you can't always get what you want

subtitle: How Bed, Bath, and Beyond failed me today.

There used to be a Linens 'n' Things very near my home.  It was a convenient alternative to BBB, since Mister officially declared his hatred for that store the night we became engaged.  It's a long story, but let's just say we ended up registering for our wedding at LnT (and Macy's) instead.  Anyway, since October 2008 led to the death of many of my favorite (but possibly second-rate) stores, my only option for convenience and price is the Triple B.  There happens to be one right around the corner from my Saturday job.

I went on their website this afternoon and was absolutely ecstatic to see they have the knife I've been looking for and which I am too lazy busy to walk up to Williams Sonoma to purchase:

Unfortunately, in the ten minutes I had to run into the store, grab coffeemaker water filters and find the knife, I was informed by a helpful and apologetic employee that they do not stock those knives, but they are available on the website.  I smiled, thanked her, and waited in line behind a woman with two very badly behaved children to pay for my coffee machine filters.  Nevermind that those knives were the only reason I set foot in that store.

Anyway, I was miraculously able to prepare dinner tonight without the help of the very sharp, nonstick, carbon fiber blade.  I can't remark about last night's dinner, since the only sharp utensil necessary was a pair of scissors to open the bag of frozen broccoli...

Okay, you got me, I did have to chop some olives and one-third of a yellow bell pepper for the salads.  I made Penne with Broccoli and Creamy Tomato Sauce last night.  Since we didn't have occasion to drop the cat again, I decided to make it fun by using gemelli pasta instead of plain ol' penne.  I also tried a different prepared pasta sauce: Ragu Robusto 7-Herb Tomato Sauce.  It was really good and vegan.  Omnivores everywhere are wondering right now (well, at least the ones who read my humble blog), "What wouldn't be vegan about pasta sauce?"  In a word: cheese. They sneak it into simple marinaras and think you won't notice.  I was completely surprised by how many prepared pasta sauces have cheese in them.

Tonight was a little more cutting intensive, but since I could cube tofu with a dinner knife, the intensity of the Kuhn Rikon knife I didn't buy today wasn't really missing.

I love Black Bottom Pineapple Tofu with Coconut Cashew Rice.  It tastes so good and it gets easier to make every time I make it.  A couple of changes: the recipe calls for 2 Tbsp of unsweetened coconut, but I use 3 Tbsp of sweetened coconut.  I think it's better that way.  Also, tonight I subbed chopped hazelnuts for the cashews because I want to use them before they go bad.  The cashews definitely complement the flavors of the dish better - they are more mild, while the hazelnuts have a more pronounced flavor.  I did enjoy the extra crunch provided by these sturdy little nuts, though.

We were "eating the rainbow" again tonight with a vividly colorful salad of mixed greens, grape tomatoes (I don't think they're quite ripe), yellow pepper, shredded carrots, and kalamata olives:

It was too pretty to not be showcased in its own beauty shot.

I got some other little presents for myself today, in between fulfilling a mean Starbucks craving (it happens to the best of us) and buying coffee maker water filters (are we sensing a pattern?), but I'll fill you in on that tomorrow.   In the meantime, feel free to check out two new blogs I've added to the side of my [revamped] page:

The Cutie Tip of the Day from Make-up artists, Touch of Blush

Chic Vegan - What I like about this blog is how it incorporates everything, just like living a vegan lifestyle encompasses not only what we eat, but how we dress, what we put on our feet and how we paint our faces (should we choose to, and you can probably guess my choice, based on the first link).  I love all the vegan and raw blogs out there, but I can't focus on food all the time or I'll never stop eating!  Enjoy!