Thursday, October 28, 2010

The Muenster at the End of This Blog

Wow.  I can't even begin to tell you how unfortunate the last 18 hours have been.  So, I'm trying to get some MoFo stuff taken care of before it starts.  That way I don't have to rush to do everything the day of.  So last night I was baking a cake for a friend's birthday.  Before I even began, my oven started smoking because something had spilled and was burning at the bottom.  I'm still convinced Era might have done it because I don't remember spilling anything.  Haha.

The first attempt at baking, I put the cakes in the oven and realized I had forgotten the sugar.  So I threw everything out.  Then I went to put the cakes in and one of my mini tester pans FLEW out of my hands and landed upside down in the oven.  So I finally made, frosted and decorated the cake.  Then I realized I misread the recipe and used baking powder instead of baking soda.  Good news is that I couldn't tell when I ate the tester.  I hope it's the same for the big one.  Then, and this is truly priceless, I ran out of sugar just when I was about to bake all the gingerbread and cakes for my haunted gingerbread!

I need a nap...or three.  I don't think I've been sleeping enough and it's all catching up to me right now.  Some good did come out of this craziness, though.  Last night I had a hankering for a sammich.  Only problem is that all I had was my 99 cent Yves turkey slices.  No bread, no cheese, no problem!  I baked the Beer Bread from 500 Vegan Recipes and made the Muenster Cheese from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook.  I am thoroughly in love with so many of the recipes in that book.  Plus the block cheezes are really easy to personalize.  I even forgot to add the tahini (yet another indication I should stay out of the kitchen) and it still tastes great.
muenster, beer bread, more muenster, sandwich

Instead of using regular paprika, I went for smoked which only added to the awesome.  If I take a long enough nap today, I think I'm going to make two more block cheezes just because.

Earlier this week, I went through and wrote down my calendar for MoFo.  Most of the days are filled out.  Here are some hints on what I'm doing for the first week:

Monday-All about Halloween.
Tuesday-Video about my favorite hangover cure.
Wednesday-I'm making something for the first time and it's gonna be crunchy.
Thursday-Shopping for bargains.
Friday-Dinner and a movie!  Seriously excited about this one.
Saturday-Taking a little trip to Belgium.
Sunday-Making snacks.

So excited!  I can't believe everything goes down on Monday!  Well, I have a ton of blogs to catch up with and need to take a nap or two.  Hope everybody has a great weekend!

29 comments:

Andrea said...

I've had baking days like that. I'm glad yours ended well.

That cheese looks exactly like muenster in the photo. I better go get out my copy of Ultimate Uncheese and check that out.

Looking forward to your mofo — it's bound to be great with all that organization.

Amandah said...

Whoa. There's an "Uncheese book"????

Holy crap!! Also, you have me realizing that I am super unprepared for MOFO! I'm going to plan this weekend!! Thanks for the inspiration:):)

Erin said...

Looking forward to your MoFo posts! I must have passed over that Meunster recipe a bunch of times, but it looks awesome. Oh, and There's a Monster at the End of This Book totally terrified me as a small child, every time I read it, even though I knew what happened at the end :)

Anonymous said...

Wow, what a day with the cakes! And you still managed to make bread and cheese after that. I'd have called it a night.

I really. Really. Need a copy of the Uncheese Cookbook. That's been on my to-get list for a long time now.

Can't wait till Monday!

Amanda J said...

I'm not as prepared for MoFo as I'd like to be, but my intentions were good. I've been writing down ideas, making a list, checking it twice... but that's as far as I've gotten. Despite those little mishaps, I think you're doing just fine!

Making my own vegan cheese is on my 101 things in 1001 days list.

Woo! Just a few more days to go!

Leigh said...

Man, I had one of those baking days recently, too. Attempted to make some cookies I've made a million times before, and the first batch I tossed because I forgot the 1/3 cup of oil and the second I forgot the baking powder. Brain fart!

Lauren said...

I want some of that cheese.

kmouse said...

That sandwich looks amazing. That cheeze! I must make that soon.

I'm sorry about your cake incident. THat sucks. :(

Anonymous said...

Aw... sounds like a rough day. But any day that ultimately ends with cake is a good one! You are a wonderful friend to persevere!

two vegan boys said...

Your food always looks so good. I love the 'uncheese' cookbook. Now I am going to have to make that cheese. :) Happy Halloween!

Monique a.k.a. Mo said...

Amandah-Yes! Get thee to a library or bookstore! There are some wonderful block cheezes and the white bean boursin is the absolute best. Plus fondues. It really is a great book and very, very adaptable to suit your tastes.

Jen Treehugger said...

Hope you managed to catch up on your sleep - that cheese looks AMAZING!
YAY MoFo!!

tiffannysketchbook said...

i just found your blog! Awesome! As a vegan myself I am so thrilled to try your recipes!

era said...

I didn't spill a damn thing, son.

Monique a.k.a. Mo said...

Era-Bahahahaha. Well, played.

KitteeBee said...

oh man, i am going to be blogging from the seat of my pants all month, all of you prepared vegeeks are amazing.

xo
kittee

vegan.in.brighton said...

I've totally had baking days like that, I halved a recipe last week but still added the usually amount of baking soda - they tasted hideous!

That uncheese looks great, I haven't made any of the block uncheeses yet, I always just make the crock cheese.

I look forward to reading your MoFoing!

Zoa said...

Your muenster looked so good that five minutes after reading this post I was down in the kitchen making some of my own...even though I'm going to be pretty much eating Asian for November. Which actually got me thinking that most of these vegan cheeses contain ingredients that in fact *are* mostly Asian. White bean boursin, eh? That's one I've never tried.

VeganKitchenDiaries said...

You are too organised! I am SO unprepared for my first mofo. Have got almost nothing lined up... will be a lot of ad hoc posts!
-canuck in scotland, aka the vegan kitchen diariest

Jenn said...

I am searching for my uncheese cookbook NOW! I usually make the saucy ones, so I need to give the block a shot. Thanks!

Seglare said...

I just found your blog (through your comment on Sara's blog) - so glad I did! I also see that many of my favorite bloggers are your readers, so I must have come to the right place. ;-)

The cheese looks beautiful. I have heard so much about the uncheese cookbook, but have yet to check it out myself.

River said...

Oy! Poor Mo! *hugs*

Those kitchen disasters have been very common around the wing-it kitchen lately. Must be something in the air.

Your MoFo schedule looks like it's going to be lots of fun! YAY! It's almost MoFo time!!

Anonymous said...

I am thoroughly impressed that you tried, tried, and tried again! At least you got your [amazing looking] sandwich in the end...!

x said...

Kitchen disasters are the WORST! Especially when they happen one after the other like that.

But you did an awesome job on the bread and cheese, YUM!

Anonymous said...

Oh wow, that (un)cheese looks sooo good. I just learned about that book a couple of days ago, and now I really want it! :D
Happy MoFo! I'm sooo looking forward to everyone's posts and recipes!

Anonymous said...

Oh. My. Cheesy. God. I used to love muenster as a kid, and this looks so spot on, I can hardly stand it! Okay, time to get this book, once and for all!

Unknown said...

so stoked to get a mega dose of my favorite bloggers, hooray for all mofos out there!

Unknown said...

Yay! Lookinf forward to your Halloween post ^_^

Anonymous said...

Gasp! I have not heard of the "Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook!" This makes my day and MIGHT improve my pizza :) http://birdandbelle.wordpress.com/2010/11/02/pizza-attempt-no-4/