Scraps and Snippets ~ Vegan Month of Food ~ Decadent Desserts

 I kicked around a few ideas for the Vegan Month of Food. I considered recipe redo's from the standard classic cookbooks. But, nah, that left me feeling unchallenged. 

Exotic (to me anyway) ingredients was another idea. I've got Miso and Lucuma powder in my pantry and frankly they scare me a bit. What if I ordered some Maca and Irish Moss, too? But the fail factor of this adventure made me a little weak in the knees.

But then I went to Village Inn one night. I ordered the Fresh Strawberry Pie in an attempt to avoid animal products. And it really kind of tasted like chemicals and pretty much nasty. Someone with me had ordered one of my all time favorites, The European Truffle pie, and I took a tiny forkful, just to see if it was still all that and more. And you know what? I knew I could recreate it and make it better. So that's what I've been doing the past few weeks. I've been experimenting and creating some serious fails. But I've also managed to find some desserts that have made omnivores beg for more, too.

 
My Maple Caramel Pear Tart with Almond Biscotti Crumble was renamed "MORE" by an omnivore friend who said that's what she wanted " MORE!" And this friend travels the world and eats in the finest of restaurants. Nuff said.

So. You will see all the recipes of the desserts pictured here and some more as I work out the kinks. A total of twenty desserts. Some easy, some labors of love. Tomorrow I'll post the initial list of desserts I've picked out to recreate or make better because dang it, Vegan can be better.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ High-Pointedly Caffeinated

What were some highlights of the Seattle/Portland trip? 

I'm so glad you asked. Allow me to blather. 

First and foremost, the Queen Mother signature of the trip, coffee.

Now, I'm not talking brown water Folger's in your cup. I'm talking serious coffee. From the espresso to the clover; from the exotic blend that tasted just like blueberries to the whole luxury of enjoying conversation over a steaming, aromatic brew. Oh yeah. 

Probably the best experience, coffee-wise was the Coffee Crawl. (highly recommended - our tour guide, Emily, knows her coffee and her city.) Our tour was two and one half hours of coffee focused bliss. Not only that, Emily extended our great time by providing information that turned our great experience into another one. A mere two and one half mile walk (one way, up hill) took us to Capital Hill where we were able to get involved in an actual coffee cupping. I have always wanted to do one of these, ever since I found out there was such a thing. A coffee cupping is a little like a wine tasting (or so they say, but I've never done a wine tasting event). There are ground beans of several different coffees placed in individual bowls. The first step is to sniff the freshly ground beans. Then perfectly hot water is poured over the coffee to allow the coffee to begin brewing. This is sniffed as well. The crust is broken and it is sniffed again. Finally, the crust is removed and a spoon goes into the hot liquid and the coffees are slurped. Slurping fills your palate so you can fully experience the liquid you are tasting. 

You are looking for flavors (do you pick up hints of other things like fruit, is it citrus, stone fruit, berry?) mouth feel, does the coffee have body vs a watery "feel", the acidity level...and a few more things I have forgotten. It's very scientific. The third time through I finally tasted lemon in one of the coffees. 

Because of the caffeine content in tasting five different coffees several times there is also a spit cup provided. Can I just say I didn't spit? Okay, once, but good coffee is a terrible thing to waste. As suspected, Kenyan coffee topped the list. Give me Kenya and I'm a happy woman. This particular batch was full of fruity, rich flavor. 

In case you are in Seattle and want to find this fabulous, free, and informative opportunity here's the link to Stumptown Roasters. (While we waited for the tasting, we watched roasters roast three batches of beans. Uhh, cool, and amazing. They shared a ton of details with us and were chatty about the world of coffee.)

We also visited a Stumptown in Portland. Consistently good coffee. 

Other amazing cups of coffee.

The tasting room of Batdorf & Bronson in Olympia Washington
Trabant in Seattle - Clover coffee. Clean, crisp and delicious
Barista in Portland (Alberta)
Burien Press in Burien Washington
Zoka Pour over amazingness 

Sigh.

Scribbles and Scrambles - Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

Touched down on home soil at 9:55 p.m. After a very long day of traveling. Denver had a rain storm that slowed our return and soaked our luggage.

Glad to be home and to see all the critters (and people of course) that we love. However there is a teeny part of me that wonders if I couldn't just become independently wealthy and travel for fun.

I think this was a once in a lifetime trip. I'm posting the self portraits that are &'s trademark shots. More about the trip later. I have laundry to do and an internal clock to reset.

Scribbles and Scrambles - Last Day

We will be flying out this morning. It is time.... but I hate to go back on so many different levels.

Yesterday we packed so much into ten hours that my head is still spinning. Coffee crawl ... Excellent great time. The Ferris wheel, a ferry ride to Bainbridge Island, a coffee cupping and literally ten miles of walking. two trains, a bus trip and the best vegan pizza ever. Yeah it was a full day.

Scribbles and Scrambles - Flexitrip

This trip has become bigger and different than originally planned. I don't know about you but until I actually touch, taste or at least touch down something/somewhere I am pretty clueless about details. Hence this trip was into the unknown.

I was in Seattle 24 years ago. A very long time... I remember the following details: a most delicious, decadent chocolate dessert at the Pike's Market, my first sighting of a pierced nose...I thought the poor girl had a wicked nasty whitehead. I also remember the fish market and the flowers. Oh and a week of drizzle.

We have had perfect weather. Absolutely perfect. And we've seen and experienced more than we thought we would. Seattle is different than I remembered. Portland was a lot like I expected. Ours plans have all changed several times. Things we thought we wanted to do have become no's due to time, space or $. But other things have slid into place and made for some fun memories. We've even shared air with Esselstyn and Bob of Bob's Mill.

So today is the last full day. We'll see what it holds.

Scribbles and Scrambles _ A Few Scenes from Portland

We've enjoyed Portland and are headed back to Seattle for the final leg of our trip. i'll share highlights once we hit Iowa soil. Until then here are these random shots.

Scribbles and Scrambles - Day tripping in Seattle

Beautiful weather in Seattle yesterday. The morning was overcast with fog, so much so, that the legs of the Space Needle were hidden.

We faced a few traffic issues. We are not in Iowa anymore that's for sure. And I phones are wonderful inventions. We also went on a little stroll and got lost on foot. Did I mention how nice smart phones are?

I fell flat on my face by the Space Needle. Join me in saying awkward!

We've had two of the best cups of coffee ever! Today we will see some ocean and hopefully remain upright when walking.