Vanilla Chai Cupcakes

Autumn is just around the corner. It's by far my favorite season: vibrant colors, crisp weather, sweaters, hay rides, apple picking, bonfires. Everything about fall is magnificent. And these cupcakes (from the Happy Herbivore Cookbook) are the perfect fall treat. They're best eaten over a cup of coffee and a game of cards with friends.

1 c vanilla non-dairy milk (I use Almond Breeze)
3 chai teabags
1/4 c applesauce
1/2 c raw sugar (I think I'll try subbing honey next time!)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c whole-wheat pastry flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp cardamom (I didn't have any, so I used nutmeg instead)
Vanilla Icing (see below)

1. Gently warm non-dairy milk on the stove, careful not to scald it. If you don't have vanilla flavored milk on hand, simply add a few drops of vanilla extract for the same effect. Once it's at a near boil, turn off heat, add teabags, and steep for 4-6 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a muffin tin or spray paper liners with cooking spray, then set aside.
3. Once milk is cool, remove tea bags and mix with applesauce, sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl.
4. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt and spices together.
5. Pour wet mixture into dry mixture in 3 to 4 batches, stirring until combined.
6. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and bake for 15 to 25 minutes. 
7. Remove cupcakes from oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack. Once completely cool, add icing and sprinkle with cinnamon.

For Vanilla Icing
1 c confectioners' sugar
1 tbsp non-dairy milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Stir ingredients together to combine.
2. Add more sugar to thicken the icing or more non-dairy milk to thin it out. Ideally, you want the consistency to be a paste-like glaze. 
3. Slather icing onto cupcakes. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Indianapolis

Last weekend we traveled to Indianapolis to stay with Tim's sister and brother-in-law. We've never been to their house and a visit was long overdue. It was a five and a half hour drive, as long as it takes us to get to my sister's house in Canada. Thankfully the drive there was not nearly as painful as the drive back, but more on that later.

Katie and Dustin live just outside of the city, near a town called Zionsville which is clean, picturesque and home to about 20 mega-churches - literally. Here is the one Tim decided to check out while were there. It's called "Eagle Church" which is just strange to me. Anyways, this is a picture of their building. Yes, that is the church. They own the whole thing. And trust me, it's huge.

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Considering the humble beginnings of the early church and their desire to live and worship in simple intimacy, I feel like Church in the Biblical sense is no longer mirrored in what North Americans experience as "church" today. But that's a whole 'nother post for a whole 'nother time.

Anyways, Friday night, Katie and Dustin treated us to an amazing dinner at a fancy restaurant. Moses wasn't wearing pants (just a onesie) but no one seemed to care. In fact, a number of women stopped to tell him how handsome he was. You go Moses, you go.

I feel like Indy is one of the most under rated cities in America. It has everything and is surrounded by lots of beautiful neighborhoods. There are carriage rides, TONS of restaurants, an incredible Children's Museum (rated best in the country, I think), a massive football stadium, a canal with gondolas, cool hotels, is home to the Indy 500...the list goes on. And yet, you never really hear about it. Or at least, I hadn't. Anyways, it's a great city. We did a quick tour of it but spent most of our time at The Children's Museum.

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Considering Jack woke up at 5:30 a.m. (!) that morning (Saturday), we had braced ourselves for meltdown city in the face of so much over-stimulation.  But God looked upon us with mercy and Jack was actually a total dream the whole time and even lasted through lunch without causing a scene. PTL. By the way, for as amazing as it was I didn't take many pictures while we were there. We bought a new pocket camera about a month ago because our other one died and it's just not awesome at taking pictures in low lighting. And I hate using flash. Anyways....here's some of the better ones:

All together, the weekend was a total hit and we loved every minute of it. Except for the part where both the boys scream cried (scream cried) for the last half hour of the drive. It was mental torture. I kid you not, I was brought to tears but also laughed a little too because I felt so hysterical and out of my mind all at the same time. Needless to say, we were thankful to arrive home and collect our sanity.

Pitza!

I'm obsessed with these little pita pizzas (or pitza). They're light, tasty and the perfect little lunch on a day when you can't think of anything to make. All you have to do is....

+ Preheat the oven to 425.

+ Use a pita as the base for your pizza (we use two medium size ones per person).

+ Cover with meat free/dairy free marinara sauce.

+ Sprinkle nutritional yeast on top, and let soak in (it gives the sauce a cheesy flavor).

+ Garnish with favorite toppings (I like fresh basil, crushed garlic, tomato, and green olives).

+ Sprinkle with more nutritional yeast.

+ Bake for 12-15 minutes, until fully heated and crispy around the edges.

Enjoy!

Now let's not have any false pretenses here: I totally, whole-heartedly, 100% agree with you that the pizza pictured above does not compare in mouth-watering factor to those topped with delicious, gooey cheese and steamy pepperoni. But being vegan means satisfying one's savory cravings elsewhere. And these simple pita pitzas are pretty delish and come with the added bonus of being totally guilt-free!

Those Terrible Twos

I'm not sure when it happened, exactly, but at some point we unknowingly got on a bus, forgot to get strapped in, and took a really bumpy ride into the land of Terrible Twos. I don't remember getting on that bus. And I definitely never signed a consent form. So someone duped me real good.

Let me pause here and point out that on the grand scale of bad behavior Jack is really quite tame. He's a thoughtful little boy with an incredibly bright mind and so many great qualities.

But for a few months, things got intense. Someone must have slipped him a handbook on how to live out your second year with the following instructions:

1. When asked to do something anything, always reply with a resounding "no" ("no way" also works) The more defiant the tone in which you deliver this message, the better.
2. Push to get what you want. Never give up. Never.give.up.
3. If you have siblings, be sure to bite, pinch, and/or hit them when someone isn't looking. This is best accomplished on siblings that are small and helpless, such as infants. If caught in the act, feign ignorance as to what you have done wrong. **Helpful tip** Biting the face is especially effective, but will result in a more severe punishment. Proceed with caution.
4. Feign ignorance as to what you have done wrong if when you do wrong.
5. Don't eat your dinner (especially meals containing vegetables).
6. Throw any unwanted food on the floor or wipe in hair.
7. Don't come when called. 
8. When in public, disregard all rules you know to be in place.
9. Employ all stall tactics available at bedtime. If you find yourself in bed against your will, be sure to (loudly) voice your objections.
10. Cry. Cry Hard. Cry Loud. Cry Often.

Thankfully, Jack seems to have recently misplaced his handbook. Or, most likely, the good Lord has seen fit to smile upon us all and misplaced it for him.

And so, this past week, I've had the pleasure of spending time with the little guy I remember from just before Moses was born. The one who loves to play and talk and read books and relate and eat snacks and be fun is back.

Don't get me wrong, we're not totally in the clear here. I mean, he still has vague recollections of his inherent duty to live out the Terrible Twos. But something in his little heart has softened towards this world and our home is a lot more peaceful and happy because of it.

 

I love you precious boy.

May I always, always fulfill the call to rejoice over your life.

Even on your bad days.

And especially on mine.

They're Back!

It's kind of old news, but our dear friends/comrades, Cameron and Ellie, returned to us the week we left for Canada. They've been living in Colorado for the last twelve months and the whole time they were gone, it felt like a piece of us was missing. It's still a little surreal that they are here in the flesh again. Even sweeter is that they just found a great place to rent around the corner from us! I love that God has reunited us and that we can live life and worship Him together once more.

Some of our favorite pastimes with the Philips's include:

• eating late night take out from Aladdin's
• playing Dutch Blitz & Settlers of Catan
• watching Gordon Ramsay television
• going on local adventures
• worshiping God through music and prayer
• being hilarious, because we are. naturally

There are so many things to look forward to in this season of life with these two by our side, as well as those in the little community we've found at our new church.

Life is so much sweeter when spent with those you love.

Goderich 2012

We just got back from a great week in Canada on Lake Huron.

The calming hues of Lake Huron

We go almost every year. And every year, I cry a little when we have to leave. As if its the last time we'll ever be there again in history. But we always return, eventually. Thankfully.

The Pier and Boardwalk

This year was a little extra special because of some extra special company.

The traditional pose of most hipster self portraits. Ironic.

Richard and Sarah flew all the way from England just to be with us.
And maybe to see Toronto.

And maybe because she's been hearing about Goderich for 20 years
and wanted to see what all my raving was about.
You know the kind of friends that you love so much it hurts?
These are those kind of friends.

One of the "must sees" was the Goderich museum. For some reason, the museum has always lived in my mind as wonderfully kitch and a place we must always visit while we're there. Sarah was anxious to see the two-headed calf that I used to reference. However, I think the overall experience underwhelmed. Displays of old farming equipment and vintage bicycles are just not that special when you've paid a large sum of money to fly to see them. I think the whole experience was marred by the fact that I twisted my ankle, collapsed in a pile of gravel just before arriving and ended up limping around rather pitifully.

Old medicinal cabinet at Huron County Museum. Riveting stuff.

Because of my injury, I spent the last sunny day hobbling around a museum and then laid up in the cottage. After that, it rained for the next 48 hours. Determined to make the most of all our last days together we had a dance party in the cottage and played Yahtzee.
We also swam in the rain. And it was glorious.

Rich and Jack at the town square.

The last day, we spent time in a little town called Bayfield (which, naturally, I took no pictures of) ate lunch at a great "British" pub, implored Sarah and Rich to try their first corn dog (which was gross) and ate sorbet. Then we had to say goodbye which meant I cried off and on for the next 24 hours.

We were thankful for the rays of sun on our last evening. 

It gave me a chance to take some pictures of the boys. So classic. So adorable!

I also took two now traditional pictures: 

One of all the grandkids and 

One of Jack kneeling on the picnic table. 

How we managed to get him to make a similar pose and expression is beyond me.

I already can't wait until our return to the sandy, soothing shores of Lake Huron.
Come quickly!

Jack Was Here: A Photo Post