Random recipes tried, tasty and not photographed.
Vegan Banana Bread French Toast with Peanut Butter Maple Syrup
Coming soon.
Butternut Squash Baked Macaroni and No Cheese
2 Cups cooked butternut squash
1/2 onion
3/4 Cup vegetable juice
4 TBSP nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 Cups cooked pasta.
Combine all but pasta in food processor and process until smooth.
Grease casserole pan. Mix pasta in with squash mix. Put in casserole, cover with Vegan Parmesan recipe below and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.
Vegan Parmesan
3 TBSP almonds
4 TBSP nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Rosemary Two Potato Soup
7 Medium Potatoes
1 Medium Sweet Potato
1 Small onion
6 Cups vegetable broth
1 TBSP Earth Balance
1 tsp finely chopped/ground dried rosemary
1 tsp ground smoked salt (adjust if using salty veggie broth)
Chop potatoes and onions small dice. Saute in Vegan margarine until browned. Combine with vegetable broth, rosemary and salt and simmer until potatoes and onions are tender.
Election over.
Nuff said.
We dropped our land line last year and from what I hear from friends and family members who still have one, every communication over the past several weeks was political. Sorry I missed all that.
In case you are all wondering why I've been silent on the Hurricane Sandy disaster, I am not heartless, my prayers include those who lost so much. Many bloggers and help agencies are collecting for the relief. Americans can be very self-absorbed but it warms my heart to see the way most people respond to tragedy. When flood waters threatened my home town last year folks from so many places rushed forward to fill sand bags. But, as you may have discovered, politics and commentary are not my general focus and so many others cover those so well.
My big chunky piece of furniture that I redid needs one more tweak. Pictures will be posted when it's donza. And hopefully it will be donza. Crafting is not my forte, necessarily, either.
And I'm a slug in the food department currently. I have not written down any recipes or taken any pictures for several days. Sigh. I think I could get used to it.
However. I do have a few recipes I'm working on putting together. So there should be something coming soon.
In the meantime I'll just chat a bit.
Nuff said.
Things to ponder:
1) I had an ad on my page yesterday that I can't say I would support. But I have no control of the ads that are posted by the affiliate I'm associated with. Everything one reads on the internet is not necessarily the whole sum of reality. My ad had been replaced later in the day, and it certainly didn't tweak my reality. Just sayin.
2) Pinterest can be a great thing. Or a really, really, really good way to use up stuff that lacks purpose or is destined for a landfill. It can also be a time-waster. In more ways than one. This letter K is an example. One would think wrapping twine around a cardboard letter would be simple and quick. Well. Neither. Hot glue = pain. Tacky glue = wicked mess. The final product is cute and cheap. But people. Trust me...any letter of the alphabet (expect maybe l, I know for a fact that G and E are two hour projects, too) will take two hours and make a crazy mess of your work station or hands.
3) I'm a big fan of not taking press completely seriously. Some of what we believe and embrace is clever marketing or agenda. Whether or not you agree with the information in this little infographic, it's worth considering.
Provided by: http://www.learnstuff.com/
So I started a project two weekends ago. Or was it three? And I've had craft paraphernalia hanging out in all the nooks and crannies of my life for that long. The fact that most of my projects were big made for all the more fun and games, and the patient sighs from the husband.
I got several pieces of furniture from a friend's mom a few years ago. Neat pieces, with potential and made like they used to make them back in the day. Quality and all that. But they were ugly. No way around it. One piece has actually lived in the shed for a long time. I just found it again. Yay. Hoarding has never paid off so well.
A friend introduced me to MacKenzie - Childs and mentioned that one of my ugly pieces definitely had potential for a makeover. And then there is the whole Pinterest suggestion of decoupaging fabric to wood pieces.
So I bought clearance knobs at Hobby Lobby, crazy paint colors that incorporate my kitchen personality, and fabric.
I cut out the fabric and left a little extra. Once the glue/decoupage dried I used an exacto knife to slice off the excess. I put on two coats of decoupage and let it dry very well and covered it with a matte paint-on varnish. When and if I change my mind down the road I think I can just rip it right off, but it will stay put til I decide to go there.
The paint and knobs finished the pieces off. The wall cabinet is a flaky mess but I love the tri-color chipped feel. So I brushed the chips off and covered the whole thing in the matte varnish. I still have the looks without the flaking lead (probably) paint chips in the house.
I mentioned craft supplies hanging everywhere...well...the project was finished about three hours before my family came over for dinner. Win. Win. Win.
The chalkboard is a cruddy, falling apart table that should have been thrown away. My husband totally shook his head in wonder at my idea. I could almost see the thought bubble. "Why?! WHY?!?" forming over his head. I sanded the table top down, put on two coats of painted-on chalkboard paint. Let it cure, painted big poppies on it, then seasoned the board with chalk and while doing so discovered I loved the chalk dimension on the poppies. Rob sawed the legs off and we hung it. The printing is atrocious and I forgot to redo it before the party. But, hey. It is what it is.
Whew. The last month has been a tasty bit of work. And I think I'm taking the rest of the week off. If you don't hassle me about it, I'll build you a cake or soneting.
I'll be back Monday. And I think I'll be nibbling on veggies til I see you again.
I'm kind of sad. The MoFo is oofo (over) for the year. But I'm also pretty stoked. I conquered my list. It was a challenge for sure and except for a few mistakes and do-overs I'm pleased with what I got done. I'm also pretty dang excited to have a whole lot of recipes to have at my fingertips when I want to prepare something that omnivores and Vegans alike will love. I hope you found some you'd like to try as well.
Caramel Supreme Fudge Silk Pie
(Makes 2 small or one large pie)
Oreo Crust:
24 Oreos
1 TBSP coconut oil
Process into food processor until fine and clumpy. Press into pie pan. Refrigerate.
Caramel Layer:
1/2 Cup maple syrup
1 Cup dates
1 Cup pecans
1 tsp vanilla
1 pinch of salt.
Place
dates in food processor. Pour maple syrup over them and let sit for 10
minutes or so. Add vanilla and salt and whir until incorporated. Toss in
pecans and whir again, and leave it a little textury
Dollop/dump this into the bottom of the pie shell and place into the
fridge.
Cream Layer:
1 Mori Nu firm or extra firm silken tofu
1 3/4 Cup powdered sugar
2/3 Cup non-dairy cream cheese
1/2 TBSP lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
2 TBSP arrowroot
Combine
all ingredients in a food processor until incorporated and creamy. Pour
over the caramel layer and place in the refrigerator.
Fudge Silk Layer:
1 Pkge Mori-Nu Firm Tofu
2 TBSP arrowroot powder
2 TBSP cocoa powder
3 TBSP non-dairy milk
2 TBSP agave
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 and 2/3 Cup melted chocolate chips.
Combine all in food processor until smooth and creamy. Pour/spoon over
cream layer and refrigerate until firm (at least two hours overnight is
the best texture).
Black Forest Cherry Supreme (makes 2 small/tart pan, or one large pie)
Oreo Crust:
24 Oreos
1 TBSP coconut oil
Process into food processor until fine and clumpy. Press into pie pan. Refrigerate.
Cherry Cream Layer:
1 Mori Nu firm or extra firm silken tofu
1 3/4 Cup powdered sugar
2/3 Cup non-dairy cream cheese
1/2 TBSP lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
3 TBSP arrowroot
2 TBSP cherry jam (you will need an additional 4 TBSP for pie(s)
Combine
all ingredients in a food processor until incorporated and creamy. Pour
over the fudge layer and place in the refrigerator.
Fudge Silk Layer:
1 Pkge Mori-Nu Firm Tofu
2 TBSP arrowroot powder
2 TBSP cocoa powder
3 TBSP non-dairy milk
2 TBSP agave
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 and 2/3 Cup melted chocolate chips.
Combine all in food processor until smooth and creamy. Then refrigerate until firm (at least an hour).
Coconut Whip Cream ( I used chocolate coconut cream by adding 3 TBSP cocoa to it but I think I'd like the contrast of the plain version better.)
1 Can pre-chilled full fat coconut milk. This needs to be in your
fridge for 48 hours at least to cause the milk to separate into layers.
You will scoop the thick layer into a bowl and begin whipping. Save the
liquid watery milk for another use like smoothies or Thai cooking.
3 TBSP powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
Pipe whipped cream around the pie(s). Spoon cherry jam into center. Refrigerate at least two hours. Overnight is better.
