making miniatures

Making miniatures has nothing to do with dough or batter. But I have become obsessed ever since I was asked to help a client's daughter create a homemade doll house for a class project. Doll house rules: Everything about the house has to be homemade, inside and out. So no store bought furniture. I hope she can get away with using this store bought crocheted doily as an area rug…..

I found inspiration in my life-size kitchen with mini cupcake liners for a mini lamp shade. Super cute!

For the base of this mini club chair, I used a piece of cardboard tube from a roll of toilet paper. I made a template with other cardboard recycled from my pound of unsalted butter for the back and covered each piece with oatmeal felt and hot glued it all together. The quarter is there to show you that it really is to scale :)

In the clearance section of Michaels I found these cute chevron painted bottle caps and then I found a bag of wooden peg legs. A little hot glue and voila! An instant miniature side table or stool.

The miniature couch is just two pieces of sturdy cardboard, a little batting and covered in heather grey felt. Four wooden beads keep it off the ground and finished with a few tiny pillows. I glued and stitched the little turquoise blue pillows and the beige ones are jewelry pillow rejects from my previous employer. :) The coffee table used to be a pair of earrings that I never wore. For the floor lamp, I glued some clear beads together and attached it to another bottle cap.

My attempt at making a mini chandelier…..

Metal champagne caps can easily be twisted into cute chairs like they are here, but since I haven't had any champagne lately, I twisted my own with 20 gauge wire. More colored felt completed the chair base, pillow & rug. I used a cork for a side table. The lamp is made from a wooden bead, toothpick and a mini gold cupcake liner.

I kind of wish I had these pillows on my bed!!!

The futon bed is made from popsicle sticks that have been hot glued together. Felt and batting make the mattress.

This IS a homemade project so please don't judge the messy hot glue.

This miniature palm tree is made from wire, green floral tape and a cork.

Popsicle sticks make another appearance in this lounge chair and bench along with more felt, batting and a couple of small empty spools.

For the round yarn rug, cut out a piece of complementing felt. Place a small dab of hot glue in the center of the felt round and attach the yarn. Add more hot glue and start to coil around until you come to the end of the felt.

being inspired & springtime flower sugar cookies

Today's high of 55ºF and the talents of Lizy B totally inspired me to create my last order for springtime flower sugar cookies.

I am often blown away by so many creatives and Elizabeth of Lizy B just blew my mind with her beautiful florals that I thought I'd give it a go with my very own. 

I cut out small circles of dough for the center of each flower cookie, filled it with royal icing with matching pollen dots.

Each flower sugar cookie gets bagged, heat-sealed, and tied with a spring colored ribbon.

happy spring!!!

homemade girl scout trefoils

It's the month of March, almost spring (thank goodness), and Girl Scout Cookie season!!! I am patiently waiting for the east coast's Girl Scouts to distribute their cookies, but in the meantime I'm baking up a batch of my very own Trefoil cookies. Although my cookie cutter isn't exactly in the shape of a trefoil, it does imprint the cookie with the Girl Scout's iconic image.

My Mom always bought us Girl Scout Cookies when we were little. My favorites back then were the Thin Mints and the Do-Si-Dos. My current favorite is the Samoas/Caramel deLites. But when it's not GS cookie season, I make my own which I blogged about here.

Trefoil cookies can be a little boring and aren't my go-to cookie if I'm aching for something sweet. Especially since the recipe changed a while back and they no longer sprinkle any crunchy sugar on top. Nonetheless it was my Mom's favorite GS cookie and if she were still alive today, I'd package these up and send them to her.

My Trefoils are made with a sugar cookie dough, but traditionally they're made with shortbread. I carefully brushed a little egg white around the edges and dusted them with sparkling sugar.

If you'd like to make your very own homemade Trefoils, check out this shop on Esty to buy a cute cookie cutter like this one. 

PS….Please don't think I'm showing any disrespect towards the Girls Scouts and their cookies. I still support them and buy them happily every year. :)

vegan cinnamon pull-apart bread

Happy 2014!!! 
I'm back from vacation and it's taken me a couple of weeks to come back to reality. I totally blew my vegan diet while I was away and I admit I also cheated a bit with Momofuku Milk Bar's Birthday Cake that I get every year for my birthday. But now that all of the festivities are over, it's time to get back on my vegan train. Check out my vegan version of cinnamon pull-apart bread…..

I searched all over for a pull-apart bread recipe that didn't contain any eggs since I'm still trying to get used to chia/flax egg replacements. I found The Pioneer Woman's recipe and simply swapped out dairy for non-dairy ingredients. The Pioneer Woman also photographs every step, so if you need more visuals, visit the link.

Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread
thank you Pioneer Woman
serves 6 - 10

INGREDIENTS
For the DOUGH:
1 cup soy milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup sugar
1-1/8 teaspoons active dry yeast
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the CINNAMON SUGAR:
1/4 cup vegan butter - softened/room temp ***I used Earth Balance***
1/2 - 3/4 cups sugar
1-1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

For the ICING:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 - 3 tablespoons soy milk
tiny splash of vanilla extract
pinch of salt

To make the DOUGH:
Combine milk, canola oil, and 1/4 cup sugar in a medium saucepan. Heat until hot but not boiling. Turn off heat and allow to cool to warm.

Sprinkle in the yeast and add 2 cups of flour. Stir to combine, then put the lid on the pot and allow to rise for 1 hour. After 1 hour, stir in an additional 1/4 cup flour, along with baking powder, baking soda, and salt. ***I dumped mine out onto a lightly floured surface and used my hands to work in these ingredients.*** If the dough is sticky, stir in another 2 tbs. - 1/4 cup flour. ***Mine was perfect after the first 1/4 cup of flour.*** 

Place dough in the fridge for at least 1 hour to make it easier to work with.

Roll out dough onto a floured surface.

Gently spread your room temp non-dairy butter onto the dough. Mix together the sugar and cinnamon and generously sprinkle it all over the buttered dough.

Using a pastry cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough into 6 to 8 strips. Then carefully stack the strips on top of each other.

Spray a loaf pan with baking spray. Cut the stack of strips into 6 slices. Place the stacks sideways into your prepared pan. Do not cram your slices into the pan. ***If you have leftovers, spray a small loaf pan or even a cupcake muffin tin and place your leftover slices in that.***

Cover your pan with a dish towel and allow to rise for 20 - 30 minutes. Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Place your loaf pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, checking at 20 minutes to make sure it's not getting too brown on top. ***Since I was using disposable tin pans, I placed my pans on a cookie sheet while it baked in the oven.*** It's important to bake your bread completely to ensure that the middle isn't doughy, because if it is it won't pull apart easily. After 30 minutes, I continued to bake mine in 5 minute increments. Total baking time for me was between 40 - 50 minutes. ***If the bread seems to be getting too brown, tent it with a little aluminum foil.***

Remove the pan/s from the oven when the bread's done. Run a little knife along the sides  and gently take the bread out of the pan. 

Mix together the icing ingredients and generously drizzle over the top, allowing it to sink into the crevices. Super delicious warm, but also good at room temp.

last post of 2013, on holiday, breaking my vegan diet & vegan chocolate chunk w/ almond cookies

I'm officially on Christmas holiday abroad and on hiatus from my vegan diet. This will also be my last post for 2013 and thank you all for following me!!! So for the next two weeks I'll be consuming all dairy products in moderation, but I'll end this year with delicious vegan chocolate chunk with almond cookies.

The first time I made these vegan cookies by Baker Bettie I followed the exact recipe. The second time I made them I added my own twists and I have to admit that these are pretty darn good vegan cookies. The recipe only makes a dozen cookies, it's quick and easy and when you're jonesing for cookies, this recipe is for you! Vegan or not, make these cookies!!!

Vegan Chocolate Chunk w/ Almond Cookies
adapted from Baker Bettie's blog
makes 12 cookies

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup vegan butter ***I used Earth Balance.***
1/4 cup vegetable shortening ***You can use vegan butter here also.***
3/4 cup dark brown sugar ***Baker Bettie uses dark muscovado sugar here but use whatever sugar you have in your pantry. Preferably light or dark brown sugar.***
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons soy milk ***Plain old water is OK too.***
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup + 4 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt plus a little more for sprinkling on top of cookies
1 cup vegan chocolate chips/chunks ***The only vegan chocolate I had on hand was a one pound bar of Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate w/ Almonds. I chopped it up and added it to my recipe and it tasted great!!!***

Preheat your oven to 375ºF. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In your bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, whip vegan butter and veg shortening with dark brown sugar until it's doubled in volume and light and fluffy. Roughly about 3 - 5 minutes on medium-high speed. Scrape down the sides of your mixing bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk/mix together cornstarch, baking powder and soy milk. Add to butter and sugar mixture along with the vanilla. Mix until thoroughly combined. Scrape down sides again.

With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour and kosher salt. Do not over mix and stop the mixer at the point to almost all of the flour is mixed in. Add the chunks and mix for a few seconds. ***If there is still flour visible, gently fold mixture by hand with a large spatula.***

With a cookie scoop (I think mine is a 2 ounce scoop) evenly scoop out 12 cookies onto your prepared cookie sheets. Leave a couple of inches a part because cookies will spread a little bit. Bake for 8 minutes, sprinkle a little kosher salt onto each cookie, rotate cookie sheets and bake for another 8 minutes. 

Remove from oven and cool on sheets for 5 minutes until transferring them to a wire rack. Cool completely. Cookies will keep in an airtight container for about 1 week.

This is one of our views from our flat in De Pijp neighborhood in Amsterdam.

Breaking my vegan diet with hazelnut yogurt and a chocolate covered gingerbread man cookie for breakfast.

Happy Holidays!!!

vegan pumpkin cranberry walnut muffins

Leftover pumpkin puree, fresh cranberries, plus a few pantry staples can easily be mixed and baked into something yummy. I don't mind having Thanksgiving leftovers of these two fall super star ingredients, because I can turn them into a delicious breakfast or afternoon treat. 

I'm still on my vegan train, so I searched for the best vegan pumpkin muffin recipe to make. I found a recipe from PPK which after a little personal taste tweaking, these muffins were so tasty that I've almost convinced a few more people to be vegan. Almost.

If you're not a fan of cranberries or walnuts, just leave them pumpkin. I added cranberries to my recipe and they gave a little surprise burst of tartness in almost every bite. I also threw in some chopped walnuts because something crunchy is always good in my book.

Vegan Pumpkin Cranberry Walnut Muffins
slightly adapted from the recipe on PPK's blog
make 12 muffins

1 cup all-pupose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour ***Or all-purpose flour***
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg***Freshly grated if you can.***
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon all spice
pinch of ground cloves
1 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup dark brown sugar ***Light brown sugar is OK too.***
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup fresh cranberries - reserved 12 berries for the top of the muffins
1/2 cup walnuts - roughly chopped - reserve 2 tablespoons to sprinkle on top

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour/s, baking powder, kosher salt and all of the spices. In another bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree and dark brown sugar. Add the soy milk, vegetable oil, molasses and vanilla. Mix thoroughly to combine.

Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and gently fold together. Try not to over mix/fold your batter because it will overwork the glutens in the flour and your muffins will be tough. Stop mixing/folding a little before all of the ingredients are incorporated. Toss in your cranberries and walnuts and gently fold into your batter.

With a large scoop, divide batter into your lined muffin tin. Top each muffin with your reserved cranberries and sprinkle with reserved walnuts.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick/tester comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes before removing them from the muffin tin. Cool completely on wire rack or devour when still warm.