New Year, New Adventures

Happy 2012! The New Year has started out so wonderfully for me. Well, wait. It initially started out slightly rocky, but turned pretty amazing within a few days. Let me explain:

The movers came and took all of my DC apartment contents on Dec 13th and brought them up to Boston to put in storage. Then I departed on Dec 14th for Minnesota (with a stopover in Indianapolis to catch up with some college friends). I spent two great weeks in Minnesota, enjoying time with friends and family - and Jakers enjoyed Mom's 20 acres to roam on and chase squirrels, chipmunks, birds, and deer.

Christmas Eve with the family!

Then, the morning after my 30th birthday, I hit the road for Boston. We (Jakers, Mabel and I) made it 12 hours on the first day, stopped for the night in Cleveland, then finished the last 10 hours on New Year's Eve. So I get into Boston around 7:00pm on the biggest party night of the year, exhausted and desperate to get out of the car. The only problem: the security guard who was supposed to have my keys to my corporate apartment knew nothing about me. :( There were some mix-ups and there were no keys available for me. NOT OKAY. Luckily, someone from the apartment rental office was able to get downtown and by 9:00 we were settled.

Great, right? Wrong. This old building has old windows. I can hear EVERYTHING happening outside. Oh, and I'm surrounded by bars/pubs. So NYE was the loudest night of my life. All I wanted was sleep, all I got was drunk people, screaming, police sirens, and fireworks.

But I don't mean to dwell -- I've really enjoyed my first week in Beantown, once we got through night 1.
I've discovered Christoper Columbus Waterfront Park a few blocks away. We've taken lots of walks there, along the Boston Harbor.
My first week at the new job has been great. I'm working with some very talented folks and cool clients.
Through my apartment hunting, I was able to see some different neighborhoods -- and find a great place in the Charlestown neighborhood! I'm moving in next weekend!
And I'm looking forward to hanging out with some friends (new and old!) and enjoying some of the restaurants that I've heard a lot about.

Now, let's get onto some FOOD. :) Living in this temporary apartment for a few weeks means I'm limited with my groceries. I've been trying to find easy things to make that only require a few ingredients. This recipe fit the bill, and I knew it would keep well, so I could eat leftovers throughout the week. Perf. My mom used to make this Spaghetti Casserole when I was little, and now that I know how easy it is and how great the vegan version is, I'll be adding it into my rotation as a grown-up. :)

Here's to a great start to 2012 -- new city, new job, new apartment, and hopefully some new adventures!

Spaghetti Casserole(The pix do not do this justice - it looks like a blob o' pasta & cheese - but it tastes oh-so good!)

• 1 box spaghetti noodles
• 1 pkg Daiya vegan mozzarella "cheese"
• 1 pkg vegan pepperoni slices (I used Smart Deli)
• 1 jar of marinara sauce

Cook the spaghetti, then layer half of the noodles in pan, half of the cheese, half of the pepperoni slices and half of the marinara. Repeat. Bake in preheated oven (375-degrees) for 20-30 mins, until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes, then slice and serve.
Enjoy!

(This can be scaled to whatever size pan you want to use - Mom always made it in a 9x13, but since I'm only feeding 1, I used a square 9x9 pan. The ingredients are all eyeballed, anyhow, so just use more of everything if you want to use a larger pan.)

Tofurky and Sloppy Joes

I thought I'd take a break from Boston apartment hunting to do a lil' blogging.

First, let's talk about my excellent Thanksgiving weekend!! My dad, mom, and brother Ryan flew in from Minnesota and Los Angeles (respectively) for the weekend. My mom and Ryan stayed with me in my apartment and my dad stayed with my brother and sister in-law down the road. We had a great time, with lots of eating involved - just the way I like it! :) I prepared the vegan feast for Ryan and myself (recreated last years' meal), and my sister in-law made the non-vegan meal for the rest of the fam. Here are some highlights of the weekend:

Andy, Ryan, and I took the win in our post-Thanksgiving meal game of Trivial Pursuit. (They aren't into all the photo opps like I am.)

We spent Black Friday on the National Mall. Our first visit to the *new* MLK Memorial!
My sister in-law treated us to Jersey Boys tickets. What a great show!! We were all thankful that she planned ahead and did that for us! :)
Ry and I went to Mount Vernon on Saturday, after Mom and Dad had headed back to MN. It was really cool - beautiful property right on the Potomac!

It was fun to be with my family (although I wish my sister and her family had also made the trip), and it was also great to check off some DC bucket-list items. Namely, MLK Memorial and Mount Vernon. I still have a few more to check off, so we'll see if I can get those taken care of before I depart.

I also want to share a vegan sloppy joe recipe I made a few weeks ago. It made a large batch, so I was eating them for days, but the flavor got better and better the longer it was in the fridge. I got this recipe from the Vegetarian Frugal Housewife - I searched through a lot of recipes, and this one has more of a sweet recipe, which is just the way Mom used to make 'em.

VEGAN SLOPPY JOES



1 12-oz pkg Smart Ground (or other vegan "ground beef" product)
2 whole cloves garlic
1 lrg or 2 med green bell peppers
16oz tomato sauce
1 medium diced onion
4 tbs soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce
1 tbs mustard
2-3 tbs brown sugar
1 tsp black pepper
6 tbs ketchup
1 tbs salt
3 tbs cider vinegar
1/2 cup tomato paste (or fresh tomato chunks)
pinch nutmeg
pinch oregano
3 tbs olive oil

1. Chop onions, garlic and peppers.
2. Fry Smart Ground in pan with olive oil, salt and pepper.
3. Add spices and soy/worcetershire sauce.
4. Add chopped items and fry a bit more until onions soften.
5. Add remaining ingredients.
6. Stir. Cover. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes on low.
7. Test flavor and add more spices as needed.
8. Simmer 5 more minutes and serve over buns or bread.

I paired this with some steamed/mashed potatoes and cauliflower. It's got all the great flavor and texture of the potatoes, but it makes it slightly healthier by swapping out some potatoes in favor of the cauliflower. I mean, enough margarine, soy milk and salt, and you can mash just about anything into deliciousness, right?? :)

Enjoy! Back to apartment hunting I go. Getting SO excited about Beantown in 2012!

Vegans Gone Wild: LA Edition

I flew to LA a few weeks ago to visit my brother. My mom also flew into LA from Minnesota, so it was a chance for us to spend time together, while also hanging out with Ryan.

My brother, Ryan, is the smartest person I know. I have previously mentioned that he was a 4-time Jeopardy! winner, who went on to play in the Tournament of Champions last year.

Yes, that's really him.

I sent him a copy of Peter Singer's Animal Liberation a few years ago for Christmas, in hopes of having him understand why veganism was so important to me. I never expected him to go vegan, himself, but that's exactly what happened. For me, being vegan is a very emotional experience. I learned about the animal suffering, correlated my love of cute, fuzzy animals with the suffering my eating was causing, and that's all it took - it flipped a switch in my head and I was done contributing to that industry.

For Ryan, it was a more academic approach. Peter Singer poses the ethical/logical conflict to how we should live our lives, with how agribusiness works. And for Ryan, *that* flipped a switch in his head and he decided to make drastic changes. I love having him as an advocate, because he's much better at explaining "why vegan?" to people than me. He keeps a cooler head than me, because my passion just runs so deep. I tend to get frustrated when people know the facts, but don't make a change. I'm thankful to have him as a resource and ally.

I digress - what I'm getting at is that this trip to LA was filled with lots of veg-friendly restaurants (Mom was outnumbered) and some great sight seeing. Below are some highlights.

Mom's first experience with Ethiopian Cuisine @ Rahel Ethiopian

Mom and I, in front of the Hollywood sign, en route to the Griffith Observatory

On the Santa Monica Pier


Ry and I on the doubledecker tour bus

In the gardens of the Getty Center

I love LA. It was a great trip where being vegan was easy. I can't say that about every city I've visited. Oh, and I felt very at home with the traffic. Very similar to DC traffic. Sad, but true.
But the main perk of this trip was I got to spend some wonderful quality time with the fam!

I've got some new recipes to post soon! Stay tuned...

Age is just a number...mine just happens to be a big number

Not everyone seems familiar with the term "golden birthday". It's when you turn the age that your birth date is. So for me, my golden birthday was this past December - I turned 29 on the 29th.

I remember when I was younger and friends would get a special birthday when they turned 8, because it was their golden birthday. I would think, 'Aw man...I won't get to have the BIG golden birthday until I'm 29. Ew, so old. I'm gonna have a husband and a bunch of kids. I won't get to have ANY fun.' (Of course "fun" back then meant a Cinderella-themed party with pizza delivery and renting a PG-13 movie.)
SURPRISE!! I don't have a husband or (human) kids. And drinking is WAY more fun than PG-13 movies!!!

Where did the time go?? I was, like, 22 a minute ago. I swear. But each year I'm shocked to realize I don't feel old. I feel good. And each year seems to get better for me. And guess what? Your golden birthday is just like all the others. Who knew?!

This year, I baked my own birthday cake. I opted to try a vegan version of what some might know as "better than sex cake". However, I learned this recipe from my Aunt Carlotta, who doesn't throw around the "s" word, so we call it "yummy cake". :) The recipe calls for sweetened condensed milk, caramel sauce, Cool Whip and Heath bars. So definitely a challenge to make it all cruelty-free.
And - long story short - no one in my family tried it, so I ate just about half of the cake, myself, and I gave my cousin the other half (she has a husband and kids, though, so she probably stuck to just 1 piece, unlike me!). I can assure you, this cake is SO rich, decadent and satisfying for any sweet tooth. Worth the effort!

Vegan "Yummy" Cake

• 1 box of chocolate cake mix (just check ingredients to be sure it's vegan - I think most are)
• 1 can vegan sweetened condensed milk
• 2 cups vegan caramel sauce
• vegan whipped cream (can be found at Whole Foods or co-op)
• 1 order of vegan english toffee

Prepare caramel sauce ahead of time. This recipe (link above) makes more than 2 cups, but don't over-do the caramel (save the extra to top some ice cream!).

Prepare and bake cake in 9" x 13" pan. Allow to cool completely.

Using the end of a wooden spoon, poke holes all over the cake - don't be shy, you want to poke a hole every inch, or so.
Pour sweetened condensed milk over the top of the cake, aiming to pour the majority of it in the holes. Do the same with the caramel.

Top the entire cake with about 1" - 2" of whipped cream. Crush toffee and sprinkle over the top. Drizzle a bit of caramel over the top.

Voila! Done. ENJOY.

My niece / assistant, CharBaby. :)

Baby Nieces and Potato Pancakes

I'm an Auntie again!!!! My sister gave birth to sweet Evy Marie last week! I'm so excited to meet her when I drive to Minnesota NEXT WEEK!! She's 2/3rds the size that my sweet CharBaby (my first niece, Charlotte) was when she was born. We've nicknamed her "Baby Gigantor". :) But Evy is a wee baby and I can't wait to get her in my arms next Friday night.

Her name is very special. We called our great-aunt, Evelyn, "Aunt Evy". She was my grandma's sister and just a wonderful woman. She passed away many years ago, but I guarantee she's smiling down at her little bitty namesake. :)


Well, after that big news, some potato pancakes are pretty unimpressive, but that's the recipe I've got today. :) With the start of Hanukkah last week, I saw a lot about latkes on Facebook (which I learned is another name for potato pancakes), and learned that they are traditionally eaten during Hanukkah because "the oil for cooking the latkes is reminiscent of the oil from the Hanukkah story that kept the Second Temple of ancient Israel lit with a long-lasting flame that is celebrated as a miracle" (from Wikipedia).

Potato pancakes remind me of my childhood best friend's house. Jasmin is from Germany, so her mom tended to make different things for dinner than my mom did. So it was always fun to eat dinner at her house. (I remember how impressed I was when they busted out the Nutella for breakfast one morning! SIGN ME UP, SISTER*.) And one of the things she would make is potato pancakes. I remember loving those and always finding reasons to stay for dinner the days I knew Elvira was grating the potatoes. :) Normally, these have eggs in them, but I think the vegan version is delish and you wouldn't even miss 'em!

Vegan Latkes (Potato Pancakes)

• 

• 1 pound white potatoes, peeled (I used 4 large Russet potatoes)
• 1 medium onion, grated
• 1/4 cup flour
• Ener-G Egg Replacer equal to 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Vegetable oil for frying

Grate the potatoes. Put them in a strainer and rinse under cold running water. Let the water drain from the potatoes, press them down and pat them dry.

In a large bowl, mix the potatoes and grated onion. Add egg replacer, salt, pepper and flour. Stir well.

In a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat, pour enough oil in to cover the pan to a 1/2-inch depth. When the oil is hot and shimmering, drop the batter into the oil 1 heaping tablespoon at a time and use the back of the spatula to flatten it out.

Cook pancakes until the edges brown, about 5-6 minutes. Using a spatula, carefully flip them. Fry for another 5-6 minutes or until browned on the other side. Remove from oil and place on paper towel-lined plate to drain. (I also kept a plate in the oven at 200-degrees to transfer pancakes to, to keep warm.) Add oil to pan as needed for additional pancakes. Serve with applesauce, ketchup or vegan sour cream. I prefer them with applesauce!

*Sadly, I don't believe Nutella is vegan. :(

Givin' Thanks, Ya'll

On this Thanksgiving Eve, with my sweet potato pie in the oven and all the ingredients for tomorrow's cruelty-free feast out on the counter, I think I'll stop and reflect a bit on what I am thankful for...

My family
I love my family. I was blessed with smart, thoughtful, hard working, diligent and loving people in my gene pool. My parents would do anything for me. I know this, without a doubt. My brothers and sister are awesome -- I love that, even though we were raised in the same home and are only 5 yrs apart, we are four of the most unique individuals you'll ever meet. And though we share some personality traits (ie stubbornness) that can cause conflict, we somehow always find a way to get around it. No matter what happens in this life, I know I can always count on my family 110%. (Special shout-out to my sweet niece and my soon-to-be niece...who will arrive on Dec 1st!!)

My friends
I am so fortunate to know some of the greatest people this world has to offer. My friends come from all walks of life and all came into my life at various points -- elementary-high school, church, college, sorority, various jobs, animal advocacy, running, the gym, friend-of-friends -- but I cherish each and every relationship. My friends are spread out across the country (and some beyond), but even with those I only see once every couple of years, I always know once we start chatting, it's like we were never apart. And those that I see/talk to every week are the people who help me get through the daily struggles. I am so thankful.

My pets
I know, I know. I'm obsessed. But I *am* thankful they came into my life. No one can welcome me into my apartment like Jakers and Mabel. Every day, no matter what, they love me unconditionally. Having worked at PETA, I know what kind of suffering is out there for some animals -- so I am just so glad to be able to give these two a wonderful home.

My job
In this economy, not everyone is gainfully employed. I have been with my current advertising agency since January and each day realize more and more what a good job it is. My boss is great, my clients are interesting, the work is fun (for an advertising nerd like me, that is!) and I'm allowed a lot of independence to do my work. I can't say the same about previous jobs (ahem, see paragraph 3). When there are the little flaws in my work day, I remind myself how bad it can be - whether at a terrible workplace or even be without a job - and it makes me really glad I landed where I did. And getting a free iPad from a media rep this week ain't bad!! :)

Compassion Over Killing
I was asked to do an interview for COK this weekend, as part of their 15th-anniversary video. It really reminded me how crucial this organization has been in my life over the past 3 years. It was right around this time in 2007 when I saw their TV commercial and was prompted to go to their website and read about factory farming. From there, I went vegetarian, then learned about the 2008 "Their Lives, Our Voices" conference at the Univ of MN from their eNewsletter...and the next thing you know, I'm a hardcore vegan moving from MN to DC to work in animal advocacy! They do so much with so little and are changing peoples' lives every day. More importantly (well, to me), they are changing animals' lives every day. I wish I had discovered the vegan lifestyle 20 years earlier, but it's never too late to make the choice to go cruelty-free and I'm thankful for the knowledge and tools to make that change.

My health
I love running. And my latest injury has really reminded me how much I miss it when I can't run. Not everyone is healthy enough to run marathons and so I want to cherish every day that I can get out and clear my mind for that 3 mile (or 26 mile when I get back to it!) stretch. I also think my change to a vegan diet has really helped me become a healthier person, eating more veggies and grains and less cholesterol-filled meats and dairy.

I'm thankful for so many things, but I think that sums it up pretty nicely and covers the biggies. :) And while I'm spending my Thanksgiving without my family (I mean, besides Jakers and Mabes), it allows me some quiet time to reflect on all of my many blessings. I hope you are with those you love this holiday weekend (or if you're also flying solo -- THINKING of those you love), and enjoying your many blessings!

Memory Lane: It's a Good Road

I've been limping through a handful of runs each week. I basically started my marathon taper about 3 weeks early. I'm not entirely sure how detrimental that will be, come race day. But with this heel injury - which, as you may recall, I've self-diagnosed as plantar fasciitis - I've just not had a choice. I'm in such excruciating pain the morning after a run (even a 3-miler), that I need to take a day or two off between runs. My saving grace is that the pain goes away about a mile into my run, so I'll definitely be able to complete the marathon (barring any other unforeseen circumstances), but I don't even want to think about how much pain will be involved on Monday morning.

With the race a week and a half away, I wanted to step back and remind myself why I'm doing this. Yes, I fundraised $2,646.50 for Compassion Over Killing, so I'm certainly running for animals. I'm obsessed with this nonprofit and all they do for animals, so it's added incentive. But the fact of the matter is that you have to have a deeper desire, within, in order to force your body to go through that 26.2 mile fiasco. I find some real motivation in looking back at my previous marathons and remembering that, even though there was a lot of pain, discomfort and doubt throughout the course, the after-affects (effects? - I never know which one to use) are so, so, so worth it.

I ran the Twin Cities Marathon in 2005, with the support and inspiration of my running club, the MN RED. I found this group online and started running with them as a way to lose some weight and get in shape. They became great friends and inspired me to sign up for a (gulp) marathon. I trained with them and carbo-loaded with them and just had a great first experience with the feared 26.2.
Here's a picture from right at the finish line. One of my best friends from high school, Amanda, came out to cheer me on and we snapped a photo together:



Then in 2006, I again signed up for the TCM. Hey, why not - I'm a pro now! But I didn't train as well as I should have so had a pretty disapointing race time. But no matter what, I'm always just really proud to cross that finish line. My mom and dad came out to cheer me on and were waiting for me at the finish. My dad is not really a fan of my marathoning - he thinks it's dangerous. I explain that it's not dangerous when properly trained for and it's way more healthy than sitting in front of a TV not exercising. We agree to disagree. But, anyhow, I've always thought it was ironic that there is an ambulance in the background of the pic with Mom and Dad. :)


Then we come to 2008. I signed up for the Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach to run with my brother while he was stationed there (in the Navy). It was his first marathon, so I thought I would show him the ropes. But in reality, he could have smoked me. Instead, he stayed with me, pushing me to keep up my pace and stay strong so that I could get my 4:30 goal. We finished in 4:28. I will always be thankful to him for being there for me. Literally. Here's a shot of Andy and me with my sister in-law on the beach after the race.

Moral of the story is that even though I know I'm going to have days when I question why I'm doing this. And around mile 17 (my nemesis) of the Marine Corps Marathon I'm probably going to curse myself for running another marathon. But looking at these pictures reminds me of the amazing feeling of acomplishment I experience when I achieve my goal. No, I'm never going to win a race. And no, I'm probably never going to qualify for the Boston Marathon. But those things don't matter. It's all about crossing the finish line with your head held high.

A Birthday Walk Down Memory Lane

I got a card in the mail yesterday...addressed to Mabel Chaffee. My mom sent my cat, Mabel, a birthday card and a PetSmart gift card, just in time for my baby girl's 3rd birthday!! I love that my mom plays along and feeds into my unhealthy attachment to my pets. :)

I thought I'd do a quick blog post about the day I picked Mabel out from a litter of adorable kittens and brought her home.

So it was 3 years ago, and I had had Jakers for a little more than 4 months. I was still having guilt about leaving him alone all day when I was at work, knowing he had separation anxiety (aka my dog's a hot mess), so was thinking about heading back to the Humane Society to check out the kitten selection. Then, my friend from work, Jamie, mentioned that her sister found a cat and her litter of kittens - that appeared to be strays - in a barn in Farmington (a southern suburb of Mpls). This seemed like the perfect opportunity to find Jakers a sibling, so I asked her if I could take a peek at them before her sister brought them to a shelter, as the weather was getting colder. So I drove down and saw the cutest, hungriest (Jamie's sister was their only source of food, so they LOVED to see her!) litter of kittens imagineable.

After some heartbreaking decision making (I wanted to take them all), I decided on the little tuxedo kitten - those teeny white paws were just too cute to pass up. I also liked the idea of Jakers having a little sister. So we loaded her in the car and off we went!
The original introduction went pretty well. Jakers seemed to be interested in this strange little creature, and Mabel certainly wasn't shy.

Jakers continue to molest - er, I mean - get to know Mabel, still a bit wary.

I think he was nervous.
But eventually, everyone seemed to warm right up.

And Mabel made herself comfortable.

But just as she was at ease, I decided that she needed a bath - she wasn't exactly living in the cleanest of conditions when I found her. I tried to soften the blow with some food, but she was not amused.

But, in time, we fell right into place and formed a happy little family. I'm thankful everyday for my amazing pets -- I know people think I'm over the top with my comparisons to them as children, but I really do love them more than I can explain. I think you're either born a pet lover, or not. And I got my dad's genes when it comes to loving animals. For that, I'm grateful. :)Happy Birthday, Mabel!

This is why I don't Stop to Smell the Roses

I was so excited for the gorgeous weather this long, Labor Day weekend. I was anxious to turn off the AC and open up the apartment to bring in some fresh air and allow Jakers and Mabel to get to smell the outside smells. (They love just chillin' in front of the open windows. Easily amused.)

So this morning, I bust out the vacuum cleaner and suck up all the cobwebs and random dead bugs that accumulated in between the screen and window over the summer. And off goes the AC! It was lovely for aboooooout 15 minutes. That's when the excessive pollen count slapped me across the face. I tried to suck it up for a few hours, but have since closed up the apartment again and am trying to keep my upper-respiratory system from shutting down.

I just don't know if non-allergy sufferers understand it. You know that feeling in your face the SECOND before you sneeze? Yeah - I feel like that all the time. My face is tingly, my eyes are watering and puffy and I can't stop blowing my nose. And this is all happening while I'm on a daily allergy med. Can you imagine if I DIDN'T take meds already?? Oy vey.

Anyhow, I was thinking about doing take-out for dinner, but I think we'll just stay safe & sound indoors now. I think I have the ingredients for a salad that I really love. I got the recipe from my Aunt Carlotta (famous for her pickles). She makes this salad at a lot of family get-togethers and I just love it! And it happens to be vegan...yay!

FUMI SALAD

dressing

• 4 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 c vegetable oil
• 6 Tbsp white or apple cider vinegar

Combine all ingredients with a whisk and set aside.

salad

• 1 head cabbage, shredded (or you can buy the already-chopped bagged cabbage)
• 8 Tbsp slivered almonds
• 8 Tbsp sesame seeds
• 8 Tbsp chopped green onion
• 1 pkg. Ramen noodles (crush in bag)

Brown sesame seeds and almonds in a little bit of margarine on the stove. Combine cabbage and green onions in large bowl. Just before serving, add sesame seeds, almonds and crushed Ramen noodles and toss. Coat with dressing and serve.

Now...whose going to take Jakers for his evening walk??? Oh. Guess that will be me. *sigh* Thus is the life of a single parent. :)

This is Cheaper than Therapy

Let's start this post with my acknowledgment of my hoarding tendencies. I know that my genetics (cough*cough*DAD*cough*cough) have burdened me with a strong desire to save/hoard things. However, I am aware of this and therefore am able to fight against this desire. Plus, I have a 1-bedroom apartment and am limited on how much I can save before the clutter is visible - which is where my OCD steps in. I don't like clutter. (Should I be seeing a psychologist for all this?) :)

Anyhow, so I was hanging out with my friend, Kristen, tonight and she told me that since marrying her husband last year, they have had three sets of dishes - his set pre-marriage, her set pre-marriage and the set they registered for together. So she was wondering if I wanted her old set.
Now, if you've noticed, my current dishes aren't exactly the most trendy. Going back to my genetics/hoarding - my dad bought these years ago at a garage sale or an estate auction and when it came time for me to move out on my own, he just happened to have a full set of dishes in his shed. Win/win - I get free dishes, Dad can purge some belongings.


I can't even really tell you what's going on with this pattern. It *appears* to be a couple of birds who want to make-out, but that random, floating crown is getting in their way. I mean, clearly they're in love. (Note the giant heart.)

So I've accepted Kristen's offer and have taken in her much trendier/fun dishes.


But the weird thing is, I don't know if I can part with my old dishes! I'm really attached to them. But why?! I mean, I think they're very "quaint" and cozy...but I think I'm the only one.

Let me share another (very exciting) dish-related story:
For Christmas several years ago, my sister bought me 4 place settings of some really nice Pier One dishes. I ended up returning them, which infuriated her. And still, to this day, bothers her. But there is a twofold reason for my decision to return them. (1) I want more than 4 bowls and 4 plates, but I didn't want to spend the money on buying the rest of the place settings and (2) I didn't need dishes. There's nothing *wrong* with mine. She reminded me of how ugly my current dishes were, and I felt really defensive and protective of them. Weird, right? But that's just the way it is.

So, for now. I hoard dishes. But I thought I should start including the new fellas in blog pics, so you'll see their debut below, accompanied by the best cookie recipe you'll ever have. This is my veganized version of my mom's cookies. Just baking a batch makes me feel closer to home. :) Mom really is the best cook ever...and I love how these cookies are so chewy and delicious.

Mom's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
1/4 c margarine
1/4 c shortening
6 Tbsp granulated sugar
6 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
Ener-G Egg Replacer equivalent of 1 egg
3/4 c flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c oatmeal
6 oz (half pkg) of vegan choc chips

Blend margarine, shortening, sugars and vanilla. Stir in Ener-G egg replacer. Add flour, soda, salt and mix well. Stir in oats and chocolate chips.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls on ungreased cookie sheet (I use my baking stones).
Bake in preheated oven at 375-degrees for 10-12 minutes or until brown.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

Perspective and Pickles

I decided to be ambitious this weekend. I had a pretty lengthy to-do list which started bright and early on Saturday - with a 14-mile run.

I took off from my apartment and headed around the Iwo Jima Memorial, down past Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River, around the Lincoln Memorial, alongside the Reflection Pond, past the WWII Memorial and the Washington Monument and then turned around at the Smithsonian Castle. INCREDIBLE. There is no better city for your long run...I am telling you. Just breathtaking. And I love watching the reaction of the tourists who are seeing this incredible sights for the first time. It's a great distraction from the monotony of running for 2+ hours.
The best part of my run was on my way back home -- I was at about mile 8 -- and starting to feel tired and had a dull ache in my back. I looked over at the WWII Memorial and noticed some people escorting about 100 WWII vets out onto the memorial for a photo. The volunteers helping to wheel/guide the veterans out kept saying "thank you for your service" and several of the old men were wiping tears from their eyes. I had to stop and watch. Wow, was this moving. And it really put my complaints in perspective. After paying my respects and witnessing this moving sight, I continued on and had a really great run, and was able to reflect on all the blessings of my life that I take for granted. I think living in DC has given me a new-found respect for those who serve in the military.

So after a morning run and an afternoon at the Arlington County Fair with the kids I babysit for, I had a lot left on my to-do list today. Including -- wait for it -- canning my own pickles!

My Aunt Carlotta makes some killer dill pickles. I have many fond memories of sleepovers with my cousin, Chrissy, that involved us polishing off a jar or two of homemade pickles. :) My aunt is one of the best cooks I know -- she's the one who turned me on to the wonders of rice pudding, if you recall.
Since I don't live in Minnesota, mooching jars of pickles off of Aunt Yiya is more challenging. So I decided just to mooch her recipe and can my own. I drove all over Virginia, DC and Maryland, looking for supplies this morning, and when I got home made my first batch. It's kind of labor intensive, but I think it's well worth it. I just have to wait 6-weeks to try them and see if they turned out! Recipe and pictures below. :)

Aunt Carlotta’s Dill Pickles

(Makes about 3 quarts)

· Small pickling cucumbers

· 2 cups water

· 2 cups vinegar

· 6 Tbsp canning salt

· 3-6 garlic cloves, peeled

· 3 Tbsp dill seed

· 1 bundle of fresh dill

Fill jars with the cucumbers. Bring water, vinegar and salt to boil. Pour in jars*, filling to one-inch from top. Put 1 Tbsp dill seeds and 1-2 cloves of garlic and a couple of piece of dill in each jar. Put lids on and wait for them to seal (you'll hear a pop).

*Make sure the jars are clean and hot. (I kept mine turned upside down in a cake pan with an inch of water on the stove and boil the water while I'm putting the cucumbers in the jars.)

It’s easiest to do it in small batches like this. I did 12 quarts, so had all my ingredients ready to go and then did 3 quarts/jars at a time.

For the record, I bought the jars and canning salt from Wal-Mart, the cucumbers from a farmers market and rest from the grocery store. I looked at a co-op for bulk dill seeds, but couldn't find them. So I bought 5 of the small McCormick spice jars of them. Next time, I'll plan ahead and buy the dill seeds online, since they're tough to find!
Also, the cucumbers I got are pretty big, so I put 4 or 5 whole cucs in each jar, then sliced some up in quarters and slid a few spears in each jar, as well. We'll see how that turns out (my aunt usually only makes whole pickles).