Vegan Pumpkin Bread

Vegan Pumpkin Bread

Well it's been a few days since I've been here. My apologies to all three readers. It has been a busy few weeks. You see two sets of good friends were getting married. And because I can't keep my nose out of anyone's damn business I was involved in both. That coupled with my already debilitating Netflix and boxed wine addition just took up too much of my time. 

So now that both weddings are done and I'm in between series I thought I would take some time back in the kitchen to center myself. After cleaning up the empty Trader Joe Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup wrappers from a rough night of 3 am naked snacking I got to baking some basic bitch pumpkin bread. However this pumpkin bread is vegan. I am not vegan but due to a recent request I had some vegan sugar left in my pantry. And I'm not about to waste that expensive shit. 

If all goes well I should be back next week. Here's hoping for a fun filled week. 

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Vegan Pumpkin Bread

INGREDIENTS

1 15-ounce can (1 3/4 cups) pumpkin puree

1/2 cup melted refined coconut oil

3 tablespoons white vinegar

3/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 2/3 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon fine sea or table salt

1 tablespoon Chinese Five Spice

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

For Topping:

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat with cooking spray and line with parchment paper one 6-cup loaf pan. Set aside.

2. In medium sized bowl mix together flour, Chinese Five Spice, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 3/4 teaspoons baking soda. Set aside.

3. In separate large bowl mix together pumpkin puree, coconut oil, salt, white vinegar and 3/4 teaspoons baking soda.

4. Add dry ingredients into pumpkin mixture. Stir until fully incorporated. Spoon into prepared loaf pan.

5. In small bowl mix together topping ingredients and evenly spread over batter in pan. Place pan in preheated oven and bake for 60-75 minutes. Turning after 30 minutes for even baking. Test with toothpick and remove from oven when toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on cooling rack.

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Grilled Cheese

Ooooo Lord it has been a hot minute since my last book review and I apologize. Please don't judge. I have been reading like a fiend since my last contribution over at Yes and Yes but as you know I have been wrapped up with some Southern Learnings. 

But I am back at it! 

This week I finished Buffering by Hannah Hart. You may recall eons ago back in my blog baby infancy I introduced you to Hannah Hart and her genius YouTube show called My Drunk Kitchen. Walk down memory lane here.  

Well like a YouTube wet dream come true, with a little hard work Hannah grew her show into something pretty amazing. With over 217 million views, Hannah has covered such topics as how to make boozy mac and cheese pasta (click here) or letting us in on something as intimate as her first lesbian kiss (click here).

In her latest book Buffering Hannah walks us through everything that lead up to her current tube-tastic life. Fighting to survive some pretty tough moments (starting with a mother with mental illness) she worked hard to create a brand reaching millions and whose ultimate goal is to spread good (check out Have A Hart Day for volunteer opportunities near you...click here).

In honor of Buffering I chose to make a grilled cheese. In her very first video Hannah attempts to make a grilled cheese while enjoying a bottle of red and oddly not cheese. Instead of my usual recipe I will provide you with her video in hopes you can learn from her.  

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FOR MORE BOOK CLUB FUN CHECK OUT SOME OTHER GREAT READS WE'VE DONE!

BINGE BY TYLER OAKLY - A LOT HAPPENS AT ARBY'S

BIG LITTLE LIES BY LIANE MORIARTY - CURRENTLY CAPTIVATING US ON HBO

ELEANOR AND PARK BY RAINBOW ROWELL - TEEN ANGST AT ITS HEARTBREAKING BEST

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French Quarter Beignets

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Beignets

New Orleans seems to be very en vogue this season. Within one month's time roughly 8 people I know will be traveling there to partake in a variety of festivities. From bachelorette parties to drunken hairdresser conventions, The Big Easy will be getting a solid taste of North Carolinians this month.  

I blame Sara. 

Sara moved to Winston Salem just over a year ago. We met the usual way. Through our mutual leasing agent. 

When asked, "where did you move from?", her response is always a resounding "I'm from New Orleans baby!"

Split between the Metairie neighborhood and NOLA you will never meet a more die hard fan of a city. At any given point I would bet money that Sara has beads and/or a Mardi Gras mask in her handbag. Just in case.

She is a walking encyclopedia of information about her home town. She is the dad from My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Able to linguistically trace all words back to New Orleans. 

She can give you a heartfelt and eye opening first hand account of living with hurricanes that leave nothing behind. She will passionately speak of hometown food as if it were a first born child (that is when I knew we could be friends). And if you are ever so lucky to be next to her at a bar, there is the inevitable moment when just enough wine takes her accent to 11 and you have ask her to repeat herself. 

And with that, for Sara's birthday this year I attempted to make the New Orleans classic, beignets. After a few hours of scouring the dark net for a bootleg copy of the Cafe Du Monde recipe I had to settle on what I felt was the next best thing. Paula Deen. I know, I know. I really didn't want to. But it really was a good recipe.

So with my deep fryer revved up and rolling pin greased I got to making my first ever beignets. Super easy. Super tasty. And though I know many cultures have their own version of this wonderful sweet fried dough. I will only credit New Orleans for giving this to the human race.   

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French Quarter Beignets

RECIPE FROM PAULA DEEN/FOOD NETWORK

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 envelope active dry yeast

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 cup evaporated milk

7 cups bread flour

1/4 cup shortening

Nonstick spray

Oil, for deep-frying

3 cups confectioners' sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Mix water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.

2. In another bowl, beat the eggs, salt and evaporated milk together. Mix egg mixture to the yeast mixture. In a separate bowl, measure out the bread flour. Add 3 cups of the flour to the yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add the shortening and continue to stir while adding the remaining flour. Remove dough from the bowl, place onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray. Put dough into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours.

3. Preheat oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F.

4. Add the confectioners' sugar to a paper or plastic bag and set aside.

5. Roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness and cut into 1-inch squares. Deep-fry, flipping constantly, until they become a golden color. After beignets are fried, drain them for a few seconds on paper towels, and then toss them into the bag of confectioners' sugar. Hold bag closed and shake to coat evenly.

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FOR MORE ON MY AWKWARD FRIEND MAKING SKILLS CLICK BELOW!

FORCED FAMILY, FORCED FUN, AND FORCED FED or JUST ANOTHER ROSH HASHANAH

SUPER BOWL PARTIES, SHAPED CHEESES, AND MIDDLE SCHOOL GYM NIGHTMARES

GOLDEN GIRLS, (OPRAH'S) GRATITUDE MOMENTS, AND GETTIN' OLD

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Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Bread

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Girl Scout Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Bread

This weekend I stepped out of my box and took a road trip with two friends, two strangers, and a cross dressing Scotsman. Which of course meant I had to make Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Bread. A road trip necessity.  

With swimsuits in hand and sunscreen freshly applied we drove 5 hours even deeper into the south to watch a friend perform in drag for the sake of theatre. But before that poor sun burned Scotsman got on stage to open the eyes of Hilton Head's elite to the world of farce we made Hilton Head Island our bitch.   

Things I've Learned This Week Living In The South (Beach Edition):

1. A last minute road trip with your hairdresser can lead to some of the best seafood you've ever had in your short sea food eating life. The Hilton Head Island Seafood Festival proved to be the best $29 spent in a long ass time. Why was everyone keeping the beauty of the Oyster Shooter from me all these years?

2. The South is home to some very friendly people. As seen by the community of women at the food festival who rallied together to share what few unused napkins they had to make sure all women in line had toilet paper as there was none left in the shitter.  

3. When told that the person getting in the car with you once crapped himself wearing an adult dinosaur onsie, don't judge. He may be the only other "Ben" you'll meet that is worthy of the name. And as he played soccer on the beach in a newly purchased shark onsie, his girlfriend looked on with what I feel was a mix of lust and love. We all need a partner who can can admire us in our onsies.  

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PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE BANANA BREAD

RECIPE ADAPTED FROM THE GOURMET COOKBOOK (2004 ed)

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/4 Cups All Purpose Flour

3/4 t Baking Powder

1/2 t Baking Soda

1 t Salt

1 1/2 sticks Unsalted Butter, room temp

1 Cup Dark Brown Sugar

1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar

3 Large Eggs

1 1/2 t Vanilla Extract

1 1/3 Cups Mashed Ripe Banana

3 T Sour Cream

10 Girl Scout Peanut Butter Patties, roughly chopped

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. With rack in middle of oven, preheat to 350 degrees F. Butter and line with parchment two 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch loaf pans and dust with flour, knocking out extra.

2. Sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside. Beat together salt, butter, and sugars in large bowl with electric mixer on high until pale and fluffy. Reduce to medium and add eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla, bananas, and sour cream. Reduce to low speed. Add in flour mixture and mix until just combined. Fold in chopped cookies using a rubber spatula.

3. Divide batter between prepared loaf pans and smooth tops. Bake until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 45-50 minutes.

4. Remove bread from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

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READ UP ON OTHER CAR BASED ADVENTURES I'VE TAKEN HERE!!!

SIBLING ROAD TRIP THROUGH CALIFORNIA

RUSTY GRISWOLD AND HOW I LOVE HIM

TRAVEL TRIPS WHEN TRAVELING WITH CHEESE

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Turkey Sandwich

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Turkey Sandwich with Mull of Kintyre Cheddar

2016 wrapped up with a bang (and not the good kind) and all I wanted was a damn turkey sandwich.

After dropping a teary eyed friend off at her apartment in the wee first hours of 2017 I raced home to peel off the champagne stained clothing, pulled out the building blocks of the simplest and yet so satisfying of sandwiches, and sat in silence to mentally recap what had gone down the previous 365 days. 

Things I Learned This Year Living In The South:

1. Life plans don't get derailed. They get rerouted. You just have to be smart enough to read a map to get back on track. 

2. There is something orgasmic about a well poached egg. 

3. To quote the great Chi-Chi from To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything Julie Newmar, "No one is ever so rich as to throw away a friend." Some come and go. However brief their time with you it happened for a reason. 

Turkey Sandwich with Mull of Kintyre Cheddar

FEEDS ONE

ingredients

2 Slices Italian White Bread, thinly sliced

4 Slices Roasted Deli Turkey

Schmear of Hellman's Mayonnaise

3 Slices of Cheddar Cheese of choosing

instructions

1. Spread desired amount of mayonnaise on one slice of bread.

2. Layer on turkey.

3. Add layer of cheddar cheese.

4. Top with remaining slice of bread.

Note: Mull of Kintyre did not pay for mention in this post. I am simply obsessed.

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CLICK BELOW FOR SOME PREVIOUS YEARS SHENANIGANS

RESTAURANT REVIEWS AND MYSTIC PIZZA

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