New Computer, local Apples, and a shoe Fetish

Shopping again. I love to shop. and even though I said I was not getting a new computer "J" took me to the store lastnight and finally talked me into purchasing one. I am still a little unsure and I have yet to open it. I am wondering if I should get my DSL and put it on the computer I have now and see how fast it runs. Then if I'm not sattisfied open the new computer. "J" wants me to open it asap and is excited. But he doesn't even use the computer very often. So I'm not sure why he wants it so much. I am kind of excited. I'm just not sure if I'm ready to pay all that money for a new computer when this one still works "ok".... Just a little slow. I think it needs debugged and optimized. Plus I finally ordered my DSL yesterday. It will be here in 5 to 7 business days. I can't wait. It will be so much easier to do teh blog and upload pictures. I might keep this blog updated then.

Well while I was computer shopping I dropped by a couple other stores and I purchased some locally grown apples. They are pretty tasty & sweet. But a little grainy. I like smoother apples like Fuji & red Delicous. But since these were local I will let them pass. My other shopping find for yesterday was ..... SHOES.. Yes.. I have a shoe fetish and I am not afraid to admit it. I love to shoe shop. So My new shoes are so cute! They match my pants perfectly!

Another Death in the Family- Schnookies

This evening I found Schnookies in his home laying. He has past away. This has happened very unexpectedly. I don't know why he has past. Sunday he was doing great. Running around getting raisins from us. And today he is gone. Schnookies we miss you baby!

Schnookies loved Raisins. He would always greet you at the side of his home waiting for at least 2 raisins. I would hand him one and then he would always come back over and reach for another and sometimes even a 3rd. He also loves dried bananas and rose hips. Plus the occasional seeds. Card board tunnels & wooden perches were through out his home and he would run and jump through them. He loved to take sticks and instead of eating the whole stick he would just twist the stick around and around eating only the bark. He had a 3 tier home and he would be in the bottom and run up to the top level as fast as he could to get his treats and back down again to take a dust bath. He loved his wood house that he had carved extra space in by chewing the doors into bigger holes. I would always hear the bells that hung up above him with his wood treats dinging all day and even in the middle of the night when everyone wanted to sleep. I loved to watch him and Dusty use their hands. There are not many animals that you can watch use their hands like we do ours. When we brought Copper home Schnoockies and him did not get along at all. Copper would climb up Schnookies cage and Schnookies would bark and bite Coppers toes. Which was pretty funny. I would go back and chase Copper away. Although Schnookies did not like to be handled he would let me pet him. He showed affection in his own lil Chilla way.

Where ever our babies go when they pass I know that he has his cage mate Dusty once again with him. So they both can rest in peace together. We miss and love you both.

Black Bean Calzones on Earthday

Yes, I have finally decided to cook something new and blog about it. I have not been one much for black beans. So lately I have been trying to put them in my diet more. Plus I wanted to come up with something new for J's lunch. These are very good. I even made two batches. I got the first batch to spicy for J so I made him a batch w/o any spices and with pinto beans instead of black beans. His family is originally from India and I would think he would be accustomed to spicy foods. But he just can't take it at all! He said he would rather have something he could enjoy on his palate instead of something he has to suffer through! lol.
So here is a quick & easy Black bean pie recipe that you can use for a double crusted 9" pie pan or for 6 to 8 calzones.




First I used the Calzone Recipe from The Garden of Vegan (PG 175). I set it aside for about 1 hour 15 min to raise.

Pie/ Calzone Filling ( Just kinda used what I had around)

1/2 -1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Onion, Finally chopped
2 Green Pepper (Red would be nice too), Chopped
1 (15oz) can black beans
2 cups Frozen Corn
2/3- 1 Cup Salsa
Spices listed below make this a little warm. So use half if you don't like warm/ spicy foods.
3/4 tsp Chili Powder
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper

Saute onions in oil till translucent. Add peppers saute till tender. Add all the other ingredients and let simmer for about 10 min. You don't want this to be liquidy. It will make your calzones soggy. Back at 450 for about 15 min.





HAPPY EARTH DAY EVERYONE !!!!

Wheat or Not?

Yes, That is a bag of flour. Yes, it has a big whole in it. And Yes, Chloe & Sophie decided that even though I pay out the butt to get food with out wheat in it that they wanted some wheat in the diet! So Just thought I would post a warning. If you have mischievous pups.. Don't leave you flour back sitting on the floor when you get back from grocery shopping...! LOL it was funny I wish I would have gotten a picture of them eating it. But I was on the phone on a business call.

A Questionnaire Send out to all...

Here thought I would put up a questionnaire of my own so here goes.

( This quiz came from respectlifeeatveggies.blogspot.com please drop me a comment so I know you took the quiz. I want to see your answers!!!)
1. Most used Vegan cookbook that you will always go back to?
Isa's & Sarah Kramer's Cook Books I return to alot
2. Favorite movie that had a veg reference in it?
Barnyard
3. Ten food staples that you use every week no matter what?
Apples, Bread, Katsup, Whole Wheat Pasta, Soy Milk, Tomtoes (rather it be fresh, past, canned), Beans, Diet Caffeine Free Pepsi, Endangered Species Chocolate, Cereal
4. Top 3 veg friendly cities u would most like to visit?
Portland Orogan, Onterio Canada, and somewhere in Maine.
5. 3 Best food related kids nicknames or names?
Pumpkin, peanut, Sage
6. Animals as pets for or against & why?
I have alot of animals that I share my home with. I don't consider them pets. They are family. But thats not the question. I don't think animals should be pets. But at the same time animals are so domesticated I don't see how we could have it any other way.
7. Favorite ale in the grocery store?
Bulk section
8. Thing you love to buy the most?
Books
9. When its possible to buy fairly traded goods, do u pay the extra money to do so?
Yes I do
10. Vaccinations for children and animals for or against & why?
I'm not sure. I don't like all the side effects. The animals vaccinations can cause sarcomas and all kinds of stuff. I dont have human kids so I'm not sure about them. I know they are manditory in most states. Animals though I don't have all their vaccinations done. I worry because I don't. But I worry when I do have them done. So I'm not sure if the risk out ways the benifit of not. I guess it depends where you live with animals. Children I'm not not sure for the same reasons.
11. Paper Bills or Paperless Bills?
I have some Paper and some Paperless. I wish I could bring myself to all paperless but I don't trust some companies.
12.Troops? Bring them home or keep them in Iraq & why?
I'm not sure on this question. Like most I want to say pull them out and bring them home. My husband was over there for almost 18 months and it was hell. But I don't know if the country is ready to stand on it own. My husband does not think all the troops should be pulled. He siad he seen what they were doing for the Iraqi people and it is bringing them a better country. So I'm not sure.
13. Bring up baby as vegetarian or vegan? If vegan and breast feeding how long are you going to do so?
I am not sure again. I want to say vegan. But I want to make sure I do all my research first. I will breast feed if I ever have a kid. For the duration of 1 or 2 years.
14. What is the most expensive thing on your grocery list right now?
Chain link fence
15. What is the next Vegan/ Vegetarian cook book you plan on purchasing?
Vive le Vegan or The joy of vegan baking
16.Iceberg, Romaine, leafy, or Spring Mix?
Most of the time I just buy Iceberg
17. PETA, HSUS, WWF, Farm Sanctuary, ALF, Sierra club, etc ( add another if you would like). Which do u support and why? Which do u not support and why?
Farm Santuary is my fav. since they rehibilitate farm animals. and some of the others I'm not to sure about. Peta worries me for many reasons but I do still visit there site from time to time. WWF I heard is a joke and So I really havn't heard mush about them. The HSUS I visit pretty often online.
18.Favorite online veg shopping place?
Probably Vegan Essentials or alternative outfitters are the only 2 I have shopped at. They were both nice. Alternative Outfitters customer service was very nice too.
19. Birth control (pill form estrogen or progesterone) being a veg is it ok to use it?
I dont take BC. I did when I was younger but felt guilty for doing so. So about 4 years ago I stopped taking it. For my sake, for my fuure childs sake, and for the animals sake. But I do understand that not everyone can just stop taking BC. I am married and I don't plan on having kids anytime soon. But If it happened my husband and myself would be fine with it. Even probably excited.
20. Movies.. Horror or Comedy? Horror baby all the way!

Vegan Questionaire

This questionnaire has been floating through the Veg blogs so I figured I should do it too. So here goes.

1. If you have to choose between locally grown or organic, which do you usually choose?
I'm not sure. It probably depends which is priced better. I am on a tight budget. I would probably buy locally grown though.

2. Favourite way to prepare potatoes:
Fried with onions and sometimes Green peppers

3. Do you press your tofu before preparing/cooking it (if you eat soy)?
Yes

4. Name your favorite recipe that is a tradition in your family:
Blackberry Cobbler

5. Any food allergies?
Milk products make my nose run and unset my stomach. But I'm not sure if that's considered an allergy.

6. When you want to go to a fancy dinner, where do you go?
Around here that's a joke. The only place to get veggie burgers (or something a veg can eat) is Applebees, Garfields, Denny's...

7. When you have a cold, what do you crave?
Soup

8. What kind of water do you drink? (Filtered, spring, tap, etc.)
Filtered tap and sometimes bottled

9. Name a flavor of soda you'd love to see:
I'm not sure. I just love plane pepsi. I just wish they would hurry up and get stevia instead of phen... whatever the fake sugar is called.

10. If the recipes you ate as a child were compiled into a cookbook, what would the title be?
I'm not sure I grew up eating meat till I was 14 then I stopped eating everything but chicken. Then I went totally veg a few years later. ummm....Mom's Fav Five. Because we had the same things over and over again. Not just 5 things. but my parents were never much into trying new foods but neither was I. It wasn't a bad thing just a normal thing to me.

11. If you were allowed to grow one food that can't grow in your climate, what would it be?
year round watermelons.. ?.

12. Favorite type of mushroom?
Button & shitaki

13. Most frustrating part of your kitchen?
Space & setup. The pantry is shaped funny so I can't really use it for food. And the cabinets were built by the people we bought our house from. They did a crappy job. So all the canned & boxed foods, pots & pans, and different processors, mixers, blinders, slow cookers, muffin pans, cookie sheets, ect.. are just kinda put where ever they will fit for now.

14. Last food you burned?
Bread under the Broiler. I can't crust up bread under the broiler if my life depended on it.

15. Usual response to a veg*n's favorite question, "But where do you get your protein?":
Are you seriously asking me that again? I run off a list. And tell them to come up with a better question if they want my time and/or attention.

16. If you were baking your own birthday cake today, what flavor would it be?
Chocolate w/ rich mocha frosting ! Yummy!

17. Favourite brand of chocolate chips?
What ever kind I can find at the store that are vegan. Sometimes I just use endangered species dark chocolate and crunch it up.

18. You have $200 of your tax return reserved for Williams Sonoma - What do you buy?
I wish I did have money reserved. We have to put our return towards heating costs for next winter ! Umm but just to ponder .. A panini press or juicer & new cutlery

19. Do you plan your menus in advance? Any tips to share?
No not normally- But I am starting to try so I can do budgeting cutbacks.

20. You have 3 minutes before you have to leave the house and you're starving- What do you eat?
An apple if anything. I would just normally wait till I get back.

21. If Martha Stewart, Paula Deen, and Rachel Ray got into a fight, who would win and how?
I like watching Rachel Ray. but I think I will go with Martha Stewart. I'm sure she would know how to kill & properly slaughter you while knitting your remains booties and planting pansies in your skull.. Plus with all those jail friends she could have u offed before you ever knew what hit you. lol

22. If you eat oatmeal, what do you add to it before serving?
Depends what kind. normally just some sugar, apples, & cinnamon. Or some other kind of fruit.

23. If you got to travel to one country and learn all the traditional dishes there, where would you go (ignore commitments in your current place of residence.)
India, My husbands family are originally from there and I would be interested to learn more about there culture and cooking.
Australia might be on my list too. It just depends what there food would Intel.

24. Favourite late night snack?
Fruit or Cereal

25. Favourite springtime food?
Fruits of all kinds, except stuff like strawberries that still taste crappy in the spring

26. Favorite food-related magazine?
Vegetarian Times, VegNews, and I also used to get Veggie Life. I get a couple others too.

27. Which do you prefer: shoyu, tamari, conventional soy sauce, or Bragg's Aminos?
Tamari or soy.

28. What vegetable or fruit do you dislike the most?
Ramps, They stink!. I eat most everything now. I used to be picky. .

29. Name a holiday food you look forward to all year long:
Pumpkin Pie.

30. If you could convert anyone to veganism with your magic wand, who would you convert?
My dad has heart problems and he still eats all kinds of sausage, eggs, burger, steak, etc. Plus I have been a veg for years and he still offers me meat anytime he can. But he does it in a way that you don't want to be irritated by it but you still are..

Lazy or maybe not.

Yes lazy. well kinda. I have been doing a little cooking. But not much. And no posting as you can see. But I have been cleaning and my computer is acting stupid. It might have a virus. I'm not sure. I have been thinking about purchasing a new one. But I have determined that it is a little to much right now. DSL might be coming my way though. Yes sadly I still have Dial up... :( what the heck am I thinking? I know. I have to wait for ever to download anything thats if it downloads to begin with but I have to go to my parents house to upload pictures. So I think I am finally going to cave in and get DSL. Now if I can just bring myself to make the phone call. I hate getting new contracts. Some how I always get screwed over.

Anyways. So what else has been going on in my life? I have started reading Eckhart Tolle's Book "A New Earth". Yes an Oprah club book. which I swore I wold never do. Not because I don't like Oprah I watch her almost every day. its just a little weird to me. Anyways. I have not read that mush yet. Only like 60 pages but it has been pretty good so far. I find that I am already pretty in tune with my "I am" ness. but I have learned a few things and I will definitely take somethings from it and put into work in my life. My husband and I have had the same argument for years and it had put a wall up in part of my marriage. That really hurt to know was there. After reading the beginning of this book it has opened not only my eyes but my husbands. We had a nice long chat and I think the problem that we had has been fixed. The wall is not there any more and I feel closer to him then I have in a long time. And it feels wonderful.
For a long time I have felt peace in my life. From alot of the changes I have made to hopefully better my life and the others around me. But today I really felt a calm that I have not felt in a long time. A even more at peace feeling that is hard to describe. the ironic part of this is I hurt my neck today. I haven't been able to turn my head all day without being in a huge amount of pain. So for the calm to come on a day when I am in very much pain is just a little strange to me. But I am so glad i feel the calm and the peace so immensely.
Other things that have been going on. I took Beltane to the Vet on Monday and got him neutered. He was very skittish before and the only person who could go near him was me. Now he doesn't even really like me.. :( I hope he forgives me sooner or later.
My sister "C" has a new friend named Autumn which is funny because "C"s middle name is Autumn. She has also recently started riding the bus.
I have also started talking to some friends that have been gone for a while. And it is awesome to be talking to them again.
"J" is working on putting up a chain link fence for Chloe and Sophie. But it is going up slow. We have alot of rock and some concrete to go through. Also the new floor we put down in the living room we have to take back up and fix. that will take forever and it really sucks. I have still been working on organising my house. O yeah and now the weather is getting nice out!It is coming along slowly.but I will go for now. I am working on some posts from a while back and will post them sooner or later. I will try to get some new posts and pictures up soon. So check back. ( I tried to upload some new pictures but as normal no luck. Sorry)