THE SHOW MUST GO ON.

Hello, friends.

It's been awhile since we've updated. Our apologies. Following the loss of Oops! beloved mascot and favorite team member, Carly, kitchen inspiration was lost. I ate a lot of crap for two weeks because I was lacking any and all creativity for cooking. Cereal happened to be dinner often. Or vegan pizza roll knock-offs.

Additionally, I was away for a bit competing in the Great Lakes Relay, a running race that goes across the Great Mitten State, starting in Rogers City and ending on the shore of Lake Michigan in Empire. Although my team suffered disastrous injuries and ultimately spent the third day playing Wiffle ball and drinking booze at the finish line instead of running, it was a good, adventurous time. Cars wouldn't start when we'd need to be at the starting line, runners were lost as a result of terrible directions, interesting people were seen engaging in such activities as walking their dogs out the windows of their trucks while towing a boat, having to drive underneath a developing tornado on the way home...Adventure! Curiosities! Danger! And long walks on the beach, holding a pole proudly displaying our team number (78).



Anyhow, I'm sure you're looking forward to the recipe that marks our valiant return. It is a lovely one!

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bars



Preheat oven to 325.

1/6 block of tofu
1/3 cup soy milk
4 T Earth Balance

Combine in food processor until smooth. Add

3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Put into a medium-sized bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Add the bowl of dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until smooth. If it's too dry, add a little soy milk as necessary. Mix in
1 1/2 cups grated zucchini or other summer squash
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Put into greased 8-inch round pan, and spread with spatula. Cook for 30-35 minutes, or until a tooth-pick comes out clean. Delightfus!



Wait until it's cool to cut it, too.

A Tribute to my Furry Bestie

Carly Butters Pooper Hebert: May 4th 1995-July 13th 2010. She loved the kitchen.

We love you!

Look at those yogas doing hippy.

Hello, hello!

Xtina and I have recently returned from a weekend of bliss...at the Blissfest! This year was the 30th anniversary of the event. Blissfest is just one of many lovely hippy jam fests that keep The Mitten swinging throughout the summer.



Although our initial arrival was NOT blissful (hippies aren't super-organized people, so getting through the line-up at the gates was a long wait. We saw the Thai-food-booth-guy get pulled over by the sheriff, too), we left blissed OUT. A wonderful weekend!



It's obvious that we here at Oops! love to enjoy Michigan products on our stove-tops, in our beer mugs, and our wine glasses. Well, we also like to jam to Michigan's home-grown tunes. Some of the local fair we enjoyed at the festival?


The Billy King Band [special plug for these cats ;)]
May Erlewine and Samuel Seth Bernard
Josh Davis (remember our love for him?)
My Dear Disco
Rachel Davis
And many many more...



These were performers X and I were already quite familiar with, but there were new artists that were a great pleasure to come across, and not all from Michigan alone. The most pleasant new discovery of the weekend? FISHTANK ENSEMBLE. Everyone should check these cats out. Their shows were a serious mind-fuck. We were left wanting much more, but they journeyed beyond the festival after one day. Incredibly energetic and outrageously talented individuals, and with fascinating travel tales to boot.

If you've never been to a hippy jam fest, we highly encourage you to attend one. Other notable parts of our vacation included: 9 men in skirts, naked-overalls-man, the drum kiva, children, shockingly excellent festival food, dancing next to Lady Gaga (or just an old woman dressed like Lady Gaga), music workshops, and an abundance of fascinating and friendly people. Want to join us some time? CHECK OUT HOLLER FEST! The Oops! Team will be there, and we'd love to meet you.

Junk Food Veganism, Part Two: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Happy July dear friends!

You may remember my recent post on junk food veganism. I must report that I have since reformed my ways, thanks in part to all the delicious produce infiltrating the fertile fields of Michigan, and hence my kitchen. Before I start posting about that stuff though, I must include this last - although certainly not final - junk food recipe. My boss's seven-year-old proclaimed these cookies to be 'THE BEST!!' she'd ever had. I like this recipe cause it's easy, and features one of my favorite ways to make desserts super-classy without actually trying: a simple sprinkle of sea salt before baking. Onward!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, adapted from Heidi Swanson's recipe

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup peanut butter (be sure to use a natural kind if you want to brag that there's no refined sugars in these cookies)
1 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup (or more!) of dark chocolate chips
a pinch or two of sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Combine all the other ingredients except the chocolate chips in another bowl, and pour the wet mixture over the dry. Stir until everything is just combined. Pour in the chocolate chips and mix a little more. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto a cookie sheet and sprinkle each cookie with a little but of sea salt. Bake for 10 or 11 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool.