CINNAMON BUNS

I really miss having a bread machine. These were a breeze to make back then. OK, they aren't really that hard now (just some kneading here and there). But still haven't been quite the same. They obviously didn't last long, as evidenced by the pan in the last picture. Mmmm.. I adore cream cheese icing.

MY FIRST PIE!

Yeah, it doesn't look like much, but there was effort in making the crust from scratch. From what I recall it had oats, nuts, molasses, some dried fruit possibly? It was a little bland, but the apple and peach flavours certainly complimented each other. I will try the lattice type next pie challenge!

BAKING BREAD

I haven't included my sourdough attempt (well, the second - the first was a complete disaster). I am relentless, as anyone who knows me is aware of my affinity for this type of bread. I wouldn't call it a success, but it was an improvement, making it beyond the starter killing stage. Here's the process.

POP UP SHOP TREATS

I def. made these last year for the pop-up shop and haven't posted them. They are probably the most appealing looking things I've made.

Soup Maestro

I can't express how much I love soup. It is possibly the only thing I look forward to with the impending chilly weather. Fall is pretty great because my absolute favourite squashes are in season. I find you can't really go wrong with making soup. A nice slice of sourdough makes a tasty companion.

Pumpkin + kale + roast red peppers

Broccoli + leek + chilli pepper + veg cheese

Apparently I'm slightly allergic to chillies. I tried sweet pot/bean burrito sans chilli. I dig, I dig. It's awesome with a strange mix of pickled veg + fresh diced tomato.

Sweet pot + refried pintos + peppers + cilantro/coriander

Triple threat treats!

For my brother/sis/nephew's birthday celebration, I fought my mother for the right to make the cake. I don't think she had faith in my creation of party-worth cakes, nor the belief that people couldn't taste the difference - sans dairy. That cheesed me off to no-end, so I set out to prove her wrong, so very wrong.

I made 2 - the first a 2-layer raspberry blackout cake. I definitely need to work on my cake-typography skills!

The second was to honour my brother's favourite pairing (chocolate + PB), in pie form. I made a chocolate fudge cookie crust and topped it with toasted almonds.

Veganomicon, why do you fail me so?

My housemates are well aware of my penchant for procrastinating when we have mountains of work to do. Generally it comes in the form of an urgent necessity to bake. During the last project of last year, my Vegan Travel Survival kit, I was desperate to make some lemon squares. I used the recipe from Veganomicon (my least fave cookbook), and played with agar-agar flakes for the first time. They are pretty irritating and peculiar. The lemon bars tasted great, but didn't sit well.