not exactly baking oriented

so i've been really busy. as usual, i work a lot. I also have a fantastic new dude friend, am taking biochemistry, and trying to be social. less cooking and food time in my schedule. besides being busy, i have been feeling really, really, really lousy. I have endometriosis. so, my life is riddled with nearly constant pain which can get worse at times, keeping me from doing anything and everything. i emptied out all my vacation time, and have been trying to keep up some semblance of a normal life, but it isn't easy. it's hard to feel normal when you're not sure if you'll feel well enough to do normal things, like go out to lunch or go see a movie. so at this point, i'm a little desperate. so recently, i went to see a pain specialist. now i'm going to see an acupuncturist. and i'm feeling really really posi about it. i had a fantastic day post first treatment. a not so good one after. but this weekend was actually pretty decent. so here's some crossed fingers. it was fun to have the acupunturist commend me on my vegan diet, saying that it should help with my condition. (although, i was vegan long before i was diagnosed with endo. but imagine how much worse it might be if the normal omnivorous diet is so bad for it...). seeing as how i'm about ready to pass out, xoxo.

belated everything-vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe

so it's been forever since i've written ANYTHING. i've been busy. I started taking biochemistry, which I am currently studying (procrastinating) for an exam tomorrow.
in the mean time, i wanted to post my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.
when i made these cookies a few weeks ago, i even thought i'd post this while they baked, but no luck. although i did get brown sugar into my keyboard (sorry mark mckay).
i've been making this recipe since high school. WAAYY before my veganism or lactose intolerance.
Ingredients:
"Dry"

• 2 1/4 c. unbleached flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder

"Wet"

• 3/4 c. brown sugar
• 3/4 c. cane sugar
• 1/2 c. margarine- I usually use earth balance
• 1/2 c. shortening
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 "eggs" i usually use ener-g egg replacer- 3 tsps. ener-g, and 4 tablespoons warm water.

I put the wet ingredients in and blend. then i add the dry ingredients and mix until well blended. Then add in the chocolate chips, you can use as much as two cups, but i usually just eyeball it. these cookies are rich, so it won't need a whole bag.
bake them at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. for about 8-10 minutes. i like mine to be doughy. so i don't bake 'em until they're totally browned.

I love these, and it won't take very long if you use an electric mixer-god i love my kitchen aid.

back to baking basics

so it's been awhile since i actually made any desserts-i think the last time was when i made a JOKERZ vegan peanut butter cheesecake for the cookout i went to in quincy. but the other night i made one of my favorites-red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.
Now one of my favorite things about these are the fact that they are the strange weird red color.
Vegan Cupcakes Takeover the World gave me not only the great recipe, but also the good recommendation to use an ice cream scoop to pour cupcakes. because let's be honest- anything that helps make baking quicker and getting cupcakes into my belly faster-is a good thing.
I strongly believe that using quality ingredients makes a huge difference in baking. It took me forever-but i finally found chocolate extract. The recipe for the red velvet cupcakes calls for all three of these-vanilla extract, chocolate extract, and almond extract. All totally worth it. I convince myself that I have a delicate enough pallet that I can taste the difference. Another new baking extra that I finally caved in and got a flour sifter-and I think that it makes everything seem lighter and fluffier. Unfortunately, I don't have any images of the final product-because i'm
insane and I insist on frosting them when I give
them to people.because i don't like crusty frosting,
and who knows
how much frosting people like.

All of this talk about baking is making me hungry-so odds are i will be baking something tomorrow.

last day of vacation

So it's my last day of vacation, I spent most of yesterday acquiring food. I went to the Union Square Farmer's Market-which has been one of my favorite Saturday morning traditions since moving to Somerville. I bought a handful of things that I'm not even sure how to cook-so I'll be updating how that goes. Such as fancy white turnips and golden beets.
One of the most fantastic highlights of yesterday was definitely watching this guy-dubbed "Insan-o-clown" who was apparently foraging for mulberries along the Charles River. There were so many things about this situation that I could not comprehend. The Shorts. The Sunglasses. The Shirtlessness. The Foraging? Apparently the mulberries were not even that good. Just saying.

new beginnings

i've always been hesitant to start a blog. Mostly out of fear that no one would care. but it feels like it might be worthwhile at this point. I'm at an internet conference in chicago, and today is all geared towards blogs and social media. i felt left out.
Traveling alone in a strange city is not something i'm used to. I've traveled to a bunch of weird cities, or towns. I've met a bunch of strangers, managed to make small talk, sleep soundly on floors and on couches. But never really alone. As someone who likes my alone time, this is weird. I like to be independent, I like to do things on my own. But traveling for some reason felt scary. I started scaring myself with thoughts like how petite I am, and how I couldn't bring my new knife because of the flight. I worried that people on the streets would know that I was alone, a stranger in this city, and that if I went missing, no one would notice for days. I used to worry about this when I lived alone, but at least then I was in MY city. In a familiar place.
But I'm of the opinion that if something makes me uncomfortable, I pretty much have to do it. This applied to running for student council, doing tennis in high school, and doing FYSOP in college. So after a little while of freaking myself out, I forced myself to leave the hotel, and walk to streets of chicago. I adventured to the fountain from the beginning of Married with Children-wish I had a No M'am shirt to wear- but it was still a great idea given to me by a friend.
I have to keep doing things that make me uncomfortable. like being at a retail conference by myself for days. because otherwise I have no concept of what I am able to do.
Now I've been really impressed with the vegan options that Chicago has to offer. Right outside my hotel is Kramer's Health Food Shoppe- a place with fresh juices, reasonable prices, and vegan treats. What are the odds? I also made the trip up to Wicker Park and indulged in Veggie Bite- Vegan Fast Food.

I have never been so stoked on chili cheese fries, cookie dough milkshakes, and burgers. I was ecstatic. There needs to be one of these in Boston. or not. I don't need to eat this every week. But it is so good. I've been impressed by the veggie friendliness of Chicago, makes me think that Boston needs to step up its game. Moral of the story= I need more adventures all the time.