Two sets… first, take a look at these tomatoes from my Dad’s garden! It doesn’t get any better than this.

We had a playdate at the park today and Emma and I decided to take along some “cupcapes” to share with our friends. For the big “kids,” we made chocolate cupcakes with mocha kahlua buttercream. These were garnished with some super dark (vegan) chocolate with coffee in it. I ended up making two batches of the cupcakes because I first tried the Basic Chocolate Cupcake recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. It did not go well (probably something I did wrong), so I had to rely on my old friend The Joy of Vegan Baking. The chocolate cake recipe from there is great (delicious and super simple) and I will probably never deviate from it again. The mocha kahlua buttercream was a twist on the Chocolate Buttercream recipe from VCTOTW. Instead of using rice or soy milk to thin it out, I used very strong coffee and a little kahlua. Yum!

For the kiddos, I made some ice cream cone cupcakes– the same cake batter, but baked in a cone instead of a cup. Frosted with a simple chocolate buttercream (from VCTOTW) and topped with some sprinkles, they were a big hit! (Be sure to wrap the cone in foil before baking to avoid burning).

I’ve made these cookies a few times and my parents are big fans, so I decided to make up a batch for them to take home after their visit for Emma’s birthday party. These cookies are the best– so much better than any other cookie I’ve ever made before– vegan or not. The best part is that the recipe only makes about 12 cookies, so you don’t have to worry about over indulging when you want a sweet treat to nibble on. They also freeze extremely well.

Sunday was Emma’s 2nd birthday, so I decided to make a meal of some of her favorite foods. We had corn on the cob, steamed artichokes, tofu triangles and an orzo salad. Aside from the orzo salad (which I made more for Matt and I), these truly are her favorite foods to eat. We ate the entire meal wearing our Elmo party hats and had some vegan cupcakes for dessert. It was a fun meal!

Orzo Salad

1 cup orzo pasta

1/2 cup roasted red peppers, chopped

1/2 cup kalamata olives, chopped

1/2 cup artichoke heats, chopped

1/4 fresh basil, chopped

juice of 1 lemon (a couple of tablespoons)

1/4 cup olive oil

S&P to taste

Cook the orzo per package directions. While the pasta is cooking, chop the red peppers, olives, artichoke heats and basil and put them in a large bowl. In another small bowl, mix together your dressing (the lemon juice, olive oil and S&P). When the pasta is done cooking, strain it and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Spread out on a cookie sheet and allow it to cool. When it has cooled, add the pasta to the bowl of veggies and mix. Toss with the dressing and refrigerate for at least an hour. The pasta will absorb the dressing as it sits, so don’t worry if it looks like there is too much dressing initially. This recipe is so good, and only gets better the longer it sits.

For dessert, I decided to make vegan chocolate cupcakes from Joy of Vegan Baking. I’ve made these cupcakes a few times before and they never disappoint. I think they are better than regular cupcakes, to be honest. I normally make the chocolate frosting to go on top, but decided to leave out the cocoa this time. I added in an extra 1/2 tsp of vanilla for a yummy vanilla frosting. I topped each with a raspberry (organic, of course). I’m a sucker for baked goods and to save myself from myself, I only frosted four cupcakes. I put the rest in the freezer along with the extra frosting, which I’ve never tried to freeze before and I’m not entirely sure it’s freeze-able. It’s worth a shot- the cakes should be fine, I’ll probably just have to whip up a new batch of frosting.