Raspberry-Chocolate Theme

Apparently I've been enchanted by the combination of raspberries & chocolate lately, even though I just put that together.  Game of Thrones night ended up being postponed on Mother's Day, but I'd already began the cupcake baking process...luckily my roommates stepped up & offered to help take care of the excess. :)

 

The look like your ordinary chocolate cupcakes (& who would complain about that?!), but hidden inside is a tart raspberry filling:

They were so, so good.  I still have more raspberries in the freezer from last year's Sauvie Island berry-picking adventures, so maybe I can come up with one more chocolate-raspberry treat...

More recently, as in last night, my friend Megan & my sister wanted to have a themed dinner, since Megan is moving back to the Midwest soon.  They came up with "Vegan Breakfast Dinner", so Megan made waffles & sliced strawberries, my sister made her famously crispy potatoes & tempeh bacon, & I brought raspberry sauce & Nutella (chocolate & raspberry, for the win!).

The glorious spread:

My monstrosity:

I should probably share the Nutella recipe I used, which is from Veganomicon, a cookbook essential for living a good life. <3  I also want to try this recipe sometime, though it seems way more complicated. 

Not-tella

• 5 ounces toasted, skinned hazelnuts (a generous cup)
• 8-10 tablespoons neutral-tasting oil
• 3/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1 1/2 teaspoons hazelnut extract (still good without this)
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

I don't follow the directions in Veganomicon exactly, because I've had better results by blending the hazelnuts & oil (start with smaller amount, adding more if necessary) in a blender until creamy.  (A Vitamix is ideal, if you or someone you know has one.)  Slowly add the powdered sugar & cocoa, scraping down the sides of the blender as necessary.  Add the extracts & blend until smooth & creamy.  Enjoy it warm from the blender, or chill it for a thickened, spreadable treat.   

Bonus sleeping kitty shot!  Yoda almost looks innocent here, but don't let him fool you...
 

 

Today. Was. Awesome.

What a gorgeous Sunday!!! And it's International Workers' Day too! Workers of the world, unite! :)

I woke up @ 7:00, for some odd reason, & was so full of energy. Everything in the Universe was full of potential. This is what happens when the sun shows in Oregon, ha ha.

Ethan was promised a hearty, homemade breakfast, so he could finish his mid-term paper with proper fuel. It was delish, consisting of chipotle-roasted potatoes, whole wheat toast, maple-y tempeh bacon & eggs from Coral & Ryan's chickens (I'm not a big egg-eater, so I abstained).

Here's my plate of delicious brown foodz:


After doing some Spring cleaning, I headed to the nursery & got a ton of plants: tomato starts, pink sage, a curry plant, several succulents, lavender, rosemary, pea seeds, salvia, & a shit-ton of various flowers. I still need to get a bit more potting soil, as well as a few more large pots for the remaining tomato starts.

Rainbow flower pots:


Side View:


Some of the tomatoes:


Pansies & marigolds:



After all that gardening fun, Coral & my sister came over for a crafty night. Coral worked on a couple flower girl dresses for her upcoming wedding, my sister worked on a dress she was fixing up, & I worked on Mom's Mother's Day present---it's a surprise, so I can't have any spoiler pics. Here's a clue though...

Houseguests & Sushi...

I'd post more, but I've been really busy with company & haven't been crafting or cooking as much as I normally do. I've also been backing up ALL my digital photos onto Flickr, because I'm paranoid. :)

My brother is visiting now, then leaving on Monday after I get off work...then my friend Sage is coming to stay that very same night. She's on her way from Sweden to Vancouver, B.C. for her next round of grad school. My head is spinning, but it's been a lot of fun!

Yesterday, he requested this super-breakfast: home fries, scrambled eggs w/cheese, homemade wheat toast, & raspberries!


The potatoes were from Cathy & David's garden & there were some blues in there! Cool.


The toast was from Dave's actual wheat bread recipe. I've made it so many times, usually in the summer when I have more free time. The rest of the year, I either buy it, or get Ezekiel, which I love as well. The recipe is available here.


With all that food in his belleh, he was powered up for some fun at Mt. Tabor Park!


Horsing around:


Probably gettin' too big for the ol' seahorse, kid...


Swinging away.


After wearing him out, we headed to Fubonn & got the missing components we needed for sushi! Sean was a great sushi maker! The texture of the nori sheets squicked him out, so he was in charge of filling the inari. Look how great they turned out:


I made the veggie rolls, which were filled with chives, avocado, carrots, cucumber, & the best fried tofu I've ever had in my life! It's made locally & is SO FRESH. We got the onion flavor, but they also make a spicy lemongrass that is to die for. Try it if you find yourself near Fubonn. You won't regret it!


Here is one happy kid!

Tons of Tasty Food

I stumbled upon a delicious combination for smoothies that I never would have tried, had I not had an abundance of nectarines floating around...nectarine-pineapple! So amazing.


Here's a tasty tofu scramble (w/red peppers & green onions) with toasted, buttery Dave's Killer Bread, roasted potatoes, & a behbeh strawberry from our garden. This is one of my favorite meals. YUM!


Now...a few things I've made recently at work. Jumbo-sized Peanut Butter Pillows from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. People were raving about them, so I'll definitely make them again soon!


And these amazing Hazelnut Caramel Bars, from here.


The recipe is from Sweet Pea Baking Co., here in Portland. They know their treats, that's for sure! I have made these with many kinds of nuts & they're always decadent.


Here are some simple Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies that are a variation on this recipe. No one would know any of these treats were vegan!


Lastly, some roasted tomato fettuccine that I just made for Ethan & I. We've been getting so much good produce, so in order to use up the cherry tomatoes, I made this...


The recipe is from Bon Appétit & is available here on Epicurious. I highly recommend it because it practically cooks itself & seems super fancy, heh heh.

P.S. It is raining again here. So weird.