Monkey Business
Why, hello there little guy.
I came home from school the other day to discover that my spunky hot-pink monkey had left the safety of my bedroom, and was just hanging around on the desk lamp. Although I was nervous about him falling or getting hurt, he seemed to be having fun, climbing and exploring the world with fresh [plastic] eyes.
Another practically instant amigurumi. And just as quickly as it was made, he's already been given away! Though I'll miss him dearly, the gift served as an excellent bribe: The recieving friend will be leaving for Japan on Sunday, now with an eye out for more amigurumi books or various cute things for a certain crafty aquaintance. I can barely contain my curiousity – What treasures might she return with? But more than anything, I am severely jealous. I would sell limbs to be on that trip…
But anyways, the monkey. What a strange creature he was! I wasn't sure I was reading the pattern correctly at first – A head the size of a dinner plate, with a body no larger than one of its ears? …You bet! Somehow it all came together just fine, despite a brief yarn disaster. I never did find perfectly matching yarn, but if you can't see the difference… I'm not telling where it ran out!
In case you're curious about the knitty gritty – I used worsted weight yarn for the most part, or substituted a double length of sport on an F hook. Like the cat I just finished, there's wire in the tail to give its curly shape, but it isn't strong enough to endure rough play, so maybe this one wouldn't make such a great gift for younger kids. Their loss!
So my embroidery could use a little work, but he sort of has a little smile, right?
Waffle Waffle!
What, I ask you, could be a more welcoming sight in the morning than luscious vegan waffles, with their deep indentations just waiting to overflow with golden maple syrup?
… Yeah, that’s what I thought.
My sister just came home from college this past weekend, and I wanted to do something special for her arrival. I know that she loves frozen waffles for breakfast, but those trans-fatty, prepackaged store brands really gross me out. A lot of what she eats honestly disturbs me! We even had a conversation about how you could possibly make macaroni and cheese that isn’t from a box, let alone vegan. Perhaps I could help her eat some real food, at least while she’s home?
These are wonderful to make when you get a spare moment, easily frozen and then defrosted in a snap to create satisfying breakfasts all week long. I still plan on experimenting and tweaking a few things, because they were slightly denser than what my sister had grown accustomed to, but these are still damned good waffles.
Yield: 4 - 8 Servings
Whole Wheat Waffles
Simple, satisfying whole grain waffles are mere minutes away with this basic formula.
Ingredients
- 3 Cups White Whole Wheat Flour
- 2 1/2 Cups Plain Non-Dairy Milk
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1/4 Cup Dark Brown Sugar, Firmly Packed
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- It's really a very simple procedure to make lovely, puffy waffles. Begin by heating up your waffle iron so it's ready to receive batter. Combine all the dry ingredients, and add in the wet. Stir to incorporate, but don't over do it; a few lumps are just fine!
- Once your iron is nice and hot, lightly grease with cooking spray and ladle a healthy portion of batter on top. It really depends on the size of your waffle iron, so don't be discouraged if your first couple are a little bit funny looking. Cook for about 4-6 minutes or so, and serve hot. If, however you'd like to save them for later like I do, allow them to cool for about 15 minutes on a wire rack. Wrap them up in a clean plastic bag, and just throw them in the freezer!
- Repeat until all the batter is used up.
- Serve hot, with any sort of sweet or savory toppings your heart desires.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 327Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 166mgCarbohydrates: 58gFiber: 9gSugar: 10gProtein: 14g
Amigurumi Addiction
With all the risks of potentially becoming hooked, I can't believe that no one warned me. Where were the warnings, the disclaimers? Now, as much as I try to fight it, I believe I have a real problem: I can't stop making amigurumi.
Even as I finish yet another sweet little stuffie, I can't seem to pick up my needles and work on some knitting project; My hands are constantly occupied with a crochet hook. My to-do list has become flooded with only amigurumi, and despite my rapid progress, it appears that only more are added when one is erased. It's getting out of control. Crocheting at school, at all hours of the night… Do I need counciling?
…In the mean time, I finished a little black cat. I had a lot of fun making him, with all the little details involved.
As for the specs… The tail has wire in it to help it stand up straight, and the whiskers are made of clear beading elastic. If you browse Craftster, you might already know that I complain about not being able to find safety eyes all the time. To get a contrasting color to stand out on my black yarn, I painted a pair with blue acrylic paint before attatching them. Oh, and the nose is a medium sized seed bead.
I love all my little animals, but it seems like all they want to do is go play outside in this gorgeous weather we've been having lately. I wish they would stay inside and keep me company… But how can you say no to a face like that?
Artichokes
[This photograph will be in the city-wide art show tonight. I know it's extremely minimal, and I don't think it really belongs on display, but my teacher seemed to like it. Or, need more submissions than she could find.]
Flat Brownies…
As usual, I had a whole butt load of over-ripe bananas waiting around in my freezer, so I wanted to try cleaning them out with a new recipe, and not just another banana bread. Flipping through the pages of my beloved Vegan with a Vengance, I found the prize I was seeking: Banana Split Pudding Brownies.
Melting the chocolate and mashing copious amounts of bananas, the smells emanating from my the kitchen were devine. Into the pan the brownie base went to begin assembly! … Wait, this is all the batter there is? I’m positive I didn’t grab a bigger pan…
What went wrong this time?! It was a struggle to get the brownie to coat the entire bottom of my 13 x 9 baking dish, as if I had made half the recipe or something! And no, I swear I followed it to the letter this time. The banana topping didn’t seem nearly thick enough, either, so I added much more cornstarch to the mix. (Okay, maybe I changed the arrow root to corn starch, but that was the only substitution, just because we didn’t have any in the house!)
Trying to stay optimistic, the pudding topping went over the sparse base, and I simply thought it would look nicer with a little more… Pizzaz, for lack of a better word. The book suggested garnishing with fresh slices of banana, but lacking any remaining in a solid form, I reached into the depths of my fridge and pulled out some left over chocolate ganash. Just a few generous stripes across would do the trick.
As you can see, they are rather… vertically challenged, to put it gently. Nonetheless, as long as it’s not burnt, I figured how bad can chocolate be?
If I had been aiming to make cookie bars, I would have been overjoyed. They had a very chewy, almost crisp texture. And like always, the flavor was still spot on, wonderfully banana-y and sweet. Handing them out to friends, I decided to call them “banana split fudge bars” instead, and they seemed to go over pretty well. One girl that I served them to commented that she doesn’t usually like banana, but thought that these were rather tasty! Kinda shocking, considering that the recipe uses 4 bananas, and tries in no way to hide them! I only wish that they had risen or something… Maybe if I make these again, I’ll just try using a smaller pan, or doubling the brownie base.