Busy Redhead Seeks Perfection

What a week. I've been busy. Between my full-time job, my babysitting jobs (currently babysitting regularly for 5 families!) and marathon training, I have very little free time. And that is usually spent reminding Jakers and Mabel that I still love them and haven't abandoned them entirely....oh and maintaining friendships!

Anyhow, I've decided that I need to find another activity to occupy my 6 minutes of free time each week. Enter: Match.com. I've been a single lady for a long time now. And I haven't done a lot of dating, because I have set my standards really high. Granted, boys have not been beating down my door, exactly...but I also think that I don't really put myself "out there". So this is a good way to meet people, get out and about and explore some of DC's hot spots. I joined a couple of weeks ago, and have been out on a handful of dates. So far, so good. It's definitely fun....just really hard to squeeze it into my schedule. A sister's gotta prioritize.

But, as I keep pointing out to friends and family, I'm really quite content being single, so I'm not about to lower my (very high) standards. If the "perfect" man doesn't come along, I'll just remain a single parent to the greatest cat and dog ever. :)

There's really no natural way to transition from dating to pasta, so let's just do this.
I made some FANTASTIC pasta tonight. The cupboard/fridge is getting bare - due to my low funds, because I had to drop $600 on car repairs this week. (Mom wants me to meet a nice Christian mechanic.) So I've gotta work with what I have on hand. I came across this recipe and thought it sounded promising. (Yes, I do usually have canned artichoke hearts on hand. Ha!) I actually didn't expect it to be THIS good. But it was a delicious dinner and will make for an equally delicious lunch tomorrow!

Creamy Artichoke Penne

• 1/4 cup margarine
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth (I used 1 1/2 c boiling water and dissolved a vegetable bullion cube in it)
  
• 1/2 cup soy milk (I used almond milk)
  
• juice from one lemon or 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 can artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  
• ~16 oz penne pasta (or whatever you have on hand)
  

Get pasta cooking in large pot.
While the pasta is cooking, simmer the margarine, flour and and veg broth in a large saucepan until it thickens, forming a roux. Continue stirring well with a whisk, so it doesn't clump. If the mixture does not thicken, turn up the heat and add more flour.
Add remaining ingredients (except for pasta) turn heat to low, and simmer for about 5 minutes, allowing flavors to blend.

Drain pasta when done cooking, toss with sauce and enjoy!

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

My Own Kind

I had SUCH a great night tonight! I met up with five friends who I worked with at PETA. It's been nearly a year since I left, and I hadn't seen some of them since. So it was great that we were all able to get together (minus one friend, who couldn't make it at the last minute). And we tried out this great restaurant in NW DC called Everlasting Life Cafe. I know, I know. A pretty terrible name, but it's an all-vegan restaurant that serves some of the best food I've ever had. I had the shepherd's pie with a side of cabbage and mac 'n cheese and a piece of cornbread. ALL VEGAN. So amazing. I have leftovers that I'm *hoping* to save for lunch tomorrow, but they just might be calling my name now...
It's just so great to spend time with like-minded people. I obviously love all my friends and family, but there's something about sitting around a table with fellow vegans/animal advocates that just warms my heart. We don't have to explain it to one another - we just get it.
We're hoping to do dinners once a month - just a regular date that we can all get together and catch up. Waiting for an annual get together is just too long! :)

Anyhow, speaking of vegan deliciousness...I tried a new recipe this weekend. My high school friends have referenced a recipe that one of the girls' mom's makes - these breadballs. I was skeptical, but they all swore these were so tasty. So Emily emailed us the recipe to make these meat-and-cheese-filled dough balls. And my first thought was, 'I can veganize this!' And so I did. I present to you....Sharon's Famous Breadballs!! (Sharon named them herself.) :)

SHARON'S FAMOUS BREADBALLS

-One loaf frozen bread dough

-One package seitan

-One package Daiya Vegan Cheese

-1/4 cup vegan margarine

-1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Thaw frozen bread dough (it doesn't have to raise, just be thawed). Cut it into 32 pieces. Cut the seitan into 32 small chunks (about 1/2" squares). Pour the cheese into a bowl (for easier access - you won't use the whole bag up). Melt the margarine on a plate and stir the garlic powder into it.

Take a piece of dough and kind of flatten it out. Set a pinch of cheese on the dough and top with a chunk of seitan and wrap dough around the seitan/cheese and pinch it shut. It forms a kind of a ball. Roll the ball in the margarine/garlic powder mixture. Repeat with each piece of dough

Place the balls in a casserole dish or even a 9" inch glass pie plate works well. You want them touching each other.

Let them rise for 2 hours. (Turn the oven on to the lowest possible temperature while making the balls. Then I turn it off, set the casserole inside the oven and also put in a separate bowl of water.)

Bake at 350, for 20-25 minutes, until they start to brown.

Pull off chunks of filled dough and devour. Enjoy hot or cold - always delicious!

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).

Overhaulin'

Okay, so I'm guessing you (all 3 of my followers) noticed my new layout for the blog. You like? I needed to change it to freshen it up a bit. It still looks like a BlogSpot blog, but what can ya do?

I'm apparently on a renovation kick, because I also made a huge change - which was referenced in my previous post - and dyed my hair red. I've been blonde forever. I was a real blondie as a kid, then as I got older became a dark blonde. So I've been getting highlights added in for the past 10 years. I've always wanted to go red, since I have some red tones in my natural hair color. And with my freckles and pasty white skin, I figured I could really pull off the ginger look. The problem, though, is that when I've done some red highlights in the past, they fade really fast. Every hair stylist has told me that red won't stick - it will always fade. But *that's* just with chemical color.

Enter: Lush's henna hair dye.

Lush is a fabulous store that carries all-natural hair and body products. A lot (most?) of their products are vegan, too, so that's a bonus. This henna hair dye is completely natural. No harsh chemicals on your hair (therefore soaking into your body). And I could go red with the "Caca Rouge" henna. The names of these products could use some work, huh?

I showed up to Lush in the Tyson's Corner Mall after work one day, pretty sure I wanted to go red. But with henna, it sort of reacts to everyone's hair differently, so it was hard to know exactly how this would turn out. Especially since the ends of my hair were chemically treated (there were a lot of roots happening, too), so they could turn REALLY red. I wanted a Marcia Cross red. So I went to Lush and talked it over for literally an hour with the three girls working that day. In the end, one last phone call to my personal consultant (sister) who said "Why not? Go for it!" and I was sold.

We went with 4 blocks of the caca rouge and 2 blocks of the caca marron. So the red henna, plus the auburn henna would hopefully prevent a kool-aid hair look. They mix it up and apply it for you in-store. And by "in-store", I mean they pull up a stool from the Sunglasses Hut and set me on some newspapers in the mall hallway with garbage bags wrapped around me with a chip-clip holding them on. AWKWARD. Oh, and the consistency and color of the stuff is literally IDENTICAL to that of goose poop. I know this, because I grew up on a hobby farm and had a special pair of "barn shoes" whose sole purpose was to allow me to walk through the slimy green goose poop without tracking it into the house.

Let's document the journey in pictures, shall we?

Here is me right before we started (sigh, I do like my blonde tresses):


Here we are as Evan, the store manager, applies the henna (aka goose poop):



Here is me in my car. AFTER I'd walked through the mall and Macy's to get to the parking lot. And YES, that is saran wrap helping to secure my goose-poop-coated hair to my head and a towel catching the dripping goose poop.



And here is me the next night. Drinking WAY TOO MUCH at The Refuge (a bar) in Minneapolis as a red head:


All's well that ends well, right? I really do love it. The 6 hours that I had to sit on my couch and let the henna work wasn't a highlight of the process (no pun intended), but it was worth it to avoid chemicals and get to that ginger look I was going for!

Like Mother, Like Son. Wait....no.

I just have to share these pictures, because weeks later, they continue to make me laugh outloud.

I flew to Minnesota a couple of weeks ago for one of my high school friends' bachelorette party. I was able to see a lot of people who I haven't seen much since my move out east. It was a great weekend, filled with lots of friends. Here, let's take a look at some of the pictures.

I spent Thursday night going out in downtown Minneapolis with friends from my former ad agency, Carmichael Lynch:



And then I spent all day Saturday with my niece, Charlotte, my mom and my sister (ain't she precious!?):


Then Saturday night was the super fun bachelorette party with some of my favorite high school girlfriends:


Jakers - as with most weekends I'm traveling - spent his time at doggy daycare. I LOVE the place I take him. It's called Dog Paws 'n Cat Claws University (I mean, it's like going off to college -- weeeee!). They treat the dogs so well, he doesn't have to be crated at night, there are lots of staff to give the dogs love AND they get daily walks - which a lot of daycares don't offer or charge extra for. So he really is in a great place. And there are tons of dogs there, so a *normal* dog would have a blast making friends and playing with companions. Here are some pics from their Facebook page of my bundle of joy LIVING IT UP at daycare.

I call this first one "where's the party at?":


Then you have him, clearly seeking out some fun activities with the group:


And finally, making the fellow dogs feel loved and welcomed:


My sister thinks he acts this way to make me feel guilty. Which would be really clever for a canine, right? And it works. But I gotta say, it's not very much fun comparing photo albums after my weekends away.

Thus is the life of a single pet parent...

(Oh yeah, and as you can see, I dyed my hair red! I'll talk more about that in a later post!)