Vegan Birthday Dinner

Punch helped Fig blow out the candles. And the little one also chipped in $4 toward a Valley Girl fashion store gift certificate. 

I biked to town to get ingredients for Marcella Hazan’s Bolognese Sauce [one pot vegan, without butter, meat and milk/cream; both pots simmered long and slow, with rich, red San Marzano boxed, crushed tomatoes and wine] to serve over storebought potato gnocchi.

And: The makings of a cake filling [with pumpkin, pure cocoa, maple syrup, almond butter] and ganache [fine bittersweet chocolate, pure maple syrup, coconut milk]. I had baked two 8-inch layers from a nondairy cake mix made with fair trade cocoa and combined with egg substitute. 

Vegan cakes can be obvious pretenders to the throne--gummy, sticky, tasting too much like coconut oil. Even picky Punch liked this one. I recommend this easy filling and ganache from Food52.com--I’m sure the cake is good, too, but I just needed the frills. Go to Food52 and search Vegan Chocolate Cake with Creamy Chocolate Filling.

I had a biking mishap. Dan had taken Punch and two pals to a nearby lake, using the car. It was hot and hard to pedal back with a very heavy backpack of groceries and a bag hanging over the right handle grip. The bike seat is broken and pinched my butt. When I reached home, I tossed down my heavy pack--and broke the bottle of white cooking wine, which splintered into jagged pieces and soaked my brand new little Cape Cod cookbook. Ugh. Fortunately, Fig had another bottle of wine in the fridge.

Moey came over and that was really nice. Good night.

P.S. Nan and Liz, I must try your vegan cookbook soon! I was flying by the seat of my black skirt and looking up recipes on my phone, at the last minute, in the grocery store. 

TCOY

1. Homemade banana PB smoothie.
2. Biked.
3. Green beans.
4. Water.
5. Cool bubble bath, late, at 9 p.m.