The Super Chocolate Vegan Hootenanny! Episode IIII : Girl Scout Cookies Remix & VegNews

I know we disappeared there. I've been working on our new page layout and things are just taking longer than I thought. I know I keep saying it but I think it will all be worth it. That being said there were three pretty awesome things that happened last week that I kind of have to share! I mean I have to. This is my job now.

1. Dan and I took a road trip to New Jersey! We were invited to attend a Betty Crocker themed potluck held by Montclair Vegans. See nestled in this charming little town that Thomas Edison called home is a vegan friendly mecca. I have to tell you I was so impressed with the potato salad, jalapeño corn bread, 3 bean salad and well just about everything. We haven't been to a potluck this impressive since we left Peta-ville (Norfolk). Thanks again MVs for the invite! It was really pleasure to get to meet so many of you in person and of course eat your food.

2. VegNews asked us to veganize our favorite Girl Scout Cookies! Can you imagine a better email to get?   I mean not only was this an excuse to add to one of our favorite spots The Super Vegan Hootenanny but we got to work with VegNews again - which is always a pleasure and honor! To get the recipes and see the spot just click here.  We've been enjoying the tester cookies for a week now and it's been the best chocolate hootenanny so far!  Please take a few minutes to check them out, make a few and show us a little love with a "like" or Tweet!

3. We've added a fully operational Pinterest button! You can find it at the top of every post with the the other share buttons. (insert cartwheels there)

Fingers crossed the new site will be up this week!

The Betty Crocker Project : Brown Sugar Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Frosting

Ta-Da! This is a soft, sweet and delicious cookie that is pretty much wonderful. I know a lot of us are overdosing on pumpkin right now but these little buddies aren't so pumpkiny that they'll put you over the edge into Mrs. Mia Wallace territory. Dan brought the extras to work today because this recipe can make 3 dozen small cookies. They are also really easy and quick to make. So pretty much perfect party noms.

Have a Happy & Safe Halloween everybody!

Salted Caramel Apple Whoopie Pies

So here it is. My first Monday as cookbook writer.

A million years ago when I lived in DC and was going through a really tough time in my life, I snuck away from my terrible situation and went to a photography exhibit of people on the morning of wonderful days in their lives... like the day after they learned they'd beat cancer or became parents. I'm pretty sure I recently saw a commercial for an insurance company who took the concept and featured people who had just retired. Don't worry, I'm getting to my point. This morning, I decided to take a photo of myself as I sat down to start writing--in my nightgown and my sweater with the little cherries on it. Although it's not a photo I'm ready to go public with, it's kinda lovely. I feel like I look 10 years younger and, although slightly terrified, I have a calmness that makes me wonder what I've been doing to myself these past few years. I'm not sure anyone else would even notice, because sometimes you have to be on the inside to actually truly know something. That brings me to these wonderful little American* baked treats.

See, the mystery behind the "Whoopie Pie" is not whether or not they were really invented by The Amish, or why they're the official baked treat of Maine, but this: why is it that you never see a photo of one that looks as delicious as the actual "pie"? I think it might just be one of those things you just have to live through to really understand, because unlike old-school caramel apples, it can be hard to see all the stuff inside that makes it special. 

This recipe is particularity elusive. See, in this one golden-brown baked treat, you have sweet and slightly spiced apples, 'buttery' and salted caramel frosting, and roasted peanuts. Now it may seem weird to some to add salt to your sweets, but this is one of those food trends I have fallen madly in love with. If you are even slightly hesitant, you can ease into your salted treats with a Chocolove Almonds & Sea Salt in Dark Chocolate bar. They're my favorite.

But more chocolate later... let's make these treats with a silly name but the heart of gold!

The Betty Crocker Project : Dark Chocolate Apricot Cookies

So the other night Dan and I were talking about progressive American presidents. There's one president in particular who in our opinion was the best one this country has ever had: Franklin D. Roosevelt. He's the guy who faced a crumbling economic system, housing and unemployment disasters, and a world war. He also created numerous programs that not only built and improved many of the roads and bridges we still drive on, parks we visit, and railroads that bring us food, but also created groundbreaking programs to support the elderly and the poor. He also gave great speeches. I mean, real make-your-heart-beat-faster, proud-to-be-American things that bring tears to your eyes and make a lump rise in your throat. This is part of one of our favorites:

We had to struggle with the old enemies of peace—business and financial monopoly, speculation, reckless banking, class antagonism, sectionalism, war profiteering.

They had begun to consider the Government of the United States as a mere appendage to their own affairs. We know now that Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob.

Never before in all our history have these forces been so united against one candidate as they stand today. They are unanimous in their hate for me—and I welcome their hatred.

Now, because we are who we are, this conversation gradually slipped into something beyond a political conversation. See, Dan does a great FDR voice. I mean really spot on. If you not familiar with what that sounds, like click the link for the quote above*. Now, just for fun, imagine that voice saying your favorite movie quote. Here are two that have been Shannon-tested and are pretty much a new level of hilarious/inspiring when FDRed :

• Right now they gotta do what's right for them, 'cause it's their time. Their time, up there. Down here it's our time. It's our time down here. That's all over the second we ride up Troy's bucket.
• Ray, when someone asks you if you are a god, you say "Yes"!

It's Friday night, and if you're looking for something to make this evening a little special, why not try speaking like FDR all night? I think you might be surprised how encouraged and patriotic those around you will become. Let's practice:

• We will have a pitcher of (insert the name of your favorite beer here) and the largest soy cheese pizza you have or we will have nothing. A side of fries would be welcome as well.

Oh and we made these cookies and they're freaking amazing! They combine a buttery cookie, sweet fruit and dark chocolate. Dare I say it? They are awesome! (Did you read that in the FDR voice? You want to make cookies now right? See - it's like magic.)

The Betty Crocker Project : Mojito Bars

This will be my last post before I turn 36.
I feel like I should tell you that this is when I stared at my computer screen for about 5 minutes.

See I've been a little distracted lately. I've been prone to these strange fits of optimism and silliness. An example of this is when I recently watched the movie Kick-Ass* again and found myself saying to Dan : "I think I may have to rethink my position on Nicolas Cage. He's kinda sweet." I mean Kick-Ass is a great movie but is it really good enough to make me forget this? Or this? What about this? Sigh. I'm just not sure.

For now, let's file that statement away with the time in college when I was slightly intoxicated and argued for longer than is reasonable that Henry Rollins is a modern day Renaissance Man**. There are other comments like this in that unnamed file but I think I have shamed myself enough for one day.

Let's get back to the business at hand. This weekend is not just the rapture - it's my birthday. So in case this is my last post before I'm sucked away to paradise***, I wanted to make sure that all you vegans could celebrate in style with Betty's Mojito Bars. They are perfect for bringing to farewell potlucks or to just enjoy at home with some real Mojitos - which is what we plan on doing tonight. I mean it is Friday and that means Mexican food at The Ol' Shannon homestead.

We make some marvelous mojitos around here - just saying...

I know some of you are wondering what the big plans are for my birthday weekend and to answer your questions : Dan will be planning our weekend events. GASP. I know the mystery and suspense is killing me. You're welcome to follow along on Facebook because I can't help but post things constantly and of course join us Sunday at Foodswings in Brooklyn at 1:30pm for lunch.

I know I should be using this post to reflect on this past year and all that has happened during the 35th year of my life but you guys don't want to hear about that... you want vegan Mojito bars and I'm happy to oblige!

Apple Churros to the Rescue!

Is there anything in the world as lovely as celebrating St.Patrick's Day with a treat of traditional Spanish-style fried dough?

According to Wikipedia (which as we know from watching Eddie Izzard stand-up, is extremely reliable):

Churros are often sold by street vendors, who will often fry them freshly on the street stand and sell them hot. In Spain, Mexico, and Argentina, they are available in cafes for breakfast, although they may be eaten throughout the day as a snack as evident in Nicaragua. Specialized churrerías can be found in the form of a shop or a trailer during the holiday period. In Colombia they can be found in the streets but they are thin and shaped like a ring.

But our buddies over at "The Free Encyclopedia that Anyone Can Edit" (no, seriously, that's their tagline - check it out) forgot to mention that the origins of churros is one of mystery and controversy. There are some who feel adamantly that they were developed by Spanish shepherds, and that recipes were developed and handed down from generation to generation. Others claim to have proof that this delicious treat was first made by monks in the 13th century, and then shared with the people in an act of great charity. We may never know the truth without the plot to Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure coming true. What we can do is make a batch of these historically enjoyable little guys to enjoy over the weekend.

So let's fry some dough!

Cherry, Walnut & Chocolate Chip Cookies For The Win!

These cookies are really good. Let's make some!

The Family Album : Betty's Gingerbread Cookies get Vegucated by Marisa Miller Wolfson from Kind Green Planet

Freaking Adorable!

 There are some people in this world that are just good. It might not be their fault really. Maybe they're just born that way. Maybe scientiats should explore recessive genes more or maybe all the credit should go to the parents - perhaps Jim Henson & Seasme Street. Hard to say really - the Nuture vs. Nature debate has lasted for centuries really. But none the less there are those good people out there that are really special and should get to wear a special hat or something so we can spot them in crowded malls and farmers markets and be inspired to be good people too. If I was in charge of handing out the Good People Hats - one of the first ones would go to Marisa Miller Wolfson. Yes - she's a hot blond with a big brain but she also has a huge heart and ton of talent. Some of you may have heard of her work on the soon to released documantary Vegucated. A brilliant film that follows three meat & cheese loving New Yorkers adopting a vegan diet for six weeks and learn what it’s all about. I mostly know her from Kind Green Planet - one of my very favorite websites! Recently I freaked out (in a great way) when I saw Marisa had blogged about Our Little Betty Crocker Project as one of her weekly missions and made the infamously delicoius Rustic Avocado Sandwich. We're both so happy she is contributng to our Family Album today and hopefully I won't spoil too much when I say - She has found a way to make baking cookies exciting and I'm pretty jealous of her Cookie Party and her large cookie cutters!

OK no more gushing about our Guest Blogger - Here's Marisa!

I love cookies. At any given moment, I can turn to my husband and ask, "What am I thinking about?" and his answer will be "cupcakes or cookies." He will be right. So you can imagine how excited I get by the holiday vegan cookie swap that our friends Michael and Annie Walsh have every year. Everybody bakes a few batches of one kind of cookie and leaves with an assortment of dozens of different kinds of cookies. It is a cookie monster's dream.

So how perfect was it when Annie asked me to try out one of her recipes, and she just HAPPENED to have posted one for gingerbread cookies. She tried them out herself and found that while they were tasty and soft, she used cookie cutters that were too small to have much fun with decorating. I ran to my baking drawer and found cookie cutters of all sizes. We had a winner!

In my Vegan at Heart email coaching program, I'm always preaching the gospel of planning meals ahead of time to avoid stress and fear of scarcity. I also remind people to read the entire recipe before you decide to make something, before you buy ingredients, and certainly before you start cooking or baking. Do as I say, people, not as I do. In true Marisa fashion (I put the "buh?" in blonde), I skimmed the recipe and forgot to notice a 2-hour-or-more dough chill time and a 1-hour cookie-cooking time. It was after 11 a.m. The party started at 3, and I hadn't even bought my ingredients yet. Aaack! The race was on.

The Betty Crocker Project - Special Edition! Cookie Party featuring Peppermint Russian Tea Cakes & Raspberry Walnut Thumbprints

The Tower of Peppermint Russian Tea Cakes

Henry David Thoreau once wrote : Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them. I feel like too many weekends go by like that - full of laundry and errands and unsung songs. It is a constant battle we all face to balance being productive with your free time and making time to watch Saturday morning cartoons. This brings us to the story of The Shannons' Holiday Cookie Party... 


Now most people know Betty Crocker is quite famous for her cookies and baked goods. So you can imagine (or look up in your copy of Beg Red) that there are more than a few cookie recipes we are going to need to bake through to complete our vegan journey. That brings us to an inspired idea we had to bake a million cookies (not literally) which in our home is actually considered being productive and hang out with some of our nearest and dearests. We would host a  Cookie Party! 


I'm not going to bore you with the details of how we invited over some of the most talented vegans we knew, asked them to bring enough cookies for everyone to have 2 (because unlike those insane cookie swaps where everyone leaves with dozens and dozens of cookies - we're just eating) and then we got together to eat them. I mean unlike many things in life - Cookie Parties are pretty much what they claim to be : 2 of the best things on the planet combined. 

We had a pretty impressive spread/tsunami of cookies and tea. You can check it out for yourself if you don't believe me. 

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

To get the recipes for The Peppermint Russian Tea Cakes & Raspberry Walnut Thumbprints... and to see more photos...

The Betty Crocker Project : Gingerbread Cookies

 

I probably don't need to say this. I mean the photo probably says it all. But I need to say it before it gives me an ulcer. God Damn You Fraking Gingerbread Jerk. 

OK I didn't mean that. I'm sorry cookies. 

I know it's an irrational anger I feel towards these cookies because well they are cookies. What'd a cookie ever do to me besides being a delicious treat? Actually these guys are really easy and delicious cookies. To be fair - it's not the cookie's fault I'm so freaking pissed today. It was me. I did it. I used cookie cutters that were too small to make cookies that I could decorate in any fancy or cool way. Damn me and my "mini" obsession. Sigh. 

These cookies are good and soft vegan versions of those traditional Christmas treats from your childhood. I ate a bunch with my coffee this morning and they were actually really great. The more I think about it... These cookies are pretty awesome. Just learn from my mistake and use bigger cookie cutters. 

The Betty Crocker Project : Snickerdoodles

I won't bore you all (or possibly offend you) with some of the Snickerdoodle jokes we were making last night. Let's just be honest here - the name Snickerdoodle is begging for some filthy 5th grade humor.

There are multiple theories on where this "whimsical  name" comes from but this little cookie that might have originated in New England or maybe Germany has been around since at least the 1800 and has remained a popular cookie to pair with coffee and tea since the day of Gibson Girls and when "Official Bathing-suit Checker" was actually a job. That pretty much makes them popular with us Shannons too. I mean who doesn't love a nice little cookie with a big mug of their favorite warm beverage?

So let's get to what you're here for - A Vegan Cookie Recipe that just made your morning sweet!

The Betty Crocker Project : Soft Molasses Cookies

When preparing for the holidays I find many people forget a few key things. An example of this would be drinking enough water New Years Eve so you don't start the new year a complete worthless mess begging to put out your misery and wishing you had remembered the most important rule in celebratory drinking : Never Mix Champagne and Tequila. (True story for another time)

Another example of poor holiday planning would be the lack of cookies. See most people remember to bake cookies for parties and the office but one glaring omission that is really too common is the lack of cookies baked for the various voyages home. I know personally I have found myself wandering through random gas station and mini-marts reading labels in pretzels and no name cereal bars pitifully looking for vegan snacks more times than I can really remember... all the time hopeful I will find that accidentally vegan holy grail and wishing I had taken an hour the night before to bake some cookies for our journey. But this year I turned it around.

Molasses cookies are one of my favorite fall treats. I'm not sure what makes them seasonal in my head except that they just are. I made a few different versions of this cookie to find the "right" one and actually had 2 versions that I loved equally... but I'm sharing the one closest to Betty's because that's how we roll here!

The Betty Crocker Project : The Vegan Almond Chai

Every once in awhile you stumble across something that really makes you happy. A great song, a funny movie, or maybe a really freaking great cookie. Here is the brief and touching story of how I was reunited with the cookie I loved in college.

Dan and I were walking through Walgreens, and there they were: Dr. Delish Organic Maple Leaf Cookies*. When I was young and impressionable and living in the Puget Sound area, these handsome fellows were known as President's Choice Maple Leaves. They were one of those accidental finds when you're newly vegan that makes you realize the world really could be a more compassionate place with very little effort and compromise from consumers. It was a deep, meaningful connection I shared with those Maple Leaves, but like most young loves, it was doomed to end when I moved to Georgia.

I bring this up because when we brought these fellows home, they needed something warm and spicy to go with them. Something sweet - but not too sweet. Betty never lets me down, and had the perfect suggestion: Chai.

You may not have these cookies, but you can have this Vegan Almond Milk Chai in less than 10 minutes.

The Family Album : The Canadian Care Package

As many of you know, my job at IDA requires me to deal with some difficult folks online. I have to watch sad and heartbreaking videos every day, and I often find myself wondering why people continually choose to use the anonymity of the internet to be jerk monsters. It wears me out a little bit, to be honest.

But there are other folks. Vegans and veg-curious folks who are just genuinely nice, funny, interesting, and freaking cool. After years of online advocacy, I find myself with a good batch of online friends who I think if we all lived in the same city would become dear old friends. Jessica, a very talented vegan baker, is one of those.

Recently, Meet The Shannons was featured in Macleans (The Canadian Newsweek - see above) and Jessica volunteered to send me a copy. But about an hour ago, there was a tap at my door, and I got the most wonderful surprise!

Not only did she send copies of the magazine, but she sent some exotic Canadian goodies!

• A bar of Ella's Botanicals Morning Buzz Soap. It's spicy mixed with citrus. It reminds me Earl Grey Tea - one of my favorites!
• Green Beaver Company Organic Lip Shimmer. You should read this if you're not familiar. It can be hard to find lip gloss that doesn't have bee's wax in it or petroleum products. Green Beaver is vegan and full of natural goodness, with a slight cranberry fragrance and taste. I'm already in love with it!
• COOKIES! Canadian Cookies! New Moon Kitchen and Sweets from the Earth cookies to be exact. Gingersnappers, Mint Chocolate, and a cookie filled with sunflowers seeds and raisins that is cleverly named "Bite Me". Hmmmm. Don't mind if I do, little cookie...

Thank you so very much Jessica! I don't think this post even comes close to expressing how touched I was by your package! I appreciated the package so much and your friendship and can't wait to see what you bake next!

The Betty Crocker Project : Shortbread Cookies

I've heard it said that in the culinary world, bakers are considered the mad scientists. Which I love.

I admit I love the measuring and testing, popping my creations in the oven, and then pulling out something different than what went in! I love the chemistry and tinkering, and how it really has to be just right or it's just a disaster. That sounds weird, huh? But the world is a mess, and I just need to rule it... through baking.

I have very fond memories of Shortbread cookies. My grandfather and I used to eat them with chocolate milk while we watched Perry Mason, Twilight Zone and Dick Van Dyke Show reruns when he babysat me in the afternoons. I remember my grandfather--or as I called him, "Great Dad"--opening the larger red tin and explaining to me that they were special. They came from Scotland. So we could only have 3 at a time.

These aren't that exotic, but these ones are vegan, and also go well with anything in black and white. And you can eat as many as you want.

The Betty Crocker Project : Mocha Cookies

We recently made a purchase that has changed our mornings for good. And let's face it: having a better morning can change your life.

We got a coffee grinder.

Dan has been grinding us fresh coffee every morning, and the difference is just lovely. Now, there's a running joke in our family that I don't really drink coffee; I drink coffee-flavored soy milk. I'll admit it; I like my coffee to taste like Mocha Almond Ice Cream. But who wouldn't want that? That's one of the best flavors of ice cream there is, and if you can have more of it in your life in any form, why not enjoy it? You only get one life.

That's what I love about these cookies. They have a lot of what I I like.

Please consider this a trial run. I think I can make these guys a bit better with a few crushed almonds mixed in and changing the caramel sauce a bit, maybe mellowing the coffee flavor with some brown sugar. Expect it soon. Like, SOON.

If you're more of a black coffee type* and want some cookies that go great with your morning cup, or hate nuts, or you just can't wait to eat these... I don't blame you. They're cute little guys, and even without the brown sugar, they stay chewy.

Please excuse any typos; I'm a little caffeinated right now. Let's bake some cookies! WOO!

The Betty Crocker Project : Butterscotch Brownies

We had big plans for this weekend. . . plans that included Free Comic Book Day at Local Heroes, watching the Celtics beat the Cavaliers, a Ben Peterson visit and homemade Cinnamon Rolls. If you saw the basketball game Saturday night - you know the weekend didn't go as planned. 

We did spend WAY too much on comic nerdery Saturday morning. . . as planned*. . . taking advantage of that sale like she was a hayseed right off the bus (please take some time to check out the updates on our Nerdery page). We got in some good Old Fashioned Ben Peterson Time. . . though the bar we were at had a music selection suited for an unoriginal 11 yr old girl. I mean I can handle some Lady GaGa but Mylie Cyrus at a bar? That's just not OK.  On a side note - for those who didn't know - Mylie Cyrus and Hannah Montana are the same person. I know I'm not the only one.

That is where our list of victories ends. See Betty's cinnamon rolls are real works of art and by the time Sunday morning came around, well I had made a mistake that would follow me around till this very moment. 

I had picked up the second season of the American Gothic epic Supernatural. I thought I could watch Sam & Dean fight demons and ride around the back roads of America in their black Impala while I baked. But I put that first DVD in and I was hooked. Our dreams of cinnamon rolls would have to wait till another day. These brownies take around 5 minutes to mix. . . I made them during the credits of No Exit. They were quick and pretty much amazing with vanilla soy ice cream (not pictured above so you could see more brownie). . . maybe too good. Next thing I knew - I was here typing this and thinking about how much I loved this weekend, these brownies and of course - My old man.

The Betty Crocker Project : Peanut Butter Cookies

Can't have a trampoline. Can't do a cartwheel without dislocating my thumb. Can't write my name in the snow like a boy. Can't stay up till 3am watching Buffy The Vampire Slayer on a school night. Can't stop burning cookies. . . and quoting Parks and Recreation.

OR CAN I?

Yes - The first batch burnt. We have a broken seal on our oven that can lead to issues with our projects heating evenly. You have to keep rotating the pan or you end up with raw at one end and carbon on the other. I may have let myself get distracted during the first batch BUT I used the second batch to avenge their deaths!

It is a pretty simple recipe and they are chewy even a day later. Which is my favorite part - besides the Peanut Butter and Chocolate and Cookie parts.

• 1 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Peanut Butter
• 1/2  Cup Margarine (softened)
• 1 Egg of Ener-G Egg Replacer
• 1 1/4 cups of Organic Whole Wheat Flour
• 3/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Cup of Vegan Chocolate Chips ( optional ) 

Preheat Oven to 350.

In a bowl, mix Brown Sugar, Peanut Butter, Margarine and Egg Replacer with a hand held mixer. Then mix in Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder and Salt. Stir in Chocolate Chips with a spoon.

Shape cookies into balls about the size of a melon ball. Place on a ungreased cookie pan about 3 inches apart. If you don't add the Chocolate Chips - make those cute little criss crosses on the top with a fork.

Bake about 10 minutes - until a light golden brown. They do a bit better if them cool on a wire rack.

Also - A little known fact - GREAT for Buffy Hangovers with a HUGE soy latte.

The Betty Crocker Project

I recently saw the movie Julie & Julia - being an armchair chef myself - it was actually surprising it had taken me so long to see a movie about a book about Julia Childs and a normal person finding her way through a classic cookbook in a normal kitchen. . . I love food - movies - books - eating. I was charmed at first. I mean here was a devoted vintage clothing wearing amateur foodie - who wore pearls in the kitchen ( one of my own personal dreams - though my dream pearls would be fake ). I admit I was charmed by finding someone so like myself in so many ways. . . but as you can imagine - she lost me at the Lobster Killer scene. . . and I never really bounced back. But that didn't stop me from picking up her new book Cleaving at the secondhand book store for $1 this weekend. It is all about her love of meat and butchery and how she ruins her marriage by being selfish. I'm 10 pages in. Needless to say -  she has lost her "charm" but I will read it. You can't just fill your life with things you relate to and like. That isn't healthy.

But that's a tangent for another day.

SEE - The Lobster Killer scene planted a little seed in my brain. I kept waiting for her to have a change of heart and save them . . . but she never did. . . and that is just not OK.

THERE NEEDS TO BE A HUMANE ALTERNATIVE TO LOBSTER KILLER

Yes - After years of meeting and knowing literally 1,000s of vegans from all over the world and working at the largest animal advocacy agencies on the planet - I can say with complete confidence - that no one in the world loves food the way a vegan does. We think it about food constantly - we read labels with a Christmas Morning eagerness - searching for those deal breaker words - Whey, Egg Whites, Skim Milk Protein, Casein and sit around talking about food like the gals in Sex in The City talk about orgasms. We send emails to all our friends and family telling them about new products to buy and use with a loyalty and eagerness that can only be compared to Beatle Mania. When I pitched to my dashing husband that we should cook our way through The Joy of Cooking ( considered by many universal eaters to be the bible of cooking) - making every recipe vegan - I might have teared up a little with his overwhelming eagerness to eat my experiments and maybe try out a few himself. He is the best thing to ever happen to me.

He patiently drove me to every secondhand book store in town to find it. See, I had a copy once. My mother had given it to me on my 16th birthday. I think it has taken me 18 years to realize that this is how Sicilian mothers usher their daughters into womanhood. . . making sure they have the skills and resources to feed others. I may have lost it in a roommate divide once or maybe a moving purge. I never used it much and until last week - didn't miss it much. After 4 stores, we both found ourselves wishing I had been more sentimental.

We gave in and went to Barnes and Noble. . . and that's when it happened. . . We looked through The Joy of Cooking. After seeing multiple recipes for "Liver Mousse" and "Lamb Shoulders" - Seriously people out there eat that - apparently - I found myself drawn to a bright red binder decorated like some Bavarian gingerbread. It was the reprinting of the original 1950s edition of the Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook. It was laminated. This book that had been reprinted for someone like me - in saddle-shoes and thick black rimmed glasses. . . had been sealed up so I guess less ethical versions of myself wouldn't steal pages from it. After some debate over if we would really feel any "Joy" eating vegan "Oyster Cakes" and what could possibly be inside this MARVELOUS cookbook that had been reprinted just for us - as well as the Top Chef cookbooks and various other amazing journeys through the art of mastering food art book things. . . you know the ones. . . we agreed on The Betty Crocker Cookbook . . . it is in a binder so we can add pages, large margins to write in and a wide variety of recipes to make vegan over this next year. Going off nothing besides my vast knowledge of Better Housekeeping circa 1950s - we decided to go for the one that we could look though and we suspected had more than just Pork Chops and Meatloafs.

AND THE BETTY CROCKER PROJECT WAS BORN. 

For as long as it takes - Dan & I will be veganizing every recipe in The Betty Crocker Cookbook and sharing our tips and secrets with you - our lurking readers who never officially "follow" for whatever reason. We have been searching for a project we could share but have struggled coming up with something we could prioritize with the Los Angeles Exodus and all these weddings and babies. . . but we have always said we can make ANYTHING Vegan and Fat . . . now we are putting this claim to the test! Thank you Lobster Killer for inspiring a project that I suspect you would hate. . .

The cookie that changed my life.

• 2 1/4 cups Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/4 cup Brown Sugar ( I like to add a little less reg Sugar and replace that with Brown Sugar to make them more chewy - but this works )
• 1/2 cup Margarine
• 1/2 cup Oil ( one time I used this Hazelnut Oil and it was DREAMY )
• 3 tbsp Water
• 1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 cup Soy Milk ( I like to use the Vanilla flavored Milk )

Preheat Oven 375
In one bowl mix : Flour, Baking Soda and Salt
In another bowl mix : Sugars, Margarine, Oil, Water and Vanilla Extract - till smooth
Add the Dry Mix to the  Wet Mix  - Stir till it is smooth
Add Chocolate Chips
Drop by the teaspoonful onto an greased cookie sheet
Bake till 8-10 minutes