back to basics

Today was Monday, in a sense.  I went back to work today, but tomorrow is still Friday, which is definitely the way to go back to work.  Tomorrow, Philadelphia plans to remind us that it IS actually autumn - this will be demonstrated by way of a 20 degree difference in high temperatures between today and tomorrow.

I figured I should probably use that as my guide for the few dinners on my mini-menu.   I chose hot dogs because the stew and soup will probably be better suited for the next couple nights (as well as received more kindly by a shivery Mister).  Believe me, I wouldn't ordinarily peg a dinner made completely from prepared foods and no fresh veggies as the first meal I would cook after a vacation from my kitchen.

Nevertheless, when Sister and I had our Cajun meal in Disney, the baked beans reminded me of two things: first, they reminded me how much I love baked beans.  Second, and possibly more importantly, they reminded me that every once in a while, it's okay to make a "simple" dinner.  I don't have to plunk down a culinary masterpiece each night, nor do I have to stretch my creative wings each time I don't have a recipe handy.  Every now and then, it is not just okay, but fun to open a can of baked beans to heat up alongside the sauerkraut while the water is boiling for the veggie dogs and the whole wheat buns are warming in the toaster oven.

In other news, Mister is very proud of me: after all these years (also known as My Life), I've finally started to load my hot dogs up with stuff.  It's not really a hot dog for Mister if it doesn't also involve a pickle, sauerkraut, ketchup, mustard, and sometimes potato chips for crunch.  Pretty much all of my life, I've been perfectly content to eat a hot dog on a bun.  That's it.  No fancy condiments or pickled vegetables for me, sir, just the dog.  Tonight, Mister watched happily as I squirted ketchup down the center inside of my dog, then topped it with a generous bit of sauerkraut.

In case you have a thing for brand names, or are just curious and starting out on this whole delightful meatless journey, we had Jumbo Smart Dogs, Heinz Vegetarian Baked Beans, and store brand sauerkraut, flanked by Heinz ketchup and store brand spicy brown mustard on Arnold's Whole Wheat buns.

A couple of items in the Coming Attractions:
First, I have opened a Twitter account for the blog - I would love for you to follow me @AngstLvsSpinach.  I'll be posting when I put up a new post for your reading pleasure, as well as any other fun and useful things I come across.

Also, there are just a few days until World Vegan Day (Nov. 1st) which kicks off this year's fourth annual VeganMoFo!  I plan on trying to post every single day - In addition to some fabulous new autumn recipes and Thanksgiving prep, I'll be doing another round-up or two (hint: there will be chocolate) and covering a couple of special topics.  If there's anything you'd like to read about or if you have a favorite omni recipe in need of tasteful vegan conversion, feel free to drop a line and let me know!