VeganMoFo Day 1: Nik's B-day!

First off, Happy VeganMoFo! This is my second year doing it, and I'm *super*excited! I've been keeping a running list of all the things that I want to do/make/try for a few weeks now, and I hope to stick to it. Gotta shoot high! I'm going to try something new this year, and along with photos, I'm also going to be doing little illustrations to go with each post. I felt bad last year, going all foodie and neglecting all the arty people who don't read my blog to know what I ate for dinner. So! Best of both worlds it will be! Plus, a drawing a day has been something I have been wanting to do and this is the perfect opportunity. I might be crazy, but we shall see!



Finally, it was Nik's birthday last week! It was on a Wednesday (boooorrrrinnnng), so I made a super-tasty dinner and CAKE to celebrate! Dinner was grilled portobello sammiches (with veganaise), mashed taters, and some steamed corn-off-the-cob. The big chunks, like this one, are the best! A little earth balance, salt, and pepper, and it is the best thing about summer. I have a whole gallon bag of corn frozen in my freezer, so I won't get all sad on Thanksgiving or when all I get in my december CSA is potatoes, onions, and winter squash. The CAKE is a Butterfinger cake! I can never find Chick-O-Stick's around me (I suppose if I hunt hard enough I could, but not when I generally browse the drugstore or grocery store candy sections), but I happened upon them at a gas station rest stop somewhere in Oregon on my vacation a few weeks ago. Heck yeah! I bought a bunch of them knowing exactly what I'd use them for. I used the vanilla cupcake recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, and just added 2 packages of ground up Chick-O-Stick's to the batter (I reserved some to sprinkle between layers and on top.) I also threw a handful of shredded coconut into the batter, for giggles. Made the peanut butter frosting and chocolate ganache for the layers and topping. Unbelievable! Especially the next day, after it had gotten a little firmer in the fridge. Yum yum yum.