Breakfast Smoothie #1

Breakfast Smoothie #1. It was ok. I'm not much of a smoothie person but I need more fruit in my diet. So I figure this is the best way. Frozen Mixed Berries, 3/4 Banana, water, a little soy milk and you have it. But it made a pretty purple.. :)

Spring has Sprung

Spring is here and my Little Sisters Favorite thing to do is go to the park. "C" (My little sister) Loves the new play ground "zip line" they have. She is in love with the sun...

Chapoti Bread

I hope I spelled that right. My husbands mothers side of the Family are from India. So my husband grew up with Middle eastern style cooking. Which I can say last year during Ramadan I ate at their house and what ever it was It was awesome. (Luckily it didn't have any meat in it). I also had this style of bread. Since we had a 15 hour drive home they sent some with butter & sugar spread on it. It was really yummy. This was my 1st try at the bread. They use it to pick up food with. This verson was ok. I would much rather have his Grandmothers version though. I first tried it with white flour then with whole wheat. The white turned out better. Maybe one day I will get her recipe.

Calzones

They look a little ruff.. But they were a big hit. I made 6. 3 Sauce, Veggie Pepperoni, Mozzarella Cheese, & 3 Onions, Mushrooms, D- Mustard. They both turned out perfect. I also added green peppers to 3 of them and they turned out ok. But they were so good I have another batch of Calzone dough raising right now. This will definitely go in my cook book. Def 10 out of 10..

Sun Light

These are my kittys. (Front Left to right) Storm,Romeo (sniffing Dewy's Paw), Dewy, & Copper. The summer light & heat draws the kitties to the window. We plan on building a porch this summer and screening it in just for the kitties. I know they will enjoy it. I can't wait.

Veggie Pot Pies

These turned really well. I used the Veggie Stew Recipe as published before. I used a few miner changes though. Made pie crusts from GOV. The crust were so Flaky & Good... Yum.

I only put crust on the top. Next time I will on bottom too. "J" really enjoyed them and I did to.

When you go to the store veggie pot pies are around 3.00 to 4.00 dollars a piece. This batch I made made around 8 Little pot pies and I had 4 to 5 cups left over. All together it only cost around 9.00 to make them all. Thats if you didn't already have the ingredients. Flour, Broth, Margarine, etc... Hopefully I next post will be something new like calzones or soft pretzels.

Biscotti...Bis no no.. lol

Well I have never had biscotti and desided it was worth trying to make. Well having the oven 25 degrease to hot and leaving it in a couple min to long is no good. It dried the loafs out to much and it crumbed when I tried to slice them. So it never got baked the 2nd time. The dough was awesome and I could have sat and ate all of it. But I baked it and killed it instead. oops... :)

Eggless French Toast & Potatoes in Batter

GREAT!!! I havn't had french toast in over a year. ( Thats when I stopped eating eggs). I have tryed other ways and finally came up with this and it doesn't stick to the pan! That has been my big problem I was about to give up when I thought this simple way up. Flour, Soy milk, Cinnamon, Sugar, Vanilla, Whole Wheat bread. It worked really really well. The potatoes should have been browned more but they were scrumptious too.

Fried Green Tomatoes

I finally got my fried green tomatoes.. Yum Yum. they were really really good.

Soy Pigs in a Blanket

This recipe is from GOV. It takes a biscuit recipe and you role it around the soy dog. They turned out really nice. "J" Loved them. I am not a big hot dog person and I have never had these before. But I think they turned out good. My little Sister "C" didn't even want to try them and gave me a funny look. But thats ok. More for us.

Green tomatoes ( I know they are a little red. but thats OK).. the 1st of the season. Yummy. I can't wait to fry them. I love fried green tomatoes but just the simple ones. Cut up tomatoes, Place in flour, fry in oil, salt, put on white or wheat bread... Yummm... I know they are not good for me but I can't resist. I'm not big on fried foods.. but Yummm...

Chik-N Stew W/ Biscuits Again Renamed

Veggie Stew w/ Biscuits
Well I made the same meal for "J" 's Lunch last night. I used different ingredients though. It turned out ten times better. Yum yum. Since I made it about 11pm I did cheat and make Bisquick Biscuits instead of Home made.

New & Improved Recipe.

4 Potatoes, cut into chunks ( precooked)

5 Cups No-Chicken Broth (This is very tasty stuff)

1 Big Can Mixed Veggies of your choice (Drained)

1 Can Peas (Drained)

1 Can Carrots (Drained)

1 Can Black Eyed Peas (Drained)

1 1/2 sticks of Margarine ( Earth Balance)

3/4 Cup Flour

1/4 Cup Soy Milk

2 t Salt

Pepper to taste

Cooking instructions are same as before.

Puppers Puppy Peanut Butter Biscuits..

These turned out really good. My pup is really picky about what she will eat and she loves these. She loves the dough even more. This is the first time I made this recipe & I think next time I will add more peanut butter.

Peanut Butter Natural (no sugar added, pure peanut butter. sugar is bad for your dog)

Vegetable Oil

Water

Whole Wheat Flour

Oatmeal

I made a big batch and used Easter Cookie Cuters. So it made around 80 small biscuits.

Chlo Chlo, Brute, Missy, & Mickie ( 3 are my parents dogs) will be very happy dogs...

Chloe would really just like to eat the dough though.

Chocolate Chocolaty Muffins

These turned out really good. Very Very Chocolaty.











1 1/4 cups unbleached flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons Margarine, melted
1/2 cup Sugar
3/4 cup Soy Milk
1 tablespoon oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Makes 10-12 Muffins

Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. In another medium bowl, then whisk in the Margarine, sugar, milk, oil and vanilla.
Quickly fold the wet ingredients into the dry with a rubber spatula. Just before the batter comes together, fold in the chocolate chips—don’t mix the batter too much or the muffins will be tough. Divide the batter among the muffin cups (1/4 cup of batter per muffin). Bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Turn the muffins out of the tins, cool on a rack. Serve slightly warm with jam.

GOV Portablello Muchroom Sandwich

WOW, I really didn't have much hope for this meal but I decided to try it. Mushrooms are not my favorite and my husband really doesn't like them. But I have been trying to use them in different ways. This sandwich was a mega hit... The mustard adds an edge, the onions fried in balsamic vinegar and oil had a sweet taste, and the sauted mushrooms really added a texture along with a "buttery" & "meaty" flavor.. It was really very yummy.. I know lots of adjective. I was just really surprised. A picture will post tomorrow. ( I didn't use the Caesar sauce recipe that was listed with it though.) This is a very satisfying sandwich.

Copper

Cooper, Is from a litter of 5 kittens. I found 4 of them and the mother last 4th of July 2006 at my parents house. His mother was very sweet and loved being around people. Sadly someone killed her. 1 kitten past before I found them, and a second, Phoenix, past after I took him to the vet. He was to weak to make it. I looked around for a spay/ neuter program and found out that in my area no one cares so there isn't one. John told me we could only bring one home so he picked Copper. The female kitten got hit on the road a couple months ago and there is one male left. They had moved to a neighbors house before the mother died. The other male still hangs out around there. Copper is a cuddle bug at bed time or when I'm on the computer. He sleeps right up against my neck. He loves all the other cats and my dog. He even has a fascination with the ferrets. He lives to play and torture the other cats when they are trying to sleep on the cat tree.

Puppers chlo chlo

This is Chloe. My Basset/ Beagle mix I found almost 2 years again in a Walmart Parking lot. So had obviously been dumped. She was skinny, dirty, and scared. I brought her home and she is the best pup anyone could ever have. She is a big baby. She thinks she is a lap dog even though she ways 35 pounds. She is awesome...

Spinach & Cheese Pizza

My Lunch today was yummy simple Spinach pizza. Crust, spinach, and cheese, not even sauce.

Cinnamon & Raisin Biscuits From Garden of Vegan

"J"s Breakfast & lunch

Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits

from Garden of vegan.

I have never liked raisins cooked into anything and I really like these. John loves them to. He eats them for breakfast and he takes them in his lunch.

I know I said no more late night cooking but for some reason that always seems like the best time. So again my measurements were a slight bit off on the first batch. I made these 2 times a couple nights ago. (Once at midnight and once at 3am) The first time I used the wrong measuring spoon. ( I know leave it to me to measure wrong.) and didn't realise it till I went to do the dishes. So I made some more. Both turned out tasting fine. The second batch was a little better. But both batches they were kind of flat and heavy. I probably kneaded them to much. O'well they were still yummy.

Easter Dinner

Chik-N & Veggie Stew w/ Biscuits
This picture was taken the night before the biscuits were added. I forgot to get a picture before people started eating it.
It turned out pretty good. I converted this recipe from a "regular" meat & milk version. The biscuits I tryed twice and they never rised. And they all did not get done on bottem even after waiting extra time. But It was pretty tasty.
3 cups of Quorn & MS Farms Chik-N (Tofu, or whatever you like) Precook and cut into cubes.
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
5 cups chik N broth,
1 1/2 sticks unsalted Margerine
1/2 cup chopped yellow onions
3/4 cup flour 1/4 cup Soy Milk
3 Cans Mixed Veggies
1 Can Carrots
1 Can Potatoes

For the biscuits:
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 pound (1 stick) cold Margerine, diced
3/4 cup soy milk
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a small saucepan, heat the chik-N Broth and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the margerine and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chik-N Broth to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and the soy milk. Add the cubed chik-n, carrots, peas, onions, (Mixed veggies). Mix well. Place the stew in a 10 x 13 x 2-inch oval or rectangular baking dish. Place the baking dish on a sheet pan lined with parchment or wax paper. Bake for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the biscuits. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the Maregrine and mix on low speed until the Margerine is the size of peas. Add the soy milk and combine on low speed. Mix in the parsley. Dump the dough out on a well-floured board and, with a rolling pin, roll out to 3/8-inch thick. Cut out twelve circles with a 2 1/2-inch round cutter.
Remove the stew from the oven and arrange the biscuits on top of the filling. Brush them with a wash, and return the dish to the oven. Bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, until the biscuits are brown and the stew is bubbly.
Note: To make in advance, refrigerate the chik-N stew and biscuits separately. Bake the stew for 25 minutes, then place the biscuits on top, and bake for another 30 minutes, until done.

Dishwasher Disaster..

Recipe

• 1 Husband doing dishes
• 1 Attitude against Dishes
• 1 Wrong bottle of Detergent
• 2 Soap Reservoirs full of the wrong detergent
• Add lots of Hot water

Your out come:
Bubbles, Bubbles, Every where...
This is my other Easter gift. Specifically from my husband. He didn't want to load the dish washer. I guess I shouldn't have had him do it. He mixed up the 2 soap bottles that looked alike. Put regular dish soap in the dish washer and POOF... There were bubbles everywhere... If was funny after we figured out what had happen. At first we thought the drain was clogged hence the parts in the sink. Luckily it was just the wrong bottle of 7th Generation soap. This happened right before the cupcake massacre and the mixer murder... So I guess this means you shouldn't do house work after midnight... lol :) (These pictures were taken after the floor and most of the bubbles were cleaned up. He was in a hurry to cover it up before I found the camera!)

Easter CuPcAkEs.. The UPS and downs...

I don't sleep well at night. So I decided as a treat for all the kids at my grandparents house I would make mini cakes. (A little bigger then cupcakes.) I guess 3am is not a good time to do so.
My mixer decided to die.
Luckily It didn't die till I almost had the cake mixed up.
Why did it die?
Probably because my cake batter was to thick.
Why was it to thick?
I had an impaired counting problem but did not realize it till after I cooked half of them.
Lets just say I totally massacred the HIAV recipe and no mini cakes for the kids.. oops.
I also started to make chocolate frosting and it didn't turn out right either. 1 to many tablespoons of corn starch will do that.
So the only thing I am left with is very little cocoa, vanilla, flour, a dead mixer, a dirty kitchen, and dissatisfied kids... Great, just what I've always wanted.
So no more cooking at 3am for me... :(

An Old Favorite Updated- Chik-N Noodle Soup

Chik-N Noodle Soup (A Simple Recipe)
1/2 Bag No- Egg Wide Noodles (They are hard to find in my area, But I did find some at a discount store)
5 Cups Mckays Chicken Style Broth powder (Vegan style Chik Broth)
1 Can Sliced Carrots
Corn Starch (Enough to thicken)
1/4 Cup soy milk
1 T Margarine
Salt & Pepper to taste
Makes enough for 2 or 3 bowls

I make this different all the time but this was my try at it this week. Normally I don't thicken it. But my husband likes thick chik-n noodle soup. It turned out pretty good. I should have made more. It could use a little something but not sure what. O well It was still good. Sometimes for my "J" tastes I add little bits of Morningstar Farms or Quorn Chik-n style pieces to make it a little more like what he was used to. I also sometimes add peas & corn. But I like the carrots best.

Happy B-day mom...

How it all Vegan (HIAV) This is a two layer cake made with 2 recipes from HIAV. "Jens Chocolate cake" turned out really nice. It is enough to make 2 round or 1 Cake pan sized cake. Turned out really yummy. The "Vanilla Cake" Recipe I think I accidentally mixed in to much baking soda or didn't mix it in good enough. I found a couple clumps of baking soda still floating around. It tells you not to stir it to much and I guess I didn't stir it enough. OOPS! The vanilla cake recipe makes enough for 1 round cake. I also used the "Butter" icing recipe from Garden of Vegan (GOV). It turned out OK. But it was really, really sweet so I really didn't care for it. I pushed it to the side.But all in all the Chocolate cake made up for it all and was very good. This is the First "Vegan" Cake I have made so. I was happy with it. Aside from the Baking soda... :)

Recalled Dog & Cat Foods

Menu Foods has a recall list that has around 100 Brands. So check your animal foods and make sure they are safe. Right now it is safest just to stay away from cat & dog foods with wheat gluten in it all together.
Not included on the list is Hills Science Diets Voluntary recall on a variety of wet and dry foods that contain wheat gluten from the same company.
http://www.menufoods.com/
http://www.hillspet.com/

A lil about me...

I was born and grew up in West Virginia and I still reside here. By choice though. My family is here so I am here and will continue to stick around. I grew up loving animals & eating meat. Yes I know so do so many other Americans. To me this just didn't make since. So when I was 14 years old I made a life changing decision. I became a vegetarian. Although To make my family happy I still ate chicken from time to time. So I guess I wasn't a true veggie yet. I continued to do that while I lived at my parents house. The year I moved (2003) I still ate chicken when I had to but finally realised that I was not helping anyone by doing so. So in 2004 I totally stopped eating meat. So I guess I have only truly been a veggie since then. Which is heart breaking to me that I went on so long eating other beings. Now I look back and wish I would have done it from the beginning. Being a veggie is a little trying at times but only because people are really reluctant to give it a chance and can say some pretty offal things. I have grown from the experience though. I understand that every opinion is a growing experience of tolerance and understanding and for someone with a short temper that has come a long ways. I have never tried to force my views on anyone though. (My husband would probably say other wise. He has been a new recruit to the veggie life style.) But not from me forcing him. He made that decision all on his own after doing some research. (Good for him, I love you "J"). My parents & my little sister still eat meat and actually aside from a few people I have met here and there I don't know any other vegetarians or vegans. (I did work at a small store for a while and the owners were veggies. Other wise no one.)

Anyways. I do love animals but I don't consider that the main reason that I am a vegetarian. The main thing is I have a huge amount of respect for life. I believe that every living being should be able to live a happy, comfortable, meaningful life. Not just bred to be killed to feed humans. I feel that is a waste. People are so wasteful when It comes to "Life". We do so many things without thinking about who or what we are affecting. But I will talk about that later. I know I sound like I am preaching. Sorry. Like I said I love animals all through High School I took classes preparing to go to college to become a Veterinarian. After HS I also took some classes on being a Vet Assistant. But I have yet to further my career path.

Right now I am a wife and a parent to many animals. 1 Basset/Beagle mix (Chloe), 4 cats (Storm, Romeo, Dewy, Copper), 3 ferrets (Sade, Abu, Spanx), and a chinchilla (Schnookies). They are all exclusively in doors except my pup that goes everywhere with me and when she can't go she gets babysat by her Grandparents (My parents).
I also work but only about 12 hours a week outside of my home right now. So that was a little about me. I know a little more then a little. I know it jumps around a little but I will fill in some gaps later. (As if you really care, right).