Celebrating "VeggieMom"

Before I get into the real subject of today's blog post, I just wanted to thank everyone who left me good luck wishes in the comment box, about my last exam - I channeled all of your positive energy as best as I could, and I am thrilled (and relieved) to report that it all paid off (whoo hoo)! Thank you again for your optimism and support :0)

It feels absolutely wonderful to be free from examinations, presentations, and everything else associated with university, for the next few months - I am definitely in "summer mode," and ready to celebrate! I had an opportunity to begin celebrating this past weekend, but for a specific, unselfish reason - to celebrate the woman who is responsible for VeggieGirl's existence (well, partially responsible - can't forget my dad! haha): my mom.

This past Sunday (as most, if not all, of you know) was Mother's Day in many parts of the world, which gives each of us an opportunity to truly thank our mothers for all that they have done for us. I could not have been blessed with a better mother, and owe a lot of thanks to her for everything that she does for me.

I wanted to make this past Sunday an extra-special Mother's Day event, so of course I had to plan on baking something delectable (especially since my baking rut is over). But first, let me re-cap the rest of the day's celebratory events:

Despite the gloomy, unpleasant weather conditions, everyone was bright and cheery as we wished my mom a happy Mother's Day, first thing in the morning. She received many phone calls from family members (most notably from my brothers, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, and other close relatives), and a personal greeting from my dad and me (and from my dog, Kiwi, as well), complete with a bouquet of fresh-cut flowers, cards, and gifts.

Since a lot of people go out for a Mother's Day brunch meal, we decided to avoid the rush and opt for a Mother's Day dinner instead - that way, we would all be able to enjoy our meals, sans crowds. The dinner celebration included me, my dad, my grandfather, and the guest of honor (my mom), and took place at Red the Steakhouse (which I have blogged about both unfavorably and favorably, here and here, respectively).



Thankfully, everyone's meal (yes, even the vegan's meal! the chef remembered me, haha) was absolutely delicious; and thankfully the rain held off for a bit so that my mom and I could pose for this photograph! :0)

A proper celebratory meal is never complete without a fabulous dessert, and luckily I already had one cooling off on the kitchen counter, at home (it was hard resisting the desserts at Red, since they always sound so tantalizing; but everyone was anxious to try the special treat that I baked for my mom, instead). So, what did I decide to bake, in honor of "VeggieMom"?



Combining my mom's love of peanut-butter and chocolate (a very popular flavor-combination, no doubt), I baked a batch of Peanut-Butter Brownies.



Using the infamous Fudgy Brownies recipe from the Vive Le Vegan cookbook , I simply added a generous amount of peanut-butter to the batter, and voila! A batch of dense, rich, "fudgy," and sinfully-delicious brownies was born. Everyone (especially my mom) has been enjoying these brownies, and I can guarantee that the entire batch will be completely devoured in no time :0)

Devoting an entire day to celebrating mothers is fabulous, and I am truly fortunate to have such a phenomenal mother to honor - not just on Mother's Day, but everyday. It was a great way to start celebrating my summer freedom, for sure, and I look forward to more celebrations to come.