T'anta Wawas*

this is the bread baking portion of the T'anta Wawas baking project i've been working on for snippets. like i mentioned before T'anta Wawas are an Andean traditional Day of the Dead bread. they are left as offerings to the dead in cemeteries and enjoyed by living participants during the Dia de los Muertos celebrations. T'anta Wawas are special breads baked into the shapes of children or pets. They are similar to the Pan de Muerto traditions of Mexico. the bread are often baked with plaster face masks very similar to babydoll faces. i was very interested in trying to make my own T'anta Wawas. i mean how could i resist, it's craft + baking all rolled up into one delicious project. here are a few visual examples of traditional T'anta Wawas of Peru.

i made my own face masks from a flour based clay days before starting the bread portion of this project. you may find my tutorial here. now this was my first try at yeast bread baking. to my surprise it was quite simple. i've always avoided recipes that called for yeast, fear of the unknown i suppose. i basically followed this recipe for Pan de Muerto, but doubled the portions. i also added one tablespoon of vanilla to the milk mixture + a generous amount of cinnamon to the flour mixture. instead of forming the dough into traditional cross-bone loaves, i made simplistic baby forms. below are a few sketches i made from traditional examples i found online.

since this was my first attempt at yeast bread baking i found a few helpful tips online as well. this tutorial from chanit in israel was a big help. it's not for Tanta Wawas, but it gives good visual examples of creative bread shaping. this post on "the fundamentals of making yeast bread" was also a huge help. i should have taken photos of my bread baby making endeavors, i just got to involved. basically i just made it up as i went along. one helpful tip i found was, to divide your dough with a sharp knife or dough cutter, instead of trying to pull it apart. also, be sure to prick the dough with a fork in thick areas.

i brushed an egg wash on the finished bread babies + sprinkled them with a cinnamon/sugar mixture as well as colored sugar crystals. i'm really pleased with the results. they taste pretty good, too. i will definitely be making more of these in the future.

be sure to keep a look out for the Day of the Dead issue of snippets. you may find more of my T'anta Wawas photos here.

baby shapes sketches

finished T'anta Wawas

babyface*

i've been working on a baking/craft project for snippets online craft magazine. they are working on a Day of the Dead issue that is soon to be released. i decided to make T'anta Wawas or bread babies. T'antas Wawas are an Andean day of the dead baking tradition. it's quite similar to Pan de Muerto, but formed in the shape of children. many of these breads have plaster masks baked into them. for the masks i used a flour based baking clay recipe. click on this link and follow baking clay #2 recipe. this is a completely non-toxic clay recipe, that's why i chose it. you could prolly eat them if you wanted, but i don't think they would taste very good. i meant these masks to be purely decorative. below i will show step by step examples of my mask making process.

follow recipe instructions. when all ingredients have been combined you should have a nice clay base to work with. if your clay is too tacky to work with, add more flour.

take small bits of aluminum foil and form into balls. smash one side flat against the counter.

take a small bit of clay and roll into a ball. press it flat between your fingers to form a flat circle.

take your circle of clay and place it centered over the rounded side of your aluminum foil.

form into a face + add hair or headdress.

be sure to prick holes in the back of thick areas. this will keep your clay form exploding in the oven. a fork works nicely.

place your babyface masks on a foil lined baking sheet.

bake your masks for 30 minutes instead of a full hour. the masks will finish baking with your bread for the remaining 35 minutes.

once they have cooled down, paint details with food coloring. i also used water based inks for those hard to mix colors.

there you have it, babyface masks ready for the bread baking part of your T'anta Wawas.

DY-NO-MITE!!!*

i've been bogged down with house work recently, but i wanted to post something fun + crafty. this is a cake project i did over a year ago + never got around to posting. if you can't tell, it's a time bomb birthday cake.
i LOVE birthdays!!! i especially love making birthday cakes for people. which reminds me one of my nephews if about to have a birthday, oh yeah he doesn't like cake anymore. crazy kid. so much for that idea. i guess there's always ice cream cake, though.

anyways, this is a super fun baking project + pretty simple as far as cake sculpting goes. the finished cake shape doesn't deviate much from it's original shape. i did my best to give step by step instructions for anyone who might like to make a time bomb birthday cake, of their very own.....and, if you should take up the challenge, please send me pictures.

step one:
bake two 13x9 cakes, i’m pretty sure i used two basic yellow cake mixes. once there out the oven, chill on a rack till the cakes are cool enough to remove from their respective pans. now, sandwich the cakes together with frosting + place in the fridge for a few hours. the cake is easier to carve + shape when it has been chilled.

step two:
remove cake from fridge + carve out the dynamite sticks. i’m not sure how to instruct this part, cause i just made it up as i went along. it’s nice if you have a few dynamite images around to refer to. also be sure to use a serrated knife. it helps to have a long knife for lengthwise cuts and a smaller knife for carving the rounded ends.

step three:
now, frost the cake with the first layer of frosting. this is sometimes called the crumb layer, for obvious reasons. since the cake has been cut + altered you will have tons of crumbs migrating throughout your frosting. it’s unavoidable + quite unsightly, so a second layer will be added later for presentation. i decided with this cake to make the crumb layer chocolate + the outer layer cream cheese. the darkness of the chocolate frosting underneath the red exterior frosting will help add dimension to sculpted areas...but if you strive for simplicity, feel free to make both layers the same.

step four:
when the entire cake is frosted, place it in the fridge again for at least 30 minutes. the frosting becomes hard when chilled, making it easier to add more frosting on top.

step five:
while the cake with crumb layer is in the fridge, start mixing up the decorative exterior frosting colors.

according to most movies + bugs bunny cartoons, dynamite is typically a nice red or terracotta color. when mixing colors it’s best to start with a white frosting. i’m pretty particular when it comes to mixing colors, weather it’s printing ink, paint or frosting. so, i can assure you i will spend more than 30 minutes mixing colors. that’s cool though, cause the longer that cake sits in the fridge the better. i typically use store bought frosting for something like this. add a little confectioners sugar to stiffen the consistency if needed. your frosting should spread easily, but hold it’s shape.

**it takes TONS of red food coloring to make white frosting RED. i highly recommend using gel food coloring as opposed to liquid. the pigment is more concentrated and you won’t have to use and an entire bottle of food coloring on one bowl of frosting. since this has to cover the entire cake, be sure to mix up a generous amount.

i have two accent colors to mix as well: yellow + black. the yellow is for the DYNAMITE + TNT labels. the black is for the digital timepiece.

step six:
this was a 24^th birthday party with a 24 [as in kiefer sutherland] theme, so i went digital with the timepiece. i have to say that a nice bubble face clock the likes of flavor flav would have been awesome though. in this case two rye crackers will be transformed into a digital clock. you may use graham crackers if you wish. i know rye with frosting doesn't sound very appetizing, i just used what i had on hand.

sandwich a generous amount of black frosting between the crackers. cover the top and edges with black frosting well. now pipe on the digits with a little red frosting using a decorator tip. place the finished timepiece in the freezer.

step seven:
take frosted cake out of fridge + begin applying the second layer of frosting. like i said before, the chocolate frosting underneath actually helps add a little dimension to your cake sculpture. use that to your advantage. avoid frosting recessed areas with your red exterior frosting. keep these areas dark with chocolate frosting.

step eight:
finish frosting cake in red colored frosting, making sure to retain the "dynamite" look. frosting is a lot like spackle, if you have gaps or need to re-sculpt an area, just keep adding frosting till it looks right. add a few decorative elements as well, like piping caps on the end of each "stick" and writing DYNAMITE and TNT in yellow along the sides.

step nine:
black licorice whips make for great time bomb wires. insert a whip or two into the end of each "stick of dynamite" then pull the loose ends together in a bunch + place on top of the cake. this is where your timepiece will be placed, so consider your placement.

step ten:
now place a big blob of frosting on the top of the cake where the wire/whips converge. strategically place the cracker/timepiece on top.

step eleven:
defuse the bomb + let them eat cake.

animal apple pie*

twin peaks sunday means coffee & pie. i decided to make a whole wheat crust from scratch. i've always been a big cake baker, but for some reason, i just haven''t made many pies. so this was quite the adventure. i woke up sunday morning thinking about this apple pie and then bam!!! brilliant idea!!! handmade crust + animal cookie cutters = animal apple pie!!!

here's a few tips on how to make your own animal apple pie:

whole wheat pie crust (recipe from laurel's kitchen)

1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour or combination of
whole wheat and whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 c. wheat germ (i used ground flax seeds instead)
10 tbs. butter
1 tsp. salt
4-6 tbs. cold water

i doubled this recipe to make a enough for top & bottom crusts

stir together all dry ingredients. cut the butter in using a pastry cutter. when the dough looks all crumbly, sprinkle with water. using your hands work the water into the dough until it will hold together and form a ball. work quickly, but gently. i think it also helps to use a wide mouth bowl, not a tall deep bowl like i was using. wrap dough ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour. be sure to remove from the fridge an hour before using.

preheat oven to 400 degrees F

split your dough in half. flour your rolling surface lightly. press one half of your dough into thick round slab with hands, then flatten with rolling pin. occasionally add a bit of flour to you pin or the dough to prevent sticking. i try to start from the center and roll out towards the edges. once you dough is of even thickness and marginally larger than your pie plate, roll gently around your rolling pin. now slowly unfurl the crust over your pie plate. press into place and remove any air pockets. remove or fold over any excess crust around the edges. make the outer rim extra thick to prevent burning. using a fork prick holes along the sides and bottom. i used a 10 inch pie plate.

now bake pie crust for 10-12 minutes and let cool. in the mean time, roll out the second half of your dough mixture. now it's cookie cutter time!!! go crazy and make as many animal cutouts as possible, utilizing all your dough. place your animal crust cutouts on a flat surface or plate and prick each with a fork. if i had more time i would have made some decorative markings on each animal as well. ya know, draw a few eyes and such to better define each critter. oh well, maybe next time. set cutouts aside.

while your crust cools off, mix up the filling. fruit pies are always awesome, and for the most part, simple. here's a quick way to whip up some very tasty apple pie filling.

5 tart apples
juice of one lime
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1-2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. allspice
couple dashes of ground cloves
pinch of salt
1 tb. butter
1 egg

slice apples thinly. squeeze the juice of one lime over apple slices and cover well. now mix together sugars, spices and salt.
* you may substitute sugars for 1/2 c. agave nectar & 1/2 c. brown rice syrup*

fill pie shell with half you apple mixture. sprinkle half your sugar & spice mixture on top. top with last of the apples and top that with the last of the sugar. randomly place small pats of butter on top of that. on top of it all goes the animal crust cutouts. i placed them as close together as possible with no overlapping. i don't think it much matters, just be creative. once every animal is in place, cover with an egg wash. simply scramble one egg and brush over entire crust, including the rim. lightly sprinkle with white sugar.

bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes at 400 degrees F

let cool and enjoy!!!

i always heard about how difficult it was to make your own crust. this crust was super easy to make, and i will definitely be making more pies in the future. as a side note, laurel's kitchen is a must have book for vegetarians. it's filled with recipes, research, meal plans, and loads of helpful information. the version i have is from 1976. it's one of my best garage sale finds ever. it's just a great cookbook to have around.

start the day with oatmeal*

i love oatmeal!!!!!!!!!!!!

here's a quick, easy, and not to mention tasty, way to fix whole grain oatmeal. optimum nutrition = whole grains. when you eat grains that have been processed and broken down, you miss out on all the nutrition they have to offer. so called "instant" oatmeals you find in the store are NOT whole grains. making whole grain oatmeal usually requires a big commitment. a commitment to stand and constantly stir over a boiling pot for at least 10 minutes. now i love to cook, but in the morning i need something i can fix in a hurry. i'm not sure how i came up with this recipe, but it's quite awesome, if i do say so myself.

this is what you need:

1/2 cup whole grain oatmeal
boiling water
100% apple juice
cinnamon
ground flax seeds
soy milk
raisins

place dry oatmeal in a bowl. pour a small amount of boiling water over the grains. do not cover oats entirely just enough to make a small pool of liquid in the bottom. let the oats absorb the water. here's you chance to multitask and take a few minutes to tend to other things. when all the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes later, sprinkle with a generous amount of cinnamon. add a bit of apple juice, just enough to make it slightly soupy. if you like raisins add them now as well. nuke it in the microwave for a minute or two on high. the apple juice should be fully reduced. now add a handful of ground flax seeds and stir well. lastly add a bit of soy milk for creaminess. top with crushed walnuts or pecans for added crunch and protein. enjoy!!!