Anti-Superbowl Party -- A Much Belated Account

Ninjahusband and I are both completely disinterested in watching sports. We can both think of dozens of things we'd rather do than watch a sporting event. Thus, it's become somewhat of a tradition in our house to have an Anti-Superbowl Party, where we play video games and eat copious amounts of amazing food. This year we had my good friends Dean & Kristina, the Wondersisters, and Supertoddler's girlfriend {Super H} and her family over. We had an amazing time eating and playing Rock Band while laughing, talking, and creating a general ruckus.

The menu was elaborate and took a lot of effort, but was completely delicious. I served:

Phyllo-Wrapped Asparagus Spears and Stuffed Mushrooms drizzed with truffle oil {pictured above}

A Variety of Dips: creamy hummus, blended salsa, smooth guacamole, and butternut squash dip, served with whole grain and blue corn tortilla chips

Mediterranean Pizza: hummus "sauce", sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, greek olives, and roasted red peppers

Veggie Patch Pizza: carrot butter pate, slivered red onions, shoestring beets, and broccoli

Thai Pizza: creamy peanut sauce, red bell pepper, grated carrots, bean sprouts, chopped peanuts, and cilantro

Taco Pizza: enchilada sauce, Mexican-style "ground beef", Favorite Cheese Sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, and vegan sour cream {this was the favorite of the evening}

For dessert there was Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Cheesecake and fudge {not pictured}.

After that much work in the kitchen, it was nice to relax and hang out with my friends, and enjoy all that great food with them!

Kristina's Birthday Dinner

I am not one of those people who has a vast number of friends, but those I do have I'm very close to. I am lucky to have a small, closely knit group of amazing friends whom I love very dearly. I love to express my affection for my friends by cooking for them, and I especially like to cook big elaborate birthday dinners. In celebration of my dear friend Kristina's birthday, I made her "whatever she was craving". This is what she was craving:

1. Roasted Brussel Sprouts: Brussel sprouts lightly steamed, then tossed in olive oil, salt, and pepper. The sprouts are then roasted at 400 degrees until they are crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, and starting to caramelize.

2. Soytan Dream Cutlets from 1000 Vegan Recipes, dipped in soy milk, coated in panko, and pan fried. Topped with a quick mushroom and red wine sauce: Sautee 6 oz of chopped mushrooms w/ 2 shallots until both ingredients are tender. Add in 1/2 cup red wine, and cook until the wine reduces and mostly evaporates. Whisk in 2 cups good vegetable or vegan "beef" broth, and 1 tbsp cornstarch {dissolved in 2 tbsp cold water}. Whisk until sauce bubbles and thickens. Serve immediately.

3. "Cheeseburger" Macaroni: My favorite macaroni and "cheese" recipe {which I'm still perfecting, and will post soon}, mixed with vegan ground beef that was sauteed with a finely chopped onion. The mixture then gets poured into a 9x13" pan, covered with panko, and thrown under the broiler until the breadcrumbs are golden brown.

4. Vanilla Cheesecake w/ Cherry Topping: For dessert, she requested cheesecake with cherry topping. I used a recipe from 1000 Vegan Recipes called Not-So-Plain Vanilla Cheezcake. It was delicious.

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

This is one of my creations. This rich, creamy, and decadent dessert is akin to an apple crisp on top of a cheesecake on top of a shortbread cookie, with caramel drizzled over the whole thing. It is a crowd pleaser, and never fails to disappear from its serving dish, no matter where I take it.

I would give you the recipe here, but it's going to be in my upcoming cookbook, and a girl has to have her secrets. Like my mom told me "Nobody's going to buy the whole friggin' ice cream truck if you're giving away the popsicles for free!" Or...maybe that wasn't my mom. Maybe I heard it on a movie.

In any event, stay tuned. I promise I'll share another recipe soon!

Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake

I had the opportunity to pull out The Urban Vegan yesterday for the first time since getting it. The first recipe that caught my eye was in the desserts section {naturally}, this beautiful Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake.

The cheesecake was perfect, with a texture akin to standard New York cheesecakes, however I failed to put it in a water bath while baking {or rather, the recipe failed to mention the necessity of doing so} and the top came out horrifically cracked.

Oh well, no harm, no foul, and definitely not something that a can of cherry pie filling can’t fix!