Not only doesn't VM like to cook, but other people cooking in her kitchen puts her on edge (oh the mess!)- making it kind of difficult to cook for her, especially on a day when you'd most prefer not to annoy her by spilling sugar in her silverware drawer (why don't I ever remember to push it all the way closed?).
There were things I could have made in advance, but lots of correlating reasons not to do so. I thought of quiche; great savory breakfast, right? Except for that I forgot to pick up broccoli; it's just not quiche without broccoli. Scratch that. Then I considered tofu scramble. Except for that VM cannot admit that she likes it. She insists she doesn't, has to be forced to taste it, and then- only fleetingly (while she's chewing), concedes. No bickering on Mother's day. So, I was back to cooking day-of; why not go all out?
Crepes!
I chose the sweet crepes from Vegan Brunch (p. 77) and was happy to find that one batch of batter fits perfectly in the Magic Bullet.
The crepes were a perfect opportunity to showcase the Spekuloos spread (a.k.a. Biscoff spread) I've been saving for a special occasion. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, this is the spreadable version of the hard-to-find-in-America Biscoff cookies and it will knock your socks off. Seriously, the spread might even be better than the actual cookies and it was phenomenal in the crepes. I had the forethought to give everyone two Spekuloo crepes each and they were undeniably the crowd favorite. The drizzle of Holy Kakow chocolate syrup didn't hurt either.
I also had another spread on hand. Spread #81 to be specific. A friend gifted it to me recently (noticing a pattern?) and I'd never heard of it. Once I saw that the ingredients were peanuts, chocolate, and pretzels we were adequately acquainted.
But, I was unexpectedly unimpressed. Actually, I didn't like the spread at all and didn't wind up eating this crepe. It was, unanimously, the least favorite crepe of the assortment.
The last crepe was filled with raspberry preserves: simple and delicious.
We did manage to ingest an actual, non-sweet meal at some point during the day and then, for dessert, I tried to recreate one of VMs favorite cookies, the almond cookie with a chocolate dollop in the center. For some reason she associates this cookie with Chinatown, but I really have no idea of the true origin or ingredient specifics. I decided to use Terry's Favorite Almond Cookie recipe from Veganomicon (p. 235-236).
My Magic Bullet never ceases to amaze me; it ground my almonds into meal in nanoseconds.
After the finished cookies had cooled,
I melted 8oz of chocolate chips for the dollops and allowed them to harden in the fridge for 40 minutes.
These were never my favorite cookies, but they smelled delicious and sure looked snazzy. The cookie was soft with the faintest almond taste, but VM said that's exactly how she remembered them. The inauthentic disproportion of chocolate to cookie was purposeful (duh) and much appreciated.
As with all celebrations, ours ended on a full note; I hope yours did too. Happy Mother's day to moms of all kinds.
There were things I could have made in advance, but lots of correlating reasons not to do so. I thought of quiche; great savory breakfast, right? Except for that I forgot to pick up broccoli; it's just not quiche without broccoli. Scratch that. Then I considered tofu scramble. Except for that VM cannot admit that she likes it. She insists she doesn't, has to be forced to taste it, and then- only fleetingly (while she's chewing), concedes. No bickering on Mother's day. So, I was back to cooking day-of; why not go all out?
Crepes!
The crepes were a perfect opportunity to showcase the Spekuloos spread (a.k.a. Biscoff spread) I've been saving for a special occasion. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, this is the spreadable version of the hard-to-find-in-America Biscoff cookies and it will knock your socks off. Seriously, the spread might even be better than the actual cookies and it was phenomenal in the crepes. I had the forethought to give everyone two Spekuloo crepes each and they were undeniably the crowd favorite. The drizzle of Holy Kakow chocolate syrup didn't hurt either.
I also had another spread on hand. Spread #81 to be specific. A friend gifted it to me recently (noticing a pattern?) and I'd never heard of it. Once I saw that the ingredients were peanuts, chocolate, and pretzels we were adequately acquainted.
But, I was unexpectedly unimpressed. Actually, I didn't like the spread at all and didn't wind up eating this crepe. It was, unanimously, the least favorite crepe of the assortment.
The last crepe was filled with raspberry preserves: simple and delicious.
We did manage to ingest an actual, non-sweet meal at some point during the day and then, for dessert, I tried to recreate one of VMs favorite cookies, the almond cookie with a chocolate dollop in the center. For some reason she associates this cookie with Chinatown, but I really have no idea of the true origin or ingredient specifics. I decided to use Terry's Favorite Almond Cookie recipe from Veganomicon (p. 235-236).
My Magic Bullet never ceases to amaze me; it ground my almonds into meal in nanoseconds.
After the finished cookies had cooled,
I melted 8oz of chocolate chips for the dollops and allowed them to harden in the fridge for 40 minutes.
These were never my favorite cookies, but they smelled delicious and sure looked snazzy. The cookie was soft with the faintest almond taste, but VM said that's exactly how she remembered them. The inauthentic disproportion of chocolate to cookie was purposeful (duh) and much appreciated.
As with all celebrations, ours ended on a full note; I hope yours did too. Happy Mother's day to moms of all kinds.
if you really cared about your mom you'd have used a vitamix. just sayin.'
ReplyDeleteThis all looks so amazing, especially the cookies! I used to love eating those by popping the chocolate off and just having a nibble of the rest!
ReplyDeleteHappy mom's day!