What to do with way too much cream...

During my weekly mad-dash trip Mississippi Market, I accidentally grabbed a quart of cream thinking it was milk. Oops. I never use cream other than for my daily cup of coffee. This bottle would surely spoil, or I would have to increase my coffee intake expotentially. I couldn't let the mama cow down that worked so hard to make this cream! I cringe every time I see my own breastmilk go down the drain.

I had no idea what to do with so much cream, but I knew exactly who would. I called up my super duper mama friend Lauren. She suggested that I use it to make scones. Fantastic idea! So, I opted for this dreamy cream scone recipe from Smitten Kitchen. My only alterations were using Earth Balance rather than butter and chopped dried apple as the dried fruit.

I still had cream...so! I was inspired by a pancake post (also from Smitten Kitchen). I used the same amounts for the dry ingredients, but my wet ingredients were:

2 cups half and half
1 large banana (mash until creamy - I simply let the KitchenAid mixer pulverize it)
1 Tablespoon sunflower oil



My heart doesn't know what to do with all this high-fat intake...oh, well. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Hearts

This Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe posted last week on 101 Cookbooks, and I knew I would love it. I love making chocolate chip cookies, but I don't like the time it takes. This batter whipped up so quickly, and then I just pressed it into a pan! I decided to make these for Valentine's Day for my dudes and used little heart cookie cutters to make them special. The Izzy's ice cream cake Ethan brought home wasn't so bad either. :)

Vegan alternative - Using a handblender, I whipped 2 Tablespoons of flaxseed meal and 6 Tablespoons of water to a creamy consistency to replace the eggs. Perfect egg replacer for cookies.

Feeding The Whole Family

One of my hobbies is to constantly check out cookbooks at the library. I feel the urge to buy a new cookbook at least everything six months (cookbook budget is unfortunately quite limited.) I am thankful for living in a city so large that it has an enormous cookbook selection and is willing to purchase most every book I ask them too. Yea for libraries!!!

Feeding The Whole Family by Cynthia Lair is so wonderful to me that it is a definite "buy" by my standards. It is a fantastic resource on wholesome family eating, and I believe the recipes are easy for the less-advanced or least-interested cooks. Yet, the tastes have proven to be great for those more-advanced and very-interested tastebuds.

I cook and bake our family meals strictly vegan, and this book has a wide variety of recipes to accommodate. There are recipes that call for meat, but there are very few. The recipes that include dairy seem easy to translate into vegan.

Recipes we've come to love: French Lentil and Potato Stew, Split Pea Soup with Fresh Peas and Potatoes (minus the ham bone), and Pumpkin Pecan Muffins (vegan style).

Here are some of her recipes published on mothering.com and also included in the book, as well as an article she wrote:

Winter Fruit Compote with Nut Cream
Becky's Braised Greens
In The Kitchen with Baby
Summer Fruit Ambrosia with Vanilla Nut Cream
Golden Mushroom Basil Soup
Luscious Beet Green Salad

Pumpkin-Chocolate-Chip Squares a la Erin

While reading SouleMama one day I came upon this Pumpkin-Chocolate-Chip Square recipe she referred to to celebrate autumn. I was thrilled, because it was yet a new "pumpkin" recipe for me (quotations, because a pumpkin recipe in my home usually means some random winter squash). I took some liberties to make the recipe vegan and to accomodate what ingredients I had on hand. They turned out magnificent - super yummy.

Follow the directions just as stated on Martha's website, but here are my alterations:

- No pumpkin pie spice. Used cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves, as listed in the heading.

- No butter. Used 1/2 cup Earth Balance (way AWESOME - better than butter) and 1/2 cup sunflower oil (or canola oil).

- No egg. Used 1/3 cup applesauce. GREAT egg replacer for cakes and breads - especially with pumpkin recipes.

- No canned pumpkin puree. Used 1 cup roasted squashed.

- Used 1 and a 1/2 cup non-dairy chocolate chips. Don't be scared. There are AMAZING non-dairy chocolate chips. I get mine at Mississippi Market in the bulk section. Can't remember exact name - but it's obvious. I'll try to update after my next trip.

Enjoy!

Squash Bread

Well, the delicata squash plant I grew in my garden this year was a MONSTER! I guess that's a good thing. It was healthy and HUGE! I've begun reaping the benefits by beginning my fall baking. It almost seems too early for pumpkin-esque treats; it's been so warm here in St. Paul. However, yesterday marked the beginning of fall, and today it is truly a beautiful autumn day.

Here's a recipe that my dear friend Sara shared with me last year. It's FatFree Vegan's Pumpkin Bread. I quite rarely use actual pumpkin when I make recipes like this. I like to use my butternut squash or delicata squash in its place, because I tend to always have one of those on hand in the fall. Currently, I have an entire basket of delicata squash! Below are my variations on FatFree Vegan's recipe and my directions to preparing and freezing squash.

Pumpkin Bread Variations:
Replace 1 cup of pureed pumpkin with 1 cup of pureed winter squash
*Use 1/2 cup of applesauce rather than 1/4 cup. This way you can eliminate the Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with water.

*I never use Ener-G Egg Replacer, because I simply don't see the need for one more product in my pantry. I either use applesauce or banana as an egg replacer when it makes sense, OR I blend 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 Tablespoons of water (per egg you are replacing) until it's incredibly thick and creamy; I recommend using a hand blender for best results. Here is a simple reference guide to egg replacements from one of my fave sites theppk.com.

PREPARING SQUASH:
Cut squash down the middle, length-wise
Scoop out all the seeds
Place cut-side down in a 9x13 baking pan
Pour small amount of water into to pan, just to prevent scorching

Bake at 350 until squash is tender when poked with a fork...about 30-40 minutes for delicata squash. Remove when done and leave to cool enough to handle. Remover skin - should fall write off. Place the soft squash into a food processor and run it to create a more creamy squash. I then like to freeze it in 2 cup portions. Then you can easily take it out when your in the mood for pancakes or bread!