Pizza Potluck and Childish Cupcakes, or: we eat more vegan pizzas than you could imagine, and I buy the most silly-lovely cupcake carrier

Emily (and office dog Dallas) was kind enough to host yet another potluck on Sunday, and this one had a theme - pizza pizza! Eat Pizza, open literally a couple of minutes down the road, offers Cheezly and Cheatin' Pepperoni and ever the organised publisher, Emily had called ahead twice to let them know that 20 ravenous and food-obsessed and very very excited vegans would be placing a very very large order, and the necessary supplies must be on hand to avoid a riot.

Kristy & Toby, Pip & Tim, Lisa & Kimba The Chihuahua Born Without Fear, Lidia, Cindy & Michael, Buzz and I and a number of others all gathered around the kitchen table in anticipation ...

Uncharacteristically, I forgot to take details (or perhaps I was just too keen to start eating ....) so here are some shots without much to recommend them except how delicious they look.

Emily starts the process. Pip .. is excited?


A cheezly and cheatin' pepperoni


Fresh basil and baby Roma tomatoes


My favourite - a classic vegetarian style with the pepperoni and pineapple (who doesn't rate a veggie with pineapple eh?)


Me and Buzz go for round 1...


A lovely wholemeal crust ... made us very full (or was that the cookies, cupcakes and beer?)

Also, I brought along my first ever attempt at cupcakes, which I needed (needed!) to make because I had just bought a dinky new cupcake carrier.

I made the classic chocolate cupcake (with added Sweet William chunks) with peanut butter icing, and vanilla-agave cupcakes with fudgiewudgie chocolate icing (which actually came out more like a genache), all from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. I made a number of rookie mistakes:

1. I thought I had vanilla essence in the cupboard so didn't buy any, meaning that I had to rely on almond essence and a substitution of cinnamon sugar;
2. I used silicone molds which caused the cupcakes to develop a small, raised, cracked shape. A couple that I let bake 'free' just in patty pans came out beautifully flat (all the better for icing, my dear) and bigger, so that's how I'll go from now on; and
3. I didn't have a piping bag (nor did Safeway) so I had to slather the icing on in a very unartistic manner.

Nonetheless, the cupcakes were moist, not horrific and when I bake them for the work Xmas party dessert competition I WILL DOMINATE AND CRUSH KILL DESTROY BWAHAHAHA ... oh dear God.

Funnily enough, I don't like eating cupcakes all that much, but I see in them an opportunity for kitschness and cuteness that I just can't pass up... expect more.