Orange-Clove Pancakes

I woke up this morning before J and really wanted to make a yummy pancake breakfast. I started thinking about my favorite fall smells and remembered how, when I was a kid, we used to take oranges and stick cloves in them and bake them in the oven to dry them out. I always loved the rich, sweet smell  and started craving it this morning. I also had left over raspberry sauce from a cake order I made on Friday and thought this would be a great way to use some up.

Orange-Clove Pancakes
Makes 5-8 pancakes

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cloves, plus extra to sprinkle on top
2 Tbsp canola oil
1/3 cup juice squeezed from an orange (I used the juice of one medium orange)
1 cup almond milk
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 to 1 1/2 tsp orange extract (depending on how strong you want the flavor to be)
2 oranges (one for juicing and one zested and sliced with pith removed)

Cooking spray

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Form a well in the middle and add the oil, orange juice, almond milk, maple syrup, and orange extract. Mix until ingredients are combined. Stir in orange zest. It's ok if there are a few lumps left over.

Heat a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Once hot (2-5 minutes) spray with cooking spray. I used a measuring cup for 1/3 of a cup to measure out each pancake. Don't flip your pancake until there are a bunch of little bubbles on top - be patient! If you flip too early it can be messy. Once you're all done, serve them as you like.

I served them with raspberry sauce drizzled around then edge and then placed sliced orange on to top of the pancakes and a few fresh raspberries. I sprinkled the tops of the pancakes and the oranges with some ground cloves and served with some maple syrup on the side.


Before J came out, I cleared off our coffee table and set up a little brunch breakfast with a pot of freshly made tea from Dobra. It was certainly a nice way to start the day!

Latest Vegan Cake (Gayke) Creation

Yesterday, I spent the day baking another "Gayke" for a friend's birthday party. It's been a year since I've baked a gayke and I've learned SO much in that time. The cake didn't come out perfectly - it was a tad lumpy, but I know how to fix it for next time and I'm pretty happy with the results! The cake was 6 layers, each dyed a color of the rainbow, and I used my ever popular vanilla batter with the addition of lemon zest. Between the layers, I brushed a raspberry-basil sauce and piped in some light lemony no-buttercream frosting. The outside is iced with the same frosting and topped with a fondant rainbow made by my guy. Below are pics of last year's Gayke compared to this year's...I think I've improved quite a bit!!

2011 Gayke - Vanilla Cake with Orange No-Buttercream

2012 Gayke - Vanilla-Lemon Cake with Raspberry-Basil Sauce & Lemon No-Buttercream

2011 Gayke Insides

2012 Gayke Insides

Serious excitement!

27 is here

Today I turn 27 and the day is always bittersweet. I'm happy to be another year older and don't fear the approaching 3 - 0 as many do. What's makes it bittersweet is that someone isn't here to celebrate with me. In 2007, my mom died from an extremely aggressive version of cervical cancer. She was my idol, my hero, my best friend. And so on this day, I'm spending the day at home by myself with the kitties, baking for an event on Sunday, remembering her life, and feeling thankful she brought me into this world.

I'm glad today is quiet. I'm going to test out two new types of cupcakes: Cookies n' Creme and Peaches n' Cream. It's another test of my willpower over sweets! I've lost another pound this week and am down by 17 since starting, so I'll just keep reminding myself that fitting into those jeans and that skirt and that blazer are WAY more worth it than scarfing down a cupcake.

Yesterday, I took off work and treated myself to a haircut in the morning and then walked around the city with J. We went into LeRoux Kitchen, an amazing kitchen supply store in the Old Port. While there, we did buy a little Taza Chocolate that was salted almond and I stowed it away in my purse. Taza Chocolate is incredible and if you haven't tried it, you need to. It comes as a small circle and although it looks and feels like a dense chunk of chocolate, it tastes incredibly airy and light. Then we walked around a bit more and started feeling hungry by 1:30, so we went over to the Portland Public Market and visited our friends at Granny's Burrito, Kamasouptra, and Market House Coffee. Whenever I visit the Public Market, I try to spread my wealth around by purchasing something small from several vendors. So for lunch we shared a burrito filled with peanut tofu, rice, lettuce, and hot sauce from Granny's, a small cup of vegan chili from Kamasouptra, and a pineapple coconut water from Market House Coffee. It was certainly a larger lunch than we're accustomed to and I was glad we'd skipped both our morning and afternoon snacks. We also spent the good part of the day walking at a good pace - I'm guessing we walked 5-6 miles by the time we were done.

It's all about balance! My coworker says it's simple, "Calories in must be equal to or less than calories out." I think it's important to celebrate things once in a while and to not deprive ourselves of things forever because that is exactly what causes me to fall off the weight loss wagon.

So for dinner last night we had a very very light dinner of 1/2 cup of brown rice over arugula with 1/2 cup of shiitakes and a wedge of lime squirted on top. We followed dinner by a few bites of the Taza chocolate and then ran some errands for my day of baking today. After returning home, we were both hungry. Stomach grumbling hungry. So I suggested we make some Ginger-Lime Hummus and have a little with some carrot and bell pepper sticks. It totally did the trick and I'm pretty sure Ginger-Lime Hummus is our new favorite flavor!

Tonight, J's taking me out for a birthday dinner at the Green Elephant - my favorite restaurant. We've already talked about the idea of getting an appetizer to split and then sharing one entree so that portion sizes are smaller. Green Elephant makes vegetarian and vegan food and it's wonderfully fresh and elegant. I'm excited :) J's birthday present to me is a two night stay in Camden, Maine next weekend and I'm super excited about that!

Since 2006, I've thought my birthday was "cursed." In 2006 and 2007, my mom was re-diagnosed with cancer once on my birthday, once the day before. In 2008, we were told my grandmother (my mom's mother) going to die from cancer just days before my birthday. So I've had trouble celebrating these last few years, no wonder. But I'm going to move past the past and look to the future. A future filled with healthy happiness and a celebration of the strong and beautiful women who helped shape me into the woman I am today.

Raspberry Truffle Cupcakes for Valentine's Day

This month's Salt and Pine Bakery cupcake flavor was Raspberry Truffle. I must tell you, as the weekend neared, I was nervous. I had just completed 4 weeks of detox and had lost 15 pounds (I've lost a total of 16 now!). It had been a month since I'd had any refined sugar, let alone baked. So it was a test of my will-power; time to muster up some fortitude.

I started with my fail-safe chocolate cupcake recipe. This batter turns out a light, moist, very chocolatey cupcake that melts in your mouth. I did not take one taste of batter because I've made this recipe so many times that I trust myself and know I make it perfectly each time. I finished all 53 of them was still feeling fine. After they cooled, I started coring them, and that's when things became a little more difficult. As I removed the core from each cupcake, that rich chocolatey smell drifted up at me and my taste buds tingled. Dang - it's incredible how much food can affect us! I did well though. And through filling them with chocolate ganache, icing them with raspberry icing, I'm proud to say that I only took one taste of icing to ensure that the raspberry taste was there and tasted one cupcake core just to be sure they came out correctly/baked long enough. 

Justin Lumiere Photography

Justin Lumiere Photography

I had one extra at the end and J and I split it because, as a baker and a business-woman, I feel that I cannot turn out any of my product without ensuring that it is perfect. So we did a little quality control test. And boy, was it good! 

Here's the funny thing, all throughout the detox, I didn't crave sweets at all. I saw things around me at work - cookies, cake, candy - and didn't even care. But since tasting that 1/2 of a cupcake, my taste buds have re-awakened and they want more. I made mini cupcake bites using the cores and left over frosting and had 2 cupcakes left over and brought them in to work. They were gone by the day's end which was fabulous because I was NOT taking those home! I was tempted all day to take a little bite, but here's what stopped me: that morning, I tried on a pair of jeans that hadn't fit in two years, and they fit! I reminded myself that there will always be cupcakes in my life - seriously I'm a baker! - but I will never get another body and I need to take care of it NOW! 

I made 12 deliveries and have received some incredible feedback. J took an extra to work for his boss and she's placed and order and one of my club members has ordered an additional 4 of the same flavor. Business is "booming!" 

So I am motivated. J and I are excited to celebrate our accomplishments and I am excited to learn to be a baker who is not addicted to food. 

Detox: Day One - here we gooooooo!

Ok, so I'm only 2 hours in to detox month, but I'm still feeling good and I'm trying to keep my mood positive. I CAN DO THIS!

It won't be easy considering I just had to bake 2 dozen cupcakes for the Cupcake Club of the Month deliveries tomorrow for Salt and Pine Bakery. I delivered the first batch yesterday and have received rave reviews so far:

"SO DELICIOUS!!!! Thank you so much!! They are amazing!"

"Honestly Christi, this is the best cupcake I've ever had. Feel free to bring me only this for the rest of my life."

 Chocolate, Sea Salt, and Caramel Vegan Cupcake 

Photo by Justin Lumiere

Luckily, the next set of deliveries is scheduled in the last week of my detox and I'm hoping, by then, that I won't be craving cupcakes! It's challenging to work with food when it's something you struggle with, but I'm determined to lose weight and change my way of thought so that I can pursue my passion. 

So for breakfast this morning, I'm drinking (right now, yes) a smoothie made with 2 navel oranges, 1 cup frozen raspberries, and 1 cup frozen blueberries. It is delicious. So simple and pure. I've already made up a batch of the Cranberry-Pumpkin Trail Mix and I'm going to make the Fruit and Nut Bites later today. I'm excited! Let's hope I can keep it up. The website that gives the details for the cleanse suggests keeping a food journal. I will likely use this blog. I intend to be brutally honest about my feelings, trials and tribulations and hope you all will encourage me as I go; I hope to encourage you, too! 

Detox Time

I don't know about you, but I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by all of our holiday eating. Yes, we're vegan, but we still eat things like....Salt and Pine's Chocolate-Peanut butter Decadence Cake. (Yes, I made that this past weekend!)

Although I don't plan to stop baking (it's my "job" on the side and my passion) I do plan to start a detox plan on Monday with J. If I bake, I'll take it to work or give it away so that it's not lingering around the house. 

I got the idea when someone I know on Facebook posted a link to the 2012 Whole Living Action Plan. I'm at a place where I'm not losing the weight, I'm constantly tired and just want to re-start my body. This detox goes on for 4 weeks and we'll have to create some vegan alternatives for the later weeks since the menus include fish. 

Our first week will include:

Breakfasts:

Antioxidant Smoothie

Carrot, Mango & Herb Smoothie

Green Smoothie

Mango-Coconut Water Smoothie

Orange-Berry Smoothie

Cucumber, Honeydew, and Mint Smoothie

Lunches:

Spiced Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Kale Slaw with Red Cabbage and Carrots

Sweet Potato, Celery, and Apple Salad

Avocado with Bell Pepper and Tomatoes

Dinners:

Steamed Broccoli and Squash with Tahini Sauce

Roasted Peppers, Cauliflower and Almonds

Snacks:

Dried Fruit and Nut Bites

Crispy Roasted Cauliflower

Cinnamon Poached Apples with Toasted Walnuts

In addition, the site gives you a mediation of the week, suggests starting a food journal, and has several detox yoga poses.

I'm excited to get started new week and hope to not only shed some weight but to feel rejuvenated!  

As promised, Pink Rose Cake Photos

Sushi Night and a Really Pink Cake

I've had a great week in the world of cooking and baking! On Wednesday, I took the day off from my real job and baked a very large, very pink cake for a Salt and Pine Bakery client's birthday. It came out great and I received a text from her the other night that said:

"That cake is the best, richest, vegan vanilla cake I've ever tasted IN MY LIFE! Thank you sooo much! My mom says you should go to NYC!"

Very flattering :) My client was actually vegan, which is doesn't actually happen all that often. The cake was 5 layers of vanilla cake dyed various shades of pink and purple, and in between each layer, raspberry and a light almond no-buttercream. The outside was decorated with no-buttercream roses in varying shades of pink. Here's a few photos - please excuse the ones from my cell phone; J will have nicer ones from his camera once he has time to edit them:

Cake layers

Last night my back was aching from a day of baking and a little fender bender on Thursday (my friend's car not mine, and we're both okay!) and I started getting really scared that it was going back to the bad place it was in a year ago. It's still aching today, but a little better I think. Positive thoughts! Positive thoughts! 

At dinner time, to brighten my mood, J and I thought it would be fun to make sushi. We had picked up some sushi rice at Whole Foods and I followed the instructions on Cooking Cute for preparation and seasoning. Meanwhile, J prepared some long cut pieces of sweet potato by frying them briefly in a skillet, some long strips of tofu by try frying, sautéed cremini mushrooms, and raw carrot, sprouts, and zucchini. 

I was concerned that our dinner did not have enough protein, so I prepared a salad with spinach, yellow & red bell pepper, radish, carrot, and chickpeas, dressed with a wasabi vinaigrette (1 Tbsp wasabi powder, 3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar, 2 Tbsp water, pinch of salt, pinch of sugar). 

Dinner was delicious and so much fun to prepare! I had never rolled my own sushi before, so J taught me how and I have to say, it's not super easy, but it is super fun! The hardest part was how much the rice stuck to our hands! We had a little sticky rice left over so we made two little rice balls and served them with the salad. 

I've got to get baking - I'm planning to make a French Apple Tart for a little New Years Eve gathering we're having this evening. And guess what, everyone? Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of going vegan! Post to follow! 

Have a happy, fun, and safe New Years Eve, everyone!

Thanksgiving Day Vegan Fest Recap

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day yesterday! J and I were supposed to go to his mom's for a family dinner, but I've been sick and so we decided it best to have our own little fest at home. J, the sweetheart that he is, insisted I relax while he prepared our T-day dinner. About a week ago we had discussed what we were going to make and created a delicious menu:

• Vegan YumYum's Seitan Roulade with Chestnut Stuffing (with pecans substituting chestnuts because we couldn't find prepared chestnuts at Whole Foods)
• Vegan YumYum's Mushroom Gravy
• Garlic mashed potatoes
• NYT Well Blog's Stir-Fried Balsamic Ginger Carrots

So I sat on the couch watching TV as J worked away in the kitchen, running back and forth to the computer and to me with questions and exciting taste tests. The dinner he put together was spectacular. I had been a meat eater for many years, and this was MUCH better than any "normal" Thanksgiving dinner I'd ever had. He even changed up the menu a bit; we'd run out of mushrooms for the gravy, so he made Vegan YumYum's Tangerine Cranberry Sauce (made with orange juice instead of tangerine). Everything was delicious and definitely worth making again! Here's some photos he took while he was putting everything together:

Pecan Stuffing

Finished Pecan Stuffing with Homemade Croutons added

Cranberries, Sugar, & Orange Juice boiling down

Finished Orange Cranberry Sauce

Roulades just out of the oven. We realized we forgot to get cotton cooking string, so J was innovative and used tin foil "twist-ties" instead

Our beautiful dinner!

I had originally planned to bake a vegan French Apple Tart to take to J's mom's house, but as I was sick, I wasn't feeling up to baking. The tart would have looked like this though: 

This was the first year I did not feel overly stuffed from Thanksgiving. I didn't feel lethargic; I felt satisfied and lively. In retrospect, we didn't even need the tart - it probably would have been overdoing it. And what's the point in that?!

I'm glad we had an animal-free meal this Thanksgiving. As I perused Facebook, so many people had the status "Happy Turkey Day!" and it made me feel so sad that people don't realize the meaning behind what they're saying. Thanksgiving should not be a day about killing thousands of turkeys, most of which lived horrible lives in cages too small for them to move. Thanksgiving should be about being thankful for what we have and, if you're going to partake in the act of eating animals, at least have the decency to be thankful for the life you took rather than making light of it and wishing everyone a happy turkey day. 

For me, I'm thankful to have such a loving, caring, devoted fiancé. I'm thankful for our companion animals, kitties Ellie and Bob, who show us unconditional love and have lifted our spirits daily. I'm thankful for the family we've made for ourselves and for the happy home that shelters us. I'm thankful for the life I have and the happiness I can bring to others. 

Let's play catch up...

I apologize for my recent departure from blog-posting. Life has been quite the whirl-wind lately and, unfortunately, my blog has moved to the back burner. In recent news:

-I started a Cupcake Club of the Month with Salt and Pine Bakery and, in my first month, had 5 members! Members receive 4 beautifully packaged cupcakes delivered to their door once a month. Within days of the first delivery, I increased membership to 8. J and I also recently realized that the kitchen in our place may not be all that difficult to certify after a few minor enhancements (mainly dealing with the facet pressure/temperature and finding a suitable door so that the kitties can't come in). I'm excited to move forward and take my business to "legit" status. Have you seen my new logo designed by Derek Kimball of Last House Productions? It's beautiful!

-For a while there, J and I weren't doing much exciting cooking. We go through phases and the busier we are, the less inspired our meals become. I've realized that as my back feels better, I need to really focus on weight loss since I have increased mobility. So I've started going to one-on-one Pilates sessions at Springboard Pilates and I'm planning all of our weekly meal in advance again. Meal planning not only helps with weight loss because it tells you what to eat and when, but it also helps you save money so that you're not buying things without plans. Yay planning! And FYI - Pilates is amazing. I'm loving it so far and recommend taking one-on-one or really small classes using the reformer if you can afford it. It is costly, but in my mind, my body is a worth-while investment. My trainer knows a lot about back injuries and is excellent at paying attention to my facial and body cues and makes sure I won't re-injure myself.

-So since we started cooking planned meals, we've made some awesome things. Here's your recipe recap:

• On Monday we tried Vegan Yum Yum's Pan Fried Tofu, Kale, & Stir-Fried Noodles. The recipe was easy to follow and came out wonderfully. One thing I'll say about Vegan Yum Yum is that her recipes tend to be a bit intricate and can take some time, so if you're in a hurry, I don't recommend trying out her stuff. This dish used a wonderful marinade on the tofu and a dipping sauce based on the marinade.  

• Tuesday's dish was Post Punk Kitchen's Black Beans & Quinoa with Chipotle Raspberry Sauce. Again, a dish that took some time, so don't make this if you're in a real hurry. I also recommend using a food processor for the dressing, not a blender. At the time, we didn't have a food processor (just got one on Friday!) so sauces in the blender were a pain because everything just gets stuck on the blades and doesn't move. The dish was awesome though - we made it with a small hot chile instead of chipotles in adobe because we just don't really like that flavoring all that much. I also used cashews in the sauce because we didn't have any almonds.  

• Wednesday morning I set up the crock pot to make Fat Free Vegan's Spiced Butternut Squash & Lentil Soup.  One of my favorite things about cold weather seasons is using my crock pot. There's nothing like coming home from a really busy day to a home smelling like someone's been cooking and a meal ready to eat. The garam masala in this dish is a wonderful touch and makes the soup smell so delicious.  

• Thursday was Vegan Yum Yum's Pistachio Arugula Pesto with Penne & Sauteed Broccolini.  YUM! Just look at the photo on her website and you'll salivate. J made this dish and I think one of my favorite parts was the miso in the pesto. Such an interesting twist and it gave it a little bit of sweetness. We didn't have any arugula so we used spinach instead....soooo good. I'm curious to try it again with arugula, but it was really awesome with spinach. 

-On Friday, J and I went to Portmouth, NH and had dinner at The Friendly Toast. They've got a lot of vegetarian options, but not so many vegan ones. You can have things modified though...they're totally open to that. And nothing beats the decor in there :)

-Saturday we had a delicious brunch at Local Sprouts. J had a VLT - a vegan version of a BLT with tempeh, lettuce, tomato, and their homemade vegan mayo. I had the sweet and sour tofu sandwich and we shared a little bowl of their vegan mac n cheese. Yummers!

-Today I received the sad news that my family cat Pumpkin passed away over the weekend. My mom got Pumpkin back in 2006 from Harvest Hills Animal Shelter in Fryeberg where she volunteered. He was such a fluffy little cat and we were told that he was an adult...but as it turned out, he kept growing and growing and growing into a 15 pound cat the size of a small dog! He was the most cuddly cat I'd ever had and enjoyed spending an upwards of 10 minutes kneading your chest every night. He loved to jump really high in the air to catch toys and would run after me as I walked across our dining room, pawing at my feet.

After my mom passed away in 2007, my step-father kept Pumpkin until he had to give him up in 2010 because the apartment he was moving into wouldn't allow pets. I tried to take Pumpkin in but my apartment was very dark (I was living in an awful basement apartment) and my kitty Ellie was being extremely dominant and Pumpkin just was not happy. So my friends in Boston offered to take Punky and he's been living with them for the last year or so. They've given his such a wonderful, loving home and I'm so happy he lived out his time with them. I feel just awful that we've all lost him so soon; he was only maybe 6 or 7 years old. In any case, he will be sorely missed by many and I am deeply saddened to receive this news. It's times like these when you realize just how meaningful our relationships with our companion animals become. After my friend called me in tears, I grabbed both of our cats and gave them more hugs than they could stand.

We will miss you, Pumpkin.

Potato Leek Soup

Sorry for the hiatus, friends. Things have been crazy in my life lately - my friend at Last House Productions created a bakery logo for me (beautiful!), the bakery has been re-named to Salt and Pine Bakery (please LIKE us on Facebook!) and I've started a Cupcake of the Month Club - more on all this later!

For now though, let me leave you with a yummy fall recipe for potato leek soup. I've had a migraine for the last 4 days and in a moment of lucidity, I whipped together this delicious soup. Enjoy!

4-5 potatoes - I used medium sized red skins; use whatever you want!
1 leek, greens removed and chopped
1/2 a yellow onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
A stick or two of celery, diced
salt & pepper
parsley, rosemary, & cayenne - I didn't measure, just use as much as you want!
Broccoli, chopped up really small - as much as you want, I used maybe 1/2 a cup b/c that's all we had!
5-6 cups of veggie stock
1 cup cold veggie stock with 3 Tbsp flour mixed in

Chop the potatoes into small pieces and boil in water until tender. Remove from heat, drain and mash.

In a large soup pot, cook the leek, celery, and onion in some olive oil. Add in garlic and spices and cook. Add mashed potatoes and cook a while longer. Add in the 5-6 cups of stock and bring it up to a boil. Once it's boiling, use an immersion blender to make it really smooth and creamy. If you don't have an immersion blender you can use a regular blender - just be careful because it's hot!!

Allow the soup to simmer a while longer, then add in the 1 cup cold veggie stock with 3 Tbsp flour (make sure there are no lumps). This will thicken the soup a bit. Simmer for a while longer - 5 minutes or so, then add in the broccoli and stir. Check the seasonings to make sure they're where you want them and serve hot! YUM!

Photo Montage!

Feast your eyes on these!

Vegan Sugar Cookies read for decorating

Hipster-bread Men in the making

Here I am, filling in a T-Rexie

Hipster-bread Men, complete with 'staches

 Taste of Autumn mini-cupcakes with faux maple cream cheese frosting

My super sweet box for selling goodies at the Selbyville CD release party

AND....

Now for your drooling pleasure...

What's this in the oven?

Ahhh! They're vegan Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes with Cinnamon No-Butter Cream roses!

I'm cruel, I know. But you can always place an order with From Scratch & Sniff (that's me!) if you need a taste of the yumminess in these pics :) 

*Photos taken by my extremely awesome fiancé, Justin Lewis, filmaperture Photography. 

TONIGHT!

SELBYVILLE CD RELEASE SHOW with PLAINS and DJ OLD FURNACE

8 - 11 pm at Apohadion (107 Hanover Street, Portland, Maine)

Support local music and buy a cookie while you're at it!

This coming Wednesday you are going to want to be in Portland for the Selbyville CD release show with Plains and DJ Old Furnace.

Selbyville is a local band with members Derek Kimball (of Last House Productions), Artie Fischer (of Tea First Records), and Michael Kamin, who lives in Pittsburgh, PA. This is Selbyville's 5th release, titled "Mansions," and the group will perform live at the Apohadion to celebrate. YAY! They'll be joined by Plains (Erin Sprinkle, Dave Noyes, Pat Corrigan, Jeremy Robinson, and Jerusha Robinson) and DJ Old Furnace who I've never heard, but will probably love since I already love the other two bands!

Justin and I are very good friends with Derek Kimball and his lady, Erin Sprinkle - by very good friends, I pretty much mean we're like family. I was nervous, but I got up the courage and asked if he thought it would be cool if I baked up some of my vegan awesomeness (become a fan if you haven't yet!) to sell at the show. My inquiry was greeted with open arms and I'm officially baking for the show. Woot woot!

The question now is: What do I bake? I'm thinking about doing mini cupcakes, perhaps the pumpkin/apple topped with a nice vanilla no-butter cream frosting and then some cookies. Awesome Crunch is definitely one of the most popular cookies I make, so maybe that.

Awesome Crunch

I was also thinking it might be fun to try to do Selbyville's album cover on a sugar cookie, but that might prove to be fairly difficult as it's a fairly intricate design. We'll see! I like a good challenge. The last time I did this, it was for Last House Production's premier of The Bully at SPACE Gallery and I was able to do the movie's poster on sugar cookies pretty successfully.

Sugar Cookies from The Bully premier

Whatever I end up doing, I'm excited. I'm stoked to hear some amazingly talented musicians play their hearts out, ready to hang out with friends, and so happy I can share some of my baking with people (it's been a while). I'm sure Justin will have his camera in tow, so I'll be sure to report to you after the show on Wednesday! And...if you're in the Portland area - COME!