Something Sweet In A Sour World.

CuppyCakes

2011-01-10T22:34:00.000-08:00

I am getting back into the swing of things!

My friends Dave Carender and Alec Forszt asked me to bake for their art show and here is what I made!

The stencil is a little something Dave made.

Alec trying to offer sweet treats!

Come out this Friday to Lulubell for the debut of the first AWESOMENAUT graphic novel trade paperback collection album by Eric M. Esquivel & Dave Baker! I will have some goodies for sale!

What else is new in my world you may ask? I now have a website in the works!
sweetmannered.com

Catch you on the flip side!

I am a horrible blogger!

2010-05-28T16:40:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy with a lot of things I have forgotten all about my stinkin' blog! I am starting a new job on June 1st and it will allow me to have more time to myself. EXCITING!

Here is a little update. :)
I made my mom sunflower cupcakes for mothers day.
I got the cupcake recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance.
The design from Hello, Cupcake.
If you do not have the book, get it! Everything in it can be made vegan.

This was my first try at something fancy! The first few looked really terrible, so do not feel discouraged.

In the book it says to use baggies, that is REALLY hard and messy, if you have pipping materials, just use the ones that are used to petals. SOOO MUCH EASIER!

I could not find fruit leather to save my life, so I used fruit roll-up instead for the leafs.

If you are a fan of Star Wars, keep your eye out for my next post! I plan on making something from a Star Wars cook book a friend of mine has. ..Qui Quan Jin-Ger Snaps

ALSO! If you want to keep with with Taryn and I.. Follow The Sweet Mannered Vegan Oven!

Gingerbread Gingers and Cuties.

2010-02-03T19:38:00.001-08:00

Not only are they gingers, but some of them are just like me:
vegan straight edge (and I wish I were a ginger)! Har Har :]
For the cookie part I just found this easy recipie from Post Punk Kitchen.
Their cool little scarves are from Vegan Yum Yum.
She puts them on cupcakes; I put them on cookies!
However, I could not find marzipan ANYWHERE
nor did I want to make my own.(yeah, yeah laaazy!)
So, instead, I used fondant. I've never used fondant or marzipan
but I would assume they work just the same. Make sure to warm it up
a little before "knitting" it. Maybe sit on it... That is what I did. Seriously. :]
It was still in the package, have no fear!
These were a huge hit with Nate's parents.
I also gave one to Samantha for Christmas and she liked it as well.
Like I said before, one can never go wrong with baked goods!

Chocolate covered Cuties!
Holy dang, these are so good! All I used was a bag of 365 vegan chips and melted 'em in a sauce pan. I did put a little bit of almond milk to thin it out. The red junk on top is just writing gel. This was a lot of fun. I had some friends come over to not only help me eat these but make them. One day I would like to get a fondue set. YUM! Toothpicks are probably the safe bet to make these but we just dumped 'em in the chocolate and scooped 'em out with a fork.

I always love hearing about people trying the things I post. It makes me feel like it was not all for nothing. SO, if you ever try something, let me know how it turns out. I even want to start baking fun things for birthdays... With that said, if you follow this, post when your birthday is and I will send you something! And let the baking begin!

A REALLY Late Christmas Post.

2010-01-08T19:11:00.000-08:00

I have been so far behind on everything and forgot to update this lil thang. GAH! I need to stop being so busy. :]
Well.. Caitlin and I decided we should give baked goods for gifts. So here they are!

Peanut Butter Cups!

For these we just melted 365 vegan chips in a skillet on low heat
peanut butter fudge with the maple for the center
And a little pink "decorating dust"

You will want to make the fudge before melting the chocolate. We found out that when the fudge is not as warn, it does not run with the melted chocolate and makes it more of a believable cup. [Go figure!]

Krispy Treats and Peppermint Cookie Lollipops!

As silly as it is, I got the cookie idea from Paula Dean. She was having a "cookie trade" with her "friends" on her show. For these I just used the candy cane cookie recipe, instead of using vanilla, use peppermint. To get it rolled like that just make two different colored "snakes" out of the dough and simply roll together.

As far as the krispies go, I am not sure what recipe Caitlin used but I just googled it and came up with this.. I am sure it is the same as the one she used. If not, whoops! http://www.veganmeat.com/rec/pbtreat.html

Peppermint Bark!

1 package of 365 vegan chocolate chips
1 tsp peppermint extract
1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies/candy canes

Microwave the chips in a large microwave safe bowl
on high for 1.5 to 2 minutes or until almost melted.
Add peppermint; stir until the mixture is smooth.
Spread on a foil lined baking sheet to whatever thickness you prefer.
Sprinkle the crushed candies and press lightly into bark with a spatula.
Refrigerate for about 10 minutes or until set.
Break into pieces however you so desire!
We tried to use a cookie cutter but we had then in the fridge for too long.
BUMMER!

I found this really awesome AND easy recipe on the back of the peppermint extract box.
My mom thought they were store bought... So I guess I did a good job.

When in doubt or on a tight budge, ALWAYS go with a baked good. No one will ever be bummed out about getting that as a gift. Besides, nothing is better than something homemade.

I hope 2010 brings really awesome and great things to everyone. I really cannot believe it is already 2010. Wowzah!

Candy Cane Cookies!

2009-12-16T17:52:00.000-08:00

What I use:

2 sticks of Earth Balance

3/4 C. of sugar

3/4 C. of brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 C. flour

2 "egg " replacer, I use Ener-G Egg Replacer

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the "butter",sugar and vanilla together until well blended! Slowly add the flour in little by little, sometimes the dough will be too sticky, so just keep adding a little bit until you can roll it into a ball or play with it with your fingers and it doesn't stick. After you've got it to a nice non-sticky mixture, add everything else. I've found that when you use just a spoonful of dough it makes nice shaped cookies.

I also want to share with you guys a lil stir fry creation Nate and I made the other day. Oh man, it was so freaking good! We used a container of extra firm tofu, dried it out and let it marinate in teriyaki over night. We used Veri Veri Teriyaki by Soy Vay. (for those that know me, you will know why I love that company's name!) We then put the tofu in a wok with peas and a can of sweet corn. We also topped it off with white rice and.... teriyaki ramen noodles! I know, it really does sound a little strange but let me tell you again, SO GOOD! For those that love it spicy, add some Sriracha.

Very Happy Un-Birtday?

2009-12-16T17:46:00.000-08:00

In my efforts to be a "sweet girlfriend" I threw Nate an Un-Birthday party and made him a cake! I only had 2 hours to bake a cake AND ice it! When I put the lettering on it it said,"Happy UnBirtday!" I forgot the H! Oi vey, whatever! The cake was still pretty yummy and put a huge smile on his face. It was just a box cake, I know, I cheated, I think it was the yellow? But to make it somewhat my own, I added Maple, duh!

Chocolate Chip, French Toast and Piggies! Oh my!

2009-12-05T23:40:00.000-08:00

Those my friends, are chocolate chip cookies! Super freaking good. The chips I use (and love) are 365 vegan chips from Whole Foods. Maybe, someday if you are lucky I will share how to make these!

MMMMM. Vegan French Toast!
2 cups vanilla soy milk
4 tablespoons flour
3 teaspoons brown sugar
dash cinnamon

Wisk it all together! Soak the bread and put it on a pan (duh!) and darken as you wish! Since I love maple, I drown them in maple syrup. :]

This past week Nate and I went to see Taryn at Ironwood. Those pigs were so incredible and nice. I'll have you know they bark! Yeap... Bark like dogs do, beg, follow you and love you just like a dog would. Now, I ask you, why the HELL would one harm such a creature? The stories of how some of the pigs ended up there were mind blowing. In a perfect world, animals would live a happy life. I mean.. Look at this face! :]
She came from a factory farm and now lives a great life.

Peanut Butter Fudge!

2009-11-25T17:05:00.000-08:00

This was so easy to make!
Melt 3/4 a cup of vegan butter in a saucepan on low heat. Once all melted, remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of PB until smooth. Then add 2 cups of confectioners sugar, only adding a little bit at a time! :]
After everything is mixed, put into a container of choice and into the fridge until hardened. Instead of putting them in a pan and cutting, I put them in ice cube trays. Just enough to enjoy in two bites, or maybe even more if you take baby mouse bites. However, it is REALLY difficult to get them out of the trays once they get too cold. It also goes without saying that I added some maple to my batch. AHH! So good.

"Egg"nog Cookies.

2009-11-05T20:09:00.001-08:00

So, they did not turn our like I had wanted, a little thin and not so noggy. Whatev, they are good. I got the recipe from a book my roommate has and tried to make it vegan.. Maybe better luck next time.

Those lil thangs are maple and chocolate cuppycakes. They came out pretty weird too! Yikes...Speaking of maple... This past week I mailed some of my delicious maple cookies to my wonderful boyfriend and a friend I had promised cookies to. It is a good thing those cookies turned out well. :] I think next week I will try to make something from babycakes. I got the book for my birthday and have yet to try it out...

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-23T23:31:00.001-07:00

Come get one at The Living Room tomorrow night.

Maple and Apple Cookies.

2009-10-15T21:19:00.001-07:00

This batch was a lil something I made for a friend of mine. They are my "secret" maple cookies with apple baked into them. I must say, they turned out to be prettay delicious. I am rather tired and in Illinois, so it goes without saying that I need to go snuggle to keep warm. :]

Banana Oatmeal and Chocolate Chip Cookies.

2009-10-04T15:11:00.000-07:00

I woke up from a deep sleep thinking,"I really need to make banana chocolate chip cookies, they will be great!" And as it turns out, they are rather tasty. I made a batch without the chips just so Caitlin could enjoy them! The chocolate-less ones have agave nectar on them. Seems like that stuff is my new best friend. Welp, I have a plate full of cookies, so come on over and snag one before I eat them all!

Vegan Oreo Balls!

2009-09-28T16:46:00.001-07:00

These lil thangs are super easy to make, anyone can do it! I used Tofutti Cream Cheese, Oreos, and 365 Vegan Chocolate Chips. Just mash up the Oeros in a baggie or whatever and combine the crumbs with some cream cheese, then roll into balls. Once that is done, put on the lowest heat setting and melt the chips! Once you've got a nice puddle of chocolate you can create the balls. I just used a spatula and a spoon to slather it onto the Oreos. But you can also use tooth picks to dunk them in the chocolate, I just did not have any. Yadda yadda, so on and so forth, let it cool in the fridge for awhile until they harden, if you are in a hurry to eat one, stick 'em in the freezer for a lil bit. And tada, time to stuff your face!

I am really terrible about just using things and not measuring, yikes! One day I will break the "eyeballing" habit and measure everything out.

Supernova Cookie.

2009-09-23T20:35:00.000-07:00

I wanted to bake my "pancake" cookie, only to realize, there was no maple! So I thought to myself,"Self! What the hell would taste great in this?" I then consulted Caitlin with my choice and BAM! These little suckers were born. They are vanilla and ground cinnamon cookies with agave nectar drizzled on top. Best little mistake that I ever did make. Sometimes running out of ingredients can be a great thing. I couldn't make up my mind as to the name of the cookie, was a toss up between supernova and snafu snack. I secretly love PM5K, yeah yeah, crack your jokes all you want but tonight, the cookies revolt!

There is always a need for anyone to eat the baked goods and its a great excuse to get a few friends together. So, needless to say, I need taste testers! :]

:]

2009-09-23T12:58:00.001-07:00

I have decided to start a baking blog. It will be me trying new things and baking at least once a week and posting about it on here. Hope you enjoy!