Wednesday Food Blogging

Hannah Banana, Betty, and me

A week ago I got lucky: I won a contest on Facebook for a vegan pamper hamper given away by Hannah Banana Bakery. The contest was to get HBB's Facebook page to 4000 "likes", which is quite an accomplishment. 

The first installment of my prize came the other day. It's the cookbook Betty Goes Vegan, a vegan take on the famous Betty Crocker cookbook. (There's a link to buy it on the sidebar, fyi.) This is not your mother's Betty Crocker cookbook. And yes, my mother actually had the Betty Crocker cookbook. That and a church cookbook were the only cookbooks she owned, and I made every dish that sounded good from both of them (I cooked a lot when I was young, since my mom had no interest in cooking more than mashed potatoes and roast.) 

Anyway, I was in the mood for cookies and these toffee bars sounded yummy. And easy. I threw them together in about five minutes, but it took them a lot longer to bake (30 minutes) and to cool. The chocolate layer consisted of Ghirardelli chocolate chips (they're vegan!), scattered over the hot toffee layer. They melt pretty fast, but then they have to firm up. We put them in the cold room (our living room, in the winter, stays about the same temperature as the fridge) and it still took about an hour. 

The result was yummy! I can't wait to try other recipes from this really huge, comprehensive book. And I haven't even received the rest of my hamper yet! I asked if it could come in time for my birthday on April 13, so my husband wouldn't have to bake a vegan birthday cake for me (as he always does—isn't that sweet?). 

I'll post here when the rest of the goodies arrive. 

Oh, and I have a few more recipes to share here too. I'm in a cooking mood lately. (I cook when I procrastinate, and I'm in the dreaded middle of another novel, so anything to avoid the blank page.) 

Garden of Eden Ratatouille...and news

Roasted Ratatouille from the garden

When I'm not blogging here or at What Do I Know?, I'm writing fiction as Kathryn Barrett. Recently my first novel, Temptation, was released. It's about a Hollywood actress who moves to Pennsylvania to film a movie set in Amish country. Laura quickly becomes enamored of the simple life, the unexpected calm she finds there in the farming community. And when her handsome neighbor suggests she take up gardening, she embraces the idea with passion.

And just like in the Garden of Eden, all is not well...there's a lot of temptation there amongst the lettuce, and even a snake. And a cute kitten. 

By the time the film is completed in the fall, Laura's garden is full of organic goodness: a bounty she shares with her new friends at a barnraising. 

Throughout the summer Laura experiments with recipes from her garden. She makes pesto with the sensuous basil, ratatouille from the luscious eggplant, loaves of bread with the zucchini-that-won't-quit.

Here's her recipe for Garden of Eden Roasted Ratatouille.

It's really a delicious way to use up garden produce, or the bag of produce on sale at the supermarket. Don't be tempted (!) to skip on the long roasting time; it's the long spell in the oven that really dispels the sweetness and flavor in those cherry tomatoes. By the time it's done your house will smell like an herb garden in summer, and you'll be ready to plant your own vegetable garden. 

It's easy to adapt, too, to larger portions: I'd suggest using two separate roasting pans or dishes if you're using more than the ingredients called for, to avoid having to stir them around too often. (I used a 13 x 9 inch Pyrex dish; you could also use a baking sheet covered with foil.) 

Happy eating, and if you want to read more about Temptation, check out my author website or download it from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Kobo.