eat, drink, and be merry

...for tomorrow, we die.  Or go back to work.  Same thing.

All kidding aside (who's kidding?), I had such a delightful weekend, I am both dwelling on each moment and regretting that it all ends when I go to sleep tonight.  Each day has adventures of its own, so we'll keep a positive outlook, shall we?  Probably the best way to guide you through my fabulous weekend is another picture parade, with me popping in from time to time to share a fun story.  Let the good times commence!

There has been a lot of good eating going on lately.  I snapped the above picture while having a surprise lunch with my dad.  I surprised him by being in center city mid-day on Thursday, so we went to Farmicia for a nice little lunch.  Although I was tempted by the Hummus and Avocado Sandwich, I ended up getting the Tres Tamales, which was three (no, really?) perfectly sized tamales, stuffed with their vegan chorizo and "vegetables" (which appeared to actually just be diced chili peppers).  I love how the tamales came in a Tv Dinner-like tray-plate.  In the leftmost top were scrumptious refried black beans.  In the middle was a very spicy salsa roja, and on the right was a pickled cactus salad.  Being an adult, I tried the pickled cactus, even though every cell in my body was saying, "No...I don't think that's a good idea..."  It wasn't, but I chewed up one piece and swallowed, satisfying my need to be adult and classy.  Then I chased it with a nice swig from my celebratory peach fizz (peach nectar + cava).  Dad enjoyed a Crab Cake on Brioche that was thick enough he decided it would be in better taste and manners to make it a fork-n-knife sandwich, rather than trying to unsacrimoniously shovel it all into his mouth.

This bit of my breakfast was part of a super-awesome discovery just before I left the produce section of Whole Foods last week: Mango Nectarines.  Interesting flavor - they look like a champagne mango with their yellow-pale green skin, but they taste more like a nectarine.

Speaking of Whole Foods, I think I'm falling in love with Trader Joe's.  We'll recall that the logistics of my first journey out there were probably not ideal for making me put it on my list of places that I regularly shop.  However, yesterday, I got done teaching a bit later than I wanted to and in order to redeem the day (because teaching someone how to make music isn't fulfilling enough :P), I decided to get off the train at Suburban Station instead of Market East.  Trader Joe's is just a few short blocks from the stairway from subterranean to the city surface, so I decided to take my chances on the buses running more frequently on a Saturday (they do).

I got all these veggies for only $19.95:

• 2 zucchini 
• a cucumber 
• 3 shallots 
• 2 garlics 
• 2 limes 
• 1 lb bag of lemons 
• 7oz arugula 
• a bag of snow peas 
• a bag of broccoli florets 
• a bag of shredded cabbage 
• a red pepper 
• an orange pepper 
• and a quart of vegetable broth

as a result, I saved about $15 total for this week's grocery bill, which is pretty significant considering this menu has seven dinners, not 5 or 6 like normal.  Also, this came in handy when I went to Superfresh and discovered that ThePowersThatBe have decided that consumers were getting their canned beans for a steal, so in the one week between the last time I shopped there and yesterday, they felt justified in increasing the price of beans 32 cents.  

When you're talking about beans, that's a serious number.   I mean, really - $1.19 for a 15oz can of chickpeas?  I guess it could be worse... they're still 80 cents more expensive than that at Whole Foods.  

Anyway, I ended up making the least expensive meal last night, primarily because I wanted to use up my Tofurky sausage and leftover Coconut Rice before something bad conspired between them in the fridge. The only thing I needed to buy for Stewed Lentils with Soy Sausage from Vegan Express was a can of tomatoes.

I heated up the leftover Coconut Rice from our Jerk Seitan the other night, but there really wasn't quite enough leftover to match the volume of the stewed lentils.  In the future, I think we'll need twice as much rice and I probably could have used more than 1 cup of diced tomatoes, too.  The 2 sausages instead of four, though, was right on.

After dinner, since it was Saturday and all, I made myself a little cocktail:

Pineapple Malibu Rum + 100% Papaya nectar + Lime Perrier

Speaking of fruity cocktails, Mister and I had brunch with my parents today (this appears to be turning into a monthly event) and while Mister and Mom stuck to French press coffee, Dad and I decided to celebrate the true nature of brunch: an excuse to drink frilly cocktails way too early in the day.

Closer to the camera is my beverage, April in Paris (st. germaine elderflower liquer + white wine + champagne).  I felt a little silly ordering it, with all that flowery name and whatnot, but I needn't have felt that way since my dad followed up by ordering a Ruby Slipper (absolut ruby red vodka + lime juice + triple sec + cranberry juice + champagne) which is the pretty pink drink further from the camera (and close to my father).

The menu at Valanni is pretty diverse and full of tasty-looking things beyond their fruitilicious cocktails (now might be a good - or damning - moment to point out that Valanni is a fabulously trendy hotspot in the heart of Philadelphia's "gayborhood").  I decided to get Cinnamon French Toast with a citrus glaze and vanilla-maple syrup, sprinkled with pecans and dried curants.  I had no idea how thick the bread would be!

For my savory side, I also ordered Roasted Potatoes which required me to ask our [very nice] server for salt - apparently the cook isn't a fan.  Roasted anything should always involve salt.  I guess you have to play it safe, though, when you're cooking for a bunch of strangers who may or may not have hypertension.

The purpose of my parents' visit was to bring me gifts from afar - Arizona, to be more specific.  The last time we had brunch with them was right before they left to visit my sister, so today was the "now we're home and we have presents" phase of brunch.  Oh, and also because we love each other.

Anyway, there were two big special presents that provoked the visit.  The first is this amazing handmade bowl:

The creator is Michael Nowack, a now-local artisan.  To my surprise, it is both microwave- and dishwasher-safe!  Add that to gorgeous and we have a winner!

Because my parents love my husband more than me, they also gave us two hot sauces and a grill spice mix that contains not just one kind of hot pepper - no, there are five chilies in that mix.  The pain they are clearly trying to inflict upon me, though, was balanced out by the sweetness of the other special gift.

This is Mesquite Flour.  I saw some in Essene yesterday, so it's comforting to know where I can get more if I need it, but this is "special" mesquite flour.  My sister, apparently an earth mother, plucked the pods from her very own mesquite tree and pounded them into this flour all by herself.

You know what they say: You can take the girl out of Africa, but you can't take Africa out of the girl.

Once we'd digested brunch and finished up any last-minute errands that needed running on the weekend, I made dinner.

This image just brings joy to my heart in that welling-over kind of way.  Doesn't that look tasty?  Hearty? Savory?  It doesn't hurt that it's also an attractive color combination, but anticipating the taste makes me want to drool even now.

I served up Pasta E Fagioli from Veganomicon with a delightful mixture of olives and the last of my Apothic Red.  I'm finishing the wine with a few squares of my dark Belgian chocolate from Trader Joe's (and kicking myself a little for not picking up another three bar set while I was there yesterday).

Farewell, Weekend, until we meet again!

on a lighter note...

Why don't we talk about food tonight?  Food so good that it can't possibly stir up controversy since it can be unanimously agreed upon that good food can also be tasty food (and pretty food - let's not neglect the food porn).  Why don't we do it like this: first we'll have a picture parade (to make up for last night's dearth), then we'll talk about the new menu.  Ready?  Let's go.

Last night, before I got all caught up in reading Mama Pea's post and answering some of the commenters with my own thoughts, leading to my novel-post because I had to get all those thoughts swimming around my head out in some kind of semi-coherent way, I made Rice Island Casserole from Vegan on the Cheap.  This is another one of those "baked" recipes that I have turned into a stovetop simmer recipe, because brown rice and my baking skills just do not get along.  I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but in my world, rice does not cook in the oven but rather on top of it.

It's such a good dinner - I never have trouble clearing my plate.

Or bowl.  Whatever.  The one thing I'm a little sad about is purely aesthetic - the kidney beans are pale.  Mister was kind enough to accompany me to both stores last weekend, enabling me to shop faster (he was just following me around with the baskets) and buy a little more (since he was there to help carry - he's such a handsome little pack-mule).  When we were at Superfresh, he made a comment on the absurdly high price of beans.

Beans are supposed to be cheap, right?  I mean, isn't that the punchline - "we were so poor growing up that mom ate beans because there was only enough 'real food' for us kids" right?  Actually, I know someone who did eat beans so her children could have more substantial food.  Anyway, I haven't been paying attention really, because beans are just one of those "essential" items that I pick up every single time I'm at the store.  It wouldn't really matter if they had tripled in price - I would still buy them and just be surprised at my higher bill.  His initial impetus to exclaiming his disbelief was that he wanted to pick up a can or two of refried beans but they were "way too expensive."  We happened to be having this conversation as I was picking out the whole beans and I noticed a huge difference in price between the dark and light kidney beans.  I don't actually know, besides color, what the difference is between them (logic would dictate the darker beans would be higher in antioxidants, but that's just a guess), so I decided we didn't need the more-expensive dark kidney beans.

They are much prettier, though.

Speaking of pretty (I'm getting so good at these segues), how about these cherries?

Every week, Whole Foods reduces the price by $1, but I really don't think they'll go much lower than $5/lb, so I decided this was the magical week we could have some.  If I'm wrong, well, I guess we'll have to get some more when they're a lower price, won't we?  I wouldn't mind - they were as sweet, juicy, and ripe as they are beautiful.  Cherry red is one of my very favorite colors (you might have guessed that from the placemats).

I actually got up early enough today to go to the Headhouse Farmers Market.  Well, to be honest, I frequently get up early enough to go to the farmers market but end up missing it because I'd rather spend the time waking up slowly and watching Evanescence or P!nk videos on YouTube.  Today I actually went...and was disappointed.  I guess it would have been okay if I didn't have a specific list of items in mind and if I was willing to pay more to support local agriculture that may or may not use genetically modified seeds.  I will probably return in the future, because there were a lot of fun booths that had stuff I would buy if I weren't on a budget, but I tried really hard to be frugal this week since there are a lot of beginning-of-the-month expenses to wipe out the paycheck I just got. 

After playing at the farmers market, Mister and I met up with my parents for a little brunch at Farmicia in Olde City.  We went there almost exactly 2 months ago with them and they enjoyed it so much they specifically requested returning there, so I made the reservations and off we went.  There was a deflating baby and a squeaking fan, but as always the food was delicious and the cocktails inventive.

I had the same thing I had last time, but this time I actually remembered my camera.  This is the Scrambled Tofu with Vegan Chorizo.  Obviously, that's on the right.  In the back were sopapillas (kind of like Mexican pita) to scoop up various parts of the meal.  On the left is a crisp tortilla with a generous lump of avocado-tomato salsa.  The tofu could have had a little more flavor, but its relative blandness helped to even out the spicy kick of the chorizo.  The sopapillas are pillow-soft and delightfully chewy and did a great job delivering the big chunks of avocado, dotted with crisp tomatoes, to my mouth.  In the back right, you may observe a slightly cloudy-looking drink.  That was my Little Miss Sunshine.  I ordered it because the name is hilarious and because it sounded fun - strawberry-flavored vodka with fresh lemonade.  It was very easy to drink and if I didn't keep reminding myself it had alcohol in it, I probably could have knocked back two with minimal effort.

Before they left, my mother gave me a delightfully fragrant, hydroponic basil plant.

Let's see how long it takes either for me to kill it or Angst to eat it.  Mister and I are fairly confident that he would be repulsed into stopping his nibbles after only one bite (which would confirm that it is most definitely not spinach), but I'm hoping that he can smell that it's not spinach and just stays away from it.  It looks so pretty in its Classico jar (bonus: if Angst does decide to eat it and knocks over the jar, at least I won't have lost another vase).

Since I had all day, pretty much, to prep for dinner, I saved the most time-consuming recipe on the menu for last - Orzo Pilaf from Vegan on the Cheap with Tofeta from How It All Vegan.  As I mentioned in the menu, VotC has its own tofeta recipe, but I like the one in HIAV better.

I needed a new dress for Cousin's wedding this weekend.  Okay.  I didn't need one, but I can only wear the same dresses so many times before people start wondering if I do laundry.  Besides, the last time I bought a dress, it was for my wedding, so I think it's okay to get another one after 4 years.  Anyway, before I headed out to Greene Street Consignment, I put the tofu in my handy-dandy Tofu Xpress to press while I shopped.  When I returned, with a dress, I diced it and put it back in the box along with the marinade to which I accidentally added twice as much basil as the recipe prescribed, then let it marinate for an hour in the fridge while I did other stuff.

building a base of greens

mmm....so tasty

I really like the crunch and varied texture provided by the lettuce leaves.  I've made this before and did not serve it as a salad and it was just fine, but I think this is a better way for the future.

Finally, the new menu.  More than half of it comes from a cookbook I have pretty well neglected since we moved: The Complete Vegan Cookbook.  That's a shame - it has a lot of good recipes.  So I started my recipe search there and nearly concluded it there as well, except that I had at least one recipe I knew I wanted to make from Vegan on the Cheap (will I ever get tired of this cookbook?).

1. Curried Cauliflower, Garbanzo, and Tomato Salad from CVC because cauliflower is awesome, but curried cauliflower = Mister in heaven.

2. Pasta Puttanesca with Artichokes, also from CVC.  I really like puttanesca sauces - they are so flavorful as to be nearly overwhelming.  I am curious about the combination of what I consider two fairly different tastes (and I might be doing it wrong, so I guess we'll see).  Puttanesca sauce is salty and kind of dark tasting, whereas I consider artichokes a little tangy from the brine they usually soak in during storage.  I'm supposed to be using frozen artichokes, though, but I couldn't find any.

3. Bulgur and Red Lentil Pilaf with Kale and Olives, also from CVC.  I love this dish.  That's all.

4. Provencal Black-Eyed Peas with Asparagus, also from CVC.  When we were first dating, Mister and I worked very close to one another, so we would sometimes take a short break for ice cream or other little treats.  A few times, I stopped at Baskin-Robbins on the way to meet him and I would call and ask what he wanted - his answer was normally, "whatever's weird."  In the spirit of that, I chose this dish - it's definitely weird: Black-Eyed Peas definitely have their place in Cajun/Creole cooking, and that cuisine is certainly influenced by Provence, but I think we're taking a mighty big leap here.  And then there's the asparagus.  That just doesn't make any sense to me.

5. Farfalle with White Beans and Cabbage from VotC.  I bought a big head of red cabbage for one of last week's salads and only used a very small amount.  The recipe calls for green cabbage, but we're just going to improvise a little.

6. Coconut Curry Rice also from VotC, except I forgot to pick up more curry powder.  Looks like a mid-week trip to Whole Foods is in my future...

mutants do brunch

I have a serious yearning for dessert right now.  I think it's because I didn't have any at brunch today, but that's because we were all stuffed full of tasty things to consider shoving anything else into our stomachs.  Maybe once I post this, I can convince Mister to stop babbling about movies and actors and directors and how nothing "good" has come out in the past ten years, even though we can both name about 10 movies that have come out recently that we regret missing in the theater.

Mister and I have very different taste in movies, so very frequently we play the "I've never heard of that" "I can't believe you've never seen [insert movie title everyone else has seen here]!!!" game.  Both of these phrases are usually followed by my husband looking at me like I'm a mutant.  After years of holding out, I think we're finally going to get a Netflix subscription.  I mean, we do have a couch now...

Anyway, you don't want to hear about how I've never seen "Cape Fear" or "Gladiator" or "Scarface."  You want to hear about my super-duper brunch double-date.

First, let me say how disappointed I was to come home and realize I had forgotten to take my camera.  The presentation at Farmicia wasn't nearly as exquisite as that of Horizons, but you still knew your food was going to taste fantastic just by looking at it.  Additionally, the decor was fabulous - an amazing combination of "Are we really still in Center City?" and clean, modern design.  I thought it was adorable that the centerpiece at our table was a perfect green Granny Smith apple, settled snugly into a small periwinkle blue dish.  That's all.  That's all there needed to be.

I had a bit of trouble deciding on a brunch spot.  For years, there was no question - my parents would come down to Queen Village and we would walk over to Southwark because my friend owns it and because it's beautiful and has good food.  However, as my palate has changed and my attitude toward food adjusted, I find that their menu is quite limited, even for my egg-loving Mister.  You can't, for example, get an omelet with spinach and cheese.  You can get the specific omelet they are serving that day, and if it's mushrooms, cheddar, and bacon, well, we're SoL.  I think my breaking point came when the server explained that they could not substitute spinach for the bacon on Eggs Benedict...even though they had a spinach salad on the menu.

I put my question out to the twitterverse and Kelly from Living On the Vedge suggested Farmicia.  I checked out the menu.  "You had me at tofu." (as long as movies are on the mind...)  So, for the first time ever, I proved I was hip to the new technology and reserved a table through the website (yes, I know that's not new).  Thank heavens - the place was completely packed when we showed up for brunch today.  The menu is quite diverse and full of tasty non-animals for Mister and I, as well as the opposite for my dear parents.  I love how my mom requests a "place where Dad can get real eggs."  I don't think they're over last year's birthday brunch yet.

It didn't take me long to decide on the Scrambled Tofu with Vegan Chorizo.  It didn't take me long to realize I absolutely made the right choice.  I've never actually had chorizo, vegan or otherwise - I'll pause so you can look at me like I just grew another head - so that was different.  It was a fun dish with toothsome tofu, spicy crumbled "sausage", served with sopaipillas, on top of refried black beans, along with a taco-type situation involving tomatoes and huge chunks of avocado.  It was terrific - what a fabulous combination of flavors and textures, and for me, it was just the right amount of food.  I washed it down with a St. Germain cocktail (champagne, elderberry liquid, soda) and thought of how to convince Mister we should come here again and soon.

Turns out, it doesn't take much convincing as he quite enjoyed his Quesadilla with eggs, potatoes, cheese, and they even let him sub vegan chorizo for the "real thing."  Such flexibility!  It was quite a big quesadilla, so I'm not surprised he didn't have room for dessert...I wonder if there's room yet...

My mom got a huge pile of french toast that appeared to be covered in a healthy serving of applesauce, although the menu calls it cherry-apple compote.  It looked great and my father didn't mind helping her finish it, especially since his Brunch sandwich was not huge.  It appeared to be satisfying, but not huge.  We all greatly enjoyed our brunch, the atmosphere, and the time together, then my parents came back to check out the new apartment.

After they left I got to do my favorite thing ever - Grocery Shopping!  I'm kidding.  I did go grocery shopping, but doing so on a Sunday afternoon can be a harrowing experience at best.  Nevertheless, we needed ingredients for:

1. Salsa Rice and Red Beans from Vegan on the Cheap
2. Rice Island Casserole, also from Vegan on the Cheap
3. Pasta E Fagioli from Veganomicon (I think it's winning the battle for Most Favorite)
4. Chickpea Piccata from Appetite for Reduction
5. Curried Chickpeas and Greens, also from Appetite for Reduction
6. Pasta con Broccoli, also from Appetite for Reduction AND tonight's dinner.

When I got my groceries home and started putting them where they belong, I thought my huge haul of garlic was funny, so I took a picture of exactly how garlic-heavy this week's menu turned out to be:

I used nearly a whole head just for tonight's dinner.  I figured I was probably in a better mindset to thinly slice a quarter-cup of garlic than I might be during the week.  I also thought it would take longer than it did.  Note to self: As long as you use frozen broccoli (organic, of course), this is one of your quickest cooking meals.

It is also far more flavorful than it appears.

That kind of looks like a pile of naked linguine with unexpectedly verdant frozen broccoli, doesn't it?  So Wrong - the last step of the recipe involves adding the cooked pasta to the pot with the broccoli and broth-sauce and those little noodles slurp up an astonishing amount of flavor from that quick "saute."  This is quickly becoming a favorite in our home.

Brunch at Supper

Even though the date on this post will say Monday, August 30, it is merely after midnight and I haven't slept, so according to Mister (and me), it is still today.  Today was a wonderful (if not a bit hot) day.  I woke to find a hungry kitty waiting for me to get up and feed him - days like today are one reason we sleep with the bedroom door closed.  He barely allowed me to start my tea and was following me around, singing the "feed me" song.  Once he had his breakfast, he retired to his newly found Favorite Spot - the window.

I left him on the window and Mister in bed and joined my parents and sister for a lovely Sunday brunch at Supper.  I chose this restaurant for a couple of reasons, the most outstanding being the ironic humor of eating brunch at a place called Supper.  Also, it provided a venue where my father's and my differing culinary desires could meet in relative harmony, ensuring a peaceful family gathering.  My dear dad, of course, ordered the eggs 'n' meat fritatta, while I opted for cornmeal johnnycakes and a bowl of fruit to share with my sister.  After a perfectly portioned brunch, we wandered down the Italian Market to see the sights and digest a little.  I snuck in a short trip to the Spice Corner, which smelled wonderful and seemed to amuse my parents.

I spent the hotter part of the afternoon doing laundry and once the sun started to dip below the highest parts of the skyline, I headed over to Whole Foods to shop for this week's menu:

1. Mediterranean Chopped Salad from Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook, which reminds me, I also gave my sister a little present this afternoon: the Farmer's Market cookbook issue of Vegetarian Times magazine, chock full of blended and chilled soups (her new thing).  This led to a very entertaining discussion of immersion blenders as we walked to Supper for Brunch.

2. TLC Sandwiches, clipped from the coupon magazine they have at Whole Foods.  They sound simple and fun.  I will serve them alongside Mediterranean Mashed Potatoes.

3. Snobby Joes from Veganomicon.  For reasons I may never know, I was craving this specific recipe out of all the Joes recipes I have.

4. Curried Tofu with Mixed Baby Greens from my own twisted imagination.  I was inspired to make this again when I saw all the perfect rows of baby bok choy waiting to be taken home on last week's market day.  That might be foreshadowing...just sayin'.

5. Moroccan Mishmash, because mishmash is a great way to describe the state of my brain by the time I get home from work most days recently.  And because it tastes good.

6. Thai Pineapple Stir-Fried Rice from Vegan Express.  I can't remember if I've made this before.  If I have, it's high time I repeat it.  If I haven't, I'm sure I'm about to kick myself.

Last night, however, I made the Herbed Ragu Bolognese from the Sept/Oct 2010 issue of VegNews.

I did deviate slightly from the recipe.  The recipe called for tempeh, so I substituted tofu to prevent a war in Mister's belly.  Although I like tempeh, I think I was happier with the tofu than I would have imagine its texture with tempeh.  Also, I didn't simmer it for a full hour - I simply ran out of patience, to be honest.  It was very good - the sauce was delightfully thick and meaty, as a bolognese sauce should be.  There was only one thing I can honestly say did not go well: the Brazil Nut Cream.  It never turned into a cream, despite following all the directions.  I wonder if I need a high-speed blender to make it thick and creamy, but the nuts remained in chunks.  Fortunately, its vague grittiness added to the illusion of "meatiness."

Tonight's dinner was Curried Tofu with Mixed Baby Greens, although it ended up a little differently than planned.

I've made this previously with silken tofu and found that I didn't like the way the curry spices sat on top of it, rather than melding into the nooks and crannies of water-packed tofu.  I used that this time and found it absorbed the spices far better, resulting in a much better tofu experience.  In an ironic twist of fate, all those perfect little baby bok choy that caused me to choose this recipe?  Gone.  There was not a single baby bok choy in all of Whole Foods.  I elected to replace them with what remained of the chard from Friday's dinner.  It came out well and somehow seemed faster than other times I've made it.  I'm hoping I can say the same about this week upon arriving at Friday again!

home is where the happy is

I have a confession to make: I am not all that excited about going back to work tomorrow.

I had such a nice weekend; it was really, truly enjoyable. Why ruin it by starting a new week? Is Monday really that necessary?

Yesterday, I woke up to - you guessed it - more snow! What an excellent start to the weekend! Actually, sleeping until I decided to get up was the excellent start, but snow was a terrific way to keep the fun going. It didn't accumulate at all, but it was gorgeous floating around in the air. I enjoyed some coffee and breakfast, and after a satisfying lunch, it was time to go food shopping. I'll spare you the boring details, but after that chore was conquered, I went to my Saturday job and found myself wishing I could make it my only job. It really is fulfilling, but I am basing that on the way it feels to see two girls I've been teaching for 8 years or so and recognize how far they've come. I remember how completely frustrating the first year of lessons can be and how some people just can't/won't learn. I did teach "full-time" for a while and depending on it for my complete income really extinguished any flame of passion I might have had for it at that time, so I'll let it go at that.

Returning home to a fully stocked fridge and cupboards, I decided to kick off my new menu by cooking up some Spanish Veggie Stew with Spanish Rice, both from The Accidental Vegan.


It was something of an exercise in patience. I have nearly given up on brown rice. When I was at Whole Foods last week, I picked up some short-grain brown rice, stupidly thinking that it would cook slightly faster than long-grain brown rice. NOPE. After the first hour of boiling, I lost track of how long it took. I'm not convinced that it was actually done when I served it, but I was done boiling it. I started it well before I started simmering the stew, and it was still going for a while after the stew was very fully cooked.

I will probably make this again, but without brown rice of any length.

Tonight, I made Seitan Cacciatore, also from TAV. It is so easy and so tasty and works well with [much faster cooking] Basmati rice. I also threw together a couple of salads. I don't have a whole lot to say about this, other than how good this is and how you should eat it, too.


Earlier today, we had two fun visits: my parents came into the city and took us out for my birthday brunch (yes, a month and a half late - how awful a daughter am I?), and Mister had a playdate with an old friend. By playdate, I mean that the two of them hung out in the midst of Mister's mess, oohing and aahing over dusty bits of audio gear I still don't understand, while I poked through Hi-Fructose and Clean Eating magazines.

If I've never mentioned this before, my parents are awesome. Despite their inclination to think I'm a little off, they continually humor my whims and courageously take those opportunities to open their minds and try something new. Instead of going to our standard brunch spot, I tricked my loving parents into taking us to MiLah Vegetarian. Once there, I was amused, impressed, and proud. It was amusing watching everyone, including Mister, pore over the menu. I was impressed with my father for ordering Tofu Benedict and proud of him for actually eating it all! I got the Tofu Benedict as well, which came with braised kale, roasted tomatoes, and sweet potato home-fries. It was very good.

I am very much in love with the menu and would love to return multiple times for both brunch and dinner so I can try everything...convincing Mister to go with me could prove difficult, though. It seemed to me that everyone's food was very good and I was also very happy with the coffee and the fruit plate. Mister's grudge is with the staff, and although they were friendly, I am somewhat in agreement with him. It seemed like everyone on staff today was a teenager or college kid...resulting in Mister not getting his "bacon" and getting sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes, which makes for a sad Mister.

In any case, I got my birthday presents! They're all wonderful! I got some kitchen toys: a vegetable peeler that you wear on your finger - I can't wait to see how that works - and a vegetable "peeler" that juliennes the veggies. That will save me SO MUCH TIME. It only got better from there:


That's right, a whole box full of tasty treats for me! That's a nice little picture, isn't it? Funny story, though - my mother gave me the Larabars because she couldn't stand the one she tried. I tried to explain that you have to give it a few bites, but she wasn't having it. More for me!

She saved the best for last, though. I am thrilled to introduce you to....another cookbook!


I had this on my Christmas Wish List, because I can never collect enough recipes that can be prepared quickly. I mean, seriously - I don't start cooking dinner until 8:30 at the very earliest on work nights.

I''ll leave you with a little tangent from that: My sister was born on Christmas Eve. Don't feel bad for her. She has never gotten a Christmas-Birthday present to my knowledge, specifically because everyone expects that she always gets Christmas-Birthday presents and they feel badly about that. It never happens. She makes out like a bandit. On the other hand, I was born 3 weeks after Christmas...which apparently makes it completely acceptable to give me Christmas-Birthday presents because that probably never happens. Nope, sorry - it happens every year. My parents have never done this to me, but I have grown accustomed to missing those great after-Christmas sales and the reason is this: I give them (at their request) a "Christmas list" every year, and have been doing so since I was a child and still thought I was writing to Santa. From that list, my mother takes advantage of the after-Christmas sales and the wealth of ideas provided to get my birthday presents as well. So every year, I have to wait for three weeks until my birthday (this year a little longer, but it was my own fault) to find out if there is anything on that list that I really wanted but didn't get and now have to buy myself.

The point of all this? Nothing really - I just had a great weekend and I don't want it to end!