Hooray Friday!

Yes, I'm sure the little auto-note that marks the date of my post will tell you it's Saturday, but I haven't slept yet and therefore, it is still Friday.  On Monday, today seemed so far away so I'm not only thrilled it's here - I'm also surprised!

I actually remember a similar phenomenon six years ago, when I moved into the apartment we just left.  There are still boxes everywhere and we're stepping around things and following specific paths just wide enough for one person because I just don't have much time or drive on weeknights to unpack.  Mister's done the best he can, but he doesn't know where I want all of the videos and my CDs and the second box of tupperware (too much tupperware...need to start hosting holidays ;) )  When we were in the midst of our 3-day staff reduction spree, there was a small stupid part of me that wanted to get laid off just so I could have the time to set up my home.

That's a little extreme, I'll grant you, but do you remember the last time you moved yourself or someone else?  It's highly anxiety-producing.  As cramped and irritating as I found the old apartment, at least I had created something that vaguely resembled order.  That is gone, replaced with no fewer than a dozen boxes that still require unpacking, sorting, shelving, and stocking, as well as a couch covered with clothes that need to be laundered, or unwrinkled, or just hung up.  None of these things are terribly time consuming...I just have no time.

But, at last, my weekend has come along; my anxiety-filled nights will soon be over, and life is like a song?  At any rate, once I get through the being-productive-outside-of-my-home part of tomorrow, I am going to throw myself whole-heartedly in reducing the chaos that has eaten my living room (but created a nice, dark, quiet cave for Angst).

Tonight, in the absence of a plan, I made Chickpea Stew with Fried Polenta from The Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook.  It always looks the same, it always tastes the same (AMAZING), so there are no pictures.  One outstanding thing was that I had some leftover broccoli from the stirfry earlier this week, so I sauted some garlic and Tuscan Seasonings in a Tbsp of olive oil and a splash of vegetable broth, then steam-sauteed the broccoli.  Mister took the first bite and exclaimed his pleasure - I took my first bite and shared his enthusiasm.  I can't believe how easy it is to cook tasty things now!  It was incredibly flavorful and I hope I remember to make it many times in the future.  It wasn't terribly attractive, so I didn't take any pictures, so why don't we just jump directly to the menu?

1. Forty-Clove Chickpeas and Broccoli from Appetite for Reduction.  I happened upon this post the other day and determined that it was high time this re-entered our dinner rotation.

2. Potato-Spinach Curry also from AfR.  I don't recall making this in the past, but Mister loves potatoes and curry, and it's a great reminder to restock the curry powder I thought I had.

3. Pasta Shells with Black-eyed Peas and Artichokes from The Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook.  This sounds so completely bizarre that I couldn't quite escape it.  We'll see how it turns out.

4. Sweet and Sour Stir-fry, also from Veg. Times Complete Cookbook.  Mister just happened to walk past me, scheming at the table with a pile of cookbooks, at exactly the right time to put in his vote for a sweet-n-sour anything.  It looks fun and easy and it comes from the "express" chapter, so I don't think I can go too wrong with it!

5. Greek-Style Rice Pilaf, also from VTCC.  As I was flipping through the pages tonight to have my cheat-sheet ready for dinner prep (honestly, as I was cooking, I realized that I just barely looked at it and probably don't need the recipe anymore at all), I came across this recipe and asked myself why I've never made it before.  That changes this week.

6. Pasta with Beans and Chard from Vegan Express.  I can't even remember the last time I made this simple, yet flavorful and satisfying dish, which means it's been way too long.

7. Lemony Garlic Chickpea Patties from Vegan on the Cheap.  In addition to my absurd desire for chocolate (which, by the way, has not subsided), I realized I really wanted to make one of the veggie "burger" recipes and finish the frozen fries that miraculously survived the move.  It took me a few minutes to decide between this recipe and the black bean burgers, but I made those twice and these only once, so that ended up being the deciding factor.

Hopefully, this week's relatively diverse menu will reward you for sticking with me through all my babbling about the move and will provide for some fun posts as I plow through some of the yet undiscovered recipes.  If not, I hope you'll keep reading anyway :)  See you tomorrow (today)!