Allison Cafe

At Last!

Steve and I are celebrating our 1 year wedding anniversary today, we can hardly believe how fast time goes by. Even more amazing is the feeling of knowing that you are happily married to your best friend. I know that sounds sappy, but it’s true!

Happy Anniversary baby!

PS – love the photo? It was taken by the talented team at Aquario Studio.

Cupcakes at the Beach

We recently returned from an amazing trip down memory lane in our nation’s oldest city, St. Augustine. St. Augustine is special to me for so many reasons, the most important being that it is where I met my husband 14 years ago. It also is where I have so many other happy memories as well, it is where I went to college and spent a lot of time with my grandparents.

Flagler College

Flagler College

Upon walking onto the Flagler College campus, I was instantly transported back in time to my college days, everything was the same, even the smells wafting from the college’s dining hall. Of course not everything on the trip was a walk through the past, this trip had some new surprises as well.

Knowing my love of cupcakes, you can imagine my excitement to stumble upon the city’s first cupcake bakery. Of course my friend Laura and I just had to pull the car over immediately and check out the fresh little delicious works of art at Luli’s Cupcakes. (thank you Laura for being a cupcake lover like me!) Started by Flagler graduates and named after their kids, Luke and Lili, the cupcake bakery is as adorable as the cupcakes are delicious. We sampled the Simply Vanilla, Chocoholic, Fire Engine Red Velvet and the PB & C. All were moist and full of flavor. My favorite hands down was the PB & C, which had a yummy peanut butter frosting and moist, rich chocolate cake.

PB & C Cupcakes from Luli's

St. Augustine is a charming town with roots deep in Spanish, Minorcan, British and Greek culture. The city is rich with local small businesses, there are few if any at all, commercial chain restaurants or shops. That was always one of my favorite things about the city, its entrepreneurial makeup. Of course in this current economy a city so reliant on tourism is hurting a little, but the charm of the city was just the same as I had remembered.

And I must also share that love was definitely in the air this visit to St. Augustine. My husband and I attended the wedding of some close friends, which was an amazingly beautiful event. And it could not have been a more perfect celebration for our 1 year wedding anniversary. We danced the night away and remembered fondly our own wedding just one year ago. Congratulations Katie and Kyle, we are so happy to have celebrated with you!

Congrats Katie and Kyle!

Pumpkin Cupcakes Topped with Coconut Flakes and Peep Ghosts

When I first ventured into vegan baking earlier this year, it was completely by chance. I attended book signing at a local bookstore for the new cookbook Babycakes by famed vegan bakery owner, Erin McKenna. The event originally caught my attention because it was related to 2 of my passions, baking and cupcakes.

Babycakes NYC

As I learned more about the cookbook and Erin’s bakery, I realized just how extraordinary they both were. Erin gave to many people, young and old alike, something that they could not have experienced before. A cupcake. Having grown up with food allergies, many kids like Erin were not able to eat products containing gluten. After many attempts in her New York apartment, Erin created a delicious version of a gluten free and vegan cupcake. And not only has she shared her cupcakes with the world from her unique New York bakery, she also recently released her first cookbook.

The exciting thing about gluten-free and vegan baking, is that it can also carry added health benefits for the rest of us without food allergies as well. I myself am fortunate to not have any food allergies, that I know of anyway. But I was completely intrigued and inspired by the idea of creating a healthier version of a cupcake. Not just to satisfy my own sweet tooth, but in case I ever needed to whip up a gluten-free or vegan treat for family or guests.

Never having been exposed to the world of vegan baking before I carried what I later realized was an unfair assumption about the stuff. That it doesn’t taste as good. Wow, was I wrong. Vegan baked goods can sometimes taste even better then the buttery, non-vegan versions. Especially if you enjoy coconut flavors, since coconut oil is an excellent ingredient for vegan baking both for its flavor and healthy fats.

Healthy Ingredients

What I did not realize about vegan baking, again never having been exposed to it before, was that it is a much more delicate art than the regular baking I had done in the past. The ingredients can be hard to find, and sometimes ridiculously expensive. The recipes can be frustrating to follow and leave you wondering if you are baking or trying to study the science and chemical equations of the process. But once you come to terms with all those things, the challenges of vegan baking are heavily outweighed by the benefits.

Erin’s book was my original inspiration and it has given me the confidence to strike out on my own and start varying some of my favorite recipes to make them more healthy. Since I am fortunate to lead a life without any allergies, I can still incorporate the occasional dairy into my recipes, but I have been able to cut out fats and/or replace them with healthier ones thanks to my new vegan education. I never knew baked goods without butter and eggs could taste so good, and be a healthier treat.

Decorating with Peeps and Candy Corn, easy and cute!

Click “more” to see the recipe and Vegan baking tips (more…)

The 1st Annual La Jolla Art and Wine Festival 2009

This past Saturday my husband and I attended the 1st annual La Jolla Art and Wine Festival. A section of Girard Ave between Pearl and Genter Streets was blocked off for the event. The cost to enter was $7 per adult. The festival featured various artists, live music and a wine and beer garden featuring local wineries and breweries. We thoroughly enjoyed the event and especially appreciated the opportunity to try local wines that we had not heard of previously. We especially enjoyed the Cabernet Franc from La Serenissima Vineyard.

The event was marketed in a variety of local publications, and we noticed posters hanging in local stores around town preceding the event. As a marketer, I particularly appreciated the fresh look and uniformity of their marketing materials. I love how the logo incorporated the two themes of the event, wine and art. The event seemed busy when we were there on Saturday, so hopefully they were able to meet their goal of 5,000 visitors and to raise $100,000. The event was a fundraiser for the local schools:

“Created by Friends of La Jolla Elementary, Inc as an extension of its popular and well-established Open Aire Market, this event will donate all its proceeds to under funded programs at three area public schools that are part of the financially troubled San Diego Unified School District: La Jolla Elementary, Torrey Pines Elementary, and Bird Rock Elementary. These critical programs include art, music, science, physical education, technology, and on-site medical care by a school nurse. For over ten years, the La Jolla Elementary School’s Open Aire Market has united the community each Sunday to enjoy a lively market featuring certified farmers, unique artisans, and local entertainment while supporting local education.”

The event appeared well organized and well staffed. They had information booths throughout the event, as well as volunteers that could be easily identified by their festival t-shirts and tanks. There were additional opportunities throughout the event to make donations, bid in silent auctions and purchase event t-shirts, tank tops or bags. I purchased one of the bags for $5 (image above). They did also have a children’s art area as well for the younger visitors.

Before I give the event a glowing review (which it deserves), it would only be fair to state our few criticisms of the event. The event seemed full of vendors, but the cost for a booth space was high in our opinion, so we wondered if we missed out on some local artisans. Also you really don’t get much for the entry fee other than access to the event, which included live musical performances and activities for the children. Other than that everything else had a cost associated to it. But the entry was only $7 and the proceeds go to our local schools so we were happy to participate and spend money at the event. Hopefully next year some sponsors will consider giveaways or door prizes/raffles, etc. in order to further draw in the crowds. And perhaps they will consider having a smaller section in the elementary school’s playground for smaller vendors. Overall we thought the event was well done though, and we hope that it met its goals so that they consider doing it again next year.

Handmade cotton apron with silk ribbon and 2 full-size front pockets

First, a special thank you to everyone who commented on our recent post for the apron giveaway.We have a winner for our 1st giveaway, comment #6 – Ashley. Congratulations to our lucky winner, who was chosen this morning using random.org. Ashley said “I like aprons because they making baking even more fun! And really cute ones look great hanging up in the kitchen.” So true Ashley, we hope you enjoy your new apron!

The Domestic Nest has many wonderful handmade creations in addition to their cute aprons, you can visit them online at www.domesticnest.com/blog. Interested in trying to make your own handmade apron? Click here to see an easy how-to tutorial from the Domestic Nest.

Just a few chips on top gives just enough chocolate sweetness, without overwhelming the muffin

Continuing on my vegan baking adventures, I recently discovered a great way to make pumpkin bread minus the butter. These vegan muffins (or bread, the recipe works for either) had great flavor and texture. The lack of butter didn’t diminish the quality at all, in fact the addition of coconut milk gave them a rich and sweet flavor. The coconut and walnuts compliment the pumpkin nicely. The only complaint I had after sampling them was that the pumpkin flavor was not as strong as I would have liked. But for some, that probably is a good thing, depending on your love for pumpkin. And when you add a few dark chocolate chips on top, it makes for an extra sweet treat.

Coconut Pumpkin Muffins

Makes approx. 2 dozen muffins, or 2 loaf pans 8″x4″

Ingredients

• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 1 15oz can of organic pumpkin puree, unsweetened
• 3/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed meal
• 1 cup Trader Joe’s light coconut milk
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2/3 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1/4 cup vegan dark chocolate chips

Preparation

Sweet and Healthy Vegan Chocolate Chip Coconut Pumpkin Muffins

Grease and flour two 8″x4″ loaf pans or line 2 muffin pans with muffin liners. (or 1 loaf pan and 1 muffin pan) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl combine the flour, wheat germ, agave, pumpkin, coconut oil, flaxseed meal, coconut milk, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Mix well with a whisk until combined, being careful not to over mix and make the batter “tough”. Begin to fold in the coconut and nuts. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and/or scoop the batter into the muffin liners, filling them 2/3 full. Place a few dark chocolate chips on top of each muffin or along the top of the loaf pan mixtures. Bake the loaf pans for about 1 hour and the muffin pans for about 25 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. Allow to cool completely and store wrapped in plastic wrap or an airtight container. The cooked product can also be frozen for 1-2 weeks.

Handmade cotton apron with silk ribbon and 2 full-size front pockets

I entered the kitchen to do some baking this week, some coconut and pumpkin muffins (stay tuned for the recipe!). And it made the whole experience even more exciting to wear my coveted handmade apron. The apron may have been created out of necessity, but it has transitioned over time into a stylish accessory in the kitchen. Whether you are hosting company or not, a cute and stylish apron can make spending time in the kitchen that much more exciting.

Pockets Included!

Now, one lucky reader will get to know the feeling. The talented husband and wife team at the DomesticNest.com has generously offered to giveaway a handmade apron to one lucky blog reader. The Domestic Nest creates handmade and re-purposed gifts for inspired gift-giving. While they don’t yet have the aprons available for sale on their Etsy site, they do have some beautiful aprons available for purchase at the various Farmers Markets they participate in around town. Watch their blog and Facebook updates for upcoming Farmers Market dates.

Simply leave a comment on this post telling us what you love most about aprons. A winner for our first giveaway, the apron shown in this post, will be chosen at random. The deadline to comment is by midnight PST October 11th, 2009. That’s less than 1 week away, share your thoughts today!