Happy New Year

I did promise a Brak shirt. I was being lazy and decided to make a stencil first. As you can see it didn't come out that super. The stencil was fine, it was the stupid fabric spray that I used for the first time. Note to self....Test on something else first next time.
Because of the poor stencil results I decided to break out my screen printing stuff. Slightly more work but superior results. Isaac liked both shirts but Zorack won out. I'm not sure if it's because of the quality or because Zorack is his favorite.

Here is my Christmas gift. I got a hand hammered carbon steel wok. I was still seasoning it in this picture. Isn't it pretty?

For Christmas dinner I made lasagna, garlic bread, salad and most importantly Tiramisu ice cream. When I came across the recipe on have cake, will travel! I knew I would have to test it out. It did not disappoint. I added a bit of grated chocolate and loved the extra chocolate boost. This would be a great part of an ice cream cake.

I promised to come back with a review on the seitan that I made last week. It was pretty good. Pretty good turned to awesome when I made a reuben. I didn't even have rye bread but it was still awesome. I made my 1,000 island dressing out of 1/2 cup vegan vegannaise, 3 tablespoons of ketchup, and 3 tablespoons of sweet relish. Sauerkraut is a permanent fixture in our fridge. I'll make this again.

For New Years Eve I made Brooklyn Brownie Cupcakes from VCTOFW. I made them the day before so that I wouldn't have a lot of work on the day of. I used the recommended frosting included with the recipe. These really do taste just like a fluffy brownie. Some of the ingredients, bourbon and black cherry preserves, made no sense to me. All you can taste is chocolate, no fruit taste at all. I can't figure out why they're needed. No matter what these are great.

For our New Years dinner I made one of my favorites, Taco Salad. My recipe doesn't have exact amounts but I'll share what's in it. Lettuce, tomato, carrots, kidney beans, soy crumbles, tortilla chips and 1,000 island dressing. The kidney beans are my favorite part. On the side is some Spanish rice. The kids weren't to impressed with the salad but Isaac liked it the next day rolled up in a tortilla.

My lovely booze dessert. The bourbon cupcakes were ready to be served when I remembered that I had some tiramisu ice cream left. Ice cream filled with Kahlua and rum. These two went together very well. I'm wishing I had more right now.

Hot Damn Tamale Pie from Please Don't Feed The Bears. This picture doesn't look like much as it was hard to keep in a slice shape. But don't let that fool you. This recipe was super tasty. Isaac loved it and even asked for seconds. Ramsey liked the corn crust. That's about all I can hope for from her. Next time I'll try to keep the cornmeal a little more moist so it's easier to spread. Other then that, this was perfect.

This was in one of my Christmas gifts. Bleh. Bad chocolate. Chalky and waxy. I was disappointed.

This is the greatest thing I have had in a long time. Leek and Bean Cassoulet with Biscuits from Vcon. I'm a carb freak and the biscuits are what enticed me. I figured the other part would just be a means to an end. A somewhat healthy meal that let me eat biscuits. Was I wrong! This was amazing. The vegetables were so good. I had never cooked a leek before but they are really good. The broth turned into this amazing gravy. Everything was perfect.

This cassoulet even looks pretty. This will be great to serve to company. I'm completely full but I want to eat more right now. I can't wait for lunch tomorrow.

I also got a Ritter Sport peppermint bar for Christmas. This is the greatest mint chocolate bar I've ever had. I've warned Joe that I'll kill him if he steals it. I'm going to have to order a bunch more, it's that good.