Shine On

TRIAL RUN:  With the REALLY BIG ECLIPSE less than a week away now, we decided to do a test run of our solar viewing glasses this morning.

Mercifully, I ordered them weeks ago, as people are scrambling trying to find eclipse glasses now.

We checked the sun out a few times during the same time frame that the eclipse will happen on Monday, August 21. 

Here's hoping for clear skies and awesome vantage points for all!

GELATINOUS: Today, one of our projects involved some edible art. 

Specifically, we were making some Elvis-themed cookies for a friend who was born on the day Elvis died, forty years ago, August 16, 2017.

I decided to try to do a series of black and white Elvii through the ages cookies for her. I have a go to sugar cookie recipe, and could make marshmallow fondant in my sleep BUT, I recalled my friend and her family are vegetarian, and I knew that my standard marshmallow fondant had gelatin in it, which makes it no bueno for vegetarians, as standard marshmallows have gelatin in them, and gelatin is made of "a protein obtained by boiling skin, tendons, ligaments, and/or bones with water. It is usually obtained from cows or pigs," per PETA (not a fan of gelatin). 

So, what to do, what to do? 

Off to the Google, to find a vegan recipe for fondant! 

I read several before settling on one that looked like it had been around for awhile and it seemed feasible.

Only two problems: The recipe called for agar agar and glycerin. Believe it or not, those aren't in our pantry. 

The Interwebs told me I could find Wilton branded glycerin at a local craft store, which we did. Agara agar, on the other hand, could be had at Asian markets, so we made a trip to the great Asian grocery store Uwajimaya. We've been to their flagship store in Seattle's International District several times. Today, we went to their Renton location for the first time. 
We were happy to have a reason to go there, and are so glad there's a Uwajimaya close to our new home.

Ingredients in hand, we came home and made fondant using the new-to-us recipe. It turned out just fine, mercifully. But still, I was wondering just what the glycerin and agar agar were.

I had the kids do some research. First up, CJ writes about glycerin. ... 

Today, for the first time, we used Glycerin while making cookies (for a friend's birthday). According to the Wilton bottle of Glycerin we used, Glycerin "restores consistency of icing colors". According to Pioneer Thinking, glycerin is "a neutral, sweet-tasting, colorless, thick liquid which freezes to a gummy paste and which has a high boiling point. Glycerin can be dissolved into water or alcohol, but not oils. On the other hand, many things will dissolve into glycerin easier than they do into water or alcohol. So it is a good solvent."

Glycerin is not just used for baking. For example, one popular mixture that involves glycerin is nitroglycerin (an explosive liquid).

According to Wilton's website, a single can of their glycerin costs $2.29.

Annabelle researched agar agar. ...

Agar Agar (also known as simply Agar) is a type of seaweed used in place of gelatin. It can be bought in many Asian markets and most stores with a health food section. Agar Agar is frequently used in vegan recipes as a thickener. Agar Agar is strange, as according to OneGreenPlanet, (http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-food/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-agar-agar/) it contains no calories, sugar, carbs, or fat, but it is a good source of fiber, calcium, and iron. Many recipes can be made with Agar Agar, as it can be substituted for gelatin one-to-one.

Fortunately, our fondant seemed to turn out OK.

I'll likely post some photos of the cookies tomorrow.