I’ll give you the scoop on what I’m up to bit later, but here’s a hint…a very beautiful, dangerous and mesmerizing hint.

~BigSis

• These glittery cookie boxes are finished and waiting to be filled with goodies.  I’ll give you a quick little how-to on making them as soon as I can get the chocolate and sugar off my hands.

• Remember these painted cross magnets I made around Easter? They make great Christmas gifts and stocking stuffers, so I’m getting them dressed up in Christmasy boxes for the sale.

• SisMama has already baked oodles of pound cakes in vanilla, chocolate, lemon and brown sugar/caramel flavors. Go, SisMama!

• K & L have baked breads in apple cinnamon, spice, cranberry and blueberry flavors.  They’re also working on doggie treats and bunches of cookies this weekend.

• I have pumpkin walnut and banana chocolate chip gluten-free breads done, plus 3 varieties of biscotti (gingerbread, chocolate/chocolate chip and dried cherry orange), and 3 kinds of brownies so far.

• We have some nibbles on matching our sales, and continue to market the event as well as more baking this week.

• CityVet is graciously sponsoring our event for the second year in a row.  They have donated items for the sale, and are considering doing more for this worthy charity.  A huge thanks to CityVet for their support!

That’s it for now, I have cookies to check on!  Stay tuned for more!

~BigSis

In-Sync Exotics may be new to many folks.  It was to me and my fellow bakers until a year or so ago.  In-Sync is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the rescue of unwanted, neglected and abused felines.

And by “felines” we aren’t talking about little housecats. We mean BIG cats; much much bigger than my 16 pound Gaby whom LilSis calls the fat cat with the little head.

In-Sync was founded in 2000 and is currently home to 59 tigers, lions, leopards, bobcats, cougars, cheetahs, lynx, servals and one honorary cat named Nugget who is a Coatimundi.

This is the fifth year for our Charity Bake Sale, which has been held to benefit the SPCA of Texas for the last three years.  We decided to select a smaller charity this year – a bit below the radar – who might benefit from our little fundraiser and the attention it could bring to a group in need.  We still support the SPCA of Texas personally, and continue to appreciate the crucial work they do every day in North Texas.

Back to In-Sync now.  I had the chance to visit their big kitties last weekend, along with a couple of my fellow bakers.  We spent a few hours enjoying the annual Pumpkin Bash, where the cats all get a pumpkin to play with/eat/destroy/ignore.  We absolutely fell in love with the cats and the place, and the work that’s being done here.

In a perfect world, these cats would be running free in their native habitat but this world isn’t perfect.  Not even close.  These guys have suffered at the hands of humans, and needed a safe place to recover from the physical and emotional damage inflicted on them.

In-Sync is that safe place.  Big wild cats can’t be placed in furever homes like cats and dogs can, and they can’t be released into the wild.  Big cats need a place to live out the rest of their days, where they can receive medical care, a clean environment, nourishing food, enriching playtime, and love.

Since these cats will stay at In-Sync forever, and more cats continue to unfortunately come in, In-Sync’s need for funding will only grow as time goes on.  They are currently trying to raise $30,000 to build a home for the two cheetahs who recently joined them.

The four of us girls are going to bake our little hearts out to try to help in our small way.  Stay tuned for more details as we approach this year’s Bake Sale on December 12th.  Meanwhile enjoy a few photos of Jett the spotted leopard enjoying the Pumpkin Bash!

For the record, the final score was Jett 1, Pumpkin 0.  ^..^

Note: All photos were taken by BigSis and published with the permission of In-Sync Exotics.

~BigSis

Camouflage Cat

Camouflage:  I haz it!  You no can seez me!

~BigSis

Cerella the Cougar

You know we’re big cat fans at BigSisLilSis!  We talk about cats all the time.  But did you know we’re really BIG CAT fans?  ^..^

My favorite animal of all time is the mountain lion (also known as the cougar, puma, or panther), and I’ve been dying to take a little road trip to In-Sync Exotics to visit their mountain lions, tigers, lions, leopards, lynx, cheetahs, bobcats and servals.  In-Sync is a wildlife rescue and education center in Wylie, Texas which is only around 30 miles from North Dallas.  They’ve been around since 2000 and specialize in big cats.

I’m not a fan of zoos, circuses or any other organization that scoops animals out of their natural habitat to be used for our entertainment.  In-Sync isn’t one of those groups; quite the opposite actually.  They provide safe, caring homes for these big cats who need it for whatever reason.  It seems neglect and abuse are the common thread in many of these cats’ stories.  They will be loved and watched after for the rest of their days at In-Sync.

What that means is that In-Sync needs operating capital, and their needs for cash will only grow as they take on more and more of these big kitties.

Now for the good news!  Today only – September 15th, 2011 from 7am to 7 pm – is your opportunity to leverage a gift to In-Sync Exotics.  Your donation to In-Sync will be matched dollar for dollar via Donor Bridge.  Your $25 gift becomes $50, $50 becomes $100, $100 becomes $200.  You get the idea!!

Just do what I did.  Go to In-Sync Exotic’s Donor Bridge page and click on Donate Now.  You can also go to Donor Bridge and search for In-Sync Exotics.

If you have big love for big cats as we do, please don’t let this day pass without checking into this great opportunity before it gets away!

Moses the Bobcat

Note:  I saw on Donor Bridge that the company who processes credit cards for their charities charges a fee of 2.9% for the service. If you donate $50, your fee will amount to $1.45.  To me, that’s a small price to pay for an extra $50 for the charity.

Photo credits: In-Sync Exotics

~BigSis

Our conference room wasn’t available this year, so our management company allowed us to use an empty suite on the first floor.  We liked the accessibility of the ground floor space, but the large concrete-floored room presented an ambiance challenge.  We used lots of signs and color, and fabrics on our tables.  The focus was on the goodies available for purchase to benefit the animals anyway, not the interior design, right?

We had a wide selection of cakes, breads, candy, treats, cookies and brownies to choose from.  The biggest change this year was that all 15 items that I baked were vegan, and I was really happy with how they came out.

Here are some photos from our wild and crazy day!

Cakes and Breads

SisMama's Cream Cheese Pound Cake: DEEEElicious!

Cookies and Brownies

Vegan Cookies

Vegan Cranberry Orange Macadamia Biscotti

Reindeer Bucket O' Biscotti sold out quickly!

Treats and more treats

Santa's Spiced Pecans surrounded by more goodies!

Huge thanks to our first SPCA Bake Sale Sponsor: CityVet!

Thanks to CityVet and to everyone who helped us raise a bunch more money for the SPCA of Texas!  We appreciate you and look forward to next year!

~BigSis

As I mentioned with great enthusiasm and anticipation last the week, our 3rd Annual Bake Sale for the SPCA of Texas is TODAY, Monday, December 13!  100% of the proceeds go directly to the SPCA.

Last year, our sale raised over $4,000 in one day, and we hope to repeat that success this year.  Here are the details:

Location: Dallas, Texas (If you can come, please email me for the address)

Time: 8 am until 6 pm or sell-out, whichever comes first!

If you can’t attend but you’d like to support the SPCA of Texas, you can contribute through this web page:  http://www.spca.org/bakesale

Thanks in advance for your support!  Stay tuned for photos and the scoop on the outcome of the day!

~BigSis

I bought several vegan baking cookbooks and did a lot of online research, and finally swooped into the kitchen to get my hands dirty.  I’ve been baking up a storm in my lab (aka kitchen) for the last several weeks, trying out new recipes.  The latest test: Oatmeal Dried Cherry Cookies adapted from Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook.

These cookies had a great flavor, and would have been excellent if I hadn’t over-baked them by a couple of minutes.  That’s why I test though.  I have a rule that I never make a recipe for the bake sale without taking it for a test drive first.

I’m pretty excited with the successes I’ve had.  I actually have well over a dozen things to choose from.  These are my favorite options.

• Cranberry Lemon Zing Oat Bars – The 100 Best Vegan Baking Recipes: Amazing Cookies, Cakes, Muffins, Pies, Brownies and Breads

• Super Moist Pumpkin Bread from Allrecipes

• Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Coconut Cookies adapted from Epicurious

• Spicy Peanut Brittle -  My Sweet Vegan: passionate about dessert

• Coconut Fudge – My Sweet Vegan: passionate about dessert

• Crumb Topped Brownies -  My Sweet Vegan: passionate about dessert

• Rice Krispie Treats with Almond Butter -  The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet

• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie with Peanuts and Almond Meal adapted from Cookie Madness

• Giant Wheat-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies from Cookie Madness

• Almond Toffee adapted from Cookie Madness

• Soft Peanut Brittle from Cookie Madness

• Gluten-Free Banana Chocolate Chip Bread from Babycakes NYC

• Gluten-Free Brownies from Babycakes NYC

• Mexican Chocolate Snickerdoodles -  Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar: 100 Dairy-Free Recipes for Everyone’s Favorite Treats

• Gingerbread Biscotti – Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar: 100 Dairy-Free Recipes for Everyone’s Favorite Treats

• Cranberry Orange Macadamia Biscotti -  Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar: 100 Dairy-Free Recipes for Everyone’s Favorite Treats

• Kitchen Sink Biscotti with Peppermint and Chocolate Chips -  Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar: 100 Dairy-Free Recipes for Everyone’s Favorite Treats

There’s much more baking to be done so I’m dashing back to the kitchen for more baking frenzy.  I’ll be back next week with photos from the sale, and hopefully a big donation to the SPCA to report!

~BigSis

Did you know that November 1st is officially Cook for Your Pet Day?  Yesterday, we humiliated them by dressing them up in costumes to amuse ourselves, so I guess it’s only fitting that we cook for them today to apologize!

I’ve never cooked for my cats before, and don’t really want to since they’re meat-eaters and I’m vegan.  I’m not going to try to veganize them since they’re carnivores by nature, but I can’t see myself cooking up a big ol’ batch of meaty goodness for them.  I love ‘em, but I gotta draw the line somewhere!

If you, however, are a more selfless person than me and have the urge to cook today for your furkids, here are some ideas for you:

• Foods to avoid when cooking for your animals

• Tasty dog food recipes from Linda West Eckhardt, coauthor of The Dog Ate It: Cooking for Yourself and Your Four-Legged Friend (via www.womansday.com)
  

• Dog food and treat recipes from www.thepoop.com

• How to cook for your dog from www.lovetoknow.com

• Catnip Cookie recipe from www.eHow

• Kitty Cuisine from 50 Simple Ways to Pamper Your Cat by Arden Moore (via www.care2.com)

On a very serious note, if you plan to cook for your cats beyond occasional treats, please do your research before considering feeding them a homemade diet.  They have very specific nutritional needs, including a necessity for the amino acid taurine, and neglecting these nutrients can result in illness and even death.  Vetinfo.com can get you started with the basics on essential feline nutrition, but talk with your vet and don’t underestimate the importance of your kitty’s needs!

~BigSis

If you don’t believe us, just look at these happy faces from previous Halloweens when all three of them posed in their favorite witch hat!

TomTom looking very sly in his witch hat.

Ashy trying to look like he isn't enjoying his witch hat.

Gaby looking very dark and mysterious in his witch hat.

See. Don’t they look like they’re having fun?

(We’re both animal lovers so we want to assure you that there is never any cruel treatment to our little furkids to get these photos.  Please don’t call the authorities on us.)

Since we no longer host costume parties or have little kiddos to dress up, we sisters just get a kick out of showing off our little furkids in their Halloween costumes, their Christmas outfits, and their New Years Eve hats.  We actually don’t need much of an occasion in order to torment them with photo shoots.

No, we aren’t crazy cat ladies (yet)!  I know we aren’t the only ones who like dressing up our pets. I was in Petco today and couldn’t believe all the cute outfits for little doggies!

Does your pet have his/her Halloween costume yet? If so, we would LOVE to see them!

Just for the pure fun of it, we thought we would have a little Parade of Pet Costumes here on BigSisLilSis for Halloween. And this parade isn’t limited to just kitties; it’s open to all pets: dogs, bunnies, guinea pigs, birds, reptiles…you name it.  We want to see it!  Cats in Hats, Masquerading Mutts, Doggies in Dresses, Incognito Iguanas…you get the idea!

If you want to join in on the fun, just snap a photo of your pet in their hat or costume and email it to either BigSis (BigSis at BigSisLilSis dot com) or LilSis (LilSis at BigSisLilSis dot com) by Thursday, October 28th and don’t forget to mention your pet’s name.

We’ll post the parade here on Halloween, Sunday, October 31st! 

~LilSis