Pumpkin Squares

Here in Brussels, Fall has begun to make her appearance. Last night, while cleaning up from a yummy dinner (Sweet Potato fries, Tofu Cubes and Corn on the Cob), Kevin, Aodhan and I watched a storm soak our back garden. Personally, I have always loved the chillier days of Fall, and welcome them and their soup-squash-stew-casserole-promises.

To match the weather I made some little pumpkin squares. Using my last can of sacred pumpkin (almost impossible to find here in Brussels), I made this really healthy treat, which allowed me to sneak in some important walnuts (EFA's for Aodhan's ever-growing brain), and some hemp seeds for me. I will be making this improv dish over and over again - a great snack!

Pumpkin Squares

Crust:
2 cups of walnuts
1 cup of pecans
2 tbsp of crushed hemp seeds
3/4 cup of oats
1/2 cup of flour (I used 85% whole meal)
1/2 cup of oil (you could omit the oil/flour/oats and make a 100% raw crust by adding some soaked dates and chilling the crust rather then baking it)

Filling:
1 can of pumpkin (ok, I didn't use a FULL can, I had skimmed a bit off the top for my oatmeal in the morning)
1/2 of maple syrup
1/4 of agave syrup
1/2 cup of arrowroot powder
3/4 of almond milk

I made the crust first - adding all the nutty ingredients in the food processor and pulsing for about 30 seconds. I added my oil, flour and oats and pulsed for a further 30 seconds. I pressed this into the bottom of a 10 inch brownie tin and popped it into the oven for 15 minutes, while I made the filling.

The filling wasd dead easy. I washed out the food processor (god, I really want a kitchen aid) and added the arrowroot and milk first, giving it a minute to mix together. I then simply added the remaining ingredients and pulsed for 45 seconds. I added the filling to the baked crust and slammed the whole thing in the 375 degree oven for 40 minutes.

This treat is NOT super sweet by any account...so if you are wanting something a little more sugary then up your maple or agave syrups in the recipe, or add a little maple syrup to the top when serving. Yum Yum.

In non-food related news, Aodhan turned 12 weeks yesterday. I can't believe 12 weeks has floated by since he was born. Kevin and I were commenting the other day that we just can't imagine our lives without him in it. He is rapidly losing all signs of newborn 'ness' and seems to develop new skills everyday.

He is smiling like mad, talking (with lots of goos, ahhhs and ohhhs), holds his head like a champ, does fine stuff during tummy time, bats his toys, tries so hard to lift his shoulders and head as if to sit up, and kicks like crazy when he is lying down. He has already had (still does a touch) a first cold, thanks to his daddy going back to the germ factory of school, and seems to be dealing better with his reflux.

I am a lucky mummy and actually sleep more now then I ever did in my pre-mummy days (when I was asleep by about 10 and up at around 5). Now, I fall asleep around 9 - 9 30 and Aodhan doesn't really wake up until about 9 30 the next day. There are about 3 night feeds, but bed sharing and breast feeding mean that I don't really do much waking in order to accomodate Aodhan's chilled out needs. He is amazing. I just can't get enough of him. I have even been able to start back at the gym, and am retraining my body to run my first post-baby race on October 11th (a BreastCancer run). I am loving mummyhood! Oh, and for any other vegan women out there who are thinking about pregnancy and their lifestyle, check out The Mother. My article on Vegan Pregancy is in their September/October issue.

Speaking of mummies....I am so excited to be flying home for Christmas to see my mommy! We weren't going to fly, but we decided that Aodhan's first Christmas should be spent with family and friends. I can't wait to get home and see my family and celebrate all the great things that have happened this year - Aodhan, my brother's wedding, my mom's new job, my sister's general awesomeness!



Have a Happy Vegan day everyone!

I Heart HappyVeganFace Weekend!

I had decided a while ago that I was going to try my hand at homemade nann bread, given the recent curry crisis. And it was on happyveganface's blog that I found my recipe. But, I didn't stop at the nann bread, I also decided to give her burger bun recipe a try...and I am happy to report that happyveganface's bread recipes were the focus of two really yummy dinners this weekend. On Saturday night we grilled up tofu steaks and aubergine, piling it on top of the burger buns. I served them along side the pasta salad I had made on Thursday night. Perfect! Kevin raved about the buns - said it was a great bread recipe. I can't wait to make him some more.



Sunday started with our second trip of the weekend to my new favourite spot - a bagel cafe. Yes! That's right, not a 15 minute walk from my house (and wonderfully situated between Kim and I) is a great cafe. I must admit that it offers me everything that I miss about back home - bagels, tea in biggish cups, comfy bank seats and a groovy atmosphere. I couldn't keep it a secret and had to invite Kim, Kate and (the other) Kevin for a bagel-breakfast on Sunday morning. I of course took away some of their great baked goods, and just finished a whole wheat bagel for lunch - topped with curried (!!!) beans.

When we got home from our bagel fun and a quick trip around the market, I got to work on the nann bread, wanting to give it time to rest, breath and rise. Despite it being my first time, hvf's instructions made the whole process totally manageable, and the results were totally delish!


While waiting for those good bits to rise (after our darling cat Sylvia knocked the whole lot of 12 rising dough balls all over the kitchen...10 second rule), I got to work on making two mini crumbles - a Pear Crumble and an Apple Raisin Crumble. We gobbled the Pear Crumble up for desert, topping it off with some cashew cream that I had a chance to make while the nann was baking.


Here are two recipes for yah! Simple, but in their own ways - totally divine:

Family Picnic Pasta Salad

3 cups of whole wheat pasta - I used little penne
3 tbsp of olive oil (you could use less if you like, but I have some poundage to put on)
1 English cuke - sliced & diced
2 Tomatoes - sliced & diced
Basil, Oregano, Thyme and Black Pepper
2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar - I used one with a hint of fig

Once your pasta has cooked through, add all of the ingredients together. Put the whole lot (it will be quite a bit) into 1 large bowl or into mini Tupperware. Let chill at least 2 hours before serving.

No Mixing Bowls Needed Crumble

3 large apples or 3 large pears - skin left on, cut into 1 inch cubes
orange juice or any other type of fruit juice - I used some left over cranberry and orange that we pressed that morning
1 tbsp of brown sugar (or maple syrup)
1/2 cup of rolled oats
1/2 cup of flour
raisins - own quantity
walnuts - own quantity
1 tsp of nutmeg (you could cinnamon or cloves as well)
2 tsp of vegan margarine (you can use oil, but that means you might need a bowl)

I used 3 X 4 inch glass baking dishes (one for pear, one for apple) and added the fruit, fruit juice, sugar, raisins, walnuts and spice, and gave it a good mix. Make sure that the raisins and walnuts are tucked under your fruit. On top of your bed of heavenly fruit, add the oats, then the flour and then the two tsp of margarine. Now use your fingers to work the margarine through the dry ingredients - takes a couple of minutes and your fingers get mucky - but it is one less bowl to fit in the dish washer!

Bake for 45 minutes at 400.

So a big fat thank you to happyveganface for making my nann baking bread dreams come true! Great recipes!

Don't Trifle With My Heart Trifle

London was a great day trip, and we are already planning our next trip across the channel (mostly because I didn't have time to get to the Natural History Museum, where they keep the dinosaurs).

I could bore you to death with tales of my shopping (I got a really cute shirt with an owl on it, and a fantastic bird pin; I picked up a silly array of treats for my kids to 'earn' from Paperchase; K and I went nuts buying C.D.s and movies; and I found some really nice pens)....but I won't! I will however tell you that I had some great food, at the much recommended Mildred's, which is located in the used-to-be-bohemian-and-is-now-overly commercialized-SOHO.


The restaurant is apparently a well known stop for tourists and local veggers alike, so we were seated before they fired up the oven (given the one hour time difference, and our 4:30 am breakfast, we were starving). The interior is quite open and fresh with bright orange walls and wood furtniture.

We had to go for the whole thing, and ordered Goyza dumplings to start off, which were ok - I wasn't so keen on the crispy bottom though. K ordered the sweet potato burger, which came with huge fries and some vegan homemade mayo. The taste was ok, but I thought a little lacking in spice and texture (a little too mushy for me). I went for something a little different and went for a puy lentil dish that included raw tofu, a bed of baby spinach and a couple of slices of grilled pepper. I really enjoyed this dish and was impressed by the flavouring of this 'salad's' dressing of anise and fennel seeds. I couldn't leave without indulging in a VEGAN desert (not when I live in Brussels) and asked for a ginger and rhubarb cheese cake that I split with K, who, agreed with me that the texture was much too rubbery - as though they had a jittery hand while adding the agar.

Overall a great meal, which didn't kill us in the pocket. We had a pretty pedestrian maki snack for our dinner - we had both walked for hours, and weren't craving anything too heavy. I had a pickle roll and avocado roll, while K went a little wild and ordered some friends of mine who used to swim in the ocean (bad, bad kevin!).

Today I had an amazing work out, and spent the afternoon relaxing, tripping around the house and having tea with my fish eating man. I set to work on dinner with plans to make beanie buddies, but decided to make a not-meaty-meat loaf instead. First try, and I was quite happy with it. I also made a lentil soup, and a desert that I would give away my car for! Ohhhh it was good, good and good some more.

Not Meaty Meat Loaf

1 sweet potato
1 tin of red kidney beans
1 clove of garlic
1/2 cup of bulgar wheat (soaked in boiling water for 20 minutes)
1/4 cup of oats

I mushed the beans and the boiled potato together and then added the rest of the ingredients. I scooped it into a loaf pan and stuck it in the preheated oven for about 35 minutes. We had it with a little homemade garlic cream.....yum yum.

Don't Trifle with My Red Heart Trifle

I don't know if you would call this a trifle, as I didn't include any of the spongy cake I used to add to the trifles I remember making in grad school with my friend Melissa. But, K remarked on how much it looked like a trifle before I shoved it back in the freezer for its last chilling....

Base 12 almonds 1/2 cup of cashews 5 dates I soaked the whole lot for about 20 minutes in some boiling water and then ran the hand blender over them just enough to make it sticky and useful as a base, but not too gooey.

Yummy Inside
12 strawberries
25 fresh raspberries
I did a similar thing to the strawberries - blitzing them very quickly, but leaving some of the little goodies semi-while. I added the fresh, whole raspberries as my next layer of fruity goodness.

Topper
More of that decadant cashew cream that I just can't get enough of.



I put this desert in the frezzer while we ate our soup and loaf. It was just too good!

Does the backgarden count as local?

Stayed put at the farm all day yesterday. Read, ate, wrote, ate - that was the order of the day, and I can say it was all quite fulfilling and I never once felt lazy. There are some massive zucchini in the kitchen garden that beckoned to me - it seems that since coming to Italy, the zucchini family and I have made amends (we had been on the outs since a soggy stir fry situation). I wasn't entirely sure what we would end up with, but I knew it was going to be stuffed, and that I wanted to use up the mushrooms that were in the fridge. K set to work making a potato and tomato sauce dish, while I went to work on my stuffing. The result was delicious - I baked the skin of the zucchini while preparing the stuffing, resulting in a juicy little number. We also decided that the barbecued figs of Saturday couldn't go unchallenged, so we baked up what proved to be some pretty descent competitors by making a batch of baked pears that were scrumptious.

Big Green Yummy Monsters
1 massive zucchini
1 white onion - diced
2 tsp of olive oil
5 oyster mushrooms - diced
pepper, oregano and sage to taste

I cut the zucchini in half and hollowed out the middle, reserving the insides for the stuffing, and set them to bake in the oven for about 30 minutes. The stuffing was quite simple, and included dicing the remaining ingredients into small chunks, adding them to a warmed up and oiled pan and letting them brown through. Finally, I added the stuffing to the zucchini 'skin' and baked the whole big delicious party for another 20 minutes.


Baked Pears

8 tiny Italian pears
a handful of walnuts
2 tsps of maple syrup

Again, as simple as the recipe from Saturday: slice the fruit, add it to a pan, cover in maple syrup and bake for about 40 minutes. I added the nuts half way through this time, rather than right at the end. They were a bit more caramelized and much tastier.

While I was upstairs grabbing the desert, K decided to go for a quick walk around the animal lodgings that are adjacent to our outdoor dining spot. He said hey to Hootie, talked to the chickens and then noticed that one of the black cats was looking at him with that "oh crap, I have been spotted look". K's lensed eyes noticed that a little yellow streak was dodging clay pots and newly transferred plants in the nursery beds that the cat was sneaking around in....an escaped duckling, not even 36 hours old, was being harassed by this big black feline. Kevin alerted the proper authorities and has now been crowned the patron saint of ducklings (we are in Italy thank you). How much more can a vegancowgirl ask for than have a future husband who goes around the Italian countryside saving the lives of ducklings?


*Please note that I am by no way ignoring my pledge to use local products in my use of maple syrup. I bought it on Saturday and have no intention of letting it go to rot. I think that might just be a bit too antithetical to my whole reason for being a vegan in the first place.

Unexpected Delights

The fridge is in that wretched pre-moving status. Just bits and pieces of yummies that wouldn't usually find each other in the same recipe. But, it seems that under this potentially dangerous dinner pressure, I was able to whip up three of the most lovely dishes I have turned out in quite some time.

The first dish is something that I have never attempted before - a warm salad. In the first few moments of inception this green goddess of goodness was heading towards the land of tabbouleh. However, with the recent couscous downturn (aka - I packed it in an unnamed box) in my pantry, and the four lonely left over taters hanging out in my wicked cool veg. hanger (I love you ReUse Centre in Burlington, I will be back one day....) I ended up with the following:

Warmest Summer Salad

4 taters: chopped, boiled, fried off with some olive oil
3 cups of chopped parsley
3 tomatoes
1 red pepper
lemon juice from one lemon
3 spring onions
5 sprigs of mint

The next dish was described by K as "This is guacamole meets hummus meets Japanese car crash"

I had to verify that this was a compliment...and, yes, it was! I admit, this dish was on the burning lips side of warm, but it was tasty. Next time (and there will be a next time) a little less wasabi.

Cultural Car Crash Dip

1 ripe avocado
1 tin of garbanzo beans
1 tablespoon of wasabi paste
1 squeeze of lemon

Whip and Dip!

Itty Bitty Berries and Cream

There was no way that I was letting the fresh little berries go to rotting food heaven, and they were already mega ripe when I lovingly scooped them up at the market last night. I covered the bottom of two ramakins with oats, agave syrup and a little bit of arrow root. I added the berries (black and raspberry), a bit of maple syrup, and more arrowroot. I topped the warmed-through dessert with some almond milk.

YumYum.

K and I are in the process of getting our lives tied up nice and neat before heading off to Italy for some well deserved (if I might say so) rest and relaxation. We have rented a house in The Marches (anglosized), which is a non-tourist location between the Sibillini Mountains and the coast. We are both really looking forward to the food markets, outdoor cooking opportunities and the loads of cool eats we will be able to experience. We don't head until the 19th, but with the move and all of this 'foot' stuff 'stuffed' in between now and the 19th - it does feel as though it is creeping up quickly. We get the keys tomorrow night!!

Oh, the other neat thing we are trying to finish up is a wedding website for all of the out of towners...have played with a couple of platforms - still not sure......should be neat though.

Doing a HandStand with a Muffin in My Hand

I just haven't felt like adding much of anything to cyberspace lately. Not for lack of love for the blogging world. It has just been a case of Pickleitis. I am sure I have mentioned the pickles. K before K was constantly informing me that the reason for my stomach problems was my addiction to pickles. Although he was incredibly wrong, his nagging does highlight my tendency towards obsession - food, clothes, music. I was on a blogging high during the first half of the year, full of contribution, constantly cruising the likes of supremely dedicated bloggers like: Lori, Jennifer et al. But, as I once saw pickles being supplanted by black bean burritos, I also saw my blogging being supplanted with long sessions of book reading. I wonder how much has been an internal revolt to return to my love of tangible pages between my fingers and the guaranteed solace I find between the covers of someone elses work - blogging I find to be about as private as communal living.

But, whilst I wait for Mr. K to emerge from a H.S. meeting, I find myself wanting to share two things. First - I wanted to share with everyone the memories I associate with the mug in the above picture. It was a present from a really great pair of children who I had in my life for too short a time - a part of the K before K package of reality. K and S were two years apart, wildly different and full of love for their Aunti Lyndsay. I missed them with such an ache last week, I decided to swap my ever-dutiful yellow mug with this great little piece of Guelph, Ontario and carry with me memories of making "whatever you want" cookies/dog biscuits with these two little love nuggets.

The second thing I had to share were the muffins I made last night - a la "whatever you want" type recipes. K was apparently really drunk yesterday when he left me with the Spinach man (who I have the biggest crush on) to head off on his own to find bananas. What was pulled out of our market bag an hour later was a big, black, bruised mess of some fruit that used to be a hand of organic bananas. I needed to get on it fast. So, in addition to the fig and apple crumble I made for my Master of Floor Sweeping, I also whipped up some yummy muffins - which went down really well at our team meeting today. I then had two 11 year olds test them out - they met with full kid approval.

Yummy.

Super simple, used the basic recipe from Veganomicon for Banana-Wheat Germ Muffins and ended up with some goodies that included the likes of: 3 bananas, almond milk, walnuts, whole wheat flour, baking powder, agave syrup, dark chocolate, sunflower seeds.

I needed a little something sweet to follow up the stir fry I whipped up after my run tonight. I found inspiration in the expiry date on my package of soft tofu. It was now or never, and I wasn't one to let things go to waste. I grabbed myself the bushel of rhubarb in the bottom of the fridge and went to town. I ended up with a absolutely delicious, and looked super cute in my new blue cups. It gets even cooler - the recipe is sugar-free and free of any added fat (the tofu is bound to have a skinny bit of fat). Run out to the market and get yourself some rhubarb and don't forget the tofu. Go, go, go.


Months Before Race Day Rhubarb

Ingredients:
-1 bushel of rhubarb - cut into 1 inch bits
-1 pack of soft tofu
-1 tablespoon of vanilla + 1 tablespoon of vanilla
-juice of one orange (1/2 + 1/2)
-1 tablespoon of agave syrup
-1 handful of oats

How To:
I cut the rhubarb and threw it into the pot with some water and the juice from half the orange. I set it to stew for about 35 minutes. I added the tablespoon of vanilla about half way through the cooking time. In a medium glass bowl I whizzed up the tofu, orange juice, vanilla and agave. When the rhubarb was done I split it between the two glasses, added the whizzed up (and totally wonderful on its own) tofu cream and topped it off with a handful of oats. Oh my.

In other news, I am reading an excellent book: The Behaviour of Moths by Poppy Adams. Really well written text. The sentences are nicely stitched together.

Chocolate and Date No-Bake Balls

What makes more sense then making desert before making dinner? Nothing - except, maybe that chocolate tastes good even when you are full.

Work was great today, but the world got a whole lot more exciting when I got home and started playing around with some dates, raisins and a lot of vegan Belgian chocolate. My only regret is the banana - next time I will nix the banana and maybe try some coconut milk. Don't get me wrong - these balls are blissful (and totally satisfy my cookie cravings when my oven is 5 days away from its return home), I would just do something a little more exotic next time.

These are uber-easy and so tasty that you will skip dinner and just fuel up on these little nuggets of goodness.

Ingredients:

-20 dates (pitted)

-1/2 cup of sultana raisins

-1 cup of oats

-1/4 cup of cocoa

-1 banana

-1 1/2 walnuts

-1/2 cup of maple syrup

I guess having the chance to share some really exciting news with my family at a silly early hour this morning (they are six hours behind me) got me thinking about my mom, because I pulled out my hand me down Braun food processor in my afternoon ball adventure. With the Euro-adaptor this 15+ year old kitchen machine handle the voltage with no problem and was my accomplice throughout this yummy process. I also had a pretty handsome looking side kick who was right there rolling balls, pitting dates and experimenting with double broiling.

How To:

In a food processor crush the walnuts and pour them into a glass bowl. Add the dates, cocoa, raisins and banana to the processor and pulsh until you get a sticky mess. Add the walnuts, maple syrup and oats - this will give them a structure that allows you to roll these bad boys into tasty little balls of goodness.

I dumped the contents of the f.p. into a glass bowl and pulled out a golf ball size of 'batter' and rolled until I had a firm and well-rounded ball. K covered a plate with organic cocoa, which we then rolled the goodies through, covering them completely. We had a bit of inspiration at the last second and threw some chocolate into a do-it-yourself double broiler and rolled a couple of the balls in the liquid chocolate.

They were delicious and topped off a great dinner of tomato soup and steamed brocolli.

Really easy no-bake desert. I can imagine rolling them through coconut, crushed nuts, puffed millet etc.

And what did I have for dinner last night? Oh my.

I found some white Belgian asperagus at the market earlier in the morning and ended up making a great salad, (and some not so great artichokes). The salad was really just about the asperagus, but had notable guest appearances from balsamic mariantated red pepper and some simple grilled tofu steals. The lettuce was a beautiful red, again, from the market. Excellent and really satisfying - I feel summer and its salads, roasted veg (and my trip to Italy) right around the corner.

I am a few days away from a Thursday night with Jens Lekman, who is playing in the uber-intimate upstairs space at AB. I can't wait - vegan pancakes here I come.

With Jens Lekman on my horizon I am also about to add the Tindersticks to my roster of shows coming up in the near future (ohhhh how many more sleeps until tegan and sarah?). The Tindersticks are fantastically depressing, they churn up all the best dark and desperate feelings of love, hate and those moments of not finding the right soy ice cream. About a million years ago, City Sickness found its way onto a great little mixed C.D., way back in the days when mixed C.D.s were as common as a vegan restaurant in downtown Toronto. It was a great C.D. Complete with Nicco, Lou Reed, Joy Division, The Flaming Lips and This Mortal Coil. Gorgeous

Stuart Staples, the husky-voiced lead singer has a huge number of his own albums (which, to be honest, sound, musically, exactly like the larger ensemble). I am quite partial to Leaving Songs.

Hey VeganCowGirl, what did you have for dinner last night?

Last night was a dinner of fairly uninspiring stirfry sustenance. I was disappointed. I had put in a lot of effort, and the return was minimal. I think my heart was in the right place, and the tempeh was, again, super fantastic (I could easily see myself replacing tempeh with every ounce of Tofu I eat), and the aubergine cooked down quite well - but, the courgette were not to my liking and the flavour was a little bland (despite the black bean sauce, and last minute hot sauce).

In an attempt to reclaim the food follies of the early-evening, I dipped into my favourite treat last night: Dates on a Rice Cake. I know, I know - about as exciting as taking Grade 10 math for the third time. But, I swear, the crispy/sweetness combination is one made in vegan heaven - and the sticky fingers look great on the bedroom door frame the next morning. I have managed to ween myself from my U of T days, when I would, equipped with killer nut butter (only Paris has managed to pull me out of a nut-butter-stomach-ache spiral), and dates - I would work my way through a sleeve of No Name original rice cakes.

At 300 calories for the whole 12 Rice Cakes, I would rarely feel any guilt - but the iron stomach I would wake up with the next morning has been enough to deter me from over doing it with the Rice Cake Delights. And...of course, I have put Nut Butter (of all types) out of my reach - for good.

How to make the best Rice Cake Delight:

2 rice cakes
1 banana -sliced into coins
2 tablespoons of nut butter * unless you are me
8 dates

Spread the nut butter on the rice cakes, lovingly lay the banana coins around the crispy cake, add your dates (I usually press them down flat to avoid them popping off in the eating process).

Enjoy!!!

My Monastic Rice Pudding Party

While penning (or keying rather) this post I am enjoying the second podcast in the Medieval Studies Series - which is researched, written and read by some fellow who has the most excellent medieval-my-real-name-is-Beuwolf kind of voice. It is excellent. A great friend to the delightful desert I managed to portage all the way home from the Carrot Common.

The Carrot Common, which use to be known more simply as "The Big Carrot" has gone (in my opinion) from being a homey, authentic-like healthy/organic/Earth-minded shop to a scrubby version of Whole Foods. Gone are the dreadlocks, gone are the millet crusted cookies, and welcomed are the gentrified yuppie-puppies who are scanning through my bulk raisins wearing their LL Bean Hemp shirt with their eyes plastered with a fake smile that shines through their 240 dollar Alfred Sung specs. I know this is a cynical review. I know. I am just finding myself frustrated with the commercialization of a lifestyle that I think is important and essential to the world we are destroying. Organic, wellness, health, yoga, digestive enzymes - all of these things have become buzz words that sit next to latte, apple, lulu lemon and Volkswagen. Being well, being vegan, 'going' organic has all become precious and elevated. I want the healthiest and most organic to be available to everyone or none. Damn it.

Health and wellness should not be a pop label. Rather, more like a Gregorian chat - deep and pervasive and lasting and, in a most monastic way, available to the lay, to the most indigent to the most feeble.

Let's get on this.

After my rant:
Let me say that the Carrot's own brand of vegan rice pudding is quite good. Although, personally, I would have gone without the maple syrup and apple juice. I might just have to try this weekend and see what I can whip up for myself.

Yummmmmm