The Egg to the Nog - Recipe 18 - Vegan Eggnog Ice Cream (and sidenote, crazy cookie day!)

So, simplicity rules here... maybe this is why I'm going for the not-so-simple, cookie party day tomorrow!
This recipe was sooo easy, I could probably do it once again with my eyes closed.   Now, I've NEVER been an eggnog fan, but I know Benny is, and I used to (as I said once before) make him real eggnog ice cream for Christmas, but this year - he got the vegan kind, and he didn't seem any the dissapointed.  He ate all of it.     Even my baby mama (who's like me and isn't an eggnog person) had a bowl!

There's my baby mama >>>>  Isn't she pretty?   Luff her.  <3  I think she was saying:  "mmmmm".  Lol.
So, regardless.  Vegan eggnog ice cream was a success.. which is actually a really big deal because it's not extremely easy to veganize anything 'eggnog' related.  Shoot, listen to the word "EGGnog".. it's not even close to 'vegan'.  Then you add 'cream' into the mix?   So not vegan.  But as I said.  Easy peasy.   The hardest part was to make sure it thickened right to churn it into an ice cream consistency.   I utilized cashews of all things.. and guess what?  It did the trick! (Now I wonder if I should have used cashews for that peppermint pie?  Hhhmmm.)

Ye olde churner, the Kitchenaid!

So cooking, cooling, churning, eating..  it's just that easy, and I'm totally ready to make ice cream now!   Just need someone besides myself to make it for!
 Not only was my ice cream the star last night, my Lori made us the best ever vegan chicken and dumplings.  Yum x 239273192732966.  I just ate my leftovers for lunch today.  She's such a good chef, my baby mama.  Very soon she's going to be one of my un-celebrity chefs in a chili cookoff.. oh very soon!

So, now what?  Ala Christmas cookie baking party day - which is tomorrow (as I'm writing this here on Saturday).  This should be fun, so long as my un-celebrity chefs Vicki, Megan, Amy and I don't kill eachother in my sister's tiny kitchen.     Guess I had better get the video camera ready - so someone can video tape me.. :P  Ok, I can videotape my sister who's doing something awesome for me, and veganizing peanut butter kiss cookies.   Can't ask for a better gift than that!!  Those are my FAVE!
Til later!
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COOKIE DAY


  Would you look at that there?  That cute lil spread?
Cookie day was fun.  What you're looking at here is L-R:
Vicki's (The sister): Chocolate peanut butter chip cookies.  Bottom middle:  MY chocolate chip cookies.  Right:  My sugar cookies. Top: Oatmeal CC Raisin Cookies (made specifically for Sandra) and right in the middle:  The sister's peanut butter kisses.   These are ALL vegan!  :)  This spread is going to our ornament party at work on Tuesday.  The rest, to whomever wants it.  I'm sugared out.

You may notice, that the gingerbread is missing.  It's not because I didn't make them.. but for some reason they turned out so thin, and so breakable that they were pretty much rendered useless by the time I got them home.. but here they are, all packed up and ready to go.

Regardless, the neice even got into the mix making brownies for school. 
Envision with me, if you will.. 3 Kitchenaid mixers (one 'olive' color from the 1400's - ok 1970's) all mixing at once.  I'm surpised we didn't blow a fuse!  So as I made sugar cookies, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and gingerbread, the sister was making peanut butter kisses.. and she'd also made a few others the day before.  Something with hot peppers in it, which didn't taste all that well (probably because it had splenda in it - which, ew.) but they DID have a kick at the end.    And Amy made something called 'Devil Dogs' which were devils food cake with a cream on them and chocolate sauce.   These ended up going to my father, and some kids at school tomorrow (for my neice).   SO NOT VEGAN! ;)

Anyway - there's the group there.  Ignore the weird look on my sister's face.  I am not quite sure what she was doing at this point.  
Regardless, I don't have alot to say about this cookie thing.. probably because I'm on some weird sugar high I don't want to be having.   It was fun.. it was tasty.. it was fantasimo. My cookies were a hit... so were everyone elses.  Even Megan was stealing some of my chocolate chip dough.. (which is surprising because she's such a picky pants.)  

It's time to let this veganization go with the cold cold wind... what's next week? 
CHRISTMAS BREAKFAST!
I know I'll be busy on Saturday night prepping the breads for it, but the rest of it will be made on Christmas morning.  My sister and I will be slaving away in the kitchen, making noise while my dad attempts to sleep, while my mommy is in church.  It should be fun.
Prep info coming soon.    Right now I'm taking my pigtails out and going to enjoy Alton Brown on TV.
Have a lovely up-coming week.

Music enjoyed while baking and writing:
Christmas music on TV
Good Eats

Current Motivation:
The sugar high I'm on


Current Craving:
ANYTHING w/o sugar!

Soups on? Or, un-epic fail #2 - Candy Cane Pie

So, it's kinda pretty, yeah?
Actually it didn't taste half-bad at all.   More like peppermint ice cream with a crust.   It just didn't hold up to it's 'pie' name, so I now deem it not worthy enough to be added to my recipe book.. because,  well the recipe didn't turn out as it should.  And that makes me have a sadface.  :(  Oh well.   I'm sure, should I try this again, I will try and figure out the best way to thicken this thing up.   The problem was, it just didn't stay firm.  Sigh.


Let's start at the beginning, which - as they say is a very good place to start!
Thursday night, I decided to make the piecrust and the chocolate ganache filling. Which, was actually very easy to do. 

ganache atop chocolate crust

This is where it started to go badly.   I made sure to freeze it to set it.  I know now where I went wrong, but at this point it was too late.  I checked on it before I went to bed, and it was still not set the way it should have been.. no matter, I guess.   It was going to sit at least another 48 hours before I did anything with it anyway..

I changed my 'make' day from Friday to Saturday, because I had a date on Friday.  No, not a date/date..  a date.  (do you know the difference? Cuz I'm not sure I do.)  Regardless, the point is, I couldn't play with the pie on Friday because I was playing with a pizza pie and a really funny girl for a few hours, because both of us needed out of the house.  So, this mess had to wait for another day.

Enter - next day.  Which was Saturday.  I find I like to have mini breakdowns on the weekends for some reason and I was having a moment Saturday morning where I was hating life.. it didn't last long though, and I like to thank Goldfrapp for the help there.  She had me dancing in my PJ's (yes, yes my PJ's) while I finished putting this pie together.

be excited, i'm showing everyone I can dance in my skivvies

Ok, so anyways.   There's the candy canes.. the candy canes I had to smash into candy cane dust.  Well, this is like the perfect time to smash candy canes right?  Get the lead out of my head.    So, there's this song by my beautiful Alison Goldfrapp called "Rocket".  (yeah give it a listen).  Well, that is what I decided to smash candy canes to... and it was just fitting to turn

this

this

                                                                          Into

And so it began.. I mixed that candy dust into a cloud of fluff (vegan marshmallow) and coconut cream.. hoping it'd keep it's firmness into the day.  I put it on top of the somewhat frozen ganache and let it set while I did my housework and laundry... for that night (last night) I was taking it to it's victims... and I sure hoped it would work out.

Some hours later I took it out of the freezer, but it was still not firm.   A little miffed, I reluctantly sprayed the whipped cream on it (yes I said whipped cream - even vegans get to have whipped cream, vegan style!) and let it sit for another hour before I got ready to go and hauled it out the door.

So, what happened in the end?
Well, I served it up.. it turned into pretty much, ice cream in a crust.  Oh it was good, it just wasn't 'pie'.. it got good reviews, but not as "pie".. so in that respect, it did not earn a spot in my recipe book.  Instead, I'll just make an extra something or other either later this week, or at the end of this two year test... or, maybe, I'll add my recipe for vegan Skyline chili in it's place instead..   hhhmmmm so many decisions.

Regardless, I still have some of this in my freezer, and I'm sure I'll be gluttonous and eat the rest of it during the week.   So, because I have nothing more to leave you with, I'll leave you with something really cute... two of my kids.  Ichabod (the left) and Pippen (the right) because you wanna see em.

awwwww

So, now with this one coming to a close, I'm segwaying into my next veganization - that of which I am no where near prepared for because my weekend has been changed a bit on me, meaning my recipe is being changed.  So, what will happen?

Guess you'll have to stay tuned to find out.
Happy night, y'all.

Music enjoyed while cooking and writing this blog:
Goldfrapp - Head First
Once Upon A Time (Tv)

Current Craving:
A home cooked meal

Current Motivation:
Busy starts again tomorrow.