Remember That Time...

....that I had a blog, but never added any new posts? Oh yeah. That's right.

I've had a lot going on. I'm no longer with PETA. Thank God. It was not a good fit. I'm not a believer in micro-management, as I have faith in those that I work with. I also have compassion and love for both animals AND humans. Which is not the case for most folks there. The last few weeks were painful. I've never been treated so poorly in my life.

Anyhow, I had a good "in" at the DC Children's Hospital (Children's National Medical Center), so was able to line up a position in the Pathology dept pretty darn quickly, so bills are paid. :) It's about the exact opposite of what I've done in the past (read: science-related), but it's been great. Such a wonderful work environment - I'm valued, trusted and appreciated. So it's a great space filler until I find my next great move in my Communications/Advertising career.

I will say that the two weeks of time I had off between the two jobs was also incredible! I LOVED staying home. I don't think I could ever get bored with staying at home all day. It would be nice to have some additional spending money on top of the free time. But my apartment was SO CLEAN -- and Jakers got about 12 walks a day. :)

So there's a quick update. I'll try to get back on my blogging game now, too! Some great recipes to share...as always!

A Little Late in the Season

I'm really excited about this weekend! I'm attending a Baltimore Orioles game with some friends on Sunday. Just in the knick of the time, with playoffs starting next week! I am an on-again, off-again MLB fan. I mean, I always enjoy baseball, but some years I'm able to follow the season better than others. This was not one of those seasons. And although I'm a MN Twins fan through and through, I think it will be really fun to check out another team and my Dad keeps insisting Camden Yards is supposed to be a gorgeous stadium. So that should be fun.

In anticipation of spending some money this weekend, I wanted to save some money on dinner tonight. I looked in my cupboards and noticed how many cans of various beans I had. Why would I buy cannelloni beans, kidney beans and lima beans? And they were all purchased on separate occasions. Hmm. Well, I put 'em to good use and made soup. I ended up making 4 quarts, so I froze some and plan to eat the rest over the weekend, but I did come number-crunching and I think I made all 4 qts for under $10! Maybe someday I'll have my finances under control! :) Anyhow, I was pleasantly surprised with how delicious this turned out. I hope you, too, enjoy this recipe!

Becky's Bean & Veggie Soup

8 cups veggie broth
olive oil
~10 cloves garlic
1 medium onion
3 cans of beans - I think any would work, but I used cannelloni, kidney and lima
4 celery stalks
3 carrots
3 red potatoes
salt, pepper
Old Bay Seasoning (or some other seasoning with a little kick)

Chop onion and garlic cloves, saute in olive oil in large pot (4 qts or larger) until onions become translucent. Add veggie broth and bring to boil. Add salt, pepper and other seasonings. Rinse beans and add to pot. Bring to boil and reduce heat, simmering for about 45 mins. Add chopped carrots, celery and potatoes and simmer another hour.

Serve with bread or crackers. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers.

Long Time, No Post!

Sorry about my lag time in posting! But it's Labor Day Weekend and I've got VERY little going on, so plenty of time to post today. :) I'm happy to have three straight days of relaxing and catching up on housework.

Although, my weekend started out kind of rough. Jakers had an emergency vet visit on Saturday morning, and we found out he had a scratch across his eye. Aww! Poor babe! The vet is guessing a cat (perhaps by the name of Mabel?) :) is the culprit. So he's on pain meds and eye drops all weekend. Makes me glad that I didn't plan a trip for this weekend! Plus, I've been back and forth to MN twice in the past month for friends' weddings, so I could use a weekend at home.

Of course I can't have a weekend sans-baking, so I just finished taking my oatmeal raisin cookies out of the oven. I'm not even that big of a fan of oatmeal raisin, but I don't have any vegan chocolate chips in the house, so had to try something new. These are SO GOOD. I think I'll have to bake a full batch (I only made half, so I could have some sweets in the house, but not risk binging!) and bring them into work this week. Just that good.

Try 'em out and let me know what you think! :)

Soft 'n Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

• 3/4 cup margarine (make sure it's vegan!)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup soy milk
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 cup raisins
• 3 cups rolled or quick cooking oatmeal

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Beat together the sugar, brown sugar, vegan margarine and vanilla until smooth and fluffy. Add the soy milk and mix until combined.

Add the flour, baking soda, salt and spices, and stir until well mixed. Add raisins and oatmeal.

Drop by 3 inch balls onto cookie sheet and flatten slightly. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until done. Cookies will still be slightly soft and chewy. Perfecto!

See, I Can Have Fun!

I had a really fun time out in DC last night. A couple of friends did a joint birthday party and so I met up with them at a bar in DuPont Circle -- very near my office, actually. I took the Metro in, so I wouldn't have to worry about driving...or parking. I'm very comfortable with my orange line -- it takes me to and from work everyday. Now granted, my office is technically closest to a red line stop, but I'd rather avoid transferring lines and just walk a bit further from an orange line stop. But last night, I was in heels, so I figured I'd take do the transfer. I get to Metro Place, get off the orange and wait 25 minutes (oy) for the next red train. Promptly strut my stuff onto the train, only to realize I've waited 25 minutes for a train in the WRONG DIRECTION. I've lived here 4 months. I should know better. At that point I think "screw it" and get off at China Town/Gallery Place and go upstairs and pay the $8 for a cab to take me to the bar.

Bar close is 3:00am. Wow. For someone who prefers a 9pm bedtime, this is rough. But I got home a little before 4:00am and eat three chocolate chip muffins before bed(!) I shouldn't bake before going out partying. The temptation is just too great. I will, however, post the recipe below for you to enjoy.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Muffins
1/2 cup vegan margarine, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 "eggs" (I always use Ener-G Egg Replacer.)
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup soy or rice milk
1 tablespoon cold water
1 cup vegan semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Either grease 10 muffin cups or use paper liners.

Cream the margarine with an electric mixer until soft. Add both sugars and beat until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in the "eggs".

Sift together the flour and baking powder. Fold this into the margarine mixture, alternating with the soy milk.

Beat in the tablespoon of cold water for about 10 - 15 seconds - just enough for it to mix in with the rest of the batter. Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour batter evenly into the 10 greased/papered muffin cups. Fill the empty cups half full with water to ensure even baking.

Bake for 25 minutes, until lightly browned. Let stand in the muffin pan on a wire rack for about 5 - 7 minutes before lifting them out.

When Life Gives you Lemons

I recently purchased an electric citrus juicer. Long story about why, but I am so happy with this purchase. Have you ever made fresh OJ? I mean FRESH OJ. I have been enjoying plenty of that lately. I also have been making some lemon desserts and lemon poppyseed muffins, using the fresh lemon juice.


I apologize for the lack of posts lately. I've got some great new recipes to share, so will try to be more on top of my game. :)

Are We Ever Truly Settled?

Well, it's been almost four months since I picked up and moved from my beloved Minneapolis to the amazing DC metro. I love my apartment and I love my location, so I think I'll be here for a couple of years. Therefore I'd like to make it a bit more homey feeling by painting a couple of walls. I'm thinking about doing that this weekend. Just a couple of accent walls, nothing fancy.

It's weird, I feel like that's the last thing on my to-do list since moving. I've hung curtains, gotten some extra furniture, hung the pictures and unpacked the last box. What am I going to stress about and write lists for once that's taken care of?! I guess I'll have to find a hobby. :)

Speaking of making things homey, let's talk comfort food! I've discovered this great recipe on my friend's (and fellow animal activist) blog. It's a vegan mac & cheese. I'm getting to a point where it's hard to tell how things taste from a meat eaters' palette. I mean, I think this tastes like delicious, creamy mac & cheese. But if you taste it side-by-side with the cruelty-filled version, would it taste strange? It's been over a year for me, so I don't know! What I do know is that I LOVE this version and not a single animal suffers for it!

Vegan Mac 'n' Cheese

Ingredients:

Full package of macaroni
1/2 cup margarine or vegan butter equivalent
1/2 cup flour
3 1/2 cups boiling water or vegetable broth
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs. soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup (or less) canola oil
1 cup nutritional yeast flakes
Cajun seasoning to garnish (I topped with a little cayenne pepper, as that's all I had)

Directions:

Begin process of cooking the noodles.

While you're doing that, make the sauce:

Mix the vegan butter and flour and melt on a very low heat until they are thoroughly mixed.

Add the boiling water or vegan stock, salt, soy sauce, garlic, turmeric.

Bring to a very low boil.

Then add vegetable oil and nutritional yeast and mix.

Combine the noodles and the sauce in a large baking pan and sprinkle Cajun seasoning on top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Running My Butt Off....Literally?

I'm running another marathon! I'm super excited to have a goal and something to work towards. AND something to get my butt out of bed and out for a run in the morning. One of my friends from high school who now lives in Florida is running the Jacksonville Bank Half Marathon in December, so I decided to bite the bullet and run the full marathon. The one problem is it's on a Sunday and since it's the week before Christmas, I don't think I'll be able to get Monday off. So the flight home the afternoon after the race is gonna be a rough one. And my two mile walk into work the next morning ain't gonna be so pretty either. But who cares?! I'll feel so good after completing marathon #4, that it won't matter. I'll be walking on air. :) (I know, that's total b.s.)

Along with my running, I'm also altering my diet. Which is something I should have already done, but I'm focusing more on veggies and less on cookies. I wish I didn't love baking so much! But I need to do this to optimize my training. I've never trained for a marathon as a vegan.

I found this great recipe for a mock tuna salad - it's a chick pea salad, but is so tasty. It was on Compassionate Action for Animals' website -- that's the animal advocacy group in Minnesota that first got me interested in the cause. Tonight's dinner was a delicious chick pea salad sandwich with steamed fresh green beans with sauteed onions. YUMMERS. Recipe below. See ya on the roads!

Chick Pea Salad

• 2(15oz.) cans chick-peas, drained
  
• ¾ cup vegan mayonnaise
• 2/3 cup minced celery
• 1/3 cup minced dill pickle
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 teaspoon soy sauce
• ½ salt, or 1 tablespoon miso
• pepper, to taste

In a medium bowl, mash the chick-peas coarsely with a fork. Mix in the remaining ingredients, using ½ cup mayonnaise at first, and then adding more as needed. cover and refrigerate. Use on sandwiches or on a bed of salad greens. (Note: makes a big helping, may want to half the recipe!)

Typical DMV Love Story

Well, it's Saturday. Normal people use Saturday as an opportunity to sleep-in and relax. But not those of us who recently moved to Virginia and need to get our car registered and a new driver's license. I tried going a few weeks ago. They open at 8:00am on Saturdays, so I woke up around 7:30, got all dolled up for the DL picture, and showed up a little after 8:00 to a ridiculous line out the door and not a single parking space in the lot. I got annoyed and left.

This morning was round 2. I got up at 6:30 and got all dolled up for the DL picture, and arrived around 7:40. So did about 70 other people. Oy. The line moved relatively quickly, though. And by 8:40, I was in the door....with my ticket to sit and wait some more.

They finally call #C210 and I go up to the counter. I get the most disgruntled DMV employee in the history of time. She HATES her job, I promise you that. I mean, she did us the favor of showing up to work...but didn't think we worth a shower. Or a change of clothes. Or a comb through the hair. And she actually stopped working on getting me logged into the computers on several occasions, so that she could pick up her cell phone and text message someone. Um, really? I was sugary sweet, since I was just desperate to get everything taken care of, but it took everything in me to maintain that compsure.

To top off the miserable woman helping me, I get over to the wall for the DL picture, apply a quick coat of pink gloss, adjust my hair, and bust out my best "natural" smile. And it's at that point that pleasant DMV lady informs me that they just just changed the law, and you can't show teeth in your DL picture -- they don't WANT you to smile! Ugh. Enter: awkward, closed-mouth smirk. I can't wait to see that awful picture when my DL arrives in 7-10 business days. :)

Eat Up, Carnivores

My mom anxiously called me during a commercial break on ABC's evening news tonight and asked me if the national news aired at the same time in DC as it does in Mpls. Yes, Mom, we get the news here too. It was cute, though, --she saw that the upcoming story was on beef production and thought I'd be interested -- and I was. So I tuned to ABC and was hugely disappointed. The story was a good one -- informing the public of this latest beef recall (380,000 pounds!) and pointing out that the E.coli we're always hearing about comes from - *dramatic pause* - cattle feces. Mmmmm. Gives your Hamburger Helper a little zing, eh?

ABC had the right idea, and even referenced the new documentary, Food Inc and interviewed Michael Pollan (great book, check it out!). The let down came in the G-rating format they chose. If you're going to talk the talk, walk the walk and SHOW America the obscene and graphic images that is our factory farming operations. That's where those neat little burgers on the "barbie" came from. It was just way too mild. I'm sure ABC would hate to cause middle-America to gag on their beef stroganoff while eating dinner & watching TV. I gagged on my veggie stir-fry, just hearing about factory farming. Ugh,

For those of you who want to take the risk, keep eating your animal products. And if something tastes a little funny in your meatloaf, don't worry - that's just cow poop.

Only in DC

Have I ever mentioned that I have a part-time gig babysitting? If not - I'm telling you now. I work at a nonprofit and am not the most financially brilliant person you will ever meet. A second job helps support my food addiction. :) They are a great family who found me on care.com - a website I used for occasional babysitting gigs. But they have me over two nights a week and one day on the weekend, so I don't NEED the additional gigs. It's great. And they live literally 4 minutes from me. Perfecto!

Anyhow, tonight I was babysitting for them (two boys - age 4 and 6) and we decided to play with sidewalk chalk. I rediscovered my love of the chalk. They keep telling me to draw more roads on the driveway, so they can drive their cars. Then of course we need buildings! So I draw a house...a school...an office building...a factory. And I say, "I think our neighborhood is complete!" And the older boy says, "I don't think so". "What is our neighborhood missing?" I ask. And he replies, "What's a neighborhood without a Lincoln Memorial!?" HA. Only in DC would a 6 year old say that! :)

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day! Since my dad is quite possibly me only regular reader, gotta give him a shout-out. Wish I could be home to bake him something special, but I WAS able to be home last weekend, for my grandmother's funeral :(, so at least I got to see him and give him a card in person. We also enjoyed a delicious dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant, Acapulco. YUM. My dad and I have always been close...I'm definitely my father's daughter. I get my appetite from him, I get my sweat glands from him and I get my love handles from him....what more could I girl ask for?! :) On a more serious note, I am thankful for everything he has done for me. I always tell him I'll even it out someday, when I put him in the best nursing home money can buy! :)

I'm sure Dad would appreciate my delicious lunch today. I made a pan of stuffed manicotti yesterday. YUM. My mom always made these amazing stuffed shells, so I was hoping to replicate that (sans cheese & egg). I found a pretty good recipe online and tweaked it a bit. I think it turned out great. Might add some fresh garlic next time... (not the prettiest picture, but don't judge a book by its cover!)

Vegan Stuffed Manicotti

1 box manicotti or large shells
1 package soft tofu
1 block vegan mozzarella cheese (grated)
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 pkg frozen, chopped spinach
1/2 onion, diced
1 tsp garlic salt (might try a few fresh, chopped cloves)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp dried basil
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 jar of any marinara/spaghetti sauce

Cook pasta, according to box. Mash tofu in medium bowl. Add most of cheese (set aside a handful), tomatoes and spinach. Heat olive oil in a pan and sauté onion for a few minutes - until just starting to brown. Add to mixture. Add garlic /salt, sea salt and basil. Mix well. Fill shells with mixture and place in non-stick pan. Pour marinara sauce over the top and top with handful of cheese. Bake at 350-degrees for about 20 minutes, or until heated all the way through. Enjoy!

Seriously

I was asked by two different people on the crowded Metro today if I wanted their seat. Two different people. I was chosen out of a crowd. Do I really look that bad after my 1-mile speed walk?? People think I'm going to collapse and die if I don't get a seat?? And I was wearing a flowy shirt today, so then I of course panicked that people were thinking I was pregnant. Therefore I had a salad for dinner. Just to be safe.

Red & Sweaty

I walk .8 miles to the Metro every morning. I ride the orange line for about 10 minutes (5 stops) and then walk another .8 miles to work. If you're keeping track, that's over 3 miles a day total. Plus I usually take a walk over lunch. Let's round up to 4 miles.day for drama-sake. OH! And I walk my dog about a mile twice a day. So I walk approx 6 miles per day.

Yet I've gained 3 lbs since moving here. Go figure.

ANYHOW, by the time I walk my third .8 mile stretch of the day - leaving the office to take the Metro home - I get on the Metro a hot, sweaty mess.

(Did I mention no on forewarned me about humidity in DC? A coworker informed me today that DC was built on a swamp. Well, now that was dumb! Today was 88-degrees with 90% humidity. SERIOUSLY.)

Getting back to the Metro. I get on it, literally dripping with sweat and my face is a lovely shade of neon red, courtesy of my Chaffee-genetics. I was stuck standing, as the train was full. A few stops in, someone got up from a seat next to me and exited the train, leaving an empty seat. I apparently looked as though I was having a heart attack because an ELDERLY WOMAN standing next to me offered the seat to me rather than sitting herself. WHAT?! I'm a healthy (albeit slightly chubby) 27 year old! I don't need to sit! This grandmother thought she was better off standing and letting the apparent heart attack victim sit?? Puh-lease.

I let her sit down, mopped the sweat droplets out of my eyes and turned back to my book. Hmpf!

Letting Grandma Go

I write this blog in tears. Tears of heartbreak, even though I should not be sad. My Grandma's preparing for her eternal home in Heaven with our Father. We used to laugh about how openly Grandma talked about being ready "to go". She's not a typical Grandma. She was always pretty sassy, sarcastic and no-nonsense. But that's what everyone loves about her.

Over the past 3-5 years, she's been experiencing small strokes (called TIAs), had some bleeding on her brain - caused by her blood pressure medication, go figure - and just had a rough few years.

I consider myself a devout Christian. I know when times are bad, I need to put everything in His hands. But it's hard to understand His plan some days. Grandma has done so much for others over her life. She has worked hard -- she never had it easy. And you think in her old age, she should be able to just relax and live happily ever after. Instead, she had to take care of and watch my grandfather slowly slip away from Parkinson's. Even as her own death approaches, it's slow and miserable. I just want her to be able to let go and be with Grandpa again on the other side of the Pearly Gates.

She's my only grandparent that I was able to know. By the time I reached an age where I could communicate, Parkinson's had already taken a hold of my grandpa. And my dad's parents were killed by a drunk driver before I was even born. It makes me mad. Why did I get the short end of the stick?

I know this is a depressing post. But I needed to write some of this down. My heart hurts. And the fact that I am 1,100 miles away as she goes through this certainly doesn't help. But she has family there with her and I KNOW she knows how much I love her.

Taking Care of Business

Hi! So sorry I haven't posted for such a long time (that's, of course, directed to my 4 followers). :) It's been a busy few weeks. My brother got married (I rocked the cleavage-baring dress that I mentioned a few posts ago). I have been working my butt of at PETA - we've been a bit short staffed, but have taken care of that problem with a couple of FABULOUS new hires! And I also got a second job, doing some part-time (evening/weekend) child care for a family a few miles away. It's a great way to pay off some of my cross-country-move debt....and it's a relaly nice family, so I'm happy to help out.
Combine all that with my needy dog and my 9 hrs per night sleep requirement, not much time for blogging. :)

However, now that life should slow down a bit, I'm determined to make more of an effort to see DC and be more social. When my friend Grant was in town in April for a school conference, one of his friends from school introduced me to her good friend, Eliza, who lives in DC. With Eliza and I both being good ol' Minnesota girls, living in DC, we naturally have something in common. She asked if I wanted to grab coffee today, so we met near her apartment in Capitol Hill. That area is SO CUTE. When I was doing my apartment hunt from Minneapolis, I thought about Capitol Hill, but decided against it, because it really is hard to pick the safe blocks from the unsafe blocks when you're not living there. I felt safer staying out in Arlington, but I could see moving to CH at some point down the road. Find me a nice politician to marry. :)

So Eliza and I grabbed some lunch at her apartment (she's a vegetarian, so that made deciding on what we'd eat easier). Then we walked a few blocks to a cute coffee shop for some iced coffee/chai to combat the humidity. We wandered around the Capitol, the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress. I keep saying this -- but it's unbelievable that there are so many historic sites in one city! I think I could play the role of tourist for years and never see it all! My dad mentioned that he's got his eye on plane tickets, so hopefully he'll come visit soon. He would really love the National Mall. And my mom & sister are also talking about visiting this summer!

So it was a good day, and I was glad to get out and do something. Made a quick stop at Whole Foods on the way home and am now preparing to make a little homemade Pad Thai for dinner. I've also got some great new recipes that I'm anxious to post and talk about, but that will have to wait for another day. Oooh, and get out and buy some corn on the cob -- it's in season and deeeeelish! :)

The Little Man Strikes Again

Urgh. Much to my chagrin, my little Jakers left his mark on the new apartment.

Let's start with his back story, so you can grasp the situation. Let's go back to two years ago. I was working at Carmichael Lynch, and it was our first summer Friday, so the office shut down at noon. A few of us went out to lunch and my friend, Carrie, suggested going to the Humane Society that afternoon. I was hesitant, since I'd never been and it sounded awfully depressing. She assured me it wasn't and it was an opportunity to give the animals some much-needed love. I agreed to tag along. Although, I warned all three of the other girls that I don't have time for a pet, so don't let me take a cat home (I used to consider myself just a cat person).

We walked in and spent some time with the cats. It took everything in me to resist taking one home. But I knew I didn't have the time or money to devote to a cat. It wouldn't be prudent. We moved on to the dogs and all these labs were jumping at their gates, barking, just begging for attention. We were all petting these anxious labs and giving them our full attention, when I noticed the saddest little fella ever. He was this little white dog with some brown spots on his head. Quite the mutt. He was laying on a towel, in the back corner of his cement kennel. I looked at his info card, and it said he had been brought in several days earlier. The reason? He had accidents in the house. Here was this 5 year old dog who obviously just needed the right person to come along and have patience with him. At 5 yrs, it's not about being house trained. There's something more behind an "accident". My heart broke. I knelt down, and coaxed him to the gate and he just soaked up the affection I offered. My heart melted.

I asked a volunteer if I could take him out to the outdoor dog run. Not because I was going to take him home, but because I thought he deserved the attention -- just because he wasn't as hyper as a lab, begging for love, didn't mean he didn't deserve it. We stepped outside, and while all the other dogs were barking, whining, howling and just overall out of control. This little white mutt was only concerned with me.

That was it. I couldn't live without him. I put a deposit down (sounds weird, I know) and went out that night and bought food, dishes, beds, blankets, toys, treats, leashes...anything that would make this dog's life easier. I felt sick that night, knowing that he had to spend one more minute without a home (I had to work a PT job that night, though, so couldn't get him until Saturday morning). I arrived at the shelter just after they opened that next morning, and wondered if this dog, Jake, would remember me. He did. He definitely did. We had a bond that would last forever. We got out to my car and he crawled onto my lap and was asleep by the time we got out of the parking lot. He knew he could trust me and that I would look after him for the rest of his life.

(Wow. I'm crying, just reliving that day.)
I did some phone calling over the next week and discovered he had been in and out of shelters for the month previous...people kept adopting him, then bringing him back because he had an accident in the house. One person actually brought him back because he shed too much! Working for PETA has allowed me see how often these sorts of things happen -- people don't take owning a pet as seriously as they should.

I've come to learn that Jakers suffers from separation anxiety. He doesn't pee to be naughty....he is permanently scarred and pees out of anxiety. I have done everything in my power to help him feel safe and secure and know that every time I walk out that door, I'll be coming back. But I think the trauma is ingrained in his little brain. And ya know what? I accept him, flaws & all. I just need to put down a training pad everytime I leave and he can do his business there.

Today was a bad day --while I was out running a 5k this morning, Jakers used my carpet as his pee pad. But for every bad day, there are 100 good days. Material things can always be fixed or replaced. You can't put a price on Jakers. I didn't think I had the time to take care of a pet. But really, it was just a matter of priorities. I am more than happy to trade in a night at the bar for the unconditional love of my babies.

Alright, that got lengthy. But you already must realize my passion for Jakers.

PS Tuesday (May 19th) is our anniversary and his 7th birthday. Feel free to send gifts. :)

Never Doubt Aunt Yiya's Dessert

OK, so I realize just days ago I was complaining about how I can't seem to lose weight on a vegan diet. Nevertheless, today's post is going to be about rice pudding. You'll have to learn to embrace my contradictions.

So I had heard of rice pudding as a youngster, and it always sounded disgusting. Then in high school, we were at a family get-together at my Aunt Carlotta's house (Carlotta knows how to prepare a meal....YUM) and she had made rice pudding as the dessert. I quietly scoffed at her poor judgment -- what a terrible idea for a dessert! But as soon as I took my first pity bite, my life was changed forever. OK, OK...I'm being dramatic. Seriously, though, it was so good! I got the recipe from her and proceeded to make it the very next weekend. The problem, though, is it calls for gallons of half and half and about 3 lbs of sugar. Roughly. And it made this huge batch in a crock pot. But I didn't care. It was good.

I figured once I'd chosen a vegan diet, my days of rice pudding were gone. But luckily, I was proven wrong!! I found this recipe on a fellow bloggers' page and am pretty impressed. It's not quite as rich & creamy as Aunt Yiya's (that's what we called her when we were little, before we could pronounce 'Carlotta'), but it also takes a quarter of the time and I've gotta assume has a quarter of the calories.

I'll post it below as I made it...I cut the recipe in half, because I'm a crazy cat lady who lives alone. If I made the whole thing, Lord knows I would eat the whole thing. In under 5 minutes.

Quick & Easy Rice Pudding

1 cup water
1/2 cup white rice
1 cup non-dairy milk (I used part rice milk/part coconut milk...I think a vanilla flavored variety would be incredible in this recipe!)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Ground cinnamon

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine water and rice and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes (or until water is absorbed). Remove saucepan from heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes.
2. Add milk and sugar to cooked rice, stirring well. Return saucepan to stove. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously, for 15 to 20 minutes or until very thick and creamy. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Let rice pudding cool slightly before serving. If desired, sprinkle with ground cinnamon before serving.

Serves: 1-2, depending on how much rice pudding you can eat in a sitting :)

One of the Most Special Relationships in your Life

Most any girl is protective of her hair. You don't want to trust just anybody to this head full of luxurious locks you've been tending to your entire life. For many years, my stylist has been one of my friends (technically, the younger sister of one of my best friends). It's nice being totally comfortable with the person doing your hair. There's no awkward "get to know ya" banter during the styling portion...because you of course gossip about mutual friends. And I knew what to expect when I walked out the door of the salon.

Well, new city = new stylist. And new job at a nonprofit = inexpensive stylist. I looked on craigslist and found a posting from a woman named Giti (ghee-tee), who claimed she had a salon behind her home and was offering 30% off to first time customers. I called and spoke with her on the phone -- she had a very thick accent, so I didn't catch all of it, but I did her hear say she spends her mornings doing hair on the set of CNN and NBC, then did hair out of her home. I feel like if she's good enough for Anderson Cooper, good enough for me. :) And I loved that she could get me in next day (today), since I want to get my highlights fixed up for my brother's wedding in two weeks (remember, the one I'm eagerly anticipaiting being inappropriately dressed for?).

OK, so I show up and she's got a beautiful home about 20 mins outside DC. She's basically remodeled a 3-season porch into a salon...and it looks good...not nearly as shady looking as I imagined. She proceeds to tell me again how she does hair on the set of CNN and NBC in the morning. I ask her more about it -- and it sounds like she does the hair of guests appearing on air. She said Hillary Clinton is a joy (hrmm?) and then proceeded to tell me how difficult Barabara Walters' air is to do, because it's so thin in the back from her surgeries. "What?! I didn't know Barabara Walters had surgery?! What did she have??" (imagining some brain tumor from 50 years ago that I never heard of) "Oh, she's had two facelifts," Giti says matter-of-factly. HAHAHA! Tell your friends.

To top it off, while my highlights were setting, one of her regulars (she's been doing this woman's hair for 28 years!) came in for a quick trim. They were chit chatting and the regular asks if she's hired someone to start mowing her lawn (at this point I see the schlubby looking guy outside with his pants falling down, pushing a mower around). She says, "well kind of". And the regular asks where she found him. Giti replies, "Oh, well, actually, he's the eldest grandson of the King of Afghanistan." Um, what?! And then she continues to tell us the story of how they met...and 20 minutes later, ends with the fact that they are engaged.

This woman is maybe my favorite ever. I'll definitely be back. Let me know if you're looking for a good stylist with some amazing stories. :) Oh, and my hair looks great, if I do say so myself.

Finding Excuses

One would think a vegan diet would mean weight loss. Not true for this fat kid. I gained probably 15 lbs as soon as I switched to a vegan diet and have had a really hard time trying to lose that weight ever since (it's been almost a year now). Don't get me wrong, nothing would ever make me go back. The suffering and misery animals used for food endure is enough to make me accept the love handles (alright, I've always had those). If you have any questions about that, I would encourage you to watch the documentary Earthlings. Life changing beyond belief.

Part of it is that, no matter what anyone says, you're going to consume more carbs. Because there are so many foods that you can no longer eat that once helped fill you up (ie cheese, chicken, fish, yogurt), you need to fill that void with something. I LOVE veggies, but I admit that they're not as satisfying as, say, a nice, fresh ciabattta roll...straight out of the oven and soft and gooey in the middle. YUM. I just may wander to Whole Foods most lunch hours to grab one. Anyhow, I digress. I also have always had my reliable go-to diet plan when I wanted to drop a few pounds, which consisted of eating a lot of chicken breast or fish and low-fat yogurt as a snack. So I no longer have my fall-back diet plan available.

BUT one perk is that a lot of the temptations are taken off the table. Most baked goods that you could all-too-easily pick up from the grocery store contain eggs or dairy. And the candy aisle is not nearly as dangerous. I can't eat M&Ms, Snickers, Junior Mints, Butterfingers...you get the jist. And yet, I find a way around it. I have taken to keeping Whole Foods' vegan chocolate chips on hand. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Anyhow, I'm really determined to lose these last 15 pounds for summer. So I'm going to see what I can do about a new go-to diet plan. Clearly I'm still going to look and feel obese in my bridesmaid dress in two weeks -- I've accepted that. But I still want to slim down. I'll keep ya posted -- I know you'll be on the edge of your seat until then. :)

Who Needs Friends When You Have Pets?

Alright, even I can recognize this is starting to get unhealthy. I am opting out of social events so I can stay at home with Jakers and Mabel. Now, granted, in Minneapolis I was known for cutting out of happy hour early...or meeting people out later -- after I ran home and spent time with the babes. But now I'm in a new city, where I should be anxious to experience the nightlife...and see the friends that I have only seen a handful of times since college, and the old maid portion of my personality is getting the better of me. My friend Kristen, whom I assume took psych in college, tells me our relationship is a "mutually amplifying feedback loop". She's witnessed, first hand, the pure joy that streams from the room when Jakers and I are reunited after I'm gone for 30 minutes. :) We can't help it...he loves me, I love him...it's a special thing.

Plus, they're still adjusting to a new city and a new home. They need someone there to help ease that transition. I mean, yes, it's been a month and a half now...but there's not time line for a baby's psyche. We can't put a timer on that.

I'm hoping blogging about this helps me fully acknowledge how abnormal it is. That I'm a single 27 year old who should be pursuing social interactions. Even though I do have a comfy couch, a 42-inch flat screen and two of the snoogliest boos that I know. Jus' sayin'...

Always a (Chubby) Bridesmaid...Never a Bride

Craaaaaap. I am not ready to wear this bridesmaid dress in T-minus 19 days!! It's not that it's not a nice dress. How can I say this nicely...? It's a nice dress for a figure representative of a 12-year-old boy. Not only is the dress really clingy around the middle, but it is revealing. VERY revealing. And while I can wear a pair of spanx and watch what I eat for the belly issues, there ain't no minimizing what's on top...nor is there maximizing the tiny pieces of fabric offered up for "coverage". I'm seriously about to break out in hives, imagining having to wear this.

Oh, and did I mention it's a Catholic wedding?? Aren't strapless dresses frowned upon in Catholic churches? Oof. The Pope better shield his eyes.

Well, back to my dinner of one cucumber, one carrot and 3 radishes. You think I'm kidding, don't you? Sadly, I am not. But if you slice them thin enough and drizzle a tablespoon of Italian dressing over the top, it's like a delicious salad. Kinda. *sigh* :(

Trust Issues with a Side of Pancakes

I cannot believe how many people I know going through relationship struggles right now. No, that's putting it too lightly. Let's try this again:
I cannot believe how many girls I know getting screwed over by their bastard significant others!

And I'm not talking about "boys being boys" or minor indiscretions. I'm talking about people who have been in long term relationships with pathological liars. I'm no expert in relationships (I'm picky and can't tolerate men with flaws. Even my mother told me to lower my standards. Seriously.), but how do you SLEEP at night when you pull this crap on someone you supposedly love? Or do you truly convince yourself that the lies are true? Like, you've told the lie so many times, that you, yourself, buy it?

Anyhow, this certainly isn't going to help me get out of my single, cat lady ways. I'd much rather spend a night on the couch with some popcorn (Orville Redenbacher's Simply Salted...yum) with my dog and cat than out on a date with someone whose telling me what I want to hear, while simultaneously setting me up for heartache. No sirree bob...I know Jakers and Mabel will never break my heart (especially since we've made a pact -- that they're both going to live forever).

Sorry Mom & Dad. Looks like you'll still have to send me flowers on my birthday, 'cuz ain't no man in my life gonna do it. :)

Alright. On that note, lets eat something fatty and carb-filled to make us feel better. My binge food of choice these days? PANCAKES. Seriously. These pancakes are SO GOOD. I make them really thin, so they almost taste like a crepe. And I eat them with butter and sugar...rolled up like the fattiest treat you can find! Like we already established, I ain't got no one to impress. :) So give these a try. Breakfast, lunch, dinner...there are no rules here. And not a lick of animal suffering in these bad boys.
I made them for Mom this past weekend (she opted for syrup on her pancakes. weirdo.) and she agreed that this is a delicious recipe!

5 Minute Vegan Panacakes
(Courtesy of RecipeZaar.com)

Makes 6-8 pancakes (aka just enough for a this fat kid)

1 cup flour
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsps baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 c soy or rice milk
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Combine dry ingredients. Add milk and oil. Pour onto preheated skillet or pan. BINGE AWAY.
PS Don't judge my plates. I love my dishes. My dad bought them at an auction. I always say I'll keep these until I get married and can register for something more modern and less Town & Country...but if this blog post tells us anything, it could be awhile. :)

Slacker's Back

Wow. I've really let myself go. In the blogging sense, that is. An friend from high school (hi Sarah!) emailed me today, letting me know she read my blog, and I was like, "Oh to focus on this post?! Let's talk about Mom.

My mom came out to DC to visit!! I think it was triggered by an emotional home-sick call I made the =yeah...I have a blog."

Anyhow, so much to talk about. What night I arrived in DC. After the 19 hour drive, arriving to an empty apt, SO over tired, I called home crying. I was never going to admit to that, but there. It's out there. :) So I think that very night my mom booked a flight out to keep me company!

We had such a nice time! We ate excessively (Thai, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Mexican and vegan restaurants -- we covered 'em all!), spent all day Saturday on The Mall, saw a movie, did some driving around downtown...just enjoyed a weekend in DC! We both agreed that the WWII Monument was our favorite. We also agreed that pasty white girls shouldn't spend an 80-degree day on The Mall in tank top and no sunscreen -- you should SEE my sunburn!
My mom really loved DC. She also loves my apartment and thinks the area I work in is really cute. It's always nice to have a parent's approval, right? Now, just need to convince Dad to come out to DC - I think he would love it, as well!

I'll stick some pics in. One is of Mom and I at the WWII Memorial -- each state is represented, so we (of course) got a pic by the MN pillar. Then I also need to stick in the pic from the drive to the airport. Jake rs just loved having Grandma visiting him! He insisted on snuggling up next to her in bed each night -- I tried no t to get offended -- and wanted to sit on her lap on the way to the airport. For those of you who don't know, Jakers ALWAYS sits on my lap in the car. So I very safely, while driving, took a photo of the two of them in the car. Awww, loves it!

In other news, we are officially in our PETA DC office. It's in such a fun location and it forces me to see more of the city. When I was able to work from home, I was bordering on crazy recluse. :) Now I can stare at the Washington Monumet every day, take the Metro in with the rest of the working world and find reason to change out of PJs...not sure if that last one is a good thing or a bad thing... :)

I'll try to be better about blogging. Thanks for continuing to read. :)

Budget Taters

Since moving to DC, my budget is oh-so tight! I took a week off between jobs for the move and this whole process has been so expensive! I went to this little market across the street after work on Wednesday so I could get some produce and basics. It was a unique little market, but so convenient and inexpensive! I'm trying to be smart and make my dollars stretch a bit until I get my first paycheck from PETA. So I utilized the potatoes that were on sale and made a dinner of roasted garlic potatoes. No real recipe, since it was more eyeballing the seasonings, but I chopped up the potatoes into bite-size chunks and put them in a mixing bowl with some minced garlic, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, Old Bay Seasoning, parsley and oregano. Stir everything up, spread mixture on a pan (I like my Pampered Chef baking stone) and cover with tinfoil. I baked at 400-degrees for about 30-45 minutes, checking on it after about 20 minutes to turn over so the sides brown evenly.

I didn't take a picture, but I don't think you'll need a visual on this one. :) It's filling, satisfying, flavorful and a pretty darn good dinner. I paired it with a spinach salad to get some greens in, but it could also be a side dish to any main course.

Work went well this week. I'm loving that my daily work is directly affecting the cause I am most passionate about. I think week 2 will give me even more insight as to my role with PETA, but I think I learned a lot over my first week. Also still loving DC! :)

Back And Better Than Ever!!

Hi!! I've been MIA for so long!! I made the move across country and have begun my new job with PETA. First, let me tell you this: NEVER use movers when making an inter-state move. Not worth your time, money or the hassle. I picked the SHADIEST moving company ever, apparently. They never showed on Monday, as they were scheduled to. Then, they told me they weren't sure when they could get a driver and truck out to me. So I was forced to find another company, last minute....however the first company never gave me my deposit back! (Get A Moving Company is the name of the a-holes.) And while the second moving company was slightly better, they also had a lot of empty promises and left me hanging until Saturday night. My mom was forced to host me, Jakers and Mabel for an entire week! She doesn't appreciate Mabel's naughty-baby-kitten ways as I do (ie climbing curtains). I was so grateful to be able to stay with her during that stressful experience.

Anyhow, so they show up on Saturday at 7pm and take about 15 minutes to get that first couple of boxes out. They could not figure out how this dolly they had worked. So I ended up just taking charge and carrying things out at mach-3 speed. After a long, sweaty 3 hours, we finish loading the truck and my condo is empty. At that point, my mom arrived and brought me Jakers & Mabel and me and the babes hop in the little Ford Focus and take off. Because of the time crunch, we had to drive 19 hours STRAIGHT...stopping only for gas and to potty...across country. It was miserable. But we arrived at 5pm on Sunday and got into our apartment. Cutest apartment ever!! I'm in the Ballston neighborhood of Arlington, VA.

I took Monday off - it was supposed to be my first day, but due to the mess of a weekend, my boss encouraged me to take a day to rest and get settled. Loved that idea. My brother, Andy, came over and kept me company while the movers did there thing. Jakers and I took some long walks and saw the neighborhood. So many friendly neighbors. And there's an Arlington County cop in my building...so I feel REAL safe. :)

Today was Day 3 of working for me. Since our DC office isn't ready yet, we're working from home. BUT since there are a few of us who are new, 5 of us are working from one coworker's apartment in DC (Logan Circle). It's been a bit of trial by fire, but so far so good. I think I'm really going to love my role with PETA. My days have been long, though. It takes about an hour to get to this girls' place and we work 9 - 5:30. So I get home close to 7:00. I think long working hours won't be bad, though, knowing I'm working for the sake of animals. It's such a passion!

Alright, I will try and stay more on top of the blogging. I have very little money for groceries until my first payday...so recipes may be in short supply. :) Have a great night!!!!