So if you’re not a fan of SNL, you may not have heard of Lonely Island, yet…But then again, if you spend much time on YouTube you may have seen some of their other videos.
Lonely Island is a comedy group, headed by Andy Samberg, and two of the writers from SNL: Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone.
They’ve just put out their second album Turtleneck & Chain, and it’s got some great tracks on it…this is one of my favourites.
***Disclaimer: yeah, there’s some bad language…so young ears be warned! ***
What if I told you that you could have cupcakes that were ridiculously tasty, easy and really not that bad for you?
I have a feeling your answer would start with “Bull – ” and end with an expletive. But believe it! I stumbled across this recipe a few days ago and it is absolutely fantastic. It’s everything a good cupcake should be, nice moist texture, sweet, and covered with a big gob of icing. The best part about this recipe, for me anyway, was that since the icing is put on before the cupcake is baked it gets this nice fudgey consistency.
I served these at dinner the other night, and had some friends over, the guys didn’t believe me that these were low-fat…and vegan. They really didn’t believe me!
A Word on Vegan Baking:
Vegan baking often throws people off. People think it’s going to be bland, dry, and complicated. But if you’ve got a good recipe you’re gold! Vegan baking doesn’t have to be any more complicated than regular baking! If you’re going to make these cupcakes (and I can’t stress this part enough) do not skip the flax seeds. Do not skip grinding them up and mixing them with water to add to the mixture. Ground flax seeds in water are your egg substitute. You really cannot skip this part, otherwise your cupcakes will not hold together.
A Word on Substitutions: If you have a soy intolerance, you can easily sub out regular milk. You can also replace the flax and water mixture with 2 eggs. I haven’t tried replacing the soymilk with almond or rice milks yet…If you do, let me know!
Peanut Butter Cupcakes:
2/3 cup plain soymilk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons flax seeds
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting:
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
2/3 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 cup plain soymilk
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and line one dozen muffin tins with cupcake papers.
In your stand mixer, combine the soymilk and vinegar, and let sit for a few minutes before whisking vigorously until frothy. Mix in both sugars. Grind the flax seeds into a powder with a spice grinder, and whiz them together with the water. Stir the flax seed mixture, peanut butter, applesauce, and vanilla into your mixer, and beat until thoroughly combined. In a separate bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Slowly stir these dry ingredients into the batter. Mix until there are no more lumps, but be careful not to mix more than necessary.
In a separate bowl combine all of the ingredients for the frosting, and blend until completely smooth. Set aside.
Divide your batter equally between the prepared muffin tins. Drop a dollop of frosting into each cup of raw batter, and swirl it around with a toothpick, covering the entire top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. When testing for doneness, be sure to find a spot that is free from frosting, as it may cause the toothpick to appear wet, even if the cupcakes are ready. Let the cupcakes cool inside the tins for at least 10 to 15 minutes. You can either let them cool the rest of the way atop a wire rack, or serve them immediately for a warm delight.
Makes 12 cupcakes.
This recipe came from a book called My Sweet Vegan by Hannah Kaminsky. And Hannah was cool enough to let me share the recipe with y’all.
Hannah Kaminsky is the author of My Sweet Vegan and creator of the award-winning blog Bittersweet. She is a baker, writer, and photographer. In addition to authoring cookbooks, she has written for VegNews, and Desserts magazines and has done photography work with Nibble, worked as a creative consultant and chef for Health in a Hurry, and has also created recipes for VitaSoy. She lives in Fairfield, Connecticut.
Will Hermes' Tweets on Femme Fatale - Click to Read
Brit-Brit Releases New Teaser and Gets Some Reviews
We’re twenty days away from Britney Spears’ new album Femme Fatale, and now we’re seeing the first of the reviews for the album. Rolling Stone writer Will Hermes reviewed the new disc after just one listen – and thanks to the magic that is Twitter he shared his immediate opinions of the album while listening. And the review is a little mixed, he wasn’t happy about the amount of vocal processing – and pointed out that Britney didn’t write a single track on the album – but he denied hating the album. Hermes says his fav track so far was How I Roll, and he got a good laugh out of the lyrics on Big Fat Bass, which Will.I.Am features heavily on.
There’s another teaser out – click here to take a listen – but if you’re waiting for Femme Fatale to come out it’ll be in stores on March 29th.
Two Years in the Waiting Making: Coldplay’s New Album Delayed
Good things come to those who wait – that’s a lesson you’re learning right now if you’re a Coldplay fan. Originally their fifth album was expected to be released around May, or June, but the band is now saying the date has been pushed back into October. We’ve been waiting for this new release since 2008’s Viva La Vida, and according to the band they’ve been in and out of the studio since December 2009.
But if you can’t wait for a taste of the new album, Coldplay is making the summer festival circuit this year, hitting up 15 festivals before October…but it’s looking like you’ll have to head overseas to see them live; they’ve got no North American festivals on that list. Take a look at this blog entry for a sneak-peak into recording studio life with the band, busy, busy!
Born This Way has no Guest Voices: Lady Gaga’s New Album Now this may not seem like a big news item, but think about it – what was the last pop album you can think of that didn’t feature a guest singer/voice in some aspect? I’ll give you a minute…It’s hard to think of, isn’t it? Guest appearances have become the norm on pop albums these days, everyone does them, but it appears that Lady Gaga’sBorn This Way is a one woman show. According to Digital Spy, Gaga revealed that she’s not planning on having anyone guest on the album. She said, “I want to stand on my own two feet. I’ve already collaborated with my favorite female in the business. We’ll see how I’m feeling when I’m wrapping up the album.” Gaga is referring to her collaboration with Beyonce for the songs “Telephone” and “Videophone.”
Album Watch: Out Now!
Avril Lavigne Goodbye Lullaby
R.E.M. Collapse Into Now
What Are We Waiting For?
March 22 – Green Day Awesome As F**K (Live CD/DVD)
March 22 – Soundgarden Live on I5 (Live Album)
March 22 – The Strokes Angles
March 22 – Adam Lambert Glam Nation Live (Live Album)
March 29 – Florence + The Machine Between Two Lungs
March 29 – Britney Spears Femme Fatale
April 12 – Three Doors Down Time of My Life
April 12 – Foo Fighters Wasted Light
May 3 – Colbie Caillat All Of You
May 3 – Stevie Nicks In Your Dreams
May 10 – The Cars Move Like This
May 23 – Lady Gaga Born This Way
Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Pancake Day: The Whys
Shrove Tuesday is a term used in English-speaking countries (UK, Canada, Austrailia, New Zealand, and parts of the US) for the day preceding Ash Wednesday, as the first day of the season of fasting called Lent. Shrove is the past participle of the English verb to shrive, which means to obtain absolution for one’s sins by way of confession and penance.
And as my elementary school teachers explained it, it was a way to use up the last of the eggs, sugar and fat before lent so you wouldn’t be tempted.
Mardi Gras literally means “Fat Tuesday” in French, and it marks carnival celebrations that take place up to the day before Ash Wednesday. It also refers to the last night of eating richer, fatty foods, before the fasting of the Lenten season. Now this is one of those situations where frat boys actually have the right idea, the festival really is all about indulgence and junky foods.
But if you’re like me – this may just be an excuse to eat pancakes for dinner!
Seriously, pancakes are the tortilla of the breakfast world. You can roll ‘em, stuff ‘em, serve ‘em flat. They’re just tasty, versatile tasty…versasty?
But so many people out there have gotten stuck in a pancake rut. Don’t get me wrong, I love maple syrup as much as the next person…but you’ve got to shake it up a little.
This delicious stack of pancakes can be found over at Bread et Butter!
Su-yin over at Bread et Butter definitely has the right idea on changing things up a little in the land of the flap-jack. Just check out these delicious looking pancakes! Honey-smoked ham, gouda cheese, truffle oil? You KNOW these have to be tasty!
Check out this search on Food Gawker, just flip through the pages and see all the different ideas out there!
I honestly wish that Ontario and Canada would catch on to the crepe craze. When I was in France there were entire restaurants dedicated to these lovely little pastries, and you could get just about anything rolled up inside. They’re even fast food! You can get them from street vendors with chocolate-hazelnut spread smeared all over them, or my favourite – just plain sugar. Mmm…
But, if you’re a fan of the standard fluffy pancake, check out this video, mind you – if you thought me waxy rhapsodic about pancakes was too much, Alton might absolutely stupefy you.
*sorry, for some reason I can only find part 2 of the episode, but it cover so many important points!
Alton Brown’s “Instant” Pancake Recipe
Ingredients
6 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda (check expiration date first)
Combine all of the ingredients in a lidded container. Shake to mix.
Use the mix within 3 months.
“INSTANT” PANCAKES:
2 eggs, separated
2 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons melted butter
2 cups “Instant” Pancake Mix, recipe above
1 stick butter, for greasing the pan
2 cups fresh fruit such as blueberries, if desired
Heat an electric griddle or frying pan to 350 degrees F. Heat oven to 200 degrees F.
Whisk together the egg whites and the buttermilk in a small bowl. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the melted butter.
Combine the buttermilk mixture with the egg yolk mixture in a large mixing bowl and whisk together until thoroughly combined. Pour the liquid ingredients on top of the pancake mix. Using a whisk, mix the batter just enough to bring it together. Don’t try to work all the lumps out.
Check to see that the griddle is hot by placing a few drops of water onto to the griddle. The griddle is ready if the water dances across the surface.
Lightly butter the griddle. Wipe off thoroughly with a paper towel. (No butter should be visible.)
Gently ladle the pancake batter onto the griddle and sprinkle on fruit if desired. When bubbles begin to set around the edges of the pancake and the griddle-side of the cake is golden, gently flip the pancakes. Continue to cook 2 to 3 minutes or until the pancake is set.
Serve immediately or remove to a towel-lined baking sheet and cover with a towel. Hold in a warm place for 20 to 30 minutes.
Just a Little Taste: Will.i.am Releases New Britney Teaser
Will.i.am released a little taste from his latest collaboration with Britney Spears. The new track called Big Fat Bass is the latest teaser from Spears’ upcoming March 29 release, Femme Fatale. Now there’s no word on if this is the new single that’s supposed to be released next week, or if we have to wait for the album to drop to hear the whole track. Take a listen:
Let’s Play “Spot the Star” with Sara Bareilles’ New Video
Sara Bareilles release the music video for her new single “Uncharted,” this is the second release of her third album Kaleidoscope Heart. Bareilles went viral vid-style for this video, and it features a bunch of her famous friends lip-synching to her song. Something like 15 celebs in all, can you name them all? Let’s see…Josh Groban, Pharrell Williams, Adam Levine (Maroon 5), Ryan Tedder (OneRepublic), Tegan and Sara, and of course Ben Folds. And because there are so many celebs packed into this 4 minute video we only get a fleeting moment of Bareilles.
Etheridge and Ryder release new song
Melissa Etheridge and Serena Ryder are currently touring together, and they let the creative energy flow out into a collaborative effort. Check out their single: Broken Heart Sun.
Happy Birthday Biebs!
Justin Bieber turned the big 17 yesterday (ha! remember being that age?) and it certainly did not go un-noticed. Usher helped celebrate his young protege’s birthday by posting a birthday song compilation, which actually includes the Baby Biebs singing. So technically he sang himself Happy Birthday, which sounds a little sad. Bieber asked his fans to donate to Charity:Water for his birthday, and was hoping to raise around $17,000, but instead they ended up raising over $7 million! Happy Birthday!
