We were all MUCH thinner before we came to dinner....

.....Let's just say that after Thanksgiving, I feel quite a bit less than stellar. Hoho, whaddaya know? I have a headache, stomachache and nausea. I NEED THE GYM. ASAP. Aaand I'll prolly be detoxing until Christmas.

BUT ANYWAYS, ONTO THE FOOD! (sorry bout the horrible pics. lighting was AWFUL!)


Asparagus and White Bean Pesto Tart
Everyone loved this pastry! I used more pesto than the recipe actually called for and it was absolutely great!

Homemade Appetizer Tray: Candied Pecans, Caramelized Onion Dip, and Fall Crackers

Making fall crackers was a fun thing to do with one of my cousins. We both enjoyed the scent of the herbs and spices emanating from the crackers. :) Hannah's caramelized Onion Dip is BEYOND AMAZING! Everyone who tried some enjoyed it! I highly recommend it!

Spanakopita from VWAV

Roasted vegan curry half chicken
I found this at the health food store where I (sadly) could not find a tofurky roast. It was pretty good!

Close-up of the "drumstick"

Apple Pie
I've had this crazy insatiable craving for apple pie, so Thanksgiving was the perfect excuse!

Pumpkin Pie
Yummers is all I've got to say :)
Apple Tart
I love making apple tarts for their simplicity!!!

I'd say Thanksgiving was a success! My family and family friends all enjoyed the veg food and were quite amused to know that the dip, the pumpkin pie, and the spanakopita all had tofu! They were all open minded (with the exception of my brother lol...) and all had a great time.

Hope you had a happy Thanksgiving!

I am thankful for...........

...so many things that it's crazy. I will typically limit my posts to food, but I felt like I wanted to make a short, condensed list of some of the things that I am grateful for. So without further ado; the list:

I am thankful for....

...my Savior. I know it's a controversial topic, but it's part of who I am, so I won't be apologizing. Because of my relationship with Him, my life is completely whole and improved. I couldn't begin to tell you how wonderful a life with Christ is. :)

I am thankful for....

.... the Christmas season! I love everything Christmas-y, from the music to decorations to food to family gatherings to snow to Christmas break to everything in between. ^_^

I am thankful for....

.....mis perros. Tengo dos chihuahuas! Okay, my non-Spanish speaking amigos, these are my two longhaired chihuahuas! They are from the same litter; in fact they were the only two born in to their parents :)The one on the left is a girl and the one on the right is a boy. Carmel's the girl and Cookie's the boy ^_^

I am thankful for....

....my friends :) We talk about pretty much everything together. Life has dealt each of us some pretty hard blows, but through them all, we have grown stronger.

I am thankful for....

....my family! I love my Dad, my Mom, and (as you all know very well ;] ) my brother. They are my support pillar. My dad is great at cooking, my mom is great at being my friend, and my brother is someone who I can talk to pretty much any time.


I am thankful for....

And last but not least, I am thankful for all of you, blog friends!!!! I love reading each and every one of your comments. Receiving blog awards and being tagged is so much fun :D It encourages me a great deal and excites me also! So thanks to you all!

If you read my blog or have just randomly stopped by, could you leave me a comment? I'd love to visit all of your guys' blogs and add y'all to my blogroll! Thanks a bunch!!

Baking with Brother - Episode 1 - Bagels

Sorry for not commenting on all of your blogs! School has been pretty busy. I'll find time to catch up this week though, hopefully!

It all started last week when my brother randomly flipped through a Jewish cookbook and said, "Let's make bagels!" Seeing as how I had nothing better to do, I agreed, and bagels it was!

The venerable bags of flour:

My brother is VERY meticulous when it comes to measurements-- something I'm not! He was incredibly precise in all of the weights and such haha :D

INTENSE.

Need to knead!

"Behold, I present to thee bagel dough. Or a dinosaur egg."

"...or perhaps..."

".... Mr. Doughface!"

Bagels!

After water bath, after dipping in toppings; before baking.....

Tada! Done!

Lovely, lovely, lovely(I know, they aren't perfectly shaped. But hey, there's always next time!) :D These were great with tofutti and pumpkin butter (spread on the non-everything bagels) and chipotle hummus on the everything bagels.

Be looking forward to future installments of [veg] baking with [omni] brother!

Tester!!! Cherry Macaroon Tarts!!!

Second tester recipe for Hannah Kaminsky's upcoming book is cherry macaroon tarts! I made the recipe same as everyone else except for the fact that I used mini tart pans 'cause that's how I roll. And I also couldn't help but garnish them with drizzled chocolate and slivered almonds. ^_^

Close up:

Look; it's disappearing!!! haha

Oh and I've been tagged too by Becca of A vegan with a reason blog! So anyhoo if you want to know-- here's seven random facts:

1. I'm a Taiwanican!! hahaha. Taiwanese descent+American citizenship= Taiwanican.
2. One of my MAJOR pet peeves is when people ask me what I'm eating and then proceed to say in an obnoxiously ignorant tone, "GROSS!!!"
3. I'm too old for my age.
4. I'm too fat for my size.
5. I have played violin since I was 6.
6. I have played piano since I was 5-6.
7. Tofufreak is one word, please. If and when you do add my to your blogrolls, could you list me as either In the kitchen of a tofufreak or tofufreak? Thank ya much :D

oh and I'm too lazy to tag anyone. Look-- a bonus factoid! you lucky bums :P

Bakery Bread Brings Bunches of Bliss!

Sorry for the super long hiatus! Life has been pretty crazy around here! Buuuut looky what I made! Lots of Chinese bakery-style breads!!! These were all made for a bake sale at my church. They were the fastest selling items!

If you remember from a while back, I started a tutorial on how to make this bread which is none other than my favorite-- red bean!! :D (I will finish that tutorial... eventually..)

For the very first time, I made taro bread! The kind of taro used for sweets turns this lovely shade of purple when cooked and sweetened. The taste is mildly sweet with floral undertones. This is a traditional kind enjoyed greatly by many of my Asian friends and their parents :) Yum!

This is another one of my favorites! The filling for this one was a coconut cream made with toasted coconut, sugar, and EB. Each loaf was garnished with an almond sliver. Mmm.. These had a great toasty, nutty sweet flavor.

Blurry shot of the bread at the bake sale. Anyone up for some carbs?