29 Sep 2007: Chard
My chard is the best chard:
Oh, I'm going to miss my garden this winter. That is all.
28 Sep 2007: Morning Photos
In an effort to photograph more of my daily life (er, as opposed to all those other staged, studio shots I take? I don't know what I mean, either. . .) and to post a bit more often, I'm going to try to take one photograph of my morning each day for. . . let's say a week. It's a plan that's sure to fall to pieces almost immediately, but good intentions and all that.
And apropos of nothing, here are some things I'm really enjoying at the moment: Tempeh, stripes, morning walks, grey cats (even on the counter, as they sometimes are), chard from the garden, anything else that comes from the garden, The Jam's The Gift, my new cutting board (in the photo above), vegan cookbooks, hot chocolate made with almond milk, baked apples, sweatshirts, scarves, my new bag (this one -- I couldn't be bothered to make my own, for once), Elvis Costello's My Aim is True, tin cups, candles, fake jerky, layering, working at coffee shops, Beethoven's 7th, flying squirrels, and. . . cold-air-hot-sunshine.
25 Sep 2007: The Lazy Vegan (Me)
Photos of half-eaten lunches: Gross or delightfully real? You decide:
One of the tricky things about being vegetarian in the UK (and there aren't that many, honestly), is finding a good sandwich in the shop. Unless you luck out and find something a bit exotic, you're pretty much stuck with cheddar and pickle (not pickles, which I actually do like, although I've come 'round to pickle as well) or egg mayo. So I had decided I didn't really like sandwiches. They're just so boring.
That's not true, of course, and the past summer was a summer of sandwiches, each one better than the last. But I think today's might have topped them all. A TLT (tempeh -- 'bacon' flavoured tempeh!, lettuce, and tomato) with vegan 'cheese' spread that I made last night.
I've bought a couple of vegan cookbooks recently, because the recipes are just so much more interesting than in even regular vegetarian books. S and I are tempeh-crazy at the moment, and my new cookbooks are filled with recipes that use exciting things like tempeh (of course), tahini, liquid aminos, etc etc.
Which is how I've become a lazy vegan. You know how some people say they're lazy vegetarians? Like they just don't happen to eat very much meat, but sometimes they stop by the burger joint on the way home, or chow down on a big plate of marshmallows (say). So, really, they're not veggie at all, but maybe they like the attention. That's me and veganism.
S can't do dairy, and we struck upon the idea of a vegan hotdish a while back. I tweaked a recipe in The Real Food Daily Cookbook to come up with the fake cheese/cream sauce I used in the hotdish, and the leftover makes an amazing spread for sandwiches. Like so:
Continue reading "The Lazy Vegan (Me)" »
25 Sep 2007: The Season of Busyness
The temperatures have been really unpredictable lately, but the trees are definitely starting to change colour -- it's really and truly autumn. Beany can't even believe it:
She's so happy with her new cat table; I don't have the heart to tell her that it's actually more of a plant stand (I repotted the herbs that Sara left me when she moved -- they look so nice!). You can also see my new curtains in that photo. They're really long, still in need of hemming up, and again I'm trying to find the words to tell Beany that they won't always be as they are now. Sleeping behind the pooled-up curtains is her second favourite activity. Decorating for cats: horizontal surfaces at window level and fabric on the floor.
The change of seasons has made me feel very nest-y, which has resulted in dozens of little projects around the house. One thing after another. I cannot believe September is nearly over -- who authorized that? I won't be completing that list of goals for September, I know, but I do feel like I've been productive. Just in an unplanned way.
I pulled out my cherry tomato plants on Sunday, in order to give the full-sized tomatoes better access to the sunlight. They're heavy with green tomatoes, and I'm keen for them to start turning red before the cold really kicks in. The garden is looking pretty spare now (the cherry tomato plants were monsters!), but there are still loads of eggplants, peppers, and broccoli being produced. There are at least three big butternut squashes, still a bit green, but it shouldn't take too much longer before they're ready. As for me -- I'm ready for next spring now! I can't wait to expand the garden and start the whole cycle again. Too bad about that pesky winter season.
20 Sep 2007: See You, Summer!
Today's the last day of summer, though it's not looking remotely summery outside. Time for homemade soup and a baked potato.
And a grey woolly cardigan, obviously. Winter vegetables? Check. Layering? Check. Scarves? Check. Bring on autumn!
18 Sep 2007: Peanut Butter Banana
Look at these! Don't you wish you were at my house?
Peanut Butter Banana cake with drizzled ganache. I told (warned?) S last night that the peanut butter banana bug had got into my brain, and I wasn't going to be able to rest until I came up with a recipe for these. It's a recipe I want to share, I promise, but I need a volunteer or two to test it before I make it 'official'. I wound up throwing in about a quarter cup of almond/soy milk at the end, along with a few tablespoons of applesauce, so I can't swear by my measurements until somebody else gives it a try. It's a vegan recipe, assuming you can find vegan chocolate and peanut butter chips.
How much do these cakey squares wish they were being sold in a coffee shop? I trimmed off the edges before I cut the cake into pieces (aesthetics! It's all about the aesthetics!), and I nibbled one of the cuttings to taste the cake -- one thing led to another, and soon I'd scarfed down all the trimmings (dipped in ganache, of course). Oh dear.
Here's some nice steamed spinach and mashed squash to try to balance things out:
Urg. I don't think it's working.
14 Sep 2007: Filling the Days
Hello, the Internets! I've been good, thanks, how are you? So, that list of things to do in September -- I'm working on it. I've been searching high and low for the perfect pair of boots, though it's difficult. I grow weary. But the working away from home is going well!
That's what St Paul looks like when you eat lunch in your car. I was going to sit on a bench to eat -- to enjoy the fresh air, etc -- but it was actually too chilly to stay outside that day. Watch out, Minnesota, I think Autumn is on its way. I even busted out my red coat today!
You can see the full coat in this out of focus photo. It seems that I now have quite a collection of fall/spring jackets, which is sort of a shame, as those seasons only seem to last a few weeks. What I need is a collection of heavy winter coats; lord knows THAT season sticks around long enough.
Look at my cats:
I still can't really believe that they get along. I thought that it was against cat laws. But, see here? They unite to steal the dog's bed. Double the cats equals double the power!
No crafts, no baking -- but wait! This afternoon, I made some vaguely oat-y, raisin-y cookies. I tweaked my Carrot Cookie recipe a bit: left out the carrots, upped the cinnamon and nixed the cloves and nutmeg, and I replaced half the fat with applesauce.
I think I'll ice these when they're finished cooling, as they're JUST not quite sweet enough without, but I don't think you'd guess I subbed in the applesauce. Excellent. And now -- on with the weekend!
12 Sep 2007: Squashed Lunch
I had sort of got out of the lunch groove for a while. While it was hot, it was all I could do to scrape together fixings for a wrap or pita sandwich. We've had a cool down over the past few days, though, and it took almost no time at all for my food brain to start turning again.
S made mashed sweet potatoes the other week, which got me in the mood for squash, and I picked up a butternut on Monday. Tuesday was my St Paul day, so I wasn't home for lunch, which means I've been talking about making this squash for two days straight. It's just my lazy-man's-roasting technique, but I'd never tried it on squash before, so I was excited.
I cut centimeter-thick slices from the neck of the butternut squash, used a paring knife to remove the skin, and then microwaved them until they were tender. Tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary, and a few bits of red onion. Then onto the skillet, where the outside browned and crisped perfectly.
I ate it with black beans -- the sweetness of the squash and the salty beaniness of the beans were made for each other -- and a green salad with runner beans and broccoli from the garden. The broccoli is still growing like mad, despite the cold nights. My own butternut squash vine finally took off a few weeks ago, and I've got at least half a dozen mini squashes growing. But will they survive the colder weather? I hope so. Go squashes, go!
04 Sep 2007: Hello September
Oh man, September already! I'd say that summer is on its way out, but the temperature is currently in the high 80s and the tomatoes are ripening on the vine, so it feels like it's still hanging around. Mind you, next week we're expecting highs in the 60s. Either way, I enjoyed this past summery weekend.
Finally, kite flying! We had a picnic at Calhoun -- a picnic to set the picnicking standards by -- with tofurky sandwiches, sesame sticks, hard-boiled eggs, AND chocolate red bean cupcakes (with red bean (vegan) cream cheese frosting, made that morning).
This morning, as I took Minnie for a walk past the elementary school, I'm pretty sure I could hear the buzzing of new folders and unsharpened pencils. Oh, to have new stationery! I have got a great big bunch of goals (read: a few, maybe) for September, including:
1) A no sugar week, starting today. I've been feeling way over-sugared lately -- too many muffins and cupcakes, chocolate and candies. I'm not being hugely rigorous about this, but anything that comes from a cane or corn is out.
2) I'm going to make a winter skirt. Two! I've not been seeing anything I like as the autumn clothes come into the stores, so it's time to do it myself.
3) I will find a pair of boots that aren't made of leather, and then I will buy them. To go with the skirts, naturally.
4) I will finish the zine I've secretly been working on. It amuses, it informs! For example: S and I have been working our way through the range of soy jerkies available (it's not a very big range, so it's not taking very long) to give you a complete report. Important! Hard hitting!
5) I'm starting a one-day-a-week working-not-from-home schedule. Last week was the first week, actually, and you would never believe how productive a person can be when one's not distracted by cats sicking things up, dogs wanting attention, the sofa and its siren song of sleep, etc.
This all sort of goes against what I said in the last post about liking to keep my plans to myself, no? Oh well. Maybe sometimes the threat of public humiliation is the key to staying focussed. Fingers crossed!