Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Inner Grown-Up Shows Up for Duty...Kind of...

Post-Holiday life begins today. 

After weeks of preparation for get together upon get together I have nothing on my schedule to prepare for. (Disclaimer: I should probably say nothing fun or exciting or requiring great creativity.  Possibly moderate creativity born out of a need to avoid blah.) 

No need to plan ahead and make items to squirrel away in the freezer, or shoved-in-sideways-door-shut-tight-hope-for-success fridge packing.

On one hand, this is good. Communal living is something that calls to me on some level, BUT, there is something to be said for simplicity. One can't truly appreciate the parties without downtime. Right? And it's impossible for me to be content wrestling with the omnivore that still lurks inside my husband and screams for bacon at special company breakfasts. And frankly, my pots/pans and dishes are complaining at the use and abuse of the past few weeks.

Vacations or staycations are not reality. As much as I hate to admit that, it's true. They cost too much money, the time invested in them is borrowed time. The reentry into the work world, real life world is punishing. The real world has moved on, regardless of the time I've taken to have some fun. My desk will be packed full of stuff for me to do tomorrow. There are bills to be paid, and income tax details that need to jump onto my radar. I love my new kitchen floor. And it needs to be swept. My thrift store finds need to be washed and put away and my closet needs to be purged to make room for them. And I need a haircut. Real bad.

I'd love to be independently wealthy, able to coffee with friends on a whim, shop til I drop daily, go to exotic places without calculating what that's going to cost, sleep in every day. But. That is not my life, or my truth. And I'm telling myself that I'd hate that life, eventually. That I need the discipline of needing a paycheck, needing the budget, needing the restraint that comes with both of those. 

I'll tell you, though, I do like the occasional taste of freedom, even with the price tag.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Randomocity...

It's Monday, and though it's technically a holiday, I am sitting here, mindlessly, checking my email, and my inner control freak says I should post.

So. I will post a few random things.

& just said, "why do my crafts always fail?" Notice the picture? This is an adorable owl purse she made out of a thrift store sweater, tie and her creative little brain.

My children rode to the antique store together. Toad-Boy got an Adventures in Odyssey CD for Christmas so they listened to them on the trip. They had a sweet childhood bonding experience.

Our Minnesota friends are upstairs chilling. I just finished a woman-possessed-cupboard-clean-out. I got some fabulous bins at a thrift store and couldn't wait to put stuff in them and put them in their place.

We have a girl's night planned. Jane Eyre is on the agenda and crafts and food. One of the crafters is here and mentioned a friend who had eaten an entire loaf of banana bread in a day. He's started on his second loaf and & told her to tell him that banana bread might constipate him.

I am now also facing pressure on Facebook. Someone just asked to be my friend and who couldn't use a few more Facebook friends?  Then she said she's looking forward to all my witty comments. Oy. Guess I need to work out my wit muscles.

Pretty much sums up what I've done this year.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ A New Kind of a New Year....

Here's wishing you all a Happy New Year.

Many of us look at each upcoming New Year with a mix of apprehension. After all, we tend to think of January 1st (and often every Monday) as the day that we will start a new life. We will be more in control, healthier, more patient etc. etc. etc. So we often make a list of things we hope to do differently, or over, or better. And, like in years past, we cling to that spark of enthusiasm until the first time we fall and skin our knees on our new path. Then we default back to the person who just wishes that things could be different.

But let's look at the hope of a clean slate/ a new year differently. Let's consider that this new year holds much promise BECAUSE every day is loaded with choices and opportunities. And if you really think about it, it's true.

What daily choices, Monday thru Sunday do I face? How can those make a difference?

For starters. We can choose our attitudes. If we wake up grumpy. We don't have to remain there. We can tell ourselves to smile even though we don't feel it, and eventually, that smile may become a real one. We can be kind to cashiers and co-workers and family members by remembering that sometimes they might need just a touch of kindness because they may be having a bad day, too. We can start out our mornings with a few minutes of prayer for our loved ones rather than cursing our schedules or others expectations on our schedules.

We can take each choice we make as an opportunity. Will this response to my friend build a bridge or tear one down? Will this item I'm putting into my mouth feed my body or poison my body? Will this item I'm buying stress my finances and my emotional well-being or add joy to my life? On and on. The choices are endless. 

Honestly, life is in the details.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ The Lingerings of the Ghosts of Christmases...Past, Present, Future

I learned a few things this Christmas, and relearned a few from previous Christmases Past.

Hopefully, they won't come back to haunt me.

1) Stressing details is ridiculous. The energy I put into cleaning spots that wouldn't be visited was wasted energy. The spots didn't get visited. Two kinds of soup crackers, three kinds of breads, multiple choices, matching tags and paper are details that no one is going to notice, and if they do, they can own that issue. I don't have to. Even though my freakishness makes sense to me at the time. It really doesn't make sense at all.

2) Quality vs quantity is a decent goal. I have this fear of people starving on my watch. If two soups is adequate, then three is better and four is what I need to do. And each soup needs to have it's own toppings. I'll need to provide lots of things to nibble in case people aren't rolling around, clutching their bellies and begging, "No MORE!" I'm guessing that the time together really is the important thing.

Decorating, too. I seriously put up two Christmas decorations this year. One was a gift, the second was a post-Christmas bargain that had gotten tucked away where I could put my hands on it. The stuff doesn't really add to Christmas. I have too much Christmas stuff. And if I paint a beautiful cozy looking nest, but am a stressed freak who snaps at her loved ones, that nest isn't exactly comfort and joy, merry or peace.

3) Kindness and patience make the whole Christmas season peaceful. From Black Friday to "Rush-to-return-em" 26th, patience will save some from stroking out while waiting in line, or flipping out on the Salvation Army bell-ringer. And if we'd all keep in mind that if we've got a wedge of stinky-crazy on our plate, others will have one, too. My stinky-crazy holiday need list really doesn't take priority because....it's not about me, or mine.

If I had gone ballistic on my husband, because I needed to use the stove on the 23rd, I wouldn't have the beautiful kitchen floor with the little island nest. That floor is a HUGE deal. And it's beautiful. And because I didn't flip out, he's patiently adding things daily. Yesterday I got a door on my pantry. (aka the Troll Cave)

4) If I start eating junk I will eat the junk til it's gone. My Vegan Thanksgiving was pure. Christmas started off that way. I had great intentions and was a good Vegan til about the 22nd. Then I began nibbling on treats that came to the office. Oh my, there were some treats. Boxes of candy, nuts, chips, popcorn, fruit baskets, baked goods. Though I pulled off vegetarian, I sucked in a lot of hidden dairy. The baked goods, the creamy ooey gooey treats, not like I poured milk or cheese directly upon them, but they all contained dairy. I succumbed big time. And paid for it. Am paying for it. I am lethargic and bloated and feeling a lot drawn to processed food.

Enough for now. There are probably eleven more points, now sure to be the ghosts of Christmases Future, but like I said, I've got a coating of dairy on the brain and I'm sluggish.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Pizza Soup

This is my husband's most requested soup. It was chock full of hamburger and pepperoni and covered with melty mozzarella cheese.

However, I think this version was sufficient to satisfy. (I did broil some real deal pepperoni for the omnivores in the house, and there was mozzarella cheese, too. I ate it plain and it tasted....like pizza in a bowl.)

Pizza Soup - Vegan Version

14 oz can/jar of tomato sauce

1 cup chopped peppers (green or mixed)

1 cup diced onions

1 cup mushrooms (you can do whatever veggies you like on your pizza)

1-2 TBSP Earth Balance

2 cans diced tomatoes with juice (14 oz)

1 jar (the standard size, 25 ozs whatever flavor, I used a chunky Vegan version)spaghetti sauce. You could make the equivalent amount of your favorite sauce.

1 and 1/2 cups vegan "hamburger"

1 and 1/2 spaghetti jars of water (or about 38 ounces or 4 and 1/2 cups more or less)

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

2 TBSP dried Italian spice mix.

In a pan melt earth balance (or mix of EB and olive oil) saute the onions and peppers til tender, add the mushrooms.

Dump the veggie mix and all the rest into a 4 quart (or bigger) crockpot. Stir well. Simmer for at least six hours (low) so all the flavors marry. If the soup is too thick add more water or another can of tomatoes. It will cook down and thicken. If you want to stay vegan and need cheese go for Daiya. Dipping garlic bread or bread sticks into it is delicious. Rob said this version is as good as the original.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Wild Rice Mushroom Chowder

Hope you all had a terrific Christmas. Christmas Eve is a soup feed at our house. I've always prepped at least three soups. Baked Potato, Chili, etc. Two of my favorites (and Rob's) are Pizza Soup and Wild Rice Soup. Rob asks for Pizza Soup every year.

The challenge this year was to veganize these recipes and make them taste as good as the dairy/animal product versions. Could I do it?

I did serve a chicken curry chili, too. But the omnivores in the bunch ate up the pizza and mushroom soup. There ended up being a bowl or two of each.

Wild Rice Mushroom Chowder (VEGAN)

4 celery stalks (finely diced)

4 medium sized carrots (finely diced)

1 medium sized onion small dice

6-8 ounces of mushrooms small dice

1 cup uncooked wild rice (rinsed thoroughly)

1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice

2 TBSP Earth Balance

2 TBSP flour (whatever kind you want to use)

6 cups vegetable broth

32 ounces unsweetened, plain non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened shelf stable soy)

In dutch oven, melt Earth Balance. Toss in onion and saute until onions become tender and caramelize. Turn heat down, and add carrots and celery and cook til they soften. Add mushrooms and cook until they begin to soften. About three minutes. Add the flour until the veggies are coated. Add vegetable broth and simmer on low. Add brown rice and wild rice. Simmer at least two hours. If the mixture thickens too much you can add more vegetable broth. A half hour before serving add the milk and keep on low simmer until you serve.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Christmas Zingings and Flingings...Santa? Is that You?

I have 3/4 of a kitchen floor. By the time I get home from work...I'm hoping... it's going to be the whole shebang. Because if it's not, the finishing up of the soup detail duties I need for tomorrow afternoon's soups could be challenging. What's left to place is at the oven/stove/refrigerator and kitchen sink area.

I'm thinking holly jolly thoughts and refusing to look at my "WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF??????" mess of disorganized chaos. I now have two Christmas decorations hung because a friend gave me one yesterday. By hung, I mean laying on the makeshift counter/i.e. table. 

Oddly enough, I picked this morning (in case you don't know what time it is, 6:46 a.m. and I've been up since 5:15) to go over my lists and check them twice. There are a few names who don't quite have goodies yet.  And I think I need to go to the grocery store, too.

While chopping onions last night, my phone rang. I didn't get to it in time, which is good, because the voicemail picked up and I got to enjoy my message over and over. At first it felt a little like a call from kidnappers demanding a ransom. The caller knew who I was, where I lived and certain food items I like and catch phrases I use. The voice was pleasant but slightly mechanical. My detective instincts (from reading mysteries, of course) kicked in, as well as my flight or fight mechanism. But it turned out to be a friendly mechanical Santa (or one of his crazy fun-loving elves) warning me that he would be passing through and that I'd better leave him a Vegan cup cake or two. Ha. Ha. My crazy brother. The adrenaline rush did get me through a few more tasks on my list. Turns out anyone can send a friend a call from Santa. Here's the link should you be inclined. (Santa does respect the mere mortals need for sleep. So he won't call before 8:00 a.m or after 9:00 p.m. What a guy.) http://www.sendacallfromsanta.com/