The Cupcakes Unofficially Inspired by The Lorax

Like many vegans in my generation - I haven't always felt that I was surrounded by people who truly understood where I was coming from.

I've always found that strange because to be perfectly honest I've never really understood why because I feel like I can trace my origins back like some kind of circuit diagram through 80s popular culture. I learned that vivisection is cruel from The Secret of Nimh and Project X. I learned that animals don't want to be eaten from The Muppet Movie and that hunting was scary and pointlessly sad from The Muppet Show and Bambi. Circuses are indifferent to the wants and needs of the animals in their care from Dumbo and that wearing real animal fur is more than vanity - it's just mean past the point of being a sane person from 101 Dalmatians. As I was learning that being a human being was a privilege, I also learned that it came with a responsibility to protect those who couldn't protect themselves and that included their homes - from The Lorax.

Now it would be really easy right now for me to rant here about how the new Lorax movie is being used to greenwash companies that aren't doing all they really can to live up to the message of this book but others have already done that and to be honest - this is my happy place. Here is where I focus on the positive things - like how this movie will hopefully introduce our friend with the orange mustache to   a new generation and how I hope a handful of them grow up to continue where I will have to leave off someday.

Here is where I share cupcakes made with organic cotton candy. So please enjoy these cupcakes and remember "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing's going to get better." 

The Family Album : Launching The Month of Baking with Vegan Good Things' Leinana Two Moons & Tuscan Lemon Cake

Way out East there was this lady I wanna tell ya about*. Goes by the name of Leinana Two Moons. At least that was the handle her loving parents gave her with a little help from her husband Anthony. But you may not know her by that name. See, this Two Moons, she writes the ultimate cruelty-free living blog Vegan Good Things. I first met Leinana over Twitter back when The Betty Crocker Project was still an angry fit that hit me like a hammer from the heavens above. I can't remember when or how we became friends, but I know that over the years I came to rely not just on her posts and kitchen skills, but on her clever insights. I'm so privileged to call her my friend and to have her feedback and encouragement. In a world that has multiple The Fast and The Furious movies, I think have higher standards than the general population concerning what's "cool", but I can say this with no hesitation: if you're interested in going vegan but not in turning your life upside down, Leinana is one of the coolest vegan gurus out there.

November is going to be our Month of Baking! Yes, we'll still feature Thanksgiving recipes like last year, but we also plan to bake now that it's cold enough to crank that oven. To launch it all off, Leinana made our Tuscan Lemon Cake. This is one of my very favorite cake recipes ever and I have to admit her tips at the end are dead on! Again, Leinana's feedback = awesome. 

But... aw, hell. I've done introduced it enough. Here's Leinana!



I can’t remember when I first discovered Meet the Shannons, but I do remember that I instantly loved it because 1) I actually wanted to eat ALL the food on it, and 2) I loved their crazy sense of humor and all their funny links. I totally related to the food they were making, and I was excited that they were veganizing the types of recipes that I grew up eating. I also admired all the amazing animal activism that they did, but in my personal life, the best kind of vegan outreach has been trying to make delicious vegan food that manages to surprise and comfort people at the same time. I love showing people that anything, really anything, can be made vegan. Want a pepperoni pizza? I can make a vegan one! Want a tuna noodle casserole? Make a vegan one! I just feel that if people realize all their favorite and familiar dishes can be easily veganized, AND they start to learn about the various reasons – health, environmental, and ethical – for not eating meat and dairy, then there really leaves no reason for them to not consider going vegan. It seemed clear to me that the Shannons share this same approach and this is exactly what they manage to accomplish for so many people with their blog.

When we first started communicating with each other online, I just knew that Annie was someone I really wanted to be friends with. Lucky for me, she and her husband have since moved to Brooklyn, not far from where we live, and now we are all friends in “real life” as well. Not only are we friends, but we seem to have some kind of vegan food ESP going on. It works something like this: I suddenly have a craving for something sort of nostalgic that I ate growing up (like cheeseburger pie or shrimp gumbo) and no sooner do I think it than Annie posts a recipe for it. It’s kind of amazing. The same thing happened when I recently had an overwhelming craving for lemon cake. I wanted to make one, and Annie reached out to ask me if I wanted to make her Tuscan Lemon Cake for a guest post.

I’ve since made this cake a few times and I’m totally in love with it. Annie calls this a “special occasion lemon cake recipe,” and it is special, although for me the occasion is usually something more like “Tuesday” or “Sunday.” This cake comes out incredibly moist and hits just the right tart-sweet notes. It’s pretty much a perfect lemon cake.

Just a couple of notes about the recipe: definitely scrape your mixer beaters, because a lot of the lemon zest seems to stick to them, and you want that zest to end up in the batter. Just use a spatula to get all the zest off and then mix it in. Also, it helps to wait a little while for both your cake and your glaze to cool before you drizzle the glaze on top, or else it will just run off the cake and pool onto your serving dish. Then you’ll have to spoon it over the cake again until it sticks on top. Other than that, there’s nothing I can add to improve this recipe. I know it’s become somewhat cliché to note that “it doesn’t even taste vegan,” but it’s true. There’s nothing about this cake that anyone, vegan or not, wouldn’t love.

* If you're seen The Big Lebowski as many times as I have, you'll appreciate this intro more.

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!

Homemade Dill Pickle Potato Chips

I should be working on our book right this second. I should be going through the over 500 recipes right now making sure that I have the right gadgets for each recipe listed. That was the first thing on my list for today. Actually I should be doing a lot of things right now. 

But instead I got sucked into Wil Wheaton's clever blog that goes so well with coffee. Then I figured since I already was enjoying a little online browsing, why not get around to reading about Joss Whedon's new project? Spoiler: There's still not much out there about it. At least not enough for me.

That brings us to now. I'm watching Tron and sharing with you a recipe for one of my favorite little savory treats. I first had them in Canada back when I was in college. I couldn't believe all the different types of potato chips they had up there like Gravy and Ketchup. I wasn't in love with those but the Dill Pickle flavored ones won over my heart. Now you can find these random flavors pretty much everywhere but at the time it was one of those things that made Canada somewhat exotic. I also love making homemade potato chips. So really this recipe is a perfect storm of awesome. Here are a few fun facts about these and other chips before we start: 

• These chips are baked not fried. 
• Yes, I did have to eat an entire jar of pickles by myself in a day and half to make them.
• The key to a great homemade potato chip is slicing your chips as thin and as even as possible. You may want to have a few practice potatoes to play around with. The reject chips can be used in this Double Corn Chowder recipe to replace the hash browns. 
• If you have a Mandolin*, I would recommend using it to get the thinnest and most even slices.
• In the UK this way of making potatoes would be called "crisps" and what we call French Fries are called "chips". I bet you already knew that but I had to share anyways. In some way it makes those Canadian Ketchup Chips make more sense to me.
• These little buddies are really good with a vegan Reuben sandwich and a little coleslaw.
• Fried Pickles are also pretty freaking awesome.
• These chips won't have that strong kick you in the teeth flavor of the store bought ones because those ones are chemical masterpieces. Ours are made using things you probably already have in your kitchen.
• I don't care what anyone says. Tron is a really good movie. You should see it. Just don't ruin it by trying to make too much sense of it all.

 Shall we begin?

The Betty Crocker Project : Mini Pumpkin Pleasecakes (Cheesecake)

 I haven't been sleeping all the great lately. It's not really anything to be concerned about. There is no real mystery as to why. I've been sabotaging myself by doing all kinds of things I shouldn't. I mean what do I expect if I watch American Horror Story right before I go to bed?

The other night I woke up in the middle of the night because the cats were bickering in the kitchen and my first thought in my slightly unconscious mind was "They must have cornered that troll* from the 1985 feature film adaptation of Stephen King's Cat's Eye." I mean obviously. Because that's what happens to your brain when you overdose on monster movies. AMC's Fearfest has had me in it's clutches for weeks now. I skip anything with any real gore and focus more on the classics like Teenage Zombies.

Between the leaves changing color and the black and white movies, it just felt like it was time to add a vegan classic to our little blog. Vegan pumpkin cheesecake is actually one of the first recipes I ever tried out on non-vegans back in my Olympia days when I worked at a domestic violence shelter as a sexual assault counselor. This recipe has evolved a lot since that first Thanksgiving cheesecake I brought for the families and residents in the shelter. That while I have fond memories of it, I am willing to admit was a pale shadow of this recipe. It's a much firmer and creamier pie. I've learned how to have a more logical head around pumpkin. I mean it's a fall tradition I respect but over the years my maturity has brought an understanding that sometimes you don't have to use the whole can**. I also have to admit the New Yorky style of this version's sweet almost cookie-ish crust makes it my favorite but you can also put this filling in a regular old pie crust and not sweat the spring-form pan. Either way, pumpkin cheesecake is awesome.

NYC gets Vegucated!

It's a scientific fact that for centuries, New York City has attracted a higher percentage of the most talented and creative people in the world than the original York (or as some might call it, Old York City). When we moved here, I have to admit I was both excited and intimidated by this. I mean if we're being honest here, I'm more Brooklyn than Manhattan, and sometimes I'm pretty sure the Manhatteners can spot it. How could they not? But tangents about my awkward nerdness and the social dynamics between these two neighboring boroughs aside, we were both excited about moving to New York because the few people we knew here were part of that talented and creative demographic I mentioned earlier who are busy doing some of the most amazing things to make the world a better place for animals. A lot of those spectacular people were at the New York City Premiere of Vegucated last week.

Veganistas Alex Jamieson and Marisa Miller Wolfson - Photo Credit : Jessica Mahady

It was a sold-out show with an audience of 500 beautiful people dressed for the red carpet in a city know for its fashion.  But people weren't just there to get their picture taken; this crowd came ready to see this new feature-length documentary that followed three meat-loving New Yorkers experimenting with a vegan diet for six weeks. I know I've been raving about this film a lot lately, but I just got so excited when they won the award for Best Documentary at this year's Toronto Independent Film Festival. It's the kind of film that everyone - even the most experienced activist and hardcore vegan - should see. It reminded me of the days when I first made the choice to go vegan, what it was like to become the kind of person who cared about what I ate, and realizing for the first time the implications of my eating habits on others.

I had the best looking date there.* Photo Credit : Jessica Mahady 

I won't lie. It won't be like some highschool yearbook that only shows the fun parts. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you might even blush a bit; but you'll be glad you took this trip down memory lane by proxy. Every vegan's story is different. Some people are like me, and decided in some kind of lightening bolt moment that they didn't want to contribute to the suffering of animals and went vegan on the spot. But for others it was a growing experience that took time and a little effort to find a way that worked for them. I think it can be easy to forget that journey when you've been vegan for years and your closest friends are vegans and activists. Watching Vegucated didn't just remind me why what we do is important, it also has some encouraging and inclusive messages that people at any stage in the vegan spectrum** can relate to. Plus, I couldn't be happier or prouder of my friend Marisa Miller Wolfson. I mean seriously, how many people can honestly say they're a documentary filmmaker? And no I don't count all those people who say it to get women into bed... that's why I added the 'honestly' part.

Vegans are so good looking - Dan Piraro and his lovely wife Ashley.

Back to the event! The food was remarkable! Brooklyn's own V-Spot served their infamous black bean empanadas. There was actually a pretty notable spread featuring food from quite a few of New York's Vegan Hot Spots like Candle Cafe, FoodSwings, Cinnamon Snail, and Verite Catering. Even Sweet & Sara vegan marshmallows to dip in a dark chocolate fountain. And of course we can't forget Smuttynose beer from City Swiggers and organic wine from Frey Vineyards. They even had some of my favorite frozen treats from Soy Delicious.  I know I've said it before, but it bears repeating: no one loves food like a vegan! You had to be brave and assertive to get the good stuff from the buffet table. If it wasn't for Dan, I'm pretty sure I would have starved.

Girlie Girl - Chloe Jo Davis -  Photo Credit : Jessica Mahady

We had great seats between Matt Rice from Mercy For Animals and the Cartoonist and longtime Animal Advocate Dan Piraro and his wife Ashley. If you've never met Ashley, you should know that she is probably one of the most passionate and exciting activists on the planet. Lord only knows how many animals she has saved just by being awesome. We got to see Chloe Jo Davis from Girlie Girl Army, which is always pretty much the definition of 'Vegan Treat', and catch up with more friends than I can name.

Between the film, the food and the friends - it was one of the first nights of hopefully many that reminded me why this is the best city on Earth.

If you haven't seen Vegucated yet -  The Let's Get America Vegucated! Autumn 2011 Tour is currently underway and might be coming to a theater near you soon! Click Here to find a screening near you!    



* The skirt is part of H&M's New Conscious Collection, and this photo is a great reminder on why I need to remember good posture. SIGH.

** The Vegan Spectrum - I like to think that inside everyone is a vegan waiting for their chance to get out. Some of those inner vegans are completely free to live and explore all aspects of a cruelty-free life with no exceptions and for others that vegan is only allowed out to enjoy a cute LOLcat... but I have a hope that even the furriest wearing, meatiest eating, heart-of-ice hunter will someday have that personal moment many of us have had that made being a vegan make sense and work for them. They'll let that inner vegan out and start making choices that reflect that innate compassion for animals so many of us started out with as children. I mean there are very few of us out there that were born vegan and if we can make this choice why can't they? I'm believer that there is always enough room in the Vegan Club and everyone is welcome.

The Betty Crocker Project : Sesame Teriyaki Beef-less Skewers

One would think that resigning from your job would make life simpler. That afternoons would open up and every day would be like Saturday. This isn't the case. I mean at least not for me. Probably not for anyone who has projects they care about and talented friends who are making the world amazing.

My dear friend Marisa Miller Wolfson is one of those talented and dedicated activists for animals I'm talking about. She's the Esprit Créatif behind Vegucated, a feature-length documentary that follows three meat-loving New Yorkers while they adopt a vegan diet for six weeks. It hasn't just been a hit within our little animal loving community either. At this year's Toronto Independent Film Festival, Vegucated got a standing ovation and took home the award for Best Documentary. Tomorrow night is the NYC Premiere! This event promises to be the vegan event of the year in a city full of some pretty amazing vegans, and is the first of ten stops on The Let's Get America Vegucated! Autumn 2011 Tour. If you don't have your tickets yet, there is still time--but not a lot, so no more lollygagging. And who knows, maybe tomorrow night you'll spot a Shannon or two.

Living in an exciting city with beautiful, accomplished people can make it hard to have lots of time to cook. So I've been burning through a lot of Betty's 20 minutes or less type of recipes. This one is pretty much my favorite thus far, and goes great with some brown rice or on a split baguette. It's also a little fancier than it would seem considering how easy it is.

Even the most novice vegans and chefs are going to love this one. Start your ovens!

The Betty Crocker Project : Masala Spiced Donut Bites

There is a time and place for every sad story. Since it's Monday, I won't break your heart with the story of how we missed yet another BBQ this weekend because of a kitchen emergency, or give you nightmares telling you about the corn fritter from Hell that did this to me... only on the top of my foot. I hadn't realized that corn fritters could become molten lava, but they can. I also won't bore you to death talking about how the ceiling in one of our rooms caved in from the rain. What a big huge annoying yawn. Yeah. Instead I'm going to tell you about an odd little donut miracle that we stumbled across while flipping through The Betty Site.

If you follow me on Facebook and Twitter, you know since we moved to NYC we've been eating a lot of curry. To quote my handsome husband: "I am now more curry than man." I mean Thai, Indian, Chinese, Jamaican... you name a curry, and we've enjoyed it. So you can imagine what happened in The Shannon Homestead when I stumbled across donut "holes"/bites made in mini muffin pans and spiced with light, sweet & warm curry spice! I'm pretty sure something like this happened.

But that wasn't the only awesome thing to happen recently. Here are but a few!

• Compassionista Girlie Girl Army featured our Vegan Bacon & 3 Cheese Frittata of Your Dreams and included a Bloody Mary Recipe that I can't wait to try!
• Vegan Rock Star (& a bag of chips) Sarah Kramer opened her own Vegan Shop recently in Victoria, BC! I have just added a visit to this little shop of wonders to my bucket list... which I just started this weekend and only says : Visit Sarah's Place.
• Cookbook Author/Post Punk Kitchen Queen & Awesome-sauce Expert Isa Chandra Moskowitz & team launched their Teal Cat Project! Anyone who lived anywhere near Brooklyn knows that feral and homeless cats need our help now and this project is a clever and compassionate way to help cats and get an adorable tchotchkes in the process! We have already ordered ours! They already sold out of the first batch but more cats are promised and there are shirts to hold you over till then!
• We recently went on a doubles datesy thingy with the ladies over at Our Hen House and saw The Breakfast Club in the big screen! I'm still totally saying totally too much, but it makes me feel young again. Plus I work from home so who's it bother besides Dan who promised to love through better and worse. Totally.

There was more but I feel like I've kept you from the donut bites long enough...

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.)

A Scene from A Marriage - Part I

Names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Scene 1 : A New York Subway Stop. 2 Shannons wait for the train home. 

Shannon A : I think I really want to see the new Transformers movie.

Shannon B : You got all excited about the first one and fell asleep. You didn't even see the second one. You don't even know how the first one ends.

Shannon A : I know but this one has robots...

Shannon B : (cutting off Shannon A) They all have robots. They're transforming robots. That's the movie.

Shannon A : Yes! I want to see the robots transform and then shoot other robots. While those robots transform and drive around. You know you want to see it too. You're just mad that I feel asleep and you had to watch the first one but this time it will be different. There are robots ON THE MOON!

Shannon B : Naa -

Shannon A : (interrupting Shannon B) ON THE MOON!

Shannon B : Noa -

Shannon A : ON. THE. MOON. Robots. Moon.

Shannon B : (Marge Simpson grumble here)

End Scene. 

Note : There is so much hope in this post. 

Vegan Chicken Lettuce Wraps & How We Survived The Heat Dome...

2 years ago today, I married my best friend. Now this might seem like a pretty obvious and trite way to describe a wedding, but it fits. I mean it wasn't like the old-school wedding days, where life as we had known it changed forever. My parents didn't hand me over in exchange for a few cows, and Dan didn't lift my veil with crossed fingers. Our lives slowly began to intertwine long before we ever even kissed. We'd been building a life together for years before I ever put on that off-white dress, and our course didn't really change much from the day we decided to be more than friends in the first place. In fact, the life we had already begun to build together just got a little better... we just dressed up, ate a bunch of cupcakes, and made it legal, is all.

Over the weekend in New York City, numerous same-sex couples (and some not-so-same-sex) finally got to make it legal too. Now, I know a lot of you like to read inside bits about our relationship rather than here me talk about politics. I mean, I get at least 20 emails a week asking about what we fight about and how we move past those bloody battles. But if we were all sitting down to dinner tonight, talking about how proud we are to live in a progressive state would come up. We might also talk about the Pompeii exhibit we saw over the weekend and some thoughts we had about the new Captain America movie... which was freaking incredible*.

And if you were visiting last weekend, we would have have eaten these lettuce wraps that require very little cooking and eased our suffering considerably. See, we were trapped last weekend in The Heat Dome. Now if you're wondering if that is worse than the Thunderdome... it seriously is. We're not big on air conditioning, so a Heat Dome is pretty much a nightmare. Now you would think we were used to heat after years in Virginia. Back then the sadistic humidity gave us an excuse to drive to the beach. On nights when we were feeling kinda fancy-ish, we'd stop by P.F.Chang's on the way back. Their vegan lettuce wrap appetizers are pretty spectacular and always went perfectly with sun burnt shoulders and large lemonades. We made ours with Gardein Crispy Tenders and enjoyed them with some beers from Brooklyn's Sixpoint Brewery**, a game of Civilization, and a giant fan.

And that I guess is why, on the 2nd anniversary of our wedding, we are posting this delicious recipe that helped us do more than just survive the Heat Dome... it was a tiny reminder of how we're not just making it through our lives together. We are, as my husband so eloquently put it, "Living in the Awesome!"

Let us eat lettuce wraps and be awesome! Awesome for all!

The Betty Crocker Project : Frozen Coconut Cream Pie

It's 798 miles to Chicago, we've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of chilled San Pellegrinos, it's sunny out and we're wearing sunglasses. Let's make some pie*!

Hit it. 

Veni, Vidi, Vici! Just a few vegans hitting the town...

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

(You should check out the pictures on our Flickr page instead)

I think we all remember the scene in Ghostbusters* when Dr. Peter Venkman announces his victory Julius-Ceasar-style with "We came, We saw, We kicked it's ass!" and the crowd went wild! Well, this weekend was kinda like that.

This weekend was all about conquering for The Shannons. I might be referring to the rather impressive brunch we had at V-Spot on Saturday before heading over to the Grand Army Greenmarket for some vegetables. Or maybe I'm talking about the epic game of the nerdtastic computer game Civilization Dan and I played off and on all weekend that involved not only conquering multiple barbarian cities but discovering a new world while enjoying falafels and cashew ice cream. I might be talking about those things... but I'm not.

I'm talking about having brunch at Foodswings in Brooklyn with Leinana Two Moons, the writer of one of my favorite blogs, Vegan Good Things, and her husband Anthony. I'm talking about Vegan Creamsicle shakes, chili dogs, punk fries, bacon ranch chickn sandwiches and The Infamous Vegan Heart Attack Burger! OK - I admit maybe Dan helped me take down the burger, but we're a team, so it still counts... right?

Afterwards, we finally got to check out the Vegan Pop-Up Shop at Pine Box Rock Shop. We probably should have planned it a bit better, because there were dreamy & kind treats everywhere and we were already pretty stuffed. I finally got to meet Barbara over at Gone Pie Bakery and chat about moving to the city and out of the city again, kitchen space, and about how you can loose an accent from Bensonhurst but you can't loose that intensity to your voice that makes people think you're super crazy. Que sera sera.You should check out the photos and links, because there was raw ice cream, truffles, soaps, hummus, jewelry... you name it. It was a compassionate shopper's dream mall.

All and all, a prefect weekend for The Shannon Brigade. Hopefully some of you will join us for the next Foodswings lunch on July 23rd. I have my eye on the personal pizza next... Oh, and if you're wondering where your pie recipe is for today, check back this afternoon. I think you'll like what you find.

* Best music video ever.

The Betty Crocker Project : Rosewater Lemonade Sorbet

Honestly more of a shaved ice but whatever - I adore it!

I can't decide if the toughest thing about this recipe is the waiting or the trying to get a photo before it melts in this heat*.

Betty's recipe is a classic lemonade sorbet (or shaved ice) but it's rose season in Brooklyn and their feathery little pink buds and enormous golden and crimson blooms are everywhere. It's hard not to be inspired to meddle. We also live down the street from some well-stocked Asian, Caribbean and Middle Eastern markets, so it was just a matter of time before we made some rosewater lemonade.

I have to admit that exploring the markets has been one of my favorite parts of moving to the city thus far, but we're about to enter into a new phase, folks. See, yesterday I got tickets on Living Social to The John Hughes film festival at the Symphony Space for $7 for 2 people per movie**. I'll give you all a moment to recovered from that collective excited gasp. Yes, I will be seeing Matthew Brodrick dance with Frauleins on the big screen and I plan to totally get my Molly Ringwald on this summer. More importantly, this will be happening:



Yes, this will be the summer that time forgot! Finally, I'm going to see some of my favorite movies on the big screen instead of at a slumber party and drink lots and lots of rosewater lemonade. I grew up drinking this summertime treat that uses a light floral flavor to dilute some of the tartness. But if that's not really your thing, you can always use Betty's lemonade recipe instead of the rosy one. I should tell you though, once you start making your own lemonade, you won't be able to go back to that corn syrupy stuff that is basically flat soda.

Consider yourself warned.

Scenes from the Perfect Birthday... Photos, Food & Gushing.

My birthday began at midnight when Dan gave me the perfect present!

History has remembered a certain handful of men as being "Great Husbands". While only a person's partner can really know if a person really deserves to be called a "Great Husband", there are a few who I think stand out, like John Adams* and Abraham Lincoln. These men may have not been perfect, and had careers that were demanding to say the least, but their devotion to their families and partners have been noted for posterity. There are others like Paul Newman and Paul Child, who stepped beyond the traditional role of "husband" that they grew up with to the definition of "partner". I have been lucky enough to marry one of these exceptional men.

The 35th year of my life has been a pretty notable one. There have been so many ups and downs, and moments in our marriage that have really brought us closer than ever. But don't worry, I won't bore you with the details... instead I'm going to share with you a play-by-play of my perfect birthday that my perfect partner planned for me, and some photos that might inspire you to visit NYC...

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!

An Informal Letter to A Vegan Stuffed Crust Mexican Pizza (recipe included)

Dear Vegan Stuffed Crust Mexican Pizza :

I want to thank you for combining two of our very favorite meals - tacos and pizzas in an enchanting,  seamless and ingenious way that also gave us an opportunity to eat avocados and who doesn't love that? I also want to thank you for being so easy that we could enjoy how delicious you were in less than an hour and not have a huge stack of dishes left to do afterwards. This increased our enjoyment of the night by a factor of at least 10*. Mostly I just want to thank you for taking our minds off the fact that the night we had you for dinner at 8:11 PM, the artificially intelligent Skynet global digital defense network was suppose to have become self-aware, trigger a worldwide nuclear holocaust and then deploys legions of robot killers to wage genocide on the surviving humans. Having a spicy vegan stuffed crust Mexican pizza completely distracted us from the evil robot apocalypse and when we partnered it with a Dr.Pepper**- it ended up being quite a lovely night.

XO- Annie

PS - I forgot to thank you for being vegan and therefore only making the world a better place.

Click Read More for the Recipe.

The Betty Crocker Project : Vegan Quiche Lorriane & A Revisit with Julie & Julia - 1 Year Later Episode 1

Julia Child learned how to make quiche at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France around 1949 and has been credited as creating the best Quiche Lorriane several times over since. When it came time to watch Julie & Julia again to mark the one year anniversary of The Betty Crocker Project creation... well it only seemed to make sense we would also celebrate with one of Julia Child's favorite dishes. Especially since we absentmindedly already made Cobb Salad a few months ago during a salad kick.

Now I could have adapted Julia's famous recipe but that's not what we are doing here. This project is really all about Betty and I didn't want to steal her thunder. But a funny thing happened, I compared the two recipes and they were similar enough that I feel like Julia, the pretend Ghost of Quiches Past Julia anyways, would approve and here is why : See Julia Child's apparently never warmed to the Julie & Julia blog. Julia's friend and editor Judith Jones was quoted as saying "She didn’t suffer fools, if you know what I mean." Julie being the said "fool". Julia also never cared much for vegans. In fact she was quoted as saying:

"Personally, I don’t think pure vegetarianism is a healthy lifestyle. It’s more fear of food—that whole thing that red meat is bad for you. And then there are people who don’t eat meat because it’s against their morals. Well, there’s nothing you can do with people like that. I’ve often wondered to myself: Does a vegetarian look forward to dinner, ever?"  

But the part of me that wants to see the best in people wants to believe she felt that way because her first exposure to vegetarianism was in the 60s when a cruelty-free lifestyle was labeled a "health food fad" and a weight loss diet. Two things she had little patience for. She also never had our Quiche Lorriane with smoked tempeh and Daiya. The world Julia lived in was much different than ours. In just the past 10 years, technology has come far enough that really anything can be made vegan with little to no sacrifice in taste or texture at all. She has been remembered as being a very kind and compassionate person and so I would like to think that although she would probably never go vegan (I mean the woman basically bathed in butter) I would hope she would be intrigued by today's vegans and at least recognize our shared passion for food like so many other of today's top chefs have*. She was a sincere believer in her mantra : "Life itself is the proper binge.” and like I've said before... no one loves food like a vegan.


The day I made this, I was full of a thrill and humming Doris Day songs for hours. I won't lie - this is not my first dance around the floor with quiche. I make them a lot and Dan loves them even more than I make them. In fact this quiche was almost completely eaten by my love in a 24 hour period. But this one was special because it combined all the good things about Julia and Betty and maybe some of me too. 


So enough yakkity yaking - Let's make some freaking quiche already...

The Betty Crocker Project : Whole Wheat Focaccia Breads

I think Nicolas Cage said it best in Moonstruck: "They say bread is life. And I bake bread, bread, bread. And I sweat and shovel this stinkin' dough in and out of this hot hole in the wall, and I should be so happy!" Except, unlike Ronny Cammareri, I like baking bread and I have 2 hands. I also have a handful of very strong opinions about Nicolas Cage as an actor.

• Nicolas Cage's attempt at being British (I think) in Vampire's Kiss is so hilarious, it makes me laugh just sitting here typing this. I might go rent it tonight actually. [Ed. note- please do not do that.] Who couldn't use a good Wednesday laugh?
• His portrayal of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman in the Spike Jones/Charlie Kaufman movie Adaptation is just brilliant. Brilliant I say!
• The big movie trailer scene in the blockbuster hit Face Off, when Cage actually says "Face off", makes me have a physical reaction... I frown, shake my head in disbelief, and a single tear slides down my cheek for American Cinema.
• Dan and I are pretty sure we saw ol' Nick walking through The French Quarter in NOLA when we were there on our honeymoon. That has nothing to do with his acting, but blogs are for sharing.

Now before we start baking, I should also share that the bread base for Betty's focaccia bread was already pretty much vegan and that this recipe was awesome! Last weekend, Dan and I ate the cheezy focaccia loaf in one afternoon with some fancy olive oil for dipping. It gave me a chance to use this book from Crate and Barrel we got as a wedding present. I recommend sharing one of these wonderful loaves of bread with someone you love, and maybe a bottle of San Pellegrino*.

So let's bake some bread and put a little Dean Martin on... trust me, he's fun to bake with.

The Betty Crocker Project : Avocado & Smoked Sheese Salad with Toasted Walnut Dressing

So I've been watching all the Star Trek Movies. It's been a bit of a marathon - if you will - and pretty much an awesome 48 thus far. Here are just a few of my preliminary observations :

• Best Line : Please, Captain, Not in front of the Klingons - Mr. Spock in Star Trek V - The Final Frontier
• Best Klingon (guest star): Christopher Plummer as Gerenal Chang in Star Trek VI - The Undiscovered Country
• Best Vulcan (guest star): I have to give it to Kim Catrell's smug Valeris from Star Trek VI - The Undiscovered Country because Kristie Alley's Saavik in Wrath of Khan is just dreadful. Really just a terrible guest Vulcan for an otherwise great movie. 
• Best Villain :  DUH?! Ricardo Montalban giving the performance of a lifetime as one of the best space villains ever. Though I do give props to Eric Bana for his role as Nero in the latest Star Trek (the reboot). 
• Biggest Tear-Jerker : SPOILER ALERT - OK - I admit I got a little torn up when Spock says “Jim. Your name is…Jim” in Search for Spock. Oh Man...But I have to go with Voyage Home and when the crew of the Enterprise saves George and Gracie from whalers and brings them to a time when they will be safe. Getting a little worked up just thinking about it. Makes me wish Sea Shepherds had a Bird of Prey.

Oh and while I was trying to complete my mission to write this blog post - I found  a pretty amazing picture of Spock punching Wolverine in the face and had to share.

Another mission I have had lately is to try to eat a salad a day. There are a lot of cookies floating around this home of ours right now and other various deliciousness and although we are still having smoothies for breakfast and I have stopped drinking caffeine... well I still wanted some salad in my life. I do admit that this salad has heaps of avocado and sheese so it might not be the healthiest but it is still one of the best Betty Salads we've made since starting this project. I love this Toasted Walnut Dressing and can't wait to try it with some fresh bread or just some baby carrots. I am pretty much in love with it x1,000.  I love it like Captain Kirk loves women with big hair.