For Esme

cake vegan for life

2011-10-08T16:29:00.000+11:00

Since I am way too lazy to really blog, here are some photos from school and home.......

Celebration Cake for an assessment. I really wanted to pipe this cute design. It was originally a henna design but I changed up the colours and make it vibrant to contrast the white fondant.

Strawberry and custard flan with a clear glaze.

Farewell mud cake with a new ganache recipe I came up with. The cake was too dry for my liking but the ganache was awesome. Cheated at the piping by putting a stencil of my writing under some baking paper and transferred it onto the cake. At this stage, I am way to scared to pipe directly onto a cake!

Vegan sausage rolls.Recipe by Leigh Drew and her upcoming cook book "Wrapped in Pastry" If you don't get the Twin Peaks reference, you should reassess your life.

Scones. Easiest recipe ever. Flour, Nuttelex, rice milk. DO NOT ADD SUGAR. Topped with some whipped coconut cream and black cherry jam.

Practice wedding cake. This is going to be a 2 tiered, 5 layered mountain of deliciousness.

Quinoa Con Carne

2011-09-14T18:52:00.000+10:00

I have been in such a recipe slump for a long time, cooking mainly from books or things I have memorised but finally I bring to you AN ORIGINAL!
After a recent trip to Costco we got quite a few things in bulk that have been hanging around the pantry waiting to be made into something delicious. With a rumbly tummy I pulled out quinoa, canned tomatoes, 4 bean mix and thought to myself, "what can I do with these?" Then a lightbulb went off - Chili Con Carne!
I googled a few basic recipes to see what else I would need...... Onions (didn't have any) Capsicum (none of those either) Meat (Um, NO!) So a quick traipse through the fridge and I had myself an almost con carne recipe. Here's what I used (feel free to add and subtract whatever you like)

Olive Oil
Half a bulb of garlic (thinly sliced)
A thinly sliced green chili (These are less hotter than the red ones cos I'm a baby)
A packet of fajita seasoning (you could use taco seasoning or something similar)
A can of lentils
A can of tomatoes
A can of 4 bean mix
4 tbs salsa (or more if you like)
1 cup quinoa
10 small vine ripened tomatoes
3 mild pickled chilis (They come in a jar, kind of sweet and mildly hot)
2 tbs Tomato Paste

Heat about 2 tbs oil on a medium heat. I use my Le Chasseur cast iron dutch oven) Throw in the garlic and turn the temperature down to a medium low. Cook for about 3 mins. DO NOT BURN! Burnt garlic tastes VERY BAD! If you see the garlic getting dark brown, turn the temperature down!! Add chili and cook for another 2 mins. Add the fajita mix and stir, then add some more oil to make a nice thin paste. Cook for another 3 mins.
Add the canned tomatoes, lentils, four bean mix and salsa. Stir through to combine. Throw in the quinoa, vine tomatoes, pickled chilis and tomato paste. Bring to a simmer then turn down to low, put the lid on and cook for 10 mins. Check, stir, taste and adjust if needed (maybe more salsa or tomato paste) Cook for another 10 mins with the lid on. After the 2nd 10 min round of cooking, take off the lid, stir and if you need to, add some water to keep it like a stew. The quinoa likes to suck up all the liquid! Cook for another 10 mins with the lid off.
Serve and EAT! You could serve this with some guacamole or maybe just some nooch sprinkled on the top.

More school stuff

2011-08-29T21:38:00.000+10:00

school scraps

2011-07-13T11:32:00.000+10:00

Vegan bathroom and make up

2011-06-20T13:12:00.001+10:00

For a more comprehensive guide on how to veganise your bathroom, head on over to VEGANZA for her awesome 3 part series.

College stuff

2011-06-17T17:31:00.001+10:00

If you follow me on twitter, you'd know that I am currently a Patisserie student.
Here is a photo dump of a few things I have been making between getting High Distinctions

Vegan New York

2011-06-17T17:11:00.000+10:00

New York was an absolute blast! We stayed around Times Square and did all the touristy stuff, as well as eating everything vegan in sight.

Sacred Chow was an amazing first taste of New York.
I tried the biscuits and gravy with scrambled tofu. Delish! Andy had the frittata which was also really nice.

We headed over to Babycakes next for some take away treats.
What a cute little cafe. Pretty crowded and hustle bustle. Cakes are in demand!
We got a few different things, some cookies, cupcakes and donuts.
My personal favourite was the brownie cupcake with mint icing.

Moo Shoes was close by to Babycakes. Andy got some great shoes and they have the cutest, fluffiest kitty there just hanging out.

Angelica Kitchen was a nice place we had brunch another day. Nice whole foods. Nice atmosphere.

We kept stopping by Whole Foods on a daily basis either to get a cheap breakfast or snacks to fill the backpack with. Travelling is hard work and snacks are essential! I became addicted to Sweet and Sara peanut butter smores and at $5 a pop it became an expensive habit! Another filthy addiction I picked up was Peanut Butter and Jelly Lara Bars

We also found the coveted "Tweeps" when we went to Lula's Sweet Apothecary. While there, I enjoyed a Root Beer ice cream which blew my mind.

We also headed over to MoMA and checked out the Warhol, Picasso, and Vintage kitchen exhibitions. We also saw our favourite painting, Starry Night by Van Gough. AMAZING!!

John's of 12th was accidentally discovered a few steps away from Angelica Kitchen. Vegan pizza and pasta. They also have vegan cannoli. Does life get any better than this? The restaurant was dark and candle lit for those who enjoy that but it just made my photos look bad.

Another mind blowing meal was at the Candle Cafe. The little brother/sister of Cafe 79. The service here was FANTASTIC and the food was even better. We had our first try of chimmichurri here and it was almost inhaled on sight. The serving sizes were huge and all the uptowners were eating this up. Literally. The dessert is something I will never forget and I would fly back to New York to eat it again but instead I bought the cook book so I can make it myself. Chocolate mousse pie in a cookie crumb crust. Enough said!

We saw the Addams Family on Broadway. It sucked.

We hung out in Central Park trying to find the bridge from Home Alone: Lost in New York.

New York is huge and incredible and being vegan was so easy there.
I think I left my heart on the Lower East Side.

Vegan in Las Vegas

2011-06-17T15:19:00.000+10:00

What do 2 vegans do in Las Vegas?
Elope, of course!

Vegan in Los Angeles

2011-04-29T14:57:00.000+10:00

Recently we visited the United States for a quickie marriage in Las Vegas but found ourselves on the biggest vegan food adventure ever.
The absolute abundance and availability of vegan food in America is overwhelming! We took every opportunity we could to eat as much as we possible.
First stop was Los Angeles. We arrived in the morning, dumped our gear over at the hostel and adventured down Melrose for some quick eats and some light shopping which is where we found M Cafe. And who would be sitting beside us but The Veronicas! I also found out via twitter that Pete Wentz had been there the same day.
M cafe is a vegan/macro style cafe on Melrose which offered a great menu. I had the macro plate which consisted of brown rice, pickles and tofu. It was pretty nice and not expensive at all.
We walked down to The Grove and explored The Whole Foods Market there as well as the Farmers Market too. Got some lunch there then got the bus up to around Hollywood and Highland where we discovered a Trader Joe's. We spent the day on a hop on/hop off bus tour.

That night we ate at Swingers Diner. Burritos and Nachos. Eaten too quickly to take a photo. I think this is when I began my root beer addiction!

Our second day was spent at Universal Studios. We had packed our backpack full of goodies from Whole Foods but the security guy/bag checker didn't like that and made us throw away some of our food. Vegan options were few and far between but we spent most of the day on rides anyway.

Dinner was at Doomies Home Cookin' and holy jeebus, it was AMAZING! I had fried chicken and mashed potatoes and Andy had parmigiana. We also had a jalepeno popper entree which was too hot for my liking but Andy LOVED! Highly recommended for those DIY style Punk eatz.

Days 3, 4 and 5 we spent at Disneyland! After trawling the internet for weeks beforehand I discovered a treasure trove of secret vegan eats. I don't have too many food photos from Disneyland because I was too busy soaking up the Disney atmosphere and chasing Disney characters.

The one thing i did get a pic of was this was an amazing portabello stack with cous cous. DELICIOUS! It came with a side salad which was also really tasty. I think it had raspberry vinaigrette. From the Blue Bayou (it overlooks the beginning of the pirates of the Caribbean ride)

So that's most of L.A, I'm sure I have forgotten something but next up is Las Vegas and the wedding.

Where have you been?

2011-04-04T18:36:00.000+10:00

Blogging and blogger slump.
Here's a photo dump for your enjoyment

All photos taken with instagram

What do you do when the fridge is bare?

2011-01-31T19:27:00.002+11:00

Google, of course!
Throw in a few key words such as COCONUT MILK, TOMATOES, RICE and VEGAN and what do you get?
Tomato Curry with Coconut Milk. Ok, so it's not exactly Vegan but pretty easy to veganise.
And as usual, I had to play around with the recipe. Here is what I did.

2 cans of whole peeled tomatoes
2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 red chilies (if you like really hot curries)
1 can coconut milk or cream
3 tsp chickpea (besan) flour
1 can chickpeas
Salt to taste

Put the canned tomatoes into a heavy bottom fry pan, add salt and bring to a boil. Add cumin, red chili and turmeric powders. Keep boiling then add coconut milk to the mixture until it thickens. Add the chickpea flour mixed in little water and cook until you get a nice, thick, saucy consistency. Turn down to a medium low heat and add chickpeas and cook for a further 10 minutes. Dry fry the cumin and mustard seeds until you hear them popping and then add to the curry. Stir through and enjoy on a bed of rice.

A Very Vegan Xmas courtesy of The PPK

2010-12-27T21:14:00.001+11:00

Vegan White Choc Macadamia Cookies. Recipe coming soon!!

2010-12-27T21:04:00.001+11:00

IMG_0408
Originally uploaded by for_esme

Crazy Rumours Review - Coming Soon!

2010-12-27T21:03:00.001+11:00

IMG_0427
Originally uploaded by for_esme

The best vegan moussaka you will ever eat

2010-10-31T18:13:00.001+11:00

A few days ago I accidentally saw a tv show by Master Chef's winner Julie Goodwin called Home Cooked. In this particular episode she was making moussaka. I love a good moussaka and the best one I have ever tried is in Veganomicon but the only problem is that it takes AGES to make and assemble. Julie's recipe takes about 20 minutes to prepare and about 30 minutes to cook. It seemed pretty simple to veganise, so I gave it a go a few nights ago and was super impressed with the results.
The recipe goes a little like this......

2 medium eggplants, cut into 1cm thick slices
salt
Vegetable oil, for frying
1 pack sanitarium vege mince
1 brown onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
½ cup red wine or veg stock
1 can whole peeled tomatoes

Béchamel Sauce
3 Tbs Nuttelex
3 Tbs plain flour
1.5 cups water (or soy milk if you like)
½ cup nutritional yeast

Salt the eggplant slices on both sides and lay between 2 layers paper towel for around 15 minutes. Wipe carefully with fresh paper towel to remove salt and liquid that has been drawn out of the eggplant. Fry in batches in vegetable oil over medium-high heat until browned; drain on paper towel.

In the same pan, add a little more oil and brown the vege mince, breaking up lumps with a wooden spoon until crumbly and browned. Add the onion and garlic and cook for a further minute. Stir in cinnamon and allspice and cook for another minute. Add tomato paste and stir to combine. Pour in canned tomato and red wine/stock and cook until the liquid has evaporated and the meat sauce is quite a dry mixture; around 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180° C /160° C (fan forced).
Melt nuttelex in a medium saucepan and stir in flour. Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until thick, smooth and coming away from the sides of the pan. (This is called a roux.) Add a little of the water/milk and stir quickly; the mixture will form a dough immediately. Keep stirring and adding water/milk a little at a time. Once all the milk is added, stir (using a wire whisk if there are any lumps) and allow the sauce to thicken and the flour to fully cook. Stir in nutritional yease. Taste and add salt if required.
To assemble, place a layer of eggplant slices into the base of a 24x36cm baking dish. Top with half the "meat" mixture. Repeat with eggplant and sauce and finish with a layer of eggplant slices. Pour over the béchamel sauce and sprinkle with breadcrumbs, almond meal and some pine nuts. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown on top.

I'm definitely more of a Poh fan but Julie has won my vote with this recipe!

That weird uncomfortable silence leaks onto the internet

2010-09-12T22:48:00.000+10:00

You know what is really creepy? People who google my full name and come across my blog. Isn't that what facebook is for? Come on lurkers, say HELLO! Blog stats are starting to make me feel weird.

Product Review - DAVROE

2010-09-06T17:58:00.000+10:00

While we are on the topic of hair, here is what I use on my crazy locks

Davroe are an Australian made and owned company who show that they care about their customers and the environment by using sustainable, recyclable packaging. Their ingredients are natural plant and mineral based and don't contain and harmful chemicals or cheap and nasties like SODIUM LAURYL SULPHATE, PARABENS (which have been linked with some form of cancers) or PETROL CHEMICALS (which are a crude oil by-product).

Davroe are a 100% vegan friendly company. This means they don't use any animal ingredients or by-products AND they are against testing on animals too!

So now that their bio sounds great, how do their products rate? I would give them a 10/10 for sure.

I have been using the smooth senses range for about a year, I was a previous De Lorenzo user, but am definitely a Davroe convert now.

As a girl with a crazy pseudo afro I have to straighten my hair every day and with that amount of abuse you would expect my hair to be falling out and damaged as hell. NOPE! I use the Thermoprotect on my wet hair before I blow dry and iron it to give it that extra protection and to style my new short cut i use Fibretex which gives it fantastic texture and holds nicely. If my hair starts feeling a bit dry i put on a replenish treatment. EASY!

All of these products smell so good and unlike the DeLorenzo which left my hair greasy, I only have to wash my hair every other day now.

Davroe is amazing. Check out their website and see which product best suits you. It is salon grade shampoo, so it will be a little more costly than supermarket brands but it is definitely worth it.

cake and carnations

2010-09-05T17:53:00.001+10:00

cake and carnations
Originally uploaded by for_esme

Hair-spiration

2010-08-18T22:24:00.000+10:00

Always 2 steps ahead of the current fashion, I have decided that bobs are out, out, OUT! The new hair-to-do will be a fresh pixie crop coloured lavender, teal or fairy floss. Summer fun and delicious to look at. Inspired by Edie Sedgewick, Michelle Williams and whatever googled pulled up when i searched pixie crop!

Cherry Ripe Cake Re-Invention

2010-06-26T19:48:00.000+10:00

So, last night I reinvented my Cherry Ripe Cake into cupcake form. I am the Madonna of baking.

I donated them to the Vegan Bake Sale in Newtown and they were bought up in minutes! Very exciting for me! Of course I never remember to take a good photo, so here is a dodgy iphone pic instead.

RSPCA CUPCAKE DAY 2010

2010-06-20T16:29:00.001+10:00

Once again, I will be participating in the annual RSPCA Cupcake Day.
Last year I raised about $200 and this year I aim to raise even more. You can donate money to sponsor me and if your donation is generous enough I may even bake for you personally on request!
*All my cupcakes are vegan and cruelty free*
No animals should be harmed in order to help other animals!

You can donate here and leave a comment if you would like something baked in return!

Check out my blog on last years Cupcake Day

Sunday Kind of Love

2010-06-20T16:01:00.001+10:00

In 5 weeks time we will be moving in to our new house. I am beyond excited that we will have a massive kitchen with a fantastic oven and stove top. I have started collecting pictures of things that have been inspiring me to get back into baking.
Here are a few things that are teasing my tastebuds right now

(Via Color Kitten)

(Via The Decorated Cookie)

One of my absolute favourite Flickr People is Amy. I want to eat everything she bakes and takes photos of. I would move to America for this reason alone! I suggest you check out her Flickr.

New Layout

2010-06-19T23:28:00.000+10:00

New layout and new header made with photos taken by the ever adorable, Mechelle B.

A few things from the supermarket

2010-05-06T21:25:00.000+10:00

Finding foods labelled with the word Vegan are few and far between. Reading labels has become second nature to our kind. Here are a few things I have found lately with the word VEGAN on them. Woo Hoo!

Sorry about the photo quality. These are pics from the iphone.

Seven Things

2010-04-21T21:16:00.001+10:00

Tagged by the lovely Beecah from Blinking Flights I shall now share seven fun facts about me.

1. I am quite small. I think I am bout 5'1 at most. My feet are also small. Size 4. Apparently good things come in small packages, so i'll leave it at that.

2. I am a keen baker and would love to own my own bakery come cafe. Of course I would live upstairs from it so I could breathe in the delicious smells all day and night.

3. I love Wes Anderson movies. My favourite being the Royal Tenenbaums.

4. I am going to start a sister blog to this one about my escapades in cooking and veganising food from the Maltese Culture. My partner is Maltese and his family have some great food which has vegan potential.

5. I enjoy reading Bukowski, Vonnegut, Palahnuik and Murakami

6. My favourite musicians are Elliott Smith, Rocky Votolato, Dead Man's Bones, Lady Gaga, Nirvana and Jawbreaker

7. I collect Little Golden Books. I currently have about 170.

I'm tagging Mandee, Cate, Renee, Lauren and Sarah

Unplanned temporary hiatus

2010-04-11T22:09:00.000+10:00

Will be back to regular programming shortly

Carbonara, Vegan Style

2010-03-05T12:57:00.000+11:00

There's nothing like a creamy, tasty, vegan carbonara. Just as the weather is getting cooler, my tummy asks for filling, comfort food. This carbonara really hit the spot. I will post the recipe soon.

Sunday's scraps

2010-03-02T13:59:00.000+11:00

What else is there to do on a Sunday except sleep in and have a massive brunch to put you in a food coma for the rest of the day

Vegan in The Mountains

2010-03-02T13:44:00.000+11:00

On Friday night we headed to Katoomba for a show and decided to stay the night. For dinner we headed to Katoomba Street - the main drag, and checked out the local restaurants. We chose the Three Sisters BBQ Chinese Restaurant who had a good veg*n selection.

I got the Satay Gluten and vegetables and the boy had sizzling vegetarian Mongolian Lamb.
Both were generous portions and filled us up quite nicely.
The satay was just the right amount of spicy for me but I found the lamb to be really rich. It was really cool to see it come out sizzling on a hot plate though.

okonomiyaki

2010-02-27T20:54:00.001+11:00

okonomiyaki
Originally uploaded by for_esme

Using the recipe below, we made a Japanese favourite for dinner. This is great to use up those last bits of veggies hanging around in the fridge.
One Okonomiyaki pancake is enough to fill me up, this recipe makes about three plate sized pancakes.

http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/1370/Okonomiyaki-Savoury-Vegetable-Pancakes/

Hair

2010-02-25T17:06:00.003+11:00

I've been thinking about dying my hair again. I used to colour my hair like crazy years ago. This is the longest I have had the same hair colour since I was old enough to dye my hair. So, in inspiration here are a few pics.

New Layout

2010-02-24T16:14:00.000+11:00

For some super cute FREE layout designs check out YUMMY LOLLY

Baking makes me happy

2010-02-22T17:53:00.001+11:00

DSCN2183
Originally uploaded by for_esme

I'm not sure how or why but baking makes me feel better.
An afternoon in the kitchen whipping up a batch of cupcakes for no reason other than relief.

Product Review #1 - Bean Curd Fish by Adriano Food

2010-02-22T13:34:00.000+11:00

Shopping at our local Asian grocery yesterday we came across something new called Bean Curd Fish by Adriano Food.

A favourite recipe of ours is Ginger Fish, so we decided to try something other than our regular fake fish and at $5 a box, it was much cheaper than our usual.

The 2 pieces come wrapped in a freezer bag kind of wrapping and also a cling wrap type of film, which i peeled off, not knowing whether it was edible or not. After looking at the box I realised maybe it was supposed to be left on.
I cut the logs into bite size pieces and deep fried them as we usually do.

We then made the Ginger Fish like always and popped the pieces on top.

The fish didn't have the over-powering fishy taste, infact it had no taste at all. The inside was mushy and had no resemblance to meat whatsoever. Despite being wrapped in seaweed, it didn't taste like the ocean, just little balls of processed soy. I'm not sure if maybe our cooking technique was wrong or it's just a matter of personal taste but we will be sticking to our regular fake fish.
Lesson learned. If there is nothing wrong with the original recipe, don't change it just to be cheap.

UPDATE: Just checked out Lamyong and now their fish is no longer vegan.

Black Dog

2010-02-21T18:37:00.000+11:00

It's no secret that I have been a long term sufferer of depression. Starting in my early teens I have struggled with bouts of depression, sometimes lasting for months at a time. I have taken medications in the past to "help" but have found them to be worse than the depression itself.
Just when I thought I had maybe grown out of it, it sneaks back into my life. The recent death of my best friend I assume being the trigger.
I could feel it pulling me in to the black hole, the one I thought i had escaped, I pulled away as hard as I could but ended up at the inevitable.
The guilt of not being able to help someone and the regret and remorse of not being there for him weigh heavily on my mind. Without a release of this guilt the sadness has built inside me, bubbling just below the surface, waiting for the best time to ravage my brain with anxiety and black thoughts.
It feels almost as if someone has unplugged a cord from my brain, it's flailing around, emitting it's current and causing havoc. Noises are amplified and sound like they are coming from a mega-phone. Sleep comes in off-beat blocks. I can stare at the ceiling for hours on end or sleep until past midday. My mind races, sounding like a schoolyard of screaming children that just wont quit. My heart beats until it feels like it's about to escape my chest. I grit my teeth until it hurts and wait for the feeling to pass.
To try and explain this to someone who has never experienced depression is hard. My friend knew exactly what I felt but I never had to say a word. He would look at me and just say "I know, it's okay" and sometimes that is all I would need to hear. My quick fix. My verbal valium.
Sometimes there is no trigger at all, just that familiar tap on the shoulder. "Oh hai depression, there you are. I have been wondering where you have been hiding while I have been off picking daisies" Then I am dragged, kicking and screaming, to that familiar place.
For a while I found comfort in drugs, any I could get my hands on. This proved to be futile, often exasperating the symptoms. I am pleased to say I learned my lesson, albeit the hard way, and no longer use drugs at all.
So with the hands of depression firmly gripped around my neck, I await the ride it takes me on. The repeated roller coaster. There is no choice in jumping off or tightening the seat belt. It decides when it wants to spit you out.

Sydney Vegan Bake Off

2010-02-20T14:23:00.000+11:00

Last weekend was Sydney's inaugural (and hopefully, annual) Vegan Bake Off hosted by Aduki Independent Press and Naked Espresso.
If you have been following me on twitter lately you would have noticed me tweeting madly about the bake off and a few creations I had been working on. I was super excited to introduce my Vanilla Slice Cupcake and Cherry Ripe Cake onto the Vegan community.
Armed with my treats, we drove to Basil Pizza in Newtown (which also moonlights on the weekend as Naked Espresso - a vegan brunch cafe).
I got to meet lots of lovely vegans - Mandee, Lisa, Cate and a few more whose names/blogs I can't quite remember.
So, onto the entries and pics

My lavender shortbread cookies. Made from a recipe off the internet called Sassy Shortbread. I added some culinary lavender to these just to make it taste a little different to usual. The lavender gives it a soft, velvety taste which goes well with a cup of Earl Grey. I used some cute teapot and tea cup cookies cutters to go with the theme.

My Vanilla Slice Cupcakes, which won in the cupcake category.

I had made these before, but worked on the recipe a little more and added custard to the middle. The icing melted a little but had the delicious zing of passionfruit to compliment it well.

To go with my current obsession of cake-ifying favourite Australian Slices into vegan goodness, here is my winning cake - the Cherry Ripe Cake.

This is a coconut chocolate cake filled with cherry/coconut filling and topped with a thick ganache and a few glace cherries for good measure.

Somehow I got this cake tasting just like a cherry ripe first go. Must be my awesome tastebuds and sweet tooth working together.

These are a few of the entries I was competing with.

Top Plate - Black Forest cake, Mars Bar Cookie

Middle Plate - Banana Split Cuppy (gluten free) Cherry Ripe Cake

Bottom Plate - Macadamia Slice, Vanilla Slice Cuppy, Chunky Choc Chip Cookie, Savoury Polenta Pie/Quiche, Lavender Shortbread.

Don't Worry, I didn't eat these all myself! There were six of us to share this between.

Winners of the best in show were Mandee and myself. Between us we won almost every category.

Best Cake - Cherry Ripe Cake (me)

Best Cupcakes - Vanilla Slice Cupcakes (me)

Best Biscuit - Mars Bar cookies - made with Go Max Go Twilight Bar(Mandee)

Best Gluten Free - Banana Split Cupcakes (Mandee)

We won a cute prize pack for the categories including some Aduki Books and some handmade wallets and brooches and pins made by Cate.
For best in show we also won a free brunch/dinner. I'm going for the new Hawaiian Pizza from Basil and Mandee will be having brunch at Naked Espresso

I really had a great time and it was nice to try other people's cooking and to show them my own.

I didn't enter to win, but it was a nice suprise. It offended me when i saw that someone said I only won because I had tattoos, but BOOOOOO to people like that!

After the Bake Off we hung out in Newtown, checked out some op-shops and had a very light lunch at Green Thai Palace.

What a fun day. I can't wait 'til the next one.

All photos are courtesy of the lovely Michelle B

spicy moroccan chickpea and lentil soup

2010-02-09T15:39:00.000+11:00

serves 6

1 tbs olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves crushed garlic
2.5cm piece of fresh ginger, finely grated
3 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
half tsp chilli powder
half tsp saffron threads soaked in 2 tbs boiling water
can of chopped tomatoes
1 litre veggie stock
1 cup dry red lentils, rinsed
can of chickpeas, drained
1/3 cup chopped coriander
1/3 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

Heat the oil in a large, heavy based saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-7 mins. Add the garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin and chilli powder and cook, stirring, for 1 min.
Add the saffron and its soaking liquid, tomatoes, stock, lentils and 1 litre of water to the pan. Cover and bring to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 30 mins. Add chickpeas and cook for another 10 mins.
Remove from heat and stir in fresh coriander and parsley. Season to taste.

warning - does make you a bit FARTY!! but tastes delicious :)

Vegan Paella

2010-02-01T15:57:00.000+11:00

I have never made or eaten a Paella before, so I had no idea how this was going to turn out. Well, it turned out to be a delicious success so I will share the recipe with you.

Ingredients
1 tbs oil
1 spanish onion thinly sliced
2 cloves crushed garlic
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp regular paprika
1 cup basmati rice (I used Jasmine instead)
small pinch of saffron
500 ml vegetable stock
1/2 red capsicum
1/2 green capsicum
1 truss tomato (de-seeded and diced)
1/2 cup corn kernels
1/2 cup frozen peas
100 grams firm tofu (cut into 1 cm chunks)
half a small jar of artichoke hearts cut into thin wedges
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

You will need to pre-roast the capsicums first so quickly chop into strips and de-seed and put onto a roasting tray and drizzle in olive oil. Cook on each side for 10 mins at 165 degrees.
I also suggest adding your saffron to the stock at this point, just to be extra prepared.
While this is roasting heat the oil in a cast iron pot. (We have a fancy new La Chasseur French oven that works perfectly.) Keep on a medium low heat and add the onions stirring occasionally for about 5 mins.
Then add the garlic and stir in for another minute. Add the paprikas and cook for another minute. Add the rice to the pot and coat evenly with the spices.
Pour in the stock and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and let simmer for 20-25 mins or until all the stock is absorbed.
By this time the capsicums should be ready, let cool for a few minutes, peel off the skin and dice.
Add capsicum, tomato, corn, peas and tofu to the rice. Combine well and cover again and cook for a further 5 mins.
I suggest while this part is cooking you toast the pine nuts.
Remove from heat and and stir in the artichokes. Top with pine nuts and enjoy!

a few things from the oven

2010-01-02T22:29:00.000+11:00

I made a few edible christmas gifts this year.
Cute candy cane cuppies. Green, mint flavoured frosting with crushed up candy canes sprinkled over the top.

Sugar cookies and gingerbread men (which were eaten before i could get a photo)

Egg-free meringue made with the angel food packet mix. (They also have a vegan marshmallow kit.)

Lastly, for new years eve, I made mocha cookies. These were coffee flavoured cookies with melted chocolate drizzled over the top. Best cookies I've made in ages.

diets and me just don't mix

2010-01-02T22:06:00.000+11:00

I always start off with the best of intentions but my short attention span can't stand doing the same thing for too long. As healthy as the kind diet sounds, being a super hero is hard work. Soaking beans, having rice ready-made and always having fresh veggies on hand is a lot of work, especially of you don't have the time. I usually plan the weeks meal ahead so that we can shop for the week but sometimes things can't be planned. Holiday eating, going out, accidentally waking up after lunch time. Ooooops.
Anyway, I stuck to the diet for 2-3 weeks but i couldn't take it any longer! Too much rice, too much soy sauce, only piece of fruit per day and not enough flavour or selection for my liking. I think i'll just stick to being vegan.
The next thing i want to do is start cutting down on soy and after the whole bonsoy debacle i think i might just stick to rice milk permanently from now on.
Any hints or tips on how to keep soy to a minimum?

The Kind Diet. Superhero Week One - Ende

2009-12-21T10:52:00.000+11:00

Wednesday
Breakfast - Quick Oats w/ rice syrup
Lunch - leftover tabbouleh
Dinner - Azuki and Kabocha Casserole
Snack - gingered green beans
Exercise - none (naughty!)

Thursday
Breakfast - Kamut Cereal
Lunch - Ginger Pasta w/ zucchini
Dinner - Polenta Casserole (I used tempeh instead of seitan)
Snack - apple. sampled a turkish apple tea from t2
Exercise - none, too rainy

Friday
Breakfast - Kamut Cereal
Lunch - brown rice and miso
Dinner - leftover ginger pasta
Snack - oreo and a hot chocolate
Exercise - damn rain! no exercise today

Saturday
Breakfast - Toast w/ vege melange
Lunch - fruit salad
Dinner - mini pizzas
Snack - seaweed snacks
Exercise -

Ok, so a quick review of the week! No sugar, lots of wholegrains........ouch. I get a weird headache when i eat something with a lot of sugar in it . Dealing with the cravings at the start of the week was hard but it got easier, it's just the habit of tea and biscuit before bed that's killing me now.
Honestly, the diet is pretty bland most of the time. Yeah, i know that is a big thing to say BUT apparently this diet is all about reducing salt and making things simpler, even though soy sauce is in almost EVERYTHING!
Best thing i have made this week was definitely the black eyed pea croquettes with dipping sauce.
My goal for the next week is more exercise and keeping my sweet tooth at bay.

The Kind Diet. Superhero Week One - catch up

2009-12-16T12:21:00.000+11:00

Having a camera with flat batteries makes it hard to blog as well as i want to but here is what i have eaten this week so far.

Sunday
Breakfast - Quinoa with brown rice syrup
Snack - Fruit platter (rockmelon/watermelon/kiwi/honeydew)
Lunch - Nori Burritos
Dinner - Teriyaki Noodles

Monday
Late Brunch - Quinoa with basil and pinenuts (leftovers)

Snack - half an apple/half a banana

Dinner - Alicia's magical healing soup

(Accidentally woke up really late this day, about 1pm. YIKES!)

Exercise - An evening walk around the neighbourhood for an hour

Tuesday
Breakfast - Quick oats with soy milk and brown rice syrup
Lunch - 2 Vine leaves
Dinner - Black eyed pea croquettes and salad with tahini dressing
Snack - homemade peanut butter cup
Exercise - An evening walk around the neighbourhood for an hour

Basically i try to begin the day with a whole grain, I should probably switch the soy milk to rice milk, but we have a few bonsoy cartons in the pantry that we should use up first. Eating leftovers is a good idea for a quick meal and i have lots of pre-soaked beans ready to whip up into something tasty.
In my regular self sabotage routine, I made a batch of peanut butter cups which stare me in the face every time i open the fridge, but i have been pretty good so far.
There have been a few weird side effects so far for both me and the boy. Definite coffee withdrawls. I had to give in to the craving a few times, it's too hard to do cold turkey! While we were shopping the boy had a bit of a dizzy spell probably due to low blood sugar. I told him about Alicia's theory that chewing each mouthful of food 30 times helped with this. So we sat down and had something to eat. The weird changes in weather aren't helping much either. Feeling a bit sluggish but i'm sure it's just detox from not eating such processed foods.
So far, so good. Hopefully my body will start adapting to the wholegrains and beans and OCCASIONAL treat. I'm so used to having a tea and biscuit before bed every night for the past 5 years that it has become a routine. Time to break it and start better ones, i say!

Day ONE of the kind diet!

2009-12-12T20:48:00.000+11:00

Day one has been a success. I have made it through my first day on a diet! yay! Now to go to bed before I ruin it all!
I'll keep a small meal plan here just to let you know what I have been eating so that when you decide to try to the kind diet, you can just steal mine or take ideas for yours.
Last night I made the Quinoa with Basil and Pine Nuts. Pretty basic but i love fresh herbs and toasted pine nuts in anything really. We had some radish tabbouleh on the side. The boy also said this was his new favourite tabbouleh. SUCCESS!!
Today's breakfast was scrambled tofu. A diet with scrambled tofu you say? Why, yes. YES INDEED! We made ours with broccoli, zucchini, spanish onion, red cabbage and mushrooms. Fresh coriander on the top made it delightful. The boy had his with toast but I had mine on it's own.
Alicia's meal plan mentions that you can eat out at a sushi place, so for lunch we had some fresh sushi. I had a seaweed salad, edamame and an avocado roll. I also had a green tea which didn't quite give me the caffeine hit my body was asking for.
For dinner i made the clean, mean burritos. These are not actually burritos in any way, shape or form. Basically you put a bunch of stuff onto a tortilla, wrap it up and eat. We used wholemeal flat bread and I piled brown rice, kidney beans, lettuce, cucumber and avocado onto mine. After one i was pretty full. I ate the rest of the avocado so it didn't go to waste.
Waited a little while for dinner to settle and took a walk around the neighbourhood as our daily exercise.
All in all, a good day. Missing my coffee a lot and i would love a cup of tea and an oreo right now though.
This diet does require a bit of planning. I already have beans soaking for tomorrow's dinner and have a bit of prep to do for lunch tomorrow too. Alicia recommends that you prepare in bulk for the week but I don't like things sitting in the fridge for too long, waiting to be reheated/cooked.
I have been reading the kind life forums and noticed people asking if the diet was a scam because they had been drinking the weight loss tea for 5 (i think) days and hadn't lost a single pound/kilo. This stuff always makes me laugh. It took months/years to put the weight on, how on earth is it supposed to disappear in 5 days, you crazy, delusional fool?!!? I'm not into this diet for a quick fix. I want my body to be as healthy as I can make it. I tried the tea drink, I didn't like it. Probably wont try it again, but i'm not going to write to Alicia Silverstone on her forum and whinge about it! SHEESH!
So not only have I made it through my first day on a real diet, I have also written my longest blog ever!

so long, winter

2009-12-11T15:14:00.000+11:00

As summer digs it's heels into another year, my body starts telling me to eat better. That is until my brain tells me it wants chocolate at every waking moment. But, this summer will be different i tells ya!
I got my copy of Alicia Silverstone's, The Kind Diet from amazon a few weeks ago and have been inspired to change my vegan junk food ways. Armed with a shopping list to make your parents proud and a meal plan to last at least two weeks i will embark into a journey of the unknown - eating healthy foods!
Of course i will revive this ridiculously neglected blog with a breath of organic and cruelty free air with lots of lovely pictures and recipes to fill your voyeuristic requirements.

If you haven't read The Kind Diet yet, you should. It's full of useful information and easy to read. Not anything like the textbooks, medical journals and essay styles that i'm used to reading to get my information from.

The Super Hero Diet is all vegan, with a lot of japanese influence, which i really like. I've never been on a diet before, so let's see how long this will last!

Vegan Marshmallow Brownies

2009-11-24T20:44:00.000+11:00

We got some Dandies vegan marshmallows from the cruelty free shop last week and, although tasty on their own, i was dying to bake them into a delicious gooey brownie.
After scouring the internet for a recipe i decided to go with the one on the Chicago Soydairy website.
Getting all my ingredients together, i found that i only had self raising flour so i didn't add any salt or baking soda to the recipe as these are already in the self raising flour.
This recipe calls for you to make some of the flour and water into a cooked gooey paste and to melt the butter and add cocoa til smooth. As the recipe says, this will make a thick batter. Too thick i'd say. I ended up adding almost half a cup of oil just to make it into a better consistency. I also added the marshmallows and choc chips into the batter rather than at the end.
Now, i'd say at this point in my life i could call myself a bit of a cake connoisseur but this brownie was a little too cakey for me. I like my brownies fudgy !! Maybe less time in the oven next time. Luckily the marshmallows are the saving grace for this chocolatey treat. They melted nicely and even burned the hell out of my hand when taking the tray out of the oven, just like a real marshmallow.

Vegan Pizza!

2009-11-16T13:14:00.000+11:00

Last weekend we took a trip to the city to visit our friends and ended up staying for dinner. Usually we head to Newtown because that's where all the good vegan stuff is, but someone mentioned a place next to our old house was now making vegan pizza.
Melinzana Wood Fired Pizzeria offers vegan and gluten free pizza. HOORAY!
There were 4 of us eating, so we got 3 pizzas. Vegetarian, Melinzana and a vegan deli/mock meat style. All of which were delicious!
It did end up being expensive but we don't eat out very much so it was a nice treat.
I didn't have a favourite because they were all awesome and it was really nice to try something new. The woodfired pizza taste to it made it even better than a regular pizza. They even had the actual wood fire in the middle of the pizzeria for you to see your food being cooked. Service was excellent and the food was ready quickly. The waitress made sure that we had our vegan questions answered promptly too.

Melinzana Wood Fired Pizzeria
289 Enmore Rd, Enmore
95161781
Dine in and Take away
(Free home delivery for orders over $20)

something other than food

2009-10-31T12:29:00.000+11:00

Getting my hair cut is my favourite non food treat. If i had to choose between splashing out on clothes or a good hair cut i would definitely take the latter.
I had seen an advertisement in the local paper about a hair salon that used products that were environmentally friendly, no animal testing or ingredients, plant based and australian made and owned. The were really close to my house and a good hairdresser is hard to find so i thought i would give them a try.
Sheridan, my hairdresser, was really nice. She showed me heaps of magazines so i could pick a hairstyle, talked to me for ages about the colour and even gave me a cup of tea.
Other places i have been to are just so pushy and get you in and out as fast as they can but this is the first time someone actually took the time to help me out. Once, a hairdresser got dye in my eye! Another time dye was all over my neck and ears and all over the place and it was a bright red dye too :/ I also hate being splashed in the face when they wash my hair. Yes i am a hairdresser's nightmare sometimes when i ask for a ridiculous haircut or colour but i am paying for a service here!!!! I also hate when they try to give you the upsell on some shampoo and conditioner pack after they have just given the worst service ever.
Anyways, after 2 hours of being pampered at the hairdresser and the best service i have ever been given i walked out a new woman.......well, not really, but my hair was fun and bouncy.
I guess by now you might want some details on this salon. Well it's

Infinity Hair Design
Shop 7 19 Turner Rd
Berowra Heights 2081

They use De Lorenzo products and are super nice and give fantastic service. So next time you need a cut and colour, give them a try. They get my stamp of approval.

bones in the sand

2009-10-25T14:23:00.001+11:00

DSCF1738
Originally uploaded by for_esme

I think i forgot to mention that on our road trip we found a whole bunch of bones buried in the sand and tangled in seaweed. We walked from one end of the beach to the other collecting them all and trying to figure out what they could be.

a whale of a time

2009-10-21T11:39:00.001+11:00

DSCF1724
Originally uploaded by for_esme

Although i am yet to blog properly about my trip to Melbourne, here is a quick video of a mama and baby whale we saw at Warrnambool in a place known as "Victoria’s Southern Right Whale Nursery".

cat face

2009-10-19T19:46:00.000+11:00

This is my kitty cat Pupa.
Pupa means doll in Maltese but most people thinks it's because she poops a lot. She is 4 years old. Grey with peachy coloured highlights from sitting in the sun.
She likes pats under the chin and pretending to be non affectionate.
She also likes a sneaky afternoon nap on the end of my bed.
We found her as a baby kitty dumped outside a pet store in a shoe box. I think she was probably less than 6 weeks old because she was TINY!

Kino Bake Fair

2009-10-18T17:11:00.000+11:00

Yesterday was the Kino Bake Fair at Kinokuniya Books in Sydney to promote the release of their cook book catalogue.
Planet Cake popped in for a demo on cupcake decorating and the Bourke Street Bakery authors were doing signings of their new book.
A friend of mine works at Kinokuniya and asked if i would like a table at the bake fair and of course i said YES, YES, YES!
I spent the whole of the night before making lots of sweet treats and woke up early to make frosting and even had some extra time to make a few impromptu little cakes too.
We got there a bit early to set up and there were already other stalls ready to go and quite a few people looking around.

Oreo cuppies sold out the fastest, of course!

The Recipe for this is in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

And a few people were into my new invention - the vanilla slice cupcake

Brownies were also a hit and we only had one left at the end of the day. I got the recipe from The Joy Of Vegan Baking (i think).

Choc crackles and spiders were quick and easy to make and sold well.

This is a Vegan bad mood cake. Taken from the recipe by Natalie at Bake and Destroy. Originally a cupcake recipe, cake-ified. All i did was double the recipe and voila - the best damn cake you have ever tasted in your life. I'm glad a i had some of this left over to gorge myself on with a nice cup of tea.

My shirt is also from bake and destroy. You can get one from Natalie's blog. Mine is almost worn out.

Baby Berry cakes were almost sold out by the end of the day and a few people asked me for the recipe.

Choc Chip and Rainbow cookies were popular but i made so many that i still had heaps left at the end of the day. Recipe from The Joy of Vegan baking.

I made some donut holes from a gluten free recipe i found on the web, but silly me used sprinkles that contained gluten. GF Fail for me :(

I didn't sell all of my melting moments but the boy was happy to devour a few with a huge coffee. The recipe for these came from Vegan Indulgence. I have tried to make them a few times before without great success but this time they worked perfectly!

The cute sign Andy made for morons to roll their eyes at.

My friends Mechelle and Anney also had a store selling their amazing treats and cute hand made softies and vintage decorated plates. Their ice cream cupcakes were ridiculously cute.

We had a great day apart from the few eyeball rolls and i got a cute new apron with cherry pies on it.

Leftovers went to my vegan friends who were only too happy to take a few doggy bags home.

Kino Bake Fair

2009-10-13T13:33:00.000+11:00

Kino Bake Fair
Saturday, 17 October, 12pm - 4pm
Kinokuniya Book Store
Level 2 The Galleries Victoria
500 George Street Sydney 2000.
my stall will be strictly vegan. come by and try some of my treats!
open for requests :)

too lazy to blog

2009-10-09T23:46:00.001+11:00

DSCF1618
Originally uploaded by for_esme

spent most of the past week doing this. will blog about it when my brain returns to normal.

Melbourne Road Trip - making plans

2009-09-27T19:23:00.000+10:00

Melbourne friends, what are some good places to stop at on a road trip from Sydney to Melbourne?
Also where are some awesome places to eat and shop? Help please!!

australian NZ VEGAN Mofo - #16 cuppycakes

2009-09-27T17:59:00.000+10:00

The last time i made a batch of cuppies was for the RSPCA Cupcake Day but this weekend i felt the baking bug bite so i indulged and made a some vanilla cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting. Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World is my main source of sugary goodness although i was going to mix it up a bit and try to make a "vanilla slice" kind of cupcake. I added some rum essence to the cake batter but when it came time to make the frosting i realised i had no passionfruit, so i made some chocolate frosting instead.
These guys were hit with my friends and the rum essence is a nice twist on the regular vanilla taste.
I love making the frosting look like a soft serve ice cream, it makes me feel like i'm getting 2 treats for the price of one!

australian NZ VEGAN Mofo - #15 chickpea cutlets

2009-09-27T17:49:00.000+10:00

My most favourite recipe from veganomicon is the chickpea cutlets. When there's nothing in the fridge and everything is running low, these guys are always there to save the day. They are easy to make, quick to cook and taste amazing. Veganomicon, you've done it again.
When we make the chickpea cutlets they are always accompanied by lemony roast potatoes and in our kitchen Andy is king of these guys. He never fails to make these anything but awesome. The cutlets are my domain and i have tried a few different ways of making them. I tend to add more sage and instead of mushing the chickpeas with a fork i just chuck them in the blender and pulse til they are smooth. I make the cutlets palm sized and i flatten them quite a bit because i like mine crunchy around the edges. Sometimes i make them a bit fatter and shallow fry them for the same effect.
I never manage to eat my plate full but having this as leftovers always rules.

australian NZ VEGAN Mofo - #14 Perfect Pesto

2009-09-23T15:28:00.000+10:00

There are so many different recipes for pesto on the internet and cook books but here is how i make mine

1 bunch basil
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup oil
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 tbs chia seeds

Blend together and mix into gnocchi or pasta.
Very quick and tasty

Your body, YOUR CHOICE!

2009-09-23T10:42:00.000+10:00

Sign the "Stop Mandatory Swine Flu Vaccination (Aust - Federal)" petition now!

How does your garden grow?

2009-09-22T21:55:00.000+10:00

I like the idea of a sustainable garden and when we have our own house with a huge fenced backyard i would love to plant all of these things
*lemon tree *lime tree *plum tree *peach tree *avocado tree *apple tree *mandarin
*lettuce *tomato *carrots *peas
*potato *squash *pumpkin
*lavender *sunflowers
*basil *coriander *mint *parsley *dill *rosemary *thyme *oregano

What do you have in your garden?

australian NZ VEGAN Mofo - #13 Red Bean and Sweet Potato Curry

2009-09-22T20:36:00.000+10:00

I have gone back to my regular few meals for the past few days. Burritos usually followed the next night by nachos and one night we ate out because the boys band was playing.
Saturday night we were going to eat at Yulli's but we stood inside for a while and were ignored by 4 different people and we didn't really have time to waste standing around, so we just walked out. Got cheap Thai at the place a few doors down which i think mine had egg in, weird because i asked for veggie tofu. hmmm :/ Anyway, i shall get onto the deliciousness that is Red Bean and Sweet Potato Curry. I have made this a few times and each time i like it more and more.

You will find the recipe in VEGAN PLANET.

australian NZ VEGAN Mofo - #12 the lazy post

2009-09-19T15:18:00.000+10:00

Hot dogs for dinner. I think i put too much mustard on mine this time. I used the leftover snobby joe stuff and some fried onions. Please summer come and save me from this comfort food eating! Fruit for dinner every night, smoothies and sorbet. come soon.

australian NZ VEGAN Mofo - #11 snobby joes

2009-09-18T11:53:00.000+10:00

I have never eaten a sloppy joe before and the only time i have seen one was on the simpsons. So trying out a recipe from cartoon reference and Mandee's blog post was always going to be experimental.
The recipe called for "tomato sauce" and for some reason i thought that meant sauce as in "ketchup". oooops! lost in translation. In Australia we call ketchup, tomato sauce. Andy later told me it meant to use what we call "passata" or spaghetti sauce. Luckily, i didn't have tomato paste either and in lieu of both these things i used a can of tomato soup. My conversion skills weren't that great and instead of using 8oz i used a 450g can of tomato soup. So to thicken it up a bit i put in cornflour/water mix and that seemed to help a bit. Anyway, lesson learned - convert first, don't guess and make sure i understand the american terms for stuff.
So here it is, our extra sloppy snobby joes

I put a slice of tofutti cheese on one of mine and Andy made his into a burger. Probably some form of sloppy joe faux pas but whatevs. I ended up leaving the lid off mine (too much bread for me) and they were yummy. However, I am partial to a nice saucy lentil smooshy kind of meal.

Australian NZ VEGAN Mofo - the food diaries

2009-09-17T08:48:00.000+10:00

Last week i suggested a few things that we all try to do instead of taking pictures of our dinner.
So yesterday i kept a food log and here is what i ate;

glass of water
2 slices vegemite toast
1 strawberry
1 banana
early grey tea
handful of macadamias
glass of water
2 pieces of crystalised ginger
a packet of vege chips
4 snakata rice crackers
earl grey tea
2 snobby joes
2 choc mint bikkies
sleepytime tea

Yes, i am the constantly snacking type. Usually i drink way more tea too. Definitely need to add more exercise though. Anyway, that was fun. What do you eat on a daily basis?

australian NZ VEGAN Mofo #10 - beautiful soup

2009-09-16T16:58:00.000+10:00

I love a good, rich butternut pumpkin soup. Not the watery canned type, but one made from scratch. It's pretty easy and quick to make, so here's how you can do it too. You will need;

half a butternut pumpkin
5-6 cups of water
veggie stock powder
ginger (if you want but not necessary)

Firstly, cut up the pumpkin into slices and remove the skin. Grease a baking tray or dish and place the slices on then season with salt and pepper. Make sure the pumpkin is well oiled so that it doesnt burn or crisp up. Cook at 180 for 20 mins, then turn and cook the other side for another 15. The pumpkin should be slightly brownish but not burned.
On the stove fill the saucepan with the water and veggie stock and add the pumpkin. Medium heat boil for about 10 mins so that the pumpkin starts falling apart.
Pour the almost-soup into the blender and pulse about 10 times. Be careful that you don't get burned if the blender spits up some soup. (You can add the ginger before pulsing if you choose to do so)
This will make a nice thick soup but if you like your soups a bit thinner just add more water.
Serve with fresh bread or croutons or toast.

australian NZ VEGAN Mofo #9 - an old fashioned baked dinner

2009-09-15T13:46:00.000+10:00

It starts to wear thin with me when people continually ask what i eat. I answer with, "the same things as you, only healthier and cruelty free" Being vegan hasn't made me skinny like most people use the vegan diet for. Infact, being vegan has given me the biggest sweet tooth ever and i think i eat more sugary treats than i used to but i always try to balance it with lots and lots of fruit and veggies. Vegan is a lifestyle, not a diet!
Now, the sunday roast was a family favourite in our house as kids and of course it's easy to veganize.
When i make a roast i always try to make as many veggies as possible and eat less of the "meat"(I use the sanitarium veggie roast) What's a roast without baked potato? I try to make 1 potato per person then add some sweet potato aswell because it's lower GI. There is always an eggplant thats about to expire so i grilled some of that and lastly i steamed some brussel sprouts. Voila - vegan baked dinner

australian NZ VEGAN Mofo #8 the lost chapters

2009-09-14T13:28:00.000+10:00

Over the weekend we babysat my nephew and cousin. I didn't get a chance to take many photos of food because it was demolished within seconds of touching the plate. They are omni's at home with their parents but part-time vegans when they come to stay with us. They can't really tell the difference that they are eating vegan and eat the same things we do.
Friday night we had spaghetti, They usually have mince in theirs but i made it with the sanitarium stuff and they couldn't even tell! They also thought the parma-almond was real parmasen cheese.
Saturday we went for a drive to amazement, which has a few mazes, animals and other fun things. They rode on the electric cars, fed some baby lambs and played puzzle games. We had some lunch and headed to the beach at The Entrance.
The kids loved splashing around the beach, finding shells and watching the pelicans get fed. We had some chips on the grass and then headed home.
For dinner we made mini pizzas. Kids had cheese pizza and we made cheeseburger pizzas from one of the Sarah Kramer cook books. We also made an artichoke/tomato/mushroom pizza which i didn't get to taste because someone dropped mine on the floor :(

So i'm pretty sure i have had my yearly dose of vitamin D. I had heaps of sunscreen so i didn't get burnt thankfully. Babysitting is tiring and i'm kinda glad i get to give them back at the end of the weekend.

peanut-ginger-sesame cookies

2009-09-10T12:24:00.001+10:00

DSCN1807
Originally uploaded by for_esme

veganomicon is my bible. i say it all the time but these have to be the best cookies i have ever tasted. The old lady in me says to add more ginger next time but still very nom!

gotta check if those shews are veegz

2009-09-09T21:47:00.000+10:00

Australian NZ VEGAN Mofo - Leftovers

2009-09-09T12:54:00.000+10:00

Since my fridge was full to the brim with plates and containers of non finished foods, last night had to be a leftover night. I find that most times food tastes just that bit better after sitting overnight. I polished off the quinoa stir-fry for and it was even better second time around. I can't tell you how much you need to make it, like right now!
Today feels like a baking day. I haven't made a batch of cupcakes since the last RSPCA cupcake day baking extravaganza but i feel like making the ginger-sesame cookies from veganomicon. If i make the cupcakes there's only 2 of us to eat them and i usually end up eating majority of them. At least with cookies they last longer and we can enjoy them with a nice cup of tea.

australian NZ VEGAN Mofo - shakin' it up

2009-09-08T16:14:00.000+10:00

Here are some ideas i copy/pasted from the Vegan Mofo Flikr Group

I know we all love to take photos of our food and blog about it to inspire one another but let's all try to do something new from this list. I wont be doing the earth balance thing though!

* Your first vegan/vegetarian restaurant memory
* Something you used to cook but don’t anymore
* Try to cook/bake something that intimidates you
* Write about your grandma’s holiday cooking
* your favorite dish to bring to a potluck
* your favorite meal to cook for people who are scared of vegan food
* your favorite meal to cook for your parents/in-laws
* use an grain you’ve never used before
* use a fruit or vegetable you’ve never used before
* veganize a recipe from your childhood
* cook dinner for a friend as a surprise and drop it off right after work
* cook an all-local ingredients meal
* Write about your favorite songs to cook to
* Keep a photo food journal for the entire day
* Veganize a recipe
* Tell the story of the first time you tried tofu
* Take a cookbook that you don’t use very often and make one new recipe out of it every day for a week
* Post pictures of yourself wearing nothing but Earth Balance and a smile

australian NZ VEGAN Mofo #7 - The second serving

2009-09-08T16:02:00.000+10:00

Another favourite of mine from Veganomicon is the eggplant-potato moussaka with pine nut cream.
There is a few different steps involved in making this so you will need to set aside about an hour to get everything ready.
I'm not too sure about the legalities of writing up recipes from books but if you have your own copy of veganomicon you can check it out on page 164.

australian NZ VEGAN Mofo #6 nomolicious

2009-09-07T14:35:00.000+10:00

I find myself rotating the same 10 meals week after week so i thought i would mix it up a bit and try something new. Scouring through veganomicon i came across the pineapple-cashew-quinoa stir-fry recipe. (Sounded good and i had all the ingredients)
I'm usually a bit scared when i first try a new recipe because i'm not sure how its going to taste or turn out but this was definitely 10 noms out of 10.
You will need to prepare some quinoa in advance for this recipe. I had some cashews from the Hornsby organic market that went great with this but i used crushed pineapple instead of pineapple pieces. (I suggest you go for the pieces) I think Andy put a grilled chikn schnitzel or something on the top.

Yesterday i had a mid afternoon chocolate craving that wouldn't quit, so i looked in the cupboard for something to cure it. Cooking chocolate just wouldn't cut it. I had a few choc ripple bikkies in the cookie jar but that wasn't enough, so i added some so delicious chocolate velvet icecream to the middle and voila - home made vegan ice cream sandwich. A cure all for the biggest of chocolate cravings.

australian NZ VEGAN Mofo #5 - The craving edition

2009-09-06T14:36:00.000+10:00

For the past few weeks i have been craving omelettes like crazy. I have been looking all over the net for the perfect recipe and when one was suggested to me i knew i had to try it. When i woke up this morning i knew it was an omelette day. All the ingredients i needed were here. amazing! I changed it a little bit because i can never make a recipe exactly as it says (it's the rebel in me). You will need

2 cups of rice flour (I used the glutenous rice flour i had lying around)
1 cup chickpea flour
400ml Can of coconut cream
(I added some of the water and blended mine with a whizz stick to make it a bit thinner)
2 cups water
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp salt

Sift the flours together and make a well in the middle. Slowly add the coconut cream and water in intervals with a whisk starting with small circles and getting bigger as you add more liquid. This will stop it getting lumpy. Once you have a nice batter you can add the nutritional yeast, tumeric and salt and set aside so the flavours can infuse.
For the filling you can pretty much have whatever you want. I had shallots, mushrooms, spinach and grape tomatoes. Pre fry them so they are almost cooked and set aside.
Now back to the batter. Heat a fry pan and oil and pour in the batter. I suggest you do it so it's about a centremetre away from the edge so you can have some room to put the spatula under when it's time to flip. Then put your filling in a line in the middle and when the bubbles start appearing its time to flip it over in half. When it seals itself into a nice little omelette package it's time to enjoy.

I think the glutenous flour worked well with this recipe because it gave the omelette that gooey eggy feel.

Isa Moskowitz's Vegan Brunch also has a good omelette recipe using silken tofu but i was saving mine to make her eggplant and potato moussaka. She also lists a whole bunch of ideas for fillings.

The original recipe for the omlettes can be found here

Australian NZ VEGAN Mofo Take 4

2009-09-06T13:46:00.000+10:00

Last nights dinner was the vegan version of meat and three veg. We all grew up watching the mushroom ad "it's mmmmmmeeeat for vegetarians", so tonight we made portabello schnitzels.

I can't remember where i got the recipe from but this is what you will need

half cup bread crumbs

half cup flour

1 tsp thyme

pinch of salt

half a cup of soy milk (or rice milk if u prefer)

Prepare 4-5 portabello mushrooms by wiping off the dirt and removing the stem. I don't like to wash mine because it makes them slimy, i just wipe them with a clean tea towel.

Put the soy milk into a bowl and in a separate bowl combine the bread crumbs, flour, salt and thyme.

Firstly dip the portabellos into the milk then into the dry mixture. make sure they are fully coated and set them aside.

Melt some butter into a frypan, i use the second highest setting because you don't want it to burn but you still want it to be hot. Now you should use enough butter so that when you put the mushrooms in it is bubbling/frothing up the edges. Put them in top down first and turn when they are a bit darker than golden. You basically want the breading to get nice and crispy and to heat the mushroom inside. This will only take a few minutes on each side.

We made 4 all together but i usually only end up eating one because they are so filling.

Serve with mashed potato, corn on the cob and green beans. Ahhhh, just like mum used to make, only cruelty free.

Australian NZ VEGAN Mofo Part 3

2009-09-05T12:49:00.000+10:00

Although not it's not quite known for being a vegan food, (it's one of those ninja vegan items) yesterday i made an Aussie favourite - chocolate crackles! There is no photographic evidence because they were all eaten before i could get my camera out. Here is how i made them.....

4 cups of some kind of rice bubble cereal

1 cup sifted icing sugar

3 tbs cocoa powder

1 cup dessicated coconut

250g copha

Mix the dry ingredients together. Melt the copha in the microwave for about 45 seconds (make sure to cut it up into a few pieces so that it melts faster) and pour it over the dry ingredients. Mix well and spoon into cupcake/muffin liners. Place in the fridge to set.

I usually put the cupcakes liners into the cupcake baking tray to keep the shape and make them really big.

Here's what kellogs say they look like but mine are always double the size!

New cook books

2009-09-04T12:48:00.000+10:00

I am so excited right now. With summer on it's way i have been daydreaming of eating watermelon for dinner, scooping out kiwi fruits and putting ice in all my drinks.

I have found myself eating lots of comforting winter food, baking lots of cupcakes and basically in a vegan rut. One day an idea came to me, what if i ate more RAW foods? The whole idea of being vegan for us was to stop eating junk and put better foods into our bodies (apart from the whole loving animals side). So i ordered a few books from ebay to get me on the right track.

Ani Phyo has some great books. I got Ani's Raw food kitchen and Ani's Raw food desserts. What's a recipe book without the right info? The RAW Food revolution Diet will help me make sure i'm getting all the things i need and answer all of those fun questions like, "where do you get your protein?".

What vegan cook book collection isn't complete without the new Vegan Brunch by Isa Moskowitz? well, not mine! aaaaannnnddd lastly, we all love guilt free desserts which Babycakes by Erin McKenna has perfected.

No doubt these will all be covered in flour/soymilk/vegetable peel by the end of the week and i will be sure to post lots of pics of my cooking adventures.

dinner #2 AusNZVeganMoFo

2009-09-03T21:52:00.000+10:00

Tonight we had my favourite dinner, NACHOS!

They aren't really from any cookbook but here's how we make ours.

Cook an onion until it's translucent then add a can of sanitarium casserole mince and a packet of taco or fajita seasoning. Add a can of tomatoes, kidney beans and simmer for 15 mins. After this is done lay out some chipman corn chips onto a plate and put the nacho bean mix in the centre. Grate some Cheezly on top and put into the oven for about 20 minutes on 180 degrees. Top with mashed avocado and tofutti sour cream and ENJOY!

No meal in our house is complete unless it is followed by dessert. Tonight's was probably as healthy as it gets without lacking in the deliciousness factor. To let your tastebuds revel in this delight you will need a punnet of strawberries, some soy/rice milk and a little sugar to taste. Blend with a whizz stick blender, but not too much because you want it a little pulpy then pour into a bowl and slurp away.

No dinner for me

2009-09-03T09:51:00.000+10:00

Last night i didn't make anything for dinner. A bad mood and a headache put me in bed at 7pm.

I did have some left over beanballs for lunch on a roll with tomato sauce and it was delish!

Meal 1 for Aus VeganMoFo

2009-09-01T21:33:00.000+10:00

To kick off the first vegan meal for Aus VeganMoFo tonight i made Spaghetti and Beanballs from VEGANOMICON.

I didn't have any kidney beans so i used cannellini or white beans instead.

Here they are being all mashed up.

Then i added the spices/gluten flour/breadcrumbs etc and kneaded it for a few minutes to give it a nice chewy texture. After this i rolled them into about 16 walnut sized balls.

I put them into a baking tray with some oil and rolled them around so they were nicely coated.

Then cooked them for about 15 minutes each side and they came out nice and golden.

While all this was happening i also has some fettucine cooking on the stove and a tomato marinara sauce simmering away.

Put all three together and what do you get? A delicious meal for 2 with plenty left over for tomorrow's lunch. I put some Parma-Almond Cheez on mine! Delish!!

Australian VEGAN Mofo!

2009-09-01T14:52:00.000+10:00

Yes, I admit it, I am a lazy blogger!

This month i will blog my vegan butt off and take so many food pr0n pics that you will be sorry you ever asked me to update!

I am participating in the Australian Vegan Month Of Food just like the one on PPK, only a month early and for Aussies!

So ladies, preheat your ovens, put your best apron on and get cooking - VEGAN STYLE!

cook books

2009-09-01T12:44:00.001+10:00

DSCF1317
Originally uploaded by for_esme

I really like to cook. it's fun.
I also like to bake and vegan-ise other recipes.
Here are a few of my cook books. I use at least one recipe a day.
I can't pick a favourite because they are all great!

vegan booty

2009-08-27T21:10:00.001+10:00

DSCN1564
Originally uploaded by for_esme

got this from www.veganperfection.com.au

50's Fair at Rose Seidler House

2009-08-25T11:37:00.000+10:00

Being a long time fan of all things vintage we took a trip to Rose Seidler house on Sunday for the annual 50's Fair. Of course we dressed up a little for the day. The uneven ground didn't stop me from wearing huge heels.

The 50's Fair is my favourite event of the year. In the past few years we have been going the day has always been a nice winters day. Sunny with no clouds and everyone is happy and dressed up in gorgeous dresses and perfect hair. I wore my cute new Cue dress which was kind of 40's inspired and some oxford style heels. We sat in between the trees and had a little picnic which was nice. The girls got their photos taken and looked so pretty and i had bugs crawling on me. gross!

I didn't buy anything except for a pair of sunnies because i stupidly left mine at home. Everything seemed to be outrageously expensive or too big for me. Got some compliments which is always nice even though the boys looked effortlessly handsome and i had to spend an hour in the bathroom.

So now the search starts for next years dress! Love Vintage.

cupcake day

2009-08-17T11:00:00.000+10:00

Yesterday i spent 12 hours in the kitchen baking for the RSPCA Cupcake day.

This is the fruits of my labour on the production line

and of course a few close ups

Now, off my pretties and make lots of money for the RSPCA!

2009-08-14T12:32:00.000+10:00

strange things have happened to me this week.

my dark blue/grey eyes have turned light and greenish. WEIRD.

My eyes have also become weaker and my glasses don't seem to be helping. coincidence?

my anger is back. why? a few reasons. PMS (probably), family (definitely) and being cooped up in the house waiting for some guy to fix the oven.

yea i was angsty as a kid but i have mellowed out as i eased into my late twenties. all it took was a few small catalysts to make me feel like that powerless kid again. eff you.

2009-08-11T16:24:00.000+10:00

I had a really nice weekend so much so that it should be blogged about.

Andy's favourite day is a warm winter day, blue skies and no clouds. So when saturday presented it's self a fine day we decided to finally leave the house.

We went into Leichhardt and checked out the Vintage Vanity Fair to find something nice to wear to the engagement party but alas, nothing in my size or liking and a bit overpriced too.

Got some lunch at IKU and it was so fucking good that i finished it in less than a minute.

Checked out Glebe Markets and saw Wes Carr walking down the street. Got a Campo's coffee and drove over to Alfalfa House co-op and got a few of our favourite things that are hard to find in the new hood.

I kinda miss my old neighbourhood. The places where you don't have to ask if everything is vegan, op-shops galore (even if they are overpriced - i still wanna browse), memories of friends and all the fun things we've done on the crazy streets. We gave it up to live in the burbs. It's quiet and the air is fresh which is a good trade off i guess.

2009-08-06T13:35:00.000+10:00

time to grow up and be responsible. get a job. buy a house. act like an adult.

work. consume. shut up. die.

so unmotivated. so apathetic. ughhhhhh

birthday dinner

2009-07-18T19:19:00.000+10:00

Last night we had a belated birthday dinner with the in-laws.

A few weeks ago i discovered a vegan restaurant in the 'burbs, close to their home and tagged it into the memory bank for future reference.

Fountain Vegetarian Restaurant is located in the Hills district and has a great vegan menu.

Don't let all the spelling mistakes on the website put you off, the food is top notch!

We chose the Satay BBQ Sticks and Spring Rolls as the entrees, Crunchy Squid Fish with Chicken Nuggets and Lemon Chicken as the mains with Indian Fried Rice on the side. All this fed 4 people quite well but of course there was room left for dessert and their vegan chocolate cake did not disappoint.

test cupcakes. i'll call these ones poopie

2009-07-09T23:38:00.001+10:00

agave cupcakes
Originally uploaded by for_esme

simple vanilla and agave nectar cupcakes with thick chocolate fudgy frosting from VEGAN CUPCAKES TAKE OVER THE WORLD.

Flickr

2009-07-09T23:36:00.001+10:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

RSPCA CUPCAKE DAY

2009-07-08T16:20:00.001+10:00

A good excuse to bake batches of cupcakes.

All proceeds go to the RSPCA.

VEGAN around the house

2009-07-07T16:19:00.000+10:00

We all know how boring cleaning the house can be but it's a chore that has to be done.

You can go down the old fashioned tried and true path of using bicarb soda and vinegar to clean everything but there are other products on the market that are cruelty and animal free.

NATURES ORGANICS are Australian Owned, CCF Accredited and vegan friendly. They have several lines of product including haircare, skincare, bath/shower and household cleaning.

EARTH CHOICE have over a dozen products to help you make the house shine from top to bottom. Dishwashing liquid, cream cleanser, window spray, shower cleaner, laundry detergent and fabric softeners all kill germs without killing the budget. Affordable and available in most national supermarket chains.

After all that cleaning there is always time to pamper yourself. Why not try any of these items...

NATURES ORGANICS SPA SHOWER MILK is a PH balanced bodywash with 4 different scents. My personal favourite of the CREME BRULEE.

For the more masculine vegans there is also SPA FOR MEN aqua energising shower gel.

Don't forget the kids. They can splash around the bath with FUNTIME BUBBLE BATH

ORGANIC CARE hair care range's shampoo and conditioner comes in a plant based packaging and contains NO sles, sls, ales, parabens or petrochemical cleansers. Your hair will thank you for the lack of chemicals you're putting in it and will come off looking healthy and shiny.

Don't forget to look after your skin by cleansing and moisturising every day. The Natural Skin Care Range has a few great products. The face wipes are my favourite. All ingredients are plant derived and perfect for sensitive skin.

Who would have thunk cleaning the house and yourself could be so animal and environmentally friendly?

my top 5 VEGAN essentials

2009-07-06T16:52:00.000+10:00

We all know how hard becoming a vegan can be, especially in Australia. Most Vegan cookbooks are from the US and ingredients are listed by brand rather than product a lot of the time. In Australia not many products are labelled as "VEGAN", so a lot of label reading has to be done and unless you know almost every non vegan food additive you are bound to make a few mistakes along the way.

Being Vegan isn't a competition and i'm not the vegan police but just remember to be the best vegan you can be.

So, my lovely vegan friends I shall list you my top vegan items.

Number One and by far the best source of vegan "milk" is BONSOY.

If you're really lucky your local cafe will make you a delicious soy latte with this stuff. Tastes nothing like it's nutty counterparts and doesn't leave that weird coating in your mouth. Can be used in all kinds of baking or just enjoy a glass with a nice choc chip cookie.

Number Two and an essential to every VEGAN kitchen is the non dairy spread, NUTTELEX.

Also gluten free, soy free and nut free. Perfect for baking or just spreading on some toast. Nuttelex has a few different varieties - Original, Lite, Kosher, Olive and Pulse. All of which are found easily in the cold food aisle near butter and milk.

Number Three will satisfy your VEGAN sweet tooth. SWEET WILLIAM are a dairy free, VEGAN friendly company intent on saving all our VEGAN treat cravings. They come in Bars, Spreads, Blocks, Multi Packs, Cooking Chocolate and even Easter Bunnies and Eggs.

SWEET WILLIAM are also Dairy, Nut and Gluten Free, Kosher and Halal. Available at most national supermarket brands and found in the health food aisle.

My personal favourite is the cooking chocolate. Perfect for making cookies with.

Number Four is perfect for making those delicious "cheese" sauces in Lasagne, Macaroni Cheez, Pasta, Casseroles, Nachos and Gravy. SAVOURY YEAST, not to be confused with Brewer's Yeast, is packed full of those wonderful B Vitamins and gives a delicious savoury cheese flavour without the cholesterol. This is usually found in Health Food Stores in the Yeast section.

Number Five is a delicious treat used in a lot of my baking. MAPLE SYRUP comes in pure or imitation form. I use the PURE on pancakes and pikelets and the IMITATION in cooking, especially when a recipe calls for 1/2 cup or more. Pure MAPLE SYRUP is expensive but it's imitation tastes just the same in baking, so save the good stuff for topping crepes and waffles.

Maple Syrup can be found in the baking aisle near golden syrup and treacle.

Of course there are plenty more VEGAN Essentials but these are the items that i use on a weekly basis and are an important part of all my cooking. I hope this helps you find brands in your local store and even if you aren't Vegan these are all still great products to use in your cooking.

Coming up on the next installment of VEGAN HELP-

Stace's favourite VEGAN cookbooks.

hello late twenties, goodbye youth.

2009-06-30T17:01:00.000+10:00

Remember when birthdays used to be fun and exciting?

Waking up super early before school to tear open the piles of presents and coming home to an awesome birthday cake covered in rich chocolate icing.

If i was really lucky i was allowed to have the day off school but that was pretty rare.

Now birthdays blend in with the monotony of daily life. Do you think i could get a day off doing the washing up or making the bed with the excuse "it's my birthday, do i have to?"?

What age do birthdays become irrelevant and only celebrated in decades rather than years?

Seems the only perk is getting to gorge on 3 slices of birthday cake and get away with it.

former self destructive party girl goes straight edge and shocks all her peers.

2009-06-29T12:50:00.000+10:00

Growing up does strange things to people. I can't remember the last time i was drunk, so i guess it's time to make it official and join the straightedge.

2009-06-28T12:17:00.000+10:00

when i'm a mom everyday will be halloween.

baby zombies. skeleton kids. werewolves, ghosts and vampires.

2009-05-28T13:27:00.000+10:00

my attention span is to short to write full blogs.
Instead i use tumblr and make comments in single sentences.
Check it out right HERE!

2009-04-27T15:25:00.000+10:00

I've been blogging for so many years over at Livejournal and various other places. It's almost fun to look back and see how much i have changed. Kinda like re-tracing my footsteps and finding out how i got here. I'm always living in the past or too far ahead in the future. I need to look down sometime and see my feet planted on the ground. Slow down. Breathe. Step, step, step.

2009-04-02T19:58:00.000+11:00

I'm such a day dreamer. I can spend hours staring into space, forgetting things i have just been told and constantly checking the time.
I think about what i'm making for dinner, how i'll sign my name when i get married, the names i'll call my children and how fun it will be to be a mother. I think about them calling me and saying they love me, asking me to do their hair and me teaching them how to be smart, fun and lovely.
These days seem so far away but i still spend all my time thinking about it.

2009-03-23T16:25:00.000+11:00

I've already forgotten about this thing.

A day off work wasted at home watching youtube and drinking coffee. i could have worse vices.
I have forgotten how much i loved the cure and have spent the past few hours watching old clips.

I have spent heaps of time making cupcakes, cakes and slices that i think i need to take a break from it. I need to consume less sugar and less coffee.

I want to spend more time with friends, at markets/garage sales, getting healthy, blogging, making things, taking photos and being creative. How does this happen when work takes up the important hours of my day?