Ridiculous Moments Under the Influence of the North

A sunshinily deprived woman's idea of the Harlem Shake...tres amusant...but maybe you had to be there

http://youtu.be/jzQhemq827g

Greetings from the Snowy North

Minneapolis is cold and snowy. Why do we head north when spring starts closer to home? Probably for fun and ridiculous hijinks. And food. Lots of good food. Maple and pecan so far has been a great combination. Lots of vegan options. Yum yum.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Vegan Reuben Makings and Reuben Casserole

Took this to my church potluck and omnivores scarfed it down. One of my chief omnivore targets, the anti-veganist eater ever, raved about the reuben casserole at his table. Two of his table mates knew it was mine. They said, "Kelly made it, it's Vegan." His eyebrows shot up and he said, "Dang, why'd you have to go and ruin it for me." So. Just sayin.... this is pretty good. 

You can use the Thousand Island, sauerkraut and browned Pastrami Tempeh and make traditional Reuben sandwiches with Rye bread, too, and just serve the cole slaw on the side. You can add Vegan cheese like Daiya to the sandwich, but I don't know that it would add a lot to the flavor.
 

Thousand Island Dressing:

1/4 Cup pickle relish (I used sweet which made this sweeter, I'll try dill next time)
1/4 Cup ketchup
1/4 Cup mayo (Vegan)
1 pinch salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce (Vegan, check label)
 
Pastrami Tempeh:

2 Pkgs tempeh sliced
1/2 Cup olive oil
1 TBSP pepper
1/2 TBSP smoke seasoning (I used Trader Joe's grind your own).
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (check label)
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder

Marinate the tempeh slices or pieces for at least an hour. Brown in hot pan.

Coleslaw:

2 packages of cabbage slaw or 1 each of cabbage slaw and broccoli slaw
1/4 Cup olive oil
1/2 Cup vinegar (I used half apple cider and half rice vinegar)
1 1/2 TBSP sugar
2 pinches of salt

Rye Bread Croutons:

1/2 to 3/4 loaf rye, pumpernickel, or marble bread cut into chunks/squares.
1 to 2 TBSP olive or other oil of choice
1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder

Chop rye or marble rye bread into small chunks. Toss in a large ziploc. Drizzle with oil. Close and shake the bag. Reopened and sprinkle garlic powder in bag. Close and shake again. Dump on a pan, Stick in the oven (don't need to preheat). Bake approximately 1 hour at 275. Stir every 15 minutes until dried out.

Reuben Casserole:

9 x 13

Large can sauerkraut, drained.
1/2 batch of reuben tempeh
Rye Bread croutons
1/3 Batch Cole Slaw
Thousand Island Dressing

Slightly grease 9 x 13 pan
Preheat oven to 350

Put drained sauerkraut in bottom of casserole. Top with browned tempeh. 
Bake for 20 minutes.
Spread Thousand Island dressing over tempeh. Sprinkle half the croutons over the dressing. Layer on the cole slaw. Top with rest of the croutons and more Thousand Island if desired.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Skillz?

My violin....Gertie. Nice name, doncha think?

I'm going to introduce you to Gertie the violin. I'm going to call her Gertie because it just feels right. 

Please ignore the very ripe bananas behind Gertie. They have nothing to do with this post. 

A few facts about Gertie. She's 40+. And when the cute little violin repair guy was working on her he did some sighing. When I mentioned that he'd sighed and whistled while he worked my teacher said it was probably because he's used to working on $100,000 violins. My mom and dad love me, but I'm real sure they didn't shell out 100K for Gertie.

Gertie 1977 Instagram style...brrowowwoow

The top of the case holds my bows. I have two because the 40-year-old top one is warped and contains about twelve strands. The bottom guy is brand spanking new. The white stripes by the curly top section of the violin are my cheater tapes. Those lines are where my fingers go when I attempt to play notes. And the notes are sometimes speedy, speedy fast and very challenging. The reach can be a bit tough, too.  

Yesterday's lesson included clapping. Interesting, huh? Why would I clap during my lesson? And why would I be assigned clapping as part of my homework? Because I ain't gots no dang rhythm. Annoying, annoying, annoying. I can not get my mind wrapped around eighth notes and half notes and keeping proper time...yet...maybe the clapping will help.

This video is pretty funny. My brother shared it with me when I mentioned my violin adventure. Ha. A little language but amusing... an interesting reminder of how "nothing is new under the sun."

Scraps or Snippets ~ African Infused Stew/Gravy

African Infused Stew or Gravy  

(Makes approx 6 servings depending on hunger level)

The flavor of turmeric, peanut butter, garlic and coriander are subtly  present in this recipe and very much African. You could add a bit of heat with a sprinkle of dried pepper flakes or splash of hot sauce if so inclined.

3 ½ Cups vegetable broth 

1 Cup rinsed dried lentils (I used red)

1 TBSP Earth Balance or oil

4 TBSP peanut butter

1 15 oz can of tomato sauce or diced tomatoes

½ onion diced

1 Cup of chopped vegetables of your choice

½ Cup diced celery

1 teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon coriander powder

¼ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon salt if you use low sodium broth

3 Cups prepared rice or quinoa as a base for the stew as a gravy. Or use pita triangles or an Injera style bread for dipping or scooping into the stew.

In a dutch oven or large frying pan saute celery, onion and vegetable of your choice in the TBSP of Earth Balance or oil. When onion is translucent add the peanut butter, the spices, the tomatoes and the broth. Mix well. Add the lentils and let simmer approx 20 minutes. Longer is fine though you may have to add a bit more broth if it gets too thick. Crockpot on low for several hours would be fine, too, in that case you can skip the oil/Earth Balance and sauteing of veggies and just throw all of it in the crockpot together.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Squeak-A-Long

cool sculpture in a violin repair shop...

Violin story...

Did I mention how hard this is for me? The complete and total remodeling of my brain...intense. For starters reading music...little black dots on series of a vertical and horizontal display of clotheslines. Easy enough, right? Those clotheslines have letters assigned to them. The lines are E(very) G(ood) B(oy) D(oes) F(ine) or Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge. The spaces are FACE.

Easy. UNTIL one has to take those little black dots and figure out which space or line it falls upon and WHICH corresponding string and finger placement is required to make the proper sound. I'll let you know when I actually pull this off. 

Then, the G string. The queen mother of low notes has a logical placement below the clothesline. And these. Whew, these totally mess with my mind. Though it makes total sense on paper, the way these notes are supposed to be played, it makes very little sense to my eyes, my fingers and my brain. 

Also, to complicate things, the notes on the pages are repetitious. Like A through G over and over again. And those notes all have special places on the strings of my violin. And bowing must be just so, if not, all manner of screeching ensues. 

 Oh, and, the little black dots can morph into connected dots, flagged dots and open centered dots....and dots with special tiny dots, too. Each of these means something. That something is a whole lot of CHALLENGE.

Note to all you children out there. If you ever think you might want to make pretty music someday, learn it now, while your brains are still elastic and limber.  

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Ridiculous

My sense of humor is a little off the wall.

My family used to watch me during sad/touching scenes in movies because I'd always cry. But not that long ago someone made the startling realization that when I watch anything that others might be rolling around on the floor laughing at, I may remain stone cold sober....until someone gets hurt.

Sick and twisted I know, but I love me some good physical humor. And I love ridiculous and clever one-liners. I also kinda love jokes that are "innocently" socially unacceptable.  Along the lines of little Susie swallowed a spoon....or "Cat's Revenge"...

Anyhoo. As I got into the truck to head home after work, I saw a shopping list Rob had written that included some supplies for &'s apartment. One of the words triggered a memory of one of those socially unacceptable jokes that I find to be hilarious.

And I seriously chuckled all the way home.

I can't tell you what the joke is because a) it's socially unacceptable and b) because you would be so confused as to why the incident triggered the giggles...really...not that funny.....unless you are me...then it's stinkin hilarious.

Here's hoping you witness something that tickles your funny bone today.