adventures in vegan baking

a little over a week ago i posted a plea for help regarding all things figgy.  well, sunday morning i finally tracked down some dried figs at good ole' trader joes and figured i would get moving on that recipe i posted as well.

vegan baking is a whole new world for me.  i've dabbled in vegan cooking (soups, appetizers, etc.) but never baking.  baking is one of those things i feel needs to have whole fat and nothing but fat!

alright so back to the raspberry fig bars.  the recipe called for rolled oats, which i didn't have.  so i substituted the rolled oats for good ole fashioned oats.  i also ended up swapping the raspberry for strawberry.  hey you use what you got, right?!  the actual fig/strawberry filling turned out great!  the crust......okay so maybe swapping rolled oats for old fashioned oats wasn't the best idea, but after a little research i've figured out my mistakes.  using the oats that i did is perfectly fine, however they're much larger and denser so less of them is to be used so that the crust mixture comes together in a way to be slightly sticky. 

so i guess that was my only fault with the baking.  even though the crust turned out to be not much of a crust and more of a big mess, they still tasted good.  but now i know exactly what to do the next time less oats and maybe a little bit more sweetener.  in the mean time, i'm left with a nice pan of semi-successful bars.

but atleast they taste good and would be awesome with some frozen yogurt!

**please note this is not a picture of the bars i made - but they look very similar!

a mind full of jumble

there's a few things i want/need to write about but my thoughts are so jumbled right now, i feel like the blog itself would be one giant run-on mess of random thoughts.

actually that's probably what 99.4% of my blogs end up being.  i write as i think/think as i write, which sometimes works in my favor....other times probably not so much.  in those other times, i feel bad for the few people that read my little blog *laughs* because you probably think i talk a mile a minute, am super hyper and can't sit still to save my life.  in reality, i'm the complete opposite of all those things.  except when i'm listening to myself talk in my head, my voice goes about a million miles a minute.


so here's a preview of some upcoming blogs i will be working on this week:

- adventures in vegan baking.
  (remember those vegan raspberry fig breakfast bars i was dying to make a week ago? well they're currently baking in the oven....this should be interesting......)

- workplace dresscodes and age appropriate clothing choices.
  (i've gotta get this off my chest!)

- 6 year retrospect of motherhood.
  (the love of my life, my one and only son will be turning 6 on friday.  six years of being a mom, what a strange and crazy trip this has been!)


so stay tuned, keep following and please comment!  it kind of makes me feel like this is all worthwhile. 

<3
ena

saturday evening fever!

so today originally consisted of doing a lot of grocery shopping, do some baking and do some cooking (soups for lunches).

i did none of the above.

instead me and my partner in crime gassed up the mazda, visited michaels crafts (bought one of the last pieces of the little ones halloween costume), checked out spirit halloween, went to the spca (always a bad idea, 15 pitbulls in need of loving homes and we could not provide ours for them because we have no backyard), grabbing beers at an irish pub, dinner double date with our favorite married couple, followed by more beer at the irish pub and then eventually home to do laundry and watch UFC.

i'm kind of scared to see my bank account haha, but i had a good time.  and nights like this make me realize how much more i need to make myself and go out, do adult things and enjoy being in my 20's.

however, i realized that i can't hold a conversation with adults unless it revolves around my kid, something funny he's said/done or video games....i am a boring boring person.  i really need to get some hobbies!

so i guess tomorrow i'll try and get those things accomplished that i should have done today.  i'll keep you posted.

saturday morning inspirations

my partner in crime.

this is R.

my partner in crime.

he's pretty great.  he said i should write a blog about him.  so here it is. 

i was going to attempt a haiku, but that just isn't working out haha.

so to my p.i.c.

thank you for putting up with my crazy ass and showing me what its like to really be loved.

i love you!

<3

ena.

xxx

helping to put the sans in comic sans.

today i let the world (okay, just facebook friends) know exactly how i felt about a certain font.....

comic sans........

apparently i am not alone in my hatred for this font and its overuse.  but really, its just ugly!  i spent a good year and a half being tortured with typography while getting my degree...i mean diploma..in graphic design.  anyway, the one thing i took away from my time in school was a better understanding of fonts and when its appropriate to use certain ones. i'll stop right there though, because apparently some people get really upset when i pick on their font of choice (ms. moore - i'm sorry you're font challenged hahaha i still love you).


and for a good laugh, check out this website:  ban comic sans!

3 bits of humpday randomness

 1.

while leaving work this afternoon, i found myself staring down at my feet and saying to myself "step on a crack, break you mothers back" while carefully maneuvering myself over each crack.  i'm still trying to decide if this is major ocd or i had a slight flashback and forgot that i'm 27...not 7.

2.

my car horn is mean!  like seriously...you know how some peoples horns just do a little beep.  subtle, calm, enough to get the persons attention.  oh no, not mine.  mine is seriously the asshole of all horns.  i feel bad even pushing it sometimes.  and then people give me dirty looks.  look, im sorry my car is a jerk and yells at you when the horn is honked.  its not my fault!

and

3.

track of the day! day and night by kid cudi

well hello....fall programming

September is coming to an end rather quickly and today marked Fall's official start for me.....in the ways of being held hostage by my couch.

Oh Dr. House I've missed you.  I am completely aware there are better things I could do with my time then watch hours of endless television.  You know, like read a book or exercise.  But the couch is so comfy in the Fall.......

Do you have a favorite series or television show? Share!

gettin' figgy with it

Figs are a huge mystery to me. I'll be the first to admit, I have a deep rooted fondness for Fig Newtons. But lets be honest, they're not the healthiest things I could be putting in my body.

A friend recently returned one of my favorite cookbooks to me. The Garden of Vegan by Tanya Barnard & Sarah Kramer. By no means am I claiming to be Vegan (I love MEAT!). I am, however, a fan of most Vegan delicacies (if made correctly), I just haven't found the willpower to go completely Vegetarian let alone Vegan. For the past week I have found myself flipping through my cookbook, rediscovering recipes that I always wanted to try and some old favorites I still whip up (Vegan Artichoke dip! Nom nom nom - I have been known to adjust this recipe making it not Vegan when I cannot find certain ingredients in my area).

While perusing the Breakfast section I noticed that Figs are used a lot! Unfortunately I am no pro with a Fig. I don't know how to shop, buy, store or even cook with them. I need some help folks!

slightly off topic: I am still on my quest of losing the weight I gained after my momma died. As well as improving the overall health of my family and myself. One thing I've noticed is that I often rush out of the house in the morning without any breakfast. Its a bad habit I need to break, even though I've become used to it by now. I really know I need to stop and make some time in the mornings to sit down and fuel my body after a good nights rest. So over the next week my plan is to force myself out of bed much earlier than I have been (I've been known to roll out of bed at 6:30...my shift at work begins at 7am!) and make a small but hearty breakfast for myself.

So....I really want to try out this recipe for Raspberry Fig Breakfast Bars. This is the Vegan recipe:

1/4 cup dried figs, cut in half
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp dry sweetener
1 cup flour
2 cups rolled oat flakes
1/2 cup dry sweetener (for crust mixture)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbsp water
1/2 cup raspberry jam (another recipe from the book)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a small pot, combine figs, water and sweetener. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes or until the figs have softened. Set aside to cool.
• In a large bowl, combine flour, rolled oats, sweetener (1/2 cup for crust), salt, baking powder, baking soda, oil and water. Stir together until well mixed.
• In a blender or food processor, blend the fig mixture and jam until smooth.
• Press half of the crust mixture onto the bottom of a slightly oiled 8x8 baking pan.
• Layer the fig mixture over top - spreading it with the back of a large spoon.
• Press the remaining crust mixture over top.

• Bake 25-30 minutes or until the top is slight browned.
• Set aside to cool. Makes 6-12 bars.
  

Don't lie. I know you're sitting there drooling at the bit. Even to the most carnivorous person, this recipe sounds delicious. Its just the "Vegan" bit that kind of causes most people to go, "Uh yeah, nevermind." If that's what makes you a little hesitant to make these yourself, you could easily adjust the recipe to fit your lifestyle. Honestly the only thing you would need to switch up is the sweetener (not all sugar is vegan! i totally did not know this!) and the Raspberry Jam.

So next weekend, I will be making a batch of these since the little one will be off on a weekend-long adventure. I'll be sure to write about its results.

Do you have a favorite Breakfast staple? Recipe? Comment? Share! I'd love to hear from you!

saturday morning inspirations

lessons in death

this week has been a rollercoaster of emotions for me.

this past saturday i received news that one of my uncles (on my fathers side) had passed away. the news of his passing has devastated me to my very core. it has been some years since i last spoke with him, but my love for him has remained the same all these years. i spent a lot of my childhood years with him and his family and they truly are some of the best memories i have growing up. and now, that's all i have of him. memories and photographs. i am thankful to have known him and spent so much time with him. i will cherish those memories forever. i have chosen to stay rather quiet in talking about his death with people around me. i talked to a few people, but no one really knows what to say about it. i've become fairly withdrawn from everything. and i can only see it getting worse.

yesterday i got a message about one of my momma's best friends. she passed away this week as well. she had been fighting liver cancer for some time and although she fought long and hard, her body just could not keep up. all i can say is that i am so sorry for your loss and you are all in my thoughts.

having lost my momma three years ago this october, my heart just aches. people say it gets easier with time, that the pain fades and the tears will slow. i'm still waiting for that time. i don't foresee that time coming soon but i am okay with that. my momma and i had our fair share of disagreements and fights but we also had some pretty good times. i spent most of my adolescence and a good part of my early 20's being angry with her and i really wish that i could go back and change that. but most of all, i just wish that i could tell her one last time that i loved her. i didn't do that nearly enough while she was alive. but i say it everyday now that she's gone. the next few months will continue to be hard. in just a few weeks the anniversary of my grandmothers death will be upon us and only a few days following that, my son, the love of my life, will be turning 6.

but with joy comes sorrow. with life there comes death. and while i will be sad for a while, i must remember the good times. the laughs, the jokes, the smiles, the adventures had and the adventures still to come.

all of this just reminds me more and more that i need to live life to its fullest. to make the best of every single day that i have. and not take anything for granted, but at the same time, don't dwell on the bad stuff. continue to surround myself with positivity and get rid of the negativeness around here.

Love is stronger than death even though it can't stop death from happening, but no matter how hard death tries it can't separate people from love. It can't take away our memories either. In the end, life is stronger than death.

RIP Kenneth Arneson October 18, 1961 - September 11, 2010
RIP Lori Marie Lundgren March 19, 1960 - September 15, 2010
RIP Bonita May Murphy December 26, 1929 - September 29, 2004
RIP Kimberly Ann Murphy December 30, 1964 - October 19, 2007