Sure, the snow was pretty…the first time. It was even quite magical during the second record-breaking storm of the season. But when a third storm — a blizzard no less — let loose in our area, I was no longer enchanted. I mean, Virginia isn't supposed to have weather like that!

Well, the good news is that at long last, the snow and ice are finally melting, although not without first bringing our rain gutters down with them.

The only comfort has been to keep on cooking, mostly making hearty soups, bread, and desserts. Anything that spells c-o-m-f-o-r-t. Here are a couple examples -- some quick herb bread and vegetable soup followed by a stack of peanut butter cookies. Can Spring be far behind?




Today the wind is howling. I think I’ll make a pizza..

I wanted to make an apple cake that was a bit fancier than my usual go-to cake which is a basic tea cake that I serve either with a light glaze or just dusted with a little confectioners’ sugar. This time, though, I wanted to dress it up with frosting. Along the way, whether by necessity or inspiration, I made some tweaks to the recipe and I really like the way it turned out.

I began with the basic recipe for Apple Lover’s Cake in 1000 Vegan Recipes. When I’ve made this cake before, I noticed that if I use a small apple, I need to add a little extra liquid to make up the volume of moist ingredients. This time I decided to shred the apple in the food processor to catch every drop of juice. Since I was already using the food processor to shred the apple, I decided to mix the cake batter in the food processor as well. I didn’t have any dried apple in the house (an ingredient in the original recipe), so I added extra applesauce and a bit of apple juice instead. I used light brown sugar because that’s what I had in the house and included some cinnamon for extra flavor.

For a frosting, I combined tofu cream cheese, melted vegan butterscotch chips, and some confectioners’ sugar. After frosting the cake, I decorated the sides with some toasted sliced almonds. The recipe is below. I think this cake would also be good with a peanut butter frosting or a plain vegan cream cheese frosting.

If you want to make something fun for a Valentine’s Day dinner but are short on time, try these: a simple appetizer and an easy dessert for a festive start and finish to your special meal.

The appetizer is Tapenade Pastry Hearts. Simply thaw a sheet of vegan puff pastry and use a small heart-shaped cookie cutter to make little pastry hearts. I made two sizes for both one- and two-bite appetizers. For the larger ones, I pressed the smaller cutter partially into the dough of the larger hearts so that a “lid” would form when baked.

Just arrange the pastry on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes, then carefully remove the smaller heart-lids from the larger hearts. For the tiny hearts, just carefully slice off the top layer of pastry and set aside. Carefully fill each pastry heart with a small spoonful of a red tapenade (made with tomatoes, red bell peppers, green olives, and capers). If you don’t have time to make homemade tapenade, you can use a store-bought variety. Arrange on a platter and pop the champagne!

For an easy dessert, try this simple ice cream cake with strawberries. Finely grind vegan chocolate cookies and mix with some melted Earth Balance. Press into a small springform pan that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Soften your favorite flavor of vegan ice cream and spread it evenly on top of the cookie crust. Cover with plastic wrap and refreeze for a few hours or overnight.