red surprise

The pea plant has this red thing!

Soon later, these red things opened...!!!

When you buy some green onions from supermarket, they usually have their roots growing. My friend told me to plant the bottom part, like the part you usually toss if you do not have a compost. It works! They are growing, well, slowly. I'm hoping that I do not have to buy any more green onions during the summer!

Vegan Rosemary Cupcake

The cake came out somewhat dense, not very fluffy :(
The cake usually reaches to the edge of the paper and rise over, but it didn't :(
I might have mixed the dough too long since the lumps didn't seem disappearing. It was my mistake. It's been a while and I could easily forget how small details should be adjusted.

Nonetheless, the flavor is very settle and pleasing.

(After learning that I could grow baby rosemary by just planting its branches into soil, I cut off three branches (about 20 cm) and took off the bottom leaves, leaving about 1/3. The branches are still in water since yesterday, I have to get a proper pot. )

I added about 1Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary and lemon zest into the basic vanilla recipe. The rosemary leaves could be added more, maybe. I didn't use any lemon juice, but could be used as well.

growing high

The thundershower this afternoon was like the one we see in tropical islands. It showered at 45 degrees really hard for about 20 minutes, gradually slowed down, then soon after the sun appeared again. It's been very hot so it was a nice surprise, well, for me at least. I was luckily being at home and watched people running hard toward the gazebo in park across from my apartment. It seemed very crowded there.

The pea is growing very fast. It is growing at least 10 cm everyday.
The tomato plant has two tomatoes coming up, finally.

The herbs seem to be doing fine.
The seeds I got from my friend; the mix salad is coming up, though I am not sure what exactly they are, they are looking very fragile. It will take some time till I get to eat them. The weeds are growing with them too.
The radish is growing quick, but it looks too crowded and so I'm worried that there's not enough space for them to grow big.
The other herbs; only a few seeds actually sprouted.

Vegan Vanilla Almond Cupcake

The mint plant in my small balcony garden is growing crazy! Why don't I use some for decoration?
It's been a bit cool these days and the temperature yesterday was very low, for the season. I thought of baking something with an interesting flavor, but then I was too tired from my day job to think of anything exciting. So yes, vanilla! It is always safe to be basic.
I used the slightly larger cupcake recipe. This is now my basic recipe to follow, as it gives me the 12 perfect cakes. The cake volume came out beautifully. I baked for 21 minutes at 350 F, the color looks good this time. While in the oven, they rose like mountain but then came down, the surface is somewhat flat when cooled. The 1/3 cup of 1 + 2/3 cup flour is almond flour. The sugar I added is 1/3 cup. The cake itself (without the frosting) is not really sweet.

I used the electric hand mixer for the first time to whip the frosting, worked well without having a tired arm.

The texture is very fluffy and moist!

St-Viateur Street Festival Cupcake

They are probably not vegan. The girls had them on big plates walking in the crowed at St-Viateur street festival. $2 each.
Mine was with the blackberry, chocolate with coconut frosting. The cake texture was rather hard and dry, but I enjoyed it anyway.