Joys of Raising Boys & Cocoa Pancakes

I find myself wondering if I'm a good 'boy-mom'. I have two boys. My youngest is still only 2. He still is very sweet and cuddly, loves his Mama.  My oldest is nearly 5. High energy. Stubborn.

And loves toilet humor.

All the time.

Poops.
Toots.
Butts.
Penises.

Just the word makes him bust into laughter.

At home.
At the store.
At the table.

It makes me crazy.

Now, I have to admit, sometimes I think its funny - like maybe 1 out of 50 times. But I can never let my hair down and chuckle with him because my husband thinks toilet humor is extremely funny too and struggles to control his own laughter. So I find that I have to be the bad cop.

If ever I had to summon that old Calgon commercial its been in the past 3 years.

Calgon Take me Away!

I don't even think they make Calgon anymore, but even if they did, it wouldn't help.

So what do I do?  I remember that even for all his toilet-humor loving ways, my son makes me proud every day. And he knows it, so he will keep doing things to make me proud:

Does favors for me, likes fetching something for me in the other room.
Sets and clears the table.
Unloads the dishwasher
Helps his little brother.
Makes his bed, folds his clothes and puts them away.
Cleans his plate and then says "This is good Mom, can I have more?"
He doesn't like shopping, but never complains about what I bring home for him.  He told me once: "I like everything you pick out for me, Mom"

He is going to be a very fine man one day.

I just wish he didn't talk about poopy butts at Target.
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Cocoa Pancakes
(from Vegetarian Times)

Sometimes you get sick of cereal and soy milk.  And then there are days you also need chocolate (at least I do).  This is from Vegetarian Times.   They were very good. Rich and thick. Not so much fluffy like you would get with a pancake that has egg in it, but its dense quality is made up for in its rich chocolate flavor.

Try these. 

wait for this cake . . . .

I've tried most of the recipes from this month's VT issue. Up Next:  Garlicky Cheezy Kale & Crispy Chick’n Salad,  Jack Burgers and Fabulous Vegan Fudge Cake with Bittersweet Icing

I have to say, I've liked almost all of them.  Follow this link to get the recipes, and see below for my comments.

Garlicky Cheezy Kale & Crispy Chick’n Salad

The jury is out on this one.  First of all, I couldn't find Gardein Mandarin Orange Crispy Chick’n. I search SuperTarge, Cub Foods and Kowalski's (which is gourmet grocery). Nada. Whole Foods is in St Paul and I didn't have time or energy in my schedule to drive all that way, so I just made do with good old fashioned Garden Burger meatless chicken patty. The recipe was simple to prepare, had a distinct tahini taste to the dressing. I didn't love it, didn't hate it, but it was kinda nice to have the mix of chicken strips with the salad.  I'm not sure why this one got an Honorable Mention in the VT Get Lucky Recipe contest - seems to me that there would better recipes out there.  I'd make it again though.

Jack Burgers



To me, Jack burgers would be a competitor to the Chick Pea Cutlets from Veganomicon.  They were prepared similarly, but I used bisquick instead of the GF pancake mix the recipe called for. They were a little mushy on the inside, but not really too bad. Good flavors.  Easy to whip up in the food processor and the recipe makes quite a few.  I'm going to experiment with freezing and cooking the remaining batter to see how that would work. Will keep you posted.

Fabulous Vegan Fudge Cake with Bittersweet Icing

This cake really was so fabulous, it probably deserves its own entry on this blog. OMG. my mouth is watering just thinking about the leftovers in the fridge. My husband ate two slices last night and had one for breakfast this AM. 

Rich. Fudgy and thick.  Super easy to make. I used rice milk instead of soy (since I was pregnant I've developed an aversion to soy milk and it grosses me out).   One note however: when making the icing, allow it to cool significantly before pouring it on the cake. Seriously. If you think its ready, wait a little while longer. It will still pour even if its chilled. Mine ran all over the place and my cake was sitting in a pool of icing. Not the best for appearances, but it was still yummy.

Who Wants Dessert?

The Elvis and Magic Bars

My daughter loves to read my cookbooks. She loves cupcakes and cookies. She inherited my sweet tooth. Last year when I first turned over this vegan leaf I was relieved that I wouldn't be tempted by desserts anymore. Then I discovered Isa Chandra Moskowitz and her books Vegan Cupcakes Take over the World and Vegan Cookies Invade your Cookie Jar.  There goes that plan.

If you have a sweet tooth, I'd recommend both of these books. She hasn't steered me wrong yet.

The first one is the Elvis. My daughter picked this one out by herself. I was a little skeptical. Wasn't Elvis's favorite food a peanut butter sandwich with bananas and bacon?  Ick.

But whatever, if she wanted to try it I'd go for it. The cupcake part tastes just like banana bread. Very light with a fine crumb. Top it off with peanut butter icing (not my favorite) and garnish with chopped peanuts, chocolate chips and a banana slice.  The combination was actually quite delicious.  If you are really brave, try sticking a piece of facon bacon on it to be really authentic. I couldn't bring myself to do that.

Secondly, she wanted to make magic bars. Now, these I was really game for. Kinda like a 7 layer bar with coconut, nuts and chocolate chips. It was fun to do with her too she could help with all parts of the assemble since no loud machinery like a mixer was involved.  She stirred the base and put it in the pan, I poured the caramel sauce then her favorte part: making the layers. Which actually turned out to be more like mountains of each ingredient in the middle of the pan, but we were able to get them spread out.

Refrigerated overnight and voila! Bribes!

Vegan Hot Chocolate

Oh, who doesn't like the fall. Pretty leaves, football, cooler temperatures and anticipation of three great holidays over the next three months. I love it. My kitchen works the hardest it does all year over the next three months.

And who doesn't like hot chocolate to warm up. kids love it. And so do I. But I like the real kind with milk and chocolate- no cocoa powder and no mixes! yech!

Here's a vegan version:


Makes 1 serving

1 C Soy milk (or your fave non-dairy milk-I like vanilla soy)
2 1/2 T vegan chocolate chips

Bring all ingredients to a simmer in a saucepan over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. Its done when its nice and steamy and all the chocolate is melted.

I've got a couple variations I'm working on and will post later.

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

Mason had his Second Birthday last week - He's a big boy now! We celebrated with vegan cupcakes. His sister helped him pick out which ones we had at his party - Cookies and Cream! This recipe was simple to make, and best of all, doesn't make too much - only 12 (I don't like having alot of this kind of stuff around because then I eat it).

We loved them.

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes
From Vegan Cupcakes Take over the World
Moskowitz and Romero

1 C Soy Milk
1 t apple cider vinegar
3/4 C canola oil
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 t almond, chocolate or more vanilla extract
1 C all-purpose flour
1/3 C cocoa powder
3/4 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 C chopped chocolate sandwich cookies (I used Newman-O's as suggested)

Preheat oven to 350 and line muffin tin with cupcake papers.
Whisk together soy milk and vinegar and set aside for a few mins to curdle.
Add the sugar, oil, extracts to the soy milk mixture and beat until foamy.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add in two batches to the wet ingredients and beat till no large lumps remain (a few tiny lumps are okay). Stir in 1 C chopped cookies.

Pour into liners, filling 3/4 of way. Bake for 18-20 mins until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely. Ice with buttercream icing recipe below and garnish with a half of cookie on top:

Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Icing

1/2 C nonhydrogenated shortening
1/2 C nonhydrogenated margarine (I use Earth Balance Sticks)
3 1/2 C confectioner's sugar, sifted
1 1/2 t vanilla extract
1/4 C plain soy milk or creamer (I used vanilla soy milk, because thats what I had)
1/2 C mashed chocolate sandwich cookies.

Beat shorthing and margarine together until well combined and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat for 3 more minutes. Add the vanilla and soy milk, beat for another 5-7 mins until fluffy.

Chocolate Smoothie

Here's a good protein smoothie that tastes just like a chocolate milkshake. The original is from Super Smoothies by Sara Corpening Barber and Mary Corpening Whiteford. I've adapted it so its totally vegan. Its a good one if you're PMS'ing.

1/2 C soft silken tofu
3/4 C chilled chocolate rice milk (or use chocolate soy if you prefer)
1/2 C Chocolate Almond Dream ice cream
1 frozen banana, sliced
1/4 C toasted pecans or almonds (optional)

Combine tofu and rice milk in a blender. Add the Almond Dream and banana and blend until smooth. Add the nuts if you like, saving a little for garnish on top.

Makes 2 1/2 cups; serves 2

Frozen Coffee Drinks, Anyone?

Here is a fun treat I like to make for myself. They are like what you'd get at Mickey D's or Starbucks, without all the empty calories and the 60 cent surcharge Starbucks tacks on for the soy milk :{

8-10 coffee ice cubes
1/2 C soy milk
2 T sugar free chocolate syrup or other sweetener of your choice (optional)

Give it a whirl in your blender until the large cubes are completely blended. It should have the texture of a slurry. Adjust sweetness to taste.

I hope you like it!