tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17275191856252516972024-03-13T07:48:48.091-04:00Zips VegetarianVegetarian Crafty Garden Travel Foodie Kitty BlogZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11159296837279690760noreply@blogger.comBlogger159125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1727519185625251697.post-18309523819197118032015-07-08T18:54:00.000-04:002015-07-08T18:57:57.536-04:00Summer Corn Chowder!!By now, if you're a fan of Panera's Summer Corn Chowder, you realize that the summer is slipping away too quickly, and they're just not afraid of breaking all of our hearts. It doesn't look like they're bringing it back this year at all. So I took matters into my own hands and scanned Pinterest for some copycat recipes. There are lots there, so I combined two or three of them, and have just the thing to tide us over-- or at least to feel like we broke up with Panera first. Maybe this tastes TOO good, or the vegetables are TOO fresh, but I'm pretty confident you'll be happy.<br />
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Kickass Summer Corn Chowder!</h2>
Heat 2 Tb. olive oil with 1 Tb unsalted butter and add a whole onion and one celery finely diced. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes until both are nice and soft.<br />
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Stir in 3 Tb. flour and cook for 3 to 5 more minutes.<br />
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Add 5 cups of vegetable broth and 2-3 diced potatoes. I used a couple of russets and a couple smallish Yukon golds. They both cook down nicely. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are tender.<br />
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Then add 4 c. corn kernels (I used frozen), 1/2 each of a red and green bell pepper, finely diced, 1 c. half and half, about 1 Tb. minced flat leaf parsley, salt & pepper to taste. Cover that bad boy up, lower the heat, and let it simmer for at least 10 more minutes. The longer you can wait, the better, since the potatoes start to thicken the broth more. If you're lucky enough to have some roasted green chiles, throw about 1/2 c. of those chopped bad boys in there too!<br />
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Serve with a little parsley garnish on top and some crusty bread with butter. This is no longer something that's just for summer, and we're no longer captive to the whims of the Panera seasonal menu!<br />
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BONUS: I get to stay home with the dogs and cats and have all the seconds I want!Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11159296837279690760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1727519185625251697.post-21357710209881560592014-05-24T20:23:00.004-04:002014-05-24T20:50:25.920-04:00Meet Zipper's New Sister<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Her name is Sophie and she is a complete goofball. I'd like to say she's the kind of dog who will fetch a soda from a fridge for me; who can catch a frisbee mid-air; who leaps into swimming pools and off lake piers with complete joyous abandon. She can sit on command "when she feels like it." I have no idea what she'd do around a body of water since we live in the arid southwest. You would think light drizzle would melt her toe pads off, based on her tiptoeing around the dry edge of the patio. She is excellent at nibbling her own back foot like corn on the cob. She looks dashing in a bandana and dressed up as a cowgirl for Halloween.<span id="goog_702835912"></span><span id="goog_702835913"></span><br />
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She loves eating dried sweet potatoes that I bake for her each week. Her best friend is my parents' dog Guapo, who has three legs and lives in Albuquerque.<br />
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As you can see, she makes us laugh.</div>
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My parents, incidentally, never call her by name. My mom calls her Tofu. My dad calls her Taco. I guess the apple didn't fall far from the tree.</div>
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I'll have to work on that frisbee thing.</div>
Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11159296837279690760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1727519185625251697.post-14427907474114032702014-05-24T20:03:00.002-04:002014-05-24T20:03:45.043-04:00Our New Thing: Weekly Whole Wheat Breads<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of the very best things I received as a gift has been <i><a href="http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/2010/02/09/back-to-basics-tips-and-techniques-to-create-a-great-loaf-in-5-minutes-a-day">Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day.</a></i> I adore baguettes and ciabatta more than most things, and have relied on those Take and Bake loaves they sell in grocery stores for more than a decade. Well, NO MORE.</div>
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The recipes in <i>Artisan Bread</i> are awesome for me, because I am incredibly impatient and imprecise. With these recipes, you just throw ingredients into your mixer (I also received a KitchenAid stand mixer as a gift from my parents. I'm so happy to say I use it weekly, and it's covered in flour on a regular basis) and mostly forget about it for a couple hours. I've since acquired professional baking sheets and silpat that no one else in my household is allowed to touch, a pizza stone, and purchased one of those plastic Sterlite shoebox bins specifically to store dough in (maybe a dough rising bin will be a next purchase).</div>
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From the book, I've basically used four or five pages. The recipe and instructions for a basic boule, then the instructions to use boule dough to make a baguette, ciabatta, and pita bread:</div>
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I've also used and tweaked the recipe for light whole wheat bread (it uses 5 parts white flour to 1 part whole wheat flour. I've gotten it up to 2 parts whole wheat to 1 part white flour, and it's delish! <br />
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The olive oil pizza dough for a KICKING white pizza (I'll have to dedicate an entry to the recipe for this, because we haven't been out for pizza ever since I've gotten this one down!). I even learned how to stretch a pizza pie (<a href="http://how-to-stretch-pizza-dough.blogspot.com/">this guy helped a lot</a>):<br />
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And finally, our 100% whole wheat sandwich bread. Zips loves toast with breakfast. This bread is hearty, wheaty, slightly nutty. Unlike some of the other artisan breads, this one doesn't require any baking accessories besides a bread pan (the usual 9" x 4"), and you don't have to crank your oven any higher than 350.<br />
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Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread </h2>
(<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Artisan-Bread-Five-Minutes-Revolutionizes/dp/0312362919">adapted from <i>Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day</i></a>)<br />
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3/4 c. lukewarm water<br />
3/4 c. lukewarm milk<br />
3/4 Tbsp. granulated yeast (1 packet)<br />
1/4 c. honey<br />
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil<br />
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Mix these together then add<br />
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3 1/3 c. whole wheat flour<br />
Mix until completely incorporated into a sticky dough with your stand mixer's dough hook or food processor's dough attachment. This will take a couple of minutes. You might need to scrape the sides of the bowl down.<br />
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Leave dough in the bowl and mostly cover (I use saran wrap, but leave a gap to let the dough breathe) for 2 hours. If you're not going to bake immediately, after this initial rise period, you can store the dough in the fridge in a lidded (but not airtight) container.<br />
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When you're ready to bake, prep your loaf pan with some nonstick spray, sprinkle the dough and quickly shape it into a loaf by gathering the sides of the dough to the bottom. Pull the sides to the bottom, rotate the dough, and do it again until it looks smooth on top. I keep my hands floury so I don't accumulate too much sticky dough on my fingers as I do this. I also try to shape it into an oval or football shape so when I drop it into the loaf pan, it takes up most of it. If there's a gap at one end or the other, that's okay. You're going to dust the top of the dough with a little more flour and then give it a couple of shallow slashes with a serrated knife.<br />
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Let it rise another hour to hour and a half. The cookbook says 1 hr 40 min. I let mine go just over an hour, and it passed being a lovely rounded loaf to looking a bit like an inverted flat tire. You'll know when it looks like you should throw it into the oven.<br />
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Have your oven preheated to 350. Since you're not using a pizza stone, you can pretty much bake as soon as your oven gets to temperature. Bake for 45 min-1 hour. Again, you'll know when it looks right. The longer you keep it in, the more deeply it will brown (until it, you know, burns). Let it cool a little and turn it out of the pan. It will nearly kill you, but for best results, let it cool completely before cutting it into slices. After I've sliced it, we actually keep ours in the freezer in a ziploc and take out individual slices each morning to toast. It's very wheaty, a little crumbly, but hearty and delicious. And we have only purchased a single loaf of bread in the past five months. <br />
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Happy baking!Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11159296837279690760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1727519185625251697.post-26795993891395253892014-05-24T18:50:00.001-04:002014-07-22T18:59:06.190-04:00Cheesy Quinoa!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Cheesy Quinoa!</h2>
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So I'm always trying to put quinoa in things to eat it more often. I hear it's good for you, right? So how would it fare in a comfort food recipe like Mac and Cheese to make that slightly healthier than The Worst Thing For You That You Love To Eat? Turns out, it's pretty damn good. I'm not calling it Mac and Cheese, it really deserves to be called its own thing.</div>
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1c. quinoa cooked in 2c. water (bring both to a boil, cover it, and let it simmer 25 min. until absorbed)</div>
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Meanwhile, make a roux with</div>
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2 Tb. butter</div>
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1 Tb. flour</div>
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and gradually stir in 1/2 c. milk (I used plain soy milk. It's all I had around, and it worked just fine!) and 1/2 c. vegetable broth</div>
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Then add in 1/2 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese</div>
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1/2 c. chopped fresh spinach</div>
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and the cooked quinoa.</div>
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salt and black pepper to taste</div>
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Divide into individual baking dishes (I used 3 mini-tart pans) and top with sprinkle of breadcrumbs (I made my own!! From my own bread!!), grated Parmigiano, and a sprinkle of fresh parsley. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. </div>
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This is a great size for a side dish for 2 or 3 eaters (if I'd made more--I could probably get myself into a lot of trouble). It has 2x the protein as regular mac & cheese!</div>
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Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11159296837279690760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1727519185625251697.post-20089967147199514592014-05-24T18:29:00.000-04:002014-05-24T18:33:38.688-04:00Bánh Mì Chay for Lunch!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been craving a good vegetarian Vietnamese sandwich for eons now. A few weeks ago, I visited my parents who live in Albuquerque. When running errands, my mom and I ended up at <a href="http://www.talinmarket.com/">Talin World Market</a>, an absolute godsend for stocking up on Asian groceries in these parts. Its lesser-known neighbor, Talin Supermarket (the white building on the south end of the parking lot) is actually a little deli that serves bánh mì and other Vietnamese delights. Their vegetarian sandwich is stuffed with marinated, sauteed tofu, cucumber, cilantro, and thin slices of fresh jalapeno. Back at home, I've found the fresh baked bolillo loaves at the local Mexican grocery have exactly the right crispy crust and light crumb inside for a fantastic bánh mì, so my lunch plans were set!<br />
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Bánh Mì Chay!</h2>
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2" chunk of an English cucumber. Thinly sliced.<br />
1/4 c. cilantro<br />
julienned carrots<br />
1 fresh jalapeno chile. Thinly sliced.<br />
Mayonaise<br />
Maggi or Bragg's or other soy sauce<br />
1/2 package of extra firm tofu<br />
1/4 c. <a href="http://www.kimlan.com/en/e_proDetail.php?prosn=75">vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce</a><br />
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Slice the tofu block in half lengthwise, and marinate in the vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce. It can be for as short as 10 minutes. This was a new ingredient for me. I took it at my mother's insistence, and she almost always uses it to marinate tofu. It's a bit like a sweet, dense soy sauce. If you don't have any, I'd probably just use soy sauce with a little bit of sugar dissolved into it.<br />
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After marinating the tofu, brown it in a pan with a little vegetable oil. Turn it so that each side gets browned. Remove from the pan and drain on some paper towel. Then slice into uniform slices. Mine were about 1/4" thin.<br />
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Prep the bread with some mayo on each side. Not to much here. I used Japanese Kewpie mayo, because using our Veganaise seemed a little weird to me. Then give it a squirt of Maggi or Bragg's or soy sauce. Again, not too much. I basically drew a line in soy across each side of the sandwich. You don't want to saturate either side!<br />
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Then pack it with your fixin's. I laid out the tofu slices on one side of the bread, then layered carrot shreds, cilantro, cucumber slices, and chile slices on the other and squeezed it shut. I actually used a tiny serrano chile from the humongous harvest I had all summer last year. I have a TON of tiny, fiery serranos in my freezer still. My mouth is burning, but it was totally worth it!<br />
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When I do this again (probably tomorrow), I'll probably pickle a little of the carrot shreds with some cucumber shreds in some rice vinegar and sugar and salt. My only complaint today was that it was just a tad dry. But I am thrilled I won't have to wait until my next road trip to ABQ to enjoy one of my favorite things!Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11159296837279690760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1727519185625251697.post-69384639824588311992013-04-26T23:48:00.002-04:002013-04-26T23:56:12.445-04:00Getting back into PottingSo Zips has enrolled me in the ceramics class that is offered at the local art museum downtown. I've been at it since last October, after a 15 <i>year</i> hiatus since undergrad art classes (!!). This means I've had 50# of clay (Laguna Speckled Buff Stoneware) and access to some glazes (not a great variety-- but enough to get my legs back under me).<br />
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My early attempts at even centering the clay went poorly. I experimented with the colors and consistencies of these new glaze colors. One of the first successes I had was throwing a bunch of small pots "off the hump" (this means making 6 to 10 tiny cup/bowls from the same larger piece of clay-- cutting each off and centering the top of the hump of clay that remained on the wheel to throw again), and then flipping those pots over to make Japanese <i>furin</i> wind bells. I love the green iron <i>furin</i> we purchased at the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. I love how round their forms are, and how often poems and prayers are written on the paper tag that catches the wind.<br />
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My first three were experiments in scale and in figuring out how I would construct them-- how to hang them and where to install a clapper (which are actually cuttings from last year's Christmas tree branches that I'd cut into firewood!) . The glazes here are Robin's Egg and Shino <br />
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The next ten or so, I was ironing out shapes, experimenting with looping handles and cutting the holes into the <i>furin</i> body so that it was all a single continuous piece.<br />
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And I got a bit more experimental. The bright blue below is Amaco Cara Bien Stroke & Coat underglaze striped over light blue Shino, and blue Shino speckled with Gun Metal Gray (which has turned out to be my favorite combo!)</div>
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Zips called dibs on this one immediately. I haven't even had a chance to put a clapper into it to make it a proper bell.<br />
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Because the clay class has always been meant as a kind of stress management art therapy for me, and because I've grown rusty and out of practice in the years it's been since I've worked with clay, I've had to really work at allowing myself to focus only on throwing clay when I'm there. I get self-conscious, I lose confidence. The other folks who are in the classes seem like they've been doing this forever. I watched a guy make a huge, lovely bean pot in the time it took me to simply center my hunk of clay the size of my fist! Another guy pulled a chips/salsa platter, a young woman makes enormous, shapely bowls and planters. And since I feel my blood pressure increase and my confidence plummet as I feel my meager skills draining out of my body, I decided to stay small and threw a set of tiny bowls.<br />
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And I decided to purchase my own glazes (since they have such a limited, weird array there), so this is blue Shino with the Gun Metal Gray flecks (I love this!)</div>
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This is light green Shino<br />
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This is light blue Shino<br />
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And this is the blue Shino painted on the outside (it was rather thin, so it turned out a nice, even dark brown), and Tamale Red Stroke & Coat inside. This is great, since it's a vibrant red while also being food-safe.<br />
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So this is some of my wares. Not everything, of course. I'm also giving and have already given a couple of pieces away. I felt weird that the very two pieces I made I gave to my parents for Christmas. I didn't know what else to get them, and they were very small and very wonky. I hope my parents understand that I wanted to give them something my hands brought into the world, however imperfect. I'm afraid it just communicated "I'm poor and I have no idea what you want."<br />
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My favorite pieces of them all (so far) are this trio of low Japanese-style bowls. The shallow, rounded shape is actually inspired by a set of inexpensive dishes I bought in Japantown in San Francisco. In any case, again with the blue Shino and the Gun Metal Gray. I think this first one was with the communal glaze bin at the art museum-- it has a lot of lovely inconsistencies in the dark blue that create a lovely galactic effect.<br />
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My subsequent efforts to duplicate this with the blue Shino that I bought are nice too. But that first little bowl is my favorite of everything I've made. Here's a larger bowl:<br />
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As I write this, I have a ton of greenware drying. That will need to be glazed. Something like 7 small plate/bowls, 4 large bowls, 2 jars, on top of 4 <i>other </i>large bowls that are already bisqued, and a small hunk of leftover clay that I'm going to hand-build things with until I run out. Zips demands a likeness. I may have to do the rest of the animals as well.<br />
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Most of the other folks who've been in class with me are very generous with their expertise and with their encouragement. I've learned tricks and gotten ideas for projects and how to layer the glazes they have. I'm probably going to keep purchasing my own (oooh! professional!). I already know I want to buy a white glaze and maybe a speckled yellow one. When these classes pick back up in the fall, I'll probably be there again. I've got to give better Christmas presents this year!Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11159296837279690760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1727519185625251697.post-72262148173705750562013-04-22T19:30:00.003-04:002013-04-22T19:30:49.983-04:00Green Grass in the Land of XeriscapingWell, technically, our backyard has "zeroscaping"-- xeriscaping in the front, but zero in the backyard. It's a major drawback of the house we currently rent. The backyard of the first house we rented here in Southern New Mexico was the single reason we chose that house before we ever set foot inside. It had a grand eucalyptus tree, it had rosemary shrubs dripping down the top tier into the lower half of the yard. It had white and pink oleanders blocking the neighbors to the east. It had roses. We spent so much time in that backyard. We loved it and miss it.<br />
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But those owners wanted to move back into their house, so we packed everything up and moved literally one mile down the road. Now our backyard consists of lots and lots of hot, pointy gray rocks. And our midwestern cat and dog babies miss having a yard. We resorted to container gardening, and have potted tomatoes. We built a raised bed for baby red potatoes last year and finally decided to re-purpose that raised bed for a yard!<br />
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In fact, Zips talked me into purchasing not one but FOUR pieces of sod, even though one is all it takes to fill the raised bed. So I filled that bed, then filled whatever other container I could find. I have 3 wine crates, several terra cotta planters (one is now in our bathroom so Zips and Bijoux can have nibbles), and a 4x4 "yard" on either side of our back patio. </div>
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We even found mini garden gnomes to stand watch over the grass boxes.<br />
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The babies seem content, even blissful. And there are enough boxes allow each of them to have their own personal spot.<br />
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Since they're all in the shade of our patio and the rock wall that is closest to our house, the grass is always cool under paw, soft to lay in, and edible. </div>
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"It'll do for now, human."</div>
Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11159296837279690760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1727519185625251697.post-62884846941925316372012-12-21T19:33:00.000-05:002012-12-21T19:33:30.342-05:00New Holiday Traditions: Crafty Exchange!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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By the time you're reading this, my good friend L will have received her new quilt that I based off of Susan Beal's "Bright Furrows" design in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Log-Cabin-Quilting-Patchwork/dp/030758657X">Modern Log Cabin Quilting</a>. This, after a long facebook exchange where a former student of Zips' posted a link to the <a href="http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEss12/PATTbigger.php">"Bigger on the Inside"</a> shawl pattern with the note "if anyone can do this, you can!" Being a huge new Doctor Who fan, and <i>not</i> a knitter, I knew when to call for help. So I appealed to L, who <i>is</i> a knitter, and we struck a deal (after much enthusiastic "really!?" and many excited exclamation marks): I quilt her a lap quilt, and she knit me a cool TARDIS shawl!<br />
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Zips helps me iron the seam allowances away from the center square.</div>
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L gave me her fave colors: robin's egg blue, sable brown, and maybe some red-orange. I ran with it, and got a stack of quarters to work with.</div>
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And after piecing the quilt top, was left with several spare log cabin squares and a ton of leftover 1 3/4" strips, mostly in the blue and brown (it's one of those cut-as-you-chain-sew kind of patterns). So I went nuts with these in improvising the back of the quilt. I was really happy with how it turned out-- it turned into a kind of reversible quilt! </div>
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Here's the finished back (most of it, with Zipper patrolling the perimeter).<br />
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And the finished front of it too. Much more logic to the arrangement. Look at 'em furrows! </div>
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I sent it off yesterday, and L should receive it tomorrow, just in time for Christmas. I can't wait to hear from her when she does get it, and I'm holding off publishing this particular post until I know she's already laid eyes on it. And you can bet I'll be posting pics when I get my hands on the shawl she's knitting for me. I can't wait! I'm really excited that someone other than my immediate family will be (hopefully) enjoying the fruits of my labors. I hope I have another crafty exchange with someone else soon. This was really fun!Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11159296837279690760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1727519185625251697.post-29619058479398291702012-11-26T20:40:00.001-05:002012-11-26T20:50:41.594-05:00New Eats: Vietnamese Meatless Meatballs (Xiu Mai Chay) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Okay, since I'm playing some catch-up here, I'm going to go in for a two-fer-- offering both a restaurant recommendation and a fantastic drool-inducing recipe. First off, Zips and I are newly back from the Oakland area. We had an academic conference in early November, and the culinary highlights included not only managing to find our way back to <a href="http://zipsveggie.blogspot.com/2010/03/best-restaurant-evar.html">Millennium Restaurant in San Francisco</a>, but also finding some amazing new digs in Old Oakland. We actually stayed at the exact same (closet-sized) hotel we stayed at two years ago, but went the <i>other</i> direction in our explorations of the local environs. In contrast to the <a href="http://zipsveggie.blogspot.com/2010/03/eating-around-sf.html">Vegetarian Vietnamese</a> restaurant (with the cool neon sign blazing in the window, you know... the one we didn't care for...), Zips found and took me to <a href="http://www.lecheval.com/">Le Cheval</a>, a wonderfully elegant Vietnamese restaurant that has a robust vegetarian section on its menu. </div>
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It has an airy, spacious dining area. </div>
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The veggie goi cuon were delicious. I had lemongrass tofu, and Zips enjoyed her vegetable curry. The Vietnamese coffee was to <i>die </i>for (as my mom would say).<br />
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Now that I've spent some time in the bay area surrounded with, no <i>steeped</i> in multiple Asian American food traditions, I'm a little wistful. So to satisfy my own longings, I'm offering up an excellent recipe I cobbled together back in July.<br />
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The Vietnamese meatball can be used as a filling in a lettuce wrap (which we did) or alternately in a baguette sandwich <i>banh mi xiu mai chay </i>(which I will definitely be doing soon-- when I have success, I'll post it here!). They're typically made with chicken or pork, and <i style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">nước mắm</i><i>, </i>but we use <a href="http://www.quorn.us/products/28/chikn-tenders/">Quorn chik'n tenders</a> and a soy sauce-based <i style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">nước mắm</i> recipe. This one's nearly vegan, but I used an egg to bind the ingredients together. If you're a clever vegan, I'm sure you already know a work-around.<br />
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<i>Xiu Mai Chay </i>(Vietnamese Meatless Meatballs)<br />
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12 oz. bag Quorn chik'n tenders defrosted in a microwave until room temperature. Chop in a food processor and squeeze out excess liquid<br />
3 cloves fresh garlic minced<br />
1 Tb. minced lemongrass <i>or</i> fresh ginger<br />
1 Tb. chopped fresh mint<br />
3 Tb. chopped cilantro<br />
1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch<br />
salt and pepper<br />
2-3 Tb. <i style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Nước mắm chay</i><i>* </i><br />
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Mix everything together and add 1 beaten egg. Shape them into meatballs about 2" in diameter.<br />
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Here's the super-ultra secret ingredient trick: **Roll the meatballs in <b>sugar. </b>I put some sugar out onto a plate and rolled them around. Place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.<br />
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<i>Voila</i>! The sugar caramelizes in the oven. They're savory, fresh, moist, a little sweet, and perfect to wrap in lettuce and dip in <i>nuoc mam chay</i>. Enjoy! <br />
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*: Oh yeah, while I'm at it. I have adapted the quintessential Vietnamese sauce, <i style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Nước mắm </i>to a delicious, fishless variation. Having traveled in Vietnam as both a carnivore and as an herbivore, I assure you, this one passes muster with my Vietnamese relatives! Zips refers to it as our<br />
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"Righteous Indignation" <i style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Nước Mắm Chay</i><br />
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1 garlic clove minced<br />
juice and pulp of 1 lime<br />
2 Tb. rice vinegar<br />
2 Tb soy sauce (we use low-sodium kikkoman most often)<br />
1 tsp. garlic chili paste (Sambal Oelek)<br />
1 tsp sugar<br />
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These are the ingredients I always use. Once you get a feel for how spicy/sweet/salty you like it, you can certainly fudge the measurements. You can also add scant shreds of carrot to garnish it. This is a perfect dipping sauce for the meatball lettuce wraps, or for <i>cha gio chay.</i></div>
Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11159296837279690760noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1727519185625251697.post-63429289214464470372012-11-26T00:46:00.003-05:002012-11-26T00:46:44.395-05:00Long Time, No See!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-align: start;">I cannot believe I've only posted once in the entire year. Granted 2012 has been a rough year in our household. I try to keep Zipper's blog our happy place, so I've tried to wait for the waves to die down before writing an update. But now it's nearly the end of the year. We've been from L.A. to New York City this year, and I've only written one single post! So, gentle reader, I'm going to attempt to catch things up as much as possible. The fall semester is winding down, so I'll have a little more time to play. I promise before too long, I'll review a couple of restaurants, show a couple of crafty projects I've worked on (am working on), and offer a few new recipes before the year is out.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CvPZstltWfA/ULLZmGn0HpI/AAAAAAAABUU/7813l7G4xQY/s1600/20121123_205833.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CvPZstltWfA/ULLZmGn0HpI/AAAAAAAABUU/7813l7G4xQY/s320/20121123_205833.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Here's the quilt I'm currently working on for a dear friend who is knitting me a fantastic Doctor Who themed scarf in exchange.<br />
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Here's a tantalizing starter at Le Cheval-- a Vietnamese restaurant in Oakland that Zips took me to.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lzVeZOACpG0/ULMBYjk90zI/AAAAAAAABU0/IY9O2KRSQGE/s1600/089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lzVeZOACpG0/ULMBYjk90zI/AAAAAAAABU0/IY9O2KRSQGE/s320/089.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Ooh, and look: I made the ratatouille recipe that was the basis for the dish in the movie <i>Ratatouille</i>!</div>
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In short, I hope to have Zips Veggie back up and running. This is also the very last time I make a New Year's Resolution to post something every single month. It's like when I tell a class that we'll get out early that period. It's like an immediate hex that causes the class to run long! Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11159296837279690760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1727519185625251697.post-43555697077982412562012-03-07T13:36:00.005-05:002012-03-07T14:08:44.544-05:00New Year! New Treat! (Happy Early Spring!)<span ><span style="font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; ">It's been far too long since I've posted something new. As a matter of happy coincidence, I found myself baking last night. Zips had had a nibble of some delicious<a href="http://www.livingtraderjoes.com/trader-joe%E2%80%99s-tea-time-treats/"> orange cranberry mini tea scones from Trader Joe's</a> over the weekend. Wanting to have some tea and scones with our new evening ritual of watching </span><i style="font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">Downton Abbey, </i><span><span>we found ourselves without any kind of sweet treat. We combed the grocery store's bakery section for something tea/muffin/scone-oriented. Resolving to find something to cook at home, Zips came up with an excellent vegan cranberry orange scone recipe for which we already had everything we needed! (When I make these again-- and I will-- I'm going to add a tsp. of vanilla and some sliced almonds!)</span></span></span><div style="font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size: 100%; "><span ><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span >Vegan Cranberry Orange Scones are <i>freaking delicious!</i></span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9msdTwkML20/T1etsfQXVUI/AAAAAAAABS4/am_i7k482_8/s1600/IMG_9506.JPG"><span ><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9msdTwkML20/T1etsfQXVUI/AAAAAAAABS4/am_i7k482_8/s320/IMG_9506.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717229231786120514" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></a></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span >Preheat oven to 425.</span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span ><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span >2 c. flour</span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span >1 c. whole wheat flour</span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span >4 tsp. baking powder</span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span >1/2 tsp. salt</span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span >2/3 c. dried cranberries</span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span >(2/3 c. chopped walnuts-- we left these out. As I said, I'd add maybe 1/2 c. sliced almonds instead.<span style="font-size: 100%; ">)</span></span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; " ><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; " >Mix these together and set aside.</span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; " ><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; " >1/2 c. veg./canola oil</span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; " >1/2 c. maple syrup</span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; " >2/3 c. orange juice</span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; " >zest from 2 oranges</span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; " >(I'd add 1/2 to 1 tsp. of vanilla extract here too)</span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; " ><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span >Mix wet ingredients together. Then combine wet into dry ingredients until a thick dough forms. You can spoon these by large tablespoons onto a cookie sheet, or pat into a rough rectangle and cut into wedges (yields about a dozen). Bake for 12-13 minutes until lightly brown.</span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span ><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span >We drizzled a glaze over the top that was made of powdered sugar, orange juice, and orange zest. It <i>really </i>made these zingy! </span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span ><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span >Because these are vegan, I'm sure they're far better for us than the Trader Joe's (whose ingredients include both butter as well as buttermilk). And ours are freaking delicious! They're crumbly and chewy instead of hard and hollow (as some scones can be). And although we omitted the walnuts, I think because of the whole wheat flour they also have a nice vaguely nutty flavor. We're already going to need another batch. We're only up to episode 5 of the first season and we only have 6 scones left.</span></div>Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11159296837279690760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1727519185625251697.post-63339780355584948602011-12-04T01:39:00.003-05:002011-12-04T01:54:05.360-05:00Extra Citrus? Make some candy!<div style="text-align: left;">All of the holiday-themed magazines out right now are chock full of special goodies to eat and gift. Fudge, rum balls, cookies, breads-- Zips has caught the fever!</div><div><br /></div><div>So in one of them (one of Martha Stewart's?), there were instructions for candied citrus peel. We have some excess lemons, a couple of oranges, and a new bag of limes. I only wish we had some grapefruit to add to it!</div><div><br /></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZlpWtjBVtYM/TtsX4VM-iKI/AAAAAAAABRU/nS4Ev4meqvs/s1600/IMG_9294.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZlpWtjBVtYM/TtsX4VM-iKI/AAAAAAAABRU/nS4Ev4meqvs/s320/IMG_9294.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682161611389700258" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><div>Candied Citrus Peels</div><div><br /></div><div>Citrus! (2 grapefruits or 3 oranges or 4 lemons, or some of everything and throw in a lime while you're at it!)</div><div>4 c. sugar</div><div>water </div><div><br /></div><div>The instructions are fairly simple, cut six slices into the peel of the fruit (but not through the fruit part) and peel away. Then use a small knife to slice away as much of the spongy, bitter white pith as you can. Slice into thin strips and cover in a pot with cold water. Bring it to a boil, dump the water, and repeat until you've brought it to a boil 3 times. Remove the peels and reserve in a bowl.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then mix 4c. sugar with 4c. cold water. Dissolve and bring it to a boil, stirring and making sure the sugar doesn't crystallize on the sides of the pot. When it's boiling, add the citrus peels and lower the heat. Simmer (don't boil) without stirring until the peels are translucent (this takes about an hour). Turn off the heat and let them cool down. Remove peels and pat dry with a paper towel (you can reserve the sugar water-- you've just made a quart of citrusy simple syrup!). Then toss the peel strips into some sugar and spread out in a single layer on a wire rack for 30 minutes to dry.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>I understand now that those jelly citrus candies I used to eat are basically a synthetic version of these candied peels!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTT4wBa-E15eaBkIMWc_YNjrDylrbfyD_paFL0HULLgcfd36-Fd" style="text-align: left; " /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>We like them so much, they may not make it into the gift bags!</div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0ZxBP_JNTGA/TtsX33cxAQI/AAAAAAAABRI/uqA_960FiFs/s1600/IMG_9293.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0ZxBP_JNTGA/TtsX33cxAQI/AAAAAAAABRI/uqA_960FiFs/s320/IMG_9293.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682161603402858754" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div>Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11159296837279690760noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1727519185625251697.post-48560749701841924622011-12-03T23:18:00.007-05:002011-12-03T23:48:10.515-05:00White Elephants, iEnvy, and Other Holiday Things<div style="text-align: left;">I'll admit it. I'm a PC. I don't have an iPhone, and iPad, an iPod. Never have. Not sure I want one. It seems like switching from being right handed to left handed (or vice versa). All my music is on the amazon cloud, not iTunes. Like anyone else, I love the slick, feather weight, intuitive neato features of all of these iGadgets. I just don't have any and can't afford them and don't know if I'd ever want to make the switch. I've looked at the Kindle Fire thingy, and I don't know if I <i style="text-align: left; ">need</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-align: left; "> one. I think I'm just working out iEnvy.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>This doesn't stop me from going to a holiday party with a "white elephant" gift exchange where a contingent of the attendees do that thing where they bump their iphones together and whip out their ipads so they can shuffle through photos and play Angry Birds while everyone looks on with envy. Last time we got together, two of them set up their talking tom cat and talking ben the dog face to face and they repeated what the other said in their funny voices. </div><div><br /></div><div>The gift exchange rules is under $20, and fair trade, homemade, or re-purposed. I decided to whip up an iPad cozy. Even better, I decided to whip up an iPad cozy that looks like an iPad! </div><div><br /></div><div>I had to extract my felt from under Zipper, who has not moved from this stack (and is nestled in a ball in the same spot as I type this) </div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t4Br7Tx2F9c/Ttr5YP9imlI/AAAAAAAABQw/xH-5ZYEg1L0/s1600/IMG_9270.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t4Br7Tx2F9c/Ttr5YP9imlI/AAAAAAAABQw/xH-5ZYEg1L0/s320/IMG_9270.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682128074878130770" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div>And did a lot of google image searching for the physical dimensions of ipads-- (and I'm not sure if they have a 1 or a 2!). And what the app icons look like. I'm also not sure what apps my friends have or would probably have. So I settled for Skype, Angry Birds, Safari, and the camera and photo album apps. I would've done the notepad, but didn't have a light yellow or brown. Same for the YouTube app-- that looks like a brown old-fashioned tv.</div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hAE_tLKStOs/Ttr5XrdFENI/AAAAAAAABQk/XqJVrcI3isQ/s1600/IMG_9263.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hAE_tLKStOs/Ttr5XrdFENI/AAAAAAAABQk/XqJVrcI3isQ/s320/IMG_9263.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682128065078300882" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a>Stitching them on helped to add details.<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Qxu86jrbSPY/Ttr5XD8XC4I/AAAAAAAABQY/Fr5sWp72aGI/s1600/IMG_9280.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Qxu86jrbSPY/Ttr5XD8XC4I/AAAAAAAABQY/Fr5sWp72aGI/s320/IMG_9280.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682128054472084354" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div>I added a battery, and wanted to add more details to the top row, but decided to stick with simplicity</div><div><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CgM_B8b1_Wg/Ttr5WsnOQHI/AAAAAAAABQM/l5RF1iYXDm4/s320/IMG_9287.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682128048209412210" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></div><div>The cardboard inside is (hopefully) cut to the actual dimensions of the device itself. Secretly I hope the 3 ipad owners fight over who gets to take it home. </div><div><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SohA7obdRJM/Ttr4aHaqIoI/AAAAAAAABQA/KB9HoZ4E8go/s320/IMG_9292.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682127007432450690" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></div><div>We figure this is the closest we'll ever come to owning one, but even holding the cozy makes me really wish I had something to stick inside it. Or maybe this is just iEnvy working on me again!</div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xePBrGx-3vM/Ttr7MXsM-dI/AAAAAAAABQ8/U0OZuzj_tgI/s1600/IMG_9262.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xePBrGx-3vM/Ttr7MXsM-dI/AAAAAAAABQ8/U0OZuzj_tgI/s320/IMG_9262.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682130069817719250" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div>Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11159296837279690760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1727519185625251697.post-474763993417778742011-11-23T23:45:00.005-05:002011-11-24T00:12:15.217-05:00Starting the Holidays Early & Tarte au Citron<div style="text-align: left;">After having such a rough fall semester, Zips is feeling even more festive than usual. We've got our Christmas tree all set up. I've got orders to climb up on the roof to string lights before the week is out. Mixes of contemporary and classic holiday songs are blaring from every room. We even splurged on a light-up flamingo with a festive red scarf for the front yard (it suits the Southern New Mexico climate. Her name is Babs Johnson.) Zips found an amazing <a href="http://www.westelm.com/products/pinecone-garland-c491/" style="text-align: left; ">pinecone garland from West Elm</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-align: left; ">, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-align: left; ">but it sold out almost immediately. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://resources.shopstyle.com/sim/ed/05/ed05b9181658333a78a80dff6417c973/west-elm-seasonal-decor-pinecone-garland.jpg" /></div><div>So I took it upon myself to put something together that might make her happy and approximate how cool this would've looked. There are a few pine trees on campus, so we drove out there and filled two shopping bags with the nicest ones we could find (and only when I dumped them out on my living room floor did I think about the possibility that critters might live in them!). I tied them in slip knots to some jute twine and ended up with about 14 feet of it! (hey the West Elm one is only 6 feet!) Now that I have this down, I should go looking for acorns too!</div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-75L7HDF4nLs/Ts3NnFAd24I/AAAAAAAABPo/yW8ipe10GuE/s1600/IMG_9214.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-75L7HDF4nLs/Ts3NnFAd24I/AAAAAAAABPo/yW8ipe10GuE/s320/IMG_9214.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678420776426789762" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">I put the leftover younger pine cones into a glass bowl for decor too!</div></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OdPfiESpoCI/Ts3NnuBMgWI/AAAAAAAABP0/ReNvFGArCnA/s1600/IMG_9213.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OdPfiESpoCI/Ts3NnuBMgWI/AAAAAAAABP0/ReNvFGArCnA/s320/IMG_9213.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678420787435700578" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div><div>Meanwhile, we've been growing several scrawny citrus plants for more than a year now. We've got a kumquat tree, several lime trees, a satsuma tree, and a dwarf Meyer lemon tree that has finally borne some tiny Meyer lemons! They're lovely, very tart, and floral. We had four ripe ones at once, so Zips suggested we do something special with them. In that same <i>Good Housekeeping, </i>there's a recipe for a simple lemon curd. So we decided to half it and make some mini Meyer lemon tarts with our baby lemons! From scratch!</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Tarte au Citron:</div><div><br /></div><div>1/2 c. sugar</div><div>1/3 c. fresh lemon juice</div><div>1 Tb. fresh lemon zest</div><div>3 Tb. butter</div><div>2 eggs</div><div><br /></div><div>**You should prep and bake your tart crust beforehand and let it cool. I use a 1/3 c. shortening +1/3 c. butter + 2 c. flour recipe. Baked 2 mini-tarts crusts for about 15 minutes at 400.**</div><div><br /></div><div>In a saucepan, melt the butter with the sugar, lemon juice and zest. In a bowl, whisk the eggs. Once the lemon mixture is melted/dissolved/incorporated, spoon a bit out and whisk it into the egg bowl. Spoon a little more in and whisk (in order to warm the eggs up a little). Pour the eggs into the saucepan and heat over low heat, stirring continuously, until the mixture thickens (about 15 minutes). </div><div><br /></div><div>Then I poured the lemon curd into the tart crusts. I <i>cannot </i>wait to eat these! I'll wait until tomorrow, but it might be the first thing I eat on Thanksgiving morn!</div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rRu0cOcZTUE/Ts3Nm-Z80oI/AAAAAAAABPc/ot1w7YYh3j4/s1600/IMG_9215.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rRu0cOcZTUE/Ts3Nm-Z80oI/AAAAAAAABPc/ot1w7YYh3j4/s320/IMG_9215.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5678420774654628482" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div>Happy Holidays!</div>Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11159296837279690760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1727519185625251697.post-5363219875403600232011-11-22T00:58:00.005-05:002011-11-22T01:12:03.843-05:00Back to Getting Crafty<div style="text-align: left;">I can't believe it's been more than two solid months since I've posted anything. I'll have to compensate with plenty of fun projects and delicious treats. I've spent most of the today working on holiday decor -- driving past the local garden store to see if Christmas trees are in (they are), if I can have one (not yet), and figuring out how to stave off my desire to put replace orange and autumnal decorations with red and green winter ones. Zips spied a fun project in a <i style="text-align: left; ">Good Housekeeping </i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-align: left; ">magazine-- a </span><a href="http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/christmas-ideas/scandinavian-christmas-decorations-reindeer#slide-3" style="text-align: left; ">simple reindeer head</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-align: left; "> made from corrugated cardboard.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-align: left; "></span><img src="http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/cm/goodhousekeeping/images/IQ/1211-corrugated-cardboard-reindeer-craft-lgn.jpg" alt="cardboard reindeer holiday craft" style="text-align: left; " /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-align: left; ">I'd seen more complicated ones everywhere from Urban Outfitters to </span><a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/MDFAcrylicCardboard-deer-head-taxidermy/" style="text-align: left; ">instructables.com</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-align: left; ">.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-53777107109672_2186_1633672.jpg" alt="Modern Recycled Cardboard Stag Deer Mount (Large) " /> </div><div style="text-align: left;">So I decided to come up with my own-- pairing it with Zips' immense love of classic Rankin Bass holiday videos. We have some cardboard boxes and newspapers in the recycling bin, so I made my own template for Rudolph's head, gave him a cross-piece for his ears and muzzle, and his mature antlers (more distinguished!).</div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zFwd9Xa2NVw/Tss71-EC92I/AAAAAAAABPQ/EzlLzK_rXD4/s1600/IMG_9183.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zFwd9Xa2NVw/Tss71-EC92I/AAAAAAAABPQ/EzlLzK_rXD4/s320/IMG_9183.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677697553609717602" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div>I'm thinking of draping a wreath or some evergreen garland around where his neck meets the wall. </div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IVmLyqGcx7Q/Tss71gB3i2I/AAAAAAAABPE/q3yHi88TBUU/s1600/IMG_9182.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IVmLyqGcx7Q/Tss71gB3i2I/AAAAAAAABPE/q3yHi88TBUU/s320/IMG_9182.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677697545547516770" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div>I'm happy with the way it turned out, and that I can post it in a rather central location by the front door. Next up? In addition to making Zipper's famously fortified rum balls for the end of the semester party, we're going to try out some spiced rum balls. And maybe something new for Thanksgiving? Mmmmm... Pie? Homegrown Meyer lemon curd? We'll keep you posted.</div>Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11159296837279690760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1727519185625251697.post-33701837657273651152011-08-09T23:27:00.006-04:002011-08-10T00:10:59.048-04:00New Summer Food: Bun Xao Chay<div>After a month in Vietnam, I've picked up a couple of tricks and dishes. I tried to keep an eye out for things I could replicate/duplicate once I got home. My aunt made <i>Bun Cha Gio Chay</i> (I'll try making it when it gets cooler so I can fry spring rolls without dying of heat), my cousin made a vegetarian version of <i>Banh Xeo </i>for me, and we went to countless restaurants and food carts all over the southern half of the country.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>One of my favorite things that I couldn't wait to make at home is a cool beef noodle salad called <i>bun xao. </i>If I'm correct in my tiny knowledge of the language, <i>bun </i>refers to the rice noodles, and <i>xao </i>suggests the stir-frying of whatever protein is in this. I've made it now with both vegetarian beef and chik'n chunks (I use Trader Joe's meatless beef strips and Quorn chik'n tenders. Morningstar used to have a Meal Starters steak strips that's similar to the Trader Joe's, but I haven't seen it lately). </div><div>
<br /></div><div><i>Bun Xao Chay</i></div><div>
<br /></div><div>Heat 1 Tb. veg. oil and add a minced clove of garlic (or 2!) and some lemongrass. Because I haven't been able to find fresh lemongrass here, I bought lemongrass paste in a plastic tube next to the flat pack herbs in the produce section. I used maybe 2 Tb of the paste-- add it to the oil and garlic and saute for a bit. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Then add your protein-- and continue sauteing until it's browned and coated in the lemongrass mixture.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>In the meantime boil a pot of water. When it's boiling, add 1/2 a package of rice vermicelli noodles. Turn off the heat and let the noodles soak for 3-5 minutes. Once they're tender, drain them completely. It's fine if the noodles cool while you're prepping everything else. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>The dressing is a vegetarian version of <i>nuoc mam-- </i>substituting low sodium soy sauce (preferably Vietnamese soy sauce, but we can't have everything) for the usual fish sauce. </div><div>
<br /></div><div><i>Nuoc Mam Chay </i>(also great with <i>cha gio chay</i>)</div><div>(all of this can be adjusted to taste, esp. the hot stuff)</div><div><i>
<br /></i></div><div>1 minced garlic clove</div><div>juice and pulp of 1 lime</div><div>2 Tb. rice vinegar</div><div>2 Tb. low sodium soy sauce </div><div>1 tsp. garlic chili paste (the stuff like Sambal Oelek, not Sriracha)</div><div>1 tsp. sugar</div><div>1/4 c. warm water</div><div>
<br /></div><div>The rest is lettuce, mint, thai basil, cilantro, shredded carrots, thin slices of cucumber, bean sprouts, and crushed peanuts. </div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dFrRsD0oUyc/TkH7Eat84rI/AAAAAAAABOo/0wyBz7mswLE/s1600/002.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dFrRsD0oUyc/TkH7Eat84rI/AAAAAAAABOo/0wyBz7mswLE/s320/002.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639064261754675890" /></a>Assembly is a little messy. Usually each component is placed independently, rather than tossed together. Put down the greens and herbs, then a pile of noodles, then the protein and finish with bean sprouts and crushed peanuts. I topped mine off with some finely sliced jalapenos that went red on the plant. They were sweet and had just a little bite of heat. My relatives would probably throw on a ton of those tiny red and green bird's eye chilis. This is my humble approximation.
<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3NgPKGTTpcM/TkH7ECbdV1I/AAAAAAAABOg/gvBPQ1nxehc/s1600/001.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3NgPKGTTpcM/TkH7ECbdV1I/AAAAAAAABOg/gvBPQ1nxehc/s320/001.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639064255234660178" /></a>I topped everyone's serving with about 3 Tb. of the <i>nuoc mam chay.</i> I also added a little of my own pickled carrots and daikon radishes (just let them marinate in some rice vinegar, sugar, water and a little of those finely sliced chiles for at least an hour-- up to a couple of days). Pickled veggies were always present at every meal! I'm thinking of sauteing tofu with the garlic and lemongrass next time. We've had it twice in the past two weeks, so I guess everyone else likes it too!<div><div><div>
<br /></div></div></div>Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11159296837279690760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1727519185625251697.post-74875500062177275122011-08-09T23:10:00.003-04:002011-08-09T23:21:41.511-04:00Zipper's Homemade Spiced Applesauce<div>As promised, during my month-long absence, Zips learned how to make applesauce with just a microwave and a food processor! Armed with a 5lb bag of apples and a couple of lemons and spices, we've had fresh applesauce 4 or 5 times in the two weeks I've been back. It's become a breakfast staple for me (with toast and peanut butter) and at dinner time too. It tastes like apple pie without anything bad! And no baking! And virtually no cooking!</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Zip's Spiced Applesauce:</div><div>
<br /></div><div>peel, core, and cut up 4 apples (your favorite crisp, tart variety)</div><div>place in a microwave safe bowl with</div><div>1/4 c. water</div><div>3+ Tb. sugar (to taste)</div><div>1/2 tsp. cinnamon</div><div>And for the intrepid, add whatever other apple pie spices you like.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Cover and microwave for about 10 min. or however long it takes for apples to get tender. Pour spiced apples all the liquid into your food processor and process to desired saucy texture. Enjoy warm or cooled. Keeps for 3 or 4 days in the fridge. You'll never ever buy it in a jar again!</div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r9YQv_lvvX0/TkH3FnXKkDI/AAAAAAAABOY/nhvzf6yzAKI/s1600/003.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r9YQv_lvvX0/TkH3FnXKkDI/AAAAAAAABOY/nhvzf6yzAKI/s320/003.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639059884282122290" /></a>How did I live this long without eating this?! Zips has never even <i>liked </i>applesauce before now!Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11159296837279690760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1727519185625251697.post-87495434338485608332011-08-02T23:42:00.003-04:002011-08-02T23:50:41.964-04:00Onigiri and Bun Bo Xao Chay<div>I just got back from a month in Vietnam. Because of jet lag, I've lapsed a bit on my desire to post at least once a month every month, but to make up for it a little, I'm previewing my two newest additions to my recipes: onigiri (Japanese rice balls) that I had in an airport restaurant in Tokyo-- then became a little obsessed with, craving, etc. I discovered they're pretty simple to make. </div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ufps3sNT8t8/TjjER5QFN_I/AAAAAAAABOI/oh1WRsytvdQ/s1600/IMG_8989.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ufps3sNT8t8/TjjER5QFN_I/AAAAAAAABOI/oh1WRsytvdQ/s320/IMG_8989.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636470745359267826" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And <i>Bun Bo Xao Chay</i>-- <i>Bun</i> is vermicelli rice noodles, <i>Bo</i> is beef, <i>Xao</i> is stir-fried, and <i>Chay</i> is vegetarian. Together, they make a fantastic Vietnamese "beef" noodle salad with some vegetarian "steak" strips (it'd work with "chicken" strips or tofu) stir fried with lemongrass and garlic and dressed with some nuoc mam chay. </div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JqizEhXisw8/TjjESH-xKpI/AAAAAAAABOQ/7tlPiKo_6DU/s1600/IMG_8990.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JqizEhXisw8/TjjESH-xKpI/AAAAAAAABOQ/7tlPiKo_6DU/s320/IMG_8990.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636470749313182354" /></a>Recipes are coming soon. And Zips has agreed to post her homemade applesauce recipe and/or her new specialty: homemade refritos. She kept busy in the kitchen in my absence!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><u><br /></u></span></div>Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11159296837279690760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1727519185625251697.post-42446024929615854562011-06-07T00:34:00.004-04:002011-06-07T00:55:01.266-04:00New Quinoa Side Dish & Zipper's Divine FroYo (but not at the same time!)<div>With dinner tonight, we needed a side to accompany baked Quorn <a href="http://www.quorn.us/products/Naked_Chik'n_Cutlet.aspx">chik'n cutlets</a> and haricot verts. Seeing our bin of dry quinoa, Zips scoured the internets for a recipe for me to try out and found one that we improvised off of. The original called for diced bell peppers, which we swapped out for diced onions, and called for walnuts which we omitted. I also added parsley. It's fantastic, has subtle flavors, and makes a tasty, healthy side to your lunch or dinner. I bet it'll be good cold too!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X18sUZTjbAM/Te2rEE2ewvI/AAAAAAAABNk/HszA6CLMzNc/s1600/004.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /></a></div>Cranberry Coriander Quinoa (side dish)<div><br /></div><div>Add 1 c. quinoa to 2 c. of boiling water and simmer for about 10 min. until the liquid is absorbed. While that's simmering, saute:</div><div><br /></div><div>3 ribs celery diced finely</div><div>1/2 c. yellow onion diced finely</div><div>in 1-2 Tb. olive oil</div><div><br /></div><div>and add</div><div>1 tsp. ground coriander</div><div>1 tsp. ground cumin</div><div>salt & black pepper</div><div><br /></div><div>Saute until onions and celery are tender then add to the cooked quinoa. Toss in</div><div><br /></div><div>1/4 c. dried cranberries</div><div>1/4 c. chopped parsley</div><div><br /></div><div>and serve warm. </div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X18sUZTjbAM/Te2rEE2ewvI/AAAAAAAABNk/HszA6CLMzNc/s1600/004.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X18sUZTjbAM/Te2rEE2ewvI/AAAAAAAABNk/HszA6CLMzNc/s320/004.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615332396910953202" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div>Afterward, we had planned on just macerated berries (that's fancy talk for slicing berries and tossing some sugar over the top and letting them sit until they get all juicy) for dessert, but Zips really outdid herself in deciding with all the yogurt we have in the house, it's a shame we've never tried to make frozen yogurt. So she did, ignoring all the imperatives she found online that you have to have full fat yogurt. We didn't, and it turned out just fine with the non fat Greek yogurt we have on hand.</div><div><br /></div><div>Divine Blueberry Lavender Frozen Yogurt</div><div><br /></div><div>2 c. plain fat free Greek-style yogurt</div><div>12 oz. (2 packs) fat free blueberry yogurt (we have Chobani)</div><div>1/2 c. sugar</div><div>1/2 Tb. vanilla extract</div><div>1 Tb lavender buds</div><div><br /></div><div>Mix all the ingredients together until you're sure the sugar has dissolved. Then dump it all into your ice cream maker. The result is floral, tart, sweet, and heavenly (not to mention fairly guilt-free!)</div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EFHoC4U_AFA/Te2rDmjr1WI/AAAAAAAABNc/Kk1lVFP3R-A/s1600/008.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EFHoC4U_AFA/Te2rDmjr1WI/AAAAAAAABNc/Kk1lVFP3R-A/s320/008.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615332388779054434" /></a>I'm sure this is only the beginning of much experimentation in the FroYo genre of desserts I can't wait to see what she hankers for next.</div>Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11159296837279690760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1727519185625251697.post-77983398222715682662011-06-06T01:05:00.004-04:002011-06-06T01:28:58.413-04:00Improving on Perfection: Crumble Topping<div style="text-align: left;">After the success of the banana raisin muffins, Zips has been on a quest to discover more and even better breakfast recipes. So she found a vegan blueberry muffin that looked healthy-- and they <i>taste</i> healthy. For me they had all qualities that I avoid in baked treats-- they were a bit dense, grainy, not terribly sweet. But these same qualities are why Zips ended up liking them a lot. She agrees they taste healthy, but in a good way. She likes how they smell like whole wheat. I'll spare you the recipe so you go find a better one. But these'll do in a pinch.</div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VJnkmfBElko/Texhdu5DDKI/AAAAAAAABM8/-NJxemBfA2Q/s1600/002.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VJnkmfBElko/Texhdu5DDKI/AAAAAAAABM8/-NJxemBfA2Q/s320/002.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614969998855572642" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div>So rather than strike off in new territory this morning, I decided to just swap the raisins in last week's banana muffins for blueberries. And to be extra delicious, I decided to look for a crumble topping recipe.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>And am I ever glad I did! It's super easy to remember the quantities of the ingredients-- just grab your 1/4 c. measuring cup.</div><div><br /></div><div>Crumb Topping for muffins (and other things, I'm sure!)</div><div><br /></div><div>1/4 c. all purpose flour</div><div>1/4 c. brown sugar</div><div>1/2 c. oats </div><div>1/4 c. butter (best if kept cold and cut into small pieces)</div><div>1 tsp. cinnamon</div><div><br /></div><div>mix everything together with a fork until clumpy but well incorporated. Then fork pieces over each muffin-- whatever sort of muffins you decide to make. </div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eb3l84-_eM4/TexheUsc3rI/AAAAAAAABNM/BZquxB-Kxu8/s1600/015.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eb3l84-_eM4/TexheUsc3rI/AAAAAAAABNM/BZquxB-Kxu8/s320/015.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614970009003286194" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div>It made the muffins smell and taste like PIE! I look forward to making more kinds-- I'm thinking of looking up something with apples and raisins. Oh, and despite Zips' love of blueberries, she likes the banana muffins with raisins better. But she loved the crumble!</div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ly9OIqGNKw8/TexlbO4E-rI/AAAAAAAABNU/1TkV1yk0J8g/s1600/014.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ly9OIqGNKw8/TexlbO4E-rI/AAAAAAAABNU/1TkV1yk0J8g/s320/014.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614974353948342962" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div>Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11159296837279690760noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1727519185625251697.post-24995187612602794542011-05-29T02:25:00.004-04:002011-05-29T02:45:29.854-04:00Midnight Baking!<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F9rWYlzMpmU/TeHnKPnQYmI/AAAAAAAABMw/A3G-KJw7yho/s1600/IMG_7016.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F9rWYlzMpmU/TeHnKPnQYmI/AAAAAAAABMw/A3G-KJw7yho/s320/IMG_7016.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612020773856240226" /></a>Summer has officially landed. We've had more than one 90 degree day and I've just finished my last official commitment on campus until fall orientation starts again in August. This explains why, at 12:22am I found myself hunkered over my oven waiting for a batch of muffins to rise.<div><br /></div><div>Vegan banana raisin muffins discovered by Zips on stumbleupon (I tell you, it's an addiction!). She happened upon a wonderful <a href="http://crunchandchew.wordpress.com/2011/03/05/super-skinny-banana-pecan-muffins/">vegan foodie blog </a>that I've fallen head over heels for. In any case, "Super Skinny Banana-Pecan Muffins" definitely turned my head. Since we're cutting down on nuts for a bit (something complicated having to do with L-arginines and L-lysines and myelin sheaths), I swapped the pecans for raisins. We're going to have them for breakfast! </div><div><br /></div><div>Skinny Banana Raisin Muffins (vegan!)</div><div><br /></div><div>preheat oven to 350</div><div><br /></div><div>1 c. whole wheat flour</div><div>1/2 c. oats</div><div>1/4 c. raw sugar (I <i>just</i> realized while typing this that I forgot to use raw sugar!)</div><div>1/2 tsp. baking powder</div><div>1/2 tsp. baking soda</div><div>1/2 tsp. cinnamon</div><div>pinch of salt</div><div><br /></div><div>Mix these together and in a separate bowl, mix together:</div><div><br /></div><div>1/3 c. soy milk</div><div>1 egg replacer (the original on<a href="http://crunchandchew.wordpress.com/2011/03/05/super-skinny-banana-pecan-muffins/"> Crunch & Chew </a>uses flax "eggs," I use ener-g)</div><div>2 Tb. veg. oil (the original uses applesauce instead, which I don't have)</div><div>1 large overripe banana mashed up (we had 2 medium sized, so I used them both)</div><div><br /></div><div>mix wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then add 1/3 c. raisins (or pecans, walnuts, etc) . Spoon into muffin pan and bake 15-20 minutes. </div><div><br /></div><div>I accidentally spread a bit of veg. margarine onto one and ate the whole thing without chewing. I don't know if I'll even sleep tonight. It smells so good in here. Think I'm crazy? Go make some of these in the middle of the night and see how <i>you </i>do!<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nhU9saeo7vo/TeHnJmvAQmI/AAAAAAAABMo/BM8NBw7rnzc/s1600/IMG_7015.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nhU9saeo7vo/TeHnJmvAQmI/AAAAAAAABMo/BM8NBw7rnzc/s320/IMG_7015.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612020762882884194" /></a></div>Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11159296837279690760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1727519185625251697.post-86695137069985278982011-05-26T00:48:00.002-04:002011-05-26T00:57:07.271-04:00Decadent Dessert (toppings!)<div>With Memorial Day weekend coming up and holiday weekend movies starting tomorrow, we decided to beat the rush and have a cookout today (Wednesday). After gorging ourselves on potato salad, veggie burgers and corn grilled over the fire, we scraped together change from the couch for some fresh strawberries and heavy whipping cream for dessert. Zips missed the episode of Barefoot Contessa I caught that featured her summer berry pudding (to be attempted sometime soon!) that she tops with some rum whipped cream. We still have some dregs of Bacardi, so we figured, why not?</div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tZwoC9scjow/Td3b5IqexuI/AAAAAAAABMg/-QDc5TMO6kA/s1600/IMG_7008.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tZwoC9scjow/Td3b5IqexuI/AAAAAAAABMg/-QDc5TMO6kA/s320/IMG_7008.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610882485398193890" /></a>Rum Whipped Cream (thanks <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/summer-pudding-with-rum-whipped-cream-recipe/index.html">Ina</a>!)<div><br /></div><div>half pint of heavy whipping cream</div><div>3 Tb. sugar</div><div>1 tsp. vanilla extract</div><div>1 Tb. rum (the original calls for dark rum, I say use what you got!)</div><div><br /></div><div>Since I've never actually whipped cream, I decided to be good and put the stainless steel bowl, the cream, and the beaters for the mixer in the freezer for about 10 minutes (this is supposed to be helpful). Beat the cream by itself until it's beyond frothy and starts to actually thicken. Then slowly add the rest of the ingredients and continue beating until stiff peaks form and all that. Goes GREAT with fresh strawberries. Would also be excellent on anything chocolate or coffee flavored. I'm interested in trying this with brandy instead of rum. We'll see. Enjoy!</div>Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11159296837279690760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1727519185625251697.post-51603548428425561682011-05-23T22:44:00.005-04:002011-05-23T23:02:52.210-04:00Pineapple-Soy Glazed Tofu recipe that Zips stumbled upon<div>So Zipper has stumbled upon the web discovery engine StumbleUpon.com and is completely hooked. It's her new evening pasttime. She's clicked off Vegetarian Recipes among her fields of interest, and so stumbled upon the basis for our new dinner adventure: Pineapple-Soy glazed tofu.</div><div><br /></div><div>The original recipe called for pineapple preserves, orange or pineapple juice and diced pineapple chunks. Having just peeled and cored our first perfect pineapple of the summer, I just substituted finely minced pineapple for the preserves and juice portion. One of the user comments also suggested adding 1/2 c. sweet and sour sauce, which we don't have. So I looked up several recipes for that too, which I'm including. The result is deeelicious. I'm only sorry we didn't have any more bell pepper (used it last night in the tagine) or green onions. We agreed that cashews or peanuts would also be a great addition to this. But once you have the sauce down, you'll be great to go!</div><div><br /></div><div>Sweet & Sour Sauce</div><div><br /></div><div>1/4 c. ketchup</div><div>1/4 c. brown sugar</div><div>1/4 c. white vinegar</div><div>1/2 tsp. granulated garlic</div><div>1/4 tsp. dry mustard </div><div>1/2 tsp. ground ginger</div><div>1-2 tsp. soy sauce</div><div>1 Tb. cornstarch</div><div><br /></div><div>Mix these together in a microwaveable bowl and heat it for 1 min. Stir and heat it 1 more minute until cornstarch is "cooked" and the sauce is glossy. Yields about 1/2 c. (would also be great with spring rolls!) </div><div><br /></div><div>Pineapple-Soy Glazed Tofu</div><div><br /></div><div>1 package firm tofu cut into cubes or slices (I sliced mine and pressed it to drain out the liquid-- lay them out on several paper towels, cover with another paper towel and set a cutting board on top. Then add weight to the cutting board to press the tofu)</div><div>1-2 Tb. oil (I used half sesame and half veg. oil)</div><div>2 cloves minced garlic</div><div><br /></div><div>After the tofu has been drained/pressed for 10 minutes, heat the garlic in the oil and brown the tofu on both sides. Lower the heat and whisk together:</div><div><br /></div><div>1/2 c. finely minced fresh pineapple (and whatever juice leaks out of the fruit while you're chopping it)</div><div>2-3 Tb. soy sauce</div><div>1/2 Sweet & Sour Sauce</div><div><br /></div><div>Pour these into the tofu and add 1/2 c. diced pineapple (cut it the same size as the tofu). Now would also be a good time to add other veggies-- bell pepper, baby corn, whatever strikes your fancy. Simmer tofu and pineapple in the sauce until well incorporated and heated through. Serve over brown rice with sliced green onions and cilantro. </div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VZFSTyQxfsM/TdsbsyD5XLI/AAAAAAAABMY/DCDwbTLLta4/s1600/IMG_7002.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VZFSTyQxfsM/TdsbsyD5XLI/AAAAAAAABMY/DCDwbTLLta4/s320/IMG_7002.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610108216986393778" /></a>Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11159296837279690760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1727519185625251697.post-35342175074893229712011-05-22T22:50:00.007-04:002011-05-23T23:10:06.822-04:00New Summer Tagine Recipe<div style="text-align: left;">(First off, let me admit I do not own a tagine. Nevertheless, this is delicious and easy to make.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Driven by the usual summertime necessities (65% poverty, 35% laziness) I found and tweaked a wonderful Moroccan-inspired chickpea/chik'n recipe for dinner tonight: </div><div><br /></div><div>1 12 oz. bag Quorn Chik'n Tenders</div><div>1 14 oz. can vegetable broth</div><div>1 14 oz. can whole tomatoes</div><div>1 14 oz. can garbanzo beans</div><div>1 med. yellow onion</div><div>2 cloves garlic</div><div>1 bell pepper, diced</div><div>2 Tb. olive oil</div><div>1 tsp. cumin</div><div>1 tsp. chili powder</div><div><br /></div><div>In your tagine (or dutch oven or other large-ish heavy-bottomed pot) saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil for about 5 min. Then add the quorn tenders spices and saute for another 5 min. or so. Pour in broth, tomatoes (and juice from the can), garbanzos, and bell pepper. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes until everything is nice and incorporated and the aroma of everything drives you insane. Salt and pepper to taste (but you probably won't need it at all).</div><div><br /></div><div>While that's happening, bring to a boil 1 1/4c. vegetable broth, a little of the juice from the canned tomatoes, and a sprinkle of cumin, coriander, and chili powder. Stir in 1 c. of whole wheat couscous. Cover and turn off the heat immediately, and allow the couscous to absorb the liquid (5-8 min). </div><div><br /></div><div>Serve the "tagine" mixture over the couscous, and don't be stingy with that sauce. Garnish with fresh cilantro.</div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CiB6-GrD3mw/TdnMmh158BI/AAAAAAAABMI/pLYx8on9xL4/s1600/IMG_6965.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CiB6-GrD3mw/TdnMmh158BI/AAAAAAAABMI/pLYx8on9xL4/s320/IMG_6965.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609739773158223890" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div>Another good protein, low fat dinner that we didn't even have to leave the house for!</div><div><br /></div>Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11159296837279690760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1727519185625251697.post-9219112098371770592011-04-24T21:44:00.005-04:002011-04-24T22:17:01.336-04:00Veg-Friendly in San Antonio!<div style="text-align: left;">On a quick trip to San Antonio, we tried out the lone star's lone all-vegetarian restaurant (well, in that town anyway), <a href="http://www.greensanantonio.com/">Green Vegetarian Cuisine</a>.</div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bxFvdd8a7Ow/TbTT9s9Rv9I/AAAAAAAABLw/DwK3dqWwqFE/s1600/006.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bxFvdd8a7Ow/TbTT9s9Rv9I/AAAAAAAABLw/DwK3dqWwqFE/s320/006.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599333293722025938" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><div><div style="text-align: left;">It has an eclectic, arty look on the outside, and I was encouraged by the fact that the small parking lot was full and that the street out front was lined with parked cars. A full restaurant is a good sign! </div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bxFvdd8a7Ow/TbTT9s9Rv9I/AAAAAAAABLw/DwK3dqWwqFE/s1600/006.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f_zk0aGa4-Q/TbTT-JoIK1I/AAAAAAAABL4/Mltm5TPvP3U/s1600/005.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f_zk0aGa4-Q/TbTT-JoIK1I/AAAAAAAABL4/Mltm5TPvP3U/s320/005.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599333301417945938" /></a>I was also excited to see they also have several thriving garden beds out front that are chock full of herbs, kale and other greens that are served in the restaurant.<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LVf1ANQygqc/TbTT9f264cI/AAAAAAAABLo/cVUR9zmIRUs/s1600/007.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LVf1ANQygqc/TbTT9f264cI/AAAAAAAABLo/cVUR9zmIRUs/s320/007.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599333290205700546" /></a>The inside has two narrow, funky boho-chic dining rooms.<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BFRBczp-6N8/TbTTdfgzCtI/AAAAAAAABLg/v4txoylYVvk/s1600/017.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BFRBczp-6N8/TbTTdfgzCtI/AAAAAAAABLg/v4txoylYVvk/s320/017.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599332740357098194" /></a>Since we're in San Antonio, Zips was feeling like Tex-Mex and got the chalupa plate-- with refried black beans, guac, pico, tvp crumbles that came with a side of quinoa with cilantro and red onions. (She was waffling between that and the taco salad)<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IcPjdO678u8/TbTTdO_d5rI/AAAAAAAABLY/TNtnwL7niBs/s1600/014.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IcPjdO678u8/TbTTdO_d5rI/AAAAAAAABLY/TNtnwL7niBs/s320/014.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599332735922333362" /></a>I opted for comfort food and ordered their "neatloaf", (tvp and breadcrumb base) which was a little dry, but very tasty. It had a pleasantly tangy, smoky flavor. And the mashed potatoes & gravy were delicious-- there were pieces of carrot in with the potatoes. And the wilted greens (from the garden out front) have left me completely craving this again. I'm going to have to go out and find me some kale!<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fHGU5GlBM2k/TbTTc6izqpI/AAAAAAAABLQ/FLrQBlbSN2E/s1600/016.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fHGU5GlBM2k/TbTTc6izqpI/AAAAAAAABLQ/FLrQBlbSN2E/s320/016.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599332730433415826" /></a>They came right up to the table with a platter of desserts (rather than asking if we want to see the dessert menu-- they make it impossible not to order dessert). They boast a whole case of vegan desserts-- cupcakes, cookies, and even offer whole cakes and wedding cakes!<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VfCAz-eAjAQ/TbTTcev1qXI/AAAAAAAABLI/LWOpkEgZ7q0/s1600/020.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VfCAz-eAjAQ/TbTTcev1qXI/AAAAAAAABLI/LWOpkEgZ7q0/s1600/020.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VfCAz-eAjAQ/TbTTcev1qXI/AAAAAAAABLI/LWOpkEgZ7q0/s320/020.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599332722971879794" /></a><div>We got a take-away cookies and cream and a chocolate peanut butter cupcake. My cookies and cream was tasty-- the frosting tasted a bit like cookie dough (in a good way). Zips' peanut butter chocolate was less of a hit-- a little dry and unexciting. <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cpHuz4G70E4/TbTT-eTC0_I/AAAAAAAABMA/TZeCI2UWtpM/s1600/018.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cpHuz4G70E4/TbTT-eTC0_I/AAAAAAAABMA/TZeCI2UWtpM/s320/018.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599333306966660082" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div>We'd love to try eating here again, though. Especially the breakfast menu! We had a whole meal planned out, but then found out they're <i>closed </i>on Saturday! Next time.</div></div>Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11159296837279690760noreply@blogger.com0