Orange Jack-O-Lanterns for Halloween

There are some amazingly adorable ideas for Halloween out there on the interwebs. I am impressed with what people have thought up – like a chocolate caramel apple that looks like a cauldron or mashed potatoes in the shape of ghosts. It’s such a fun time of year when everybody has their creative witch hats on, and both kids and adults alike can have a scary delightful time.

I ran across a really cute idea a few weeks ago for orange jack-o-lanterns. It’s an extraordinarily easy recipe; it just takes a little effort to empty the oranges of their guts, but that’s the messiest and longest part. After that it’s just a few steps and you’ll have a cute little dessert that you, your guests and kids will oh and ah over.

Orange Jack-O-Lanterns
Recipe from Martha Stewart Recipes

• 4 navel oranges
• 2 pints mango, passion-fruit, or orange sorbet, or vegan vanilla or coconut ice cream, softened

Be sure to select oranges that have a somewhat flat bottom so they can stand upright, and don’t forget to buy two pints of your favorite vegan ice cream or sorbet – a single pint will not fill all four oranges (I learned the hard way).

Oops - I only bought one pint, but I really should have gotten two!

Slice off the top quarter or so of each orange, and reserve for lid. Using a grapefruit spoon or paring knife, scoop or cut out interior of oranges. Reserve flesh for another use, such as fresh orange juice.

You'll use the top for the lid, so hang onto it

Carve a face or some other Halloween image on the orange.

Carving is pretty easy, but I'd recommend using a small knife like a paring knife

There are a variety of ways that you can decorate the lid, but I found using a cinnamon stick is a great way to make it more interesting as well as functional. Break a cinnamon stick in half (you can get it to give more easily if you score the middle (horizontally) with a knife. Poke a hole in the top of the orange lid with a knife and twist, take your half-sized cinnamon stick and poke it through the hole.

Adding a cinnamon stick as a decorative addition

Pack each orange with sorbet or vegan ice cream, and top it with a lid. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and place in the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.

All it needs to do now is freeze!

Serve immediately from the freezer as it can melt quickly if it sits out for too long.

Frozen Jack-O-Lantern

The ice cream or sorbet does take on the flavor of the orange a little bit, so be sure you use one that compliments the orange. I found that the vanilla bean coconut ice cream I used was a perfect pairing.

Also, if you’re like me and you wind up with more hollowed out oranges than you do ice cream, then pop a tealight candle inside and light it. It creates a lovely glow and can be great for your table.

Who says that lit jack-o-lanterns all have to be pumpkins?

What are some of the cuter or more fun ideas you’ve run across so far for Halloween that you’d like to try?

Vegan Blueberry Crisp

Today is Spirit Day. I didn’t realize it until yesterday when I saw a friend post about it on Facebook. I don’t even think I knew about it until yesterday, but regardless, I was inspired to do this post. A post about blueberries and suicide.

In a nutshell, today is supposed to be about trying to stop lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning kids from killing themselves, and standing up to bullying. You might see a lot of purple t-shirts and sweaters and dresses today. Purple means that you’re standing in support of LGBTQ youth. I, too, am wearing purple.

Spirit Day 2011

But earlier this week, before I knew about Spirit Day, I saw in the news about another gay teenager who killed himself. I watched some of his videos (all singing – and seemingly happy), and I visited his Tumblr site – full of depression, talking about self-harm, being alone, and many posts tagged with “suicide”. The last one had the tag of “suicide note”. He said he didn’t want to wait for it to get better. Three years would be too long.

You probably remember a few weeks ago a gay teenager who committed suicide, even after he had made his own It Gets Better video. He seemed to be a stable kid, but apparently his classmates egged him on to kill himself until he finally did a few months after making that video. Then they went on to continue bullying his sister.

Of course, we can’t forget all the other teens who killed themselves. The kids who felt like they weren’t loved or worth it. The kids who weren’t gay, but straight, and who were killing themselves because they felt alone. The kids who were killing themselves despite the efforts they, their families and their schools were making.

What bothers me in all of this, aside from the caustic and lethal bullying, is that any of these human beings decided that they were not loved enough, either by themselves or anyone else. Well, let me tell you – as soon as I watch one of these videos or read one of these news stories, all I feel is love. Well, and loss, too. We will never know what brilliant things these people could have done with their lives, rather than having to have society be reactive in their fight against discrimination because someone else was a casualty of a complex and hard world.

The thing is that teenagers hear us adults railing on about how much we love them, and how difficult things were for us when we were that age, but they don’t always understand that we really mean it, that we really have been there. I could recite a whole list. All of my education happened at Christian schools, but I was bullied in elementary school and in high school. I’ve been called a bitch, told that I was ugly and worthless, and had people tell me I was going to hell. I, too, have thought it would be easier to kill myself than to have to deal with the stress of real life, but I think that I never wanted that enough. Life was always more appealing. Still, I have, time and again, felt like no one would understand my situation, whatever I was going through. Yet I’ve discovered that more than enough people, perhaps too many, understand.

I’ve come a long way, a very long way, and so have they.

I want to share three things that have saved me from my feelings of hopelessness and depression.

• Love. I finally learned to focus on me, and to be spiritually aware of my place in the Universe. Life is a roller coaster ride no matter what age you are. But I know that I’m here, awake and alert and conscious, because my life is valuable. No matter what you believe, if you are a Buddhist or Muslim or Christian or atheist, you cannot discount the amazing opportunity you have to make the most of this existence. So I love myself, and most importantly, I give myself permission to accept the love of others.
• My talents. I don’t just bake and cook – I write, I draw, I play with clay. Depression took its toll on me for quite a while, but then I took some art classes and I felt amazing. It was as if I had trapped my creative self deep down and had forced it to stifle, until I was losing oxygen. It was a huge relief to finally allow my imagination to run wild. Some of my pieces have already shown up on Novel Eats. A whole bunch more are soon to make an appearance. It feels good to hold onto – and show off – physical manifestations of inner healing.
• Therapy. For a long time I wanted to work things out on my own, but there came a time not too long ago that I realized that I couldn’t solve all my challenges by myself. I think that a lot of people believe that they are weak or stupid or shameful if they see a therapist. I am here to tell you that it is okay, more than okay to get help and talk to someone, someone who has seen other people like you or me and helped them become happier and healthier people. I have been seeing a therapist regularly since the beginning of this year and I can tell you that while it isn’t easy to go to each appointment, I am better for it.

There are amazing people in my life who I am grateful to have met. I have met and worked with some wonderful gay men who I still consider friends. I recently had the privilege of digging into an apple crisp next to a warm fire with a lovely lesbian couple. One of the people who is most dear to me is a transgender woman. There are also amazing straight people in my life who have struggled, but who are better for the struggle. Mothers, fathers, family members, old friends from college and high school and new friends from the past few months. They are each finding their way, regardless of what has hit them full force in the gut or heart. You can, too.

So I decided to make blueberry crisp for the people who are considering suicide, whether they are kids, teenagers, adults, gay or straight, bi, trans or questioning. If you are considering suicide, I know that blueberry crisp isn’t going to change your mind, but I want you to know that people like me do love you. I’m just a silly food blogger who tries to make things better with some berries, sugar and cinnamon. Sit down, have a bite with me and let’s be friends, if not in real life, then virtually. Then, as a friend, I’m going to ask you to please get help, and if that help isn’t enough, then get more. Get so much help that you finally realize that it’s okay to stick around until that day that we all die, when we haven’t planned it, but when the cells in our body and the Universe say it’s time.

• LGBTQ Youth – If you are considering suicide, please call The Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386.
• Everyone and anyone – If you are considering suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
• Visit GLAAD’s website for more on Spirit Day.

Blueberry Crisp
This recipe is taken from the Blueberry Crisp II recipe on Allrecipes.com

• 4 cups fresh, frozen or canned blueberries
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup vegan sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise, like Vegenaise or MindfulMayo
• Vegan whipped cream, like Soyatoo, or vegan vanilla ice cream (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

If using canned blueberries, drain and rinse them.

Rinsing canned blueberries

Place the blueberries into an 8-inch square baking dish, or smaller if cutting the recipe in half.

Spread the blueberries evenly in your baking dish

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, and cinnamon.

Mixing together the dry ingredients

Stir in the vegan mayonnaise until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. If they don’t turn out like crumbs, it’s okay.

My topping didn't turn out like it was supposed to, but that's totally okay

Pinch little pieces off the dough and place them on top of the blueberries until the berries are covered. Otherwise, just sprinkle the drier mixture over the top of the berries. (Either way will taste pretty good!)

Adding the topping for the blueberry crisp

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top is lightly browned.

Yum.

Let cool for a few minutes before serving, then top with vegan whipped cream or vegan vanilla ice cream.

A spoonful of goodness

I’d love to end the ills of the world with a few helpings of blueberry crisp, but I know that more needs to be done. What ideas do you have to make the world a more loving, respectful and compassionate place?

Let's have another serving of love please!

When I was growing up it was tradition that my mom would always make me some variation of strawberry shortcake for my birthday. I am not entirely sure why. Maybe it was because of my love of the Strawberry Shortcake. Or maybe it was because strawberries were showing up on grocery store shelves in April. No matter the reason, I loved it. The cake. The strawberries. The whipped cream. Mmmmm…

A few days ago when my…ahem…30th birthday was approaching (ahem!) I decided to honor tradition by making vegan strawberry shortcake for myself and my husband.

Vegan Strawberry Shortcake

• 1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced (you can use frozen, but it is so much better when you have fresh strawberries)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 cups flour (I used only white all-purpose flour)
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup shortening (or you can probably use Earth Balance or Soy Garden)
• 3/4 cup milk (I used unsweetened Silk soy milk)
• Vegan plain or vanilla yogurt, or vegan vanilla ice cream, or Soyatoo

Mix the strawberries and the 1/4 cup sugar together and let it sit while you make the cake.

Heat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl mix all of your dry ingredients well, then cut in the shortening or vegan butter with a pastry blender or two knives. When the mixture has fine crumbs, stir in the milk until it is just blended.

On a lightly floured surface knead the dough a few times, then you can prepare your cake(s) in one of a couple of ways:

1. You can roll out the dough until it is 1/2 inch thick, and use a large biscuit cutter to cut the dough. Place these on a cookie sheet and then bake for about 10-12 minutes.

OR

2. You can do what I did. We have little Pyrex baking dishes which are perfect for making little cakes. I split the dough in half into equal pieces and then I pressed them into two small Pyrex dishes. I then placed the dishes on a cookie sheet (makes it easier to take out of the oven), and then baked them in the oven for about 15 minutes. I also checked in on them occasionally to make sure I wasn’t over baking.

When you take these out of the oven, take them off of their cookie sheet or out of their Pyrex containers and put on a cooling rack. Let them completely cool if possible, or at least wait until they are cool enough to comfortably handle.

Cut one of the cakes in half horizontally, then place the bottom half on a plate. Scoop some vegan yogurt, ice cream, or squirt Soyatoo on top of the cake. Spoon some of your strawberries on top of this. Place the top half of the cake on top of your strawberries and cream, and repeat with more yogurt, ice cream, or Soyatoo and strawberries.

I have to say that I love this. The cake is sweet, but not too sweet. The fresh strawberries add more sweet and the flavor of spring. And the yogurt/ice cream/Soyatoo rounds it out with creaminess.

Happy birthday to me. I may have to celebrate off and on for the next few weeks. I need to revisit this. :)