December- the month of the oven

I don't know how you spent your December, but by the lack of postings here I am assuming I was busy- I have just today really realized it is January and a whole year has just ended (a big one too- with a baby, wildfire, family, and life mixing together).  So we attended  4 Christmas parties, 4 Christmas celebrations, and had a wedding anniversary all within about 2 1/2 weeks.  I have found myself a little at a loss this week- trying to get back to what ever normal is with a 7 month old baby.  Needless to say as the only vegan at most of these events- I did a lot of baking and cooking.  It was really fun- I love the holidays, but I am enjoying not starting the oven at 6 am.

Minty Chocolate with Peppermint Buttercream and Gingerbread cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting (from the Vegan cupcake goddesses).

Marzipan Snowmen (one of my favorites this season!) on Chocolate cupcakes and buttercream frosting and snowy sprinkles.  I also made for this same holiday party chocolate cupcakes with coconut flavoring and buttercream rolled in sugary shredded coconut to look like little snow balls.

I had a bit of trouble with the marzipan.  I bought it premade in a tube.  Good flavor, easy to manipulate- but... I should have seen this coming- this stuff does not keep well.  I tried a couple of different ways to store it the day before the potluck I was taking my little snowmen to.  I ended up having to remake all of them just before I left (only took about 15 mins) and the old sweaty melting snowmen were composted.  It was so sad to see them in the compost bucket among ashes from the fire place and vegetable stems.  I like to think they are in a better place now.

An additional unforeseen problem with these guys was how they were responded to at the party I took them to.  I arrived a little late and after a windy dark drive down the mountain all of my cupcakes had slid together and all the snowmen had been making snow angels.  So once there I quickly corrected the little guys out in the car and made my entrance with my lovely cupcakes.  Party went nicely.  When I came back to the potluck table to reclaim my platter- there were lots of cupcakes left and very few snowmen.  As I turned around I saw someone actually just munching on the snowman they had pulled off a cupcakes still on the platter.  Now, this is something I expect from my friends- especially when they have been drinking sparks or something (which by the way- if I ever need to conjure up a gag reflex, sparks is what I will use as my inspiration).  I'm not super picky about manners- but taking decorations off cupcakes and leaving them all beaten up looking on a platter seems wrong to me- at least take the whole damn thing and throw the cupcakes away if you don't want it.  On top of that I left a plate of the still intact cupcakes for my host in their fridge and when discussing this with them 2 days later, I was informed that a guest had taken the cakes I had left for them! Oh! I guess it was a wild bunch.

Additional holiday parties included about 100 mini cupcakes for my husbands school (snowballs again and plain with cute little dancing snowmen decorations).  I also made a TON of cookies as christmas gifts for about 25 people.  I'll dedicate an entire post to my favorites as I catch up here. Oh! I think I am having sugar withdrawals!!! In fact I am not going to eat any sugar for a couple of weeks (good for the waistline and maybe I won't be so cracked out all the time).