What's New?

Just a quick note to make sure you know I haven't abandoned you. The weekend is finally over, and I have just a few minutes to fill you in, and promise you that more will follow and photos too.

Mr. Happy Vegan's first born got married this weekend.  Here in the beautiful Florida Keys.  Remember they moved here not too long ago, so their wedding went from a "Keys Destination Wedding" to a "You Bet We're Locals" wedding.  I think the wedding was magnificent because the bride was truly a breathtaking vision, and her groom was as handsome as you'd ever wish.  They got their wedding by the sea as hoped, with many loved ones to witness and wish them well.  I hope it was everything they both hoped & dreamed for, and I will post a few snaps when I get the chance.

Also, as mentioned the Superboats were in town for the World Championship in Key West.  There were 3 fatalities during races. I wish I didn't have to write this, but to not mention this I think is disrespectful to those who perished, as well as to anyone involved in the sport.  We were at the races on Wednesday and saw Big Thunder's wreck.  Both the driver and throttleman died. We were not at the races on Friday when Page Motorsport's boat wrecked. The driver survived, but the throttleman succumbed to his injuries. We attended the full day of racing on Sunday, and saw many tributes to those racers, all the boats had special decals on them, and there was a plane flying a banner in memory of the 3 racers too.  Our thoughts truly are with those families and friends of those who wrecked.

The races went forward on Sunday, we had VIP tickets and front row seats for the competition.  It was a beautiful day, and the boats were magnificent.  I will post photos when I get a chance.

Last week the Parrotheads were in Key West for their annual festivities, Jimmy Buffett showed up for a "secret" concert on Duval Street. We heard he was performing, but thanks to our work, could not go.  I'm sure all those who made it had a fantastic time. Only wishing I could have been there too.

As you can see, in addition to the day to day obligations of life, a lot has been going on.  Now that the wedding is over, I think things will calm down a bit and we can move into our regular pace of things for high season. Its hard to believe its the middle of November when I'm staring at blue skies and palm trees, but here we are.  That's the story from sleepy old Big Pine Key (or maybe just sleepy old me), and I promise to post a few snaps asap. I did take over 800 photos at the races, I'll share a couple of my favorites as soon as I get them off the camera and onto the computer.

Until next time, enjoy every day where ever you are. Life's too short not to do good deeds, live with compassion, and appreciate all that surrounds you.

Cake Update

Can't this cake just be finished already?  Pretty please with sugar on top?

The cake with the missing weird circle piece is not finished.  It's very close to completion, but not there yet.  Conservatively, this cake clocks in at 35 pounds.  That's a lot of cake.  And mousse.  And frosting.  And flowers.  Lots of flowers.  Too many flowers.

Flowers are why I'm clattering away at the keyboard instead of working on finishing said cakey goodness.  Flower fatigue has set in.  All that's left is the flowers on the top, a few more dots of white icing, and then the sprinkling of the edible glitter pink hearts across this cake. I should be in there, just finish it already.  But no, flower fatigue, as I said.

This was the largest cake I've ever made so far.  I even put some of those wooden dowels in so it wouldn't collapse. Now I'm just worried that the server will whack pieces of wooden dowel in the served cake, then someone will choke on one. Being only a 2 tier cake, the dowels are pretty short.  The other happy vegan didn't think I should put them in at first. Now that he's carried the aforementioned cakey goodness in and out of the fridge for me no less than 8 times so far, I think he understand why I was so determined to use the stability dowels.  35 pounds of cake. Holy farking un-cow.

I have a few hopes with this cake.  The first is that it makes it to its final destination in tact.  That's a biggie.  The next hope is that no one chokes on a dowel. Another biggie.  I hope the people who I made this case for enjoy it and will always have good memories of their party and their special cake.  That's a huge hope.  And, of course, I hope I survive this evening without putting my elbow, finger, or any other body part in the frosting (again) requiring emergency repairs (again).

There's been a steep learning curve on this cake for me.  And, even though I already had a huge level of respect for bakers and cake decorators, this cake has taken my amazement for their craft to a whole new level.  Don't ever argue with a cake artist about price.  Take it from me.  There's no way any of them can charge enough for their final product to really make anything more than a small profit.  Its a labor of love for them, it has to be.  No matter how good you are, there's still so much extra love and attention that gets poured into occasion cakes that they could never really charge for it all.

I salute you in all your cakey goodness you bakers and cake decorators out there.  And, may your wooden dowels always be long enough so that no one is surprised by them in your cakes.  Bake on.

Superboats Are In Town!

I appreciate machines, I really do. Doesn't matter if its a pink Kitchen-Aid mixer, or a 40' offshore raceboat.  They're both fine machines.

And, speaking of powerboats... the Superboats are back in the Keys for the 31st annual offshore powerboat races.  These races are for the World Championship.  I'm pretty sure this is my favorite event of the year.  Here's a picture I took of one of the boats at a race I attended a prior year.

How gorgeous is THAT?!!!

I expected to be hearing some offshore powerboats passing by my house over the weekend. I was waiting for them, yet heard nothing; saw nothing.  I kept checking.... listening. Nothing.  I was a little disappointed about that. I had my binoculars at the ready. Its kind of like a Pavlov's Dog thing with me and and offshore powerboats.  I hear the motors and instinctively go running for the binoculars. I guess it was a blessing in disguise that I didn't hear any this year.  I would have accomplished much less around the house if they were dashing by every few minutes.

On my two rides down and back to Key West over the last two days I did see a fair amount of powerboats being trailered down.  I also saw a huge trailer and motor home making its way down the Keys all painted up with one of the team names and logo splashed all over them.  That was nice to see.

Yes, I know this is a guilty pleasure, powerboating, being that I'm all about the eco thing.  But, its not me that's out there, so try and have a little compassion for me on this, please?

We've got some passes for the events over the course of this week.  Our plan is to get down there tomorrow and check things out, meet some people, marvel at the machinery.  When the boats are racing, there is a thunder that is unbelievable. You can hear nothing else, except the "shuke shuke shuke" sound of the helicopters following the boats at a very low altitude.  Its a pretty big adrenaline rush as a spectator, I can only imagine the feeling the throttleperson and driver have in the races.

It's all so very good.

You may wonder why a pink Kitchen-Aid mixer kind of kicked off this blog post which is mostly about the offshore powerboat races.  I couldn't help myself, I've been working in my kitchen for a few hours now making triple batch after triple batch of vegan white not-buttercream frosting for the big cake with the missing weird circle piece.  My Kitchen-Aid is amazing.  I wish I had a larger one because I use it so very much, but my small pink mixer has yet to fail me once after all these years.  Its been humming along nicely for long stretches this morning, and hasn't complained once.  So when I think of awesome machinery, I think "Kitchen-Aid mixer" and then of course the superboats.  See, I'm an appreciator of all the Universe has to offer.  I can just as easily admire my mixer as I can admire a boat that easily costs more than triple the last house I owned.

So, I'm running my mixer, still listening for the faint sound of a powerboat going past my slice of heavenly ocean.  If that fails, at least I take great comfort knowing I'll be in Key West tomorrow to see them, and then I'll be front and center for the race finals this weekend.  Another slice of awesomeness in the Keys.

See you there!!!  Vroom Vroom!



A Weird Circle Piece

I've been mentally preparing for a special cake. It started out larger than probably needed for the final count, but right now I'm still not completely certain of that. All that basically means is I made too many fondant flowers, no big deal. They last.

I have very little knowledge and training about working with fondant.  Actually I had one very unorganized class which was exceptionally basic. It was so poorly run, I never went back for the other classes. And, of course within only a few days of that decision, it popped into my head that I'll make a cake for a special event and surprise that someone special at said special event.  Sounds like a plan.

Today I baked the cakes.  Multiple layers.  Big layers.  Things I'm not really accustomed to doing, but was confident enough after lots of planning that I'd be fine.  And, I was.  There were, however, 2 glitches. One my fault, one not.  The first glitch was me flipping a layer before it was cool. Bad idea, very bad idea.  As I had this giant layer crumbling on my counter, I felt crushed. It was then that I turned off all the lights, cleaned up what I could, and went to lay down and think. Within a few minutes, I heard Mr. Happy Vegan walk into the kitchen, then enter the bedroom to ask "what happened, did the cake break?"  Seriously.  So, with  rapier wit I informed him that no, everything was fine, I had no idea of that which he spoke.  He was not amused, but then again neither was I.

After he left the room, I continued to think about how to re-engineer this cake with what I now had.

After a while, I had decided how I would make the major repairs so I went back into the kitchen and began to fit the puzzle pieces together. It went ok but one piece was missing.  Not a small piece, not a large piece, it was by Goldilocks standards "just right" in terms of size.  A perfect circle actually.  You see, I had used heating cores for every layer of the cake.  One perfect circle was missing.  I slid things under the cake to see if maybe the perfect circle was trapped under the giant broken layer (it wasn't). I looked through everything on the counter (nope, not there), on the floor (not there, thankfully), and even opened up all the drawers in case one had been a little open when disaster fist struck.  Nothing.  It was then that Mr. Happy Vegan re-entered the kitchen to ask what was I doing.  In a moment of clarity, I asked him "did you eat any of this cake?"  He said "no, only a weird circle piece."

ONLY A WEIRD CIRCLE PIECE?

I guess I took it particularly hard that he ate the "weird circle piece" because a few days ago he spilled the beans about the surprise cake.  I've spent a lot of time on line looking information up about quantities, decorating ideas, and planning. I had to make 2 trips to Key West to get what I needed for this cake, and I actually have a pretty well stocked kitchen.  Two extra trips is a lot in my world.  So, when he admitted he ate the weird circle piece, I took it badly. My freezer is chock full of cookies, donuts, cupcakes, and more.  He could have had any one of those items, but he chose the weird circle piece.  It was more than I could take.

I cleaned up the kitchen yet again, and pushed the cakes aside, instead taking my emotions to the gym for boot camp.  Good decision.

 I will work with what I have, and some lucky soul will get a giant glob of mousse and frosting where a weird circle piece should be.  I guess its no big deal, but if you had been rolling fondant for about a week or so, making gum paste, royal icing, and flowers (all vegan, of course!) til the wee hours on a regular base, you'd miss your weird circle piece too.

Another day in the baking world. I should have expected this.



She's Got Herself a Little Piece of Heaven

The "she" referenced in today's title would be me.

The weather here today was as close to perfect as could possibly exist.  Not only was the weather perfect, but today was the 2nd best day of the year (the 1st best day of the year being, of course, the first day of Summer) because it was the "fall back" of the "spring ahead, fall back" rule.  This gave me an extra hour to myself this morning. I used it wisely... staying in bed to the very last second.

When I got up and flipped open the shutters, the sun streamed in and woke up the cats (well, ok Pink Moon was already up and bouncing across the room and everything in it because breakfast was already 1 hour late, but the others seemed just fine with things). I gathered myself together and wandered into the kitchen for work. I finished morning chores ahead of schedule, did a quick run, had a visit with Pop, and then headed down to Key West for errands.

As I drove south,  I popped in one of my most favorite cds of all time, and let the music flow as the wind whipped through my open windows. Today was a day where "max" volume on the stereo was woefully inadequate.

The sharp blue sky set off the seemingly unreal aqua blues of the water, so much so that it just seemed like a dream. Or, for lack of a better word, some type of heaven.

I sang.  I car danced.  I didn't care who may have noticed.

I've got my little piece of heaven, here in these beautiful Florida Keys.



I Confess A Fatal Flaw

It's been a busy week. I haven't written yet about lots of goings on, but I promise I will.

Meanwhile, my time is getting eaten up by out of the ordinary things.  I've had some shopping to do, some cake decorating to work on, and other things too.  We had that slight cool down a week or so ago, it warmed right back up (doors slammed shut again, ac on due to monster baking sessions), and I've also been pouring through my closet yet again, getting rid of things.  This most recent clutter bust had to do with shoes.

I used to have a shameful amount of shoes.  I wore them all at various times.  I love shoes, and would buy a ridiculous amount of them, boots too. When I moved here, I kept several pair that I thought I loved too much to give up.  None of them are flip flops, that would be too practical.  Instead, they are lovely dress shoes. Pretty snazzy ones.

Those multiple pair of pretty snazzy shoes have sat in my closet since I moved here, collecting dust. Worse yet, none of them would work with that ever-so-fancy dress I've got for that big event coming up in the very near future. I grabbed my step ladder this week, and pulled them down from that top shelf that I could not reach.  I opened every box with care, and marveled at how pretty they are.  As I was admiring a certain pair, a receipt slipped out of the box; the receipt for the shoes.  I looked at the date, and was shocked to see how much time had passed since those shoes entered my life.  As I read the receipt, I remembered the event I wore them to, and remembered all the friends who were at the party I wore them to.  I remembered my friend who first found those shoes, it was the same friend who was kind enough to run to the end of the State I lived at the time to fetch them for me. That friend was, of course, also at the party when I wore those shoes.  That person and I are no longer friends.  It's been a long time. As I found myself surrounded by shoes, it was almost as emotional as going through photographs of days gone by.

I attach too much sentiment to objects.  I admit this has long been one of my fatal flaws that even I am aware of.  So, that fatal flaw reared its ugly head as I was admiring long lost shoes. I didn't want to get rid of my shoes. I lugged these shoes to the tropics from the cold zone, but have never worn them once since moving here.  I began to feel ashamed... guilty.  Its like these shoes, none of which were particularly pricey or anything special, were little works of art. But, they were like works of art that had been stolen by some thief, and sold on the black market.  So, the art is stolen, and sold illegally, and thus cannot be displayed for all the world to see, as would be just and right.  Art is made to be appreciated, if it is not, it is wasted. At least in my eyes.

So, I took one last look at those pairs of shoes, wrapped them up in my best recycled tissue paper, re-boxed them and carted them out the door to be sold, to be worn by someone new. To be appreciated.

They're gone.

When I look at the top shelf in my closet, there is space instead of boxes.  I am still thinking about those shoes, and realizing that part of me still wants them to be there.  Its embarrassing. I don't think I even really understand.  But, they're gone, and I am not going to change my mind enough to retrieve them

They will stay gone.

I cleared out more space in my closet thinking I was simply going to get rid of some shoes.  Instead I found myself surrounded by a flood of memories, and the realization that time is passing much quicker than I want it too.

I think the only thing to cure this ill will be some shoe shopping. And soon.



Vegan Goodness in the Keys

Remember my post not too long ago about our tiny vacation in Key West, 2 nights, with a Gift Certificate we had?  That it rained, constantly.  That streets were flooded, and that I woke up our 1st morning to watch kayakers paddling down the street in front of my hotel?  Well, there was a bright spot (well, a few bright spots, but let's concentrate on one, shall we?)  Food.

Vegan food to be precise.

Ah, the joy of being vegan. Eating real food, with no death involved.  Its a wonderful thing, really it is.  Here, in photos, are some of the wonderful meals I had while in Key West.  I forgot to take pictures at some places, and other times I was sans camera.  But, for your viewing pleasure, here's a glimpse in photos:

Here's a picture of a lovely bibb lettuce salad I had our first night at Hot Tin Roof.  I'd never been there before, I'm more a creature of habit, going where I'm used to getting vegan food.  But, we had a gift certificate for Hot Tin too.  I'm so glad we went!  The salad was delicious, some type of light & creamy vinaigrette on there too.... but look at the entree' below!

Now you're talking!  The chef gave us choice of 2 completely vegan options, we chose this. Tofu over roasted potatoes, with balsamic reduction, onions and oh jeez, I don't know what else.  It was so fantastic, no room for dessert (indeed!)

This slightly out of focus picture shows my "to go" breakfast from Help Yourself, located on Fleming Street in Key West.  I do believe they are the ONLY place to get a true vegan breakfast in Key West, and never have I been disappointed.  Ever.  Here is my vegan french toast. Huge slabs of multi-grain mango bread, toasted a la french, with fresh organic fruit and an organic maple-y non-dairy butter of sorts (sunflower butter perhaps?) on the side.  Absolutely delicious (even eaten in the car ride back to Big Pine Key to check on the kitties....)

See!  I TOLD ya it was good even in the car!

Ok, I know this isn't food, but look at this beautiful archway.  We stopped at The Porch located in the Porter House Mansion during a break in the monsoon rains our 2nd night in Key West.  The Porch is a craft beer and wine bar offering organic root beer on tap. Although that night they were out of the root beer (insert big frown here) I managed to have some other fizzy drink while sitting on The Porch's porch.  And, I found myself wondering how many birds have built nests on the shelf of this very arch in the over 100 years the mansion has been there.  So, I took a picture and thought about baby birdies.

I never tire of Italian food, it's my favorite.  Our 2nd night we decided to eat at La Trattoria on Duval Street. I have never had a bad meal here, and the service is always attentive. This, coupled with a great wine list, I'm a happy vegan gal. Here's my salad, before the other happy vegan dumped all his hot peppers on my plate too.

Here's an example of me forgetting to take a picture before dinner. This was a plate of penne arrabiata. A really good plate of penne arrabiata. If the other happy vegan would have tried to sample my dinner, I think I would've forked him in the hand.  Just sayin'.

And, although I had no room for dessert, I always love a good espresso after a nice Italian meal. Tasty!

Ah.... back to Help Yourself for morning #2. Another plate of vegan french toast. This time with organic apples & organic grapes. The maple stuff was already added, since it wasn't "to go."  Yes, that's right, the morning we were leaving to go home, the sun came out. We ate outside on the picnic tables at Help Yourself.  When in Key West, if you want some straight up damn tasty ORGANIC food, this is THE place to go. Bliss once again.

Yay!  Lunchtime arrived, and we followed the painted bananas to The Sugar Apple's ALL VEGAN cafe!  That's my reusable grocery bag on the pavement, maybe I should've removed that for the photo?

Here's the Sugar Apple sign. I think the paint job on the building is cool!

Yay!  Here was my lunch on day #1 rainy day, from Sugar Apple.  Smokey tempeh on multi grain, with a beautiful salad.  Eaten back at the hotel, on my rain soaked balcony, overlooking the windswept Gulf, a beautiful pool (with nobody in it due to lightning) and their rain soaked outdoor bar. Still, lunch was tasty!

So, there you have a bit of what we experienced eating our way through our rainy mini-vacation. Don't ever let anyone tell you vegans are pasty lentil eating freaks. We're foodies through and through!  Its a beautiful thing to know that no animals were harmed, tortured and killed merely to satisfy my desire for a sandwich. Not to mention the health benefits that go along with this....do YOU think we were deprived of anything at all while eating?  Hardly!  And, we even had cookies.  Go veg, and no one gets hurt.  xo