Confidence In My Gratifyingly Great Triple Ginger Ginger Snaps - Will They Be A Winner???

I have officially decided to enter the holiday cookie contest at the CoOp in Newark, DE next Saturday 18 Dec from 2-3. After some folks there talking smack about their delicious cookies I've decided to share the fabulosity of my vegan cookies! Everyone at the CoOp is great! Super nice, genuine, kind people - I totally expect this to be an absolute blast! Everyone is welcome to visit - and people will get to taste all the cookies entered in the contest as well as enjoy hot cocoa and cider!!

So...fun stuff aside, I have a contest to win! I've been pondering which delight I will entice the judges taste buds with. Of course, I have full confidence in every cookie that compiles my vegan cookie repertoire, however, there are a choice few that would knock the judges Birkenstocks off! The contest has no restrictions on ingredients...they need not be gluten free, allergen free and they need not be free of animal-derived products (so, in other words they can have artery clogging fat, cholesterol and white flour and sugar...which many of you may call 'the good stuff'). I, in good conscience, however, cannot contribute to clogging the judges arteries! So, I choose to submit a vegan cookie and feel completely confident that my vegan goodness will stand up to and beat the ass off of the 'normal people cookies'! (please note that comment was just stated in my mind with complete cute, girliness) ; )

So, having put that out there...the choice of which cookie to submit lies over my head. Sicilian Lemon Cookies, Jam Thumbprints, Pignoli Cookies (my Sicilian great grandmother's DELICHE recipe, veganized, of course) or Triple Ginger Ginger Snaps. I'm leaning towards the Triple Ginger Ginger Snaps. And I feel like I wanna step up my cookie, notthat it needs it - but I have to pull out all the tricks in my HTG hat to beat the pants off the Christina-perceived crappy 'normal people cookies'! To jazz up the gingery goodness, I'm thinking about dipping half of each cookie in a cider-based butter frosting. These cookies are really good :) and I think the cider frosting will add a nice touch! I mean creamy, buttery goodness makes everything better, right?!?

I'll keep you posted on how my gratifyingly great ginger cookies fare in the cookie contest :) Keep you cute little (or big, depending on who is reading this) fingers crossed and send winning vegan cookie contest vibes my way, pretty please ;)

World Peace and Whoopie???

Sleep evades me this morning at the bright time of 4:02am. I finished baking all of my whoopie last night - came home and began at 5:30 then baked straight through 10:30pm. 5 hours of whoopie! Tiring but quite energizing actually! Energizing, that is, I think because of the smell of chocolate that permeated every crevice in the house! I go downstairs to get more flour...I smell whoopie, I run out into the sun room to grab my computer so I can get some work done during the 11 minutes it takes to bake these delightful pleasures...I smell whoopie, I run out to the car and believe it or not I even smell whoopie out there! YUMMMO!!

One part of me wants to say that if I never see another whoopie pie it would be too soon! After about two seconds of that CRAZY thought, it gets beat out of my head with, you guessed it, a whoopie pie, by my whoopie-obsessed alter ego so that the great delight regains it's premium status in my thoughts :)

What's left for today? Make the three fillings (regular, peanut butter and peppermint), package, label and barcode 70 pies! That's alot of whoopie! And again, load in the car in preparation for tomorrow's 'whoopie kickoff'!

And I would be wrong to neglect the delivery I made to David's yesterday...Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache and Cranberry Orange Muffins. It's not ALL about whoopie here at HTG ya know. I mean afterall, one must have variety in life, don't you agree?? (Insert important comment here...whoopie is and will always be primary in my eyes) :)

So...while I'm writing this I'm listening to the morning news and they're talking about the Catonsville bomber. Who knew that my little hometown would make national news?!? While listening to the rants of this individual, I came to a hypothesis....I believe that whoopie can save the world and make it a more peaceful place! Really now...think about this...if you were having a bad day and you were given a delightful whoopie pie would it not put a smile on your face? Mind you, in no way am I suggesting that any of my readers would choose to drop a bomb anywhere during said 'bad day'! But...if I would have been in Catonsville that day, I do believe I would have given that 'bomber' a whoopie pie...dressed in my baking apron...of course, which makes it all the better :) I believe that he would have been so taken with surprise and excitement he would have taken his fake bomb and cut the fake wires so that it wouldn't fakely go off! I bet he would have even shared with the FBI. I can envision the peace and happiness that would have surrounded the area...kinda like the ooze that covered the town in Ghostbusters and made everyone in the town mad....my whoopie would be like that, but make everyone happy! And you know the ubiquitous saying "World Peace"...well I say "World Whoopie" leads to "World Peace"!

So...I have great visions for my whoopie. If it enriches my life so, it has to for others, right?!?

Make the world a better place...eat whoopie!

My unofficial 'official' second mantra of HTG!
:)

Whoopie Maddness

When life gives you problems...make whoopie! The HTG spin on the old saying 'when life gives you lemons, make lemonade' as my mom used to tell me whenever I had a major 'trauma' arise during my formative years! I now say...who the hell wants lemonade when you can have whoopie?!?!

So...with a major turning point and life change facing me, I visited David's last week to find that ALL OF MY WHOOPIE PIES delivered just 4 days earlier were GONE! After searching the store with the thought they were moved from the official HTG rack (mind you, with a crazy fervor similar to that of someone that has a lottery ticket with five winning numbers and a bite mark the size of a small dog taking with it the sixth number), I came to the conclusion that my whoopie was currently residing in one of two places...either the kitchen of a wonderful whoopie-craving soul, or their stomach! Holy whoopie!

As I stood in a brief lapse of consciousness in the absolute amazement that people were that mad over my whoopie, I was quickly brought back to the homey, natural atmosphere at David's when one of the girls that works there asked me if I had brought more whoopie for them. Then Jill, the manager, asked me the same question! When I said "no", Jill said she needed another delivery as all of my vegan goodies were wiped out! She then invited me back for another kickoff Saturday 11 December where I am to have HTG 'on display' from 10am - 2pm. Instantly, my thoughts were "how the hell can I do this with everything going on in my personal life"?!? I was quickly dragged out of my feeling of immense overwhelmed-ness and the thought came over me that I MUST make whoopie...I MUST follow my mantra from the previous post...afterall this IS my dream! After about a millisecond, I told Jill "YES, I will be there"! I decided to devote the entire day to whoopie and introduce my Peanut Butter Whoopie as well as my seasonal Peppermint Whoopie. And of course, the 'Not Your Traditional Whoopie' will represent its amazing little self!

So...back to the flurry of activity and planning of a few weeks past. Not to mention this massive whoopie production, Jill also said she wants her regular Friday shipment of cookies, muffins, cupcakes and brownies. So...I'm on! Whatever I have to do - however tired I am, whatever emotions I have to cook through, however many times that Dunkin Donuts guy evades my dreams, I will bake on!

I started compiling my list of items needed to make huge quantities of whoopie. List in hand - and my to-do list that I've now started keeping on my cell phone, which by the way has become my personal assistant that I rely on to keep my life and thoughts straight, I made the trek out to the place where I buy my ingredients wholesale...go figure it's in a town called Intercourse. Today was SUPER busy, I had to go to my townhouse, an hour from where I'm staying in Baltimore...then to Wilmington, DE for work, an hour from my townhouse...then back to Baltimore, an hour and a half away. All of this driving served it's purpose though - good therapy...just like baking - good alone time, to think about and evaluate everything else going on in my life. I was zoned out much of the ride and was completely dependant on Bella (my way-too-often-wrong GPS that always results in the generation of new words to the English language on my part). On this day, Bella decided to take me a completely different way from which I usually take that ultimately resulted in a great observation (and out-loud laugh) on my end...

On my way to INTERCOURSE to buy supplies with which to make WHOOPIE, good old Bella took me through a town called PARADISE...

Really?!?? What kind of lovely God planned for this route? Is the universe trying to tell me something?!? INTERCOURSE, WHOOPIE, PARADISE?!?!? Do things like this only happen to me?!?! God I love it! And by the way...anyone that knows me would answer the previous question with a big fat affirmative -

YES! this would only happen to Christina!

So now I will close with what has become the unofficial 'official' HTG mantra:

Make whoopie at all costs!

Let the adventure begin!

; )

Amazement with the sheer deliciousness of vodka-soaked olives

What a day! It was wonderful!! I met some great people and had lovely conversations about food, lifestyles, veganism, frustration about food choices at grocery stores, and just some general good convo with good people. But what an amazingly exhausting day! I guess the stress of the past few days of organizing everything and arranging everything and baking everything, it finally caught up with me! So, I drove myself home in an empty Sadie...still smelling like a car jar ;), walked in the door and made a martini (please note, this is where the title of this blog is explained)...I made an extra dry martini with 3 olives...sat down on the couch and soaked in the silence and comfort of doing absolutely nothing....except for exerting the effort of swirling the olives in my martini glass. All I could do at this point is watch the olives swirl around the glass and anticipate their sheer deliciousness...I couldn't think about anything else...anything at all! My brain was like a mushed pumpkin chocolate chip cupcake, which were by the way quite the hit today! I am utterly exhausted! The last time I felt this exhausted and exhilarated at the same time was when I finished my comps for grad school...when the committee came back and said I passed...same exact feeling...like I had only the energy for twirling olives in a martini glass with great jubilation!
So...I did it all...and all the while maintained my mantra from the last blog...make whoopie at all costs! Now to bed...after of course, another martini!

It's here!!!!!

Ahhh...that no good son-of-a-bitch didn't wake me up this morning! My lovely alarm did....a good sign that I was happily in dreamland...not dreaming about vegan goodies, may I add!! And not subconsciously thinking about baking (subconsciously thinking....is that possible???). I wrapped everything up last night around 10:30. I had the house to myself - I had my iTunes baking mix blaring, with the likes of fine musicians including Lil Wayne, Black Eyed Peas, QTip, FloRida. What would I do without these ingenious masters of musical waves? They, afterall, provide me the energy to bake, package, run out to Sadie (for those of you not in the know, my car), dash back in to the sound of the oven alarm, check the frosting in the mixer, frost more cupcakes, package them, run out to Sadie, and so on. Meanwhile, I dance around the kitchen...who knew a gal could have so much fun Friday night shaking her hips while frosting cupcakes! So, 10:30 came and I was done! Sadie was loaded with baked goods....an all natural Yankee Candle Car Jar, sans the $5.00 to Yankee. What a feeling! As I stood below the moonlit sky having ceased my loop of kitchen-car-kitchen-car, the chill caught up with me. It didn't matter...the sight of Sadie packed to the gills with vegan goodies that I made, and that I packaged, 8 years of plans and work were staring back at me and my goosebump laden arms. What a feeling! I couldn't believe that I did all of that! Which brings me to reveal a secret about myself (of which those of you who are close to me are sadly aware)....I am a stubborn Sicilian Irish gal! This entire HTG empire :) ...everything starting from 8 years ago...I have done. As much as I love everyone around me - friends and family - who offer to help with odds and ends - I want to do it all on my own. I am very stubborn when it comes to matters of me doing something by myself and having that sense of satisfaction. And with that, my staring at Sadie last night returned the emotions of those eight years, and more soberly, those of the past 3 days and nights of preparation! It was an amazing feeling. I actually did it! So...I've done my part...now it just has to take off....

Whoopie Anyone?

Whoopie...what a complicated and at the same time exciting word! At HTG, we LOVE making whoopie...and believe ours is the best in town! I, as proprietor and baker, have never been known to pass up whoopie...until last night (unless, of course, it's not vegan)! I had, what we will diagnose here, as a brief spout of baker's remorse. What did I get myself into? This is too much...day job then home to bake - for 6+ hours until AT LEAST midnight, then back at it with that son-of-a-bitch Dunkin Donuts guy again calling in my sleep...'time to make the donuts', 'time to make the donuts', 'time to make the donuts'....until I feel like clobbering him with donut holes and finally decide to roll out of bed at the bewitching hour of 4am. What did I get myself into??? Yes, this is my dream...and I knew it wouldn't be easy...but this is overwhelming! So, last night after baking 6 batches of cookies, 144 cupcakes and 72 muffins AFTER a super stressful day of work, I was exhausted. Not only due to baker's remorse but a sore back because I didn't have time to go to the gym and stretch. So, at midnight while muffins were baking, I did yoga...which made me feel better as each vertebrae crack sounded like a mini bomb exploded in my body.

So on to whoopie...all evening I was thinking 'how am I going to have time to make whoopie pies'? I still have to frost 600 cupcakes and package them Friday evening'???? So, I concluded (after one glass of wine) that I was not going to make whoopie. WHAT?!?!? NOT MAKE WHOOPIE???? What the hell has gotten into me? My whoopie is the best around - how can I deny people this great confection? I decided to go to bed mad at myself but coming up with the idea of having a whole day of whoopie at David's before Christmas, so it's ok. After a restorative 4-hour sleep and that SOB waking me up, my confidence in and desire for whoopie has returned. And here, at 6:18 a.m. four batches of the taste-bud delight are cooling and awaiting their thick, creamy, sweet filling.

What has whoopie taught me you may ask? Not to give up...I have to push myself through this and make Saturday a success! I have 8 years of planning, hard work, baking, and dreams backing me. Not to mention the huge carbon footprint I'm managed to rack up with all of this baking - I can't fold now!

So, until tomorrow...bake away and make whoopie...at all costs!!!

We pay homage to you great whoopie!

Mad Muffins

Well...with a flurry of activity and stress already present comes a rush to get 300 muffins, 300 cupcakes, 108 cookies, 54 whoopie pies, 60 brownies and 5 bags of dog treats baked, packaged, labeled, and delivered for Saturday mornings big Honest to Goodness kickoff! Since I learned that David's Natural Market in Bel Air, MD will be carrying my products, it's been a rush to get everything in place. A rush that has been long-awaited. For the past 8 years I've grown HTG. It truly is my little vegan baby. I've developed recipes, designed the website, searched for the perfect packaging, built excel formula after excel formula to figure how much exactly these vegan goodies will pay off, designed labels, t-shirts, and yes, even panties! Cause who wouldn't want a pair of panties that says 'vegans taste better'?!? Even if you're not a vegan...these are quite the fashion accessory! (And may I add are guaranteed to result in a lucky night if your partner is curious) :) I've tasted samples out the gazzoo...and apologize to all friends and family to whom I have forced my vegan goodies upon and interrogated for their opinion. And God forbid someone tell me something is good. 'What'???? I say...'What about texture, smell, consistency, does it taste better then Little Debbie, if you were about to die would you want one last bite of that vegan maple cupcake??' questions like this were posed to my sweet guinea pigs...and answers I expected! So...here we are, 2 baking days left until the big day!! I baked last night until midnight, awoke this morning (to the face of the Dunkin Donuts guy saying 'time to make the donuts') at 4:30 and baked 12 batches of muffins. And here it is, 7:49 am - and I have to run and get ready for my 'day' job! Big meeting today in NJ...plan to come home and bake more. Super busy but this is 8 years of my life's passion and work all coming together - like a fine cupcake batter! Keep you posted with today's success!