I have been QUITE the baker today! It’s been Go Go Go aaalll day, and PHEW am I tired! Let me show y’all what I’ve done 😀
1st job – Victoria sandwich. Alas, I had a mini disaster; my two cake tins didn’t quite fit in the oven next to each other, so one ended up being on the wonk, half resting on a ledge:
Oops….That is how NOT to bake a cake. The other half looked lovely though:
To sandwich it, I used 3 sorts of jam (cos I’m wacky like that :p …or alternatively cos I didn’t have enough of one sort….):
Then there was a layer of whipped cream, a dusting of icing sugar, and VOILA!
Not the most attractive cake in the world, but my chocolate tray bake made up for it 😛
THAT is one sexyass cake!
Boo yah!!!
I wasn’t done yet though….I then whipped up some oatmeal raisin bars, except I used cranberries as well as raisins:
They’re not for the course – they’re for my mum/Hannah instead 🙂 I’m so generous :p
Ok, enough baking now 🙂 I’ve done lots else today too!
Starting with (my usual AM snack, with an added blob of peanut butter, right from the jar; it’s what all the cool kids do) – a 6mile run! Done in 50.33mins. I was actually quite speedy – I included a walk in every mile bar one (my 8.10 mile), so I could have a drink. Yet my miles were all around the 8.25ish mark, despite that. Very pleasing 😀
I was going to have something different for breakfast, but that idea is waiting til tomorrow (I have an early, early start tomorrow…eventing, hurrumph). Instead, it was my usual EGM which I was literally gagging for after the hot run, with some cacao nibs added:
Job done.
After that, I baked etc etc and took the doggeh for a quick 45minute walk. I also found time to take some cute photos of Chika – I wanted to demonstrate how dopey she is:
Look at that lip!
Such a doof :p But my beautiful doof, nonetheless:
Love her 🙂
In between all the baking and walking, I also had some lunch! A two parter again – 1) Roast chickpeas, turnip, celeriac and BRUSSEL SPROUTS (with HP sauce)!!
Oh my days, it’s been so long since I had some 😀 They ere just as good as I remember….
The other part of lunch was some homemade oatgurt, with a splash of milk, and a little sauce made from sunflower butter and milk, as well as a pear:
Dessert was a cornbread muffin:
Good lunch!!
The afternoon was horses, a bit more baking/icing/ getting breakfast ready, doing some dinner prep, taking a photo of the World’s Laziest Cat (lyiing amongst a pile of junk)…
…and having a snack; TOTALLY wasn’t hungry, but I refused to have cereal and yogurt again! Sooo I had oatbran, with a tiny splash of milk, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and 2tbsp Grape Nuts:
Oatmeal, oatbran, oat-anything – worthless without banana! I wasn’t impressed
For dinner, I did ANOTHER recipe! This time, I had Jess to thank 🙂 I roasted some to-fu-fu and topped it with her strawberry sauce (except I used dates, not figs, and thyme instead of basil, and a little less sweetner), then served it all with sweet tater fries, kabocha and parsnip:
OH MY! That girl sure knows how to make a sauce – it was INCREDIBLE!! Seriously, if you haven’t visited her blog already, GO THERE. Beautiful photos and even more beautiful recipes!
For dessert, I’ll probably have a pumpkin muffin with something – I got excited the other day cos I re-discoeverd the AMAZING Vegan With A Vengence muffins, frozen in the depths of the freezer. Don’t you love it when that happens!? It’s the little things in life.
But anyway, I’m now going to go watch the England match with the fam, and then the first BIG BROTHER EVICITION! HUrrrraah! Have a good night 🙂
PS – If you’re watching BB, who do you want to go? I want Sunshine out
———–
Someone in the comments yesterday brought up the fact that I’m vegan, but I cook for other people with non-vegan foods, so I thought I’d just explain; I am vegan, and I will be for the foreseeable future. But veganism is my personal thing – I don’t think it’s fair for me to suddenly subject every person I come across to vegan food. The baking I’ve been doing the past two days has not been for me, it’s for 20 people I don’t even know, and the chances are, they won’t be vegan! Vegan baking does taste different, and I think it has some stigma attached to it (at least it does round these waters), so when catering for the general population, I’m going to use animal products. If I’m cooking for myself and the family, I’ll use vegan stuff (hello, cornbread muffins, pumpkin muffins, blueberry muffins……!).
The whole situation kinda reminds me of one of my friends from High School. She was/is very very very religious, and she used to force her views on people. I have nothing at all against religious people, but I didn’t like how she expressed herself – she told me once I was going to Hell, because I didn’t believe in God. I also felt very ‘looked down upon’ when I was with her, and was often treated much worse because I wasn’t religious. To me, that is totally wrong and unfair. Just because someone doesn’t share your views, it doesn’t mean they’re necessarily wrong, or bad, and I think we should respect the fact that other people don’t see things the same as us. Do you get what I mean?
What’s your take on the situation? If you were vegan, would you use animal products when cooking for other people?
Wow you have been very busy again. The victoria sponge looks fine, I don’t think anyine will notice! I hope everyone enjoys you efforts.
I think that you have made the right decision about vegan baking, as you say these people might not be vegan so won’t be expecting vegan foods. But I would like to try some vegan baking someday as I think it would be interesting to try it out. It will be an education!
Yeah you should try some vegan baking! It’s actually so easy 🙂
Haha, I think people probs will notice the cake..:p but it’s the taste that counts!
im vegan and i work in a bakery whilst training for the navy,
i bake with none vegan things every day and have no problem with it! hey..it tastes good! just not my “cup of tea” but im not going to have ago at anoyone who does want it 🙂 x
Good attitude 🙂
And oh my gosh – you work in a bakery and you’re doing Navy stuff? I never knew – that’s so amazing!
This might be another long comment :p
First, the question you asked at the end. Most of the baking I do is vegan (I make a lot of recipes from vegan cookbooks). I think it tastes fantastic, vegan or not. 🙂
Love all the cakes in this post, especially that chocolate tray bake. Yum!
Love the photo of Chika as well – she looks so cute. 🙂
Ohmygosh, i used to do that EXACT same lip wibble thing with my pony… i actually think he quite liked it! i used to make him ‘talk’ all kinds of crazy stuff. he always had a deep south american accent tho, sort of like barry white :-p i have absolutely no idea why, it just worked!!!
well done on the baking spree! you could open your own cake shop 🙂 im helping my mum at a local country fair at the en of july so i may ask you for some inspiring recipes to try, that chocolate tray bake is the badgers knadgers, i bet it tastes gorge! (are you going to be allowed to sneak a little slice? or is it hands off for non-course members!?!
WOOHOO for big bro tonight… i wanted dave out!!! but since he’s craftily got rachel up instead (how gutted was she!) ill opt for sunshine every time, she’s so whiny she must be driving them all mad :-p
x
A deep southern accent..love it!!
Haha noo, no cake for me – it’s not vegan! My sister managed to sneak a skanky edge slice though 😛
Ohh yes and feel free to ask about recipes – if you want the chocolate one you’re welcome 🙂 though it must be a secretive recipe exchange..I shan’t be done for copyright theft 😛 xx
Oatgurt!!! It’s been too long. I keep saying I must make some soon, and I really must. All your food looks so delicious, especially your dinner. I must investigate this strawberry sauce as that sounds amazing.
I was vegan for a couple of years and cooked non-vegan foods for others. I guess it all depends on the reasons behind why you’re a vegan: moral, health, food allergies, etc. I was vegan for health reasons, and therefore did not mind using animal products when cooking/baking for others if that’s what they wanted.
PS The lazy cat photo is hilarious!
That’s a very good point about veganism reasons, thank you!
Yeah you should make more oatgurt – it’s really delicious!! I was impressed 🙂
Wow, those cakes look delish! Also, what exactly do you put in your EGM? Everywhere I look has peculiar American ingredients and I have no idea where to get them!
Re BB – I watched the first three people go into the house, but couldn’t take any more after that. I’ll be the first to admit that Ben seems like a bit of a pratt, but the reverse snobbery that takes place on such a wide scale is just hideous. We’re not allowed to be quite so nasty about any other section of society and their origins, but for some reason just because someone was born into a family with more money, people can be so vitriolic and hateful towards them… *sigh*
Have no patience with Sunshine or Shabby as I can’t bear those Mummy’s little snowflake types. Hey, we are all born, we eat, we poo, we fall in love, we die. Stop trying so hard to be different!
Stepping down from soapbox. 😉
HAHA I love this comment!! Ben is actually really funny – I thought he’d be a prat too, butI love him!
The recipe for the EGM is on the recipe page, but it’s spinach, milk, yogurt, cereal, cocoa flax, and xanthan gum (found in tesco!)
You make all your baking look so pretty that I wouldn’t wanna touch it! Haha.
What is the water:oatbran ratio? Is it any different to normal rolled oats?
I completely admire your switch to veganism and I truely believe that it’s something that you don’t have to prove to others. Your reasons are your own 🙂
I have to say that I don’t think there are many vegans in England. It’s very much an americanised thing so you baking using non-vegan recipes is the best option. If someone in the group IS vegan, I’m pretty sure that they would be used to taking there own food to meetings and such anyway. Don’t let people get on your wick about your decision to be vegan and you baking for others the non-vegan way. You know who you are and that’s all that matters 🙂
Love ya hun, your blog rocks!
I totally agree with you about the oatmeal sans banana. Porridge NEEDS bananas people!!!!!
LOVE
Katy
xxxx
Awh thank you so much, that is such a lovely comment!
You’re right – veganism probably is quite an american thing (though weirdly, I think the bloke who came up with the term ‘vegan’ was british!).
Oatbran/water ratio – same as normal rolled oats I think (though I just did a guesstimate when I did it earlier today). But you can do however much you want for optimum runny-ness 🙂 xx
I was going to say the same thing Heather mentioned – if I was vegan for moral issues, I’d probably still cook vegan for others, or at least mostly. If it was just health, feeling better eating a vegan diet – I would probably just prepare some tried & true vegan OR non-vegan goods. Though thinking about it – someone who’s been vegan for a long time probably has more experience baking and cooking vegan foods, and therefore could pull off catering an entire event as such.
I am (practically) a vegetarian, though don’t call myself one just because I agree with you how some people think it comes off as a “higher than thou” attitude. I don’t go around telling people meat is bad and they shouldn’t eat it. It’s a personal choice.
And I am SO glad you liked the strawberry sauce! I was actually wavering between using dates or figs, haha. Bet it was great on the tofu 🙂 And great Chika pics again!! Can’t wait to see pictures from your event tomorrow – good luck! Hope she behaves well for you 😛 Is it your first of the season?
I agree with the label stuff, you hit the nail!
Nein, the event is Hannah’s – I’m not competing at the moment, but she does a lot of eventing with Tig 🙂
Your baked goods look AMAZING, yum! Strawberry sauce on tofu? I def need to try that – it sounds awesome! I love sweet n’ sour and pineapple tofu, strawberry sounds just as good.
I totally agree with you. I am veggie but I would never try to “convert” anyone to being a veggie. My boyfriend eats meat and that is fine, but I dont want to. Same with my friends- if they want to eat stuff like that then it is fine by me. Just dont make me eat it!
🙂
I much prefer people who dont force their views on others.
By the way those raisins oatmeal bars look amazing!
Thanks for the input 🙂 I agree with you!
Aah, the bars are good! My sister ADORES them!! And they’re so easy to make 🙂
if i’m baking for my family, it usually just depends on what i’m making. my family is NOT very open minded about anything food-wise. i can’t put soy or almond milk in dad’s tea, i can’t give them tofu, etc
sometimes i switch ingredients where they won’t notice, or make them vegan stuff that they don’t know is vegan, but for the most part i give my family what they want and just make what i want. it’s easier that way 🙂
It’s a shame some people automatically don’t like something (ie tofu) cos it’s commonly used by vegans – they miss out!
I totally agree about cooking for other people & using animal products. The way I do it is…if someone asks me to make them something or if I take the liberty of making dinner for my family after they’ve been working all day, I’m going to cook what will appeal to them (which are animal products). But if I offer to do some cooking and they accept…then it will most likely be vegan 😀
Your cake looks attractive to me!
I think we’re in the same boat about that 🙂 My mum asked me to cook for 20 non vegan people, so I cooked non vegan. But if I’m baking for me and the fam, I do vegan (like all the muffins recently!). It’s good to see I’m not alone!!
I’ve never had a Victoria Sandwich but yours looks so yummy I think I’m going to bake my own! 😀
Your cat is just the most adorable thing in the world by the way haha
I love your tri-jam layer on that cake. It looks delicious! 😀
And the pics of your horse are too adorable.