Confessions

It has been way too long since I've written in here! I have been busy (but when am I not?), travelling to and fro both within Virginia and without. Last weekend I went home to Philly to visit my family. And I must confess it wasn't a trip I was much looking forward to. Family drama sort of puts a damper on homecomings.

Lately, in all my busy-ness, running around, and sleep deprivation, I've been finding rest in meditating on a question someone asked me over winter break: if you had one whole day to yourself, what would you do? Fresh off my half marathon and so enslaved to the working lifestyle, I said I'd go for a run and make food. Hold on. Would I really go for a run on my day off?? NO!!! Please tell me I am not that boring! So I confess, I got ahead of myself when I originally answered the question. But I think I've narrowed down my answer over the past few months: I'd bake! I've been having dreams of strawberry balsamic vanilla cupcakes, lemon ginger cupcakes with blueberry filling, shoo-fly pies, vanilla cupcakes with basil and/or cucumber frosting, dessert dirt, yum yum YUM!! Now I can't wait for that once in a million chance I have a day with absolute nothing to do. Ugh I can not wait!

But until them, I'll keep dreaming and trying new recipes. As I write I an in the Houston airport waiting for my flight to New Orleans for the jazz fest. I am meeting my friend Aryn and my other friend Allie will be there too. I'm looking forward to sleep, fun in the sun, tanning, great music, cool sites, adventures, and, the craziest confession, I'm looking forward to eating sea food for the first time in 15yrs! Let the tastiness and stomach aches begin!

One project completed...

I have a tendency to start projects and leave them half finished. A few examples are:

- My basil plant that I replanted in a pot to bring it inside to survive the winter (I even had a schedule for it -- when I would put it in sunlight, when it would go outside, when I would bring it into the living room). But apparently I didn't have a good schedule for watering it because I apparently drowned it and it died but I just left the dead basil plant on the porch for a few months. My roommate made me throw it out this week :(

- My "tack board" that I made out of quark board that is hanging on my wall but doesn't have any pictures or anything on it because I still haven't gotten tacks for these 6 months I've been living here...

- My terrace I was going to put at the back of the garden for my tomato and pumpkin plants to grow on. I put the stakes in but the terrace is still on my porch...

Whatever. I can feel hope for all of the above (and the COUNTLESS other half-finished projects) because tonight, I finished a project! I made almond milk!! It is super tastey, pure, and just GOOD. I am so happy I made it so I can experience making my own vegan milk, but it definitely took a little longer than I thought because I couldn't find the correct strainers for the almond "puree" that you filter, so I had to use loose leaf tea bags, which are small, fragile, and kept ripping.

When actual cost and opportunity cost is totaled, buying Blue Diamond Sweetened Vanilla Almond Milk is cheaper. But, it feels good knowing I can stick it to the man and DIY if I want!

And yes that's all 1C of almonds makes...

Detroit

These photos make my heart burn with a strong desire to move to Detroit. Look how beautiful these buildings once were, and how beautiful they could be with some TLC!! I look at Detroit's weather every day and it's really not THAT bad, even for an underweight vegan....

http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2011/02/07/captured-the-ruins-of-detroit/2672/

The story of Cathy

I had a phenominal time in Champaign with Kirby and the church here. It was so great to meet everyone and be able to hang out with my church family out in the Midwest. And, of course, to be reunited to my friend and sister in Christ, Kirby!!

A definite highlight was being able to meet Cathy. Kirby and two of the brothers from the church here and I were in the University of Illinois student union at 10:30pm (ironing shirts...funny story). At the other side of the room we noticed this woman who was middle aged, by herself, just sitting on the couch, not reading or talking or sleeping, but just sitting. It got our attention so we went over to talk to her, see if everything was alright, and invite her to church. It was funny, the first thing she said to us when we asked her if she was alright was, "Yes, you can sit with me if you'd like, I'm very religious." Kirby and I laughed and I wondered if she overheard us saying we should go talk to her, but we sat down and she told us about her life. After leaving a relationship 6 years ago, she's been in and out of homelessness ever since. She was heart broken that her old paster at her church left after being her biggest support for years. We listened to her, asked her if she wanted to join us the next morning for church, and prayed with her.

The next morning, Kirby and I went to pick her up, and I was so happy to see her smiling face right inside the union where we said we'd pick her up!! She loved church and was singing and dancing and laughing and talking and crying and everything. It was such an encouragement! Kirby talked to the head of benevolence in Champagna and they put Cathy up in a hotel for the week, and she said she wanted to come back to church. Amen. This is what I live for!

James 1:27

²⁷ Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Vegetable broth and coffee shops

So I just made some yummy veggie broth, and I love making my own food! Making my own broth has saved me so much money, esp during the winter when I want to cook a lot of soups and stews.




I went to Para Coffee shop on the corner the other day after looking at the lights in the Rotunda for work, and when they poured my almond milk into my coffee (I know I'm a snub and an elitist and a priss), I saw they had a glass jug so I asked where they got their almond milk. Apparently they not only make their own almond milk, but walnut and pistacio milk as well! So crazy! So this is my next endeavour. And, this will save me money too. Considering I went over my food budget by $20 this month (it's not even the end of the month yet...sheesh), I could use all the savings I can get. And, the added benefit to this recipe is that it produces flour too, so I can bake more!

http://www.ohnuts.com/blog/2011/03/how_to_make_almond_milk_recipe_1.html

My next baking: cinnoman buns. Vegan brunch for the win. Also with these.

http://veganmenu.blogspot.com/2010/02/super-bowl-buffalo-tofu-pommes-frites.html

Speaking of going over budgers, I also went over my gas budget. So, it's back to riding my bike again. Amen for muscles! But with all that calorie burning I need some extra food. Basically someone needs to make me food. That's my love language. Food.

Speaking of food, I had a food dream the other night! I have been thinking a lot lately about the best dessert I've ever had....it was after my half marathon and my friend Grace had us over and made this delicious meal, but I totally forget what it was because the dessert was AMAZING!!! It was slow baked apples (how do you even do that???) with vegan vanilla SOY ICE CREAM!! I can't even explain how good this was. So, in my dream, I had vanilla ice cream with cocao toast, and I heated it up in the microwave, and it was delicious. So, let the dream inspired food begin.

Burn List

We had a great family time last week. We wrote letters to god (aka prayers...), and then we burned them! This is not to be confused with a burn list. You might actually say they are completely opposite. And then we made smores (well THEY did), and then Leanna burned her junk mail. It was a beautiful night, if only because it's 60deg in the middle of January. I can't take this. Tell global warming to cool it. Ha.

This weekend was pretty crazy, but what's new? But Saturday started our real fine with Leanna and I spending some time at La Taza, a decent cafe in Belmont. It was so great to spend time with Leanna but it reminded me of hanging out with Aryn and I missed the old days, which really aren't that old yet. But, I'm super nosgalgic so old days they will be!

Comfort food

The search for great vegan comfort food is on!

Ok honestly I dont really know what comfort food is really (perhaps because I'm vegan?), but I know that lots of people say mac n cheese is their comfort food, so I decided to try this recipe. It's good! And it's baked! But I have no idea if thats normal for mac n cheese, but what is normal anyway? Over rated! I'll take my cheese fake, my pasta dish baked and my orange juice room temp with a side of hot water and you can leave your criticism at the door thank you very much!

Also it snowed today, making my choice for comfort food even more appropriate.