Happy Birthday to Wee G

Yesterday was Wee G’s birthday and to celebrate we had Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World (where else?!). Why have only one birthday cake when you can have twelve?! These are orangey cupcakes with an orangey pudding centre and orangey butter cream frosting. So, they are quite orangey... They are super sweet, but very , very nice...and also a little addictive... I think I will need to lock up this book soon or Wee G and I will be enormous! I made them with the help of my super sophisticated and professional piping bag that I got in Target for a buck. It actually does the job pretty well. Any wonkiness in the icing department is due to me rather than the equipment. And who knew what fun it is to make holes in cakes and squish them full of pudding till they burst? Well, that’s what happened to the first one (I have tried to cunningly hide it up the back of the photo). For the birthday dinner we had “chicken” and mushroom pie with roast potatoes, pizza green beans (Sautéed Green Beans with Mushrooms from Vegan With A Vengeance) and baby carrots and peas, all as requested by the birthday boy himself. Obviously the “chicken” and mushroom pie does not have real chicken, I used Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Chik'n Strips, and it’s not technically a pie, but it does have real mushrooms!! And it’s really easy to make! Here's the recipe:

“Chicken” and Mushroom Pie Recipe (serves 2)

½ pack Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Chik’n Strips
½ - ¾ sheet puff pastry (defrosted)
1 cup soy milk
1 tbsp flour
1 cup mushrooms
1 tbsp oil
1 large garlic clove, crushed
Pinch mixed herbs
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400F (200c).
Whisk flour in to soy milk and set aside.
Cut puff pastry sheet in half and roll out to desired shapes. Usually I just roll out to rectangles, but this time I cut it in to heart shapes. You can use a sharp knife to mark designs on pastry if you wish. Place puff pastry on a lightly oiled tray and bake in oven for around 15 minutes until lightly golden brown.
Meanwhile heat half of the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and cook mushrooms until soft (about 5 minutes). Set aside.
Heat remaining oil in a large pan over a medium heat and fry Chik’n Strips until browned (about 5 minutes). Add mushrooms, flour/soy milk mixture, salt pepper and herbs. Turn heat up slightly and simmer, stirring frequently for a couple of minutes until thickened.