Uncategorized

The Post-Holiday Rambling Rundown: Part 2, A Christmas Retrospective

/ Kelly / 9 Comments

Confession: I’m losing my bloggy steam. My motivation to post is pretty low, and I’m even having difficulty mustering up the energy to comment on others’ posts. And Twitter’s been getting on my nerves lately – for those of you who Tweet, how do you keep up with people? It seems like 50% of the people I follow (and whose Tweets I actually want to read!) Tweet all day long. What’s up with that, people?! Do y’all have really relaxed jobs? Or is it that you all have those newfangled smart phones? I hear tell that you can access the internetzzz with them thar things! In any case, you’re makin’ it hard for me to keep up! SIGH.

Okay, I’m done whining. :)

Hey, remember when Christmas happened? Yeah, I know it was like three weeks ago… whatever. Remember how I had all these grand plans for an internationally-themed dinner? Well. Let’s just say that my big plans turned into us having three main dishes, only one of which was vegan, and all of which were Portuguese. Some major fail happened there, but I won’t point fingers at Certain Family Members who dropped the foodie ball. Cough. I won’t lie, either – I had my one and only Petulant!Kelly moment of my trip home at that point, when I realized that all my plans had basically culminated in a table full o’ meat. But after imbibing one [or two… maybe three… definitely too many] vegan White Russians, I let go of my petulance and became my ol’ cheery self again. Plus, there was dessert.

Nom nom nommity nom.

I know that photo is godawful, but… three White Russians, people. We had three vegan desserts! Reppin’ our English heritage, my momma made a yummy figgy pudding (hidden in the dish, d’oh), which was a hybrid of traditional figgy pudding and rice pudding, and my sissy made some super decadent sesame-cranberry-dark chocolate scones. Oh yeah. I put together a really fantastic Russian poppy seed roll – I highly recommend that recipe! So, hey, yummy desserts totally made up for the lackluster dinner.

Plus, who needs dinner when you’ve had cinnamon rolls for breakfast?! Just like last year, my mommy made vegan cinnamon buns for our traditional Christmas morning breakfast of cinnamon rolls and grapefruit.

Stomachache-inducingly good.

They were just as perfect and sugary as they look. I really love that my family is so adaptable and willing to eat vegan. It doesn’t hurt that my mom is 95% vegan, too. ;) My parents both felt so bad about our dinner!fail, which made me feel quite guilty for having a moment of teenager-like petulance. Ah well.

So – that was my Christmas, from a food perspective! And you know what? Writing this post has totally rejuvenated my bloggy mojo. It probably doesn’t hurt that I’m also listening to crazy energetic/embarrassing dance music. Enrique, I’m lookin’ at you.

Anyway, I’ll leave you with this loverly photo of my siblings and me on Christmas Eve, just because. Man, my family is the bestest.

Yeah, we *might* be related...

The Post-Holiday Rambling Rundown: Part I, New Year’s Edition

/ Kelly / 1 Comment

HELLO MY FRIENDS! HAPPY 2011!

I was all excited about posting from RI, but when I was actually there, sitting on the couch in my parents’ living room and enjoying the Christmas ambiance, I realized that I had much, much better things to do – things like catching up with friends over tea or brunch, and spoiling my doggies with love, and visiting my sweet grandmother in her nursing home, and playing really cheesy LAN games with my family, and being generally inane and ridiculous with my sister. So I’m not sorry for not posting – I see my RI family and friends so rarely that I wasn’t about to squander my time with them by putzing around on the internet and reading blogs when I could be enjoying their company – no offense. ;)

And when I finally got back to Madison, a day and a half later than expected thanks to some major travel!fails*, I was tired and stressed, and blogging was sort of beyond my comprehension. Then I had a quick two days of work before taking off for a New Year’s Eve celebration with some of my best friends from college. I did bake cookies for our celebration:

Flat Stanleys.

Oh, they look a little flat, you say? Oddly thin and grotesquely large, you think? Well… yeah. I won’t argue with you. I had a little baking!fail with these Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies from 500 Vegan Recipes – had to keep the travel!fail company, y’know? I suspect I must’ve added a bit too much EB – I was a little sloppy while measuring. But they still tasted rich and delicious despite their dubious appearance.

And, while making them, I got to use the brand new sifter and cooling rack my wonderful parents gave me for Christmas, which was very exciting for me!

Sifty sifty!

I think cooking or foodie-related gifts made up half of my Christmas haul this year – my family knows me so well. As for me, I felt all filled with Christmas cheer when I watched my family open the plethora of handknitted gifts I spent months creating – look out for them in an upcoming post. :)

Now, though, I’m thinking ahead to 2011. I never made an official resolution until two years ago, when I made a very deliberate decision to improve my outlook on life and to replace my characteristic pessimism and negativity with optimism and positivity. Despite my skepticism, I succeeded, and last year I extended that resolution with what I called my “Positivity Plus!” goal, which was essentially just keeping up a [mostly] positive attitude.

This year, though, I’m focusing on a few other things. I definitely will maintain my newfound optimism, difficult though it can be at times, but I also want to extend it to my shyness and social anxiety – half the reason I get nervous about various situations is because I always think about them in negative terms; I’m convinced that they’ll be terrible and awkward, and I set myself up for failure. No more! I will consciously try to not do that anymore.

At my NYE gathering, my friends all issued 2011 challenges for one another. For example, my physics major friend is tasked with reading 4 books this year. What a terrible challenge, right?! Oy. Anyway, my challenge is to try one new fitness DVD/YouTube video a month and to write a review of it for my friends. So – anybody have a suggestion for that? It can be serious or otherwise! :)

Those are my two serious goals for 2011, but I also have some general thoughts about other things I hope to achieve. For example:

* Continuing to buy mostly used/upcycled/thrifted clothes and other household items
* Trying out new crafts, like crocheting and embroidering
* Making time to volunteer with the Humane Society
* Taking risks!
* Being more active in general
* Focusing more on really learning Italian and ASL (instead of dabbling in multiple languages)
* …a few other personal things :)

Whew! Those are my thoughts for 2011… what are yours? Do you make resolutions? Set goals? Issue challenges? I’m so excited for this year! Are you?

* Things that are good about travel!fails: Extra time with your family, the possibility of compensation by the airline for their screw-ups, an extra day of vacation
Things that are bad about travel!fails: Being too tired to enjoy extra family time because you had to wake at 4:30 to catch the flight that failed you, needing to take 1.5 more days out of work than anticipated, not getting compensated because everybody’s blaming everybody else for the fail
…overall, though, I didn’t mind the extra time with la famiglia. :)

A Decidedly Unseasonal Beverage

/ Kelly / 4 Comments

Friends! Thank you all for your suggestions for my international Christmas dinner. I talked with my ‘rents the other day, and we’ve got some fantastic ideas – I can’t wait to share them with you after the holiday!

Right now, though, I’m gleefully packing to go hooome! My flight out of Madison leaves a bit after 6:00 tomorrow evening, so I’ll have to leave work a bit early – que lástima, I know. I’m currently having a little happyfest as I finish up my packing and listen to Christmas music. I’m also using up the last of my Brussels sprouts so they don’t go bad while I’m out of state. That’s a vaguely seasonal eat, right? I must admit, though, that the other night I indulged in a totally non-seasonal dessert, one that might be more appropriate for lounging poolside than snuggling in a blanket on the couch, knitting and watching ridiculous holiday movies.

Pinkity pink!

Isn’t that super pretty? And isn’t my tiny fake tree super ridiculous? I had a banana I needed to use up (I just CANNOT enjoy bananas, no matter how hard I try!), and I blended it with the remainder of my Rice Dream ice cream (because it’s way too sweet for me to eat straight up), a bunch of frozen raspberries, and a secret ingredient. Whoa, wait, the secret ingredient is Silk Nog, so this IS a seasonal beverage after all! Surprise! Anyway, this was rather delicious – it reminded me of some sort of sour candy, although I couldn’t quite determine which one. Mmm… it was so yummy, tart and sweet and smooth and creamy. Yay ad hoc milkshake-makin’!

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some Brussels to eat before they stink up the apartment even more. Oh, by the way – roasting Brussels in coconut oil? AMAZING. It’s a revelation! Slightly caramelized, crispy sprouts? Yes, please! Give it a shot if you haven’t yet – I lurve it!

Happy Monday! Next time I write, it’ll be from the Ocean State – huzzah!

Lemon & Lavender

/ Kelly / 7 Comments

Last Christmas, I had one of those “you know you’re a vegan foodie when…” moments: my mom stuffed my stocking with spices, and I was thrilled. She’d purchased six fun spices for me at a local craft fair, and after Christmas I lovingly transported them back to Madison from RI and have been using them ever since. All of them, that is, except for the lemon peel and the lavender. But this weekend I put those less-loved spices to good use.

Crappy-photo-taken-at-work alert!

This, friends, is a lemon-lavender muffin. I don’t have a recipe to share because I basically made the delicious Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins from Vegan Brunch, omitting the lemon zest and poppy seeds and substituting lemon peel and lavender instead. Bursting with lemony flavor from the peel and freshly-squeezed lemon juice, this is a delicate, sophisticated muffin I’d happily serve at a tea party or bring to a formal brunch. (Do formal brunches exist? If not, THEY SHOULD. Let’s have one.) Although I was concerned that the lavender might be overwhelmingly floral in flavor, instead it’s subtle and refreshing and works perfectly with the lemon. Lemon and lavender are, in my book, a winning pair.

They are not, however, remotely seasonal. This seems like a flavor combination more suited to spring than winter. But I welcomed that little hint of spring this week, because winter’s come out to play, and I start my days defrosting my car in subzero temperatures.

Despite that indulgence in thoughts of spring, my mind is definitely full of sugar plums and snowflakes. I’m helping to plan our family’s Christmas dinner, even though I’m currently 1300 miles away and won’t be home ’til next Tuesday night. My family is traditionally very open when it comes to Christmas dinner; we’ve done Mexican-themed meals and Italian-inspired dinners in the past. This year, I’ve come up with a great idea – we’ll make foods that represent all the different parts of our heritage. I am the quintessential American mutt, a mix of Irish and Portuguese and Russian Jew and French-Canadian and English and Scottish and, perhaps, Welsh. I’ve come up with lots of ideas for dishes we could make, but I’m interested in hearing your ideas! What foods from those cultures would you recommend? I’m interested in appetizers, soups, breads, desserts, entrees, sides, desserts, drinks, whatever! Do share your thoughts!

Winny McWinnerpants!

/ Kelly / 1 Comment

The results are in! I used a random number generator to pick the winner of my MoFo giveaway, and here’s what I got:

A winner is you!

#17, Jill from Vegan Backpacker! Jill, send me an e-mail (girlinthegarden AT gmail DOT com) with your name & address, and I’ll ship your goodies out to you this weekend!

Thanks for playing, everybody! I love doing giveaways, so I’ll probably host another one before winter ends. :)

Note: Because the comments for my giveaway post included some of my own pingbacks and automated Twitter pingbacks, I made a separate list of all legitimate entries and used that numbering for the giveaway. Does that make sense? I just wanted to clarify my methodology. :)

Cranboozlement!

/ Kelly / 10 Comments

When I was a kid and anyone asked me what was my favorite fruit, I happily replied, “Grapefruit!” While most children preferred the more conventional apple or maybe a banana, I’ve always been a fan of all things sour. Perhaps, then, it’s no surprise that I share a similar, if recently cultivated, love for cranberries. I sort of forgot they existed for a while, partially due to having a low-key Thanksgiving, but then I remembered, and now I can’t get enough of their tart, juicy selves (twss?). It’s appropriate, I think, because I have now officially been a Wisconsin resident for a year (!), and – guess what? – Wisconsin is the #1 cranberry-producin’ state in this here nation! So these ruby-red morsels of delight are local. Win!

I find it a little puzzling that so many cranberry-centric baked good recipes ask you to chop your cranners. I think there’s something enjoyable about keeping them whole and having big cranberry chunks in your bread or your muffin, ready to explode into bright-red bursts of tartness on your tongue. That (and, fine, my lack of a food processor) leads me to keep mine whole in most recipes, and I was pleased to see that the wittily-titled Cranboozy Cake (or, in my case, Giant Muffins) from 500 Vegan Recipes also calls for whole berries. Cranberries, vodka, triple sec, and orange juice? Sign me up!

Festive cranboozlement!

I’ll be honest – I wasn’t head-over-heels crazy about these at first. I tend to be a little leery of baked goods sweetened solely with agave, partially because it’s quite temperamental during the baking experience and partially because I find the flavor lacking a certain something (but maybe that’s the sweet tooth talking). However, by the time I ate the third muffin (not in one sitting!), I was properly cranboozled. I appreciated the muffins for what they are – a sophisticated baked good with a blend of flavors that leaves no room for overly sugary sweetness. And the liquors add a little somethin’-somethin’ extra, a pleasant smoothness that lingers on the tongue. Yep, I’m a fan.

If you don’t own 500 Vegan Recipes, never fear! Celine has the recipe available on her blog. Do you have any favorite cranberry recipes (sweet, savory, or something in between the two)? I’m in the market!

And don’t forget to enter my giveaway for a chance to win some fun crafty goods and a cookbook!

Hanukkah and the Sweet Potato Latkes that Weren’t

/ Kelly / 2 Comments

Do you ever get an instinctual, gut feeling that an endeavor (say, a particular cooking project) just won’t end well? Do you ever ignore that gut feeling, despite the fact that said gut feeling has, in the past, been fairly accurate? ‘Cuz I sure do. Not often enough to make me question my own intelligence or anything, but often enough that I really should know better.

Let me back up a little.

Happy Hanukkah!

Disclaimer: I’m not Jewish. However, I do have Russian Jew heritage, and I’ve always had a soft spot for Hanukkah and all things Jewish. This “soft spot” manifested as more of a low-key obsession when I was a child; I made clay menorahs for my dolls and spun dreidels and ate my dad’s delicious latkes and wished I could celebrate the holiday for realsies. I might’ve moved on from that tiny obsession (which is not to say that I didn’t buy a Hebrew textbook at that amazing used book sale a few months back), but I still think Hanukkah and its accompanying rituals are rather enchanting.

As a nod to my heritage and to all my Jewish pals, I decided to make latkes for dinner tonight. Although Hannah’s recipe for baked latkes was timely and looked, quite honestly, delicious (since I’m no fan of fried and/or fat-laden foods), fate got in the way and led me astray. An absence of white potatoes necessitated my use of sweet potatoes instead, and although I probably should have just adapted Hannah’s recipe – what with my knowledge that baked latkes would be easier and would sit better in my tummy! – of course I ignored my instincts and decided to go with a more traditional (i.e. fried) recipe instead.

Sigh. I should’ve known better. Perhaps it’s obvious where this is going. My latkes did not, to put it mildly, turn out well. They didn’t look all crispy and yummy like the latkes from the original recipe do. I didn’t photograph them (or, really, it, because I ultimately created a monstrous, hideous, oily patty of sorts), but here are some of my thoughts during the cooking process:

  • Man, I really hate grating things. I hate the little nub at the end because I want to grate it all but I also want all my fingers.
  • Hmm, this mixture is really not coalescing at all…
  • Oh, yeah, I forgot that my stupid stove is tilted. Probably it’s not a great thing that all the oil is gathering in the back of the pan. Stupid stove. Stupid apartment.
  • Huh. Why are bits of my pancakes sticking to my spatula instead of the other bits?
  • Oh, this isn’t good. Yeah… these won’t be pancakes. Wonder if I can call them hash browns.
  • Ah. Ah, that’s gross. They’re oozing oil.
  • Maybe I’ll just make it into one giant pancake and call it a day.
  • Oh #@%&, I don’t have any paper towels. Damn my smug, eco-friendly self! How will I blot this oily mess?
  • …I do have Kleenex…
  • Well, this is kind of disgusting. But I refuse to waste it.

Yes, friends, I had a major latkes fail. SIGH. Happy Hanukkah to me – I gave myself a tummyache and an apartment that smells like fried disgustingness.

Guess what, though? You can set yourself up for a much better Hanukkah, Christmas, Festivus, or General December of Awesomeness! If you’re in the mood for a gift of your own, check out my giveaway – you can win a bunch of lovely handmade vegan craft items and a cookbook, just in time for holiday baking. And let’s hope that your holiday baking is 1000x more successful than my holiday latkes-failing.

Today, I am the Cookie Monstaaah

/ Kelly / 2 Comments

Happy Tuesday, all! I’m glad to hear that some of you also enjoy young adult literature – and thanks to Theresa for bringing a new [to me] YA book series to my attention! I’m going to have to see if the library has these available, because I’m in need of some more easy, enjoyable reads. :)

Other than YA novels, I also enjoy cookies, and today I am massively enjoying the Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies from VWAV. OH MY GOSH. They sound so simple and, perhaps, boring, but I LOVE them. Or, rather, I’m addicted to them. But that’s the same as thing as love, right?

And you thought crack was a white powder. As if.

The thing is, I don’t even know WHY they’re so addicting. Maybe because they’re both chewy and soft all at once? Or because the pumpkin flavor is subtle and pleasing, not in-yo-face obnoxious? Or because the chopped walnuts are such a nice surprise? I so rarely think to add nuts to my cookies (my sista is allergic to them) that when I do, it’s always a revelation. I also – shockingly! – added Zante currants to my cookies, because I’ve had a box of these fellas sitting in the pantry for far too long. Luckily, they don’t taste at all like raisins (i.e. like bloated, nasty, gross-flavored bugs) in baked goods, and I barely noticed them in my cookies.

Anyway, I don’t know quite what it is about these guys that has captured my heart, but I’m hooked (or “hookied,” as I just typed… hooked + cookies?). I made a half batch last night, and… well… it’s almost gone. Lest you think “oh, a half batch isn’t that much,” let me tell you that the “half batch” resulted in about 24 cookies. Granted, they were small (only 3 or 4 bites each), but still. Pig, much? I’m addicted; it’s not my fault!

Do you like raisins in your cookies? What about other add-ins?

Vegan on the Go: Northstar Café (Friday Flashback)

/ Kelly / 3 Comments

Let’s jump in our Delorean and do a little time-traveling, shall we? Don’t worry, we’re not going very far – only four days back, to late Friday afternoon. I’d just arrived in Columbus, and I’d picked up my rental car and was feelin’ more than a bit peckish. I wanted a tasty dinner before beginning the drive to Zanesville, so I headed over to a location fairly close to the Columbus airport – Northstar Café.

Let’s travel back a little further – earlier that week, when I realized I’d be in Columbus for an evening, I took the logical step: I solicited advice for vegan eats via Twitter. Brian, the [not so] Crabby Vegan, responded and tipped me off about a very timely series over at Eat Pure, where Sarah-Mai was just finishing up a series about vegan food in Columbus. Serendipitous, no? I was quite impressed by the variety of food available, but ultimately I chose the Easton Northstar because it was closest to the Columbus airport. :)

When I arrived on Friday, I took a look at the menu (which isn’t available online for the Easton location!) and got pretty excited about the Buddha bowl. Sadly, though, my inquiries revealed that the sauce used in the bowl contains honey. But a helpful waitress was only too willing to point out the honey-free vegan options, and eventually I settled on the veganized Northstar Burger: Just made with organic brown rice, black beans and beets, topped with white cheddar, lettuce, tomato, pickle and onion.

 

 

 

 

Lookit those grill marks!

 

 

Beets in a burger?! I’m totally sold! I had to eat this with a fork and knife because it was so darn big and the bread was so darn thick, but I didn’t care – it was delicious! The beets, rice, and beans created a crispy, delightfully-textured, and superbly-flavored creation that I totally enjoyed and that played well with a mustard-y spread on the bread-bun. It also came with a really yummy, crunchy, salad, with fennel and onions and lettuce and all sorts of yumminess covered in some sort of oil-based dressing. Oh, and the pickle was dreamy, too.

My only complaints about this meal were that the burger was a little too salty and the salad was a tiny bit too oily. Other than that, however, it was fantastic. If I ever find myself back in Columbus, I’ll be sure to pay Northstar a second visit.

What’s the tastiest vegan burger you’ve ever tried? The most exotic?

Vegan on the Go: My Personal Chef

/ Kelly / 2 Comments

Hello from Columbus! I’ve survived my work weekend/Monday, and now I’m back in Columbus so I can catch an early flight back to Madison (by way of O’Hare, of course). I got in around 8:15 and in lieu of veg eats near my hotel, I renewed my grocery store plan of last night and picked up something made by my personal chef, Amy:

Thanks, Amy!

Unlike my hotel in Z-ville, this one actually has a microwave AND a refrigerator! Imagine that! Additionally, the coffee maker is not in the bathroom, which is always a plus in my book – I’m not really a fan of toilet coffee. However, this hotel only has wired internet, not wifi. You win some, you lose some.

Anyway, Amy fed me well – this was actually a pretty tasty meal, although the dal could’ve used a little more spice. And, like most of Amy’s food, this one is a little high in sodium. I washed it down with one of my guilty – if rarely indulged – pleasures, a vitamin water. I haven’t had one of these in ages, but I won’t deny that I enjoyed it. The Power-C Dragonfruit variety was always my favorite, and now I appreciate the B12 and the fact that its lovely pink color comes from “vegetable juice” – I’m thinkin’ beets. Deeelightful!

I’m excited to get back home and start COOKING again! My eats and my posts have been pretty pathetic of late. Now I’m gonna go back to watching Golden Girls on one of the two (!) TVs in my hotel room. Heh heh. Ciao, y’all!

What’s your guilty pleasure? Do you like any trendy drinks?