a graduation celebration overview...

first and foremost, this is my little pride & joy right here. it's a vegan chocolate cake--double layered with chocolate frosting. this cake was the moist-est cake i have ever eaten. i was so surprised b/c i had great difficulty with the pans and mixing it at 12AM. not to mention that it was after an extremely stressful day of graduation, giving directions, and waking up at 5:30. none of that matters b/c there was very little cake left and i was given many compliments in its regards.

the funny thing about this cake is that it has been in our family for ages and it is 'naturally' vegan [as i like to say].


my aunt made her absolutely delicious baked beans. she made a special little tray of vegan ones for me! i can't even tell you how great they taste. she uses a special [&secret recipe] but i do know she uses ketchup, maple syrup, mustard, and brown sugar. i think i'm glad i don't know the recipe b/c i would be eating them all day, everyday.
this is a pasta that has also been in our family for quite some time. it has vinegar, mustard, garlic salt, onions, and cucumbers in it. sooooooo simple, yet so good.
my other aunt made these baked oyster crackers. they are seasoned with garlic powder, dill, and a package of some veggie dip [she kindly checked to make sure it was vegan].
i used a french bread recipe that i used for t-giving last year. i made half the flour whole wheat though for a nice little touch.

i made stuffed shells for the first time ever. i also received quite a few compliments for these so i was pleased. you know, everyone wants to try the vegan food. this was no exception. i stuffed them with tofu and spinach that was marinated for a day or so in garlic, dijon mustard, and liquid smoke. they weren't bad. i have a ton more food pictures i need to get up, but this was my priority. what a great weekend!

some x-mas break eats

my mom and i ordered pizza hut one day. this was the first time i had ordered a vegan pizza from pizza hut since going vegan almost 2 years ago. i think next time i need to get the veggie lovers pizza and emphasize extra sauce even more than i already did. i'm just happy to have been able to eat an already made pizza for once.i made homemade spaghetti sauce, but as per usual, the second time i made it=not as good. i'll go ahead and blame it on my poor chopping abilities because of this stupid broken wrist. anyway...the sauce had sauvignon blanc in it--i recommend something a little more tangy like chardonnay in cooking. it has red bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, and garlic with garlic powder, onion powder, and italian seasoning. unfortunately, those delicious looking breadsticks had butter on them even though my mom offered to make them with olive oil instead...my BAD.my mom made a birthday cake for my dad, but she said it was also a get well cake for me. my dad never ate any of it saying that he didn't really like this cake that my mom makes [wacky cake!]. but i happily ate half of it. i would say it helped me get start to get well! [THANKS MOM!!!]
finally, i made hummus--with red bell pepper and broccoli. unfortunately, the broccoli made it taste funny the next time i went to eat it so i left it for my mom.

all of this typing is making my hand tired and irritated. starting school with a broken wrist is challenging let me tell you!!!!!!

but it also spices things up a little and will make me exceptionally grateful when i have full use of it once again.

maybe when it's healed i'll stop eating foods that are less than exciting...like my sloppily spread pb&j this afternoon.