilton gels)
Dried fruits (Raisins, apricots, dates, cranberries, etc.)
Vanilla extract, almond extract
Maple syrup
Agave nectar
Mollasses
Various nuts (Pecans, walnuts, cashews, peanuts, etc.)
Various seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, poppy, sesame, etc.)
Various oils (Olive, vegetable, canola, peanut, flaxseed, etc.)
Various vinegars (White, apple cider, red wine, balsamic, etc.)
Various jams, jellies, chutneys
Nut butters (peanut, almond, etc.)
Vital Wheat Gluten
TVP
Silken tofu
Coconut milk
Canned pumpkin (x10!)
Dried pasta
Dried/Canned beans
Canned tomatoes (including tomato paste)
Vegetable broth/bouillon (also No Chicken Broth and No Beef Broth – Imagine Foods or Superior Touch)
Canned vegetables and misc. (artichokes, roasted red pepper, olives, capers, pickles)
Soy sauce
Cream of Mushroom soup (as a base – you know you have to have green bean casserole at some point over the next few months. I use Imagine Foods brand.)
Dried herbs & spices (Garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, thyme, cayenne pepper, paprika, sage, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, whole cinnamon sticks, cloves, turmeric, cumin, chili powder, dill weed, poultry seasoning, rosemary, allspice, ginger, cream of tartar, etc.)

In the freezer:

Puff pastry
Pyhllo sheets
Pie crust
Frozen fruits (strawberries, blueberries, etc.)
Frozen vegetables (corn kernals, green peas, green beans, etc.)

In the refrigerator:

Non-dairy margarine (I use Earth Balance – buy sticks for easy and quick measuring)
Non-dairy milk (soy, almond, etc.)
Non-dairy sour cream (Tofutti)
Non-dairy cream cheese (Tofutti)
Crescent rolls, pizza dough, bread sticks (these can be homemade, but it’s nice to have an easy solution ready and on-hand – Pillsbury brand is vegan, as well as some store brands)

Produce:

Onions
Garlic
Whatever is in season! Buy your produce once you have your menu(es) ready for the week and know what you’ll need an use.

Non-edible Items:

Cupcake/Muffin liners
Measuring cups (for both dry and wet ingredients)
Cake, muffin, and loaf pans
Cookie cutters
Rolling pin
Wax paper
Parchment paper
Aluminum foil
Baking sheets
Electric mixer
Whisk
Various pots and pans
Mixing bowls
Serving platters
The list goes on..

____________________________________________

Obviously, most people who cook often will have the majority of these items in their kitchen already. But this is just a little reminder that you can use as a checklist for your next trip to the grocery store. You don’t want to be in the middle of a crucial holiday recipe and be caught without a key ingredient. The best thing you can do this time of year is plan your menus in advance, go through your kitchen to see what ingredients you already have, and make a list of what you need. That way you won’t overbuy and you’ll be all set for the week.

I need to go through and check my kitchen’s inventory. I’m ready to start cooking!

– Andrea

I HAVE RIDICULOUSLY EXCITING NEWS.

HALLOWEEN DOTS ARE NOW AVAILABLE IN TRICK-OR-TREAT-SIZED BOXES.

I REPEAT: HALLOWEEN DOTS ARE NOW AVAILABLE IN TRICK-OR-TREAT-SIZED BOXES.

Do you see how cute these are? I found them at a local Dollar General today. Four dollars for a bag of 24 fantastically cute mini boxes of vegan Halloween candy.

We’ve got all the favorites back from last year: Candy Corn, Bats (blood orange), and Ghosts (assorted flavors). You can read my reviews of the flavors here.

I’m still on the hunt for the large boxes!

It’s just too bad for the trick-or-treaters.. There probably won’t be any left for them by the time Halloween gets here. Of course, I’ll probably end up buying more before then. So maybe they’ll get lucky.

Just thought you’d like to know : )

– Andrea

My 22nd Birthday – Mexican Fiesta!

My birthday was earlier last month, and I wanted a Mexican fiesta. My mom threw me the party, but I kind of made all my food. And my cake. My mom decided there had to be meat at my party, so she did that part. Gross. She redeemed herself with the virgin strawberry daiquiris, though.

I made Mexican Flag Enchiladas. They don’t look like the Mexican flag, but they have the same colors! 🙂 I also made crunchy tacos using Boca crumbles and taco seasoning. My mom made the rice out of a box 😦

Mexican Flag Enchiladas

1/4 C margarine
1/4 C flour
1 3/4 C hot water
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Pinch turmeric
1 TBSP vegetable oil
1/2 C nutritional yeast
8 flour tortillas
1 bag Gardein Chick’n Scallopini
1 medium onion, chopped
Olive oil
1 C red salsa
1/2 C salsa verde

Make the cheese sauce: In a saucepan, melt the margarine over mediudm-low heat. Whisk in the flour until the mixture is smooth and well-combined. Stir in the hot water, salt, garlic powder, and turmeric. Whisk until all ingredients are incorportated and until mixture becomes thick and bubbly. Whisk in the oil and nutritional yeast, remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Make the filling: In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat and sear chick’n on both sides. Remove from skillet and allow to cool. Add onions to skillet and saute until soft. Once chick’n has cooled, chop into small pieces and add to the onions.

Assemble the enchiladas: Pour 1/4 of cheese sauce into the bottom of a casserole dish. Divide the chick’n/onion mixture amongst the tortillas, roll them up, tuck the ends under, and lay them seam-side down in the casserole dish. Cover the enchiladas with remaining cheese sauce, and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Remove enchiladas from oven. Pour red salsa longways along both ends of the enchiladas, then pour salsa verde down the middle. Serve!

Spanish rice and taco toppings

Cute boyfriend sugaring the rims of the margarita glasses

Virgin Strawberry Daquiris

My pinata!

I told my mom I just wanted vegetables in my pinata, but she ended up mixing them with candy 😦 Such bad parenting.

I probably had the best "Happy Birthday" singers ever this year.

Cutting into my cake!

Strawberry Cake

The cake I made was a strawberry cake from The Joy of Vegan Baking. I added fresh strawberries in between the layers and used a vanilla store-bought icing.

My boyfriend is an amazing present wrapper.

Later that night, I went to go see Dial “M” for Murder at the Alabama Theatre in my new dress.

I had an awesome birthday!

– Andrea