Wednesday, November 28, 2012

{ Catching Up... }

Wow....I went way too long without putting up a blog post.  No excuses, just life getting in my way, I guess!  

So, what's been happening? As I have mentioned here on the blog before, I have been out of work since March and it has been hard financially.  This year has also included many household appliances (washer, dryer, dishwasher) as well as my house air conditioning going kaput!  ...and no money to repair or buy new.  It was hard, but perhaps the worst thing was not having a washer or dryer, especially with lots of cats and two young puppies. 

A dear friend, who wants to remain anonymous, gave me money to buy a new washer and dryer, plus more that helped to pay a mortgage payment.  I was stunned, overwhelmed, and more than grateful.  So two weeks ago, my new washer and dryer arrived and I have been a crazy washing lady and loving every minute of it.  Seriously, I think I have washed anything that wasn't nailed down!
A funny note to this happy day:  my puppies have never lived in this house with a working washer and dryer so were unprepared for the big white monsters that invaded our house.  It took about a day of barking and growling for them to realize that these monsters are here to stay and that mommy wasn't afraid of them! So cute! 

Thanksgiving was a joyous day for me, gathering at sisters house and spending the day with family!  It was great!


My sister, Jill, and her kids, Courtney, Mallory, and Spencer
My nieces, Mallory and Courtney
My sister, Amy and her kids Mackenzie and Dylan. (Amy and Jill are twins!)
My amazing 95-year old grandmother, Maydell
My brother, Travis, my beautiful mom, Sandra and step-dad John!
My brother, Travis and Mom
My beautiful, mom - look at those cheekbones!  What a beauty!
Gorgeous niece, Mallory
My  15-year old niece, Courtney - the budding family photographer!
The day before Thanksgiving, my aunt bought me a Trader Joe's tofurkey and so I brought it for myself and my vegetarian step-dad.  It was DELISH and I loved it and the leftovers!!  

This was kind of a mindless post, but I wanted to catch up and get back in the swing of regularly updating my blog.  The last few weeks have been filled with job searching, stressing about money and paying the mortgage, and a ton of other things.  What I need to remember is that today is a new day.  I am blessed every day to wake up and start fresh.  So each day I will do the best I can and work towards my future.  The universe has and will provide.


Until next time friends, 

Lolly



Sunday, November 11, 2012

{ I Won a Vegan Cookbook! }

I am so excited!  I never win anything but last week I won a GREAT cookbook through a blog contest at emmycooks.com.  I got to win my choice of one of Isa Chandra Moskowitz's cookbooks.  Since I am on a quest to lose LOTS of weight on a vegan diet, I chose Appetite for Reduction, a cookbook of 125 fast and filling low-fat vegan recipes.
While I just got it this weekend, and haven't had a chance to make anything from it yet, I have taken the time to peruse it (yes, I read cookbooks!) and have already marked it up for recipes I want to make.  For instance, Cajun Beanballs and Spaghetti (page 190), Bistro Brocolli Chowder (page 204), and oh so many more!  Yummy deliciousness!

Page 103

Page 191

What I love about Isa Chandra Moskowitz is the way she formats her cookbooks and her recipes.  They are filled with humor and seem super easy to follow with everyday ingredients.  She also has tips and notes throughout the book which I think are great!

Each recipe serving has only 200-400 calories per serving and all are plant-based and packed with nutrients.  Nothing boring or bland in this book, that's for sure!

I am thrilled to have added this book to my kitchen shelves!  Thanks, Emmy!

And if you haven't yet visited Emmy's blog, head on over immediately to check her out.  She is not vegan, but many of her recipes are and her photos of the food she prepares will make your mouth water!  


Until next time friends, 

Lolly


Thursday, November 1, 2012

{ Virtual Vegan Potluck: Easy Can Can Penne }

Welcome to the Virtual Vegan Potluck!  I am just thrilled to be joining so many great bloggers in this blog party!  I feel a bit like a fraud compared to some of the others here but I love being vegan and I love this EASY recipe and am glad to be able to share it here.  I will be posting more of my easy vegan recipes going forward on this blog.

I cook for one - me! - so am always thinking of recipes that are delicious, budget friendly and that also freeze well for future meals.

I have been making the dish I am sharing today for years.  I love it because it is yummy right out of the pot, yet it tastes just as wonderful after being defrosted and reheated. 
 Recipe:
Easy Can Can Penne

8oz Penne Pasta, which is about 1/2 the box (either regular or whole grain works)
1 red pepper, sliced thinly
1 green peppers.sliced thinly
1 large onion, sliced thinly 
2 cans diced tomatoes (for my recipe today, I used 2 cans of Italian Cherry Tomatoes)
2 cans garbanzo beans
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta separately according to the directions
Saute the peppers and onion in the olive oil.  Cook until soft but not brown or burned.
Add the diced tomatoes and the garbanzo beans WITH their juices
Bring to a boil
Add the oregano, salt, and pepper
Simmer for 15 minutes

Yes, that is a cat's face on my spatula! 
Add the cooked pasta right into the pot and mix


DINNER IS READY!


Thanks for visiting me today!  Use the buttons below to go back to visit The Vegans Husband or go forward to meet Saving The World One Bite at a Time.




Until next time friends, 

Lolly